Olympian Challenger

by Astrid Arditi

  My mother is all I have. I’ve never met my father, my mother’s favorite mistake because he left her a gift to remember him by—a daughter to love. My grandmother is dead and my mother never had siblings. Lily will always be there for me, but she can’t replace a family. No one will ever be able to replace my mother.

  What would happen if I never came back? Would she ship herself into one of these dreary homes with sunny names? Sink faster into dementia so she didn’t have to grieve her lost daughter? Would she be better off without me, like Gabriel’s mother?

  I clench my fists. If Jessica is right, Amy doesn’t know the kind of love a mother is capable of. She doesn’t understand the endless devotion, the angelic patience, the unwavering love. She cannot fathom the bond between a mother and her child. But I do. You don’t give up on that kind of love. I will find a way back to her.

  Although I’m not giving up, I need to rest so I can think clearly. I lift myself up, dry my tears, and walk back to the girls’ villa. The place is quiet when I finally reach it. Whether the other girl contenders are still partying by the campfire or already fast asleep, I have no way to know.

  I take the stairs to the second floor and slip into my room unnoticed. Amy’s petite frame is bundled beneath her covers, her left hand clutching her diamond choker while her precious dagger rests on the nightstand. Under the flickering light of the lantern, I notice tears lingering on her cheeks. She looks so frail and innocent as she sleeps. I wish I could hug her and whisper words of comfort into her ear. Everything will be ok. I’m here for you. But I don’t. Because as soon as I get a chance, I’ll leave Mount Olympus, and I have no inkling whether everything will be all right. I don’t know the gods’ plans for their champion, and after the trials they’ve put us through today, I’m afraid to ask.

  Chapter 14

  I wake up with a nasty headache, a result of my full-frontal encounter with the cloud wall and the meltdown that followed. Amy has already locked herself in the bathroom, so I wait for my turn, glad for a few minutes of peace.

  When my roommate emerges from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, she glares at me as if challenging me to bring up Jessica’s allegations. I don’t want to pry, and I wish I could let it go, but her puffy eyes are such a mirror reflection of mine that I succumb to hysterical laughter.

  Her scowl turns into a surprised ‘o’ before she gets a good look at me and realizes I’ve spent the night crying as well. She joins in on the laughter, holding her ribs.

  “Seems your night was as great as mine,” she hiccups after a while. “What happened to your forehead?”

  I trail a finger over the bump between my eyes. “Kissed a wall.”

  “Drank too much Nectar?” she asks.

  “Nope.” I sober up as I remember. “I tried to escape.”

  Amy eyes me as if I’m crazy. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “You wouldn’t understand…”

  “Why? Because I’m an orphan? Sorry I’m not a princess with a perfect life to return to.”

  Her face goes blank as she contemplates what she just admitted. Her honesty inspires me to divulge a truth of my own.

  “I only have my mother. And she’s very sick.”

  Amy makes sure her necklace is still hidden under her pillow. “That blows. I’m sorry.”

  “It does,” I admit as I stand up and head toward the bathroom. “She needs me.”

  “Can you heal her?” Amy asks before I can close the door.

  “Well, of course not.”

  “Then what does she need you for?”

  I close the door, fighting a new surge of tears as my roommate’s words ring hollowly in my ears. Amy’s right—I’m useless.

  I take a quick dip into the tub, afraid we’ll be late for training. When I come out, I notice two iced eye masks waiting by the sink. Once again, the ghostly servants have anticipated our needs. I walk out and hand one of the eye masks to Amy, who’s already dressed and ready to go.

  “Here. Put this over your eyes,” I say.

  “Now, that’s the life. Why would you ever want to leave this place?” She rests against her pillows and plops the mask onto her closed eyelids.

  I do the same, sighing in relief when the cold soothes the tender skin around my eyes. We don’t talk, which is a blessing. Instead my eyelids get heavier all over again. When the chime rings a second time, I startle from a power nap that did me a world of good. I feel almost human again.

  Removing the eye mask, I rush to the closet to get dressed then back to the bathroom to brush my hair. Amy is gone. I wish silently for a hairband since my long hair got in my way more than once during trials yesterday. Instantly a spectral shape waltzes in, dropping silver ties in my open palm. I thank it, wishing I could see its face.

  I take only one with me, starting a braid while swinging my quiver over my shoulders. By the time I reach the bottom of the stairs, I secure my braid with the hair tie.

  Voices emanate from the courtyard at the center of the house. I tiptoe there to find all the girls sitting around a long banquet table, sharing gossip over breakfast. Amy stabs a mountain of pancakes with her usual gusto and waves to the empty chair beside her. I slide next to her as a fruit platter and granola bowl materialize before me.

  My stomach growls, reminding me I skipped dinner yesterday. The voices around me barely register as I tear through the food like a bulldozer.

  Amy nudges my elbow at some point, pulling me out of my ravenous trance. She points to Jessica, who’s talking to a brunette with full lips and wild curls.

  “I was sure my piece of shit boyfriend was cheating on me,” Jessica says. “So I stalked him and this girl, and when they went up to his apartment, I trashed his car. Totally destroyed it.” She grins smugly.

  “And that’s daring? How?” the brunette asks her with a judgmental frown. “Sounds like petty vandalism.”

  “Do you want me to trash your face as well?” Jessica growls.

  I want to intervene but Amy stops me. “I know girls like her,” she whispers. “Don’t interfere. She’s a psycho.”

  The girl stands her ground, refusing to be intimidated. “And I assume Ares was the one who picked you up?”

  Jessica puffs her flat chest proudly. “Hera did.”

  “The jealous one. Go figure.”

  Jessica bares her teeth. “And what did you do, Joan, that’s so much smarter than me?”

  “I broke into the Guggenheim after closing hours.”

  “The what?”

  Joan shakes her head, making her curls flutter wildly. She sounds smart but full of herself. I couldn’t pick a favorite between her and Jessica even if I wanted to.

  “That’s what I thought. The famous art museum? Athena pulled me into a Jasper Johns painting.”

  “Who the F is Jasper Johns?” Jessica mutters.

  Joan knows perfectly well that if Jessica’s never heard of the Guggenheim, she won’t know who Jasper Johns is. She’s belittling her on purpose.

  Amy, despite being an orphan as well, nods as if she knows exactly what the Guggenheim is. The more I spend time with my roommate, the more I respect her. She doesn’t share Jessica’s rage and resentment toward the world. Instead, she focuses on the future and where her ambitions can lead her.

  “We should go,” she tells me.

  We push our chairs away from the table simultaneously and leave behind the girls engrossed in their chattering.

  This morning Amy isn’t in a mood to talk, which is more than fine by me. It is lovely to be able to enjoy the hike toward the arena in relative silence for once.

  “What do you wish for, Amy?” I ask her after a while, contemplating the iridescent waves of the sea below us. “Fame? Love?”

  “Riches,” she answers absentmindedly. “I want to be the wealthiest woman on Earth.”

  “To buy more jewelry?” I smile.

  Amy looks serious as she kicks a pebble on the road. “So I don’t need anyone. Wealth is the key to my indepe
ndence. That, and turning eighteen in June.”

  “Do you live with a foster family?” I know this question is the equivalent of stepping onto a minefield.

  “Not for a long time.” She doesn’t elaborate and I let her be. This is way more of an answer than I ever expected. “What about you? What’s life for you?”

  “Nothing extravagant, I guess. Studying, which I actually love—”

  “You go to one of those fancy private schools, right? I noticed your uniform.”

  “Scholarship,” I explain. “Then there’s my best friend, Lily. And my mom…”

  “Your life sounds riveting,” Amy teases me.

  I chuckle. “So riveting! I’m the life of the party. Do you miss your friends?”

  “Yes. They are the family I never had. But we keep moving around so it’s hard to keep in touch. In the end, you’re on your own.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

  She shrugs. “You’ll be sorrier when I kick your ass during the competition. I told you already. I’m here to win.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a second. You know I’ll keep trying to leave, right?” I ask as we near the arena. I hate that I’m one more person who’ll leave her.

  “Good. I’d hate to ruin your manicure when we fight.”

  “I told you I’m not a princess!”

  Her face splits into a wide grin. “I know. But you fall for it every time.”

  I play-punch her arm as we step inside the arena together. I’ll miss my strange roommate when I’m gone.

  Life is full of surprises.

  Chapter 15

  Most of the boys are already gathered in the arena, crowding Heracles and Jason, the only two heroes present today. Gabriel sits in the sawdust watching Heath practice on his dummy.

  “Precious needs to be let out to play as well.” Amy grins, walking to the dummy next to Heath’s.

  Gabriel stares at my roommate with wide eyes. “You’ve named your dagger Precious?”

  “A befitting name, don’t you think?” She gazes adoringly at her dagger after unsheathing it.

  I chuckle, and Gabriel stands up.

  “Do you want to practice?” I ask him.

  “Urgh! I can barely lift the thing.” He points to his sword.

  “And I’m no Artemis.” I’m mortified by yesterday’s archery performance.

  “You’ll get better.”

  “I seriously doubt it.”

  Besides, I don’t even know where I could practice in New York. That is, if I manage to bring my bow back with me. Another thing I’ll be missing when I’m gone, along with the sweet-faced, soft-eyed boy at my side. Who will protect him if not me?

  “We should go to the teachers,” I say, forcing Gabriel to stop staring at Heath. “Still crushing on Vile Heath?”

  “He’s kind. He doesn’t make fun of me.”

  “No one should.”

  Gabriel lets out a mirthless chortle. “Anyway, I’ve seen better. I wish you hadn’t left yesterday. I met the most handsome god.” His eyes turn dreamy.

  “Who was he?”

  “Eros,” he sighs. “You may know him as Cupid?”

  “As in the chubby baby with angel wings?”

  “There is nothing chubby about him, believe me.”

  “Did you talk to him?”

  “Me? Talking to a god? You must be crazy.”

  “You do talk to Aphrodite.” I point out.

  “That’s totally different.” Gabriel looks over my shoulder. “The rest of the girls are here,” he says.

  “Then let’s go.”

  We step toward our teachers.

  “Good morning, champions,” Heracles greets us all. “I’m happy to see you haven’t succumbed to the allure of nectar.”

  Some of the contenders chuckle in response. I’ve never tasted alcohol, but the gods’ favorite drink makes me curious.

  Heracles sets off at a jog. “I expect you to take ten laps around the arena first thing every morning,” he says, gesturing for us to follow him.

  I absolutely abhor running, but I follow nonetheless. In a flash, Heracles puts so much distance between us that he becomes a small point in our horizon.

  Before we’ve run half of the arena, he’s overtaken us already twice. Jason watches us with amused eyes. It takes me a whole hour to complete the ten laps.

  When I come to a panting stop, I’m a soggy mess and sweat has made my dress awkwardly see-through. Fortunately, we’re all in the same pitiful state. Except Heracles of course, who’s not even panting.

  He walks toward the gate that leads to the weapon room without giving us a chance to breathe.

  “Ariadne is waiting for us in the library. She will help you navigate the maze and find what you need.”

  “What’s the use of books?” Josh wheezes painfully. “I want to fight.”

  I’m still gasping for air, afraid I’m about to have a heart attack. Heath smirks at me, earning a deadly glare.

  “You keep expecting to fight, so you still don’t know what the competition will entail, do you?” Heracles asks.

  We all answer no.

  “You will partake in ten quests, inspired by famous heroes. To win, you’ll need more than your fists and strength.”

  “That’s about all he’s got,” Clifford says, eliciting fresh rounds of laughter.

  Josh thrusts his shoulders toward him, about to pounce. Jessica stops him with a calming hand on his arm.

  “You have to be clever,” she whispers so that only a handful of us can hear her.

  Jessica waits until Joan passes by and shoves her leg in the way, tripping the girl who taunted her this morning. Joan falls smack on her face and sputters sawdust as she comes up.

  “Revenge is sweet.” She flashes a predatory smile at Joan, who pretends she fell of her own accord.

  Fear shadows Joan’s eyes. Amy was right. Jessica is dangerous.

  We take the stairs I noticed yesterday to the basement of the arena. Flickering torches dimly light up the low corridors. We haven’t reached the library yet, but I’m already lost. After about five minutes, we encounter Ariadne, studying an old manuscript splayed on a table. Rows and rows of shelves, packed with books, sprawl into the distance behind her.

  “Welcome to the library.” She pushes a rogue strand of blond hair behind her ear. “It can get confusing, but I’m talented at finding my way.” She grins.

  There is obviously a double-entendre there, but since I don’t know Ariadne’s story, it’s impossible for me to grasp. Joan and Clifford, possibly the most educated among us, smile in response to her joke.

  “Studying history is the best weapon to succeed in your quests,” she explains. “I guess you would call it mythology on Earth, but as you now know, there is nothing fictitious about Mount Olympus.”

  I wish there was.

  “Studying divinities and past quests will help you understand the world we live in as well as come up with solutions during your challenges. The obvious solution isn’t always the best, as Heracles and Jason’s stories will prove. We thought we could start today with a conversation between the three of us. We’ll tell you all that we recall from our own quests, and you can ask us questions.”

  “Ariadne will show you around the library when we’re done,” Heracles continues. “Then you can spend the rest of the day as you like, although I strongly recommend a hike around Mount Olympus to give you an idea of the lay of the land.”

  This idea sounds particularly enticing to me. I still need to find my way out of Mount Olympus, and I doubt it’s in the arena.

  “Ariadne, why don’t you start with your story?”

  Heracles invites us to sit on the dirt floor while the heroes stand. After the run, I’m only too happy to oblige. Ariadne takes a step toward us, her clever blue eyes clouding with distant memories.

  “I’m the daughter of Minos, King of Crete. Just like you, I was human and lived with my family in a palace overlooking a labyrinth my father bu
ilt to host the Minotaur, a terrible monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.”

  Jessica and her clique guffaw. “In her palace. Just like us.”

  Ariadne doesn’t seem to hear them as she remains lost in the past. “My father was punished for his impudence, and the gods cursed him with the beast. He tried to keep the monster from ravaging our island by sacrificing our youths to the Minotaur. For a long time I watched this atrocity repeated, too scared to try to stop my father’s madness.” A lonely tear glistens on her long eyelashes. “But then Theseus came and volunteered to be sacrificed. I couldn’t watch any longer.”

  “Theseus. He’s the guy who owned our villa, right?” Bob Jr. puffs out his chest.

  Ariadne doesn’t bother answering him. “Even if he did manage to kill the Minotaur, Theseus would find himself trapped forever inside my father’s maze. So I came up with a solution to help him find his way back. I gave him a ball of yarn and instructed him to unwind it through the labyrinth, allowing Theseus to find his way back after he slayed the beast.”

  “But you didn’t fight?” Josh asks.

  “This made you a heroine?” Kara the huntress wonders.

  “Theseus slayed the Minotaur, and I saved Theseus. We both became heroes.”

  Heath chortles. “You took the coward’s way out. You left Theseus to do all the hard work while you reaped the benefits.”

  “Boy, respect your teacher,” Heracles warns.

  “Wits over strength,” Ariadne replies, looking unfazed by Heath’s accusations. “I saved Theseus. And in return, he broke my heart.” She inhales deeply. “Remember, victory always comes at a price.”

  “Didn’t you marry Dionysus?” Joan asks. All the other girls glare enviously at Ariadne.

  “I did.”

  “But you aren’t together anymore?” the pretty girl with brown skin and corkscrew curls who gushed about Dionysus yesterday inquires hopefully.