The Messiah [1]

9: Jax

Athena was like a cornered mountain lion, proud and willing to rip your throat out the minute your concentration slipped. Jax had noticed the old scars webbing her neck, and the fresh lacerations on her wrists. But despite the obvious wounds, she'd looked at him as regally as a queen – her deep green eyes fathomless. Jax cursed himself for his own stupidity; he'd gone to her like a child expecting a history lesson – and she'd thrown his own idiocy right back in his face.

Before Athena's arrival, the war had seemed like such a separate entity. Of course he'd known it was going on – but he'd been so detached from the actual battles, it was as if all of the information was coming through a bad filter. Now, the war was all Jax could think about. His deeply-rooted sense of empathy was keeping him awake at night – tossing and turning as he thought of Athena's initial fear when he'd entered the room. She was smaller than his younger sister, and probably as weak, yet she'd tensed as if ready to take him on. How could she live a life where such small things were viewed with a fight or flight response? What horrors had she seen; or participated in?

There was no way Athena could be the downfall of everything they knew. She was too real – and in a world Jax was slowly beginning to realize he knew nothing about, Athena was just a scared girl. Her eyes were the deepest green had had ever seen, and the raw fear in her eyes would haunt him for years. With eyes like that, there was no doubt. Athena was the messiah – but did that inherently mean she was evil?

"Jax! Come play with me!"

The words carried to him on a faint breeze, bringing a smile to Jax's face and shoving his dark thoughts to the back of his mind. Sierra raced down the hallway, her hands held out like wings. She was blowing air out of her mouth, trying to mimic the sounds of an airplane as she ran toward him. Jax bent over, scooping Sierra up and tossing her into the air. He laughed as she screamed, catching her and cradling her against his chest.

"Again, again!" she giggled.

Sierra clutched Jax's shirt, swinging her legs wildly. One of the kicks went wrong and landed just below his rib cage and he winced. Jostling Sierra until she was wrapped under one arm and facing downward, Jax growled. "Jeez Sierra, you always kick me there."

"I didn't mean to!" she pouted.

"You always say that."

"But I didn't! I swear!"

"There you are, your majesty!" came an unfamiliar voice behind Jax.

A maid bustled around the corner, her hands on her round hips. Her expression was stern, but Jax could see amusement lurking in her eyes as she spotted Sierra. It was hard to dislike his little sister; she was just too sweet. But the maid froze when she spotted Jax, her expression blanking. Jax shot the maid a wink; chuckling when she blushed.

"Sierra, please tell me you didn't run away from your studies again." Jax sighed. "Do you want dad to be mad?"

Jax swung Sierra forward, catching her legs so he was holding her princess style. She avoided looking him in the eye, a sure sign she had indeed run away from her maids. Jax sighed, then placed her on the ground, one hand resting on her shoulder.

"I don't like my studies! They're so booooring." Sierra whined, pouting up at him.

"I know they're boring." Jax smiled, squatting so they were at eye level, "Since they're so boring, how do you feel about going to the field with me?"

A radiant smile lit up Sierra's face, and she squealed as she threw herself at Jax, her thin arms wrapping around his neck. Laughing, Jax stood, lifting her off the ground. So what if they skipped their studies for the day – Jax needed a moment of peace to combat his heavy heart.