I should be doing
my Physics homework, so I
hope my grade's worth it.
"I-" Phoebe started, but Artemis stomped in before she could complete the thought.
"Blind-folded obstacle course? Is Apollo out of his gosh darned mind?" she growled.
Pro-tip: she didn't actually say "gosh darned".
Artemis threw herself on the couch next to me, reeking of a bonfire. "I mean, honestly. There's no way you or Aemilia would have survived any of those challenges. The stupid minefield actually hurt!"
I looked at Phoebe, who had lost any trace of vulnerability in her expression. "Artemis, we were kind of in the middle of something-"
"Actually, we're finished. Thanks for everything, Emily. I can take it from here," Phoebe announced, standing and carefully hiding her bloody hand behind her back. "Lady Artemis, I could go check on things back at camp, if you'd like. I really don't mind missing the final event."
Artemis looked up at her, a little surprised. "Uh, yeah. Thanks. But come back in time for the final event. I don't want Apollo breathing down my neck because you aren't here to help him organize the firing squad, or whatever he has planned for it."
"Wait, Phoebe," I stood and walked over to her. "we need to-"
She shook her head. "It's nothing, Emily. Goodbye, Lady Artemis. I'll see you at the next event."
Phoebe left, closing the door carefully behind her.
I sighed, and turned to find Artemis staring at me. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing," I said, unfortunately aware that Phoebe wouldn't want me to tell Artemis.
But, hey. It's for her own good.
"Actually, I think Phoebe has some PTSD or something from when she was a prisoner. She's been really jumpy and acting strangely," I went and sat on the armchair, noticing a bit of blood on it, which only strengthened my resolve.
Artemis sighed. "Well, a little bit of time to recover is expected. It's not exactly a pleasant experience. She'll be fine once this contest is over, and we can go back to the woods."
"I really think you need to talk to her. This can't be healthy, especially when she keeps bumping into him." It annoyed me that Artemis wasn't taking this seriously.
Artemis leaned forward and scowled at me. "I am capable of taking care of my Hunters, Emily, physically and mentally. Phoebe is a smart girl; she'll come to me if she needs help. It's cute that you want to help, but this is something she has to handle herself. Hate to break it to you, but this isn't the first time this has happened. On a side note, sorry about today. We would have won if I wasn't so wary, and I apologize for that."
Her advice about Phoebe didn't make me feel any better, but it made sense. "Yeah, it's okay. If we had lost the whole contest because of it, I'd be more upset, but whatever. Any idea when the final event'll be?"
"I think Apollo said something about later tonight. Apparently there are too many happenings in the world for the gods to be distracted, but people still want to see the finale. Do you need food or anything?" she asked, getting to her feet with a groan.
I shook my head, still thinking about the Phoebe situation. "I'm fine."
"In that case, I'm going to go take a shower to get all this charcoal off me. I still can't believe there was a literal wall of fire…" she grumbled off into her room, and I noticed that she left an ashy imprint on the previously-white sofa.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Diana had opted to teleport back to her room, so Thalia and I began walking back.
"Hey, Thalia," I wanted to ask something that I had been wondering for a while.
"Yeah?"
"Do other demigods have Roman halves? Like, you for example?" I asked, cautiously, not wanting to offend her or something.
She looked at me and chuckled. "Sure do."
"Then why isn't everyone else changing? Not that I mind being the only Roman demigod around, but…"
Thalia smiled sympathetically. "I get it. Well, we all went through that phase when we were younger. Actually, a lot of the struggle of puberty can be attributed to kids figuring out which side is stronger, Greek or Roman. The final result is seemingly random, but the form your godly parent was in during the, uh, conception probably plays a role in it, but I don't know that for sure. Anyway, there's a whole slew of Roman kids, but Artemis is typically in her Greek form, so that's why you've mostly met Greeks."
"Does that mean when you were a little kid you would switch randomly?"
"Pretty much. But that all works itself out by the time you turn fifteen or so. You or Emily, whoever wins, will have to work on that. It's not a big deal, but an eighteen year-old who can't control the switches is kind of embarrassing," Thalia shook her head. "Lady Artemis's absence really took a toll on your development."
I snorted. "And Emily's immaturity topped it off."
We were both still chuckling as we reached Diana's apartment, but I paused outside it. "Wait, who do you listen to now, Diana or Artemis?"
"It depends. If either of them wants me to do something, I'll do it, as long as it doesn't contradict an order from the other. If it does, well," she shrugged "I'll politely refuse, and begin running my punishment laps. I mean, hypothetically. This particular scenario hasn't happened yet, and I'm hoping it won't. I've already done a terrible job as lieutenant without adding insubordination to the list."
I nodded. "Reasonable. And I don't think you've done a bad job at lieutenant. Of course, I've only been autonomous for less than a week."
She leaned against the wall and looked at me with exasperation. "I'm sure planning to steal from a god, letting Phoebe get caught stealing from a god, letting half My Lady's daughter get captured as well, rescuing Phoebe while putting the other half of My Lady's daughter in danger, and trying to keep all this from her really brightens up my résumé. I mean, I can't even imagine trying to earn back her trust, much less her respect. But I appreciate you saying that, Aemilia."
I clapped her on the shoulder and tried my best to give her an encouraging smile, which felt foreign and terrible, and I will never try that again.
"Well, I want to check on the Hunters, so I'll let you go here. See you at the final event!" Thalia smiled and started heading down the hallway.
I opened the door, and saw Diana sitting at the table, holding a sheet of metal with some words carved on it. "Doing a little light reading?"
She looked up (even though she must have heard us coming from a kilometer away) and nodded. "Oh, how I've missed the Diurna. But this can wait."
Diana set it aside with a clang, and motioned for me to have a seat at the table, and I did.
"First things first: good job today." She nodded once, and I had to avert my eyes. This was the first time she had praised me as such, and my tear ducts were behaving treacherously. "Now, down to business: We cannot lose this last event."
I regained my professionalism and nodded. "Agreed."
"I am glad we are of one accord, but I need to know how dedicated you are to the cause, because some of our preparations may be seen as morally grey," Diana was watching my face carefully, and I would bet what she saw pleased her.
I leaned forward to show my sincerity. "My Lady, I'll venture into the black for you."
Diana nodded and smiled a proud smile. "That does me good to hear. Here's what I've been thinking: As soon as the contest starts, if you have a clear view of Emily, take her out. Doesn't matter what the challenge is, take her out of it immediately. These may be of some use."
From under the table, she pulled a black cloth that, when unfolded, revealed four extremely sharp throwing knives. She nodded at the request in my eyes, and I picked one up carefully, checking the balance. "These are beautiful, Your Grace."
"Please, call me Diana," she insisted, and it gave me a warm sensation in my stomach. No wonder Emily chased this feeling. "I know it's tempting to go for her knee to revenge your own injury, but a small knife to her lower back is more practical. And Apollo is nearby, so you don't have to worry about inheriting a paralyzed body."
I put the knife back. "I admire your foresight."
She nodded, and rose from the table. "That's really all I have, until we know what the event is. Now, I'm going to go recover from last night's libations. If you need anything, and I'll request that you only do this for emergencies, you can wake me."
I stood as well, and raised my hand straight out, palm-down in the proper salute. After a second, I let it drop with a wince.
Diana laughed. "Yeah, Hitler kind of ruined that."
She went into her room and closed the door.
I grabbed a knife from the table and whipped it towards a large stuffed bear, where it sank four inches into where the bear's heart once was.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
There was a knock on the door, and I looked up from the newspaper I was reading (the comics, more specifically).
I went and tried to peek through the eyehole, but I was about two feet too short to see anything but door. "Who is it?"
"It's Thalia. Open up," she said, sounding as impatient as ever.
I smiled, even though she couldn't see it. "Likely story. What's the password?"
There was a silence, and I put my ear flat against the door to try to hear her answer, and my hand on the copper doorknob, in case she was actually in a hurry.
Which is why I felt every volt that she channeled through the door. It only lasted a couple seconds, but it was enough to make my knees give out, and I fell to the ground with a thump. Thalia waited a second, and then she opened the door.
She paused to take in my slightly shuddering form and winced. "Sorry, I didn't know what metal the doorknob was made of, so I used a little more than usual."
"J-J-J-Jerk," I stuttered, trying to get my left arm back under control.
She rolled up the sleeve of her right arm, and I saw the burn I had left yesterday. "Consider us even."
"F-Fair enough," I said with a stuttery chuckle as I got to my feet. Thalia offered her hand in assistance, which I accepted.
My hair was sticking out a good four inches from the side of my head, but that wasn't much worse than usual, so I tried my customary pat-down method. It was unsuccessful.
"Where's Artemis?" Thalia asked, rolling her sleeve back down. "You didn't make her mad enough to storm out yet, did you?"
I exhaled loudly. "No, I didn't. She's sleeping right now. What's so urgent, anyway?"
Thalia went to sit on the armchair. "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to let her know that I checked in with the Hunters, and that everything seems fine at camp."
"You could have just let Phoebe do that," I said pragmatically, going back to the kitchen table. "She went to go check on camp as well. Do those Hunters of yours really need that much babysitting?"
Thalia looked confused instead of angry, which made me think she didn't hear my last sentence. "That's weird, no one mentioned seeing her. Oh well. How goes the preparation for the final event?"
I gestured to Artemis's room and to my newspaper and coffee. "Things are going pretty well. Artemis is napping, and I'm catching up on the news. How long has ISIS been a thing?"
"But, you do have a plan, right? The Romans are already discussing strategy I bet. They aren't going to take this lightly," Thalia walked over to the table and sat across from me. Then, she took a glance into my coffee mug. "Emily, is there any actual coffee in there? It's almost purely white."
I faux-scowled at her. "You leave me and my diabetes alone. And how could Diana and Aemilia be planning? We don't know what the last event is going to be. Wait, I didn't miss the announcement of what the event is, did I?"
"No, you haven't. But there are certain basic strategies that would apply to many challenges. It wouldn't hurt to think through a couple."
I squinted at her with a smile. "Are you rooting for us?"
Thalia's eyes flicked toward the main door and to the door to Artemis's room before answering. "If it were up to me, I would rather have Lady Artemis present as opposed to Lady Diana. I respect them both, but Lady Diana's emphasis on proper procedure and protocol can be rather draining after a while, especially when we have grown used to a more relaxing environment."
"You'd better hope I manage to forget that if Diana wins, Thalia," Artemis said, emerging from her room looking well-rested and alert.
Thalia quickly bowed. "I meant no disrespect to either you or Lady Diana, my liege."
"Oh, I know," Artemis reassured her, giving her a quick, meaningful smile that Thalia couldn't see, but I could. "Rise, lieutenant, and let me know how things are going back at base."
Thalia started filling her in on all the happenings of people I don't really care about, and so I turned my attention back to the newspaper.
Eventually, it was time to meet with Apollo to figure out what the final event was. Artemis opted to walk, so Thalia and I also walked, because we aren't the ones with teleportation ability.
There were cheers as we entered, and I tried my best to strut my stuff, which made the cheers die down a little. Diana and Aemilia were already there, and they were decked out in all black. I wished Artemis and I had put even a little bit of effort into coordinating our outfits, I missed our green.
We reached the platform and clambered up.
Apollo was wearing a nice suit with a golden tie and pocket square to match, and it occurred to me again how invested in these games he was. Thalia was also there, looking decidedly less invested.
I stood next to Artemis, who made earmuffs appear again as Apollo started to orate.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, have you enjoyed this competition so far?"
The crowd cheered, and I was suddenly aware that I was going to miss this. Honestly, the hardest part about being the daughter of a Greek goddess was probably returning to my regular life. I mean, seriously. How am I supposed to return to my senior year of high school after this?
Either that or all the torture.
"Well, I'm glad," Apollo went on, unaware of my existential crisis. "Tonight we have our final two events: the final competition and the crowning of the winners. So don't worry, the winners will have plenty of time to rub it in the losers' faces before the contest is officially over. Now, onto our announcement. The final event is… drumroll please."
The audience started pounding on the stands in front of them, and I attempted to play the belly bongos, but Artemis grabbed my arm with a shake of her head.
"The final event is a triathlon!" Apollo announced, sounding pleased with himself.
I cocked my head. "Is that running, biking, and, uh, 'rithmatic?"
"No." Apollo rolled his eyes. "The traditional events are running, biking, and swimming, but we are anything but traditional, aren't we? No, our three events will be a chariot race, a monster-slaying competition, and a surprise event! To make matters more interesting, and because they are actually the only ones really impacted by the result on a major degree, Emily and Aemilia will be the only participants. Diana and Artemis can offer advice from the sidelines, but that is it. We will reconvene in one hour. Best of luck to both teams!"
The excited chatter from the crowd was pretty loud, so Apollo gestured for us to meet him outside the arena.
Aemilia and Diana were closer to the door, and Artemis and I walked a safe distance behind them. I noticed that Aemilia had a weird bulge in her pants that she most definitely didn't get from me, I can tell you that much.
Once the doors closed, Apollo turned to us.
"All right, ladies. The rules of the competition still apply here. No interfering with the opposite mortal, Olympians. I will be monitoring the halls and arena, so don't even think about trying to spy on the other team or getting a sneak peek at the arena. Now, you both go and get ready. Let's make me lots of money!"
He put his hand in the middle, but none of us followed his lead.
"Fine. Let's make history!" He turned and walked back into the arena, leaving the four of us (and Thalia, who was just not looking at anyone) to stare at each other.
"How's the knee, twin? Healing up?" I smiled at her patronizingly. "I know those can really hurt."
Aemilia's face remained expressionless, except for the rage. "Oh, it's all better, Greek. In fact, I look forward to using it for many years to come. You, though, should stretch your legs. You know, because you won't have that option in a little while."
"We'll see you in an hour. Try not to get kidnapped in the meantime," I said, enjoying the trash talk a lot more than I thought I would.
A quick, knowing smile crossed Aemilia's face, and I gathered that she was enjoying it too.
Artemis put her hand on my shoulder. "We're leaving. Best of luck, Diana."
Diana nodded in return, and Artemis teleported us back to her room.
"Okay, game plan," she started to pace. "Since I can't participate, it's all going to come down to you."
Yes, that pressure weighed me down nicely. "First, can we talk about Aemilia's weird bulges? Like, I think she was packing."
"I counted four throwing knives," Artemis said matter-of-factly. "One in each sleeve, one tucked into her waistband, and another hidden in her shoe. I would say that she means to take you out of the running early."
She seemed way too nonchalant to be talking about someone stabbing me. "Uh, we should probably do something about that, right? I mean, unless you expect perforated Emily to do something other than cry and bleed on the ground, which she won't, I'm telling you now."
"You'll wear a knife-proof vest," Artemis waved her hand dismissively.
I'm not the only one who thinks getting stabbed is a big deal, right? Like, that's the consensus among rational beings?
"What do you know about horses?" she asked, waving her hands and making a whiteboard appear, along with a marker.
I thought for a second. "That they are dangerous from both ends and crafty in the middle."
Artemis started pounding her head against the wall with alarming force.
-/-/-/-/-/-/-
"Now, the secret to chariot racing is getting on the inside track. The closer you are to the curve, the less distance you must travel, and thus the faster you will be. Since Artemis doesn't have as much experience with chariot-racing, I would not advise using your knives on this one, unless Emily really pulls ahead. In that case, you'll-"
"Sink a knife into her spine," I said, matter-of-factly. I was pleased that Diana wasn't trying to claim any moral victory.
Diana smiled at me. "That's right. Now onto the monster-fight-"
We spent the next forty-five minutes talking about general types of monsters, and where their weaknesses were.
Finally, it was time to head to the arena.
"We'll walk there," Diana said kindly, and also pragmatically, as me being sick would give the Greeks an unnecessary advantage.
We travelled mostly in silence, until we reached the arena, where Diana paused and turned to look at me. "Aemilia, I believe that you will not let me down."
She put her hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes, and then suddenly I could hear her thoughts.
Let's do this, she thought, and turned to open the arena doors.
The change was remarkable. Instead of the simple golden platform, there was an elaborate stage set up, with a golden throne for Apollo. Up in the stands there were thirteen thrones, much taller than any thrones needed to be. I couldn't tell from this distance whether the Olympians were Greek or Roman, as they were all wearing a neutral white.
Typical, Diana scoffed typical gods trying to create the illusion of impartiality. That's Jupiter and Hera, Neptune, Hades, Ares, Vulcan, Mercury, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Bacchus. It's rare to see them so evenly split, and together in non-uniform forms. This contest must be more interesting than I thought. Not important enough for Minerva to get off her high horse, of course.
The mix of Greco-Roman Olympians weren't speaking much, or they were talking to only others in the same form. Ares was picking food out of his teeth with a knife, looking bored, while Hades just looked to be enjoying himself. He was missing the blue hair that Disney had promised me, so that was disappointing.
The stands were packed, and the gods were all faintly illuminated, except for in the farthest corner, where it looked like a light had gone out. I guess the janitor gods were too busy rooting for me to fix that.
Diana and I approached the stage, and then stood in the area Apollo designated with a lazy wave of his hand. Thalia and Phoebe were standing on either side of his throne. Thalia was looking as stoic as ever, but the nerves were getting to Phoebe, and she was fiddling anxiously with her knife belt.
Finally, Artemis and Emily walked in, and they were quite the sight. They were both wearing green tracksuits with white stripes, which didn't actually look as terrible as you'd think.
And that is probably the last charitable thought I'll have toward them, ever again.
The huge clock above the arena exit informed us that there were two minutes until the games were scheduled to begin. Diana and I had said everything we needed to, so I got the opportunity to overhear Emily and Artemis's final conversation.
"Hey, Artemis?" Emily asked, probably thinking she was whispering, but she really wasn't. "Just in case this doesn't go our way, I have something I need to tell you."
Artemis turned to look at her, curiosity outweighing the deep thinking that was present in her eyes. "Mmhmm?"
"I didn't sleep with Notus. I stormed out as soon as I figured out what he was doing. Well, kinda."
This was news to everyone, as far as I knew, and Artemis looked at Emily incredulously. "But, I saw you-"
"Here, take a look," Emily offered, proffering her palm, which Artemis touched lightly.
It took a couple seconds for her to sort through all the memories, but when she opened her eyes, the joy within was astonishing. "You really didn't!"
"Like I'd lie to a mind-reader," Emily scoffed, but I could tell she was pleased to have that off her chest.
Artemis and Emily embraced, and Artemis whispered something that I didn't catch.
Finally, Apollo cut this public display of affection off, and it was about time.
"It is my solemn duty and pleasure to welcome you all to the final event of our little Olympiad. As the score stood at three to three at the end of seven events, this bonus event will decide the winner. As you are all aware, the winners will be crowned in the closing ceremony that will follow immediately after the conclusion of this event Now, the contestants will get on their chariots and begin the first of two laps around the oval track. Best of luck to both contestants, and let's keep this relatively bloodless."
Apollo's eyes flicked down to the knife sticking out a little from my black boot, but he didn't comment.
Diana nodded at me once, and that was enough to settle my nerves, the fact that she believed I wouldn't let her down. Maybe it sounds silly, but that's enough for me.
I got into the black chariot pulled by two snow-white horses, which contrasted rather beautifully. Emily's chariot was green and pulled by two chestnut horses, which are Christmas colors and therefore not intimidating. We started about ten meters away from each other, which was well within throwing range.
The world except for the track in front of me went blurry as I tightly gripped the reins. Emily's chariot was nearer to the inner wall, so I knew this would be a fight from the start.
Apollo didn't have to speak above conversational volume, as the arena was completely silent. "On your marks, get set, go."
Emily and I started urging our horses on immediately, and I was surprised at the speed, and how evenly the pair of us seemed to be matched, speed wise.
For a split second, there was serenity as Emily and I continued in our parallel lines, neither with any advantage.
That moment of serenity ended abruptly when I slammed my chariot into hers, which forced her dangerously close to the inner wall, but not close enough. In retaliation, she spurred her horses on to go even faster and veered a little into my path, enough that I had turn right a little to prevent a horse-maiming accident.
Both laps around the track were intense, with both Emily and I vying for that exclusive inside track. Diana would chime in with advice every now and then, but this really came down to who was better at horse-directing, which isn't as difficult as you would imagine. I'll blame it on her hours of sitting on the couch playing video games, but Emily was actually pretty good at it.
But the last four hundred meters were the defining ones, as Emily had a slight advantage, and I had to work quickly to overcome the gap, since there were no more obstacles to slow either of us down. With fewer than two hundred meters to go, I made a decision.
Relinquishing my grip on the reins for a few seconds (which is practically unthinkable), I reached down into my boot, and let the knife fly.
It spun through the air and hit its target, which is really a testament to my ability.
The knife severed the rope connecting the left horse to the chariot, which caused a drastic change in acceleration, which in turn threw Emily out of the chariot and sent her flying through the air.
She landed somewhere behind me, and I didn't hear the twin snaps that would indicate her inability to extricate her arms from the reins in time. It was of no import, as I crossed the finish line with no further hindrance.
It took almost another half lap for me to figure how to slow the horses, and I honestly considered just diving off into the sand, as the horses seemed ready for another five laps. Eventually, the horses stopped, and I climbed down, to thunderous applause. Diana teleported to my side and grabbed my right hand, raising it in victory. The applause washed over me, and I could feel it. We were going to win.
Artemis had rushed to Emily's side, who was getting up on her own, looking furious. We all made our way back to the stage, maintaining a fifty meter space between us.
"Point, Romans," Apollo announced, and the Roman half of the crowd started to chant something that sounded vaguely familiar, but Emily had put no effort into learning other languages (except basic Spanish, which she's really proud of). "Now, this next contest will be a simple test of efficiency. You will both have five minutes to slay as many beasts as you can. You will be participating at the same time, but you are not to harm each other. Twins are friends, not prey. The person who slays the most baddies will be declared the winner, and either of you being knocked out is an instant loss since it means you weren't being careful. Remember, you can't hurt each other."
Apollo made a gestured, and a small contingent of glowing beings quickly tore down the walls and ushered the horses out of the arena, and then they retreated.
Then Thalia walked out, carrying a big crate filled to the brim with shiny weapons.
Apollo gestured at it. "I would hurry up and grab a weapon, girls, the monsters are coming."
Emily and I sprinted toward the crate, a race which I won, naturally. There was a variety of weapons, but the obvious choice was the bow.
I quickly strung an arrow, narrowly resisting the temptation to let it fly in Emily's direction.
The doors the lined the arena were open, and a myriad of creatures was streaming out. I saw little goblin creatures (swift arrow to neck), snarling hellhounds (aim for eyes? Problematic), and a half a dozen figures that resembled armadillos, complete with armor (?).
Emily had chosen an ax, which surprised me, as I was unaware of any lumberjacking experience. Not that our sword experience was anything to write home about, though. Without a word exchanged, we stood back-to-back. We may have fought before, but I'd still rather not be pierced by a stray minotaur or something.
The monsters seemed to reach us all at the same time, and then the frenzy began.
I managed to get off two shots, dispatching two goblins, before I had to rethink my strategy, which is what I'm going to call running to the weapons cache and grabbing a sword.
"Three!" Emily huffed out, sinking her axe into a hellhound, which then disappeared, conveniently. "Roly poly!"
I turned around and saw one of the armadillos rolling toward me, and I jumped out of the way, a little surprised Emily had warned me about it. Olympus knows I wouldn't have done the same. I wasted one of my sabotage knives, which bounced off the creature's scales harmlessly.
The sword in my hand felt a little heavy, and I was surprised Emily was having such success with the axe.
"Four minutes left," Apollo announced, sounding a little bored.
I stabbed another goblin. "Seven!"
"Damn it," Emily swore. "Six."
Smiling, I ran over to engage two hellhounds that looked like the runts of the pack.
The enemies kept coming in waves, and new ones appeared, such as huge eagles, several serpents, and what looked like the bastard offspring of a lion and a goat.
Soon, there was so much red around me that the fighting became automatic, and the only things that marked the passage of time were Apollo's increasingly excited announcements. My arms started to become exhausted, and I couldn't believe it hadn't been only five minutes.
"One minute left, ladies," Apollo said, excitement now present in his voice. "Better pick it up, Emily!"
According to our self-proclaimed kill counts (which could easily have been lies), I had a good five kills on her, so I wasn't terribly worried.
She was chasing down a robot-like creature, and I turned to see a troll running straight at me. It was the largest thing I had faced, so I figured defense was the best strategy.
"Twenty!" Emily shouted.
I saw her running towards me out of the corner of my eye, which was just enough of a distraction for the troll to smash his club into my stomach.
That was the last clear thing I remember, as everything else is tinged with the competing red and black that filled my vision. I think I went flying, and I know I hit the ground, hard. The troll stalked after me, and I could see my death it its eyes. There was a faint greenish glow to its eyes, and I looked away, not wanting to see the blow land.
Just to my left, axe held tight in her right hand, was Emily, who was watching the scene unfold motionlessly.
The troll lifted its club, and I had just enough awareness to breathe out "Help."
Emily stared at me dispassionately. "Looks like I inherited the killer instinct, Aemilia."
My last sight before the club hit my skull was Emily looking away, trembling.
/-/-/-/-/
"There you go, up up up!" Apollo's voice accompanied the return of consciousness, along with a splitting headache. "You're all right. She's all right!"
His voice carried, and there was a cheer from the crowd as I slowly got to my feet. I grabbed his arm for support, and I very slowly cracked my eyes open, which caused a rush of painful stimuli to assault my eyes. I felt like I had been hit by a truck, gone flying into another truck, and then backed over by yet another truck.
"Since Aemilia lost consciousness," What a nice euphemism for 'got smacked to shit while her other half watched'. "Emily is the winner of the second event. As everyone expected, the winner of the third event will be the person with sole control of the body. And the final event is…"
He trailed off, probably to build anticipation, but I couldn't think of anything except the blinding pain in my head.
"…a simple footrace!"
Even my splitting headache couldn't prevent me from staring at him in disbelief. "Lord Apollo, I seem to be concussed."
He turned to look at me with a wince. "Sorry, Aemilia, but this was pre-planned. And we don't have time for you to fully recover, not with all the gods here."
My respect for immortals very narrowly prevented me from telling Apollo exactly how I felt about his fucking plan.
The arena ground was clear, since all the corpses had conveniently disappeared, so all it took was Thalia dashing out to put a chalk line on the ground while Phoebe ran out to set up the finish line, and the arena was ready. Emily and I made our way down there, and she gave me a single, remorseless nod as we crouched at the starting line. "Had to be done."
I called her some terrible names, but it just made her smile annoyingly.
"On your marks," Apollo shouted. My stomach was not a fan of my movement, and Diana was silently fuming in my head. "Get set." Opening my eyes after each blink was growing more difficult. "Go!"
Emily took off at a sprint, and I knew I'd never catch her, as she was fifty meters away before I even got to my feet.
My arms, however, were feeling great, and I pulled a knife out of my left sleeve and threw it at her rapidly retreating form, where it embedded itself into her lower back.
To my confusion, she continued on without faltering, and she crossed the finish line a couple of seconds later.
There was a roar from the crowd, and green confetti started raining down on the entire arena. I fell to my knees, unable to maintain my upright posture, stunned at her apparent imperviousness to a dagger to the spine.
Artemis ran out after her, much faster than Emily or I could ever hope to run. The Greeks were making a ruckus, and the Romans sat there in stunned silence, many of them still in their seats.
"Come on, girl," Diana's voice came from right behind me, and I turned a whole one point five seven radians to see her standing behind me. "Let's not make a scene."
She grabbed my arm and lifted me to my feet, with no help from me, I'll let you know. "Sorry, Diana."
"You're fine. It's those fucking cheaters who are to blame. They probably paid Apollo to rig the events," Diana continued her diatribe, uncaring that pretty much everyone in the arena could hear her.
We turned around to see that the platform had been transformed into a winner's podium. Apollo gestured for Diana and I to remain where we were, which was about 5 meters away, facing the podium. Diana was entirely supporting my weight at this point, and every blink took a little longer than the previous one.
Emily and Artemis made their way back, beaming and practically falling over themselves with happiness. My final dagger in my belt itched, and I could feel Diana's arms shaking as she resisted the same urge. Phoebe hopped off the platform and came to stand by us. She was looking at the other Olympians, and I did the same, noticing that the Romans had already left, which left the Greeks there, laughing and joking with each other. Ares was sitting a little apart, staring at the stage with a raised eyebrow, spinning his tooth-knife between his thumb and middle finger absentmindedly. His grin was full of dark excitement, and I hope Emily felt bad that he was probably cheering for her.
Emily stood on the stage and grinned at me. Then, she slowly unzipped her jacket to reveal a thick black vest on underneath, which explained the knife incident. The vest was fastened with Velcro, and she unhooked it, revealing the green tank top she was wearing underneath. The vest fell to the ground, and she winked at me, which made me audibly grind my teeth. How dare she…
Apollo was holding two sets of golden laurels, and he began to make his final speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, gods and goddesses, we have reached the conclusion of our Olympiad. After a fierce struggle by two worthy adversaries, the Greeks have emerged victorious! This tale will be repeated for centuries, or at least until the next mildly entertaining thing happens."
The crowd laughed, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Emily and how she was standing there, smiling like she had done something of import. If I had three minutes alone with her, I would make sure she could never smile again.
"Without further ado, I will crown the champions. Artemis, Emily, please step up onto the podium."
They did so, grinning almost too wide for their faces to handle.
Apollo crowned Artemis first, and she did a regal wave, head held high, golden laurel proudly displayed.
Emily bent her head to receive her own, even though Apollo was at least a hundred centimeters taller than she.
Before the laurel touched her head, the arena went black.
I thought it was just my severe head trauma, but there was an outcry from the gods, and even Diana muttered "What the Hades?"
The lights quickly came back on, but it was too late for me.
My world remained black, and I collapsed. My last conscious observation was that Hades was no longer sitting with the other Greek Olympians.
AN: So, that happened. Sorry it's been six months in between updates, and I don't blame you for not showering me with reviews. I appreciate every single one I get, and hopefully this (relatively) quick update will prove that. Now, take a breath. Unless, you know, you saw this coming from a mile away, which, even I didn't. Okay, here we go.
Huh, I said, without making any noise or aspirating at all. This is a new one.
I was in large canoe, sailing down a black river. There was dark all around me, and I couldn't see the sky or ceiling or whatever was ahead.
There was a dark, robed figure sitting a few rows behind me, paddling us smoothly down the river. My arms were locked in manacles on the side of the canoe, which wasn't terribly comfortable.
Hello there, I greeted him tentatively.
There was no response, so I tried again.
My name is Emily. Are you real or a figment of my imagination? I inquired politely.
Again, nothing.
Well, I can take a hint as well as anyone. I resigned myself to a long, boring dream. At least Morpheus talked to me.
I couldn't remember exactly what had happened this time, which normally meant head trauma. Maybe Diana threw something at me. Man, I hope she isn't already back in Artemis's head when I wake up, so I can personally ream her out. Or maybe it was Aemilia. She looked pissed enough. Well, I can taunt her for the rest of forever, no big deal.
Or maybe it was exhaustion? The three events had been really tiring. Even with Artemis giving me step-by-step instructions on how to use the ax, I had to use my own, slightly-atrophied muscles to actually do the work. That really takes a toll on a person, let me tell you.
I couldn't think of any other reasons for my unconsciousness, so the rest of the canoe-ride passed in bored silence.
Finally, we drew near the shore, where a man was standing, watching us approach with arms crossed behind his back.
The canoe bumped into the shore, and the manacles on my wrists disappeared, indicating it was go time. I clambered out of the canoe, graceless, because it's impossible to do that gracefully.
Mr. Silent Treatment didn't say anything, just pushed off and continued down the river.
Greetings, daughter of Artemis, The man said, black hair looking sharp with his black suit.
I squinted at the god, who looked familiar. Hello, Hades?
Hades inclined his head, and I congratulated myself on my random guessing skills. He didn't say anything else, which left me to carry on the weight of the conversation.
Was there any particular message you wanted to give me? That I should watch out? Apollo's prophecy is still a thing to worry about, right? I remembered, faintly, Apollo saying one of us wasn't going to make it.
Hades continued to watch me, wordlessly.
Okay, it's not that. Hmmmm, I don't suppose you are angry about me killing those hellhounds, are you? I mean, I didn't really have a choice. You understand. I figured the God of the Dead should be pretty used to people killing his pets. They're probably just as good dead.
The silence was really starting to freak me out, but Hades made no effort to break it.
I sighed. What could the Death God want with me? No offense, but I kinda hoped not to see you for a good 80 years. You know, not until I actually di-
The world snapped from fuzziness into total clarity.
Am… am I dead? I felt so dumb asking, but the moment I said it, I realized it was true. Wait, I DIED?! How did that happen?
Hades' eyes fell to my chest, and I looked down to see a small knife protruding from where my heart is.
Oh. Well, that explains that. Okay, so, I'm dead. Ugh, that's so weird. I feel so alive!
I waved my hand, which felt totally corporeal.
Death. Huh. It's pretty dark around here, but that makes sense, it being the Underworld and all. So, where am I?
Hades continued his reticence.
No offense, but you aren't being super helpful. Okay, I don't see other people standing around partying, so I guess I didn't make it into Elysium. That was a long shot anyway. I haven't done anything terribly heroic. Unless you count that time I gave up immortality. No?
I looked around again, frantically trying to remember details from the night I spent looking up the Greek afterlife, soon after I realized my godly parentage. And this doesn't look like Kansas, and I don't see any others… what was called what, the Fields of Apostles? Or something like that…
Then, it hit me.
Wait, I didn't even make the Purgatory cut? I mean, I donated blood! Almost regularly! That means I'm in…
I didn't want to say it. Saying it means that I'm actually in-
Hell. I'm in hell.
Hades stared at me, his silence confirming my fears.
What did I do? I didn't kill anyone! What did I do that was bad enough to earn me an eternity of punishment?
He still didn't respond, but not even my imagination could come up with something that I did that made me earn this.
I'm not trying to be glib, I swear! Please, just tell me!
Hades opened his mouth, and paused. He snapped his fingers, and a clipboard appeared in his hands, with several pages fastened. He flipped through them with a frown. "It doesn't actually say. It just has your name, and next to it says 'Fields of Punishment.' Normally it lists a reason. That's why you had the special escort here, by the way."
So I could possibly not belong here? It could be a mistake? Hope bloomed in my chest. Not that dying was fine, but-
"I don't make mistakes," The finality in Hades' voice sealed my fate. "Whoever requested this doesn't matter, it is done. Your fate has been decided."
Looking behind him, I saw a bathtub full of water, and a dark figure standing beside it.
"If it is any consolation, this water is from the River Lethys. So you won't be plagued with happy memories after your first submersion, because they'll all be gone," Hades tried to console me, but of course that didn't work, because that's terrible. "The subsequent ones will have no effect."
N-no… My legs started to take me over to the tub, moving of their own accord.
"I'm not sure you deserve this, daughter of Artemis. I will look into it," His voice betrayed his uncertainty.
My body kneeled in front of the tub, and the dark figure bound my hands behind my back. I looked up at Hades, who was staring at me with pity.
"Artemis will definitely raise a fuss, so that may lead to some answers," Hades theorized, which didn't mean anything when I was about to forget everything I had ever known or loved.
The dark figure put its hand on the back of my head.
"Also," Hades checked the clipboard again and winced. "happy birthday."
With that, my head was forced under the water.
AN2: Reviews are nice.
