Chaos (Tessa Avery Book 1)

by Lucy Roy

  Although, I really wasn’t.

  Screw him and his stupid Coercer powers, I thought.

  “You’re shouting,” he said, a small smirk playing on his lips.

  “Well stop listening,” I muttered, bracing my hands on the table and kicking the sand with my toe.

  “I’m not listening, you’re projecting. Again.”

  “So what, now I’m not even in control of my own thoughts? I thought I was a Telekinetic. Shouldn’t I just be moving things around?”

  “Technically. I’ll talk to Charlise, but I think it’s something we should explore a bit further.” He flicked a glance over my shoulder so quickly I almost missed it. Frowning, I turned to see what had caught his eye, then immediately turned back.

  Shit.

  Apollo, looking stern and godlike, was standing in the second story walkway, looking right at us.

  “What is he doing here?” I hissed, panic welling up inside of me as I turned back to face Nate.

  “Ignore him,” he said gently. “He’s just here to see how things are going.”

  “Easy for you to say,” I grumbled as I watched Prometheus and Epimetheus observing the recruits from the sidelines. I felt my face flush as panic gave way to mortification. “You didn’t just get into a shouting match with one of the recruits.”

  “Don’t let his presence shake your resolve, Tessa. This isn’t the last time Elders will be here to see how their recruits are doing. Let’s just get back to the task at hand.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded, not missing his clear attempt to change the subject. “Fine. Where’s Damien?”

  He jerked his chin toward the other end of the row of tables. “Speaking with Charlise. I asked her to give him some guidance.”

  I looked down the row of tables and saw Charlise whispering animatedly to Damien who had an annoyed scowl on his face. They were about ten feet from where the water users were practicing with the pool. I caught a glimpse of Mary holding a basketball-sized ball of water between her hands, a look of deep concentration on her face.

  “Oh, hey, look at Mare. She figured out her powers.” I grinned. “She was really nervous this morning when I told her I got to practice mine last night.”

  “The Mentalists are the only group that really got to work on their powers last night. Charlise tends to dive right in,” Nate explained, following my gaze.

  “Huh. Interesting.”

  Just then, Mary glanced up and saw me looking at her, so I gave her a thumbs up. She grinned, a look of excitement on her face, but almost immediately, the ball of water fell back into the metal bucket at her feet. She shot me a look of annoyance, then closed her eyes and began reforming the ball in her hands.

  I sighed and pushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

  “Great, she’s totally going to blame that on me distracting her. Can this day be over yet?”

  Nate laughed. “You’ve still got a few more hours to go. Let’s get Damien back and see what you two can do now that you’ve had a chance to cool off.”

  As he called Damien back over, I felt a drop of water on my face.

  “Is it raining?” I asked, wiping the water from my cheek. I looked at Damien, who’d just walked up, and saw he was staring at me wide-eyed.

  “What is it?” I asked him.

  He smirked, and his eyes drifted above my head. “Tessa, you should probably move,” he said, looking like he was holding back a laugh.

  I looked up, and directly above my head was a ball of water, undulating precariously. I flicked a glance at Mary who had a smug grin on her face.

  Going on instinct, I used my mind to bat the ball of water back in her direction, just like I’d done with the box lid. I’d intended for it to go back into the pool, but my brain got the better of me. Before I could stop it, the entire thing fell apart right over her head. A few water users who were standing nearby jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting splashed.

  I clapped my hand to my mouth, stunned. Then I laughed as I watched her sputter, water pooling at her feet.

  “Real nice, Tess!” Mary called. “I’ll remember that one.”

  I grinned, slightly pleased with myself. I’d just used my powers without having to do any intense focusing. At least that was one thing I could call an accomplishment for today.

  Alex, one of the mentors for the water users, turned at the commotion and glared in Mary’s direction, not having seen that I was the one who threw the water.

  “The water is supposed to stay over the buckets or in the pool, Mary,” the auburn-haired mentor said. “Dry off and get back to work.”

  Suddenly slammed with the realization that Apollo had most definitely seen what had just happened, I clapped a hand over my mouth and faced Nate.

  “Oh gods, am I going to get punished for that?”

  “No, you won’t be.” He tilted his head to the side, a curious expression on his face. “How did you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Push the water like that?”

  “I don’t know? I focused and gave it a push, like Charlise taught me. Why?”

  “Just curious.” He frowned, then waved at us to continue before folding his arms across his chest. “Go on, try again.”

  I stared at him for a second longer, and just as I was about to return my focus to Damien, I saw Nate’s midnight blue gaze drift behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Apollo was staring stonily at Nate.

  Damien turned to see where we were looking and groaned. “I hope he didn’t just see you yelling at me. I do not want to look bad so early in our training.”

  “I’m sure you’re fine,” I muttered. “Let’s just try again.”

  I looked to Nate, hoping he could offer some guidance. “Any suggestions?”

  His gaze snapped back to me, and when I looked behind me, I saw that Apollo was gone.

  He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, what?”

  I gave him a questioning look. “You okay?”

  He smiled and waved a hand carelessly. “Yes, sorry. Apollo can be quite demanding at times. Tessa, you had similar problems with your transformation, so think back to how you opened your mind to me then.”

  “Got it. Open minds.” I looked across the table and met Damien’s eyes. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  As soon as Damien’s eyes were focused intently on my own, I worked to open my mind like I’d done during my transformation. It had been easier then because my mind was still mostly human; my affinity hadn’t fully awoken yet. Now I felt it fighting not only Damien’s persistent knocking on my brain, but also my own attempts to push it back and let him in.

  “Dammit, I cannot work like this!” Damien yelled after another half hour. We were both dripping with sweat, and my head felt like it had been squeezed in a vice grip.

  “It’s not me! It’s my stupid power,” I complained. “It doesn’t want to let you in.”

  “It is not sentient, Tessa, and the whole point of this is to get control of our powers.” He put his hands on his hips and faced Nate. “Right?”

  Nate was quiet for a moment, his fingers pressed into his eyes. He took a deep breath then looked up.

  “Yes, that is the point of this exercise, in addition to cooperation with one another.” His voice dripped with irritation. He rubbed one hand across his forehead and put the other on his hip. “Tessa, what exactly are you feeling when you try to open your mind to Damien?”

  I opened my mouth, then frowned, unsure how to explain it. “It’s like—I don’t know, it’s like my power is fighting against me. It responds to me, but it also feels like it has a mind of its own.” I scrunched up my face. “Does that make sense?”

  Nate let out a frustrated sigh. “Not particularly. Okay, let’s try to change this up.” He crooked his fingers at my partner. “Damien, switch with me.”

  “Seriously?” I asked as Damien moved off to the side, a slightly relieved look on his face.

  “Seriously. My powers are str
onger than both of yours. I should be able to help.”

  “Didn’t I just block you out?” I asked.

  “Yes, but I didn’t push. I was only trying to get you two to stop arguing.” He took a deep breath and gave me a pointed look. “This will feel more intense than the last time.”

  A chill ran through me as I thought back to when he’d use his Coercion on me before, when I was still human. It felt so long ago, even though it hadn’t even been a week. The memory of the fear and panic I’d felt caused my breath to hitch.

  I saw Damien give me a curious look.

  “Give me your hand,” Nate spoke softly, holding out one of his own. I reached across the table and clasped it. “Take a deep breath.”

  I did as he said, then gave him what I hoped was a confident smile.

  “I’m good. Go for it.”

  I felt the forceful push as Nate’s power slammed into my own. Instinctually, I pushed back before remembering I was supposed to be letting him in.

  ‘Try to stop fighting.’

  ‘I’m trying!’

  I could feel beads of sweat dripping down the back of my neck as I worked to tamp down my power and open my mind. I tried to flood my thoughts with trust and confidence in him. Nate wasn’t a threat and he wasn’t trying to harm me. He was trying to help, make me stronger.

  I felt his fingers lace between my own, and he gave a comforting squeeze.

  Slowly, I began to get control, just enough to let him in. I felt the same strange rifling sensation as he explored my mind.

  ‘You’re doing great, just a few more seconds.’

  I wanted to respond to his reassurances, but it was taking every ounce of my willpower to keep my mind open even just a sliver. Conversation wasn’t an option.

  As I felt his power moving out like feelers through my mind, I realized Nate was far more powerful than I’d initially thought. That morning before school, he’d pushed me aside and gone through my memories and shown me a vision. Looking back, it seemed so simple in comparison, even if it had been wildly intrusive.

  Now I felt like my brain was under attack. Understanding dawned as I saw the true power of a Coercer.

  I wanted to crawl out of my skull.

  I only lasted a few more seconds before the spidery feeling of his power got to be too much to bear and my powers rebelled against us both.

  “Enough!” I let out a massive huff and forced my eyes open. “This isn’t working,” I gasped, wiping sweat from my brow and bracing my hands on the table. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to forget the feeling of him crawling through my brain.

  “It just isn’t working,” I said through gritted teeth.

  I felt his presence exit my mind, leaving me with a horrible migraine. I raised my eyes to him, meeting his gaze.

  His mouth was set in a firm line, and I saw beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

  “Agreed.” He looked at Damien, who was standing next to me looking perplexed. “Go find Charlise; tell her I said to put you in the sandbox with one of the telepaths.”

  “The sandbox?”

  “Yes.” Nate’s voice was full of frustration. “The box over there with sand and cushions. It’s soft and comfortable and a good place to practice your astral projection without hurting yourself.”

  “I’m not being difficult,” I grumbled.

  Nate silenced me with a look.

  I let my body sink to the ground, then propped my arms on my knees so I could put my head down. There was a slight breeze coming through the arena, setting goosebumps across my skin where the sweat hadn’t dried. The cool air felt glorious.

  Once Damien walked off to find Charlise, I looked up at Nate, squinting against the sun. “So am I totally failing?”

  He sighed and looked around the arena, then sat down next to me, his arm just brushing mine. “Not at all. Your power is incredibly strong, but it’s going to take time to train it to respond to you instead of for you. Try not to worry.”

  “Easy for you to say. You probably figured your powers out right away, Mr. Coercer of Olympus.”

  The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. “And here I thought I was going by Nate now.”

  I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Well… Mary’s right, Nathaniel is kind of a mouthful. We’re lazy on Earth. Any name with more than two syllables has to be shortened.”

  “I don’t suppose I have any say in this?”

  “Nope. Now tell me, what do I need to do to fix myself?”

  “Take a break. Go run some laps. You’re pent up and need to let off some energy. I have to go check in with Charlise.”

  He stood, then reached down and pulled me to my feet. When I was up, he put both hands on my shoulders and crouched a bit so he could look me in the eye. “Look at me, Tessa.”

  I raised my eyes to meet his.

  “I know this is frustrating for you, but we will figure this out, alright?”

  I nodded, feeling tears prick the corners of my eyes. It was so much easier when he was frustrated. Now I just saw pity, which felt about ten times worse.

  “Stop that. You’re stronger than this.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, stepping back. “I’ll talk to you later.” Before any tears could actually escape, I stormed off toward the track.

  22

  Nathaniel

  Teeth gritted, I made my way quickly down the main hall of Apollo’s home. Despite the mix of irritation and confusion swirling through me, I couldn’t help the feeling of gratification as my sneakers squeaked on the smooth marble floor, undoubtedly leaving small scuff marks on the perfect white surface.

  Despite being twice the size of a typical mansion, the two-story gray concrete home was quite possibly the most boring of all of the Elders’ dwellings. Its only charm came from the occasional view of the farming valleys below, visible through the rear window-wall that looked out over the eastern side of the mountain range on days where cloud cover was scarce. On the inside, everything was white; white walls, white floors, white furniture.

  There was truly nothing remarkable about his space at all.

  I didn’t bother knocking when I reached the doors that opened into the main living area. I found Apollo staring silently out of the window, watching as the vivid colors of the outside world assaulted the starkness inside. Light from one of the many skylights shone down on him, bathing him in sunlight.

  Prometheus sat in a high back upholstered chair near the fireplace where a fire quietly rumbled on the hearth. He, Epimetheus, and Apollo had left the recruits’ training session nearly three hours ago, so I was surprised to see that he was still there.

  “Prometheus.” I gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment before taking a seat on the long white sofa facing the windows.

  “Hello, Nathaniel,” he responded with a smile. “Your recruits looked good today.”

  “Yes, well, they’ve still got a long way to go, but they seem promising.”

  I slid a glance at Apollo, still gazing out through the window and studiously ignoring me, before turning my eyes back to Prometheus.

  “Will you be joining us again?”

  Picking up the carafe of wine that sat on the small coffee table, I poured myself a glass. Today had been long and grueling, and having Apollo shout commands at me while trying to calm Tessa after my trip through her mind had left me with a sense of irritation.

  ‘Let it go, Nathaniel,’ he’d ordered as Tessa and Damien stood by, waiting for my instruction. ‘Walk away now. You are nothing but a distraction to her.’

  Clenching my jaw, I took a sip of the sweet ruby colored liquid and tried to squash my frustration.

  Prometheus nodded, slowly turning his own glass of wine back and forth on the arm of his chair. “Yes, I think I’d like that. As much as I’ve enjoyed living among humans, it’s been so long since I’ve truly been involved in anything on Olympus, and I’ve missed it.” He frowned, staring down at his glass. “I think the recruits handled news of the rebellion quite wel
l.”

  I tapped the edge of my glass lightly with my finger. “Yes. I appreciate your candor with them. I think it’s important they see that you’re here to help.”

  He smiled sardonically. “I can’t say that I blame them for feeling the way they do, can you?” He arched a brow in question. “Your leader did condemn me to an eternity of torture, after all.”

  “Of course. It will take time, I have no doubts about that.”

  “The girl you were speaking with at the Agora—the one who had difficulties today—she had some interesting thoughts, wouldn’t you say?” He gave me a level gaze and took a sip of wine.

  My body tensed. I had hoped that he hadn’t overheard my conversation with Tessa at dinner, but I suppose it was unsurprising that he’d read her thoughts. I cast a glance at Apollo and saw that his jaw was clenched, his face fallen into a frown.

  “She did,” I allowed, turning my gaze back to Prometheus. “Tessa’s mouth tends to run away from her at times, though. I hope you didn’t feel disrespected.”

  Apollo snorted. “We don’t need the respect of the recruits, Nathaniel, we just need their obedience.”

  Prometheus raised his eyebrows. “I have to disagree, Apollo.” He turned his attention back to me. “And not to worry, Nathaniel, your friend has nothing to fear from me. She reminds me of my mother, in a way,” he added, a faraway look clouding his face. “She always spoke what was on her mind.”

  “I never met Clymene,” I said quietly. “I hear she was a true force to be reckoned with, though.”

  “That she was.”

  We sat in silence for a moment. Prometheus’s expression turned troubled as he stared into the fire roaring in the hearth.

  “I will do what I can to help gain the trust of your recruits, Nathaniel, I can promise you that. I know our presence complicates things quite a bit.”

  I waved a hand. “No need to worry. I was actually hoping you might be able to join us next week, once we move on to hand-to-hand and weapons training.”

  A grin spread across his face. “I would be happy to.” He paused, looking uncertain, before continuing. “Epimetheus may also be of some use. Despite his shortcomings, he is a very skilled fighter. He’s got a knack for weaponry.”