by Debbie Long
“What’s up Morgs?” I walk towards her. Her face is scrunched up, her head cocked to the side as if listening to something.
“I can hear it talking to me. I can hear a female voice. She is telling me to follow my destiny. She says I am a higher being. One that rivals the gods and will put them to their knees.” She has a worried look on her face.
“We don’t need more complications and more drama. I know where I belong, and so do you.” I remark.
“She’s not the only one. I can hear something too, male and loud. Dominant too, like he was in charge here until he was dethroned by his own child.” Clarissa has her face scrunched up too. Why can’t I hear anything? “Zeus is not to be trusted.”
“No shit.” I roll my eyes just as the doors open.
Zeus, Hera, Hecate and Ares walk through the door in a golden glow that hurts my eyes. They all stop and stare at the weapons in our hands. Zeus’s broad jaw is ticking, and his eyes flash like thunder. The sword in my hand, shakes, not in fear but rage.
“Put them down at once.” He thunders. I wince when the sky cracks and a bolt of lightning lands at our feet.
I jump back, the same as the others. “Erm, I don’t think so. My weapon doesn’t like you much and tells me I am already connected to it. You can’t take them away from us, same as we won’t let them go.”
“That smart mouth will get you killed.” He sneers. “And I will gladly watch when that day comes.” He strides out of the room frighteningly. He seems to grow, filling out and is forced to duck under the door. Those blue eyes land on us before he vanishes out of sight.
“You have angered him.” Hera’s willowy voice pulls me from my thoughts. “You will need to be careful daughters of earth, though perhaps you are more.” Her eyes squint, then she smiles and turns away.
“Why is he so angry? We didn’t ask the weapons to chose us.” frustration laces my voice. I’m sick of all this shit. All I want is a normal life.
“Because you hold the weapons of the titans. They haven’t been held since Zeus defeated them in war and locked them away in Tartarus.” Hecate answers. “They now belong to you, and you are right young one, they will not hold their alliance to any other but you.” Her lithe figure glides towards the door, her black hair cascading down her back. Before she leaves, she looks back with those dark eyes. She is beautiful, but then they all are. Her high cheekbone, her delicate but point to her chin that would make a woman cry on earth and made to feel inferior. “Use them well, they will serve you in your hour of need.” With that, she glides out the room, her white toga billowing around her.
“You know, I need to get me some of those sandals. They would look great in the summer with a short skirt and tank.” Clarissa says in thought.
I crack up laughing. Even Ares smirks before putting us through battle strategies, and I love how many blows we land before he calls it a day.
Chapter three
Clarissa
I wish I had my men with me. I hate walking through these halls alone. They are so white I have to blink my eyes to clear them, it’s bugging the hell out of me. Then you have the assholes walking around like they want to smite you down. Well, fuck you assholes for thinking you are better than us.
My sisters walk next to me, dressed in the gear we are forced to wear, but damn we look hot. My skin against the white makes me stand out. Morgan looks badass with her blue hair blowing around her like a halo and sword sheathed on her side. Violet looks fierce, her lilac hair cascading down her back and her dagger strapped to her thigh.
We get plenty of looks from both guys and girls. The men want to fuck us, the girls want to kill us. I sneer at a passing girl who curls her lip in disgust at my wings. My teeth lengthen, and I hiss in her face making her scurry away from me with a yelp. We all start laughing at their shocked faces.
No one comes near us which we like. Well, except the higher up gods that treat us like shit. Though we think some are thawing.
We walk into the hall to be greeted by the last god to train us, Zeus. He stands before us like a hulking god. His bare chest glistens with sweat, his skirt or chiton as I was corrected the other day hangs on his hips. He stops to stare at us as we walk in. What I thought was a glowing sword, because these fuckers like to glow is actually a lightning bolt. Now that is fucking awesome.
“You three are late.” He booms, making us wince.
I roll my eyes, “you can blame your brother for that. He wasn’t satisfied with how many times we knocked him on his ass.” Violet snickers beside me, I hold back my grin.
“I don’t tolerate lateness or rudeness. Run thirty laps, then you will come back to me.” He raises a brow when we don’t move. “Move!” His voice resonates around the room.
Again, we aren’t impressed with his noisy self, but we do start to run. He watches us the entire time. None of us is out of breath by the time we are done. We just stop, hands-on-hips, and stare him down. I see a flicker of amusement in his eyes before he locks it down and throws his fucking bolt at me. I deflect it, or should I say my wings do. They unfurl, curl around me and blast it away from me. Did I do that or did they?
“That was flipping awesome.” Violet says with a beaming smile. We do our thing, our fingers near each other’s and flicker them up and down with a smile. Since being here, we have gotten closer. In fact, we all have. I never thought I would appreciate my sisters, but I do.
We have all been through the same thing. No mothers, absent family and one close friend. We all have the same fate with our mates, and we are all queens of our respective fae. I love them, fiercely and will protect them with my life.
“Enough of this.” Zeus thunders. He leaps at us, bolt in-hand and strikes out.
I block him from hitting Vi, my sword resounding a boom through the hall like a thunderclap. Zeus is forced backwards as magic blinding white magic erupts from the sword. It strikes Zeus in the chest, sending him back a few more steps.
He gives not me but the sword a dark look. He rights himself and lunges at me. He knocks the sword from my grip, it clatters to the floor, and I dive for it, but Zeus kicks it out the way. My eyes lock with his as he grabs me around my neck and picks me off the floor. My eyes bulge, and I claw at his meaty arm. Panic slithers up my spine as I struggle to breathe. Vi lunges for him simultaneously as Morgan, but a quick blast from Zeus sends them flying back into the wall. They hit it with a crack and crumple to the floor.
I see red. I grab his hand, forcing it open with a strength I didn’t know I had. His eyes widen as I push his hand away from my throat. I use the other to slam into his chest to send him flying away from me.
My feet don’t touch the ground as my wing keep me airborne. I keep my gaze locked on his. My teeth press together, and my eyes glare at the god that dare touch my sister’s.
I look at them to make sure they are okay. I gasp and blink when I see them. Violet has the most stunning lilac wings protruding from her back, Morgan has a baby blue tone to hers. They are incredible and scary as fuck as they glare at Zeus. He just looks at them with a satisfied smile.
“Do you honestly think I would have hurt any of you on purpose?” He asks. “You three are made for greater things. The weapons chose you, not me or any of the other gods they should belong too. You all have great power that you don’t even know about. You all have those wings that I know would come out if provoked. You are higher beings, higher than even me. You rival the titans. The first-ever beings to walk any world.” He finishes with a flourish, and we just stare dumbfounded. “But if you ever decide to overtake me. I will win, and you will lose. I will put you where I put my parents, in Tartarus and you will never escape.” He walks away from us.
“Well, fuck me sideways.” Violet says.
We all laugh. I race over to them and touch their wings that flutter in response to me.
We all squeal, gushing at the pretty wings. My mind does drift to what Zeus said. Are we higher beings? Do we outrank the gods in power? Fuck a duck.
I don’t even want the crown of the dark fae, so they can keep their godly status and go fuck themselves.
Morgan
Apparently, the whole academy has heard what happened with Zeus. They are staring at me as I walk by, whispering to each other and pointing at my wings that don’t want to go for some reason. Violet has mastered making them disappear just like Clarissa, but I haven’t, or maybe they just don’t want to go.
I have been summoned as team leader to the main chamber with the other team leaders. We haven’t seen them; the other teams and my curiosity is getting the better of me. I would like to know who we are up against and if we can beat them.
There are six teams of three. All the teams have mastered their art of magic if they have any. I have a nervous energy that has me gnawing on my lip, and if kyle was here, he would be pulling it free and sucking it into his mouth then he would kiss me breathless. I smile at that memory, and my heart tugs at how much I miss him. I miss them all; my beast is Cole, my giant Marcus, and my earthy man with a dark and kinky side, my Trey.
I sigh, and my mind drifts to where they are and if we can speak to them before the trials. With our wings, maybe we can. Why didn’t we think of that last night when we were practising? I will suggest it to them later.
As I approach the door, I hear raised voices. I decided to come early because they all say we are late when we never are. Well, except that one time. I edge closer when I hear Zeus booming for silence. I swear the foundations of this place rattle.
“It is a mistake Zeus to let them compete Zeus. Someone will be killed.” I don’t know who voices that, but it sounds like Athena. She is totally badass. We watched her one-day sparring with some of the students, and she didn’t even break a sweat taking them out.
“The only deaths will be those girls. They need to die.” Now that is Aphrodite. “They are up against the best; the teams will not lose to a bunch of fae creatures. They are beneath us. They are nothing.”
“Your ignorance will get the other teams killed. They are far stronger than they look. We know they have been chosen by our parents. The weapons do not lie, and we have never been able to touch them without it causing us great pain.” Poseidon says.
“Enough of this.” Zeus thunders. “We have the best of the best, and they will not fail us. We need them gone for reasons I cannot explain.”
“We already know Zeus. Do you think of us as fools!” Poseidon remarks. “We know who they are and what they mean to this world and their own. They do not want to rule us brother, they just want to go home.”
“I never thought you as sentiment brother.”
“Someone has to be. You are sending them to be slaughtered for your own selfish needs just like you did with our parents Zeus.”
“You know they couldn’t rule any longer.”
“No, that is not the reason. You wanted to rule, and they let you, but you still wanted them gone, and it almost killed you to do so.”
“I am stronger than them. I am stronger than you all.” Zeus voices his words in a low tone. It sounds deadly, unlike the booming noise he makes, though that is just a show of power.
“If you say so, brother.” I can hear the bored tone in Poseidon’s voice.
I hear the others approaching, so I knock on the door to announce I am here and go in. I refrain from rolling my eyes at the gods sat in a semicircle with Zeus in the middle. Poseidon is always to his right and Athena to his left. I wonder if their parents sat in these thrones before they did.
“Come stand before us child of the fae.” Zeus says.
I watch them as they watch me. I hear gasps behind me and turn to see the most stunning girl. Her eyes that look like silver orbs shine as she looks me over. Her long blonde hair falls like a wave down her back. She has on the tunic dress with the signature gold belt. She is taller than me, her long frame built like a runner as she strides into the room. Her eyes lock on my back, and my wings flutter. She smiles a genuine smile that lights up her whole face.
“I’m Daphnae, daughter of Artemis.” Do they always announce themselves like that?
“Morgan, daughter of Lucifer apparently.” I smile back at her as her eyes widen.
“Seriously, he is your father? He is...” She is cut off by Zeus coughing and giving her a pointed look.
What is that about? Daphnae looks like she wants to carry on talking, but even her mother shakes her head.
“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.” She shakes my hand and admires my wings. She steps back when the others come in. None of them approach me, they just give me a nod and step in line.
“Now you are all here.” Zeus begins. “We will tell you the rules of the games. You are to complete each obstacle as a team, no one gets left behind. If you do, then the whole team will be disqualified instantly. You are not to kill each other. The point is to find the strongest amongst the weak. Whoever loses will be sent to the camps for a hundred years. Those who win will have a seat on the council.” He looks towards me, “Morgan and her team are fighting for the survival of her race. If she and her team lose, all fae will perish, and they will also join the camps if they fail. If they win, their kind gets to live, and they get to return home.”
When I look at the others, they all look horrified.
“You will kill an entire race if they lose?” I look down the line to see a bronze god with red hair look at Zeus through narrowed eyes.
“Yes son, I will.” Murmurs ring out. Daphnae takes hold of my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Now that you all know the rule, I will go onto the games. There are six games in total, a mixture between puzzle and mazes that have all kind of creatures dwelling inside, so I hope you have brushed up on all the creatures you may come across.” His eyes sparkle when he looks at me. Zeus knows damn well we haven’t studied any creatures. He wants us dead, and I have a feeling the creatures will be deadly. “We want everyone on an even footing. We want everyone to have the same chance to win.” He looks towards me. “No extra powers are permitted. When you enter that arena, you will be stripped of powers they do not recognise as god-like powers.”
Well, shit, my fae magic won’t work in there, and my wings are sure to vanish. We haven’t practised with our god powers, and he knows that too. He really doesn’t want us to win. I will not back down, and neither will my sisters.
“You have one night of freedom, so use it well.” Zeus continues. “You be sent for tomorrow morning and escorted here. You all have one weapon of your choice each, so choose well. We will be watching as will the rest of the gods. I hope this year will be fun for you all.” Yeah right. “And I hope that we have a winner this time.” He gives everyone a smile, but that drops when he turns to face me. “I will be watching.” I think those words are for me and me only.
He gets up along with the others, and they all leave the hall.
“I really hate that guy.” I mutter under my breath. Daphnae hears and chuckles.
She loops her arm through mine, “come on, I would love to meet your sister.” I gape at her. “Not all of us are ogres.” She says with a laugh.
“Aren’t we on opposing teams though?” I ask.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Listen, I get that you three feel alone here. We do too. Our parents aren’t exactly maternal.” She rolls her eyes. “Let’s just get out of here for a while. I heard that you have bonded mates here? Maybe I can sneak you to them.”
“We do, and we haven’t seen them in the month we have been here.”
“Then let’s fix that shall we?” She beams, showing perfect white teeth.
“Why are you being so nice to me? No one cares about us here, they hate us.”
She laughs again, a tinkly laugh that makes me smile. “They don’t hate you, Morgan, they fear you.”
“What do you mean? I have seen the look in their eyes. They hate us, and so do the twelve gods that sit on their thrones.” I shake my head. “I don’t understand why we were gifted with the magic of a god, or
why those weapons chose. But we just want one thing, and that’s to go home.”
The girl on my arm looks down the hall. “Listen, I have something to tell you but not here. let’s go back to your room, and I can explain a few things there.” I nod, looking back and seeing the watchful gaze of the other five team leaders.
We hurry our steps to my room. My stomach churns with nerves. Something is going on, and I think I know who is behind it all.
Chapter four
Violet
I look out the window, watching the demi-gods and gods go about their day. Apparently, we aren’t the only ones chosen with god-like gifts. One hundred a year are selected from throughout the worlds, yes worlds. I didn’t even know there was more than one until I came here and went to Shifter Academy. But even then, I thought there was only four. My own, well our own because we all grew up in the human world. The underworld, the fae's elemental world and the latest one, the dragon world but they were all wiped out.
