With trembling fingers, I unclasp the necklace and look at the settings under the light. Between the eight larger stones and the sixteen brilliants, hopefully I’ll have enough to find my way to the monster. And if I need more markers, then I can sacrifice a couple precious arrows.
I take an arrow out and use the steely tip to dislodge a big diamond from platinum claws. I lay it gently on the ground, just before the new tunnel branch, then swerve into the right corridor. The thick silence in the tunnel muffles my footsteps as if I were a ghost. It begs for me to run away, so I forge on, trusting the dread evoked by the monster I’m seeking.
I drop another diamond before I lean into the next tunnel. This one leads to a dead-end. I retrace my steps swiftly and try the other one. Again, the dread intensifies. I must be on the right track.
The longer I run and swerve, the further I am from the entrance, the harder it becomes for me to breathe. A weight sits on my chest, squeezing my lungs tight and leaving me panting. This is different from the exertion of the race. It is fear, heightened to a torturous level, as if I’m marching straight into my execution.
Animal bones litter some of the labyrinth’s tunnels. The skulls look like they belong to goats, but they may as well be those of satyrs. I can only hope it is the former, although clearly the gods haven’t outgrown their peculiar fondness for human sacrifices—this competition attests to it.
If it were not for the sparkling stones left in my wake, I would have gotten lost a long time ago. I keep butting against cul-de-sacs or caved-in walls. I’ve now been running for an hour—or maybe more? It’s impossible to keep track of time underground.
As my hope dwindles, my steps falter. I’m grateful for the bones I encounter on my way, proof that the Minotaur exists and that he roamed these glum corridors. The stench of decaying flesh tells me I’m growing nearer. I’m down to two diamonds.
When I drop one at the end of the tunnel I just crossed, a roar shatters the silence. It is neither human nor animal. It rolls over the floor like an earthquake, sending me tumbling against the stone wall. A high-pitched squeal follows, definitely human this time, and feminine—Joan.
I follow the quaking of the dirt floor to its source, sprinting into a rectangular chamber where the ceiling has been raised to accommodate the terrible beast that paces in a corner over a kneeling Joan, her exit blocked by the blood-splattered wall behind her back.
She still fights, brandishing her inconsequential slingshot above her face and pelting an array of stones at the monster’s bull head. The pebbles only anger him more, judging by the way the muscles of his naked back contract and expand, his human fingers clutching as if he’s ready to tear Joan apart limb by limb.
As he pounces on her, I grab a long, slender bone from the ground and hurl it at the Minotaur’s head. My plan works, but the beast now comes for me. I zigzag across the room, avoiding him and coming to stand side by side with Joan. Instead of thanking me, she keeps firing at her target, which I now realize isn’t the Minotaur’s head so much as his horn. I watch the minuscule notch that has begun forming in the ivory, a nicer perspective than the black pit of his eyes, where evil flames dance.
As the beast lunges for us, Joan and I dart to opposite sides of the room. I pull my bow out, mimicking Joan’s technique as I aim for the other horn. As can be expected, my arrows are much more efficient than her pebbles, and with only three shots, it starts coming undone. The Minotaur stops trying to dodge the arrow and instead bounds toward me.
I’m saved by Heath’s rush into the Minotaur’s chamber through a blue arch, startling the beast just long enough for me to dive away from his iron fists. They sink into the wall where I stood moments ago, punching a hole the size of a cannon ball. I nock another arrow while Heath charges at the Minotaur, aiming for the horn I’ve been weakening.
For once, I get lucky. The Minotaur swats his sword as if it were a toy, sending Heath hurtling across the floor. Gabriel enters through the green arch opposite me. I’d cry in relief if I had a moment to spare.
But the beast is once again lunging for me, so I have to hustle away without a chance to reach my friend. I’m again shoulder-to-shoulder with Joan, who snarls at me while continuing to ever so slowly weaken the Minotaur’s horn.
Heath charges again while Gabriel darts confused glances around, trying to come up with his own game plan. I seethe with rage as Heath’s sword connects with the horn I’ve been working on, sending it flying to the ground. Joan makes a run for it, ever the opportunist. The Minotaur is on her before she can lay a hand on it, his fist crushing her skull with a sinister finality.
Heath uses the diversion to snatch the horn, not sparing a second glance at Joan’s inert body, then darts away through the red arch I came from. Gabriel winces at me now that we’re the only challengers left, with just one horn. I nod to encourage him to fight. I could never live with myself if he abandoned the competition for me.
When he unsheathes his sword, I know he understands me. I fire another arrow toward Joan’s horn, the only one left, while Gabriel spars with the beast. His technique is perfect and he moves with phenomenal swiftness, eluding his lethal adversary at every turn.
I fire another arrow at the horn, so perfectly centered that the shaft remains embedded. This should weaken it enough that Gabriel could cut it off in one motion, or me with one more arrow. But I’m out of ammunition, and my discarded arrows all rest on the side of the chamber where Gabriel and the Minotaur are fighting.
I have no choice but to rush into the battle’s epicenter, diving to my knees to avoid Gabriel’s sword. My hand finds an arrow instinctively. It has been singing to me, as if it is meant to be the fated arrow that will help me win. I fire it from my position on the floor, Gabriel shielding me from the Minotaur’s assaults.
I can hear it all with outstanding clarity—the whizz of the shaft through the air, the tuff of the point as it shatters the horn, the thump as it falls off onto the ground.
Gabriel pauses to admire my work, providing the monster with an opening to attack. I slam into my friend, sending both of us tumbling against the hard floor. The Minotaur once again crushes the wall.
But this time his fist is stuck. This is our chance to escape. I recover faster than stunned Gabriel, who wasn’t prepared to fall. I scramble back up, pulling my friend with me toward the horn. The monster bellows as I catch the trophy nimbly and tow Gabriel toward the red door.
We duck into the obscure tunnel, miraculously unscathed. I am grateful for the darkness because this time around it means safety.
“How will we find our way back?” Gabriel wheezes as we run.
“Amy’s diamonds. I used them to mark my way,” I explain without looking at him. “What did you use?”
“Nothing. I didn’t think of it.”
“It’s ok. I’ve got you now.”
“But there’s only one horn,” he says, forcing me to slow down.
Reality sinks into the pit of my stomach. I stop to look at Gabriel.
“We’re both safe. We have the horn. We’ll find a way to convince the gods to keep us both in the competition.”
He winces. “It’s a lie. And you know it.”
The sound of hooves silences him. The Minotaur chases us.
“Come on. We can lose him in the maze,” I say as I pull on Gabriel’s hand.
He follows me tepidly, looking back toward the beginning of the tunnel, where the dark shape of the Minotaur looms in the shadows.
I glance into the tunnel to my right, searching the dirt floor for a sparkle. Then I look into the left one.
“The diamond should be here,” I sigh, fighting off the mounting panic.
I fall to my knees to search the dark corners the light can’t reach.
“Hope, where did Heath go when he left?” Gabriel asks.
“He went through here,” I reply as the horror of our situation dawns on me. “Heath stole my diamonds! He used them to get out and he stole them!”
The Minotaur is so close to us now. I force Gabriel into the tunnel I’m in and try to run, but he fights me.
“It’s over. We’re stuck here. You have to let me go.”
“No way! You’re coming with me,” I beg.
“I’m not even sure you can make it out of the labyrinth without the stones. At least I can buy you time so you can try to escape.”
His usual radiance dims, replaced by a hard-boiled resolution that frightens me.
“You won the horn. You know full well we can’t both win.” His eyes shine with so much light, so much love as he tries to say goodbye to me—it doesn’t make sense. “Hope, you helped me so much. I’m happy for the first time in my life. And it’s all because of you.”
“So you can’t give up! You have something to live for now!”
“My true dream was to be loved. By my father, I thought. But what you and Cupid gave me is far more than I ever dreamt of. Now it’s my time to do something for you.” He winks. “Make it count.”
Gabriel slams his arms around me, crushing me against his chest, stifling my tears.
“We’ll see each other again. Now run!”
He shoves me forward so I can’t argue any longer. I taste dirt as I collapse on my stomach, face down. I push myself up quickly, but it is too late. Gabriel sprints at the Minotaur hovering at the entrance of the tunnel, his sword aimed straight at the beast’s chest. Tears spill from my eyes as I speed away from him, toward the darkness that I pray will swallow me—to not feel, to not be anymore, would be a dream.
But then who would make Heath pay for this?
Chapter 38
I don’t know what time it is—all I know is that I’ll never cry again in my life. I have no more tears left in me.
Gabriel never came back; the Minotaur has stopped chasing me, and I’m trapped in a god-created nightmare of stone and dirt.
I’ve been traipsing across the labyrinth for hours, and still there is no light at the end of the tunnels, just the torches with their magical flames that never go out. My own shadow projected against the walls has stopped scaring me. I’m beyond fear, beyond sadness. I’m not sure I’m still breathing. Maybe I’m dead and this is the new torture in Tartarus that Hades invented to torment me.
My legs rebel against my command to keep moving. My feet are covered in blisters. My hand is sore from clutching the horrific trophy. My armor gets heavier by the minute. My mind is empty, save for the hate that burns for Heath. I don’t want to die holding onto this hatred. I want to honor those who loved me, those I was lucky to love.
The ghosts of my past come back first to hold my hand—my mother, Lily, even Camille who by caring for my mother has extended her love to me; then Amy and Gabriel; and Kieron, the white of his smooth hair so tangible I could almost touch it as he steps out of the shadows.
I hold onto my pale sun, gazing into his hallucinatory beauty for so long that I start believing he’s here, next to me. Serenity and confidence emanate from him as he speaks.
“This can’t be the end of our story, Hope. You have to find a way to come back to me.”
“But we can never be together,” I whisper, not giving a damn that I’m talking to a vision.
“We will find a way. But you have to come out of the maze first. Use your sight.”
His fingers graze my cheek before he retreats to the shadows and disappears. I trace the spot on my soft skin that now feels colder than before. His touch felt so real.
The ghosts have all vanished with Kieron and yet their love lingers in my heart, fueling my determination. I close my eyes and seek the silver glow within me, watching it grow and strengthen, ready to come to my aid.
“Please, save me,” I beg my powers, waiting for a revelation that never comes.
When I think it has deserted me, I open my eyes to try to make it back on my own. But something is off with my vision. I can’t even see the torches’ flames anymore, can’t see the walls or the floors. I’m plunged in total nothingness.
But at the end of the tunnel, a minuscule spot shines feebly. I follow its faint glow, my hands stuck out before me to stave off obstacles I can no longer see. Turns out the glow is brilliant-shaped and resting on the invisible floor of another tunnel steering right. I try to pick up the diamond, but it isn’t there—only its essence remains, like a fingerprint rendered perceptible by black light.
I walk past it, and again a faint silvery luminescence beckons me forward, toward yet another branch. I creep down the corridor at first, but my steps grow in confidence when I recognize my sight is guiding me.
By the fourth tunnel, I march toward the glow without any hesitation. I will make it out. And with that certainty, my avenging lust returns. I will face Heath, and I will make him pay for the grief he’s caused. I wouldn’t even be here in the first place if it weren’t for him.
When I finally reach the steps leading out of the labyrinth, my vision is tinted blood-red. The details of my surroundings return as my powers dwindle. I stomp up the stairs, taking them two by two, eager to duke it out with Heath.
Bright stars welcome me back into the world of the living. They shine like brilliants surrounding the diamond moon, as if they were honoring Amy’s sacrificed necklace. My anger lessens ever so slightly as I think of my friend. I can’t stand to taint her precious memory with hate.
Bellerophon steps out of the shadows. “I knew you would make it back.” He smiles.
“I don’t know if I have.”
The lingering rage pulsing in my veins is so unlike me, I wonder if I’ve lost some essential part of me down in the maze. I’m afraid I carry a small fragment of the Minotaur’s cruelty inside of me. Down below, it was easy to give into my fury, but under the dome of a pure night sky, these feelings are as detestable as the boy who caused them.
I shove my gory prize at Bellerophon, as if letting go of the quest’s reminder can rid me of the evil that seized me. My teacher holds the horn between two fingers with a disgusted frown.
“I’m sorry for Gabriel. He was a worthy challenger. The Minotaur won’t haunt Olympus any longer thanks to him.”
“I’m sure you’re the only one who’s sorry,” I reply bitterly.
Bellerophon stares at me with disappointment. “All the teachers care. We’ve been grieving every loss, every death since you got here.”
I sigh. “And what about the gods?”
“You do not compete for the gods. You compete for yourself.”
“Do I? I never wanted any of this.”
“A true hero fights for what’s right, no matter the cost or the glory dangled at him. It isn’t about what you want, Hope. It never was. You have a duty to win tomorrow.”
I kick at the grass. “But there’s nothing right about this competition. There’s nothing to fight for except the gods’ vicious enjoyment and a selfish wish.”
“I see you forgot the essential point. You can’t see beyond the competition, but you’re here to become the new Olympian heroine. Could you please stop and think of everything you could achieve next? The good you could do? The wrongs you could right?”
“Would I really get that kind of power?” I ask, the dark cloak of shame pressing against my shoulders.
Bellerophon is right. I did forget about that part. I only focused on getting my wish and saving my mother all this time. But she’s one person, and from what the old hero says, I could help hundreds. More than a surgeon ever could in a lifetime.
Bellerophon’s eyes shine with hope. “Trust me, Hope. If you win, you can achieve anything.”
“I guess we’d better go in and find the gods then.”
“They have gone. You took so long they weren’t sure you were coming back. I am to bring you to the Olympian Palace so you can join the festivities.”
I snort. “I think I’ll pass. I wouldn’t want to dampen their revelry.”
“This is not an option. Hades’s instructions were clear. He asked me to remind you that your absence would come at a hefty cost
.”
The death god will never stop dangling my mother’s life over me. Not unless I win.
The breeze carries the music emanating from the Olympian Palace as far as the town. I can almost picture the notes fluttering around me like graceful butterflies. It leaves me cold.
Today, like every other day, brings no cause to celebrate. That I forgot and partied along with the other challengers earlier this week is humiliating. I’m ashamed of myself.
I hold onto the new hope Bellerophon has given me as we enter the palace. The statues’ fixed stares hold no appeal any longer. They are lies meant to lure the visitor into a sense of awe, demanding an admiration the gods don’t deserve. They may be the great creators, the original life bearers, but they deserted humans a long time ago. They don’t get my respect.
I put on a mask of subservient gentleness as I step into the grand hall. The gods have outdone themselves tonight. Laurel leaves form garlands hanging from the massive pillars, each stone caryatid carries an overflowing bouquet of roses and calla lilies, and the walls shimmer under gossamer silver silk. A massive gold dais is set in the center of the hall, just below the moon shining through the oculus. Heath is propped in one of the two thrones in a white silk toga worthy of a god, a laurel crown sitting on his head. In his hand he holds an ornate wine cup from which he takes long sips at short intervals.
The satyrs’ music dwindles to a stop as the audience takes notice of my arrival. Whispers spread around the circular room, most of them complimentary. I feel like Lazarus rising from the dead, especially when Heath’s spooked gaze locks on me. I smirk at him, reveling in his apparent discomfort.
And I’m just getting started with him…
Olympian Challenger Page 27
