Just as Jiro had promised, the heat faded as soon as I reached the center, and I opened my eyes to look around. Jiro watched from the side and nodded at me as our eyes locked. That look said it all—you got this. He was right.
“Is your name Yesenia Rodriguez?” Dionysus asked, his voice not sounding quite as loud as it normally did now that the fire was muffling him.
“Yes.”
“Are you nineteen years old?”
“Yes.”
The questions were surprisingly simple and unease filled me. It couldn’t be this easy.
“What is your biggest fear, Yesenia?”
I paused for a moment, thinking about my answer. This was something I really needed to consider. I had to make sure I was in tune with my subconscious to avoid getting burned.
I answered confidently after my hesitation. “My biggest fear is losing this contest.”
The fire grew scorching and I wailed in pain. I didn’t understand. That was my biggest fear. If I lost the contest, Celi would—That was it.
“Leaving my sister alone,” I screamed through the pain. It felt like my skin was ready to melt from my bones before the heat faded completely.
“What was that?” asked the god, his question ending in a boisterous laugh.
“My biggest fear is not being there for my little sister.”
Dionysus paused, taking in my answer before nodding. I wasn’t sure what the nod meant, but it seemed... respectful almost.
He turned from me and faced the crowd. “Who would like to come and ask our champion a question?” It seemed like everyone in the arena jumped up and down, shouting their desire to be picked. I wanted to weep as he chose an audience member I recognized. It was one of the nymphs. There was no love lost there and, from the look she threw me, the feeling was mutual.
The nymph’s eyes met Hercules’ before she made her way to the stage. Fuck. Of all the people, Dionysus had to pick one of Herc’s little toys.
I tensed as I waited for her question, forcing myself to keep my face neutral.
“And what’s your name, beautiful?” Dionysus asked.
“Cora,” the nymph responded.
“Well, Cora darling, I’ll give you a moment to think about your quest—”
“No need. I know what I want to ask.”
This can’t be good.
“What are you most ashamed of?”
I swallowed hard as I listened to her question. “There is a lot I’m ashamed of.” The heat that surrounded me started to increase, but it didn’t burn—at least not yet. I think I confused the magic fire. I didn’t lie, but I also didn’t answer the question.
I took a deep breath and looked at Jiro. I so didn’t want him to hear what I was about to say, but what choice did I have?
“When I was young, my mother had a boyfriend who would...” I paused and swallowed. “He would crawl into bed with me. He touched me. He said if I went to the police or my mom, he’d say I was a liar and then he’d hurt my mom and my sister.”
I exhaled hard and crossed my arms in front of me. “I finally told my mom and she didn’t believe me. That night, I went to bed with a kitchen knife under my pillow. When he came to join me in bed, I stabbed him—twice.”
“So you’re ashamed because you were assaulted by an adult?” she asked. Her voice lilted as a frown creased her forehead.
“No. I’m ashamed that I let him do it. I’m ashamed that I didn’t take matters into my own hands sooner. I became a victim at eleven, and that wasn’t my fault, but I’m ashamed that I allowed myself to remain a victim for so long.”
Dionysus cleared his throat and gestured to the stands. “That’ll do, Cora.”
The room was silent as I stared at the god, refusing to look at Jiro. I didn’t want to see his face—his reaction. I felt uncharacteristically fragile and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to handle whatever I saw reflected in his expression.
Dionysus cleared his throat again before changing the subject. “Alright, Yesenia. One more question.” He turned to the audience but paused before choosing another member.
He seemed to think better of it as his gaze returned to me. “Why do you care more for your sister than yourself?”
I didn’t even have to think about my answer. “Because we’re family. Because she’s sweet and pure. She’s been dealt the same shit cards I have, and then some. She is loving and kind. There is nothing she wouldn’t do to help another. Araceli became the most important person in my world the moment I laid eyes on her, and nothing could ever change that.”
The fire seemed appeased by my answer and, with a soft smile, the commentator waved me forward. With a sigh of relief, I stepped forward and out of the immortal flame.
“Thank you, Yesenia. You may go join your trainer.”
I slumped my shoulders and stared at the ground, my teeth clenching in fear of his reaction to my tale, as I nodded. I made my way off the stage and turned to face Jiro, still too much of a coward to look at him. I stopped when I reached his side. He said nothing, but his hand reached out and gripped mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze before releasing it. I understood. That was the most comfort he could give me in front of so many people, but I was okay with it. That little touch spoke volumes in my heart.
38
Jiro
I always knew Yesenia was strong, but to make such a brave confession on a stage in Olympus was more godly than any of the immortals in attendance. Trial or not, she’d spoken the words so assuredly that it was hard to believe she really felt ashamed, but the fire’s white glow said otherwise. How could she possibly feel ashamed by such a show of courage? In a few short minutes, she’d arrested the heart of everyone in the stadium. Mine most of all. My hands trembled with the need to comfort her. My lust for revenge awakened as my mind searched for a way to harm the man who had violated her. Two knife wounds weren't nearly enough. I shook as my thoughts darkened. My gaze moved to Yessi only to find her standing proudly, her eyes transfixed on the champion who now stood in the immortal flame. Yessi didn’t need to be saved. She was not broken.
With a calming breath, it dawned on me that everything I’d just learned about her only served to reinforce what I already knew.
My thoughts narrowed to the two inches between Yessi’s hand and mine, the competition drowned out by the incessant sound of my heartbeat in my ears. I’m right here, Yesenia. Then a blood-curdling cry rang out as Apollo’'s champion turned to dust inside the flames. The crowd cheered wildly as the sun god nodded solemnly at the charred ashes of his former champion before stepping off the podium.
In the chaos, I seized my moment to lean in to whisper to Yesenia. “Yess, are you okay?”
She remained so still that I thought she hadn’t heard me, but a moment later she nodded.
My stomach tightened as the crowd settled and my window to speak to her came to a close. What comfort could I possibly offer? I panicked. “We’ll get you a shot of rum after this. It’s almost over.”
She turned to face me. “I’m a tequila girl.”
I pressed my lips together. “I should’ve known.”
The rest of the competition flew by with most of the champions being fed relatively easy questions, with the exception of Hercules who was cornered by a fangirl who asked him who he loved most. He hesitated only for a moment before he spoke, “Myself.” The fire conceded.
After the successful champions were announced, I searched the crowded hall for Yessi. I saw her standing alone, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone nearby. I caught her eye and she waved to me shyly. Forgetting myself, I pushed through the crowd and lifted her into the air. “You did it!” I said. “You fucking did it!” I felt the need to overcompensate with congratulations. She’d gone through hell and the best I’d been able to offer as the whole of Olympus watched us was a gentle touch.
I let her slide back to the ground, but she buried her face in my chest and I felt the wet of fresh tears. I took her face in my hands. “Tears? Not fr
om my strong girl.” I wiped them away with my thumbs, smiling at her, a nervous jolt hitting my stomach as she smiled back.
“Time to celebrate.”
She sniffed through a smile and I felt my immortality once again waver to a foreign weakness. “Tequila,” she demanded.
I took her hand. “You got it.” I pulled her as far away from the crowded halls, near the stadium, as I could to confidently draw us a gate without drawing too much attention.
“We’re not going to have dinner in Olympus?” she asked, eyeing the flaming gate.
“I had something else in mind.”
When we arrived back in Yessi’s shithole of a neighborhood, she could barely contain her excitement as she led the way to Andres’ apartment. When she knocked, I heard Rogue yip behind the door, and I wondered how she was adjusting to life in the mortal realm. The door swung open and Andres’ face lit as he thrust his arms around Yessi. “Biiiiitch, you’re alive!”
He pulled her in and I followed, feeling the warmth of their bond. Rogue ran towards the door and I closed it before she could make a run for it. She was noticeably bigger than when we’d dropped her off.
“Yessi?” I heard Celi say as I stepped into the apartment. The sisters embraced and Andres took that as his cue to interrogate me. “So…” he said, “you brought her back in one piece.”
“We’re actually not finished yet. Yesenia passed the first round and we came to celebrate.”
He eyed her. “Is that why she’s dressed like a dominatrix?”
I laughed. “She needs tequila.”
“Yasss. I know just the place.”
I had five tacos and three margaritas before I felt a buzz. The more Andres spoke, the more I understood Yessi’s affection toward him. I even started to recognize the resemblance between him and his brother. I couldn’t remember a time I’d felt more at ease. It was like the other two trials were no longer coming. If Andres and Celi were Yessi’s family, I wanted their approval. Their mortality brought a vibrancy to life that I hadn’t understood before, and I felt lucky to be a part of it. Eagerness to share in the fun overtook me.
“So then,” I said to Celi, “she had to tell the truth or she’d burn alive,” I explained.
Celi clapped her hands, as if I’d recounted some great fairy tale and not a story about her sister’s near-death experience. I could tell I was going to like Celi as much as I did Andres.
“So, Jiro,” Andres said. “Yessi told you hers, so what are you most ashamed of?”
I choked on the sweet and salty rim of my margarita. I turned to Yessi, hoping she’d bail me out. Instead, she shoved a taco into her mouth like it was popcorn and I was the entertainment.
I downed my drink and motioned to the waiter for another. I stared down at my hands, hoping to blurt it out as quickly as possible. “When I was a kid, I committed a crime so unforgivable that my time away from Hell was restricted.”
Andres moved his full margarita over to me.
“I think that was the last day my father ever loved me.”
Yessi’s hand slid to my knee under the table, sending a jolt through my body.
“What’d you do?” Yessi asked.
I sighed. “I pulled a soul from the River Styx and broke it by mistake.” I exhaled. “I’m not sure how it happened, but the soul was incomplete when I let it go, dooming its owner to a broken existence.” I shook my head. “I was just a curious boy, but… how do you make up for that?”
I looked up to Yesenia, whose intense gaze cut into me so deeply that it pushed the air from my lungs. Her brow furrowed, her eyes widening as if she were about to say something.
“Hello? Yes, you! We’re going to need another round of margaritas over here,” Andres said.
39
Yesenia
It was Jiro.
The little boy who held my soul—who doomed my very existence—was the man I had been sleeping beside for weeks. Suddenly, everything made sense. I had been inexplicably drawn to Jiro from the moment I met him. Even when logic told me to run away, a part of me wanted to go to him.
I understood now—and I wished I didn’t. Jiro was the reason my soul was broken. He was the reason I was doomed to live through the trials again and again. The reason I was destined to die horribly.
I couldn’t fault him though. He was just a child.
As Andy called for another round of margaritas, I leaned further into Jiro’s side.
“A child who does something they don’t know is bad isn’t at fault. It’s the adult who failed to watch them who should shoulder the blame,” I whispered.
His arm slid around me and I let out a sigh, melting into his side.
Andres’ eyebrow cocked questioningly at me as he silently asked the question: You sleeping together? Nonverbal communication was our forte.
Bitch, no, I replied by way of bugging my eyes out.
Too bad, a click of his tongue told me.
I was on my fourth margarita, which gave me the courage to raise my eyebrows and tilt my head. Tell me about it.
“Why do I feel like I just missed an entire conversation?” Jiro asked, interrupting our silent discussion.
“Get used to it,” my sister interjected. “They talk all the time without speaking. Just be glad this time wasn’t vocal.”
“Being vocal is speaking,” Jiro replied.
“Not with those two. They talk with weird noises too. Lots of loud mmhmm or gasps. Sometimes they just say ‘girl’ or the B word.”
I laughed at my sister’s explanation as Andy snorted, “B word. You’re so cute, Celi.”
“Laugh all you want. I’m not going to get grounded for saying bad words.”
Jiro joined in on the laughter. “You two may look alike, and both be stubborn, but that’s where the similarities end. I’m pretty sure you’d spontaneously combust if you had to go an entire day without swearing, Yess.”
I flipped him off but snuggled deeper into his side as I downed my strawberry mango margarita.
We continued drinking throughout dinner and I was glad the restaurant was only down the block from Andy’s. We had walked there and, while it wasn’t a safe neighborhood, driving would have been much more dangerous.
It was nearly one by the time we left. We had been the last table in the restaurant, and the waitstaff impatiently stared as we left. I remembered the feeling of wanting a table to get the fuck out so I could go home but, honestly, my life as a server felt like a millennium ago. Everything I’d experienced in the past few weeks coupled with all the past lives I remembered—my crappy little serving job seemed so minuscule now.
Still, I wasn’t a total jerk, so I made sure we left right before closing. Jiro and I walked hand in hand as Andres, the most sober of us three adults, guided my sister to his house.
Saying goodbye wasn’t so hard this time—probably because I was drunk and Celi was exhausted. We hugged goodbye and Andres guided her to Manny’s room which she had claimed as her own.
He came back and gave me a hug goodbye, squeezing me tightly against him as he leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Remember: No glove, no love.”
I snorted and pushed him away. “Girl, bye.”
He laughed and walked us to the door, locking up as we exited.
Jiro and I walked down to the alley and I waited for him to conjure the portal to take us back to the Underworld. He didn’t. Instead, he came up behind me and pressed the length of his muscled body against my back. His hands gripped my upper arms only to slide down them, his fingers leaving a trail of heat along my flesh. “I want you to try to create the portal.”
“Hmmm?” I leaned into him, my head tilting back to rest on his shoulder. I couldn’t focus on much other than the feel of him.
“Try to conjure the portal.”
I began to ask how when he cut me off. “Close your eyes.”
I did as I was told as he shaped my hand to hold two fingers up the same way he did when he opened the gate. “Imagine the fire risi
ng inside you and think of the Underworld.”
I did as he instructed, but it was easier said than done. After several tries, Jiro gripped my arms again and whipped me around to face him, his lips crashing down on mine.
I responded to the kiss enthusiastically and forgot we were in a dirty, urine-scented alley in the hood until he pulled away and spoke, “You’re incredible.”
My tequila-fueled brain thought he was talking about my kissing until I realized there was heat coming from the wall behind me, warming my backside. I turned to look over my shoulder and gaped as I noted the portal blazing against the brick.
“Now let’s see if you got the destination right,” he said, grinning mischievously. I opened my mouth to tell him he should open a portal instead, but he had already begun walking through it.
I followed, albeit reluctantly. I had opened a portal to the Underworld alright—but not the way Jiro always did.
One minute I was walking through the portal and the next I was free falling. I crashed down, falling through the ceiling of Jiro’s bedroom. He caught me before I squashed him, pulling me onto his chest.
He was lying on his back, grinning up at me. “Why were you thinking about the bed when you made the portal, Yess? Feeling tired?”
With the way he’d been holding me against him, sleep was the last thing I had been thinking about. “No.”
That one word broke the fragile restraint we’d been exercising. I leaned down at the same time he surged up and suddenly our tongues were fighting for dominance. There were no sweet, teasing intro kisses. It was pure lust and desire.
I bit his lower lip, sucking it into my mouth, and he let out what had to be the world’s sexiest growl as he gripped my forearms and flipped us over so he was on top.
He pulled back to look down at me, one hand sliding down to my hip. “You’re so sexy in your battle suit. When you first came out wearing it...” He trailed off as his lips found their way to my neck.
The Trials of Olympus Page 13
