Oiphō! “Anaïtis,” I greet her with a small bow of my head. “How are you?”
Red spots appear on her face. “I’m well. And how are you, Ypsilótate?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“I haven’t had a chance to speak with you yet, b-but I’d very much like to wish you all the best with the Games. Everyone is excited about the participation of the demigods.”
“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me, I’m on my way to the palaestra.”
“Of course, I’m sorry to have kept you.” She bows. “Maybe, if you have some time after the Games, we can meet.”
“I’m sorry, Anaïtis. After the Games, I’ll be leaving Olympus right away. I wish you a good time and please give my regards to your family.” I nod briefly and dive into the palaestra.
I ignore the sculpture of a resting Apollon, which just reminds me of how good he was during the Games in his time. He even beat Hermes, something I can’t seem to do with Bow. I walk over to the changing area, where Andreas is working very calmly on his straps. He has made an art form out of the wrapping process: unwinding, stretching, smoothing… I sense that he feels like beating me up. I grin. Andreas is in good shape, and—just like with Don and Adrian—I consider him one of my strongest opponents. I don’t mind fighting him.
“Hey, Sampson.”
“Hey.” I look for an empty hook on the wall. “Crowded in here,” I remark, taking out the sharp straps.
“Yep. You can keep those in your bag. There are trainers inside.”
“Ah, too bad.”
I put away the sharp ones—it’s illegal to fight with them because they cause greater damage—and take out the softer oxhide straps. I quickly wrap them around my knuckles and wrists and stretch and clench my fingers to see if I can make a good fist.
When we enter the courtyard, Don and Bow are banging their heads together like rams. Andreas and I walk over to the wrestling area to watch. Don succeeds in grabbing Bow by his wrist and pulls him down. Bow’s shoulder touches the ground.
I whistle.
“And that makes two,” Don pants, while Bow rises from the mud with a painful grimace.
“Save some strength for me, Don,” I call, as we stride away.
“Don’t worry, I have enough strength to throw all of you down.”
“I’m afraid he does,” Andreas says quietly.
“Pure intimidation,” I say, while we try to find a quiet spot on the field.
After several rounds of boxing, I see Kai and Adrian entering the field. The adrenalin is pumping through my body and I punch Andreas so hard on his jaw that he goes down swearing.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he shouts, pissed. “This is goddamn training, Sampson!”
“Man up, Andreas. This is nothing compared to what will happen to you on Saturday.”
I roll off my straps and cast a sideways glance at Adrian. If I don’t leave now I’ll attack him and I’m going to say things that I should be keeping to myself.
“Hey, where are you going? I’m not finished with you yet!” Andreas spits on the ground.
I study his jaw. It looks broken. “If you’re looking for retaliation, come to the hot room,” I say and saunter to the showers.
After a quick shower, I drop down onto a bench, and with one arm resting over my head I close my eyes. I am reasonably satisfied with the workout. For a while there, I even had my focus back. Until Adrian made his entrance.
I hear footsteps.
“Does it hurt, a broken jaw like that?” I ask without bothering opening my eyes.
“I suspect it’s less painful than the two broken arms I’ll give you Saturday,” Andreas says irritably. “Maybe then, when I’m done with you, we can compare our levels of pain.”
I look at him and suppress a laugh. “If I can help heal something, just let me know.”
“I advise you to stay away from me.” He sits down opposite of me, grunting. He stretches his legs and closes his eyes. I do the same.
After a few minutes, I find myself in a deep relaxation. Don enters.
“Don told me what happened in Sooke,” Andreas suddenly says. “So you dealt with that bastard?”
I crack one eye open. “Thanks a lot, Don.”
“We’re your best friends, Sampson,” Don says.
“Yeah, well, one of you telling me what I can and can’t do is more than enough for me.”
“Listen,” Andreas sighs, “you’ve gotten yourself into a hopeless situation with a mortal, but I happen to be on your side.”
“Really? One would never know it, the way you always intimidate Laurel.”
“I just don’t want a mortal girl getting you into trouble with the Keepers.”
I place my hand on my heart. “Honestly, Andreas, I’m touched.”
Andreas flips his middle finger.
“So, to sum it all up—you have violated the precepts by having an intimate relationship with a mortal, you have gotten multiple warnings from the Keepers that you’ve ignored, and now, as punishment, you are being married off to Philene. And still you are chasing this mortal. What are you waiting for, Sampson? Slumber? Shame on your family?” Andreas takes some water from the basin and pours it over the hot stones. “I don’t understand these drastic measures to keep you away from a mortal. And why Philene? There are plenty of marriageable girls born into Athenian nobility walking around here. And they’re begging for your attention. Calioppe would marry you in a heartbeat.”
“Or Anaïtis for that matter,” Don chuckles.
“Calioppe was a little too enthusiastic in her worshipping,” I say, thinking of a girl I dated for a short period of time. When she started kissing the ground beneath my feet, I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s a relief that Laurel has no idea who I am. “Besides, I have no interests in marrying anyone. Philene is all yours, Andreas.”
“You know as well as we do that you can’t get out of this marriage.”
“Listen,” I say, “they can try to control our lives as much as they like, but they seem to forget one detail: our genetic code. We’re cloned versions of our fathers and there is no way in hell Apollon would marry Aphrodite. And the Tartarus will be a cold place if they force me to marry her daughter. I’m not into goddesses, just like you’re not into mortals. They’ll make a huge mistake if they force me into a marriage. I’m marrying no one. And if they think I’ll simply cooperate they have to think again. Now is just not the time to thwart the gods or the Keepers.”
“Hmm, I guess slumber doesn’t scare you then,” Andreas murmurs.
“No, but marriage does.”
“Then tell me why Philene agrees with this sham marriage?”
“Power, prestige… influence,” Don says abstractly. “Marrying someone who can predict the future gives her all of that. She may be in love with you, Andreas, but she clearly chooses power over love. Sorry man.”
Andreas shrugs his shoulders. “If she can get over me that easily then… well, I guess it wasn’t real to begin with. I was just deluding myself.”
“Don’t despair yet, Andreas. After this week I’m going to do whatever it takes to get out of this marriage,” I reassure him.
“Have you had a foresight of your marriage yet?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Seems like a good sign to me.”
“How do you think you can stop it?”
“By winning the Games this Saturday. Three in a row: wrestling, boxing and pankration. The honor of winning gives me all the influence I need to get out of this marriage.”
“Get in line,” Don says dryly.
“How is Laurel doing by the way?” Andreas wants to know. “In what state did you have to leave her?”
My stomach tenses. “With a bruised eye, angry and confused. The latter not because of Julien, but because of me.”
Andreas narrows his eyes. “Because you beat the crap out of some underprivileged scumbag?”
I put my arm down, lean forward and focus on sounds from outside. “There’s something you should know. Laurel knows about the Keepers.” I bury a hand in my wet hair and stare at the floor. “Hoi theois agathoi, I thought she figured it all out.”
“Oiphō!” Don curses.
Andreas jumps to his feet. “You told her about us?”
“Sit down, Andreas. I didn’t, a Titan did.”
“Titán?”
“Alexsander. He approached her during skiing and warned her about us. I only know this since last Saturday.”
“How much does she know?” Don asks in a sharp tone. His brain is already working at top speed.
“Practically nothing. She’s aware of the concept of the Keepers, but she doesn’t have a clue what that means.” I smile wryly and place one hand in my neck. There’s a hell of a kink. “She thinks we’re a bunch of overconfident aristocrats descended from an ancient royal family led by a group of powerful men.”
Andreas cracks a grin. “Not far off, actually.”
“She has amazing insight.” I lie back down and relax. My abdominal muscles tighten, and my focus continues to decrease. I want to surrender to the feeling I had during our dance in the lobby, and I won’t tire myself now to try and figure out what that means. “And those eyes.” I look at Andreas. “I swear, they make me beg with only one glance. I was about to strangle Julien to death, but she prevented it. God, that look…”
“Hoi theois agathoi, did you fuck her?”
I freeze and give him a fierce look. “I could break your neck for that remark.”
Andreas raises his eyebrows. “Excuse me.”
“Show some respect, okay?”
“You’re serious, aren’t you? That mortal really means something to you.”
“Hey, if you two can just keep your minds out of the gutter,” Don interjects. He shoots me a dead serious look. “How did the Prometheus’ son know about you and Laurel seeing each other?”
I shrug one shoulder. “I’ve been racking my brain over that, I just don’t know.”
“This stays between us,” Don says sternly. “Otherwise, Laurel will be in immediate danger.” His dark eyes pierce mine. “Weren’t you looking for an excuse for that instinct you have to protect her? Congratulations, you just found one. Laurel knows about the Keepers, we know that she knows, and Alexsander knows—after all, he told her himself.” He holds his thumb and index finger together. “We are this close to the Keepers finding out too. Excellent job, Sampson, you’ve almost managed to destroy your little girlfriend’s life.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I say irritably.
“Maybe we should pay him a visit,” Andreas suggests, standing up as Don sits back down. By now Andreas’ brain is working at full speed and I know he smells blood. “Beat the shit out of that Titan and then have a man-to-man talk with him.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind? We’ll instantly start a war if we enter their territory,” Don shouts. “And have you forgotten about the fact that we have absolutely no power on that side? Let’s keep our heads cool, no emotional fuss, just like we are trained.”
“He sure did have some nerve to go see her that close to us. And not a single one of us noticed anything.” He hits his hand against the wall. “Dammit!”
“We’ll have company in twenty-three seconds,” I announce. “Time to change the subject.”
Don starts to whisper. “I wonder why that Titan cares so much whether you may or may not be hanging out with a mortal. Why in the world would he endanger an innocent girl with life-threatening information?”
“Because he is not only big and burly, he is also incredibly stupid. All the clichés fit that piece of scum.”
“Could he be the one informing the Keepers of you and Laurel? To weaken us,” Andreas wonders.
“Not a chance,” I say firmly. “He wouldn’t be breathing if he did.”
The door opens.
“And that’s twenty-three,” Andreas whispers. Despite his broken jaw, he looks at me admiringly.
“Who wouldn’t be breathing?” Adrian asks curiously and crawls into the corner of the basin.
“You, Saturday,” Andreas says witty.
Adrian laughs, not too impressed. “Funny.” He scans the room stopping at me. “Sampson, how is that attractive mortal you’ve got the hots for doing? I understand she attended your birthday party?”
The knots in my neck grow bigger. “You were invited, Adrian. You didn’t have to spy on us,” I say calmly.
A sly look appears on his face and I wonder not if, but how he’s going to get to me.
“Laurel told me all about it herself, Sampson. At the bar, while we were enjoying a snack and a drink. She was very interested in our family tree. Makes you think, doesn’t it?”
We stare each other down for a few long seconds. My hands clench into fists. Adrian notices and lies down on his back at the edge of the basin and closes his eyes.
“Seductive little creature. Shame about your upcoming wedding.”
I step off the bench and walk out of the sauna. Adrian laughs.
After sacrificing a ram and attending the racing, the discus throw, and the long jump, I throw on my tuxedo and head to the Echo Stoa, where philosophers and poets will be performing their evening shows.
With a glass of warm water, I wander around among the elite of our society and congratulate the long jumper on his big victory.
From the corner of my eye, I see Philene strutting around among the columns. She is wearing a skimpy evening gown, and her long golden curls are cascading down one bare shoulder. She is stunningly beautiful and she knows it. She also has a mean streak. Not exactly a quality that appeals to me.
In a less crowded part of the stoa, I stop at a wooden panel that highlights the military history of the Hellenes. Absentmindedly, I listen to an ancient poem on stage while sipping on my water.
“I prefer a sweaty body covered with the dirt and sand of the palaestra, but I have to admit that watching you in tux isn’t half bad either.”
I turn around. “Philene.”
I press my lips to the back of her hand. Her perfume is so strong and powerful, it penetrates my nostrils. She slides an olive between her glossy lips and pushes back her hair to expose her neck.
I’m not sensitive to her seduction skills, but I’m sure Andreas would appreciate it.
“You don’t look too bad yourself in that dress.”
“Charming,” she mutters.
I shrug one shoulder and slip my hand into my pocket. “I wasn’t trying to be charming.” I take another sip of water and wait quietly until she brings up the subject of marriage.
“Ever since your arrival on Olympus, you’ve been ignoring me. If I didn’t know any better I’d think we weren’t involved at all.”
I almost choke on my water. “We’re not involved.”
“We’re getting married, Sam, with or without your consent. What would the aristocracy think of us if we aren’t even speaking to each other?”
“Philene, before you start writing your wedding vows… we just turned eighteen. My interests lie elsewhere.”
“Yes, we are all aware of that, but no one cares about your interests. We do what is expected of us, it’s always been that way for us. I had hoped you’d understand that by now.”
“Look, you can get anyone you want, why don’t y…”
“Anyone but you.”
“Ironic, right?”
“Why are you being so difficult, Sam? Are you that attracted to that skinny body? I’ll never age. She’ll never be able to compete with me.”
“She doesn’t have to.”
“She has no history,” she hisses.
“Everyone has a history,
Philene. Even mortals.”
“Look at your father. His love affairs with mortals never did make him happy. They all ended in disaster.”
“If you are so well informed about my father’s love life, then you must know that he never married.”
“Sam, look at me. Am I really that repulsive to you?”
“You’re beautiful, Philene, don’t take it personally. I’m just not the marrying kind.”
“That’s not your call, Sam. Your life isn’t yours. This marriage is not some proposal that you can turn down. It’s a command from the gods. This marriage is now our fate because of your irresponsible behavior with a mortal, but I’m not complaining. We could be so powerful, Sam. Together we possess the most important talents.”
I lean over and whisper, “What you’ll get is a marriage based on politics and power. It has nothing to do with love.”
“Come to my room later, Sam. I’ll show you what love is, I’m the expert after all. I’ll change your mind.”
I look directly into her eyes. “Sex isn’t love.”
Her eyes grow big. “You know what I think? I think your parents gave you way too much freedom in that cabin by the lake and the Keepers failed to intervene. You live like you are some kind of hard rocker, and well, you’re not. You’ll be divine someday, so stop pretending that you can lead the life you want to. What you have going with that mortal is a farce.”
I’m not in the mood for a scene, not with my parents and the Keepers close by. I empty my glass. “This conversation is over.”
“We will get married, Sam.”
“Yeah? Well, whatever. Just remember you will never, ever have my soul. I’m not in love with you, I never have been, and I never will be. Our marriage is going to be a marriage on paper only, no more. Don’t forget that when I put the ring on your finger!”
A shadow falls over us.
“Discussing the prenuptial agreement, I hear?”
“Mind your own business, Adrian,” Philene snarls.
She lifts the hem of her dress and walks away.
Adrian slaps me on the back. “I sure hope you didn’t piss off Aphrodite’s daughter. Mommy won’t like that.”
Like with Philene, I had been succeeding in avoiding Adrian up until now, I wonder where I went wrong at the last minute. “You heard her, mind your own business.”
House of Guardians Page 23
