Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Peach
Poison – David Kushner
T he dress hides nothing. Absolutely. Nothing. I had kept my underwear under it, but the second I walked into this place and saw how the other women were dressed, I knew to take them off.
It wasn't hard to figure out where to go. Daedalus built a labyrinth, and the Stoneview Country Club has a maze as their logo, even though I don’t believe they have one. When I showed up with the invite and the dress under my trench coat, I was taken to this building, separated from the main club. The resemblance to a Greek temple told me I was in the right place, and as soon as I passed the Doric columns, someone opened the door for me. I'd never been here, never seen it, and mainly, had no idea of the kinds of things happening here.
Half an hour later, I'm surrounded by a couple dozen women who are dressed exactly like me, holding invites, most of them not even wearing shoes. There’s a mix of excitement and anxiety moving thickly through the air, created by giggles, stressed huffs, and awkward smiles. It's clear some of us wanted nothing more than to be here, some aren't sure it's a good idea, and I wonder how many are like me, forced to attend or else…
The paintings of different scenes from the Iliad and The Odyssey cover the maroon walls, and in-between each painting, there's a statue of a Greek god or goddess. It feels like I've been looking at them forever when someone guides us through another room. A man at the door asks for our invitations and he stares at mine for a moment longer.
Looking at me again, he says, "Hyperion, huh? You better run fast, girl." Is that pity I hear in his voice? He looks all the way to my feet and mumbles, "Take off your shoes." Then he coughs to hide it some more before showing me inside with his right hand.
I move along, taking off my shoes before crossing a long room and following the other women through double doors that lead to a garden.
In front of us, trimmed grass extends farther than I can see, the rest of it being hidden by the night. As everyone walks forward and toward the blackness that feels like a void, men in black suits walk between us. Every time they see a woman with her shoes on, they order her to take them off and drag them to the back of the cortege. The grass is soft, almost like walking on a cushion, but the anxiety makes my entire body tighten, and my jaw aches from gritting my teeth.
I'm stuck. Stuck and scared.
I replied to Hermes before leaving the house. I asked them what they wanted. I angrily typed I would find out who they are and out them to the entire college. And I got nothing in response. This is their game, and they're playing it by their rules, whenever they want. No answer from them meant the threat was hanging over my head.
Little murderer.
I weighed everything as I watched the clock. Would I really be in trouble if someone found that picture? Could Hermes go that far? Am I truly willing to put my life in the hands of the Silent Circle when my very own best friend told me not to go to the initiations under any circumstance? But what else? Prison? At least if this society is as powerful as Ella mentioned, then they could protect me from the law, from Hermes.
We stop in front of the walls of a maze. They're so gigantic they make the entrance look as small as the door to Wonderland. My eyes observe the many men all dressed in black suits lining up with chalices in their hands, and I wonder…what does their protection cost?
And why does Hermes want me here so badly?
I pull the strands of hair I realize I'm chewing on out of my mouth and look around. This is it. There's no going back, is there?
I struggle to tell myself tonight might be the night I become a sex toy for rich men or forced to…marry? Date? I don't know, and the ignorance is the worst. How many women here were told the truth about what is meant to happen and the consequences?
All I want is to see a familiar face, someone who can explain something to me, but mainly reassure me that this is all a big, unserious joke.
I'm given exactly what I want when my eyes cross Chris's. I feel a wave of strength taking over me, and I'm about to take a step forward when he shakes his head subtly. He's wearing an all-black suit, his face set into a scowl, and he's holding a chalice. Like all the other men around here, he's got a signet ring around his pinky finger, and I understand it's because they've all initiated.
Which begs the question…where are all the men initiating? The ones the women around me are here for.
Men like Wren. Because I know that's what he was talking about earlier, and if I see him here, he better give me a fucking explanation.
It’s a struggle to listen to Chris's silent warning telling me to stay where I am, but I have no choice when a man I've known since I was a little girl steps forward.
Eugene Duval. Achilles's father.
Betrayal slices through my gut. They all know, are all in on it. I have no doubt that if Eugene is here, Achilles knows about this society. Chris is a member.
And Wren… Where the fuck is Wren?
The only thing cutting through the highway of my thoughts going a hundred miles per hour is Eugene's calm voice.
"Ladies." His welcoming smile holds something terrifying, making me feel like a lamb being readied for the slaughter. "I am honored to welcome you to the yearly initiation into our community. Within this circle, you may call me Zeus, as I am your president. There’s no higher authority than me."
I swallow thickly, wondering what kind of power he holds to wield it with so much pride. If this society is truly that powerful…does that make Achilles's dad a god? The Duvals have always had power within our community, especially with Eugene being the state attorney.
They're a well-respected family, going back so far that I'm pretty sure they founded Stoneview. I already had a problem with that kind of privilege, but president of a secret society? That certainly goes too far.
"Tonight," Eugene carries on, "some of you will become Heras, and some of you Aphrodites." This sentence sends a wave of murmurs through the crowd. "Show us what you truly want and who you truly are, and we will allow you to be whatever you wish."
With a show of hand, he presents the Shadows holding the cups. "You will now all be given a chalice filled with Circe's poison, then you will enter Daedalus's labyrinth. The bachelors who are being initiated as Shadows are waiting for you in the center. Your eagerness to be a wife to a Shadow must shine through the darkness of the labyrinth. Get to the center, be the first to grab a Shadow's hand, and you shall become his Hera. You will become a goddess highly respected in the Circle. You will carry our children and ensure our legacy."
Could this become more of a nightmare? I feel sick to my stomach.
Duval's smile turns predatory as he keeps us waiting for the rest of his speech.
"Five minutes after you enter the labyrinth, the Shadows who are already established members of the Silent Circle will come chasing after you. If one catches you before you become a Hera and brings you to the center of the maze, you shall become a goddess of lust, a servant to our needs…an Aphrodite. Your bodies will be ours, and we will forever cherish them."
He brings his hands together, almost like a prayer. "Ladies, it's time."
Old man gets a hard-on thinking about chasing and fucking younger women. Not really different from everyday life, is it?
The men approach us, each picking a woman to give their chalice to. It all happens too quickly as Chris comes toward me with slow but intense strides. He doesn't stop where I am, forcing me to step backward into the crowd as he takes hold of my upper arm.
"Keep going," he murmurs, looking above my head, to make sure I’m not hitting anyone, I guess.
Once we're far enough from the entrance, lost in a sea of women and away from prying ears, he gives me the chalice.
"Don't drink it. It's drugged." His voice is so quiet, I'm not sure I heard anything at all. So he adds louder, "You heard that right."
I feel my eyes widening, and he finally looks down at me.
"I don't have enough time to ask why you're here when Ella and I told you not to come. You're here and it's too late to go back. So all I can advise is run for your life, get to the center, and grab Wren."
"Wren?" I choke out.
"Pretend to drink. Now. Get rid of the wine."
I look around me, all the other girls are almost finished with their drinks. I look back down at my cup and pretend to bring it to my lips, then spill it to the side.
"So it was Wren, wasn't it? He sent me that invite?"
His eyes flick around again, taking in everything around us while all I do is focus on him. None of this feels real.
"He's not Hyperion, if that's your question, but I don't know if he invited you. It wouldn't be the first time someone invites a woman under a fake name."
He pauses, puts a hand on my shoulder, and my first reflex is to take a step to the side. Nodding, he pulls back.
"It's about to start. Run. Get to Wren. Then we'll talk."
"I won't go to Wren. I can't. He tricked me into this." I barely have the strength to say those words, let alone show him the fury I truly feel. But it's there.
Wren is a murderer. He betrayed me, our friendship, and our trust. He's the last person I want to run to tonight. I lost something I had always felt around him. Safety.
"Peach." Chris massages the back of his neck. "We don't have time for this. Ella would kill me if I didn't help you get to someone safe. I trust Wren."
"And I don't trust either of you."
He shakes his head, at a complete loss. He's not used to having someone so stubborn in front of him.
At the front of the crowd, Eugene Duval shouts, "On your marks…"
Everything becomes a rush. The women trying to be first in line to get inside the maze, the crowd tightening, and Chris's movement as he drags me closer to the front.
"Get ready…" Eugene continues.
Chris’s words accelerate too.
"Please. You don't trust me, but you trust Ella. And Ella chose me because she knows I'm safe. I'm trying to do the same for you. Go to Wren, Peach, I'm begging you."
He stops at the front line, letting go of me.
"Let the Dionysian Mysteries begin !"
A shot resonates, startling me and sending my heartbeat into a frenzy. Before I know it, women are pushing around me to get to the small entrance of the maze.
Chris urges me forward, hissing low, " Run. "
So I do.