Forge of the Gods 4

by Simon Archer

  I blinked back my surprise. “Before the snow melts?”

  “That’s as clear as I’m going to get, son of Hephaestus,” Atropos said with a glare.

  “I appreciate it,” I said, pushing as much sincerity in my voice as I could.

  Atropos waved her hand, clearly dismissing me. “Take your gift and leave.”

  “Thank you,” I said hastily before I spun on my heel, leaving the hostile Fates in disarray.

  I left the Cave of Eileithyia feeling more dismayed than I had the day before. The more I thought about creating the three tools for the Fates, the more impossible it seemed. Before I even had a second to process all of the information I just gained or come up with any sort of game plan, there was a knock at my front door.

  7

  I paused for a second, wondering who the hell was bothering me at this early hour. At first I thought it was going to be one of my girlfriends, like Bethany, making good on their promise to be over all the time. I opened the door to my surprise, found a panicked Jasmine on the other side.

  “Oh thank the gods, you’re awake!” Jasmine bounced from foot to foot on the porch. “Can I come in?”

  “Uh… sure, I guess,” I answered, opening the screen door for her. The daughter of Apollo dashed into the room and started talking immediately.

  “I was supposed to tell you last night but I forgot,” Jasmine said in a rush. “We have to get you ready for the Official procession.”

  “I have to do that?” I wondered, not sure I was hearing her right.

  “It’s the beginning of the semester, and all Officials have to do it,” Jasmine said as her eyes roamed around the house. “Where’s your sash?”

  “My Official one?” I thought about where I tossed that the night before when Hailey had been removing all of my clothes. “Probably my bedroom but--”

  Before I could finish, the Official dashed up the stairs and bolted for my room, taking them two at a time. I sighed, resigned to the fact that I didn’t have a choice in this matter. I thought I would have time to hide the fact that I was an Elemental Official from the rest of the student body, but I forgot about the introductions.

  They happened at the beginning of every semester. It was also one of the opportunities for second years to be drafted. It was normally a cool thing, a celebration for the hard working students to take the next step in the Academy. But it also meant that I had to stand up in front of the whole school as the Official representing Hephaestus.

  Suddenly, I was really grateful that I hadn’t had any breakfast yet because I wasn’t sure I could keep it down just then.

  Jasmine returned with my sash in her hand. She threw it at me and I caught it haphazardly.

  “Put that on as we walk,” Jasmine commanded. “We’re already late.”

  “Great,” I muttered to myself as I slipped the sash on over my head as I walked out of the door.

  Luckily, Jasmine and I were the same height so my long legs could keep up with her brisk pace. There was a light brush of snow on the ground from the night before, though the pathways were clear. I knew that was the work of the nymphs who agreed to help with campus maintenance for their stay on campus. It was part of the deal Sasha negotiated with the Elemental Officials.

  Seeing the cleared cobblestone made me think of the fact that I was supposed to see Sasha this morning too. I cursed myself for not making more time to get everything done before having to see the Stratego after this stupid ceremony.

  I kept my breathing in check and focused on the task at hand. As much as I wanted to believe I could do more than one thing at a time, I knew that was impossible. I had to take it one step at a time and right now, the step in front of me was presenting myself as an Elemental Official to the entire Academy.

  I stopped in my tracks. Fear glued my feet to the ground when the cafeteria building came into view. It took Jasmine a few seconds to realize that I wasn’t right behind her. She waved her hand for me to follow. “Come on, Cameron.”

  When I didn’t move right away, the daughter of Apollo jogged back up to me. “You have to move. Now.”

  “I can’t do it,” I said, my mouth barely opening enough to push out the words. “I can’t do this.”

  “You have to,” Jasmine said sharply. “You chose this when you sat in the chair. Now come on.”

  “Why did you do it?” I asked suddenly, surprising myself and her. “Why did you take up the mantle?”

  “We don’t have time for this,” Jasmine said as she shook her head.

  “Please,” I begged. “Please just tell me, and I’ll move, I promise.”

  Jasmine sighed, her breath visible in the cold air. It swirled around her and fully disappeared before she talked again.

  “I wasn’t originally their first choice,” Jasmine said as she wiped the corner of her mouth with her thumb. She played with her bottom lip nervously before she caught herself and dropped the habit. “I had a twin sister, and she was supposed to be the Official.”

  “Seriously?” I asked but Jasmine shot me a look telling me to shut up and let her finish. I did as I was told, knowing that we were already short on time.

  “Apollo’s Official was training her, grooming her for the role. They went out in the field and got killed by a scylla that they didn’t know was there,” Jasmine said through a tight throat. I couldn’t tell if she was emotional or if it was the dry air that was doing that to her voice. “News got back to us about their deaths, and I, like you, made the rash decision to take up the mantle. I did it in her memory, but I didn’t realize the weight of my choice either.”

  The Official turned to me and put her hands on my shoulders, looking me in the eye directly. “I know that you did the same thing for your friend. And I’m not going to let you drown in this, okay? I promise to help, not just because you were foolish like me but also because I like Hailey like a real sister. In my eyes, that makes us allies.”

  I nodded, even though I didn’t really understand and her story hadn’t made the fear go away completely. But my legs thawed somewhat, enough to move.

  “I’m sorry, for what it’s worth,” Jasmine said, the corners of her mouth turning down in a frown. “I heard she and the rest of the soldiers got deployed.”

  “Thanks,” I said grimly, giving her a clear indication that I didn’t really want to talk about it.

  The Official picked up on my hint and shut her mouth. I pushed my way forward, keeping pace with Jasmine. Neither of us spoke another word when we approached the rest of the Elemental Officials standing outside of the cafeteria. Genesis and Makayla gave me welcoming nods as we passed but others like Emma and Alya didn’t bother to acknowledge me. I had the overwhelming feeling that I was the nerd that had invaded the cool kids table in high school.

  Despite their belittling glances, I straightened my shoulders and adjusted my Official sash on my shoulder. I inhaled as much confidence as I could muster, knowing that I was about to put myself on display in front of the Academy in ways I never had before.

  “Nice of you to join us, Cameron,” the Stratego said, a growl tucked behind his words.

  “Happy to be here,” I said, forcing a smile on my face. All I could think to do was fake it till I made it. Maybe after enough practice playing the game, I would finally get good at it.

  “After the meal, I expect you to meet me in my office to go over the expectations,” the Stratego reminded me as he straightened the sleeves on his shirt, fiddling with the lightning bolt cufflinks.

  “It’s on my calendar.” I smiled, stretching my cheeks to their limits, sure that I looked like a demented clown.

  The Stratego didn’t acknowledge me again. Once he decided that his clothes were ready to go, he signaled up to the four soldiers at the front on the procession.

  “On my signal,” he hollered up to them, with his hand raised.

  In unison, the line of Officials, soldiers, and teachers stood at attention. It was a well oiled machine, years of training snapping into pla
ce with a single motion. After a heartbeat, the Stratego lowered his hand and the doors to the cafeteria opened up.

  Even though I had seen this processional at the start of every semester--except for my first one where I had come late--it always surprised me. The routine never changed, but I couldn’t shake the sense of pride I felt when I saw the four flags representing the four branches of the Elemental Military. The flags matched the colors of the branches and each held a symbol. It was the same symbol stitched on to the graduated soldiers sashes. There was a triangular flame for Enka, a spiraling circle for Oura, a teardrop for Vreg, and a single mountain top for Eda. They paraded into the cafeteria while the students sat in silence.

  After the flags, all the professors entered in a single file line. This year, Arges joined the group. My cyclops mentor had taken the place of Sarah, the former farrier and blacksmith teacher. His large body lumbered along, forcing the rest of us to walk a little slower to keep in time with the tempo change. I couldn’t help chuckling at myself a little bit because I knew how much Arges would hate everyone staring at him, considering he was the only non human mentor. Well, save for Noctua who could transform into an owl at will, but that didn’t really count.

  The leaders of each of the branches fell into line next. I realized quickly, however, that Bella wasn’t the only one to be deployed. The Vreg leader, Olivia, and the Oura leader, Mia, were no longer there. Four new faces stood in line, wearing the appropriate sashes to match their branches.

  The Oura branch leader was a shorter girl, almost as short as Bethany which was saying something. She had a glint in her blue eyes that looked like mischief lingered behind them. Her mouth, narrow and sharp, always looked to be perked into a smile.

  The Eda leader was a lithe woman who moved with the grace of willow branch. Her brown skin shimmered off even the fluorescent bulbs in the cafeteria, giving her an angel like aura but she never smiled. There wasn’t an ounce of warmth emanating off her.

  Behind her was the Vreg leader. She was Pacific Islander descent with overly round features and long black hair with a shine that would make a Disney Princess jealous. She had a sleeve of tattoos running down both arms which made her all the more badass.

  Finally, the Enka leader entered last. Her skin was as pale as the snow outside, with an angular face and a soldier’s body. She also had black hair though it seemed to be made of raven’s feathers. Gray eyes were beneath heavy eyebrows that seemed to take in every detail of the room around her.

  I leaned over to Jasmine, closing the distance between us so she could still hear me when I whispered. “I thought all of the soldiers had been deployed.”

  “These four have been on the front lines for a while now,” Jasmine whispered back. “The Stratego pulled them off for the time being, but I wouldn’t expect them to stay around for long.”

  I pursed my lips, still disapproving of the Stratego’s decision to deploy Hailey and the other branch leaders. Why not just keep those four out in the field and keep the leaders with us? It was selfish of me, I knew that, but I didn’t care. It’d only been an hour since I watched Hailey leave my door for the foreseeable future, and I didn’t know how I was going to survive the rest of the semester without her.

  Lastly, the Elemental Officials entered the cafeteria. I found my place between Jasmine, daughter of Apollo, and Brea, daughter of Athena. I didn’t know what this meant in terms of rank, but always figured it had to do with the level of importance of our parents, leaving the big three gods--Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus--for the very end.

  The minute I crossed the threshold into the cafeteria, the crowd of demigods went silent. I did my best to stare at the back of Jasmine’s blonde head. I didn’t try to find my friends. I didn’t want to risk seeing the stunned faces of the student body.

  But I could feel their eyes on me as I walked in line up to the platform where the teachers and Officials stood to make announcements and address the Academy. It felt as though I was walking through a mind field, where one wrong step would blow me to smithereens.

  Then the whispers started.

  It was the sound of thousands of bees flitting around my head. I sang songs silently to myself to try to drown them out, but I couldn’t block the sound of rumors flying about. I allowed myself one long blink. A small sign of weakness that the voices were getting to me.

  I snapped my eyes back open when I heard my name shouted amongst the crowd. It broke through the buzzing whispers like a broken plate.

  “Cameron! Whoo! Go Cameron!”

  I recognized the voice instantly as Jade. She stood on her bench at our usual table, the one closest to the buffet. Her petite frame hovered over the crowd as she whooped and hollered my name. Mortification stirred in my cheeks, causing them to go beet red.

  I wished she would sit down but then Bethany joined her. They two of them clapped together and whistled and cheered like they were at a football game. Daniella wasn’t far behind, closely followed by Kari.

  Then, as if I were the star in a movie, the rest of the student body got on their feet. Karen, my frenemy, stood and clapped her hands with an award winning smile on her face. My other classmates, like Irema and Jenna, were there as well.

  Some of the teachers, including Ann and Arges added their voices to the wave of approval. I stopped in my tracks, just soaking in the admiration.

  It was overwhelming. What had started out as a terrifying experience, it turned into something gratifying. If I stopped long enough to think about it, it was quite a feat. Not only was I the youngest Elemental Official in the history of the Academy and the only male of this generation, but my presence also completed the Official lineup for the first time in decades.

  The students were witnessing history. Instead of bringing dismay, I gave them hope. If there was one thing I learned from my time at the Academy, it was the importance of camaraderie and teamwork. Despite the disagreements and embarrassments over the years, these demigods and I all had something in common. We were fighting on the same side of this war. I owed it to them to lead as best I could and to do everything I could to end this damn thing. They deserved peace. We all did.

  Brea bumped into me and glared down at me. “Move, Cameron.”

  I did as I was told, but this time I walked with more confidence. My shoulder automatically went back and my chin lifted. Even though the cheers and applause died down when I reached the stage, I looked over at my friends with a broad smile.

  Jade threw me a thumbs up, Bethany was the last one clapping, and Daniella tipped an invisible hat in my direction.

  As much as I wanted to throttle them in this moment, I knew in my heart of hearts that there was no way I was going to get through any of this without any of them.

  8

  To say that I was nervous would be an understatement. My leg jiggled as I stood in front of the Stratego’s office while my palms felt as though I dunked them in a vat of ice water. I had never been in the Stratego’s office before. It felt an awful lot like going to the principal's office. While I had never been there either, part of me wished that I had gotten in trouble at least once so I would have something to compare this experience to.

  The difference would be that I wasn’t in trouble. Or supposedly I wasn’t in trouble. I got the impression that the Stratego wasn’t too thrilled about my new role as an Elemental Official. I didn’t think he would be that surprised. The demigod had offered me the spot once, though now I was starting to believe that was a joke.

  Regardless of how the Stratego felt, what’s done was done. I was an Elemental Official and according to their laws, it had been my right to take the seat at the table. I was the only known child of Hephaestus on the planet, therefore I was the only one who was even allowed to take the seat.

  My mind flashed to Hailey and her sad expression as we talked about this being a life position. I sighed and shook my head, trying to rid myself of the memory. Not only did it bring a wave of my own sadness, but it just reminded me that there was still
so much about this Elemental Official business that I didn’t know. I could only imagine the surprises that lay behind that door.

  But that’s what I was there to do. Learn what those secrets were and maybe bring about some much needed change. Like the prejudice against the non Olympic demigods. Bethany brought up that notion at breakfast when I was lamenting about having to meet up with the Stratego.

  “Don’t you realize what kind of opportunity this is?” she said as she waved around her fork, bits of scrambled eggs flying off it. When a piece splattered on the floor, Jade looked as though she had killed her first born.

  “Opportunity?” I asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “Care to explain?”

  “You have the chance to effect real change here,” Bethany said as she slammed her hands down on the table with enough force to make her plate rattle. Startled and worried, Jade just slipped her hands around Bethany and stole the plate. The daughter of Demeter didn’t even notice. She barrelled on with her impassioned speech.

  “As an Elemental Officer, you have a literal seat at the table. You get to be in the room where it happens. You can be a voice for the voiceless.” With each statement, Bethany slapped one hand against the table for better emphasis.

  “We have a voice,” Daniella said as she rolled her eyes. “The problem is that they won’t listen to it.”

  “But Cameron can use his privilege as a child of an Olympian to help now,” Bethany said. She held out her hand, gesturing to me as if I was on display in a shop window. “This is the perfect opportunity that none of us will get again. Use it!”

  My friend’s voice echoed in my head as I knocked on the Stratego’s office door. I thought about how excited she had been for me, and how something welled in my chest like a balloon. Maybe some of her words had empowered me. I might actually be able to do good in this position.

  However, the second the Stratego opened the door and I saw his scowl opposite me, all of those feelings of confidence flew away like startled flies.