by Holly Hook
She deserved honesty. “There was an incident during our first year. The Lower Order attacked Zeus's meeting over in China, and a few Olympian kids got mad and broke into the boys' and girls' dorms. I got punched by an Apollo descendant and then threw up sunlight all over Ronin.” Progress. Spilling something that embarrassing to Wendy was a sign of trust.
Wendy's eyes got big. “That sounds familiar.”
You got beat up pretty bad, too. I'd save that for later.
“And look, I've figured out that I used to crush on Ronin.”
I stopped right there on the lawn.
“You have?” My heart raced.
“It's just a feeling. But I'm past him. Besides, there are plenty of hotties in Olympian when we get over, right?”
“So...” You're not wanting to date Percival? I couldn't get the words out. Was wanting to date an Olympian guy another status thing? Her mother would like that. Maybe Wendy was less free than I thought and she'd need more time to get her independence.
Or she just didn't like Percival.
“Come on.” Wendy continued her walk, robe swishing. I followed.
It would be good for us to see Olympian before we got into it. The lawn seemed to stretch out into infinity. The background noise in my head, the low groan that was barely there when I took the asphodel, faded the closer I got to the main building. Walking onto the Olympian campus sure knocked things into perspective.
“Their budget must be inflated,” Wendy said, turning her gaze up at the building. “Wow. Don't they know my parents could offer them even more money?”
I said nothing to that. “The front entrance is by the fancy fountain. I'm sure someone can tell us where to go.”
Wendy said nothing.
We circled to the front doors, which were made of polished cherry wood with small, intricate images of heroes fighting. I gulped when I spotted a man with a spear, ready to throw it at a gigantic Cyclops trying to shield himself. But glorious heat wrapped around me like a blanket when I opened the door. Cursed Academy's main building was cold in the corridors and I was used to that.
Escaping the chill, Wendy and I stepped into a grand entrance hall complete with chandeliers. “Is this a school?” I blurted. Electric lights, not green creepy torches, lined the floor the way they did in the Career Center.
And Olympian Academy had electric signs. As if this place were an airport, a tower of screens in the center of the hall directed students. Some signs changed constantly, reminding students about upcoming tests and disc throwing matches, but others stayed static. Dormitories. An arrow. Media Center. Another arrow. Main Office. Arrow. Yeah. This was, amazingly enough, a school.
“We need the office,” Wendy said, and not without a slight croak.
A couple of guys emerged from a corridor and crossed the entry hall, shoes slapping against the polished marble. The floor had golden seals everywhere. The symbols of the gods, with Zeus's eagle in the center, shone under the chandeliers. I spotted Apollo's lyre and Athena's owl, as well as the symbols of some lesser gods on the periphery. And beside me, Wendy turned her gaze around the floor, no doubt looking for any sign of Hades. Her frown told me she'd found none.
“Yeah. The office,” I said as a low thrum filled the air. Did she remember that Hades was sympathetic to the Lower Order? Probably not, judging from her look of disappointment.
The guys vanished into another corridor, leaving us alone. I took the first steps down the office hallway, following the arrows.
This whole place was set up to intimidate. A set of huge double doors with the word Office above them in glowing red letters waited at the end of the hall. “Do they want to chase people away?”
“I think so,” Wendy said. “But we have to do this.”
Ronin probably had to deal with this on a regular basis and I appreciated why he hadn't been crazy about bringing me over to Olympian at first. Pressure settled on my shoulders. This was his world. As I approached the office, the air electrified. Zeus was home. There was another presence, too, that I had felt before: a sense of raw power and aggression. Ares. They were the two scariest gods I'd encountered in the surface world.
Wendy and I exchanged a glance.
I knocked on the door.
No one answered at first. Time dragged out. A twitch worked into my feet and I wanted to turn back. But at last, faint footsteps approached the doors from behind and a flap I hadn't seen snapped open. A pair of eyes, human eyes without golden flecks to boot, flicked between me and Wendy.
And narrowed.
"State your business," a rude woman said.
"I'm Giselle Bowman. This is Wendy Pazizi," I said, shocked I'd gotten the guts to speak first. "We need to tell Zeus about something suspicious we saw at Cursed Academy Friday night."
Then the woman, whose age I couldn't tell, let her eyes widen. They were a shade of brown with a bit of black near the center. Nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe she was a healer or an oracle.
"Come in," she said, closing the flap.
The door slowly creaked open.
And the divine terror hit like a wall of bricks.
Wendy tensed beside me. The low thrum of her magic died. We were just two mortal girls right now.
The main office was the size of a classroom back in Cursed. Lush carpet covered the floor and caressed our feet as we stepped inside, and leather waiting couches lined the walls, nestled between plants and paintings. The whole place reminded me of Zeus's office back in the Marchamp Power Plant. Professional, and yet disturbing. At least that painting of the guy getting his insides pecked out by an eagle wasn't here.
Zeus and Ares weren't in this room, which looked to be a big waiting area with a central desk, but the woman, a very well-dressed secretary, was. She eyed me and then the chair before sitting down. Her gaze ripped through me and I shuddered. An oracle, maybe.
Well, at least we were here for honest reasons.
We sat down while the woman typed something into her computer. She didn't speak to us. That was worse than yelling. And why wouldn't she just pick up the phone on her desk and call the gods?
More time seemed to stretch out, and at last, a door opened to the left and Zeus himself poked his head out.
I flinched, which I hated. I'd rival the gods within a few years and I was still scared of them. Not good. But Zeus smiled as he set his gaze on me. "Giselle. What brings you here?"
"Well," I said, aware of Wendy shifting beside me. "Wendy and I found out some information you might be interested in." Best to get on Zeus's good side now.
"Information?"
"Yes." I stood, hoping I looked, well, professional.
"Come inside, please. Ares and I were just discussing some matters, but we can resume later."
What had I gotten into?
Ares, who looked like Zeus but with a military buzz cut, stepped out. I hadn't seen him since he helped grade our first year Combat Training exams. He gave us the once-over and stepped out of the office, letting the doors swing shut behind him. If he and Zeus were talking, something wasn't good. I'd have to tell Ronin about that.
Zeus nodded to me, ignoring Wendy.
"She comes too," I blurted. I was beginning to see for myself why Hades was so sour.
He hesitated. But then, as if he wanted to please me, offered a smile. "Of course."
Wendy and I stepped into the lion's den.
Zeus's office was once again round, with a huge desk in the center and more paintings. I was getting the idea he used the same office everywhere. At least these paintings were all positive, showing images of Olympus, a vast temple floating above a mountain. I had hope.
"So," he said, settling behind his desk. Today, he once again wore a perfect gray suit that must have cost thousands. Zeus's golden-flecked eyes, far more intense than Ronin's, landed on me as I stood there. I realized something else. Zeus's offices didn't have chairs for guests. Even Ares must have had to stand.
"I followed Prometheus the other night
," I said.
"And?" He lifted one eyebrow, almost playfully. Now I knew where Ronin got his attitude.
I had to tell the truth. "I was looking for a chance to make him forget he marked me. You know, so I could—"
"Convince him to let you transfer." Zeus finished with a nod. "Did you see any opportunities?"
I held up my arm and let my sleeve fall away, revealing the shining green hand holding the flame. My arm tingled. Everything tingled. Zeus's power thickened.
The god glowered at Prometheus's symbol. "That is still an issue, I see. Unfortunately, I cannot trick Prometheus myself. The Oath binds me. But it does not bind you, Giselle, and it will never bind you unless you let it. Do you understand me?"
I dropped my arm. Wendy looked to me. It was my time to speak.
"I understand," I said.
"You are therefore very coveted," Zeus continued. "This is why the Lower Order wants you. I want you to understand one thing. Prometheus has caused a lot of trouble in the past and created a mess we are still working to clean up. You are right not to trust him."
"What does that have to do with me?" I was wading into some deep water, but the current of this conversation wouldn't let me swim back to shore.
The god drew a letter opener and turned it over in his hands, as if there were answers shining in the tiny blade. "It is a long story. He used to steal from Mount Olympus, you know."
"He stole?" Wendy burst.
Zeus looked to her. "That is correct." He turned back to me. "Many of the titans have given my generation of immortals issues. No one ever wants to give up their power when the time comes. What did you see?"
A chill ran down my spine. There was a reason Prometheus oversaw us Cursed students. "He was talking to Celestus and said he was going to buy a friend a drink at a place called the Underground. If we know where that is, we could make our plan work. Then he walked to a secret garage in the woods, got into a car, and drove away."
"Do you know where the Underground is?" Wendy asked, a hint of irritation creeping into her words.
Zeus scratched his neat, gray-streaked beard. "No. I do not. But we immortals like to keep our secrets and secret places. I advise you to find out where he is going."
Zeus was right about that. If he knew me and Ronin had stayed in one of his mansions, and done a lot more, he wasn't showing it. I hoped he blamed the Lower Order for the rumpled sheets in the master bedroom.
"How do we do that?" Wendy asked.
"Any way you can," he said, not taking his gaze off me. "Follow him. Giselle, you are skilled in using the powers of others. I've seen this myself. We all have. I'd suggest a tracking device. There is a wonderful invention called GPS now. I would buy one for you, but then I would technically break the Division Oath, which would be very dire."
I shuddered again. If an immortal did that, they went comatose for however long a god year was. Zeus was the glue holding the world's economy together. That would be bad.
"Um, any good brands?" I asked.
"This Internet would be a good place to begin your search," Zeus said. "I have heard from a reputable source that you have skilled friends, Giselle."
He knew about Maria's skills. I wasn't sure how she'd feel about that.
"Then that's what we'll do," I said, determined to talk to Ronin.
Chapter Fifteen
I told Maria about what happened as I got back, late, to dinner.
Wendy sat down beside us. At least people no longer stared at the change in third year hierarchy. Serena sat alone at the end of the table, picking at her food, but she didn't glare at us. The Lethe water was still working for now. So far as Serena seemed to know, she was a natural loner. Percival had gone off to chat with Jamal, a descendant of the Fates, and turned his own back on Wendy. He hadn't been pleased with Wendy's performance, then.
"Then this is my job," Maria said. "How did Zeus know about me?"
"He said he heard from a reputable source." A part of me hoped it wasn't Ronin. Others probably knew Maria was a computer whiz.
"That's what I heard too," Wendy said.
"It wasn't Ronin, was it?" Mikey asked.
Okay. My friends were not stupid. "Maybe Ronin's trying to get you into a better position?" I blurted.
To my shock, Maria smiled. "That would be nice. I am so not lifting boxes for the rest of my life while some god descendants call me a maggot. Max has done that enough."
"He says we've graduated to ladies," Mikey said.
"Max isn't bad," I said. "And yeah. A tracker. That's our only hope. I bet Zeus risked himself just giving Max the idea for the assignment."
"Still haven't hit my target yet," Mikey said, holding up his bracelet. "I got Jamal."
"And I got Tiffany," Maria said. "I warned her, though. She's not someone I want to hit."
Of course, I had to resume training with Celestus tonight. I said nothing to Ronin beforehand. He'd hate that I had to face Zeus. But he wasn't being completely honest with me, either.
While Maria, Mikey, and Cal retreated somewhere deep within Cursed Academy to order some dubious stuff, Ronin walked with me out to the arena.
And today, so did Wendy. She met us at the back doors of Cursed Academy. Well, I had told her about these secret trainings.
"Hey," Ronin said to her.
"I'll distract Celestus from you a bit," she said. "Talk to him. Ask about how he got his job. And no, I'm not going to flirt."
"Um, thanks?" I asked, meaning it. But it came out wrong.
"I'll keep distracting him, too," Ronin said. "I'm the big, strong, buff, silent warning."
"Celestus hasn't tried anything gross," I said.
"Serena's said some things about him. And he's still a teacher."
"I was a tutor for a while," Ronin said.
"A tutor," I reminded him. "That's different than a teacher."
Gravel crunched under our feet as we turned off into the woods and approached the secret arena. And I understood how Wendy knew about it when others didn't. Serena must have followed us and spied. And then tried spreading horrible rumors about me, starting with Wendy.
The icy cold wrapped around me and a few pale snowflakes fell, joining the thin powder already on the ground. Celestus didn't seem to mind when we reached the arena with Wendy. Prometheus must not have ever told him not to have an audience.
"I know I can't cross the barrier," Wendy whispered.
"Come on in," Celestus said, shooting me a welcoming, but professional, smile. "We're working on deflecting targets today."
The low groan had left me thanks to Ronin, leaving just happy electricity in its place. But now a faint hint of the void called. I'd used my power deflecting things before, and tonight I would have to do it again. And the thing was, I had to call voids to do it.
I wore the fake Chaos dagger on my belt, just as Celestus had instructed, and I could barely focus as he threw spinning daggers at me. Celestus did not screw around. I pointed the dagger at them, sometimes deflecting with a swipe and other times deflecting with just enough purplish black sparks to push the weapons away. They landed in the ashy snow with quiet thuds.
"You can do better," Celestus said, eyeing my pathetic sparks.
"I'm trying my best!"
"Maybe try other weapons?" Wendy asked my tutor.
Celestus threw another dagger, missing me by inches. I didn't even have to deflect this one. "Do not distract me, please." Then he raised another, aiming for my chest.
The faint roar of Chaos filled the space between my ears.
Even Ronin couldn't help me much anymore.
"Act!" Celestus shouted, throwing.
Shining metal and glinting light spun towards me.
Instinct won and I waved my fake birthright weapon. Instantly a bubble of nothingness ripped open reality, expanding from the size of a pea to a grapefruit. The dagger burst into purple sparks as it vanished into the border. Air whined. Celestus stared, his own dark hair whipping into his face.
&n
bsp; "Good!" Celestus shouted.
This wasn't supposed to happen. I'd just made love to Ronin and I'd taken my medicine this morning. But Dominique cackled in the back of my mind. I waved the dagger again.
"Close it!" Ronin shouted.
His voice cut into the roar in my head. I breathed in, begging the power to come back into me and go down to where it belonged, and after what felt like eternity, the void snapped shut, leaving awkward silence.
"That was intense," Wendy said.
Celestus turned to Ronin, still dead professional. "That was progress. I don't need you interfering with these training sessions. And you, either." He shook his head at Wendy.
I caught my breath. My pulse raced in my ears and pressure settled on my chest. I wanted to run. Dominique was right. Nothing could hold this back forever.
"Well, we don't want you cutting Giselle or forcing her to do things she doesn't want to do," Ronin growled, fists balled. He worked his jaw and looked ready to leap onto Celestus. And while Celestus was well-built, Ronin would destroy him if it wasn't for the magic barrier. "You know, I've thrown things at her before and she does much better than that. Just ask Zeus. She needs a different teacher."
Thank you, I thought. I took another breath, lowering the fake dagger. My powers were growing so much that soon, nothing would help.
The surrounding trees closed in.
My future would solidify soon enough.
"I'm done with these trainings," I said. "What's Prometheus going to do? Expel me?" At least his curse on my friends wouldn't work while they took the asphodel. "In fact, I'm just done!" Tremors shook my limbs. I was a cornered animal, lashing out however I could.
Celestus must be used to dealing with outbursts, because he remained calm, turning his palms to me as he slowly approached. "Giselle, all of us go through changes, some more than others. You're a special case. Trying to hold back the inevitable will only cause you pain. You're afraid of your power. I can see that now. It appears dark on the surface. So does mine."
"It is dark. You should know that," I said.
"But I don't use it for evil."
