Hades // Brain // Outfit // Hex #262f26
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Apollo // Special // Outfit // Hex #21b794
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Ares // Brawn // Outfit// Hex #FF0000
Wesley Tate was not a man who smiled often, at least not with genuinely gentle intent. His smiles were a mask, meant to tightly conceal any true emotion, or highly calculated to elicit the correct response from those around him. Wes was not a sloppy person, and unchecked displays of emotion were just that. Watching Lux lip sync in his arms though, alive, and unabashed, and completely open was like a sirenâs call that Wes couldnât ignore. Hers was a kind of beauty he found hard to define, which was yet another thing about Lux that left Wes feeling like he was wading through uncharted territory. What he was sure of however, was that he didnât want this song to end. In that moment, with her arms around his shoulders, Wes felt his lips turn up ever so slightly, lids lowered into something soft and unguarded. And then Seb arrived.
At first, Wes was too stunned with disbelief to react. Besides the fact that his best friend had just stepped on his toes romantically, (a cardinal sin between two friends whoâd chased as much tail as they had) riling up a teammate like that the night before the Agon was deeply stupid. Seb was many things, but he wasnât an idiot. Why he was trying to sabotage their team now, Wes wasnât sure, but it needed to fucking stop. Before he had time to mitigate any of the damage however, Seb hurled one final insult, and Lux stormed off toward the lake. Wes moved to go after her, but was intercepted be Seb before he made it more than two steps. What his friend had to say did little to stop the churning anger in his gut that Wes was doing his best to keep a lid on.
He and Seb had always been different, though complimentary. He knew who Seb was, the peacock nature, chameleon sensibilities, and Wes had never faulted him for that. In this moment however, listening to him lord a sense of supposed superiority over Lux by reason of mere circumstance of birth, Wes felt nothing bust distaste for howâŠshallow Seb sounded. Wes did believe in a pecking order of superiority. Some people were born with talent, grit, or an indomitable will that helped them claw their way to the top. Heâd built their team from those very values, but the idea that being born to excess was somehow the deciding factor was ridiculous to Wes.
âI have too much respect for both your prides to think an apology would undo any of the damage you just did, but I had better never hear you call her that word again.â Wes didnât raise his voice, he didnât need to with Seb. Theyâd known each other long enough to recognize when the other was deathly serious.
âWho I dance with is my business, regardless of the quantity.â Gently, he extracted his arm from the brunette half of Sebâs entourage, and rejecting the drink as well with a swift kiss to her hand. âIâm afraid I have a prior engagement this evening my dear, but I leave you in most capable hands.â The words were for the girl, but his eyes didnât break contact with Sebâs until he turned and walked toward the lake.
Lux was clearly agitated when Wes finally caught sight of her again, and he slowed his approach with deliberately heavy footfalls so that she would hear him coming. Besides the fact that it was profoundly stupid to sneak up on a warrior of Luxâs skill, Wes understood the link between pride and composure. If Lux didnât want him to see something, sheâd have time to put her game face on before he got to her. What exactly he was going to say, Wes wasnât sure. He hated not having a plan of attack, but he was beginning to grow used to this general lack of footing where she was concerned. âSebâs an ass.â He began simply, more statement of truth than apology. Seb had a mean streak that was a marvelous tool in their defense, but was rough to be on the receiving end of. Lux knew who she was getting into bed with when she signed on to this team, but as the teamâs all but official leader, it was his job to make sure she was okay. That was most certainly the only reason heâd comeâŠhe was almost convinced of that. âI doubt heâll stop being an ass where youâre concerned. I wouldnât have recruited you on this team though, if I thought you were trashâŠand I definitely wouldnât have let you name it.â Wes finished with the ghost of old disgruntlement. He had no idea if those words were the right ones to comfort her or not, Wes was rarely sure of anything where Lux was concerned, but it was the best he had for the moment.
***
As dazed as she was, Maya wasnât sure just when Joaquin showed up, but she was grateful for his presence none the less as he and Ace helped haul her off the dance floor. The cool night air was both soothing and overwhelming, as suddenly a coconut bra and island girl get up felt far too inadequate to fight off the chill. âThanks.â Maya bit out, taking the water Joaquin offered and took small sips. As much as sheâd like to gulp the whole thing down, Maya knew better, and really didnât feel like puking it back up on somebodyâs shoes.
âIâm not sure.â Maya answered honestly after a moment. Her visions were rarely clear cut, usually more visual metaphor than anything concrete. Some things in them were fixed, events already set in motion, but there were always variables at play. A kaleidoscope of possibilities to be parsed through made an interpreter of the vision more important as the vision itself. It didnât help that accurate readers were rare, and a misinterpreted vision could often do more harm than good. While Maya was considered somewhat gifted in this area, the pressure to produce good intel felt crushing.
It wasnât until Ace slipped his hand in hers that Maya felt she could breathe again, and she squeezed back while taking comfort in his reassuring warmth. âItâs dangerous to speculate, but there was a lot of bloodâŠand my father was involved.â Those details alone were concerning, but they didnât tell them anything conclusive. An obvious conclusion, was that it was a warning of death, likely for herself or one of her siblings, but that was a rabbit hole Maya knew better than to jump down. If she was fated to die tomorrow, there wasnât much she could do about it. Greek literature was littered with the tragedies of those who tried to defy the fates, and the results were never good. Floating that particular suspicion would only upset her team mates, and none of them could afford to be distracted tomorrow.
âIt looked like some kind of temple, stone, tight quarters, nothing to identify it though from the inside.â Maya listed off pertinent details as clinically as possible, trying to distance herself from the gore sheâd seen.
***
Abby could practically see Caldenâs eye twitch as Ryan chimed in, and any hope Lottie had of deescalating the situation died as Cal began cracking his knuckles. It was a bit of a tell really, a habit Abby had picked up on from their matches in class. The son of Zeus wasnât looking to pull any punches tonight, which was bad news for Abby since he outclassed her when it came to pure physical strength. Not by much granted, but enough to be a mark in his favor. Luckily, Abby edged him out in the speed department, and despite her close proximity to a perfectly good bottle of whiskey, she remained annoyingly sober. Going by smell, Cal was not.
âYou know, I was going to wait until tomorrow to do this, but fuck it! Why wait?!â Calâs grin was all teeth, as he lunged forward fist first. Abby barely had time to push Ryan to the side and out of the line of fire, but it was a good thing she had since the impact of the hit to her middle sent her sliding back a good five feet, dirt tracks in the grass carved out in her wake. If she hadnât been a child of Ares, Abby was pretty sure sheâd have some broken ribs. As it was, she was probably going to have a seriously nasty bruise, and she coughed doubled over while trying to regain her breath. If there was blood in the spittle she spat out, Abby ignored it.
âIâm gonna grind you down to where you belong, under my boot! Maybe Iâll even let you up once you lick it clean!â Cal didnât let up, trying to follow up with a knee aimed toward her face, but Abby dodged to the left at the last second and let his own momentum carry him forward and off balance. His guard down, Abby pivoted before driving her foot up and into his gut like she was punting a football. If her opponent had been mortal, that would have been game over, but it only winded Cal. Seizing upon the momentary advantage, Abby connected a quick upper cut to his face, (Cal would definitely be sporting a nice shiner tomorrow morning.) then latched hold of his arm and launched him toward the bar. Luckily everyone had scattered pretty quickly, as Cal crashed into it with enough force to leave it a virtual pile of rubble.
âStick to grunting asshole, your smack talk sucks.â Abby ground out as she straitened back up. A fighter of Calâs caliber wouldnât be down for long, and she shifted into a guard stance as she waited for the next onslaught that would inevitably come. Sure enough, Cal began digging himself out of the rubble, and launched himself at her again.
âENOUGH!â A crisp British voice boomed out, and suddenly Cal was suspended in mid-air, surrounded by some kind of crimson essence. It might have been funny, watching him dangled motionless like that spewing profanity, except Abby couldnât move either. That realization was like a bucket of ice water being dropped on her, Abbyâs muscles tensing painfully as she struggled to hang on to any semblance of reason.
âCool it you two, save it for tomorrow!â A much more feminine voice chimed in. Whatever Abby had expected to end this fight, it wasnât the sudden appearance of Mr. Holden and Miss McKinney walking through some kind of portal.
âHonestly, you two couldnât leave each other be for one evening?â Mr. Holdenâs tone of voice was aggrieved, but there was an intensity to his gaze that Abby found unsettling. She wanted to hit him, jerk away, gain some distance, anything but stay frozen here like some kind of rag doll. Everyoneâs intentions felt sinister to Abby when she was restrained. âVery disappointing.â
âMerrickâŠâ Miss McKinney warned with a quick glance at Abby. As the school counselor, June knew better than most that this was the wrong form of punishment for that particular student.
âRightâŠyes of course.â Mr. Holden agreed languidly walking forward, and with a lingering pat to her head, the red essence reseeded from Abby. Instinctively, she shot back, needing space to collect herself. Cal was also released, hitting the ground with an unceremonious âoomphâ, before Miss McKinney pulled him up. âI think youâve had enough for one evening.â She drawled with a frown. Cal still looked pissed, and heâd be a pain to deal with tomorrow, but he knew better to try anything now that teachers were involved. So instead, he stalked off toward the dorms with as much dignity as he could muster.
âCampus patrol is sweeping by in an hour, I suggest you all arenât here when they arrive.â Mr. Holden announced like a question, once again their jovial, if eccentric, Arcane studies teacher.