Children of Olympus: Selection.

Chapter 63*

The week went by. I finally got back to training, and I was in heels just as the doctor had planned. I couldn't wait to surprise Zagan and beat the crap out of him, whichever came first.

I also spent a good portion of the week with Angel. Together we made up what we liked to call the dream team. We had made the top four by default. Taylor had asked to leave on Wednesday, and we had all said our goodbyes after that. She had mentioned that she didn't want to deal with the aftermath of the Russian stuff. It had already hit her hard before. She wanted to be with family if it came down hard again.

We weren't on the report that Friday, but I watched from the sidelines. Hazel mentioned the mission, but was very quiet after that. The report wrapped an hour early as Hazel left set with tears in her eyes.

We were all at our wits end by Saturday when the doors to the dining hall burst open during lunch. I looked up, daring to hope. What I found sent chills through me once again.

Frank stood alone in the doorway. He looked good to say he had just been on the war front. He was still in uniform. If you looked closely though, you could see the cut on his cheek and the bags under his eyes.

Hazel raced forward and embraced her husband. The girls weren't far behind. Frank faked a smile and walked with them back to the front. Hazel asked a question that none of us caught, and Frank tensed. He whispered something back to her, but that was as much information we got as Hazel went pale.

"What happened?" I asked, surprised that my voice actually worked.

Frank looked at me. The look in his eyes told me everything, but it wasn't real until he said, "Zagan went missing on the battlefield."

*************************************

An hour later I found myself pacing Frank's office while he sat at his desk looking upset. "Why can't you tell me exactly what happened? Why wasn't there a tracker on him?"

"I can't tell you because I don't know. And there was a tracker on him, but we found it in the rubble. If he was in that building Victoria, he is dead."

I refused to believe it, "Search everywhere around there. There are multiple woods around, and there's a city. Maybe he's injured and seeking refuge somewhere."

"Victoria..."

"We can't just give up. There's got to be a way."

"Victoria..."

"He wouldn't just die. Not like that. He's not stupid."

"Victoria Lia Jackson-" I stopped talking, "I understand that you were close, but understand that he was my son too." The use of the past tense caused me to fall into the chair next to me with my head in my hands. "If there was any possibility that he was alive, I swear we've checked. We can't send anyone back though. We can't risk any other lives."

"Is my family okay?" I muttered, trying to hold back tears.

"They survived too. Your brother is in recovery for the next two days, but it's nothing he won't heal from."

"Is there anything else you can tell me?"

There was a pause, "King Jasper is arriving on Monday. He is picking one of you to be his queen as a final bond to ally all of our countries to France as well. After that you will all be sent home."

I looked up. All I could feel was hurt as I said the next words, "Of course, your majesty."

Frank flinched as I walked out, my heels clicking on the floor. I slid down my door when I got to my room, forcing myself to breathe. This was the kind of mess I got myself into. I tried to do something nice, and I got my brother's best friends, and my, my lover killed, and now I was going to bring the alliance together by marrying a man that I hated. Fate had come full circle to knock the wind out of my sails.

I would be married at eighteen, but not on my birthday and not with my brother. I'd be married to Jasper and Queen of France to be locked in a tower for the rest of my life.