by Simon Archer
“The Cyclops,” I said as I snapped my fingers in time with my epiphany.
“What?” Katlynn and Jade said together. They looked at each other, surprised by their timings, and Katlynn smiled at my friend. A red flush crawled up the sides of Jade’s neck, and she quickly looked away from my half-sister’s intense gaze.
“Oh no,” I said as I wagged a finger between the pair of them. “None of that.”
“I was just smiling,” Katlynn said defensively.
“Flirty smiling,” I corrected. “And you need to cut it out. You’re dead, remember? And Jade’s my girlfriend, it would be weird.”
“Don’t remind me,” Katlynn grumbled, and her smile instantly vanished, soon replaced by a disappointed frown.
Jade coughed, trying to tame her reaction to Katlynn. “What did you mean by the Cyclops, Cam?”
“I mean, they’re going to be the ones to teach me,” I said, my excitement bubbling up at the prospect of it. “The Hesiodic Cyclops were three brothers, Brontes, Steropes, and Arges, who originally created Zeus’s lightning bolt, Poseidon’s trident, and Hades’s helm of invisibility.” I waved my hands in jubilation, the words tumbling out of my mouth. “Last year, Aphrodite mentioned that I could study abroad with the Cyclops. Since they made the Original Weapons, they would be the perfect ones for me to study under.”
“Let me get this straight,” Jade said as she held out her hand. “You want to leave the Academy and study abroad with Cyclops in order to finish out your deal with Hades and make him a new helm of invisibility?”
“Exactly!” I said, enthusiastic that she understood.
“I can see that you’re really excited about this plan,” Jade said, her voice a warning, “but there’s one thing you’ve forgotten.”
“What?” I asked. I scanned through the plan and couldn’t find a flaw, but my friend’s tone made me cautious.
“There’s no way in hell that the Stratego’s ever going to let you go,” Jade said definitively.
I mulled that over and then caught Katlynn looking at Jade again. “Alright, back in the locket.” I said, opening the contraption again.
Katlynn glared at me, but surprisingly did as I said. Jade peered at me curiously, “What was that for?”
I stalked my girlfriend where she stood up against the tree. Her eyes flickered around nervously, “Cameron? What’s going on?”
I leaned over and inhaled deeply into her hair, “I’m going to remind you whose girlfriend you are.” I promised.
Jade squeaked and flushed a deep crimson, but didn’t say anything, so I took the initiative and kissed her deeply, pushing her up against the tree as my hands settled on her hips. She returned the kiss, her arms wrapping around my neck as she pulled me in closer. Her fingers crept up through my hair, her gentle touch sending shivers down my spine. I responded by sliding my right hand up over the curve of her waist, cupping her breasts and continuing up to her neck. Her bare skin was still warm from the run, and her breath slowed in anticipation as my fingers curled gently yet firmly around her neck. I broke off the kiss and looked into her eyes, and they danced with desire as she arched her back, pressing the length of her body up against mine. I felt her skin press up against the palm of my right hand, so I curled my fingers snugly against her neck while my other hand slipped behind her, sliding across her lower back as I yanked her up against me. Her breath caught as I tugged gently on her lower lip with my teeth, and she let her hands blaze a trail down my back and across my waist. When she found my beltline, she traced it around to the front, tugging teasingly on my belt buckle before drifting down further. When her warm palm pressed against me, my body swelled in response, and a small smile twitched at the corners of her lips as she continued to move against me.
My hand slid down from her lower back over her perfect ass, and she giggled as she squirmed against me. I slowly released my hold on her neck and I caught a quick flash of disappointment in her eyes before she recovered. I ran my finger down past the collar of her shirt, running my palm over her chest before trailing my hand across her stomach to her hips. I planted my lips against hers again, kissing her deeply as I quickly undid her pants, letting them fall to the ground forgotten. Immediately, I slipped my hand beneath the lace of her underwear, the scratchy fabric grazing my knuckles as my fingers found the familiar warmth of her body. Jade gasped, arching her back and gliding up against the tree as my fingers found their way inside of her, and we moved together, small whimpers escaping her lips as my fingers traced rhythmic patterns against her.
Her whimpers became more and more urgent until they turned into squeals of pleasure as she writhed against me. She frantically scrambled at my beltline, loosening my pants until I sprung free, the fabric pooling at my feet as her delicate hands wrapped around my length. I felt myself harden further in her hands as she trailed her fingers against my taut skin, further amplifying the sensations that shot up into my gut. I locked eyes with her, and saw my reflection in them, the hunger and passion driving us both forward. The trees around us melted away, and when I couldn’t wait any longer, I slipped my fingers out and yanked the lace to the side, stepping forward against her as she quickly guided me to her. I slid inside her without any hesitation, and thrusted hungrily forward repeatedly as she groaned into my shoulder. Her fingernails dug into my back, clawing at the fabric of my shirt as I pressed against her. Her back rubbed roughly against the bark of the tree with each thrust, and her warm breath against my neck came quicker and shallower as my fingers found her neck again. She succumbed to the sensations, giving herself over to me as I thrusted harder and faster. Her fingers found my hair again, and this time she grabbed hold of it and tugged, and I responded by tightening my grip on her neck. I glanced down at her as I did, and I saw a flash of desire in her eyes as she tugged harder on my hair. I felt her body slow as she fell victim to the intense pleasure that coursed through her body. Her moans grew louder and longer, and the short, shallow breaths told me that she was close, close to reminding herself whose girlfriend she was. She was mine. Every inch of her body yearned for me, every sound that she made was because of me, and when I sent the next few forceful thrusts forward, she grasped onto my shoulder as her body tensed up, causing her to damn near scream. I held her in place as I slid my hand up from her neck to cover her mouth in a fruitless attempt to keep her quiet, as I continued to send wave after wave of bliss through her body with every rock of my hips. The tension in her body quickly gave way to shivers and aftershocks, and her moans settled into groans of satisfaction. With the pressure built to a tipping point, I finally hit my peak, releasing all of me into her. She gasped as she slid her hands down to my hips, pulling me close and holding me in place as we came back down together. She looked up at me, her expression soft and satisfied, and pulled me in for a kiss, which I happily obliged. We stayed there for a moment, relishing in the aftershocks and calm, until I slowly, regretfully, backed away. The air felt cold against my damp skin before I was able to pull my pants back up over my hips. I watched as Jade straightened up the edges of her black lace underwear, putting them back into place before reaching down for her pants. When we were both fully dressed, we exchanged a sheepish look.
“What are the odds that no one’s realized we’ve been missing from the run for a bit too long?” Jade asked as she looked in the direction we had come from.
“I’d say it could go either way,” I shrugged, “but I’m not complaining. You were worth every moment.”
Jade blushed deeply at my words before turning to head back to the running path. I watched as she sauntered away from me, my eyes trailing down past her lower back as she walked. My statement had been true. I didn’t care what happened for the rest of the day, and it didn’t matter that I hadn’t been able to properly shower since my recent adventure. When she turned back to me and flashed me her signature infectious smile, nothing else mattered.
12
I am not a patient person. I have never been, and I’m sure I ne
ver will be. It’s ironic considering the amount of patience needed in order to be a blacksmith and make the weapons that I do. That’s not something that just happens overnight. It takes days to complete a project and years before that of training, practice hours, and botched materials.
When I was in the forge, it was different than when I was anywhere else. In the forge, it was as though the rest of the world melted away. It was just me and the metal, the future weapon speaking to me so that I could create it to perfection. If anything, it felt as if no time had passed at all when I was creating a blade.
But standing here, in the Elemental Officials board room, as they reviewed my application to study abroad, I could feel every second as it ticked by.
There wasn’t a clock to be seen in the windowless room. I had no actual notion of how much time had passed, but it felt like a million years as they passed around different sections of my application and read them silently to themselves. The only sound was the occasional cough from Emma, one violent enough to knock her monocle out of her eye, and the shuffle of papers as they slid along the table from Official to Official.
I did everything I could to distract myself from the anticipation that crawled up my legs and made my kneecaps jiggle.
There were twelve Elemental Officials who ran the Demigod Academy for the Elemental Military. They were all daughters of the twelve Olympian gods. With the exception of one rare male son of Zeus.
Next to Emma, the daughter of Hestia, there was Makayla, the daughter of Hermes. I’d worked with the blonde bombshell last year to rid the school of Tainted Love and bring Aphrodite to help save campus. She, myself, and Genesis, the daughter of Aphrodite, had taken the lead on the whole ordeal since we were some of the few who hadn’t been as infected as the rest of campus and the Officials.
Officer Ashley was there, too, as the daughter of Ares. She hadn’t been too thrilled about Jade and me lagging so far behind during the run. She sent each of us death glares when we eventually returned to the dorms but didn’t say anything. I didn’t realize how much of a relief that was until I was safe in one of the bathhouses, rinsing off.
Other Officials included Rhys, the daughter of Demeter, Cyrene, the daughter of Artemis, Jasmine, daughter of Apollo, Brea, daughter of Athena, and Alya, daughter of Hera.
Noel, Sarah’s sister, who I stood next to during her funeral, offered me a small nod and a slight smile when I entered the room. It was encouraging to see her acknowledgment, something I had never gotten before from the Official. Her long blond hair was wrapped up into a bun on the top of her head. It flopped about loosely as she examined my application.
Then there was the Stratego, who appeared to be a speed reader. I swore it took him less than six seconds to look at each page of my application as it passed in front of him. He would look down briefly, and then his eyes would snap back up to me, scrutinizing.
I tried not to let his intimidating grimace and hooded gray eyes bother me too much. All I needed to get this study abroad request passed was a majority vote. If he wasn’t in that majority, then it was no skin off my nose.
Each of the Elemental Officials sat in order, in front of the insignia of their godly parents. The insignias were obvious: a bow and arrow for Artemis, a drop of water for Poseidon, a skull for Hades. There was an Official for each of the Olympic gods.
Well, except for Hephaestus.
The chair in front of my father’s symbol, a hammer, sat empty. There were thirteen spaces at the table because they counted Hades’s daughter, Effie, as one of the Elemental Officials. She sat at the far end of the room with the other daughter and son of the three famous brothers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Everyone else took their place in front of their parents’ symbol accordingly.
I stood near the door, awaiting their judgment. Other than the Elemental Officials and myself, the four heads of the Military branches were in the room. My girlfriend, Bella, was also the head of the Eda Branch. Alongside her were Olivia and Mia, the heads of Vreg and Oura. Unfortunately, that also meant that my other girlfriend, Hailey, the head of the Enka branch, was here too.
I refused to meet Hailey’s eye, which had not stopped glaring at me since I’d requested this review. In the midst of obtaining the application and rushing to get it filled out, I forgot to tell Hailey my plan.
I knew it was a mistake. A big mistake. There was no way she was happy about the prospect of me spending the rest of the semester away from campus, especially when we had just gotten back together after a summer apart. And I knew Beth and Daniella would feel the same. I didn’t know how Bella felt since she had just joined the relationship. It didn’t help that the semester together started off with Sarah’s death and me being obsessed with getting to the bottom of it.
Now here I was, intentionally trying to go elsewhere for the next several months. And worse, I hadn’t even thought about them during the whole process.
The Stratego collected all of the papers at his end of the table and slapped the edges on the table, straightening the stack. He cleared his throat as Noel passed him the final paper. The son of Zeus let the papers lay flat and untouched atop the table while he put his elbows on their side of the packet, fingers steepled as if in prayer. He rested the tips of his fingers against his lips and stared at me.
I didn’t dare look away. I didn’t know what the Stratego was examining me for, what he was searching for, but I refused to back down. I needed to get this study abroad opportunity. Not only because of my deal with Hades, but I didn’t know what I was going to do this year without a mentor.
The Officials had trouble finding a replacement still, and as such, all blacksmithing classes had been suspended. The forge was temporarily closed until they found a replacement.
I thought about offering to teach the classes, but Hailey informed me that it would be impossible.
“You’re not a graduate and not a qualified soldier,” Hailey explained.
“I’m more qualified than anyone they’re going to find,” I argued.
“While that may be true, they’re still not going to let you teach,” Hailey reasoned as she kissed the side of my head.
That was yesterday morning. The morning of the funeral. When she had been so kind and affectionate. I would be surprised if I would get the same treatment from her after this review was over.
“Cameron Alpin,” the Stratego said with a deep inhale. “You are aware that applications for study abroad programs for this semester were due at the end of last semester.”
“Yes, sir, I was aware of this,” I said, making sure to be as straightforward and polite as I could manage. I needed this to go my way, and I couldn’t let my beef with the Stratego get in the way of that if I could help it.
“Then why did you request the review of this application, which was filled out…” The Stratego flipped the front page of the packet over and briefly looked at it before returning it to the pile. “Three hours ago?”
“Because I was hoping that you would make an exception,” I answered honestly, with my hands behind my back.
The Stratego grunted, not bothering to hide how he really felt about my response. “And what makes you think we would do that for you?”
“Because of Sarah’s death,” I said, playing the highest card I had right away. Hopefully, if they understood this reasoning, then I wouldn’t need to play the rest of my hand.
At the mention of her name, I saw Noel’s shoulders tense, and the daughter of Poseidon’s eyes flicked away from me, towards the center of the table, as though she could stare at it hard enough to burn a hole in the wood.
A couple of the other Elemental Officials reacted as well. Alya sucked in a sharp breath while Emma removed her monocle to clean it and shake her head. I heard Brea mutter, “Shame.”
“In light of her death,” I said, the words biting my throat as I said them. “I have no mentor or teacher for the blacksmithing classes. As you know, this is my main reason for being here, and Sarah’s help has been crucial i
n my development as a blacksmith.”
“I thought you were already the best blacksmith on campus,” the Stratego sneered, throwing my own words back at me from when I was first in this room.
“I am,” I assured the son of Zeus. “However, you can always learn something from your elders, and unfortunately, you all have closed down my main workspace.”
“Until we can find a replacement,” Effie assured me as if that was going to happen tomorrow and not on some indeterminable date.
“And when will that be?” I asked, directing my question at Effie directly with a cock of my head. “Because from where I stand, finding Sarah’s replacement doesn’t seem to be a priority.”
“We were trying to let a respectable amount of time pass,” Alya jumped in, defending her colleagues and their choice.
“And as much as I respect that decision, I believe it is a detriment to the students of the Academy, mainly me,” I said frankly with a simple shrug of my shoulders. “If you want me working on the Ultimate Weapon, you need to let me in the forge.”
There was a silence as the Elemental Officials absorbed my words. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella lean over to Hailey and whisper something in her ear. Hailey replied to the Eda leader out of the side of her mouth, but I couldn’t make out the words. I returned my focus to the officials, knowing that I was only a few steps away from my final argument.
“My study abroad request is the solution to many of these problems,” I continued. “You don’t want to open the forge without a teacher, but you want to give a respectable amount of time to Sarah’s memory before replacing her. If you send me, the only person on this campus who cares about working in the forge, away, then you can be on your own timeline for replacing her and open the forge when you see fit.”
“You have to see, Cameron, that this is an unusual request,” Emma piped up. “All the students who are studying abroad have already been approved and are already set up. You would be behind.”
