The Messiah [1]

19: Jax

Jax woke to an empty cave. The backpack and Athena were gone. Fury ripped through him, hotter than the sun, but he fought to keep it contained. It would do no good to lose his temper. He took several deep breaths, running his hands through his hair as he stood at the mouth of the cave. The sky above was clear, and as the breeze feathered over his skin, Jax sighed.

What had he expected? Athena had a million reasons not to trust him. Yet knowing that did nothing to stop the hurt rolling through his stomach and sticking in his throat. His entire future had gone up in smoke the minute he had opened her door, and she still didn't think he was trustworthy?

He had almost been shot!

Yet it had all been spur of the moment. One moment he had been pacing his room, the next the alarm was ringing and he was sprinting across the castle. Everything after that was an adrenaline-induced blur. The only things he remembered in clarity was the guards chasing him, and his father's overheard tirade.

Shaking his head, Jax pushed himself to his feet. He straightened so fast his head crashed into the ceiling. Spewing curses, Jax hunched over and stomped out of the cave, his expression thunderous. Growling, he stopped outside the mouth of the cave and stretched his hands high above his head, trying to work the tightness from his back. The mid-morning sun filtered through the canopy of trees above him, immersing his face half in shadows and half in sunlight. Jax let his gaze travel over the small clearing outside of the cave. Wildflowers grew rampant, sprinkling the green with hues of blue and purple. The sight should have been relaxing, reminding him that he should have woken to Athena and the backpack.

But instead the idiot had run off without him.

Does she seriously think she could survive alone? She doesn't even know where she is! Jax sighed, cracking his knuckles and scanning the clearing more critically. Trampled grass and broken branches covered the path most obviously leading away from the castle, making it easy for even a novice like Jax to figure out exactly where she had gone.

Shaking his head in annoyance, Jax set off in pursuit of an ungrateful messiah.

Φ

He found Athena when the sun was setting. Liquid gold poured from the sky, turning Jax's hair a burnished brown. It was growing harder and harder to watch his steps, and he had to focus his attention on his feet instead of the figure bobbing ahead of him. One misplaced footfall and he would be sprawled on his ass, howling and clutching at his foot. He doubted Athena would come back to help him.

Expression petulant, Jax continued to stomp after Athena, shocked when she didn't notice him. How had she expected to survive? When he was only ten or so feet behind her, Jax cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Athena, wait up!"

He watched as the dark-haired figure jerked in shock, head swinging back at the sound of his voice. Jax smirked, breaking into a slow jog to catch up to her before she could break into a run and hurt herself. In fact, Athena didn't move at all. She just stared at Jax, her mouth agape and her eyes as wide as the sun above them.

Jax had planned on cracking a joke about her flight, but the closer he got to the petite girl, the quicker his anger returned. By the time Jax was standing in front of her, he couldn't hear anything beyond the pounding in his ears.

"Why the hell did you run away?" He half-snarled, fisting his hands on his hips.

Athena took a step back, her slack-jawed expression morphing into one of annoyance at his tone. Inside his head, Jax heard a little voice whispering he was being too aggressive, but he ignored it as he continued to stare belligerently down at her.

"What do you mean why did I run away? Are you stupid?" Athena mirrored his stance, planting her feet wide like some superhero, "It took me a while but I realized who you are! What could you possibly gain from helping me?"

Stunned she had figured out his identity as the prince, Jax merely watched her speechlessly, unsure what to say.

"Exactly!" She all but howled, crossing her arms as she stared him down, "If you're looking for information on the rebellion, you're out of luck! I didn't tell your dad anything, and I won't tell you either!"

Athena tipped her chin higher in response, her expression victorious.

Jax's temper exploded.

"I left everything for you!" He shouted, his hands gesticulating violently in an attempt to keep up with his rushed words, "My future has gone up in smoke, all for a girl I don't even know!"

"I didn't ask for any of this!" Athena screamed back as she took a step away, her hands gripping the front of her shirt so tight her knuckles were white, "I didn't ask for green eyes! I didn't ask for my parents to be murdered! I didn't ask for any of this!"

Jax stopped, his breathing labored as he watched Athena. Her small frame was shaking worse than a leaf in a hurricane, and her breathing was so ragged he couldn't keep his anger up. It deflated as fast as it came, and he was left empty and tired as he watched the girl in front of him watch him with fear in her eyes.

"Look." Jax reached out to place his hands on her shoulders, but pulled back when she flinched, "I'm sorry for yelling at you... It's just. I've never done anything like this."

He paused, looking at Athena. She made no move to stop him from spilling his guts, so he continued on, "A couple weeks ago I watched as my father ordered the murder of a...mentor of mine," Jax rubbed his face, trying to push the burning emotions down, "After that, I guess you can say I realized maybe my dad wasn't the greatest guy out there. I don't want to be the king of a divided world - hell, I don't even know what I want to do."

Jax threw his hands up in the air, his rampant emotions making it impossible for him to rationally handle the situation. His mind was a whirlwind of memories. Memories of Basil, Erin, Sierra and even Jasper, the man he'd thought he had known. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice when Athena fell into a brooding silence, her expression unreadable as she watched him. As Jax met her stare, he reflected on how weird their situation was.

Athena's dramatic sigh brought Jax's attention away from his inner musing and back to the present. She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed on him.

"I guess it wouldn't do any harm for us to travel together for a while - but it's not up to me whether or not you can enter the camp. Have you even thought about the fact that you're the prince? I know for a fact no one would be above using you as a hostage." She said, slipping the backpack from her shoulders and tossing it at him.

He caught it with a grunt, unhappy with how unprepared he was. She was right, nothing of that sort had run through his head. Sighing, he fell into step behind Athena as she resumed her slow trek across the open field. He had a lot of thinking to do before he made anymore decisions regarding his future.