I cracked my knuckles. “The third, when unlocked, is The Hallowed Gate.”
We turned a corner and a gasp slipped through Yesenia’s lips. Unlike the caves that led here, this chamber was wide and spacious. It stretched nearly five hundred feet tall and almost as wide. At the back of the room was a large cliff that dripped slow-moving magma over the edge like a silent, orange waterfall that flowed across a pool that covered two thirds of the chamber.
There was a stone bridge across the fiery liquid that led to a platform at the base of the fall where The Hallowed Gate stood. Yesenia turned to me. “Wow, now this is what I think of when I think of the Underworld.”
She followed me across the bridge, her skin glowing in the light of the magma. The Hallowed Gate, like everything in Olympus, dripped with gold and opulence. The golden frame was a sculpted mural of Olympus’s most powerful gods and goddesses. I winced when I’d first caught a glimpse of Hermes carved into it, but its most striking feature was the light that poured through the frame. I squinted as we neared it.
“Geez,” Yesenia said, shielding her eyes with her arm. “Who decorated this thing? King Midas?”
I spun to her, biting back a smile. “I thought the same thing. Wait until you see Olympus.”
She sighed. “Alright, let’s do this.” She reached for my hand but I yanked it away.
“No!” I said too loudly. She looked stunned, like I’d struck her. “Sorry,” I said. “The light separates your mind, body, and soul and then reconstructs it in Olympus. If we go in together—” I shuddered. “Well,” I shook my head. “Let’s just say there would be no secrets between us.”
Before she could answer, Hell’s portal opened behind her and Hades stepped through. Today he looked more human than demon, but I still felt a rise in Yesenia’s body temperature as he leaned into her. “You’re representing me,” he seethed. “If you even—”
I stepped between them. “Father, I won’t fail you. I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly.”
His eyebrow rose. “And I suspect you understand what will happen to you and your champion if you fail?”
“Of course. We won’t fail,” I said, turning away. I was so caught up in getting away from Hades, and once again breathing the fresh cool air of Olympus, that I grabbed Yesenia’s hand and nearly walked through The Hallowed Gate before my good sense returned.
“You first, Yess,” I said.
She stepped through, and I felt a wave of relief as she disappeared. If we’d gone through together, she’d know the truth about why I was helping her and, soul be damned, she’d never speak to me again.
21
Yesenia
I held my breath as I stepped through The Hallowed Gate, my heart seizing in my chest. It didn’t seem right to turn my back on Hades, but I didn’t have a choice. Between Jiro nearly dragging me through with him, and the knowledge that he’d know just how shitty my childhood had been if he did pull me to the other side, I had no choice but to walk quickly on my own before he joined me in his rush to get away from his father.
As the light of the gate accepted me, I felt the breath I was holding release from my chest, but not in a natural way. I didn’t exhale. Instead, it felt as if my breath had dissolved within me and then I felt like there was no me at all. I had this moment of pure happiness and weightlessness that I never wanted to lose. I had no past nor present. I was there but not.
The blissful feeling ended as abruptly as it had begun and, suddenly, I was in what had to be the universe’s most opulent receiving chamber. The walls were made of gold, the faces of gods and battle scenes carved within the shining material. The floor was a smooth white marble cut with shades of light gray and sparkling silver.
“Fuck. I need a pair of sunglasses to even stand in this room,” I whispered to myself, whipping around when I heard a chuckle to my right.
“Humans. So classy.” The source of the chuckle came from a slender woman. Long hair the color of seafoam fell in waves around her, reaching her tiny waist. She was waifish, which was only emphasized by the gauze-like material that clung to her. The most striking thing about her was the fact that she was soaking wet, like completely drenched, but not a drop of water hit the ground. Instead, the water ran in rivulets around her body as if it was trying to keep her covered in moisture at all times. It was strange yet oddly alluring.
I opened my mouth to speak, but she waved a hand and cut me off. “Let’s go, mortal. My name is Eidothea, but you may call me Thea. I’m in charge of making you presentable for the gods.”
I took in the woman before me, wondering if she was a goddess, before dismissing the idea. No way would a goddess be put in charge of making me presentable.
“I’m Yesenia, but you can call me Yessi since we’re at the nickname stage of our friendship apparently.”
The ethereal woman rolled her eyes and it made my lips twitch into a smile to see such a normal gesture on her flawless face.
I looked back at the gate, waiting for Jiro before following the woman. “He isn’t coming through there. The gate will take him to join the other trainers on the platform. You’ll join Jiro after I’ve finished readying you.”
I groaned internally at the breathy way she said his name. Great. She was either crazy about him or he’d nailed her too. Awesome.
I followed her down a hallway designed in what I was beginning to realize was the Olympian standard. Gold and marble. These people are boujee, I thought to myself as Thea basically shoved me into a room. “The bathing chambers. The nymphs will assist you.”
The walls of the bathing chamber were the same brilliant gold as the halls, but instead of having the face of the gods carved into them, like every other Olympian surface I’d seen thus far, they were adorned with stunning carvings of oceanic creatures. The designs, though monochromatic, were incredibly realistic. My eyes lingered on a creature that looked as if it was stuck between the form of a human woman and that of a seal, the look on her face serene. Fascinated by the artwork, I was caught unaware by the nymphs Thea mentioned.
Before I could protest, I was snagged by three women. As I attempted to bat their hands away, I was struck by one thing. They all had the same face—the exact same face. Even identical twins have a little something that set them apart, but these women had no visible differences. Not that I had much of a chance to take in their features.
Within thirty seconds of entering the room, my shirt was being pulled off by one of the women while another set of hands unbuttoned my jeans. I let out a yelp and jumped backwards, trying to get away from the hands trying to disrobe me. I scrambled away but slid on a puddle of water and fell flat on my ass—hard.
The impact with the slick marble was exactly as painful as the hard smack that resounded made it seem. My tailbone instantly ached, a feeling somewhere between numb and excruciating made its way up my spine as I let out a muffled cry through my teeth.
Instead of reacting apologetically, one of the three nymphs spoke in a sassy tone, “Quit playing around. You go on in less than two hours.”
“Go on?” I replied, thoroughly confused.
“I hate humans,” the same nymph grumbled as she reached down to remove my top. I instantly reached out and slapped her hands away.
“The feeling is pretty damn mutual, nymph, and knock it off. I can take my own clothes off and bathe myself, for fuck’s sake,” I snapped.
Once I was on my feet again, I quickly stripped and slid into the bath that looked more like an Olympic swimming pool than anything I’d ever use to wash myself in. The water was so hot I let out a soft moan as I sank into it. The heat soothed the ache in my lower back. I enjoyed the water for about 3.4 seconds before the nymphs attacked once more. One started scrubbing my body with something I could only compare to a loofah even though, it too, like everything else in Olympus, was golden.
The smell of lilacs filled the air and I smiled softly. My grandma, before she passed away, had always smelled of the purple flower. I enjoyed a
nostalgic moment before a second nymph tried to drown me. Water poured over my head, causing me to splutter obnoxiously, while the first nymph tried to wash my chest.
With no obvious way out, I ducked my head under the water and swam away from them before resurfacing ten feet away. They looked at me confused before they followed and resumed their attempts to wash me. After I spent way too long arguing with them, they allowed me to wash my own body. I was one hundred percent certain they had only caved because arguing with me was upsetting the schedule they said we were on.
The first two nymphs washed and conditioned my long hair as the third joined in and attacked my eyebrows with a set of tweezers made of gold—of course. The whole experience was beyond weird. I grew up in a house where we were lucky if there was hot water, and now I was literally being bathed by three women in an in-ground bathtub that was larger than the community pool.
After I got out of the tub, the women rubbed oils and creams into my hair and skin. One even gave me a manicure and pedicure, and I had to admit I didn’t hate that part so much. It was sure as hell better than stepping out of the shower and almost stepping in vomit from my mom’s terrible aim. Still, as fucked as my life was, it was mine. I missed being home and no amount of primping was going to change that.
I didn’t have much time to dwell on my morose thoughts as I was treated like a human doll. I didn’t have time to be sad. I had to kick ass, and apparently these women were going to make sure I looked damn good doing it.
Within a total of roughly forty-five minutes, I was wrapped in a towel in front of Thea, frowning at the woman in front of me. I did not enjoy the nymphs trying to bathe me like an invalid, no matter how nice I smelled, and I wanted to make sure she knew it.
“You do realize humans aren’t completely helpless, right? I am more than capable of washing my own hair and ass.”
She laughed, definitely at me and not with me, and spoke, “Most people would kill for the five-star treatment you just got. Funny I didn’t hear you complaining when they were massaging lotion into your feet. Now drop the towel so I can see what I’m working with.”
“No fucking wa—“ My protests died on my lips as she flicked her fingers and the plush towel that covered my bare body burst into water droplets, hovering around me without dampening my already dry skin.
Thea cocked an eyebrow and smirked in a sassy manner that kind of made me want to punch her in the face and be her friend at the same time. “You were saying?”
“Cheater,” I huffed out as she laughed.
She let out another throaty chuckle and I glared at her but didn’t cover myself. Not because I was cool with being naked in front of a total stranger but because the water molecules distracted me. They started circling around my body, a glow seeming to emanate from the center of each droplet. The intensity grew so bright that I had to squeeze my eyes shut and, when the light faded from behind my closed lids, I peeked down and realized I was no longer naked. Instead, I wore an outfit that looked like leather but felt as smooth as butter. It hugged my skin perfectly, making my relatively small chest look voluptuous, emphasizing every curve of my hourglass figure. Not only was the material flattering, but the fiery red screamed Champion of Hell while making my dark curls stand out in contrast.
I poked at the fabric and was surprised to feel how thick it was when my inspection was interrupted by Thea shoving me into a chair and attacking my face with makeup brushes.
After about twenty minutes of silence, I was dying. Being quiet was definitely not my strong suit.
“So how do you know Jiro?” I asked, definitely not because I was jealous or anything. It was just an easy conversation starter, or at least that’s what I was telling myself.
“All immortals get to know each other eventually. There are a lot of us, but when you live forever...” She trailed off as she ran her hands through my curls, shaking them loose.
“That sucks, dude. I’ve lived nineteen years and I’m tired of the bullshit most days. Living forever must blow,” I said sympathetically.
I wasn’t sure what response I expected, but it definitely wasn’t the belly laugh followed up with a snort. “You’re entertaining, Yessi. I might have to come visit you in Hell.”
I grinned at her, winking dramatically. “You mean as long as I don’t die horribly.”
“The deaths aren’t usually that horrible—basic dismemberment at most. You’ll be fine. You’re too short to be beheaded by the others anyway.”
Apparently Thea had a sense of humor sick enough to rival my own, and for the next hour we chatted easily as she continued my makeover.
When she finished, I wasn’t even allowed to look in a mirror. Instead, I was rushed out the door and through an endless maze of golden halls until we reached a platform.
“Good luck, Yessi. You don’t look terrible,” Thea said, a soft smile playing on her lips. Most people, after having to listen to me ramble for the better part of an hour, wanted to throttle me, but I was fairly certain I won Thea over instead. At the very least, she didn’t totally hate me.
I thanked her, pulling the woman in for a hug without thinking twice about it. Thea finally let out a genuine smile, keeping the water that still ran over her body off of me. “Go show them what you’re made of.”
I held my head up high, shoulders back, and smiled. “You got it.”
I turned away from the woman and walked up to a set of doors that reached at least twelve feet high and looked to be made of solid gold—shocker. It almost made me miss my puke-stained front steps and my gang-riddled street. The devil you know and all that jazz.
Two burly men, both equally gorgeous and half naked, pulled the doors open, and I stepped out onto a platform that rose from the ground and, suddenly, there were thousands of eyes on me.
22
Jiro
I stepped through The Hallowed Gate, allowing my essence to dissolve and find itself reunited on the other side. I felt a wave of dread as I looked around the shimmering archways into Hero’s Hall, where gods and goddesses chatted and drank together and white gold trays of finger foods were never more than an arm’s length away.
“Fuck.”
I hadn’t considered that Yessi and I were in Olympus for different reasons, her to participate in the tournament and me to train her. Naturally, we’d been transported to different locations. How inconsiderate. I’d been so intent on getting away from my father, that I forgot to walk her through everything, but I’d inadvertently tossed her into the realm of the gods—completely alone and unprepared. In the short time I’d known her, she hadn’t seemed like the forgiving type.
A sudden shiver slipped down my spine as Hades materialized beside me, without an ounce of his demon form on display. His sudden presence reminded me of how Yessi had stood up to him and my tension eased a bit.
Hades stepped deeper into the hall, nodding me forward as he went. I was certain Yesenia could handle herself, but I hoped she wouldn’t draw too much attention. There were certain eyes I didn’t want her to catch the interest of. The best thing I could do for her now was find out more about her competition. Zeus would no doubt be putting forth Hercules. Who, based on the size of his ridiculous fan club, was the favorite. I knew Lyrica was asked by someone, but the rest were a total mystery.
The hall was the size of a ballroom with high ceilings and light pouring through the arches that distinguished the nonexistent borders of the open platform that held the party. Light also emanated from the most powerful of the gods in attendance. The floors were cloudy and stirred into a misty haze around the ankles of the guests but flared a blackish hue around Hades.
I hadn’t made it ten feet into the hall when I heard a familiar sound. The flitting sound of winged sandals filled the air. “I’m surprised you’re still alive,” Hermes said. “I heard Zeus is still pissed about the pegasus.” The freckled, red-haired immortal lowered to my eye-line.
I scoffed. “Like I care.”
Hermes’ eyes twinkled w
ith delight.
“Are any of the champions here yet?” I asked, eyeing the room.
Hermes grinned. “I heard you brought a lamb to the slaughter. What makes you think she’ll fare any better than your last mortal contender?”
“She’s not my contender. She’s Hades’ and I’d at least wait until you meet her to count her out.”
He threw his head back and laughed, a big open-mouthed cackle that drew the eyes of several of the nearby gods.
I shook my head. “What’s funny?”
He flitted closer, his gaze scanning my eyes like he was turning the pages of an open book. “You like her.”
My face burned. “Who’s your champion?”
“His name is Pitt. He’s a cherub.” Images of the stable boy’s face flashed in my mind as I recalled the name. I kept my face blank, not wanting to acknowledge that I knew his champion. My eyes scanned the room in search of a distraction as Zeus’s glowing frame turned towards me and spotted me through the crowd.
I turned my attention back to Hermes, knowing we’d be interrupted soon. “Wings, huh? You think that’ll give you an edge?”
“As opposed to what? Hotness?”
I rolled my eyes, my gaze being pulled toward Zeus as he pushed through the crowd toward me.
“I hope you’ve at least sealed the deal with her, because if you haven’t, Hercules will get that done before dawn. He’s never met a woman he couldn’t slay.”
I put my hands on his shoulders, but they didn’t drift down even for an instant as I leaned in. “You have problems.”
“Actually,” he said, looking over his shoulder, “you do.” Like a disturbed insect, he flew away just in time to leave an opening for Zeus.
I felt my nerve shake as the six-foot-eight muscled figure stood in front of me, his ice blue gaze sharp but his expression neutral. His presence was not unlike Hades’, like two sides of the same coin.
The Trials of Olympus Page 7
