Chapter 20 #2
‘Here we are,’ Sephy said as she opened an enormous set of double doors. I let out a long breath and followed her through and into the training hall.
It was massive—bathed in warm, magical daylight, as though the ceiling had stolen a slice of a perfect sky.
Marble columns lined the walls, giving the place an unmistakable Grecian aesthetic, and racks of weapons gleamed along the perimeter.
The floor was padded with a soft, springy material that yielded slightly underfoot.
‘Whoa. Wicked,’ Guinn breathed as she did a full three-sixty, eyes devouring the vast array of weapons lining the walls.
‘Ladies, you already know Perseus,’ Sephy said, winking at the demigod, who gave us an exaggerated bow. ‘And this,’ she added, motioning to the tall, striking woman beside her, ‘is Tee. Tee is one of my best friends. Her real name is Hecate.’
‘As in the goddess of witchcraft?’ Guinn squeaked, bouncing on her toes and clasping her hands together.
‘That’s me, kiddo,’ Tee beamed, raising her hand for a high-five. ‘Good to meet you, Guinn.’
Tee was… stunning. Her skin gleamed with the warm richness of burnished copper. Tall and willowy, her raven-black braids were laced with silver beads and piled artfully atop her head like a crown. As her alluring dark eyes met mine, they gleamed with interest.
‘And Cordelia, I assume.’ Her husky voice held a note of humour. ‘The woman who has apparently ensnared our surly sea god.’ She raised a brow as she studied me.
I cleared my throat. ‘Cordie. Nice to meet you.’ I extended a hand, but Tee grinned wickedly and yanked me into a bear hug.
‘I knew you were having sex with him!’ Guinn scoffed as she placed her hands on her hips, smug as sin. Sephy squealed with laughter, and Perseus started coughing like it was the eighteenth century and he was a tuberculosis patient. Tee clamped her lips together as I spun to face Guinn.
‘I am not having sex with him!’ I snapped, heat flaring through my face like a fever. ‘And if I were, it’s none of your godsdamned business.’ I glared at the little shit.
‘He’s a controlling cu—’
‘Don’t you dare finish that sentence.’ I waved my finger at her as Sephy and Perseus struggled to rein in their amusement. ‘Big no on that word. Big no!’
‘Okay. Cool your jets. I didn’t finish it because I do believe you would, indeed, punch me in the face.’
‘You got that right.’ I gritted my teeth and scowled at her. ‘Just… wind your neck in, lady. Me boss’—I pointed to myself, then her—'You not.’ Then I added, ‘And again. I’m most definitely not sleeping with him. Kapish?’
‘What evs.’ She cocked a hip and fired a glare right back.
‘Well, now that’s settled,’ Sephy said, still trying to wipe the grin from her face. ‘How about we do some actual training?
‘Let’s warm up first,’ Tee said with a knowing smile—the kind that made my muscles tense pre-emptively.
‘Guinn, you pair with Sephy,’ Tees said. ‘Cordelia, you take Perseus.’
The demigod winked at me and gave me a devilish smile.
I cracked my neck, giving him a once-over. ‘Bring it on, big boy,’ I said, squaring off.
I dropped into a fighting stance, muscle memory taking over. Grappling, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai—I’d trained in it all. But without my blade strapped to my leg, I felt strangely exposed. I pushed that thought away with a slow inhale through my nose.
Perseus struck like a cobra—fast, fluid, and lethal.
But I was ready. I dropped low, launched upward in a tight somersault, and landed behind him, locking him in a rear-naked choke.
Before I could tighten it, he twisted behind me and collapsed backward, dragging me down in a blur of limbs.
The breath rushed from my lungs as he flipped and pinned me in a dominant mount, straddling my abdomen like it was his by right.
He grinned down at me. That smug, maddening grin.
Heat flared in my chest—not embarrassment, but a low burn of frustration. I planted my hands against his sternum, tucked my heels close, and bridged with all the strength I had. His hands hit the mat as I rolled us over, but before he could recover, I sprang to my feet in one clean motion.
Perseus was already up. He lunged, and I met him with a hook kick—missed.
Damnit. He flowed under it like water and retaliated with a spinning roundhouse, and even with the forgiving floor, the impact knocked me flat on my ass.
I groaned, getting up slowly, dignity trailing behind me, my tailbone throbbing.
‘That all you got?’ he teased, walking away.
‘Just letting you get comfortable,’ I muttered, brushing myself off.
Perseus stood by the racks of weapons, tall, broad, and far too smug for someone about to get cut.
‘Daggers?’ I asked, gesturing to the wall of weapons.
He shrugged, already reaching for a short sword—heavier, broader than my usual blade, but faster than long blades. Guess he liked the balance. I liked the challenge.
I chose a thinner blade, razor-sharp with a slightly curved edge. Better for slicing than stabbing. More elegant, like me.
We squared off again, his expression unreadable, all calm confidence. Mine? Probably a little too pleased with myself… I liked making giants fall.
‘Try not to cry when I win,’ I said sweetly.
‘Try not to cut yourself.’
I narrowed my eyes at his impudent smirk.
We moved at the same time. He led with a textbook-perfect swing, powerful and wide, and I ducked under it, twisting on my heel, and aimed low, slicing towards his thigh.
He caught the motion, blocked, and countered with a strike that came faster than I expected. My blade deflected his, but not enough.
Pain bloomed in my left shoulder—blunt and jarring. Not deep, but it burned like hell. I hissed and danced back.
‘First blood,’ he said, voice annoyingly calm.
‘Not the last,’ I muttered, testing my arm. I could still move it, but I'd have to be smarter now; time to get creative. I baited him, letting my stance loosen, my breathing become more laboured, and he fell for it—lunged with a diagonal strike meant to finish our sparring.
I caught it with a half-parry, twisting just enough to send him off-balance, then stepped into his space, flipped the dagger in my good hand, and rammed the hilt into his ribs. He stumbled. I moved behind him like smoke, wrapped my blade across his throat—not touching skin, but close enough.
He froze.
‘Yield,’ I whispered in his ear.
He chuckled, breathless. ‘That was dirty.’
‘Mm. And effective.’
I stepped around him, letting the point of my blade drag along his collarbone in a playful arc before lowering it. My shoulder throbbed, but I kept my face unreadable—he didn’t need to know how much it hurt.
Perseus locked eyes with me, shaking his head with a wry grin. ‘You always cheat.’
‘No,’ I said, flashing him a grin of my own. ‘I adapt.’
He bowed slightly, acknowledging the win. I didn’t return it, I just returned the blade and walked away, hiding the stiffness in my arm.
Behind me, he muttered, ‘One day, you’ll fight fair.’
I didn’t look back. ‘And lose? Not a chance.’
‘Merde. Je suis crevé,’ Perseus said as he rested his hands on his thighs. I gave him a blank look. ‘Sorry. It means: Shit. I’m knackered.’
I smirked at him. ‘Did I wear you out, big man?’
He raised a pissy brow at me. ‘You’re a crazy woman.’
‘I know.’ I grinned. ‘Anyhoo,’ I said, squinting at him. ‘Are you all basically the bastard offspring of gods? Because if so—ugh.’ I mimed gagging.
Perseus barked out a laugh, nearly choking on his water. ‘No. There haven’t been any demigod births for over a millennium. We’re descended from the originals—the legends.’
That tracked; my brain, however, veered left. Like the way Si had held an entire conversation in flawless French at Jolie. His accent had been spot-on. ‘So, what’s the deal, do you all just speak French too?’
Perseus tipped his head back, swallowing the rest of his drink before swiping an arm across his brow. ‘Gods can grant certain gifts to chosen acolytes. Those with demigod blood swear a blood oath. We drink a drop of Poseidon’s blood—’
‘Eww,’ I muttered, pulling a face.
‘—and it amplifies our natural abilities. Enhanced strength, speed, healing, enables us to teleport, and, yes… grants us the ability to speak and understand any tongue, mortal or otherwise. All of it comes with the bond, for all of our kings’ acolytes.
’ He paused, then added. ‘Well, except Ajax. He’s human. ’
‘Oh, is he now?’ I mused, filing that nugget away for later. Handy information. Very handy.
‘You want to help me prep lunch, Guinn?’ Perseus said to my sister, who walked up to us, giving him moon-eyes.
‘Sure.’ She smiled.
He grabbed her hand, and they disappeared in a flash of swirling mist.
‘Come here,’ Persephone said as she placed a hand on my shoulder. Two seconds later, the burning pain abated. She’d healed me.
‘Thanks,’ I murmured. My life at the moment was an utter mind fuck.
‘So,’ Tee crooned as she sidled up to Sephy and me. ‘What’s going on with you and Poseidon?’
‘Nothing,’ I responded as Tee quirked her head to the side and lowered her brows. Sephy pursed her lips, her face full of scepticism. ‘Seriously!’ I threw up my hands. ‘The collar and leash thing is irritating.’
‘You’re into that freaky shit, then?’ Tee’s eyes widened as Sephy grinned.
‘Ugh, no! Definitely not. I mean a leash and collar, as in he’d try to control me. He’s a possessive asshat.’
‘Ah, yeah. That’s a given. Gods can be a huge buzzkill with all the controlling shit. That’s what you get for banging him.’ Tee shrugged as she drank some water.
‘Erm, I’m not… banging him.’
‘Could have fooled me,’ she scrunched her nose.
‘Hey!’ I snapped. ‘I’m no one’s possession. His ego is so large I’m surprised he doesn’t suffocate.’
Sephy giggled. ‘Yep… He’s an arrogant twatwaffle for sure.’
‘But, the good thing is, we make up for being possessive, arrogant assholes by being monsters in the sack.’ Tee winked at me. ‘So maybe you should consider banging him.’