by River Ramsey
“You’ve all done remarkably well,” he began. “And you should all be proud of your performance. It’s been many years since we’ve had so many strong contenders at all levels.”
The entire time he spoke, my skin crawled. I just wanted him to get on with it so I could expose him for the enabling bully he really was.
“As I’m sure you all know, the standard test for the final rounds is a battle royale, but a remarkable crop of competitors requires a remarkable challenge,” he continued.
We all glanced around and the fact that even Loki seemed surprised by his father’s words didn’t bode well.
“What is he talking about?” I whispered.
Dionysus shook his head, staring forward. “No idea.”
Further down the arena, two servants wheeled in a cart full of silver goblets and one large decanter. The liquid sloshing within was a vibrant blue swirled with glimmering flecks of gold and it glowed like an enchanted brew.
“You’ve all proven yourselves worthy in the arena, but the true test of will is the battlefield within the mind,” said Odin, his eyes glinting with amusement. “In order to compete in this test, you will drink a potion that will submerge you deep beneath your subconscious mind where all your darkest fears and desires reside. Only by conquering them as they appear to you will you be able to claim victory.”
“So we’re not competing as teams?” Hades asked, frowning. For once, I was glad he spoke up because I knew Odin wouldn’t take kindly to any questions from me.
“You are not,” Odin answered. “This will be a test of the individual, and there can be only one victor. The first to break free of the potion’s influence and regain consciousness will be the winner. The others will lose by default, at which time they’ll be given an antidote to pull them from the unconscious state.”
Murmurs rose up from the crowd and the contestants alike. None of us were prepared for this, but that should have been a lesson in itself. When it came to the gods, nothing was predictable.
I eyed the potions as a servant filled each goblet and started handing them out one by one. When he came to Fenrir, I noticed the solemn look on his face. We were all wary, but I could imagine that whatever lurked beneath the surface of his subconscious was far more troubling than most.
Was this even safe? Not that Odin would give a shit if it wasn’t.
“This is insane,” someone muttered further down the row.
Odin looked up with a sharp gaze, missing nothing. “Those who do not wish to partake may resign.”
The first year who’d spoken up looked like he was going to piss himself. He finally set the goblet back on the table and ran offstage.
“Anyone else?” Odin asked, glancing at each of us.
The stage was dead silent. No one else was going to back out, for better or for worse.
My mind was racing as the man placed a goblet in my hand and I stared into the swirling liquid. My own subconscious held enough shadows to be wary of taking it, but I couldn’t back down now.
“Down the hatch,” Dionysus muttered, throwing back the liquid. I followed suit, drinking quickly to be rid of the bitter taste sooner.
I didn’t feel anything at first. Servants came around with cots, which didn’t bode well. A first year dropped suddenly and looked like he’d been asleep the entire time.
Dionysus sat down before he could pass out and Daphne and I followed his lead. My head was beginning to spin, and I laid down since that felt like the only safe position. I shut my eyes until the spinning stopped and when I opened them, I was in the middle of a great empty field.
Was this supposed to be my mind? Because if so, that was hella insulting and I didn’t have anyone but myself to blame.
I stood slowly, trying to get my bearings. Everything felt solid enough, but I knew better than to take even my next step for granted. Just because this world wasn’t real didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous.
Chapter 26
Hades
When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at a pale blue sky. It was all blue or gray for as far as the eye could see, and what I could see wasn’t much. Rocky cliffs, streamy clouds.
Something was wrong. This wasn’t the place I visited when I dreamed, or even meditated.
I stood, carefully surveying my surroundings, trying to get a read on the energy. There was something decidedly familiar about it, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. The only sound was the gray grass rustling around me, until I heard an equally familiar moan.
“Loki?” I asked, turning to face the other god, who was holding his head as he tried to sit up. He acted like he was nursing a serious hangover, and considering that we had no idea what they’d put in that brew, he probably was. “How the fuck did you get here?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” he muttered, stumbling toward me. He looked around, squinting. “Is this your subconscious or mine?”
“I have no idea,” I sighed.
“Maybe it’s the link,” he mused. “We’re bound together. Maybe we share the same collective unconscious.”
“If that’s true, then where is Fenrir?”
Loki opened his mouth to answer, but his face went blank all of a sudden as he stared at something behind me. “Think I found him,” he croaked.
I turned to find Fenrir’s monstrous wolf form loping toward us, his teeth bared as he growled.
Shit.
I’d been worried about him taking the potion from the beginning, but it wasn’t like I had time to talk him out of it. For all I knew, we were trapped in his subconscious.
“Easy,” I said, holding out my hand.
The beast stopped and sniffed the air, his black fur still bristling. Recognition came into his golden eyes and he approached with a less menacing gait.
“What’s with the hell form?” Loki asked, keeping his distance.
Fenrir chuffed at him in irritation.
“In English?” Loki challenged.
More blank staring.
“I don’t think he can communicate telepathically,” I commented, studying the wolf curiously. “Must be something about this place.”
“Alright, it’s not funny, shift back so we can figure out where the fuck we are and how to get out,” Loki snapped.
Fenrir just stared at him.
“I don’t think he can,” I said. “I think he’s stuck as a hellhound.”
“Of fucking course he is,” Loki muttered, stalking off in the other direction. He put a hand on his head and looked out at the empty expanse beyond us. “What the hell are we supposed to do?”
“We go deeper in until we figure it out,” I answered, starting off in the direction I felt inexplicably pulled in, even though there was nothing about the landscape to differentiate it.
“How do you know where we’re going?” Loki demanded, struggling to keep up.
“I just know,” I admitted. “It’s a feeling.”
“Great,” he ranted. “We’re stuck in lala land and the only guide we have is a feeling.”
I ignored him and kept walking. Fenrir loped alongside us, scanning the horizon for threats. Whatever this place was, I doubted it would stay calm for long.
The further we traveled, the higher the cliffs grew. We were no longer in an open field, and the sky itself seemed to have darkened.
“You’re sure this isn’t the Underworld?” Loki asked warily.
“Even the Underworld isn’t this bleak,” I answered.
He shuddered.
Fenrir stopped walking suddenly and raised his head to sniff the air. He took off running without warning, disappearing through a narrow passage in the cliffs up ahead.
“Hey!” Loki cried.
“Shit,” I muttered, taking off after him. If we were stuck here together, then getting out together was probably the only option.
Loki fell behind, but the next thing I knew, a shadow passed overhead and I looked up to see a black crow soaring over me. One of his favored forms.
He whined, but at least he was useful.
His caw pointed me in the right direction and I had to scale a rocky cliff to reach him. He landed on a sharply sculpted rock formation up ahead, and when I finally managed to pull myself up, I froze at the sight awaiting below.
Fenrir was standing on another rock ledge not too far down, staring at the river of roiling lava flowing from east to west. Beyond it was another gorge leading up to the first manmade structure I’d seen in the distance. The house--or maybe it was a castle--sat atop a high cliff, and while it was too far away to make out the details, the architecture seemed rudimentary.
Loki shifted back, perched on the ledge, his dark hair whipping in the hot wind rising up from the hellish river. “What the fuck is that?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “But something tells me that’s where we’re supposed to go.”
Chapter 27
Kore
After traveling for what felt like forever, I reached a massive gorge leading up to a stone structure. It looked ancient, and it rested atop a hill that seemed all but impossible to climb, but it was the first sign of civilization I’d seen and my heart ached with relief. As exhausted as I was, it gave me the strength to carry on.
I reached the base of what I now recognized as a mountain rather than a hill and started to plan my upward journey. I made two thick vines, one to hook around a sturdy looking rock above and the other to secure around my waist. I threw the second vine up alongside the first and manipulated them into a secure knot, testing it before I began to climb.
At least I’d woken up wearing halfway decent shoes. I continued the climb, refusing to give in to the urge to look down.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Daphne and Dionysus were experiencing on their own journeys. All I could do was hope that one of us would wake up first.
I made it to the first ledge and began the process all over again. I nearly slipped a few times but managed to catch myself. By the time I made it to the top, my arms and legs were so sore it felt like they’d fall off. I dragged myself onto the ledge and got to my feet, walking toward the stairs leading up to the stone building. They seemed insurmountable, but I took them one at a time, peering into the darkness within the great archways.
I’d never seen a building like this, large enough to be a castle but lacking any artistry in its construction. The darkness subsided only partially as I stepped in through the entryway.
“Hello?” I called. My voice echoed through the darkness.
I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting. So far, I hadn’t come across any traces of life in this empty place. The isolation became a shadow looming over me at all times and I began to lose sight of the fact that there was any world beyond it.
I continued on with no other choice but to tread carefully in the darkness. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out the vague shapes of furniture and the musty smell of abandonment. If this place had ever served as a home, its occupants were long gone.
A sound coming from up ahead drew my attention and I proceeded with greater caution. There was no telling what lied in wait within the darkness, and as I stretched out my hands, my heart raced.
I could see now why this was the challenge they’d chosen. No physical threat in the real world could terrify me more than whatever was lurking in my own mind. Especially knowing that somewhere, the power I had yet to fully learn to control was waiting for me.
My fingers brushed a smooth, cool surface and I realized it was stone fashioned into a railing. Sure enough, there were stairs. The sounds of movement coming from above grew louder and I began to walk carefully up each step.
The stone below me felt less than solid, and I could hear rocks falling into some hollow cavern below. I stopped climbing, prepared to turn around when the stairs crumbled beneath my feet and I plummeted downward with a scream.
At the last moment, I managed to catch myself on the edge of the broken stairwell, but the rocky surface felt far from solid.
Shit. I was going to fall and there was no way I could pull myself out without crumbling the already tenuous structure.
The sound of footsteps coming toward me filled me with fresh terror. My subconscious really had to go and pull out all the stops.
I was expecting any manner of monstrous being, but when a familiar voice called my name, I decided I’d rather deal with a gorgon.
“Kore?”
“Hades?” I called in disbelief. “What the fuck are you doing in my head?”
“I could ask the same of you,” he snapped, leaning down to peer through the hole. “How did you manage to get yourself into this?”
“Just pull me up,” I hissed.
To my surprise, he actually grabbed my hand and pulled me up. As soon as my feet hit the solid stairs above, I scrambled up, unwilling to take any chances. Loki was there in the hallway with a familiar black beast behind him. They were both watching me in dismay.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Loki asked.
“The fuck if I know,” Hades grumbled, coming to stand next to me. “Maybe Odin lied and we all got zapped to the same place.”
“That’s not possible,” I insisted. “I’ve been walking forever and this is the first sign of life or civilization I’ve seen. If anyone else was here, I would’ve run into them.”
“I think she’s right,” Loki mused, his eyes glimmering as he looked at me. “It’s just the four of us.”
“How is that possible?” I demanded. “How did you three end up inside my mind?”
“What makes you so sure it’s your mind?” Loki challenged.
“Because it’s empty,” Hades said without missing a beat.
“Oh, fuck off, asshole,” I said, flipping him off.
He sneered. “That’s no way to talk to the man who’s saved your life twice.”
Before I could respond, Loki waved his hand and a strip of tape appeared over both of our mouths. I let out a muffled cry of irritation and Hades immediately started clawing at his.
“Enough. Whoever’s mind we’re in, I’m stuck with both of you and I’d rather not add a migraine to the mix,” Loki scolded. “You already fight like an old married couple.”
I ripped the tape off, wincing. “We do not,” Hades and I said in unison. I glared at him and looked away when I realized we were only proving his point.
“Let’s just go,” Hades grunted, brushing past me as he continued down the hall. “There’s obviously nothing here.”
I reluctantly followed him, glancing over at Fenrir. He chuffed in response and walked past me. Guess he wasn’t feeling ferocious today.
“Why is he in that form and why can’t he communicate telepathically?” I asked as we carried on down a vast hallway. My voice echoed and each room I looked into was empty.
“No idea, but he’s stuck on four legs,” Loki answered. “I suppose you could say it’s a form of erectile dysfunction.”
Fenrir growled low and snapped at the other god’s hand. Loki managed to yank it back just in time with a sharp laugh.
Hades rolled his eyes.
Even though I’d been less than thrilled to see him, I couldn’t deny this was preferable to the abject isolation that had characterized my journey to the barren palace. I wasn’t about to admit it, though.
“Odin said we were on our own,” I murmured. “Did he lie, or is this some kind of glitch?”
“He’s my father and even I couldn’t tell you that,” said Loki. “I’d say it’s about fifty fifty either way.”
“So what do we do?” I asked. “Only one of us can win, right?”
“I’m more concerned about finding out why we’re all here than winning at the moment,” said Hades.
Of course he was. He knew everything in life was just handed to him and the Games were no exception. As far away as the real world seemed, I hadn’t forgotten that more hinged on my winning than bragging rights.
“The potion has to wear off at some point, right?” asked Loki. “Worst
case scenario, if we don’t find a way out, we could just wait it out.”
“That won’t work,” I told him. All three of them turned to look at me. “I know how these potions work. The medicinal effects last only a second before your body metabolizes it, but it’s long enough to change your brainwaves. It’s a deep state, like a coma. The only way out is through force of will or being given the antidote, which means we lose.”
“I see,” Loki said thoughtfully. “Well, you are the resident drug dealer.”
I rolled my eyes and took the lead, heading toward the castle’s second entrance. From this angle, I could see the vast wasteland in the distance, and there was a patch of swirling clouds in the far east. The sky was red and black in that one spot, and gray everywhere else.
“I think that’s the next stop,” I sighed.
“Like this place wasn’t creepy enough,” Loki complained, coming up beside me.
As tempting as it was to rest and as overwhelming as the prospect of further travel seemed, I wasn’t going to just stand there staring into the void. I made another vine and secured it to a stable-looking rock, preparing to begin the downward descent.
“What are you doing?” Hades asked in his usual derisive tone.
“I’m getting down,” I answered, dropping another vine on the ground before I began to climb down. “Come or don’t.”
He and Loki looked at each other and the latter shrugged, shifting into a black crow. He flew down to the ground below and I found myself envious as I made my way down the hard way. Fenrir leaped past me onto a nearby ledge and easily scaled the rocks.
I could hear Hades muttering his discontent, but he finally secured the second vine and scaled down the rock wall with me. When I was almost at the bottom, a pair of hands around my waist made me jolt.
“Just helping,” Loki said, pulling me the rest of the way down.
I looked him up and down, snorting. “You’re clothed this time.”
“The laws of physics are a bit bendy in this world, it would seem,” he said with a grin. “Sorry to disappoint.”
