by Zara Stark
The Gorgon's gloved hands went up reaching for her head.
"Here goes everything," I chuckled, opening my hand and flipping my die onto the top of my hand, letting it roll from the top of my pinky to my index finger, catching it in my thumb and second knuckle. The magic of the die fluttered happily and my stomach dropped. Just what would this die do?
Darkness burst from my die and exploded all over the arena.
"The human has covered the arena in the darkness to protect her team from the gaze of Stheno!" The announcer yelled. "Clever human!"
"Damn right," I whispered in agreement. The crowd looked around confused. I stared at the Gorgon and she looked confused too, even the Centaur stumbled around in the darkness, unsure of his steps.
Raiden clapped a hand on my back. "Can you see?"
"Yeah, everything is like night vision though," I whispered.
"Interesting," Raiden's praise made me smile. "We'll discuss what this means later. We'll finish this quick."
With that, he took off towards the metal dragon, a burly man with a form similar to Cobalt's but instead had silvery gray hair and golden eyes. He was going for Nevada.
The three dragons on Team Chiron had no problem seeing and they didn't really seem to care that Stheno and the centaur on their team couldn't.
Raiden manifested a light blue bolt of lighn5ing in his hands that crackled and gave off glowing bursts of cyan light that glowed through the darkness.
Raiden lunged at Monel the metal dragon with his lightning spear. Monel dodged and turned his skin into metal just as Raiden plunged the bolt in him.
The bolt Raiden manifested had been too weak to puncture through Monel's metal skin.
Monel took the chance while Raiden was distracted and turned his hands into swords and slashed into Raiden's stomach. Raiden leaped back, still getting cut in the stomach but instead of a fatal wound, a single stripe of red marred his abs.
Raiden turned the pale blue bolt into a bolt of red lightning, his next stage of powerful lightning and grabbed Monel by his sword arm and stabbed the lightning in Monel's chest.
Monel burst with red lightning, crashing into the ground with a sizzle.
I turned back to the Gorgon, she threw her hood back and dozens of writhing green and teal-scaled snakes rose and looked at me hissing.
"You think the dark will protect you?" Stheno spoke, her voice sharp and angry. "I'll turn you to stone and shatter your statue in front of your males before I do the same to them."
She threw her head back and laughed.
"Hey Stheno, you're either way too early or way too late for the evil Disney villain laugh so put a cork in it okay?"
Stheno ripped off her gloves, revealing oozing black tipped claws.
"Marco?" Stheno called.
"No Polo for another twelve hundred and fifty-odd years," I quipped.
"How do they put up with you?" Stheno called, lunging toward me in the dark.
Despite knowing the darkness protected me, I still avoided eye contact, concentrating on the beady eyes of the snakes on her head.
"Maximum effort?" The poor Aurelius four did, unfortunately, get saddled with the most obnoxious mate on the planet.
She lunged toward me again with a slash of her claws narrowly missing me.
"Just a catfight then? Claws, a little hair pulling. Disappointing really, I expected more from a gorgon, daughters of Gaia, mighty beast," I teased.
"I don't have much opportunity for hand-to-hand combat, I usually defeat heroes with a single look," The Gorgon slashed at me with her claws and I jumped out of the way. "But you know what? At least I'm better than you, a little human whore, no more than a past-time between battles for four dragons. I'm surprised at how fast you're dodging my blows with how much time you must spend on your back daily."
"Slut shaming now, really?" I asked. "Sounds like jealousy to me, wish you could bag four hot dragon males? Eh?"
"Yeah right," The Gorgon hissed vehemently.
"The lady doth protest too much," I laughed, dodging another claw strike.
"What?"
"A little after your time I guess."
"Maybe I won't turn you to stone first, maybe I'll turn them to stone and make you watch," Steno mused, stopping in her tracks, she tapped a dark claw to her chin. "I make you watch your males die before I kill you. Would you like that, you whore?"
I clenched my good fist tightly before moving the activated die into a little gap in my broken arms cast so it would stay activated.
"What's with other women tossing around the W-word?" I pondered aloud, pulling a card from my hip holster as quietly as possible, I wasn't ready for Stheno to hear. "I've been hearing it for years. Since I lost my virginity to Hayden R. after Homecoming my freshman year of High school. Hayden got high fives from the guys and longing sighs from the female population of the school but you know what I got? Besides the male fan club? The W-word from the same female population that thought Hayden was amazing. It's jealousy pure and simple. Any of them would have traded me as Hayden's girlfriend in a heartbeat, just as you would trade me out for a spot in Team Bumblebee's heart. Why do other women try to degrade the woman they're jealous of that way? By trying to brand them with the label of 'whore', like I'm freaking Hester Prynne and they want me to wear a scarlet 'S' on my chest. The same exact thing happened for the next four years and all through college. I wasn't stealing anyone's boyfriends, I wasn't cheating on anyone, wasn't doing anything illegal. You know what I think? I think you all just hate the girl that dares to go for what she wants. You're jealous of the girl who has more guts and bravery than you ever will, you would rather hate the girl that dares to take a little happiness for herself in this dark, terrible world we live in because you will never be brave enough to put yourself out there like that. So you know what, screw you and your little W-word, call me what you want! I'm the one who is going to be walking out of here with my four men standing behind me."
I twirled the card in my hand and my Emperor of Spears came to life, the crystalline sword shining in the darkness. I tucked the card into my cast, at least it was good for something.
With no hesitation, just like Cobalt and Nevada taught me. I swung my sword at Stheno, slicing through her neck easily and her head rolled to the ground.
I deactivated my die instantly and looked around me. The battle was over and all but the centaur were dead, he was laying on the ground passed out but I could still see the rise and fall of his human chest.
"Oh shit," I mumbled.
Azar bounced over to me and pulled me into his arms. "I heard your little speech, so Hayden R. huh?"
"Hayden R. was a little douche canoe," Nevada walked over, wiping the blood off of his hands onto his armor.
"Yeah, he really was," Azar agreed. "I thought you had better taste than that?"
"Uh, he also had long swooshy emo hair, a tongue piercing and a moped for two, he was the coolest guy in freshman year," I shrugged.
"A moped? That changes everything, I would date him," Azar laughed and I snorted.
I deactivated my Emperor of Spears and latched on Azar, hugging him back.
"Team Bumblebee wins! A quick effortless ability for this well-rounded team!" The announcer roared and the crowd went wild, clapping and cheering for us.
I let go of Azar and turned to see Raiden stepping over to us. My eyes locked onto the cut in his stomach. It was far deeper than it had originally looked.
"You okay, Ray?" Azar asked Raiden. Even Azar had noticed and commented on it! That was bad. I wished I had my Goblet cards to heal him.
"Just a scratch, I'll be fine," Raiden shook his head and waved off our concerns.
"If you're sure," Nevada shrugged, not looking worried in the slightest.
Cobalt walked over to us, covered in blood with a wide grin on his savage face. "Whining about that little flesh wound, Raiden? Rub some dirt in it, you'll be alright."
"Dick," Raiden growled at Cobalt.
"Prick
," Cobalt quipped.
"Captain Prick to you," Raiden snapped back.
“Did you really just say that?” Azar laughed.
I nearly fell on Azar in my own fit of laughter. “This moment will go down in history as the moment Raiden called himself a prick. Legendary.”
A sharp icy sensation shot through my chest, like on a hot summer’s day when someone would surprise you with an ice cube down your shirt. All of my mirth was gone. It was the same shocking, cold feeling. I looked down and part of the dark eye that the Concilium had cursed me with faded before my eyes.
“Are you alright? You’re shivering so hard your teeth are chattering,” Nevada asked, placing a hand on my shoulder to turn me around to face him.
Azar stepped closer and knocked his hand off of my shoulder. “You’re cold hands aren’t helping, Popsicle Dick.”
“Popsicle Dick? Really?” Nevada huffed at Azar but let his hand fall to his side.
“It’s short for Popsicle Richard, obviously,” Azar sneered at Nevada before he turned to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel the heat through the layers of both of our armor down to my bones. I sighed into his hot touch and tried not to laugh at his dumb joke.
“I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to make Dick the nickname for Richard,” Nevada complained.
“I’ve always wondered that myself,” I whispered into Azar’s chest, knowing they would hear me.
I stayed wrapped up in Azar’s arms as we were lead off of the field. We walked behind Raiden and my eyes trailed the way he held a hand over his abdomen and the stiffness of his back muscles. He was trying to act tough but he was hurting.
My dragons were infuriating. Raiden would rather let himself bleed out then ask for help. Cobalt and Azar would kill themselves in the name of a good fight. We didn’t pause in the holding arena, instead of walking right out of the arena and back home to our castelli.
Chapter 6
“You’re lucky you’re a dragon or you would probably die of infection,” I sighed. Settling down next to Raiden, spreading my little wooden box of supplies out. A little bucket with a ripped piece of linen acting as a rag to cleanse his wound. A makeshift needle and thread. The Ancient Romans apparently thought sour vinegar wine and honey were a proper antiseptic. No wonder my dragons were all scarred up if that was what passed for proper medical care around here.
Raiden laid out on the shower bench, stretching his arms over his head. I tried not to concentrate on the way his ab muscles contracted with the movement. I needed to concentrate on his wounds, not his six pack.
“Lucky me,” Raiden said.
When he had asked me to help him with his wound, I had imagined putting a bandage over it and calling it done. I hadn’t thought it deep enough the cut was deep enough to merit stitches but looking at it up close it looked terrible. It made me wonder if the blade had been serrated because the flesh looked ripped and jagged.
I dipped my makeshift towel into the mixture of sour wine and honey and rung it out and slowly started to clean around the wound. Rinsing the blood and dirt out into a separate jug and going back into the other clean bucket for more of the mixture.
"My high school first aid teacher is rolling in their grave right now about how unsanitary and insane this process is," I told Raiden, looking up at him through my eyelashes.
"Your high school First Aid teacher hasn't even been born yet," Raiden corrected me. I gave him my best duh look and snorted.
"Fine, my high school First Aid teacher is rolling around in his ancestor's balls right now," I shook my head and Raiden started to laugh.
"Hey, hey, I know I'm hilarious but calm down!" I chuckled with Raiden.
"Sound advice, laughing did not feel so good," Raiden sighed and leaned back on the bench, stretching out his abdomen to give me a better view.
Me on my knees and looking up at Raiden above me was doing strange things to me. I should be grossed out and concerned by his wound but the position we were in was giving me far too many naughty ideas. It didn't help my cause to think that Raiden was the only Aurelius I hadn't slept with yet. Were the other guys taking bets on it?
Probably. Those assholes. They were probably betting on right now, while Raiden was injured. That's why they left us alone. My hands trembled as I rung out more blood from the rag.
"You okay? You seem to be shaking with rage. Monel died, you don't need to be so pissed off," Raiden's hand soothingly went to my hair, his nail gently scratching my scalp. I practically moaned from the sensation, I was absolutely weak for scalp massages.
"No I was thinking about how the other guys left us alone and that they're probably taking bets on us," I told Raiden, expecting him to join in on my righteous anger.
"They already have," Raiden shrugged. "Nevada bets I'll break and jump your bones right after we win our last match, Cobalt thinks it will be after I see you in your dress for the celebration tonight. Azar bet three days ago and lost."
"Really?" I asked, edging the washcloth closer to his wound. I hated when they took bets on my behavior but talking about this was distracting Raiden while I washed his gash. "And did you take a bet?"
"That's unethical," Raiden huffed, glaring at me.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Then who do you want to win?"
"None of those assholes," Raiden continued my scalp massage sending waves of pleasure down my body. His hand was so large it encompassed the entire crown of my head as the tips of his fingers worked to massage my skin.
"I can disagree on that, how can we get back at them?" I grinned and Raiden shook his head.
"You sound far too much like Azar right now, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Raiden tugged on my hair gently, making a little moan escape my body. It made me picture him pulling and tugging at my hair, hands weaved in it using it for leverage as he would pound into me. Raiden instantly stilled, I looked up at him and could feel the heat rising to my face. I wasn't ever ashamed of being turned on and liking my Aurelius' but this was the worst possible time.
"Sorry, I know I should be focusing on your wound but that feels so good," I looked away, biting my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Sorry for my magical hands," Raiden said his face stern but there was a light-hearted lilt to his words.
"Trust me, no need to apologize at all," I shook my head, ringing out and soaking the cloth with the antiseptic and washing the last bit of dried blood off of the wound. I dabbed gently at the wound, watching his face carefully for any wincing.
Raiden was a badass, he didn't even wince. From the deep scar marring his otherwise perfect chest, he had been dealt far worse wounds in his life.
I placed the soiled rag down and went to sterilize the makeshift needle and linen we would have to use as make-shift thread.
"I'm telling you right now, home economics was not my best elective grade in high school," I chuckled. "I made some curtains but that's about it."
"As long as it's closed I don't care about how perfect your stitches are," Raiden shrugged at me, gazing down at the clean wound. It already looked a lot better without all of the blood and dirt caked around it.
"I mean, I can try to embroider your initials or Team Bumblebee in it if you want," I grinned up at him and Raiden burst into deep laughter.
"That sure would terrify our next opponents," Raiden laughed between chuckles, clutching the skin above the wound. "Could you really do that?"
"Hell no," I pulled the soaked thread out of the antiseptic and stuck it through the eye of the needle. The needle wasn't metal but a soft white material that I couldn't pinpoint. "What the hell is this made out of anyways?"
"Bone," Raiden told me as I held it aloft.
"Okay, what the hell is with the Ancient Romans making everything out of bone, like come on, you can forge spears and shields, you think little tiny needles would be easy-peasy," I complained as I started to thread the needle through the end of his wound and pulled the first stitch through. "As
a matter of fact, why don't you have Cobalt make you some needles? Like literally, he could make them so easily."
I pulled another stitch through the wound and looked up at Raiden who sighed deeply, looking ashamed. "I never thought of that."
I gasped loudly in fake shock. "Raiden Aurelius? Not thinking of something? Are you okay? Do you have a fever?"
"The last thing we were going to think of was hey we need some sewing needles in case we get wounded," Raiden told me, sounding defensive. "We were kind of focused on not getting wounded in the first place."
"As good a plan as any I guess," I scoffed, at that point, I had stitched at least five times and still had three-fourths of the wound to go. "You're such guys though. Back home, you would be the kind of guy who puts duct tape on a wound and then forgets about it."
