The New Demigods

Chapter 14: The Tournament

When the pillow case was removed from my head, I was kneeling in the woods. My heart was pounding in my chest as I looked around to see that we were in a clearing, lit by torches; I had not been dragged for too long, so I knew it must have been the woods behind the houses in Olympus. Horace, Scarlett and Piper were lined up beside me also on their knees, clearly dragged against their will the same way I had been.

Our captors stood in a circle around us, all wearing white togas and wooden masks covering their faces. After looking around the full circle, counting 12 masked figures in total, I realized they were the other Demigods we had been brought to Olympus with.

"What the fuck is going on?" Horace questioned, with a hint of fear in his voice that I only recognized after a month of being together.

"Outcasts, we've brought you here for a friendly game," announced the figure directly in front of us. I recognized the lightning scarring covering his body and knew it was Zeus's Demigod.

"In what world is kidnapping people with a pillow case over their head friendly?" Asked Piper, more angry than scared. The majority of the masked Demigods shifted uncomfortably looking at one another, except Zeus's and the two on either side of him.

"Silence, outcast!" Demanded an aggressive Demigod to the right of Zeus's.

"Our quest approaches tomorrow, and we will all be tested by the Gods," announced Zeus's Demigod. "We have all trained for 30 days, proving ourselves. Except you four, you have been left to train to yourselves, thought to be discarded from Mount Olympus. Now you must prove yourselves worthy to join us in battle." Horace, Piper, Scarlett and I all looked at one another uncomfortable with where he was going. "You will face us all in 4 vs 4 duels and if you prevail, we will face tomorrow's quest together." We were shocked by this proposition, it had been told to us since arriving in Olympus that we would face the quest together. Could they really decide to abandon us? After all of the resistance we'd faced from Hera, it didn't seem out of the question for us to be deserted by the Gods of Olympus.

"Hailie, the weapons!" Demanded the aggressive Demigod who appeared to be second in command to Zeus's. Hailie brought out a cloth bag of wooden weapons and dropped them at our feet. I recognized Hailie by the burn marks that covered her body and knew she was Hephaestus's Demigod. The bag had 4 swords, 4 shields, 1 dagger and 1 bow with arrows.

"Well this is familiar," mumbled Scarlett, picking up the wooden dagger and shield. We agreed that Horace would take the bow and each picked up a sword and shield. The weapons were slightly better quality than what we had in the gymnasium, looking like they were freshly carved, but still seemed dull enough to only leave bruises instead of break skin.

"First, you must face the madness of Dionysus, through his tribute, David!" Zeus's Demigod announced the other Demigods as if they were famous sports stars. David stepped into the ring with us, holding a wooden sword and shield. I recognized him as 'barf boy', the boy I sat next to during the first day's breakfast. He lifted his wooden mask to rest on his curly hair and seemed determined, training had made him much more toned than I remembered him.

"Alongside him, the beauty of Aphrodite, Alanna." Alanna stepped into the ring with a wooden dagger ready and a large shield. Her brown skin glowed in the torchlight and when she removed her mask, it was clear what Aphrodite had seen in her.

"With the power of the moonlight and her arrows, you are challenged by the tribute of Artemis: Akari." Akari stepped forward, removing her mask to reveal a scowl before loading an arrow into her bow.

"And the final tribute of the first round, a representative of nature itself," immediately the Outcasts turned to me, looking betrayed. "Dakotah! Fighting on behalf of Demeter." I heard a sigh of relief from my friends, as Dakotah stepped forward removing her mask.