by Lucy Roy
Mary squeezed my hand.
“Shh. It’s fine,” she breathed. “Get through today, confront him later.”
I gripped her hand in return, thankful once again that my best friend stood beside me.
I was so wrapped up in my internal freak out that I almost missed what would likely be the most amazing sight of my entire existence.
Dishi was standing stock-still in front of Nathaniel, his eyes full of fear.
Nathaniel gave him another reassuring smile, then placed one hand on Dishi’s cheek and let the magic begin to flow.
15
Tessa
At Nathaniel’s touch, Dishi’s body gave a jolt. His legs wobbled precariously, and his head fell back, face turned skyward. Shimmering light, the color of sunset, burst from the air around him. It washed over him like water, falling in cascading waves to the floor. It wrapped around him like a lover, embracing him with a smooth caress.
I’m not sure how much time passed; seconds, maybe minutes before the light began to fade. The magic danced across his body, conforming like a second skin before slowly absorbing into him.
When it was over, Dishi slumped to the floor. I saw Hao step forward as though to help him, but Zeus, seeming to expect that reaction, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Hao gazed at him in awe for a few seconds before turning his attention back to his brother.
I turned my focus back to the newly born Ischyra in the center of the room and saw that Nathaniel was pulling him up by the hand. Dishi stood, and everything about him looked different somehow. He stood tall, his back straight, and a quiet confidence radiated through him.
Nathaniel looked him straight in the eye, and announced, “Earth!” His voice rang through the hall with authority and confidence.
The room erupted into applause. I thought it was just the other Ischyra and my fellow recruits, but when I looked around the room, I saw that all the other gods in attendance, including the Elders, were clapping.
Slowly, all recruits were called forward, each more eager than the last. Elementals—Earth, Air, Fire, Light, and Water—and Mentalists, who came in a range of affinities, were all announced. The excitement in the room grew with each new awakening, with whistles and shouts erupting from some of the mentors when a recruit with their affinity was announced.
I was thrilled when I heard Nathaniel announce that Yana was an Electrokinetic—a fire user who could manipulate the natural electricity in the air. She looked my way as she walked back to her spot and grinned when I gave her a thumbs up.
“Mary Miller!”
My heart started pounding when Mary’s name was called. I was next, and once again, the confidence I’d built back up started to waver.
Mary held her chin high and strode forward, as though she did this kind of thing every day. Nathaniel gave her a nod of acknowledgement, and based on his smile, she’d likely responded with something snarky.
When her light dissipated, she gripped Nathaniel’s shoulder, refusing to fall to the floor like the others.
“Typical Mary,” Eric muttered.
I nudged him. “I’d like to see you keep your cool afterward.”
He snorted. “If she can do it, so can I.”
“Water!” Nathaniel announced.
Mary grinned, then shook out her arms and rolled her head around before making her way back to my side. The afterglow of her body’s acceptance of power still hovered around her, highlighting her natural prettiness.
“Holy shit that was amazing.” She grinned a thousand-watt smile at Eric and me. “A-freaking-mazing.”
“It totally was,” I said, returning her grin with one of my own. My best friend, the water user. I couldn’t wait to see what she’d do with it.
“Tessa Avery!”
My brain gave a jolt when I heard Nathaniel call my name.
Eric put a hand on my back and gave me a gentle nudge forward. Eyeing Nathaniel warily, I made my way toward the center of the circle.
I heard his voice in my head almost immediately.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who I was. I’ll come find you later. We’ll talk then.’
‘And how am I supposed to trust you with my brain in the meantime?’
‘There’s not really much of a choice right now. Are you ready?’
I pressed my lips together, then threw his own words back at him.
‘I don’t have much of a choice, do I?’
He inhaled deeply and gave a nod. “Here we go.”
He placed one warm hand on my cheek. When I looked into his eyes, I saw that the fear and concern that was there the last time he entered my mind was replaced with reassurance.
He closed his eyes and let his consciousness settle into my own. A bolt of electricity shot through my body, so powerful I thought I might collapse. When my head fell back, I saw pure white light flowing over me.
It was amazing.
With each wave of magic that came down, things awakened within me. Every cell in my body was being charged, given a long-awaited boost. I felt strength course through my muscles. It swirled around, zigzagging through, finding any empty space to occupy. I felt my body slowly change as my immortal strength awoke.
The magic began to move more quickly, and I felt it coalesce in my mind. My power, my affinity, slowly clawed its way out of the quicksand of my mind, desperate to be free. It felt like my brain was being prodded by a thousand pins. The mental pressure increased, as though something was trying to get in. My power wanted out, and something was blocking it from completing its mission.
I felt Nathaniel’s hand start to shake.
‘Open your mind, Tessa. You need to let the magic in. I can only help you so much. Your fear is fighting against me.’
With Nathaniel’s encouragement, I focused on opening my mind fully. I had no idea how to do that, but when I tried, the magic that had taken root seemed to understand and came to my aid. The pressure released, and all the power that had been knocking at my mental doors settled into place, at ease in its proper home.
I let out a small sigh of contentment.
I was complete. It was as if everything inside me had shifted, making room for a whole new being. I was truly me now. Tessa Lynn Avery, an Ischyra of Olympus. Powerful, strong, and immortal. I was the person I’d been waiting to become for the last eighteen years. I wanted to use my powers now; I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. I wanted to run for miles and lift boulders and do absolutely everything my magic would allow me to do simply because I could.
I could do anything now, and I officially had forever to do it.
When I opened my eyes and stared into the midnight blue of Nathaniel’s, he looked concerned.
‘Are you alright?’
I took a deep breath, then looked down at my wrist and watched as those three white lines transformed into a shimmering purple.
I met his midnight blue eyes and grinned.
“That was amazing!” I whispered.
He gave me a short, slow nod, then dropped his hand, still maintaining eye contact. The silence around us was deafening.
He cleared his throat before speaking. “Telekinesis!”
16
Nathaniel
Three thousand, twenty-four years.
Seven hundred and fifty-six generations.
I had guided the gods’ magic into the minds of thousands of new Ischyra, allowing it the freedom to awaken powers that had been dormant for the first eighteen years of their existence.
I’ve lived through some of the most wonderful and worst periods in the Earth’s history. Wars, slavery, the rise and fall of nations, the annihilation of races and the emergence of new cultures. I thought I’d seen it all.
None of it prepared me for what I saw when I entered the deepest parts of Tessa’s mind for the second time in less than one week.
As I opened her mind to let the magic flow in, images bombarded me, much like what I’d seen the last time I’d explored her psyche. They pla
yed like a movie in fast-forward. Emotions, vivid as the scenes that flashed through my mind, flowed from her mind into mine, nearly bringing me to my knees. Joy as she sparred with a blond man whose face I couldn’t make out. Excitement as she hugged a faceless man and woman. Feelings of sadness, anger, determination, fear, happiness, pleasure, and horrific pain all tore through my mind as though they didn’t know where to go or what to do. They bounced around, battering against my own mental walls as they sought a place to rest.
My hand shook as I struggled to maintain my hold on her. Somehow, the magic continued to flow. The images that had been running amok in my head finally found a path back home into Tessa’s mind. I tried to pull away before they could come to rest, but my consciousness felt glued to her own. Her mind fought against them, blocking them with a mental barrier even I couldn’t break down. The visions pushed against it, refusing to be hidden. Seeing no other option, I did my best to guide them to her deep consciousness, hoping they would be safe there.
Eventually, I felt the pressure of the magic slowly recede from my mind as it finally began to absorb into her body. Everything within her sang as the power of immortality changed her. Her mind had strengthened, making room for all the things she would learn. I felt her awareness when her senses suddenly sharpened, her shock when she realized who and what she was now becoming.
Then with a snap, the magic was no longer flowing through me, and my mind was quiet once again. All I could feel was the residual presence of her powers.
Before removing my hand to announce her affinity, I opened my eyes and looked into hers, the color as green as emeralds. I was shocked that she hadn’t fallen to the floor in a heaving mess like the others.
I searched her mind, but nothing seemed amiss. She had the normal glow of someone who had just been bathed in magic, only hers went beyond joy. She seemed to radiate with pure magic and strength. Her expression was ecstatic, the small dimples in her cheeks accentuating the smile that lit up her face.
She wasn’t terrified, as she had been that morning before school.
Did she not see what I saw?
The scuff of a shoe on marble shook me out of my reverie.
I cleared my throat and hoped my voice didn’t sound as shaky as I felt.
“Telekinesis!”
Tessa grinned and squeezed my hand before quickly making her way back to her friends, excitement shining on all their faces.
The rest of the Elders looked impassive, patiently waiting for me to call the next recruit. Epimetheus’ face was expressionless as his eyes flitted over the crowd, but Prometheus appeared to be looking in Tessa’s direction, his brow slightly furrowed.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, then called the next name.
By the time all recruits had been awakened, there were twenty Mentalists and thirty Elementals.
After the last recruit moved back to their space in the circle, Zeus gave a nod to Athena who rose to speak.
“Congratulations, Ischyra!”
The room erupted into applause. The older Ischyra who were in attendance stepped forward, forgoing formality to welcome the new recruits with handshakes and pats on the back. After a few moments, Zeus clapped his hands in the same deafening way he always did when he was trying to gain a crowd’s attention.
Once everyone was facing the dais, Athena spoke again.
“It is time to assign the new Ischyra to their mentors.” She waved a group of Ischyra forward. “Mentors, please come forward to accept your new charges.”
I barely heard the mentors call out the names of their mentees. Now that my part was finished, my thoughts drifted back to all that I’d seen in Tessa’s mind. The faceless people in those visions couldn’t have been her birth parents; she’d only remained with them for a few days before being abandoned at a fire station in New Orleans.
I looked toward the dais, hoping to get Hestia’s attention, but she was deep in conversation with Hecate, who’d ventured out of her home for the first time in years to attend the transition ceremony. I took a step toward where they were seated but was stopped when Apollo stepped into my path.
“Nathaniel.”
My jaw clenched as I met his pale gray eyes and gave a short nod before looking toward Hestia again. Her gaze flicked up to mine, and she gave a small shake of her head before returning to her conversation.
Annoyed, I turned my attention back to the god before me.
“What can I do for you, Apollo? Are you unhappy with today’s outcome?”
“Quite the contrary. It would seem we have a good deal of worthy recruits this generation.” He clasped his hands behind his back and looked around the room. “Nathaniel, I don’t say this often, but I want to thank you for what you do here. I know how difficult this job can be.”
I arched a brow, unsure how to respond to his sudden niceties.
After a few seconds of silence, he cleared his throat. “Have you spoken to the Avery girl again?”
“Several times,” I replied with a sigh. “Why do you ask?”
His jaw clenched. “Just curious, is all. Is she adjusting well?”
I shrugged and glanced over to where she was standing with her friends.
“I suppose we’ll see soon enough.”
“Yes, well, I expect we will be speaking again soon. Do well by the new recruits, this is likely to be a difficult transition for them.”
“Agreed.”
He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say more, but instead just gave me a tense smile before wandering back toward his throne.
I barely spared his retreating figure a glance as I looked back toward the dais. Despite what Apollo had said about letting the issue drop, if I was going to keep getting a mind-full every time I had to read into Tessa’s thoughts, I wanted to know what was going on.
Seeing no use in approaching Hestia, and not caring about decorum, I took another quick look into Tessa’s mind. She was occupied with her lead mentor, Charlise, so I wasn’t terribly concerned that she’d notice. Even if she did, I couldn’t stand the thought of her experiencing any more of these visions without knowing what they were.
Whether Hestia inserted that memory or not, I was the one who used my powers to dig into the deepest parts of her psyche to throw it in her face. Seeing her on the ground, hysterical and nearly sick with fear felt worse than any gut punch I’d received in my lifetime, and I’d received plenty.
Thoughts of what she could do with her abilities swam around Tessa’s mind, one blending into the next, making it difficult to see exactly what she was thinking. I could still sense some annoyance at me, reminding me that I would have to find her at some point to try to explain my position. I was surprised to see her power was there, swirling in the foreground of her mind as though awaiting instruction.
I felt a slight nudge, as though it noticed the intrusion and was attempting to remove me. I felt my brow furrow in confusion. The only other time I’d felt that sensation was when I’d seen the memory Hestia had given her. This felt…protective. Her power was far more stable than I would have expected for a newly transformed recruit.
Suddenly, hidden just on the edge of her deep consciousness, was a spark. It was small and barely perceptible, as green as the color of her eyes, and no matter how close I tried to get, it seemed to slip further and further back. Just before it slipped out of sight, I heard a male’s voice whisper to her.
‘Never doubt yourself, Tessa. You will move mountains.’
Then it was gone, and all I was left with was her endless string of excited thoughts.
It was likely she was simply recalling words of wisdom one of her guardians had bestowed on her prior to her departure from Renville. I felt another nudge, slightly more insistent this time, so I severed the connection to her mind before she could notice I was there.
Frustrated, I wanted to go speak with her, but I had no explanation for what I’d seen. I saw no sense in worrying her until I knew what there was to worry about.
I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jeans and turned to leave the Agora. Tessa was happy, all thoughts of her dreams hidden, and I wasn’t going to disrupt that right now.
I hoped to all the gods of Olympus that whatever was lingering in the recesses of her mind didn’t steal that happiness away.
17
Tessa
“Tessa!”
I looked behind me and saw Anette jogging across the Agora floor, her peppy blond pigtails bouncing behind her. The floor had quickly become crowded with recruits and Ischyra. She’d been announced as an Illusionist, which meant that we were both classified as Mentalists and would be assigned the same lead mentor.
“Hey!” I grinned when she reached me and gave me a hug. “How freaking cool is this?”
She pulled back and I saw her smile was as wide as mine. “It is! I am so glad I know someone else in the group.”
“Same.”
“Mentalists! All Mentalists, over here!” a female voice coming from the entrance called.
“Come on!” I grabbed Anette’s hand and led her through the crowd to where the rest of the Mentalists were gathering.
In the middle of the group stood a petite platinum blonde female with hair that fell in jagged edges to her chin. She had a stocky build, but her facial features were delicate—long, thin nose, pale skin, and wide brown eyes, with a warm, welcoming smile that immediately made me feel comfortable.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Charlise, and I’ll be your mentor for the next year.” Her voice was laced with a thick southern accent. She jerked her head in the direction of the door. “Let’s head on out. It’s quieter and we’ve got a lot to discuss.”
Quickly, we all followed her out the front door and right toward the circular portal field. Without a word, she led us through the portal back to Olympia.
Once we were through, she turned to face us, her eyes appraising as she looked us over. “So. There are twenty of you, two with dual affinities. This generation we’ve got quite a diverse bunch. Two Telekinetics, two Illusionists, three Linkers, one Astral, one Remote, one Psychometric, two Trackers, one Teleporter, one Replicator, one Splitter, and three Telepaths.”
