by Lucy Roy
I turned from the trees and arched a brow. “No?”
Resting my staff on my shoulder, I shot a bolt of lightning from my palm in the direction of a small tree. Instantly, it went up in flames. I followed it with a jet of water, dousing the fire and sending up a cloud of hot steam. Using a burst of wind, I blew the steam away.
“You’ve been getting outside help,” he said, his tone disapproving.
I smirked. “Maybe I have. It doesn’t matter; training is training, no matter who is teaching me, and my powers are sound. It’s you I worry about.”
He tilted his head to the side, his brow furrowed. “Why do you say that?”
I hesitated before voicing my concerns. “Because I know if something happens to me, you’ll leave. The others need you, and I can’t bear the thought of you abandoning them.”
He gripped my shoulders and gazed at me intently. “That will not happen again, I promise you. I made a mistake before. I should not have chosen the path I did. I am here now, though, and I always will be.”
I searched his eyes for any signs of uncertainty, but they were unwavering.
There was another movement in the trees, a quiet rustling sound. I looked around, searching for the source of the sound, but again, I saw nothing.
“But what if he comes for you first? I don’t know that I can live in a world where you aren’t.” Fear welled up inside of me as I imagined this man being erased from this world.
He gave me a soft smile, then hugged me fiercely, resting his chin against the top of my head. I felt tears slowly roll town my cheeks, soaking through his rough tan shirt.
“You do not need me to be with you in order to be great.” He pulled back and looked me in the eye. “You must never doubt yourself, Tessa. You will move mountains, whether I am at your side or not.”
“Tessa!”
I jerked awake at the sound of Yana’s voice. She was kneeling next to me, shaking my arm. I squeezed my eyes shut, startled at the rapid change in scenery.
“Are you alright?” Yana’s eyes were heavy with concern.
“Yeah.” My voice came out raspy.
I leaned over to grab my bottle of water, but she was already handing it to me. I chugged down a third of the bottle before setting it back on the nightstand.
“Thanks.” I tried to smile at her. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“It is fine.” She moved to sit on the bed next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. “I worry because this seems to be every night now.”
I smiled ruefully. “I’d kind of hoped you didn’t notice.”
“I am woken to you thrashing about or whimpering, sometimes you seem to be crying. It is hard not to notice.” She rubbed her hand up and down my back. “Have you talked to Mary? Or Nate?”
I shook my head. “I talked to Nate some.” I started absently playing with the end of my ponytail.
“Have you let him look into your mind? He may be able to help.”
I sighed, letting the lock drop back to my shoulder.
“No. And I know I probably should, but I’m terrified it’s going to be like the first time he went in.”
She gave me a sympathetic look. “I understand, but maybe it will not be so bad this time? They are memories of dreams, no?”
“Yeah. Vivid ones.”
“Well then, it should not be any harder than reading your mind.”
“Huh. That’s actually a really good point. We talk mentally daily, so I guess it would be the same, right?”
“Yes, I would think so.” She patted my shoulder and stood up. “Talk to him in the morning. You should not deal with this alone.”
I smiled. “Thanks, roomie.”
“Of course. Now go back to sleep. It’s two in the morning.”
33
Nathaniel
Chiron was seated on the sofa when I got up the next morning, waiting for me. As he watched me walk into the living room, a wide grin spread across his face.
“So, how was it?”
“How was what?”
He arched a brow. “Are you going to tell me you weren’t with Tessa all day yesterday?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I was, but—”
He smirked and wagged a finger at me. “You’re restless about a girl, Nathaniel. I haven’t seen that in eons.”
I sat down on the sofa and leaned back.
“I don’t think it’s restlessness, really. It’s just…unfamiliar.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Did you both enjoy yourselves?”
“You mean before or after Dionysus and Hermes decided to show up?”
Chiron fell into a fit of laughter. “Why does that not surprise me?” He wiped at the corners of his eyes. “I’m sure they terrified that poor girl.”
“She did surprisingly well, considering.”
“And the rest…?”
A small smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. “The rest was…good.”
He arched a brow. “Just good?”
I stared at him in wonder, shaking my head. “You know, I expected Tessa’s friends to have their heads in the gutter, but not you.”
“What can I say? It’s been too long since I’ve been able to harangue you about a woman. I like what she does for you.”
I tilted my head to the side. “In what way?”
“You’ve been happier lately, lighter. The moment I saw her approach you after she stepped through the portal on her first day, I knew she would be something special.”
I considered his words, seeing the truth in them. The happiness I’d felt during my day with Tessa was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“She does make me happy,” I murmured.
He raised his bushy brows. “You haven’t been fully forthcoming with her, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Chiron gave me a disapproving look but knew better than to voice his thoughts.
“Alright then.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Now, on to the reason I’m here. I took a trip to the library archives to try to find some information on Mimics. I found mention of one, but only in passing. If any other records exist, they’re either missing or long destroyed. Nothing seems to have been recorded about him or her aside from their existence, so for all I know, they may not even have been Ischyra. Possibly a demigod or even a god. I think we may be at a dead end until we speak with Zeus.”
He pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows. “Which we’ll need to do soon.”
“I guess we will,” I said, sighing. I wasn’t looking forward to bringing this to him, but it needed to be done.
“What were your plans for today?” he asked.
“We’ll bring Genevieve back out once Tessa is done weapons training.”
Chiron eyed me up and down. “You need to be careful, Nathaniel. There’s an excellent chance you’ll be called out on favoritism if you begin treating her as anything other than a recruit in public. Have Gen pull her aside and meet us out front.”
“I know. To be honest, I don’t know that she would stand for me to treat her any differently. She wants to succeed.”
“That’s good to hear.” He cocked his head to the side. “Is something else bothering you?”
I tapped my finger on my elbow, debating whether I should tell him about her dreams. Despite her ability to brush the last one off, something about what she’d described hadn’t been sitting right with me.
“Nathaniel?”
I blew out a breath.
“She’s been having dreams… nightmares, really, and I’m concerned they may have something to do with her powers.”
“What are they about?”
I launched into an explanation of what she’d been seeing, what I’d experienced with her prior to her transformation, what I’d seen while awakening her powers, and the more vivid dreams she’d been having for the last week.
When I was done, Chiron was silent, his lips pursed.
“This man that she was sparring with
. You said they were using staffs?”
“Yes. That also happens to be her favorite weapon, so she tends to attribute that aspect of her dreams to real life.”
He nodded slowly. “And what did he look like?”
“She said he had blond hair to about here—” I tapped the middle of my neck “—green eyes, and tall, about a head above her.”
“And could she tell where they were?”
“A clearing in the woods somewhere.”
“Did he have a scar, just here?” He brushed a finger across his right cheek.
“Yes, she said his face was scarred." I leaned forward, my brow creased in confusion. “What is it?”
He shook his head, looking bewildered, then laughed.
“Nathaniel, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say your girl is dreaming about Atlas.”
34
Tessa
“So do you think we’ll get to spar with one of them?”
Mary was eyeing Prometheus and Epimetheus warily. We’d just finished our warm up—ten laps along with the fun new task of rolling small boulders around the track—and were walking into the arena. The Titans were standing in Chiron’s normal spot on the sideline.
“Probably,” I whispered as we headed to form lines with the rest of the recruits. “I mean they’re here to train us, right?”
I took a quick look around the arena and didn’t see Chiron or Nate anywhere.
“Recruits!”
All talking stopped and we stood at attention as Prometheus addressed us.
“I will keep this short,” he began. “Epimetheus and I—” he gestured toward his twin, who was standing beside him, arms crossed across his chest and the picture of stoicism, “—have been asked by your trainers to assist in your hand-to-hand and weapons training. We believe you would benefit from having a variety of instructors for this task, as everyone has a different methodology. Today, we just want to see what you can do, just the basic skillset you’ve entered your immortal lives with.”
He stepped aside and gestured toward three long tables behind him that were loaded with a variety of weapons.
“We’ll start by splitting into pairs and working with your weapons of choice.”
He turned to Epimetheus and whispered something. His twin shook his head but didn’t speak. Prometheus stared at him for a moment, his lips pressed into a thin line, before addressing us again.
“I’ll be putting you into random pairings. This may take a while as only one pair at a time will spar for now. We want to get a feel for your skill levels. When I call your names, find your partners and discuss which weapons you’ll be using.”
He consulted a piece of parchment in his hand, then began calling names. Once everyone was paired up, I found myself set to spar with Damien.
Lovely.
When I moved to stand next to him, he arched an eyebrow cockily.
“Hey, Damien.”
“Tessa.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I hope you do not expect me to go easy on you just because you have become one of our instructor’s pets.”
I blinked at him, my mouth hanging open. “You’re joking, right? I just walked up to you and that’s what you say?”
He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you saying you are not in a relationship with one of our trainers?”
I laughed, trying to hide my annoyance that he’d picked up on my relationship with Nate when we’d only been on one real date.
“Even if I was, why would you think you’d have to go easy on me?”
He shook his head and gave me a patronizing smile. “You are very naïve, Tessa.”
“And you clearly have no idea what you’re talking about,” I shot back. “I’m no one’s pet.”
“If you say so. What is your weapon of choice?”
“The staff,” I snapped. “You?”
“Knives. I don’t know how effective your staff will be against them, though.”
I put my hands on my hips, ready to give him an earful, when Prometheus called the first pair to fight. Ignoring my infuriating partner, I faced the rest of the recruits. Those of us who weren’t fighting had formed a large circle around the first pair to spar. Prometheus offered some general guidance before the match began but refrained from offering too many words of advice or encouragement until after the pair had finished their fight.
After about an hour, it became clear that most of the other recruits had received rigorous training prior to coming to Olympus. The speed with which some of them moved as they ducked blows and took each other down was impressive, to say the least.
Based on the way a few recruits were winded and taken down by basic moves, it was also obvious that some had not received the type of training they should have. The tense expression on Prometheus’ face told me he noticed, too.
After watching ten pairs of recruits fight, Damien and I were finally called. He strode toward the weapons table and began looking over the options. He pushed the sleeves of his black training shirt up, then snagged two long-handled sparring knives. With a smirk, he walked toward the center of the circle.
I sighed, then scanned the crowd again. Still no sign of Nate or Chiron.
I looked over the weapons and saw two staffs resting at the end of the table, untouched. Both were made of smooth, dark-stained wood. I hefted one in my hands, testing the weight, noting its sturdy, balanced feel.
Giving it a twirl, I felt a sense of ease. John, Analise, and I had sparred with staffs many times, and as my skill improved, the exercise became a soothing one, the graceful flow of the weapon putting a calm, focused feeling in my mind.
Resting the wooden staff on my shoulder, I walked toward my opponent, focused only on his cocky expression. One hand rested on his hip, his two daggers clenched in the other.
I had the sudden urge to break his nose.
As I approached, I couldn’t help the smirk that came onto my face as I watched him tap the blades against his muscular thigh.
He’d have to try harder if he wanted to intimidate me.
As I stepped past Epimetheus, I saw his eyes flick to my face, then to my weapon. He uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips, a look of interest crossing his face.
Prometheus came to stand beside me.
“It’s Tessa, right?”
I looked up at the massive Titan and nodded. His nearness set a feeling of unease in my stomach. The thought of demonstrating my skills in front of two of the old gods was taking a toll on my nerves.
His emerald eyes assessed me, then he jerked his chin toward the staff.
“That’s a cumbersome weapon, not one I would’ve recommended for a fight like this.”
I gave him a tight smile. “I’ll manage.”
He gave me a speculative look, then nodded. “Alright then, on you go.”
I stepped slowly into the fighting circle. As I neared Damien, he straightened his back and let his hands hang loosely at his sides, a dagger in each.
“Begin.”
The word was barely out of Prometheus’ mouth before Damien launched himself at me. Adrenaline rushed through me, and I thrust one end of my weapon up, then the other, using the momentum to shove him back a few feet.
‘You’re going to have to fight dirty with this one.’
The sound of Nate’s voice in my mind nearly broke my concentration, but I still managed to block the broad side of one of Damien’s daggers as he brought it down toward my head.
Nate was right. Damien seemed intent on going all-out with this fight, so I had to pull out all the stops.
‘Nice of you to show up. Now keep quiet.’
The fight with Damien went on for what seemed like hours, although it didn’t take long before the familiar feeling of contentment swam through me, putting me at ease with my abilities. He was relentless, raining blows down as though I was an enemy and not his equal. Despite the flexibility and relative dullness of the blades, he hit me with enough force to break the skin
on more than one occasion on my neck, cheek, and arms. I mentally cursed myself for rolling up my sleeves after our warmup.
I tried to maintain my composure and use the weapon the way I was taught, but he was making it difficult. My power stirred, itching to come out and fight.
I flipped the staff, holding it like a baseball bat and swung as hard as I could as Damien sent another dagger toward my chest. There was a loud CRACK as it connected with his hand, and the knife went flying, the momentum nearly sending him to the ground. I kicked his knees out and landed a hard blow on his chin as he went down, splitting the skin wide open.
He collapsed to the ground, blood dripping from his chin, and glared up at me. Flipping to his feet, he slashed toward me with his remaining dagger, but swung wide, missing my side by inches.
I smirked, then took a few steps backward, daring him to follow.
“Come on, Damien, I thought you weren’t gonna take it easy on me.”
His snarled with fury as he lunged toward me. I gripped my staff and swung hard toward his shoulder. He reached up with his free hand to stop the staff’s momentum and used the other to push my weapon back toward me, slamming it into my chest.
I hissed and stumbled back a few feet. I barely had time to recover when he jumped at me. Ducking, I thrust the staff in the air and slammed it into his hip, sending him twisting to the ground. As he fell, he lost his grip on his remaining dagger and it fell to the sand.
I jumped up and pressed the end of the staff onto his spine, then picked up the dagger that lay beside him. He struggled to his knees, so I sent a swift kick to his torso, instantly knocking the breath out of him.
Tossing my staff aside, I planted one foot on either side of him. I grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, then pressed the point of his own weapon to his throat.
“I win.”
He grunted, then slowly lifted his hands, signaling his defeat.
I tossed the dagger toward the edge of the circle, then stepped away, allowing him to stand.
Red faced and glaring, he jumped to his feet and faced me.
