She stepped in front of me. She wore her purple training suit that didn’t remotely match her dark personality. She glistened with sweat. She panted as she pushed her chest out and asked, “How’s training going?”
Aphrodite walked up behind her, tapping her fingers impatiently on her crossed arms before she made her way to the back of the training room. It was the first time I’d seen the goddess without receiving a seductive look—she must have really wanted to win the tournament.
“I have to get back, actually.” I pushed past her.
“Yeah, you better make sure that Yesenia girl is ready. I have a feeling she’ll struggle with the first round.”
I stopped, slowly turning back to her. “What do you know?”
She shook her ponytail triumphantly. “As you know, I can be very persuasive…” She licked her lips and I barely suppressed an eyeroll. “I was able to find out what the three trials will be.”
“Why should I believe you?”
She gasped disingenuously. “I’m hurt you think so little of me. Have you forgotten that you used to enjoy my company quite a bit?” She walked over, tracing her finger over my chest. “You’ve changed since that girl showed up.”
“We’d been done for a while before Yesenia.”
She shrugged. “True, but these things are never really over.” She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I still consider you a dear friend.”
“If we’re friends, tell me what the trials will be.”
She gave me a devilish grin. “And what shall you give me in return?”
I turned back to the path. “This is a complete waste of time.”
“Wait, Jiro!” she called. I hesitated. That information could save Yessi’s life, but Lyrica was a viper.
“I want a kiss. That’s it, just a kiss.”
I sighed. “So, I kiss you and you tell me about the trials?”
She nodded, a slight smile on her lips, though her crystal blue eyes looked sad.
I rolled my eyes, walked over, and grabbed her by the waist. I leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped me with her fingers. “Not now. I’ll tell you when.”
“I need that information now,” I insisted.
“And I’ll give it. Just swear to me on your mother’s immortal life that you’ll kiss me the next time I ask, no matter what.”
I inhaled sharply, my throat constricting. It was obviously a trap, but I didn’t know to what end, and knowing what the trials were ahead of time would help me prepare Yesenia for what lay ahead.
She reached her hand out and, despite my better judgment, I shook it.
35
Yesenia
I stepped into the hall and smashed right into Jiro, practically falling into his arms. The overflow of magic threw off my equilibrium, and I had yet to fully recover my center of gravity.
“Whoa!” Jiro exclaimed as he grabbed my waist to steady me. “What happened?”
Thea cut in, no doubt afraid I would tell him the truth. “Her body isn’t used to channeling that kind of magic. She’s burnt out. Take her back to the Underworld and let her rest.”
Normally I’d interject and tell the goddess that I was right here and she didn’t need to speak for me, but the visions were still running on replay in my mind. The magic Thea had wielded was still coursing through my veins, making me feel like I was living in the past and present at the same time. My heart couldn’t tell what was happening around me and what had happened long ago.
Jiro and Thea talked over me as a new vision surfaced. I let out a moan of pain as I felt a knife slide between my ribs, except it didn’t. The vision was so strong the phantom pain was excruciating. The ache was intense, but I couldn’t cry out. I started to shake from a bone deep cold that infected my body. I vaguely felt heat flare from Jiro as he tried to warm me. Wait, was it Jiro? Was he real now? Was I?
Yesenia. Nora. Rocco. Hannah. Madelyn. Matthew. Conor. Rose.
I had been so many people—lived so many lives—but who was I now?
Darkness descended over my panicked thoughts, bringing sweet relief.
“Yesenia.” A male voice tried to pull me from the nothingness that comforted me far too soon. “Come on, Yess. Wake up.”
I tried to ignore it but something inside me reached for the voice. The man, whoever he was, would make everything better. I had to leave the blissful dark so he could fix... whatever was wrong.
My thoughts were disjointed as hands shook me. My eyelids opened slowly and I winced against the light before groaning in pain as the ache in my ribs assaulted me the moment I was fully conscious.
“Fuck. Jiro, it hurts so bad, “ I cried. Tears streamed down my face as I looked up at his distraught face.
His eyes held a sadness I wasn’t used to as he cradled me in his arms. “I know, Yess. We’ll make it better. I promise.” He held me against him in a firm hold, careful to avoid my injured side. I looked down at the wound, expecting to see blood gushing from a large hole between my ribs, only to see my training gear in perfect condition. I was uninjured in Jiro’s arms. If the pain wasn’t so gods-damned unbearable, I would have freaked out.
“You have to set her in the center and then leave,” Thea’s voice rang out. “The waters will only heal her... ailment... if they deem her worthy.”
“I’m not leaving her like this,” Jiro said softly as he stared at my face—desperation warring with helplessness.
“You’ll interfere with the magic’s judgement if you stay. It might not help her,” Thea responded soothingly, as if she were coaxing a wounded animal.
Jiro grimaced before he began walking, each step stealing the breath from my lungs. I cried out once more in pain as he lowered me to the ground. I couldn’t focus on my surroundings as the ache grew stronger. Every part of my being cried out for Jiro as he set me down and walked away. My body felt like it was being ripped apart as I heard a door slam from across the room.
“Please make it stop,” I cried out.
“The water will help you, Yessi. I promise. Just relax,” Thea’s soothing voice broke through my cries. I tried to calm myself to no avail. The pain was too much for me to bear in silence.
I felt Thea magic my clothes away before she gave my hand a squeeze. “The waters will balance you and take away your pain. Mortal souls are not meant to know so many of their past lives. Your very essence is confused.” With those parting words, Thea made her way to the exit. She paused with her hand on the doorknob and turned back. “Accept the magic, Yesenia. The water will help you.”
I didn’t answer. After a few moments of silent torture, my body began to sink. My eyes, shut tight in pain, flew open as the ground—no air—swallowed me. I looked around frantically and realized I was in the Waters of Inception. Most importantly, I realized I was sinking through the air barrier and into the water itself.
As soon as the water enveloped me, the pain started to recede. Rivulets ran every which way, coating every inch of my skin as the liquid leeched the pain away bit by bit. Droplets trickled down my throat slowly, my breathing not obstructed despite the fact I was completely submerged in the healing liquid. The water started to glow softly but grew in intensity. The more the pain receded, the brighter the light grew until it was so bright it seared my eyes through my closed lids.
My body lifted up from the water, straight into the air. I was splayed out, no control over my limbs, as the plentiful trails of liquid turned into ribbons and hefted me into the air. Still the light raged on as I squeezed my eyes as tight as possible. The ribbons wrapped around my body tighter and tighter until I finally shot up past the surface of the water and was set on the floor made of air that normally kept the magical water segregated from the rest of Olympus.
I looked down and noticed my red battle suit covering my body once more as the light faded. The pain was gone and the memories of my past lives had settled. I remembered so much of what my soul had experienced on each of its mortal journeys. The stab in my side, the phantom wound, had bee
n how I’d died in the last tournament. It was 200 years ago and I had been Nora, Thea’s friend, last. Seeing me crippled from a ghost of the wound that had killed her friend had to have been horrible for her, and I made a mental note to check on her when Jiro wasn’t around.
I laid there in silence for a while, trying to relax the tension that formed in my chest at the idea of continuing my training. With a deep breath, I finally stood and headed out of the room. I paused as I entered the hall where Jiro and Thea stood. Thea had her arm around Jiro’s back and his around her shoulders. I paused for a fraction of a second, the fear on their faces causing an entirely different ache in my chest. It was strange to have people who actually cared about my well being. Sure, Celi cared and so did Manny, but this felt different. I felt horrible for worrying them. I felt worse still because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I wasn’t going to tell Jiro what had just happened to me. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t know where to start.
Guilt ate at me, causing a knot to form in my stomach. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but the gods in front of me had become two of my favorite people. After all the pain I’d been forced to endure, I felt a surge of gratitude for their support. I threw myself at them both and wrapped them in a tight group hug. “Thank you,” I said.
36
Jiro
I shook, my shoulders heaving, as the sound of Yessi’s cries echoed in my memory. In all of my years as a trainer, I’d never had a champion react so violently to the Waters of Inception. I tried asking Yesenia about it, but the memory must’ve brought residual pain, because she always changed the subject. I didn’t want to push, not after what she’d been through.
I’d heard that Thea’s champion had a similar reaction during the last tournament, but when I asked her about it, she was just as evasive. And with good reason; her champion died during the final trial. It had always been a sore spot.
Asking around could draw unwanted attention to Yessi, so I had no choice but to ignore it and focus on training her, but it wasn’t easy. The Waters had awoken a slew of new moves and battle instincts in her. It was as if her mind were already trained and all I needed was to get her body used to it. Each day she grew faster and each night she was so exhausted she passed out without enough energy for her nightmares.
I liked that time of night most. When I could analyze her progress without her sassy ass arguing. It was in this meditative state that a funny thought occurred to me. Yesenia was essentially living with me. I’d planned to let her stay the first night and find other accommodations for her, but we’d fallen into a routine.
Every morning I awoke to a mess of crazy hair and attitude and every night I lay beside her. It had become normal so quickly that I feared the emptiness that awaited when the tournament was over.
After a week of grueling sessions, her intensity began to wear on me, and I found myself breathlessly trying to keep up until one afternoon her scythe sliced across my cheek.
“Fuck, Jiro!” Yessi yelled, dropping her scythe like it was on fire. I felt the pain burn hot in my cheek, blood running down to my neck almost instantly. I sucked in a breath, reveling in the tantalizing sensation, when I noticed Yesenia rushing over to me. I felt my immortality snake its way to my cheek, but I fought to suppress it. I moaned and lowered myself to a seated position on the platform. I bit back a smile as Yessi’s bulging eyes told me she was buying every bit of my performance. My immortality fought to close the wound, so I smeared the blood with my hand to cover it.
“I’m so sorry,” Yesenia said, kneeling and pulling me into her chest. With her opposite hand, she put pressure on the wound and I worried she’d notice that it had already closed. “What do I do? Should I call Thea?”
“No,” I groaned. “Just…” I coughed weakly. “Just give me a few minutes.”
She held me so tightly that I could feel each beat of her heart. My temperature flared at the rise and fall of her chest against my face until our heartbeats had synced.
“What the hell, Jiro?” she said suddenly, jogging me from my trance. “There’s not even a cut here.”
Laughter burst from deep in my stomach where I tried to conceal it, and she smiled back—a mixture of confusion, entertainment, and annoyance all blatantly edged in her features. Suddenly I felt a flare of heat, but for once it came from her. The tension slayed my laughter into a suffocating silence as my hand rose to her chin. Without thinking, I urged her forward until my lips brushed hers. She responded instantly by raking her fingers through my hair. I slipped my tongue into her mouth and felt her grip around me tighten. I tasted her hunger, or maybe it was mine. I felt something flood beneath my skin, my immortality grinding into it but unable to dull the sensation.
Yessi pulled away and a shudder ran through me when, for just a moment, I saw sadness in her eyes. “Jiro,” she whispered, and I saw her carefully considering her next words before burying them. She stood and my body felt a rush of cold where she’d been. She held her hand out to help me up. “Get your weapon,” she said. “Let’s go again.”
37
Yesenia
Weeks of training flew by as I pushed my body to its limit. My lack of stamina and strength aggravated me to my core. After Thea’s pool of torture, I had the knowledge but lacked the skills. Cursed or not, I was determined to win the Trials. Each day I grew stronger, my skills more refined.
Still, no matter how much I improved, I was the underdog. Sparring with Jiro reminded me how much being human worked against me, but now that Hercules was gunning for me? I was pretty much screwed. But I refused to quit. I honed my mind and muscles. I didn’t let anything distract me either… until the kiss.
It was all-consuming and passionate. I wasn’t a nun, but I wasn’t familiar with that kind of heat either. The kiss was scorching. If I thought about it too long, I could almost feel Jiro’s fingers tangled in my curls as his lips—
I did not need to be thinking of Jiro, at least not in that way, and especially not now.
The day of the first trial had finally arrived, and I was a nervous wreck. I stood in the hall I had been in before being introduced as a champion. Two men guarded the door silently, making sure I didn’t enter a moment too soon and throw off the spectacle Dionysus had no doubt planned. The Trials were to be aired throughout Olympus. This was nothing but entertainment for the gods; the champions were just cannon fodder.
The guards looked me over before pulling the doors open. I took a deep breath, wishing Jiro was here to give me a few more words of wisdom. All he said to me today was to tell the truth—no matter what. Today was the Trial of Honor. He’d told me about it weeks ago after we’d finished a vigorous training session, but when crossing paths with the other competitors at lunch and such, they didn’t seem to have the same level of inside information. I wondered how Jiro was able to attain it and I couldn’t help but think it had something to do with Hades. Ironic that the trial meant I had to be completely honest while Jiro and I spent the last few weeks skirting around with half truths.
I shook off my irritation, and infatuation, as I stepped through the double doors and into the stadium.
The champions stood in a circle facing towards the crowd, much like before, as the contest was announced.
“Honor and integrity are the pillars upon which a champion—a hero—is built. You can be neither if you cannot be honest,” Dionysus’s voice boomed through the stadium. “The rules are simple. Tell the truth. Bare your soul. Fail to do so and you burn.”
As he said the word “burn”, an enormous flame erupted from the center of the stage—inside the circle of champions. The heat that emanated was strong, causing a sheen of sweat to form as I forced myself not to step away. The other champions stepped forward, away from the raging flames, but a few braved the hellish temperature. From the corner of my eye, I catalogued the ones who remained stationary—Pitt, Hercules, and Lyrica.
Dionysus looked into the crowd, his face full of glee, as he spoke, “Our first contender of
the day will be none other than the Lord of the Underworld’s mortal champion, Yesenia Rodriguez.”
I resisted the urge to close my eyes and groan—barely. Of course I was first. The only time I won something and it was the chance to burn alive before my competition. Just fucking lovely.
“Champions: Join your trainers on the side of the arena,” the commentator instructed before turning to me. “Yesenia, it’s into the fire with you.”
I clenched my fists at my sides as I made my way towards the fire, my progress halted as Jiro stepped between the fire and me. He gripped my shoulders as he looked down at me, leaving a respectable distance between us. “Just step into the fire. Once you get past the air surrounding the immortal flame, it won’t burn you. Be honest. If you lie, the fire will hurt you. Its purpose is to purify souls. It will burn what it views as darkness away. In this case, it will grow hotter until you tell the truth... or die.” Jiro paused once more, squeezing my shoulders tighter. “I’m not an idiot. I know you’re hiding something from me, but in there you have to be honest, Yessi. Your life depends on it.”
I tried to smile reassuringly but failed. “If I don’t burn alive, we’re totally celebrating tonight.”
He shook his head at my dark humor, his lips twitching as he suppressed the smile I knew was begging to come out even amongst the worry he felt. “Deal.”
He let me go and I walked to the fire. The heat scorched my skin and I found myself closing my eyes. It reminded me of the first time I walked into the Underworld. I had done that and I could do this too. It wasn’t as easy to walk into an open flame without Jiro there to hold my hand, so I imagined he was there with me, lending me his silent strength, as I stepped into the center of the immortal flame.
The Trials of Olympus Page 12
