You'll Learn to Love Me

Chapter 74: Capturing a Goddess

Before long, Laylana had various gadgets on her person. She and Frank were receiving lectures about the mechanics, stuff that Laylana could comprehend relatively easily but Frank was a bit more confused. Hazel stared at the stone archway and muttered under her breath. Nothing seemed to change in the big grassy field beyond, but Laylana was sure Hazel had some tricks up her sleeve.

Leo was just explaining to Frank how to avoid getting decapitated by his own Archimedes sphere when the sound of trumpets echoed through the stadium. Nike's chariot appeared on the field, the Nikettes arrayed in front of her with their spears and laurels raised.

"Begin!" the goddess bellowed.

Laylana and Leo sprinted through the archway together. Immediately, the field shimmered and became a maze of brick walls and trenches. They ducked behind the nearest wall and ran to the left. Back at the archway, Frank yelled, "Uh, die, Graecus scum!" A poorly aimed arrow sailed over Leo's head.

"More vicious!" Nike yelled. "Kill like you mean it!"

Leo glanced at her. "Ready?"

Laylana hefted a bronze grenade that Leo gave her. "I hope you labelled these right. I'll have your head if it's wrong, Valdez." She turned forward and yelled, "Die, Romans!" and lobbed the grenade over the wall. BOOM! They couldn't see the explosion, but the smell of buttery popcorn filled the air.

"Oh, no!" Hazel wailed. "Popcorn! Our fatal weakness!"

Frank shot another arrow over their heads. Leo and Laylana scrambled to the left, ducking through a maze of walls that seemed to shift and turn on their own. Laylana could feel her chest tightening as her claustrophobia set in. She could still see the sky, but with the walls closing slightly it made her feel partially trapped. 

Somewhere behind them, Nike yelled, "Try harder! That popcorn was not fatal!"

From the rumble of her chariot wheels, Laylana guessed she was circling the perimeter of the field, taking a victory lap. Another grenade exploded over Laylana and Leo's heads. Laylana shut her eyes tightly as they dove into a trench as the green starburst of Greek fire singed Leo's hair next to her. Fear was bubbling up in her stomach the further she went. Small spaces and fire in the matter of ten seconds? Not really warranted. Fortunately, Frank had aimed high enough that the blast only looked impressive.

"Better," Nike called out, "but where is your aim? Don't you want this circlet of leaves?"

"I wish there were more shadows here." Laylana mumbled. "I could suffocate this bitch."

"Be patient, Queen of Darkness." 

"Don't call me that." Laylana glared at Leo. 

Leo pointed across the field. The walls had shifted, revealing one of the Nikettes about thirty yards away, standing with her back to them. Hazel must be doing her thing – manipulating the maze to isolate their targets.

"I distract," Leo said, "you attack. Ready?"

Laylana nodded, pulling her daggers free. "Go."

She dashed to the left into cover, watching closely as she made her way around the Nikette. Leo pulled a ball-peen hammer from his tool belt and yelled, "Hey, Bronze Butt!" The Nikette turned as Leo threw. His hammer clanged harmlessly off the metal lady's chest, but she must have been annoyed. She marched towards him, raising her barbed-wire laurel wreath.

"Oops." Leo ducked as the metal circlet spun over his head. The wreath hit a wall behind him, punching a hole straight through the bricks, then arced backwards through the air like a boomerang. As the Nikette raised her hand to catch it, Laylana took that as her queue to rush out of the trench, slashing her daggers across the Nikette's back. It collapsed into dust. The metal wreath shot past Leo and embedded in a marble column.