Eventually, Ren stopped swimming and just floated. Jasmine and I floated up next to him. It was obvious now the portal wasn’t open for us, and Ren was going to need to try and create one. Even in the dark, I could see Jasmine start to panic. I reached over and grasped her hand to try and calm her down.
Ren moved his hands around in the water. It looked like he was conducting an orchestra. After a few minutes, a soft blue glow formed in front of him. It was working. He was doing it. But then the glow collapsed in on itself and vanished. Frustration marked Ren’s face as he swirled his hands around again, in sharper, more precise movements.
Jasmine tugged on my hand. I turned to see her struggling in the water. I pulled her to me, put my mouth on hers, and blew oxygen into her. I drew back, and she gave me a thumbs up that she was okay now. I wanted to tell Ren to hurry because I knew it wouldn’t last. My lungs were even starting to burn.
The blue light flared to life again, growing. A narrow whirlpool formed under the glow. Ren smiled as his creation came to be, but then his brow furrowed as his gaze darted everywhere, and his hands stopped moving. Something was wrong.
Suddenly, the whirlpool expanded until it had encompassed all three of us. Then we were violently thrust sideways through the water. The force of it sent all three of us spinning. We were being sucked through a portal, but I didn’t think it was one that Ren had made.
After a few minutes of being catapulted through the portal, we came shooting up out of the water to land on the cold, hard rock of the cave. I knocked my head when I landed, making everything fade a little behind my eyes, then go sharp again. I rolled onto my back and blinked up into a few angry faces looming over me.
One of those faces belonged to Zeus. “Bring them to the auditorium. We will assemble the school for a tribunal.”
Ares loomed over me and then yanked me to my feet by the back of my jacket.
The three of us were marched into the school like criminals. I was surprised someone didn’t put shackles on our wrists and ankles. Jasmine shook so hard her teeth chattered. I reached over and grabbed her hand but was pulled away again. Ares looked positively gleeful with his role as jailer.
We didn’t enter the academy through the front doors but around back to another entrance. Then we were led through several corridors I didn’t recognize and through a set of wide double doors and into a spacious domed auditorium with 360 degree seating. It reminded me of an ancient coliseum where gladiators fought to the death for the amusement of the masses. And like those doomed gladiators, we were marched into the middle and left to stand there out in the open to await our fate.
“I’m scared.”
This time I went and hugged Jasmine. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but I refuse to accept that this is the end.”
Ren clenched his jaw, fighting back his fear. “I don’t want to be expelled.”
“Neither do I, but we all knew this could happen.”
“How did they know?” Jasmine wiped at the tears welling in her eyes. “Someone told them. Do you think it was Lucian?”
I shook my head. “No. I refuse to believe that.”
“It could’ve been, Mel,” Ren said. “No one else knew.”
Another set of doors opened, and all the Gods entered, lining up on the edge of the platform in a circle around us. Then through those same doors, our peers streamed into the stadium and sat in the raised rows.
I looked for Georgina and found her in the second row. Our gazes met, and she gave me a soft smile. She was probably beating herself up for letting me go on this ill-fated excursion. I wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault. I would’ve gone no matter what she said or did. I was stubborn that way. She had to have known that by now.
My gaze then found Lucian. He sat not far from Georgina. His face was a mask of sadness and frustration, and it nearly broke my heart to see it. Someone had ratted us out, but I knew deep in my heart that it wasn’t Lucian.
Zeus stepped forward into the center of the auditorium. “The three of you are charged with abandonment of your post. The punishment for such a crime is memory wipe and expulsion from the academy.”
There was a collective gasp throughout the stadium. But I spotted one happy audience member. Revana couldn’t stop smiling.
I stepped forward. “May I speak in our defense?”
“It’s not a trial but go ahead.” Zeus waved his hand toward me.
“The fault lies entirely with me. I convinced both Jasmine and Ren to come with me by telling them about the earthquakes in their hometowns. They wouldn’t have ever known if it wasn’t for me.”
Jasmine bolted forward. “That’s not true.”
“Melany never forced us.” Ren shook his head.
“I should be expelled, not them. They are great soldiers. I’ve been nothing but a problem. You can ask any of the professors.”
Ares nodded, as did Aphrodite.
“Not true!” Jasmine came up to my side. “Melany is the best of all of us. She can—”
Zeus put up his hand to stop us from talking. “I appreciate the strength you have to fight for your friends. You have won them a second chance.”
Ren put his hands over his face and shook his head.
Jasmine was about to say something that I knew she shouldn’t; I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay.”
“Nothing is okay, Mel. Nothing.”
Zeus nodded to Ares, and he came over to me and Jasmine. He took her arm. “Let’s go.” He nodded to Ren.
Before she was led away, Jasmine wrapped her arms around me. “I’ll never forget you. Ever.”
I swallowed, not wanting to shed tears in front of everyone. No, I would shed my tears when I was alone. Which was going to be soon. I could handle the expulsion and never going back to Pecunia, but not being able to remember my friends or Lucian was a dagger to the heart. It was cruel and inhumane. I would do anything not to have that happen. I would suffer through any other punishment.
Ares led my friends off the platform and back into the crowd of recruits. Jasmine and Ren both took up seats by Georgina, who reached out and grabbed their hands. Solidarity. They were going to need it. I hoped they stuck together no matter what. They made a great team.
Once Ares returned to the circle of Gods, Zeus raised his hands, ready to pass my sentence. But I had one more thing to say before he condemned me.
“Those weren’t earthquakes that destroyed Pecunia and New Athens.”
A murmur rushed through the stadium. A few of the Gods glanced at each other.
“I saw the cracks in the ground. It looked like something pushed out of the earth. The damage was secluded to just those two towns and nowhere else. That’s not how earthquakes behave.”
I thought for sure Zeus was going to shut me up, but he actually looked interested in what I had to say. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the piece of golden rope. “I found this at my childhood home among the devastation.” I held it up for everyone to see. There were some surprised whispers in the crowd. “It’s not an ordinary piece of rope. It looks like something enchanted. Something magical. Something one of the Gods would possess.”
That started a major stir.
Aphrodite stepped forward. “She’s lying. She’ll say anything to get out of her punishment.”
“Why are we listening to this?” Ares bellowed. “She broke the rules. There isn’t any room for discussion.”
I noticed Hera, Apollo, and Athena nod in agreement. Demeter, Hephaistos, and Dionysus remained tight-lipped, which I appreciated. The other Gods looked beyond bored. Like they had a million other things to do today besides destroying my life and sending me into exile.
Zeus approached me and took the rope. He ran his fingers over it, frowning. “You found this in the earthquake zone?”
I nodded.
“It doesn’t change anything, Zeus.” Aphrodite approached him.
He met her gaze and it wasn’t friendly. “I will decide whether it changes anything or not.”
She returned to her spot in the circle with a pout.
“Melany Richmond, you have proven to be resourceful, resilient, and fearless. Three traits I admire, especially in a soldier. You have moved me to give you an opportunity to stay in the academy.”
There was some clapping and cheers from my peers.