“Sorry, I thought you might want this.”
I squint at Loki, who holds up a small shield, the sight filtered through a hazy darkness caused by the blinding.
Fucker.
“I don’t use shields!” I call.
The sun bounces off the metal again and I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to stop losing my eyesight altogether.
“How about your hammer, then?”
“What?” I snarl and open them again.
Loki holds my hammer up in both hands, the ornate silver handle and huge, square head illuminated by the sun. “I am Thor, see me roar!” he calls out, then chuckles.
Nobody touches Mjolnir. Ever.
Oblivious to Artemis, I stride over to Loki and snatch the hammer from his hands, before shoving him in the chest. Loki slips from the bench and lands ass-first in the sawdust.
He pushes hair from his face and looks up from his prone position. “What’s the big deal, Thor? It’s only a war-mace.”
Huh? I stare down at the weapon in my hand, a lightweight mace with a wooden handle and crude metal head. Not Mjolnir but a practice weapon from the rack.
The douche tricked me. I grit my teeth. “How did you do that?”
“Do what?” Loki’s face holds well-practiced innocence.
I almost say tricked me, but the words aren't necessary. Blinding me with sunlight then causing an illusion? Typical fucking Loki behavior. Instead, I throw the mace to one side and turn back to Artemis.
She’s a poor opponent if she didn’t take advantage of that distraction.
Artemis stands in fighting pose, body coiled and arms in front of her as she watches me through keen eyes. I’ve been nice, but I’m pissed now. Let’s get this over with. Now. I take a deep breath and exhale some of my anger.
“You ready to go again, Artemis?”
Her response is a smile as cunning as Loki’s.
I stride over to seize her again, telling myself when I throw her to the floor, I’ll be gentle. Sure, she’ll have some bruises, but she’ll be fine. In a quick move, I seize her around her neck and turn her around. I barely have a moment to notice how easily her soft body fits against mine before she elbows me in the solar plexus. The pain crushes way more than it should and I lose my concentration, just as she stomps on my foot. I move to hold her around the waist, eyes watering and breath short. Fine, she can try her self-defense but she isn’t strong enough against me.
Artemis pulls at my fingers, dragging them up far enough I swear she’ll break them. Holy shit. How can she do that? Nobody lasts more than two seconds in a wrestling match and she’s moving my fingers like they’re a baby’s.
“Let me go or my next move will hurt like a bitch,” she hisses.
Artemis shifts as I try harder to hold on and she moves her leg upward and behind, dangerously close to carrying out her threat.
By now, Loki has approached and stands, arms crossed, watching the spectacle with glee. “No, don’t kick him in the balls, you might cause him brain damage.”
“True,” she replies and drops her move with a smirk.
I smile at her backing down and giving me an advantage—a split second before her elbow collides with my nose.
“Fuck!” I drop my grip and touch my face with sore fingers. Blood spots my fingers and I stare in disbelief. “I should’ve easily held you. What happened?”
“I told you I was too agile for you.” Artemis practically bounces up and down with glee. “Do I win?”
I clench my jaw and look to Loki, who picks something up from the floor. Something large and leather with a buckle shaped like a goat’s head.
“Your belt fell off,” Loki says.
“No, I tightened it.” But the proof is in front of me, in Loki’s hands.
“Like I said, told you I was agile.” Artemis wriggles her fingers at me. “Victoria once told me I’d make an excellent pickpocket.”
“You bastard!” I shout at Loki. He stumbles as I jab a finger into his chest. “Why did you do that? You made me look like a weak idiot!”
Loki, as always in these situations, says nothing.
Without looking at anybody else, I snatch my belt from the ground and stride across the arena toward the academy. The fury filling my stomach grows as Dion’s laughter carries after me.
Fine. Artemis won this time, but it won’t happen again.
And next time I won’t be easy on her.
“Beaten by a girl, Thor?” I look around sharply at Eros’s smirking face. He stands in the shade, resting his large frame against a pillar, arms crossed. The cut from Artemis’s knife still mars his cheek.
Fucking great. He was watching? How much did he see?
“I had to let her win,” I lie. “Allow her some confidence for the Trial.”
“Sure you did.” He steps forward. “I bet she’s easy, and we’ll all find out how easy.”
I narrow my eyes at his double-meaning. “You have a cut on your ear from insulting her and you think winning against Artemis will be easy? Think again. Put it this way, I’m glad she’s on our side.”
“On your side? There aren’t any sides. Only one of us can win, Thor. I bet she’s counting on you all treating her with kid gloves, then she’ll stab you all in the back for her own gain. Probably literally.”
He’s lying about taking sides. We both know there are two groups here—two schools of thought and huge rivalries. I don’t know what will happen when this comes down to the wire and one of us five allies needs to win, but at the moment we’re fixated on ensuring it’s not Eros and his gang.
“Women are underhanded. Dangerous. Surely you don't want an academy and society dominated by the likes of her.” He steps forward, in my face. “I won’t let that happen. I bet Artemis doesn’t even pass the entry trial.”
I smirk back. “She’s already in, Eros. I heard you came out blubbering like a girl and barely passed when you took the entrance trial. Looks like she’ll easily wipe the floor with you.”
He sneers. “You mean like she just did with you.”
I straighten and watch him silently, refusing to react to any more of his goading. “Why are you here? What’s the sudden interest?”
“Just sizing up the competition, and judging by that pathetic display, I have nothing to worry about competing against you.”
“Fuck you.”
With a sly smile, he stalks away, and I’m more pissed now about losing to Artemis than I was before.
Loki is testing my patience, and if he isn’t careful, I’m going to end up punching him. What’s wrong with him? Yeah, the guy has issues and I’ve heard mocking accusations he’s not right in the head, but I swear he’s played more devious tricks recently. Interestingly, these are mostly against those entering the Trials, and as usual, Loki denies he did anything.
Loki told us he doesn’t give a crap that he failed the entrance test for the Trials, but is he telling the truth? I’m beginning to wonder.
27
LOKI
Jotunheim.
I stare at my shoes, attempting to rein in the emotion swirling around my head. Anger. Frustration. Panic.
The next Trial will be held in the land of the giants. Not only are they my father’s sworn enemies, but I lived there as a child. A childhood people won’t let me forget: I’m Loki, the dark child of giants, now sitting at Odin’s table with his perfect, golden son.
Loki, who can’t be trusted. Who shouldn’t be a god.
I’m not competing, but the judges know that I’m allied with and helping my friends. I’ll accompany them for support. Is someone trying to come between us by reminding the gods who I am?
After the judges announced the next Trial to the competitors, I pulled Thor to one side and asked him not to bring up the past. We don’t talk about my early years much, and I don’t want it focused on now. Thor looked at me and didn’t speak before walking away.
Is he still pissed about the sparring match with Artemis yesterday? The guy needs to lighten up and stop being such an arrogant prick. I’m sick to death of his ’I’m going to win’ attitude. I thought it would help if I brought him down a peg or two.