“Nothing,” says Thor, and dumps the towel on the floor beside him. “Thanks, Artemis, but we found something to bandage Triton’s leg.”
Hmm. I’m unsure what bothers me most about earlier: the encounter with Thor, or Loki’s reaction. I sit and look over at Triton, whose leg is outstretched with a makeshift bandage tied around. “Are you okay?” I ask.
Triton tears meat between his teeth and nods. “Yeah. As long as we make it back to the Academy early tomorrow. I think it might need stitching.”
Blood soaks through white material tied tightly around his leg. “I can do that if we find a needle and thread.”
Triton chokes on his meal. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Are you sure? I’ve done it before. The women in the village would mend each other’s wounds.”
“Is that how you got those ragged scars on your back?”
The room is silent at the comment, which means they all noticed. I swallow and shake it off. “Do you want me to take a look?”
His face sours. “I said, I’m okay.”
“Don’t try and help Triton with anything. He doesn’t like it,” puts in Dion.
“Even if he might bleed to death?” I ask.
“I won’t bleed to death.”
“Suit yourself.” Loki hands me meat and bread on a plate. “By the way, there are spare clothes upstairs. Since you think I’ll lose control around your irresistible bodies, it might be wise to dress before the madwoman savages you.” I punctuate my sentence by ripping a piece of meat with my teeth.
Dion’s laughter breaks the tension, as he always seems to, and I smile gratefully. I know he’s a party boy, a lover of women and wine in abundance, but I’m relaxed when he’s around. He can be crude and immature, but he’s kind and has the knack to put everybody around him at ease. I’m happy he’s here to diffuse the situation.
I sit beside him. “I’m surprised you don’t have wine to go with this.”
“Well...” He leans down and grabs his pack.
“Seriously?” asks Triton. “I thought you said you only brought essentials.”
“Great job, mate!” Thor beckons him to throw the pack. “What did you bring?”
“Just the one canteen, unfortunately.” Thor’s face falls. “This is Ceretanum wine. Strong enough to warm us all up!”
I know the mood in the room is about to lift.
23
ARTEMIS
After too little dinner and too much wine, my cheeks heat and I become sentimental about what we’re doing here—the importance of these Trials. Watching my allies support one another after the fiasco of getting lost bolsters my desire to connect with these men. My goal is to form the same bond my brother felt when he placed his life in the hands of these men. Being a team player has never been my strong suit, but now is a time for change, and I realize that playing to win is important, but it’s also equally important that our enemies lose.
While rummaging through the room’s cabinets, Loki found a box and smiled in delight. Now he, Thor, and Dion sit around the table playing Petteia. The long, rectangular board game sits between the men, each focusing on their chosen color of smooth, circular stones in black or white.
“Man, are you sure you don’t want to play?” Dion says to Triton. “I’m sick of watching Loki make a fool of Thor again and again. He needs some real competition.”
“No thanks. I’ll save my embarrassment of you all for another day.” His words slur and it’s obvious he drank too much in an effort to mask the pain of his leg.
“Artemis?” Dion asks. He’s been begging me to join them, preferably playing while I sat on his lap for the last hour. I’m not a fan of board games.
“No thank you,” I say, taking Triton’s inebriation as an opportunity to check on his injury.
I sit next to him on the couch. “I found some alcohol upstairs and a roll of bandages, can I look at your wound?”
He makes a face but relents, pulling the makeshift bandage away from his leg. It looks worse than it is, a jagged red line. I pour a bit of alcohol on the cloth and clean the wound.
Triton flinches, his jaw tightening from the sting, and I pat his hand in sympathy.
“Thank you,” he says. “I was being an ass earlier.”
“It’s okay. I think we’re all going to have to learn to trust one another.”
I finish and clean up the supplies, listening closely as the men strategize their game play.
Loki notices me watching them. “Artemis?”
“I’m thinking about the trial. It’s my first one, you know, other than the admission test. Is there anything you can tell me about it?”
Thor glances at me. “You know we don’t know the specifics.”
“No, I know that. I wanted to know if you could provide me with any more information about the other team—the ones we want to beat.”
“Ah,” Loki says. “You want to know their weaknesses.”
“And their strengths.”
He moves two more stones on the board and smiles at the frown tugging at Thor’s lips. The mountain god shoves the board away, knocking the pieces over. At least it’s good to know he’s always a sore loser and not just with me. He crosses his magnificent arms and spares me a glance. “Despite what you may think about Eros, Adonis, and Skoll, they are not our enemies.”
“Well, maybe Skoll. He’s a prick,” Dion says. Triton nods in agreement.
“Skoll is Hati’s brother, correct?” I ask.
“He escorted you from your home, didn’t he?” Thor asks.
“He helped me with some basic information when I first arrived. Fulla filled me in on the rest.”
Dion laughs. “I’m sure she had nothing positive to say.”
“No, not really.”
“Hati and Skoll are brothers, but couldn’t be more different. Hati is a paper-pusher and ass-kisser. Not exactly evil—just not the kind of god you’d choose to align yourself with socially or academically,” Loki says. “Skoll, on the other hand—”
“Is terrible,” Dion interrupts. “He’s petty and mean and is a huge-ass cheater—worse than Loki.”
“Hey!” Loki sounds offended but his expression remains proud. I shake my head. “Although, Dion’s right. Be careful of him.”
“What about Adonis?” The men grow quiet. Apollo had mentioned in his journal they’d all once been friends. “Is there a problem?”
Loki finally explains. “Adonis is a solid guy but he picked the wrong team. Family obligations.”
“What do you mean?”
“Two summers ago, the Academy required the students to choose majors,” Triton says. “Politics, law and justice, governmental oversight, or economics are the primary choices. This decision included housemates and social companions for the rest of our time in the school. Adonis picked the political track along with Eros and Skoll. It was an expectation by his family.”
“And this divided you?”
“We’re separated by our majors. We rarely see Adonis outside the dining hall. For him to make the contacts he needed for the future, he had to make friends.”
“And ditch us,” Dion says.
“Adonis is incredibly athletic,” Triton says. “Don’t underestimate him in the Trials. Skoll is devious. Eros looks dumb as a brick but he’s got the mind of a military commander. He’s strategic.”
I nod. “This is all very helpful.”
Loki settles his eyes on me. “Tells us, Artemis, what is your biggest weakness?”
“My weakness?” The question throws me, but I’m willing to play. “I’m competitive to an extreme. As well as impatient.”
“That’s two things.” Dion smiles. “You gave us a bonus. Do you want to know ours?”
I laugh. “Oh, I’ve already figured them out.”
“Have you now?” Thor asks, leaning his elbows on the table.
“Yes. You’re stubborn and refuse to believe anyone can do the job as well as you can, Thor. You rush into things, too quickly, and often put the larger mission at risk.”
Loki’s face splits into a wide smile before he howls with laughter.
“What about him?” Thor says, jerking his thumb at his brother.
I study the slim man across the table. His eyes still sparkle with laughter. “You’re impulsive. But not like me. You see an opening, get an idea and run with it, despite if it’s good or bad.”