Awakening (Book One of the Eklektos Series)

Chapter Twenty Five

Heracles and Achilles had decided to mix things up for a change. When they reached the Colosseum, Kali and her friends saw that the arena was full of different size beams, criss-crossing at various intersections. The lowest was a couple of metres high, and the highest must have been at least fifteen metres off the ground.

Kali was so distracted that she didn't notice Ares approach until he was standing over her. She started, instinctively taking a step back, and looked up at him, expecting his usual sneer. But she was surprised; his features weren't possessive or arrogant. He almost looked nervous. Ares glared at Eliza pointedly and she shrivelled. Without a backwards glace, Eliza dragged Kali's friends to some seats, leaving Kali alone with the God of War.

He drew himself to his full height and cleared his throat. Wincing, Kali braced herself for whatever heavy handed nonsense he was going to spout at her. Maybe he had decided there was a time limit on their deal, and he was going to declare that her reprieve from his advances was over. "So...are you looking forward to the festival?"

Kali blinked twice, staring at him. "Um...what?"

"The new year festival." At her blank expression, he realised she had no idea what he was talking about. He chuckled to himself; she really was single-minded. Shaking his head, he asked "Did you have your head under a rock this last month?"

"I was...distracted?" She paused, wracking her memory. Suddenly, something clicked about his strange behaviour. "Are you...making small talk?"

Ares sighed. It was a long, drawn out, suffering sound. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he grunted "I am trying to be polite."

"Why?" Polite wasn't in his vocabulary. It didn't fit him.

"Sometimes, you can be very difficult." He groaned, rolling his eyes. Without another word, he thrust a staff she hadn't noticed he was holding towards her. He turned and left, not even waiting for her reaction. She fumbled to catch it and watched him leave, baffled by his behaviour. But the staff quickly summoned her attention.

The wood was deep and rich, and it shifted under her hands. The sensation made the weapon seem alive, like it was trying to mould itself to her. Kali's hands trembled slightly, and flames gently licked at her skin. She was startled for a moment and instinctively dropped the staff, pushing the fire back down. She was surprised and relieved to see that the wood was unblemished. Kali frowned, glancing back at Ares' turned back, and picked the staff back up. Once again, she had the strangest sensation that it was adjusting to her grip.

As she shuffled through the crowd to reach her friends, she wondered about the festival. She couldn't recall hearing anything about it. She did keep her head down most of the time, though. Besides, the first month was completely taken up by her desperation to beat Ares.

Just as Kali reached her friends, a hush settled over the arena. As the two Heroes made their way onto the beams, Kali noticed Carl's eyes fix on her new staff. He grimaced, and she shot him a questioning look. Before he could respond, a gong reverberated through the stands and silence fell once more. What followed was something Kali would never forget. The agility of the heroes as they navigated the maze of beams was truly something to behold. So graceful, yet powerful. The way they used the levels against each other and to gain the higher ground, sometimes in the literal sense.

The fight seemed to go on forever. Some way in, Jem muttered "Do they never get tired?"

Kali knew he was directing that question to her, but she could not look away from the spectacle in the ring. Carl and Jem drifted away from their seats at some point, but Tom, Eliza and Kali were transfixed. Heracles and Achilles seemed to have forgotten that they were effectively putting on a show. It wasn't about that. It was about testing themselves and being pushed to the limit. Eventually, even they were slowing slightly. But their fight would not end until one of them touched the ground.