Invictus

Chapter 11 ( Deities and Dumbbells)

APRIL

I swallowed as Hestia slowly made her way to me, pulling her hands out of the gloves she wore.

"You guys planning on standing here and staring?" She placed a firm hand on my back and applied pressure, willing me to move.

"Let's introduce you to everyone" She held my arm, and the flames on it flickered dimly. "You know us" She turned her head in the direction of the  familiar goddesses who smiled and waved . Then steered me the other way.

"This is Hera. Hera, April." She looked at the Blonde. I looked at the Blonde, cookie cutter perfect. Blonde hair, out of this world looks.

"Hi" I managed, my voice cracking all of a sudden "nice to meet you".

You don't get to meet the Queen of Olympus everyday, I ran my hand through my hair, and turned slightly.

Lyanna was talking to Tyger and the other buff male who turned out to be Ares, the frigging god of war.

Hestia introduced me to Persephone, the dark haired beauty, on closer look, I observed she resembled Gaia and had dark dappled flames on her body. She noticed my gaze.

"The mark of high born Hade inhabitants " She gave. She touched my hair and smiled "Be brave, all this fretting will take you nowhere"

I smiled back, and went to change. The others had changed. Tyger had the doors locked and barred. The goddesses stood farther away while we lined up for inspection by Ares.

It felt like a military routine, Ares walked up to Lyanna first, whose face was deadpan as usual. He walked around her, taking in muscle mass and all the other bodybuilding details. A notepad appeared in his hand and he wrote down something. Liu next, then Denise and I cringed inwardly as he strode to me.

He stood in front of me, tipped my chin up. "Keep that up, you hold fire, fire fears no one, fire is all consuming. To control that, You have to be sure of yourself. Fire doesn't burn from wet wood. "

I kept my chin up, like Denise usually did. He asked me to straighten my back. Then proceeded to check pressure points and muscle mass by actually squeezing my biceps. I bit my lip from crying out and looked to Hestia and Persephone. 

She had a hard look in her eyes, shaking her head minutely as if to say, this won't do.

Khione looked nervous, after all she selected us, her nail stuck in between her incisors. I zoned out.

You can do this April, Fire doesn't burn on wet wood.

Exhaling as Ares walked away, muscles moving beneath his taut skin.

"You're all gymnasts? " He asked, his voice a deep rumble.

"Yes, we are" Lyanna gave him a look, relaxing her body slightly.

" This is how it's going to be. Balance, upper body, endurance, battleground tact, power training" He said, " everyday, till you get it right. By then Hepaesthus would be done with your weapons. Then we start all over."

He ushered us into the other room, which was now filled with equipment. My eye caught a raised bar, a collection of feet off his ground and Ares smiled.

" Alright, Flame. You picked it. You'll do the obstacles first"

I sighed and readjusted my braid, walking to the bar. I placed my hands on it, and lifted myself up in a flip, feeling the jolt in my ankle when I landed. The bar allowed me to place my foot in front of the other. I took the next step when a throwing axe whizzed by my face.

What the fuck? I looked at it, in the wall, I turned my head slowly to Ares, who had a grin plastered on his face,

"What the fuck?" I said again.

"Oh calm down, it's not real" He said, fashioning a bow and arrow out of thin air, then shot it at Lyanna, who screamed. The arrow passed through her and she glared at him.

"Nice to see that something ruffles you. Like the occasional earthquake " He laughed, long and heartily "but beware, Flame, sometimes I throw real axes"

I turned away and focused on the bar, are all Greek deities assholes?,

"No, not all" Hera answered. Giving me a small smile. Liu stood beside her, pale and small.

I heard the next blade before I even saw it, falling into a full split as it passed over my head, that would have hit my ribs.

The flames on my hands, flickered. I placed my hands on either side of the bar and swung my feet off the bar, turning and flipping as arrows whizzed by me, I was close to the end of the bar. I bent and contorted my body and as I leapt for the dismount, an arrow caught me in the ankle. Tyger helped me down and pulled out the arrow, stemming the glow of blood from the hole.

"What was that for?" Lyanna screamed at him, walking up to him and poking him in the shoulder, he looked unfazed.

"It shows, Earthquake, that every now and then you will take a hit"

Liu and Denise stood over me while Hera healed me.

"From the enemy, not her bloody drill master" She returned, Hestia had a small smile tugging at her lips " and my name is Lyanna "

"Alright, Lyanna , you go on the bar next" He turned and walked to me " you okay?"

"Well, I just got hit by the god of war, so I suppose I'm honored" I said, sarcastically.  

" nothing personal,just business "He smiled and pulled me up " Let's see how Earthquake does"

"It's Lyanna" She called from the bar, her hands fisted at the side. Hestia and Persephone were chuckling. Tyger was setting up the next set of obstacles.

Lyanna walked on the bar, her face set in a grimace, one foot before the other. Ares had a throwing axe in his hand. He shook it and as she was about to place her foot, he threw it at her. Then something happened, she turned to face us and caught the axe by the blade, blood spurting down her arm. She placed it in her right hand and threw the axe right back, it landed in the junction  of Ares shoulder and neck.

He looked stunned, pulling it out of his shoulder. Khione's eyes were wide, her hands over her mouth. Lyanna bounded off the bar, landed on her ankles and padded towards Hera for her healing. Denise and Liu shared a look. As did Ares and Hera.

And in that one moment, I knew she was our leader.

Denise and Liu went on the bar together, at Hera's suggestion. Water and air went along well.

They went on the defensive, Liu deflected all the arrows while Denise made an Ice Shield.

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That's Hera, or what she would look like.