by Lucy Roy
“That was completely different. Both of us were caught off guard.” I sighed and pressed my fingers to my eyes. “You need to trust me to handle these things on my own, Nate.”
“I know,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
We sat in awkward silence for a moment. I picked up my glass and took a gulp before speaking again.
“So, your father wants a demonstration? What does that mean?”
“He just wants to see what you can do. He knows you won’t have perfected much within such a short span of time, so it’s not as bad as you think.” He took a sip of wine, his eyes darting away from me.
I narrowed my eyes. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He winced. “There’s going to be a bit of a change in your training, starting tomorrow.”
“What kind of change?”
“Zeus wants Chiron and me back with the recruits, and I don’t think he trusts me to train you properly. So…Ares and Athena will be taking over.”
I nearly dropped the glass I’d been holding.
“What?! How the—” I took a deep breath to try to steady myself. “Why are two Elders taking on my training?”
“Zeus thinks a Mimic should have more specialized training, and I think he’s right.”
“Of course you do,” I muttered.
“It’ll be fine. You’ll do wonderfully.”
“Not so sure about that.” I tried to ignore all of the conflicting thoughts running through my mind. I wanted to bury my face into a pillow and forget the last hour had happened, but I also had so many questions I wanted to ask. This whole new aspect of Nate had been revealed, and as angry as I was, my curiosity was killing me.
Nate’s eyes searched my own, and he reached out a hand to hold mine. “Tessa—”
“Don’t.” I pulled my hand out of his and tried to ignore the look of hurt that washed over his face. “This day has just been too much. I can’t deal with hashing out relationship issues just yet.” I took a deep breath before meeting his eyes. “Just give me some time to process everything, okay? I just had about a dozen bombs drop on me at once.”
“I understand,” he murmured. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he pressed his lips together and stayed silent.
“Look, I’m hurt and I’m not sure my trust in you will be quick to return, but I don’t have the mental capacity to harbor anger right now. You had your reasons for keeping things from me, and whether I agree with them or not doesn’t matter. I don’t believe you did any of that maliciously. I just need some time, that’s all.”
I gave myself a mental pat on the back for being so mature. A huge part of me wanted to punch him again.
“Tessa, I promise I won’t put you in the same position I put you in today ever again. I didn’t think—”
“You don’t have to explain it to me. I think I get it.”
“Alright.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m guessing you want to go home?”
“It’s probably better if I do. I don’t suppose you want to send me back the easy way, do you? Since you’re a god and all?”
He let out a shaky laugh.
“Of course.”
He held out a hand, and a second later, he’d teleported us to the entrance to my dorm.
I huffed out a breath at the clear evidence of his godliness.
I paused before going inside, then turned to look up at him. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my head to his chest. His arms circled around me, squeezing me tight as tears leaked from my eyes.
“I’m sorry, Tessa. I truly am.” He kissed the top of my head, then stepped back.
“I know,” I whispered, wiping my eyes. “I’ll see you soon.”
He gave me a pained smile, then disappeared.
I stared up at the dormitory, not quite ready to go in.
This freaking day had turned into a dumpster fire of epic proportion.
My sort-of boyfriend was a god, and his crazy mother had threatened my life. I was being forced to train with two Elders, away from my peers and mentors, so that I could give Zeus a demonstration of my powers in three weeks. Not to mention witches were erasing memories, I was dreaming about a missing Titan, and there were apparently a ton of weird visions in my head that Nate had hidden from me.
Feeling defeated, I sat down in the middle of the street and rested my head on my knees.
Screw this day and the horse it rode in on.
38
Tessa
I walked around Olympia for the next few hours, not quite ready to be enclosed in my dorm. As I walked through the quiet streets, my mind continued to reel at all the new information I’d acquired.
The issues with Nate aside, I was more curious about why in all the realms I was dreaming about Atlas. Aside from his part in the war, he was kind of a non-entity in my history lessons. He existed, but I’d never had cause to think about him outside of the few lessons he’d been mentioned in. Of all the things I’d learned today, that made the least sense.
As the sun slipped closer to the horizon, I began to make my way back to the dorms, working out what I was going to say to Yana and Mary when I returned.
Of course, they were waiting to pounce the moment I walked into my room. They were both still in their training uniforms, and when I looked at the clock, I realized they must’ve just returned.
“Hey, guys,” I said as I walked in. I dropped down onto my bed and toed off my shoes. “What’s up?”
“Seriously? ‘What’s up?’” Mary rolled her eyes. “You’ve been missing all day. Where’d you go?”
“Yes, you missed watching me put Eric on his ass,” Yana boasted. “It was glorious.”
“Gods, I would’ve loved to have seen that.” I let out a heavy sigh. “So…yeah. I think we should talk.”
Mary arched a brow in question. “About..?”
“You guys are not going to believe the day I’ve had.”
I proceeded to tell them about everything that had gone down over the last couple of hours. About Nate’s lies, his confrontation with Apollo, the revelation that Zeus and Hera were his parents, Hera threatening my life, and finally, about me. I told them all about Nate and Chiron’s suspicions about my powers and about what we’d uncovered about my dreams. Somehow, I managed to get through it all with minimal tears.
They listened quietly, but a range of emotions went across their faces as I spoke.
Mary looked mainly hurt. “Tess, why couldn’t you tell me? Did they tell you that you couldn’t or something?”
I shook my head and sniffed, wiping the dampness from my eyes. “No, I just…I don’t know. I just felt weird about it, plus there wasn’t anything definitive really until today. I guess I didn’t want to make a thing of it until I knew there was something more concrete.”
“I guess.” She picked at a fuzz on the pillow in her lap. “It just seems like, since Nate came around—”
I held up a hand to cut her off. “No. Don’t start that. You know me well enough to know I wouldn’t bail on you for a guy. The only reason he knew any of this was because he was there when we figured it out.”
“Ugh, I know!” She tossed the pillow to the side. “It just sucks. It’s like he suddenly knows all this stuff about you that I don’t.”
The three of us sat in silence for a few moments before Yana spoke.
“I think what is most important here,” she said slowly, “is that Tessa should not handle these things alone. Mary, I know you are hurting, but I think we need to focus. If Tessa is a Mimic, well…” She eyed me sympathetically. “Then Zeus is right, and you will be a valuable weapon.”
“Gods, Yana, she’s not a weapon,” Mary snapped, still not meeting my eyes. “She’s a person.”
“It’s okay, Mare, I get what she’s saying, and I don’t disagree,” I said.
“I knew there was something off about that guy,” she grumbled. “Didn’t I tell you?”
“Even you couldn’t have guessed he was a god.”
>
“Yeah, well…I knew he wasn’t any good for you.”
“I don’t think it’s that he’s bad for me, necessarily,” I began. “I mean—”
Mary groaned. “Let me guess. You ‘kind of get it.’ Yeah. So do I. But it’s still shitty.”
“Fair enough.”
“So now what?” Mary finally looked me in the eye. “Now what happens? You’re seriously going to be training with Ares and Athena?”
“I guess. That’s what he said.”
Yana let out a low whistle. “I still cannot believe that. I suppose I understand the logic, but I cannot imagine how you must be feeling.”
“Scared shitless, basically.” I let out a shaky breath. “They’re fucking war gods, you guys.”
“Not that I care what he thinks,” Mary said, rolling her eyes, “but did Nate seem to think you’d be ok with them?”
“Yeah, definitely,” I assured her. “He said I’d be totally fine.”
Mary let out a small grunt. “Well, I guess that’s something.”
“Mary, I really don’t believe Nate was being malicious when he kept all this stuff from me. He just—”
“Tessa, stop.” Mary sighed. “Whatever his intentions, Nate kept things from you that were about you, not just about him. If he didn’t want to tell you he was a freaking god, fine, that’s his prerogative. He shouldn’t have kept those visions from you.”
“I agree one hundred percent, trust me.”
She arched a brow. “But you’re still going to give him another chance?”
I sighed, then pulled my pillow into my lap and squeezed it against my chest, resting my chin on top.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “I really don’t.”
“Mary, I do not think it is necessarily fair to consider Nate a bad guy just yet,” Yana said, eying my best friend hesitantly.
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
Yana glanced at me before continuing. “Because… I think, if I were in his position, I would have done the same. If what he says is true, he was trying to prevent Tessa from reliving that first experience. It sounds as though that was somewhat traumatic for him, as well. I can understand wanting to spare a person that type of pain. He may have been misguided, I will acknowledge that, but I do not think it makes him a bad person.”
Mary looked at her incredulously. “You would seriously file away weird visions into your boyfriend’s head, not tell him about it, and decide to figure it out later?” She threw up her hands in defeat. “When did I become the reasonable one here?”
I bit back a smile.
“You care about your friend,” Yana said gently. “I do not think you are wrong to feel the way you do, but I can also see why Nate would do what he did.”
Mary sighed, then gave me an exasperated look. “Listen, Tess, I’ll back you no matter what you decide, you know that. But please, please take some time before you decide whether you want to give him another chance. Aside from the fact that he needs to regain your trust, his mother just threatened to kill you if you hurt him. So please, be really fucking sure before you make a choice, because I’d kind of like you to not be dead.”
I grinned, then leaned over and gave her a hug. “I’d kind of like that, too.”
My apprehension and excitement must’ve won out in my sleep, because I woke before my alarm on my first morning of training with Ares and Athena.
Quietly, I tiptoed into the bathroom to avoid disturbing Yana. I pulled on my black training pants and sports bra, then started my normal morning routine.
After a minute or so, I heard the blare of the alarm clock. Yana grunted as she pulled herself out of bed and began opening drawers.
There was a knock at the door, and I grinned, feeling bad for whoever was about to get a dose Yana’s early morning snark.
“Tessa!” she called out.
I leaned over the sink and spit out my mouthful of toothpaste. “Yeah?”
“You—ah—company!”
I frowned, grabbing my shirt off the hook on the door and slipping my arms through. I had it halfway to my head when I saw who our guests were.
“Good morning, Tessa,” Ares said, arching one dark eyebrow. His short, dark hair looked damp, and a small smirk played on his lips. He wore a loose-fitting gray Henley and black pants that looked similar to the ones I had on.
Athena stood next to him wearing a green, knee-length tunic woven through with gold thread over dark-gray leggings. Her long brown hair was in a braid that fell down her back. She cocked her head to the side and smiled.
“Our brother told you we would be training you today, correct?”
Their brother. Nate. Right.
Hastily, I turned my back to them and finished pulling my shirt on before responding.
“He did. I’m sorry, I thought that meant I would be meeting you at the arena.”
Yana had backed away from the door and was staring at me wide-eyed.
“Yes, well, we wanted to get going a bit earlier than the rest,” Athena explained, giving me a quick smile. “Are you ready to go?”
I ran a hand over my hair, which I’d yet to brush.
“Can I just—I need to put my hair up if that’s alright?”
“Go on, finish up,” Ares said brusquely, waving a hand toward the bathroom. He slowly began pacing the room, stopping to examine the various framed photos Yana and I had set up on the bookshelf between our bed.
I darted back into the bathroom and began yanking my brush through my hair. Yana followed me in and took the brush, then rapidly twisted my hair into a tight braid.
“There,” she whispered, patting my shoulders. “Good luck.”
I smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
“Tessa? We really must get going,” Athena called.
“Yes, sorry!” I hurried back into my room and grabbed my shoes from under the bed. “Ready!”
Ares placed one hand on my back and the other on Athena’s and teleported us out of my room.
Surprisingly, we came out on the zipline field instead of the arena. It looked different in the light of day—bigger, more open.
I looked around, confused. “We aren’t going to the arena?”
“No, we’d prefer you be somewhere your friends are not,” Ares responded, releasing my arm.
“Yes, there are fewer distractions out here,” Athena added.
“I see.”
I couldn’t help the disappointment that washed over me. The only solace I’d had when Nate told me I’d be training with the two Elders was that I thought I’d still be close to my friends. I assumed we’d train outside the arena like I had been with Nate and Chiron, but I didn’t think I’d be completely isolated like this.
Athena tilted her head, frowning. “Is that not acceptable to you?”
My eyes widened. “Oh, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
She smiled, seemingly amused at my flustered state. “It’s fine, Tessa. We aren’t here to scare you, are we?” She nudged Ares with her elbow.
The dark-haired god flicked a glance in her direction before looking me up and down, his blue eyes narrowed. “Is Father certain this girl is a Mimic?”
Athena shrugged. “That’s what Apollo and Nathaniel have both said, and it’s rare that those two agree on anything.”
His chiseled jaw twitched, then he let out a sigh. “Alright, then. Let’s get started.”
Athena sat cross-legged on the grass, then gestured with her hand for me to do the same. Ares took a seat beside her, stretching his legs out in front of him.
“Nathaniel gave us a bit of information,” Athena said, “but why don’t you tell us what you know of your power so far?”
“To be honest, these last couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur,” I began as I got comfortable in the soft grass. “But Nate noticed—"
“Nate?” Ares snorted, interrupting me. “He must love that.”
“Shush. I think it’s quite adorable,” Athena said, giving me a conspiratorial wi
nk. I immediately felt a bit more comfortable with her.
“You only say that because he’s your favorite brother,” Ares grumbled.
Athena smirked but didn’t dispute Ares’ assertion. “You were saying, Tessa?”
I cleared my throat. “Right. Nate noticed something was off when I used my power to hurl a ball of water at my friend on the first day of training, then later that night I put out a candle. I thought I was using my telekinesis, but apparently that’s not how it works.”
Ares nodded. “Anything else?”
“Well, I was also having some problems working with my partner, Damien. He was trying to perform a mind link, and I was having trouble controlling my power enough to let him in. When Nate tried to look through my mind to figure out what was going on, I had to fight to allow him access.”
“You engaged in mental combat with my brother?” Ares’ words sounded accusing, but his furrowed brow told me he was more curious than angry.
“Not intentionally. I was trying to let him in. I wanted to know why I was…failing so miserably, but it was as though my power was fighting against me just as much as him.”
“Chiron thought that may have been you using Nathaniel’s own powers of Coercion, correct?” Athena asked.
“Yes, that was his thinking. Nate was the first one to use his powers on me, back when I was still human.”
I snapped my mouth shut, unsure whether they knew about the vision Nate and I had seen.
Athena eyed me speculatively but didn’t question me on it. “So what else? Wind, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, then. Has anyone else used their powers on you or in your presence?”
“All of the Mentalist recruits and my mentors used their powers in front of me the night of our transition. Oh, and my roommate is an Electrokinetic. She zapped one of my friends the other day. None of them actually used their powers on me, though.”
“Neither did the fire user, from what I understand?”
“No, he was just showing off,” I responded.
She smiled, then stood and brushed off her tunic. She reached out a delicate hand and pulled me to my feet.
