Olympian Challenger

by Astrid Arditi

As I utter my answer, the maidens who were dancing on the sea earlier come running into the great hall. Leading them is a tall woman of noble bearing, with the same green-tinted hair and translucent eyes.

  “Why did you bring a human here, Kieron?” She frowns.

  “I was hurt,” I explain, saving him another round of explanations.

  The girls swarm around Kieron, pressing their slender bodies against him. I feel an unexpected pang of jealousy, but his annoyed scowl quenches it. Clearly he could do without their attentions.

  “What made you attempt to leave, Hope?” Nereus asks.

  “My mother is sick. She needs me.”

  “Were you told Zeus slowed down time on Earth for this competition?” he asks.

  “No. Yes. But not by how much. I don’t want her to wake up alone and think I’ve left her. Not even for a day.”

  I swallow fresh tears. I’m already enough of an inconvenience for my hosts without starting to bawl my eyes out.

  The elegant woman comes to stand beside Nereus, her stern stare melting in favor of a softer expression. She helps me stand up and trails a hand through my wild tresses. Her maternal touch brings me to the verge of coming undone. If only my mother could hold me right now—even just for a second.

  “Do not fret, child. Your mother is safe while you’re here.”

  I want to believe her.

  “Doris, my dear, perhaps I should show her?”

  The woman takes my hand and leads me away from the great hall. I turn around to see if Kieron, my savior, is following us. He’s a stranger still, but he’s the only familiar face in this place.

  Shaking off the maidens’ touch, he hurries to catch up with us, but Doris lets go of my hand to face him.

  “You can stay with my daughters. We’ll take care of her.”

  “But won’t you need me?” he pleads.

  “I appreciate this new maturity of yours, Kieron, but celibacy isn’t the solution. Perhaps it would be wise for you to consider taking a wife.”

  Kieron looks like he’s swallowed an eel. I’m torn between giggling at his discomfort and the strange jealousy that swirls in the pit of my stomach. Doris takes hold of my hand again and pulls me through an arch leading to a smaller room decorated much like the great hall. There is no furniture here either, except for a delicately carved water basin standing on a pedestal.

  “What do you wish to see, Hope?” Nereus halts before the basin.

  “My mother,” I answer without hesitation.

  He trails his index finger inside the bowl. The water that fills it starts swirling incredibly fast, like the eye of a hurricane. Nereus steps aside and beckons me forward to peer into the basin.

  At first I see nothing but the churning water, but when I give into its hypnotizing effect, a hazy picture materializes on the surface. After a while it crystallizes to a clear image.

  My mother is asleep in her bed. I recognize the carved wooden posts and the frame with my photograph on her nightstand. She is at home, as she should be. I greedily take in the rhythmic movement of her chest as she sleeps, the peaceful expression on her beloved face. Her lips are half open and I could almost feel her warm breath if I leaned in. Through a part in the curtains, the blue moon that rose over New York the night I left bathes her features in soft light.

  If the image is to be trusted, almost no time has passed since I left and she’s fine. She doesn’t miss me. She doesn’t even know I’m gone. I hold onto the basin, thankful for this gift that heals my heart’s wounds and lifts my soul.

  Some of my pain returns as the image turns murky and I lose my mother’s face to still water.

  “Do you feel better now, Hope?” Doris asks, coming to stand behind me.

  Instinctively, I whirl around and wrap my arms about the kind woman who seems to understand my grief.

  “Hush, dear girl. Your mother is fine.”

  “She is, right?”

  “Yes. Nereus’s visions do not lie.”

  “How did he conjure up my mother? Who are you?” I let go of Doris and stare at my two benefactors.

  “I am Nereus, God of the Sea in its calm and placid moods.”

  This title sounds very specific, but considering his compassionate expression and tranquil demeanor, it fits him perfectly.

  “And I’m Doris, his wife and queen. You’ve met our daughters, the Nereids.” She smiles with pride.

  “The beautiful girls you want Kieron to marry.” I try to keep the bitterness from my voice.

  “Not a lot of prospects available,” Nereus explains. “We have fifty daughters, and my dear wife is losing sleep over seeing them settled.”

  I chuckle in response. They are the first Olympians I’ve met who sound so…well, human.

  Doris scowls at her husband and hugs me. “I think it’s time for you to head back to the competition, Hope. With a heart as pure as yours, you deserve to be the next Olympian heroine.”

  I guess that’s all I have left now. The only way out of Mount Olympus is through the competition. Somehow I need to find a way to win.

  “Kieron will see you back.” Nereus leaves his wife behind as he leads me to the great hall.

  The usually sullen god winces as the fifty girls chatter all at once. One of the Nereids has wrapped her arm around his neck seductively while another one keeps pulling on his hand to attract his attention. When he spots me, his first reaction is a relieved smile, but he immediately shifts to his familiar sullen pout.

  By the time we reach him, he’s glowering at me. “Took you long enough.”

  My jaw goes slack in reaction to his anger. Only minutes ago, he saved me, breathed for me, and pleaded with Nereus so that I could be healed. Now it seems he can’t spend one more second in my company.

  “Kieron, could you please escort Hope back home?” Nereus asks.

  His daughters lament that their plaything has to go.

  “I guess I must,” the young god replies without looking at me.

  I’d offer to get back on my own, but I have absolutely no idea where I am except that it’s at the bottom of the ocean.

  “Can you walk?” he asks sharply.

  “I think so.”

  “Then let’s go. Thank you, Nereus. I owe you a favor.”

  Nereus simply nods in answer, waving goodbye as we exit his magnificent grotto.

  I have to jog to keep up with Kieron’s hasty pace. “Did I do something wrong? Something that offended you?”

  He snaps his head toward me. “Except waste my time?”

  I retreat at the feral intensity of his gaze. “You didn’t have to save me. How did you even know where I was?”

  Kieron’s lips form into the beginning of an answer but he shakes his head and diverts the conversation. “At this rate you’ll miss training tomorrow.”

  I hasten some more, but I’m exhausted and the sand keeps making me stumble. I forge on anyway, pride making me bite my lip to stop myself from complaining or asking the questions I have for him.

  To avoid looking at his chiseled profile, I gaze around us. Walking at the bottom of the ocean is eerie. The sea creatures don’t pay us any heed as they swim leisurely around us, attending whatever business keeps sea creatures busy at night.

  Farther away, I see a palace built of coral and seashells with gold tridents shooting from the turrets.

  “Is that Poseidon’s palace?”

  “Yes. And he’d better not see you, or you’ll be evicted from the competition.”

  “Then would I be sent home?”

  Kieron grits his teeth. “Foolish, stubborn girl. I do not know what they have in store for the bested. There’s no way out of here for you.” He stops to look at me. “You’re exhausted. Look at you. You’ll never make it to shore in your state.”

  He bends his knees as if to pick me up. The thought of being in his arms is exhilarating, but I step back, refusing to add more fire to his grudge against me.

  “You can’t carry me all the way back.”

&
nbsp; “Are you saying I’m not strong enough?” He smiles genuinely for once, as if the suggestion is positively outrageous.

  Kieron’s body is lithe, and slenderer than the other gods, but I don’t doubt he could carry me for miles. To him I wouldn’t weigh more than seaweed. His smile morphs into caution.

  “Are you afraid of me, Hope?”

  “No.” In truth, everything about him entices me as much as it terrifies me.

  The sound of a familiar conch shell startles us both.

  “Guess we’ve found your ride back,” Kieron says with a wry smile.

  Soon, a dolphin somersaults in our direction. On his back, Triton is seated side-saddle to accommodate his tail, a wide grin on his face.

  “The fishes told me about a human girl on the bottom of the ocean. I didn’t expect it to be you, Hope.”

  I nod to the god, who in his own element, has lost all the awkwardness he displayed on solid ground.

  “Triton.” Kieron hails him with a raised palm. “Would you mind giving Hope a ride back to the seashore?”

  “What about you?” I ask Kieron.

  “I have business to attend to,” he replies without looking at me.

  Triton holds out a hand to help me climb behind him on the dolphin’s back. “You owe me a favor, son of Hades,” he says before whispering a command to his mount.

  The dolphin cuts through the water with beautiful agility and speed. I squint as I look back, hoping to get a last glimpse of the strange god who saved my life.

  Chapter 18

  I spend the first half of my morning trying to let go of my single-minded obsession to return home. Amy has been harassing me about where I disappeared to last night while I was supposed to be resting in the villa. I keep dodging her questions, but her resentment grows in proportion to my evasiveness, and by the time Odysseus and Perseus are done narrating their quests, she won’t even speak to me.

  Gabriel has been trying to get the truth out of me as well, but fortunately, with his less suspicious nature, he accepts my vague story about a nocturnal walk on the beach. To be honest, if someone told me that story, I wouldn’t believe it either, but I’m grateful for his gullibility. I don’t want to hurt him by admitting I tried to escape and leave him behind.

  But now that I need to compete, I may have to hurt Gabriel if I want a chance to win. I try my best not to dwell on this as we climb the stairs leading to the arena. The competition hasn’t started yet. In the meantime, I’ll do my best to give Gabriel a fighting chance in the quests.

  “You should ask Heracles to help you with weight lifting. Your arms need to be stronger if you want to handle that sword of yours.”

  Gabriel sighs. “Dad. That’s what I call it. This sword is as determined as my father to remind me I’m a failure.”

  At least his sense of humor is intact. “Well, you need to give Dad a run for his money. Go find Heracles. In the meantime, I’ll try to convince my bow to work with me.”

  “We’re both doomed, aren’t we?” Gabriel smiles.

  I wink as I pull the bow out of the quiver strapped to my back. “Not if I can help it.”

  I zoom in on Bellerophon who surveys the archery dummies at the back of the arena.

  “I didn’t see you at practice yesterday,” he says as I reach him.

  My head bends in shame. “Sorry, I was busy.”

  In the center of the arena, Kara raises her bow and aims at her dummy just a few feet from where we’re standing.

  “We’d better stay clear of her path,” Bellerophon says as he pulls me to the side. “Her aim is still rather random.”

  That’s a kind way to put it. Her arrow lands three dummies down from where she’s aimed. At least she hit a target, if not hers.

  “Do you have tips for me? I’m awful.”

  And I don’t do awful. There is a reason I’m Valedictorian, apart from needing the scholarship—I’m a perfectionist.

  “You have to block out the white noise. Focus until the target is the center of your world.” This idea appeals to me. My thoughts are so loud these days, I’d love an excuse to shut them out.

  “Thank you.” I stand in line beside Kara, who’s cursing at her bow that won’t cooperate.

  As I pull the first arrow out, I focus on shutting her imprecations out. But a replay of my underwater conversation with Kieron takes its place. I manage to mute him, but his face remains before my closed eyes, taunting me. The young god puzzles me—why did he save me if he clearly can’t stand me?

  Despite the incessant questions, I nock the arrow and pull on the bowstring until my bicep is taut. I’ve lost too much time since I got here with fools’ errands. Whether my brain agrees or not, I need to practice.

  My eyes are now open and yet I can’t see the dummy, as if Kieron is imprinted on my retina. In desperation, I let go of the arrow anyway, without caring where it lands. A common gasp echoes through the arena as the arrow tears through the air and finds its mark.

  I blink to clear my vision and find Bellerophon, his face bright red, holding my arrow in his fist. My bow tumbles down into the sawdust.

  “You! Come with me!” he yells as he storms out of the arena.

  Kara smirks. “Good job almost killing our instructor. I hope they kick you out.”

  I scowl at her before running in pursuit of the hero, wondering what will be my punishment for my careless action. When I exit the arena, I find Bellerophon looking at the slope of the mountain, both hands planted on his hips.

  I expect him to yell at me some more but instead his expression is inscrutable. “What did you see?”

  I gawk at him.

  “When you aimed, what did you see?”

  “Nothing,” I lie. There is no way I can tell him about my senseless obsession with a god who despises me.

  “You weren’t looking at the target, that much is clear.”

  “I’m sorry.” My lips quiver. “I’m so very sorry.”

  “I don’t care about your apologies. You were lucky it was me and not one of the contenders, or their death would be on you.”

  “But you can’t die.”

  “I can, actually. True immortality only belongs to the gods. I am impervious to illness and old age in some measure, but not to death.” He shoves my arrow into my limp hand. “If this arrow had pierced my heart, I would be no more.”

  The massive implications of my distraction leave me speechless.

  “Lucky for you my reflexes are otherworldly. I caught the arrow before it hit me.” He stares at my bloodless face. “I told you to empty your mind.”

  To avoid his hawkish gaze, I stare at my feet. “Easier said than done.”

  “What grounds you, Hope?” His voice softens. “When you close your eyes at night, what’s the last thing you see?”

  “I don’t know…I can hardly sleep. There’s too much going on.”

  “Humans all have one thing that they hold dearer than anything else. The one thing that tethers them to life, the thing they can’t live without. Tell me, what’s yours?”

  I bite my lips to keep from crying. “My mother. But I can’t think of her right now. She’s the reason I’m so distracted in the first place.”

  “Because you left her behind?”

  “Because I didn’t have a choice!”

  “You can either let her distract you, or you can use her to find your focus. Make her your strength, Hope. Let her memory guide you when you pull that bow. Aim for her when you unleash your arrow.”

  “What’s your thing?” I ask, drained from being under his untiring scrutiny.

  “Maybe one day I’ll tell you,” Bellerophon says. “But first you need to prove to me your bow didn’t make a mistake by choosing you.”

  The bow I’ve dropped in the sawdust. I wish I never had to lay my hands on it again.

  “Maybe the arena isn’t working for you. Go get your bow. I know where we can practice safely.”

  I can’t believe my teacher hasn’t given up on me. Not
only that, but he’s going to insane lengths to help me.

  The soles of my sandals feel like they are made of lead as I head back inside the arena to fetch my bow. Everyone gawks at me, trying to draw conclusions about what happened outside, judging by my expression. I keep my face blank except to smile in reassurance at Gabriel who’s struggling to deadlift a weight bar over knee level. Amy just passed the boulder on the obstacle course. She won’t meet my eyes and instead focuses on the climbing wall ahead.

  Kara gives me a triumphant smile as I bend to pick up my bow. “You’re out, right?”

  “Nope.” I grin. “Sorry to disappoint. In fact, looks like you’ll be training on your own today. Bellerophon is taking me for a private lesson.”

  The confused look on her face is enough to lift the weight off my shoulders. I skip out, gloating over this petty revenge.

  “Follow me,” Bellerophon says as I step out of the arena.

  He takes me to the meadow where the campfire was held on the first evening of training, then picks up his golden bow and fires an arrow to a tree at the edge of the forest.

  “That is your target.”

  “The tree?”

  “My arrow,” he says with a defiant jut of his chin.

  “Impossible.” Not only is the tree way further away from me than the practice dummies are in the arena, but the arrow is barely visible from this distance. I could stay here all week and never reach it.

  As if reading my thoughts, Bellerophon adds. “You’ll stay here until you hit it.”

  Then he walks away from the clearing, leaving me alone with my bow and the impossible target.

  A raspy voice surprises me. “You pull too much on your bow.”

  I let go of the arrow too fast, and for the first time in an hour I completely miss the tree. I shake my head to dispel the face of my mother, which I’ve been picturing all day to concentrate. Bellerophon’s tip was surprisingly efficient. By reminding me I’m competing for her, he’s allowed me to regain focus. I’m amazed to see dusk has fallen without my notice. I’m also hit by the pressing urges of my bladder—I’ve been practicing non-stop since mid-morning.

  Kieron ambles toward me, rendering me speechless. He’s the last person I expected to see in the meadow, especially after yesterday. When he draws level with me, he gestures for me to pick up a new arrow. Hypnotized by the bottomless depth of his dark gaze, I do as I’m bid. The god waits for me to get in position, my legs planted firmly in the grass while my arm stretches the bow. Now that he’s broken my training trance, my right arm stings from the day’s repeated efforts.