I walk to the edge of the water, marveling at the sight. I’ve never seen an ocean like this. But as soon as I have the thought, clouds roll across the sky, obscuring the sun. The tide rises, along with the roughness of the waves. Cool water seeps into my boots and I look down, realizing I’m knee deep.
Something splashes and I jump backward, seeking the shore, but when I turn there is only water. I’m surrounded. Another splash, and I nock an arrow and fire in the direction of disturbed water.
Miss.
“Dammit,” I say, not liking this one bit. The forest, I understand. Wolves and hunting. But this? This is not my world. More movement happens near my feet. I cease my movements from the knee and below, nocking another arrow. This time I wait. The water ripples, moving faster, whatever is beneath the surface is big, strong, and I fight the fear in my heart. It’s just a beast. I’ve killed thousands. This will be one more trophy I can tell Victoria about when I get back home.
Slick scales run across my legs, circling me. I count to three, making sure my aim is true. I pull back the string and release, firing the arrow into the water near my feet. The animal seizes, bucking against the pain. I smile at my marksmanship but the reaction is instantaneous. The scaly arms of the sea creature tighten around my legs, pulling me into the waves. I gasp for air and fight against the beast. Underwater, I open my eyes and come face to face with my attacker, a creature with beady eyes and sharp teeth and eight ridiculously strong legs.
Kraken.
I grapple for my dagger, quickly running out of breath. I stab into the leg holding my ankles, the flesh is thick and strong. I catch a glint of gold and the odd sound of a horn, somewhere above the surface. Spears shoot through the water, one grazing my leg, the other chopping the kraken’s grip away. I swim my fastest and hardest to get to the surface and gulp in as much air as I can before I’m dragged below once again.
The creature still has me but we’re no longer alone. Human-sized fish swirl around me, biting and attacking the kraken’s many arms. Sirens! The half-human, half-fish are terrifying and the sea creature shrieks in pain. From above, the three-pronged dagger stabs him over and over. The fish with long hair and shiny tails continue their attack. I don’t know who they are, but I send them a silent thanks as I try to swim away. Try but fail, as my arms and legs are exhausted, my lungs filled with water. I begin to sink deeper, below the fighting, into the darkest parts of the sea.
Lack of oxygen makes my vision blurry. I feel arms grab me but I’m too tired to fight. I slip, slip, slip into darkness, knowing I’m not as good as my brother or his allies. I’m less than his enemies.
I’ve failed.
16
ARTEMIS
I wake to the feeling of my ribs cracking, angered that the sea creature has followed me to land. With the last remaining energy I can muster, I push aside my attacker and sit up, brushing the sand off my face and eyes.
The first thing I see is the glint of the golden, three-speared weapon, and I lunge for it. Massive brown hands get to it first, plucking it from the sand.
“You okay, mate?”
I shade my eyes and see Triton standing over me. His muscles quake with exhaustion and water drips down the curves of his body. A small conch shell hangs around his neck by a black cord. The three-pronged spear belongs to him. He’s the one that pulled me from the ocean floor. He’s cut and bleeding badly from a wound in his side, blood makes a pool on the sand.
“I’ve never been so glad to see someone before,” I tell him. “Are you okay?”
“They got you bad.” He looks down at me. “And then turned on me. I’ve never seen the sea creatures act like that before. I know these trials are supposed to be difficult, but they almost killed you.”
I stand and brush the sand off my hands. “Dion is badly injured back in the forest. He told me to go ahead. Do you need me to help you?”
“No, Dion’s right. It doesn’t matter which one of us makes it across.” He looks toward the forest. “I’ll go back for him so we get the points.”
“Points?” I thought Dion only wanted me to complete the admission test, but Triton just called this a trial.
“Yeah, mate.” He pushes me down the beach. I stumble from the force of his hand. “Go win the first trial. Do your father proud.”
I start to question—I have so many—but he’s already darted back to the forest. With one last uneasy look at the sea, I go in the direction he shoved me.
There’s little doubt where I’m headed; a tall pink and purple mountain sits in the distance. Lightning crackles overhead. It seems I’m destined to meet all of Apollo’s allies on this journey. Thor would be next.
The judges must want me to learn something in here, or maybe they just want me to quit. Why I’m appearing in the shape of my brother is the most confusing thing of all. I consider all of this while hiking down the rocky trail that leads to the mountain. When I turn the bend, I catch a glimpse of a figure hiding against a ridge. Again, I take my weapon, not afraid to use it a little sooner. The judges obviously aren’t holding back, so neither should I.
I creep to the place I spotted the figure. There’s nothing but the sheer face of the ridge. Looking around, I see no sign of anyone else, although small pebbles slip from the wall, piling into a heap on the ground. I get the distinct feeling I’m not alone.
Willing to test my suspicion, I return to the hiking path but keep my pace slow. There’s a twist in the path ahead, a split around a tree that has grown in the middle. I go to the right and circle around the tree, quickly nocking my bow. I aim to the middle of the empty path, firing the instant I’m even with the tree trunk. The arrow hurtles straight but the air shivers, ripping with sudden movement. My stalker jumps out of the way, only losing a scrap of fabric from his coat.
“Loki!” I shout, realizing how close I was to killing an ally. “What the fuck are you doing? I almost tore out your heart.”
“You’re assuming that I have one.” He winks, but I can tell he’s rattled. “I didn’t know it was you. I’ve been trying to shake Skoll and that wolf for the past hour.”
Unlike Dion and Triton, Loki doesn’t have a scratch on him. Assuming he’s cloaked himself this whole time, no wonder. Legends speak of gods that have shifter abilities, but we aren’t allowed to use them in the Academy. I guess advantages like that are allowed in the Trials.
“I’ve been waiting for you to show up.”
“Why, do you know which way is the finish?” I ask him. He looks to the peaks rising above us. “Over the mountain? I suspected as much.” Another bolt of lightning jags down on the top. “Thor seems to be in the throes of it.”
“Showing off, like usual.” He inspects a hangnail. I can only imagine what I look like, in my form or Apollo’s. Nearly drowned, attacked by a sea creature. My chest hurts from Triton bringing me back from the brink.
“The good news is, I know a shortcut. The others told me to hold back and stay out of the fray to help you get across first.”
“To win the points.”
He notices the confusion in my voice and tilts his head. “Yes. Is there another reason?”
“Can I tell you something?” I ask.
“Yes, while we walk. The wolf will sniff us out if we don’t keep moving.”
I follow him another twenty feet when he shows me a crevice in the mountain. He slips through and I follow, taking my bow off my back in order to squeeze through. The space is tight, muggy and damp. Water trickles down the stone walls, eventually opening into a wider space.
“What did you want to ask?” he asks now we have more room. The path seems to lead under the mountain. The low ceilings make me claustrophobic and the dark corners apprehensive. I’ve been under attack once and saw what the wolf did to Dion. Nowhere here seems safe.
“When you look at me, what do you see?”
Loki’s lips twitch in an amused smile. “Is this a riddle? I thought I was the trickster?”
“No, not a joke.” I grip his arm and make him face me. “What do you see?”