Chapter 2 #2
“Shifting takes a lot of energy so you’re going to be a bit like Raven and Beth after you shift,” Greyson says with a chuckle.
Raven elbows him in the gut and I nod my approval. We can’t help that we’re starving all the time now. It’s the damn increased magic.
“Okay,” I say. “I think we need to get back to the training field before the rest of the campus gets there for their training session.”
“What training?” Dax perks up.
“Beth went completely apeshit and made training mandatory all day every day,” Raven says. “It was glorious. The only way to get them to stop bullying each other is if they’re too tired to care about anything else.”
“That’s brilliant,” Dax says.
“Something needs to change,” Kira agrees.
“Is Draven free to go?” I ask the healer.
“Yes, I didn’t find anything wrong with him, just the dragon wings.” The healer nods.
We make our way out of the academic building and across campus to the forest that surrounds the training grounds.
“I don’t think you should train just yet,” Kira tells Draven. “Just because the healer couldn’t find anything wrong doesn’t mean you’re totally back to normal.”
“I’m fine. Actually, I feel better than ever. Except maybe the hunger.” Draven squeezes her hand.
They are so cute together. It makes me wonder what happened to Olly.
We were told that he was sent back here by Apollo but no one on campus has seen him since we all left to find Artemis.
I just hope nothing happened to him. He’s one of us now.
I’m sure Kira misses him. She hasn’t been quite the same since we got back and found him missing.
We get back to the training grounds and Raven and I face off again. “I want you to practice transporting with me.”
“Sweet. That was actually fun, if I don’t count the dizziness at the end.” Raven shakes her arms out.
“You get used to it,” I say.
I transport myself behind Jayden the dizziness not coming this time. Each time I have transported it’s gotten a little easier to manage. Jayden turns to shadow and the next second he’s behind me arms wrapped around my waist.
“How’d you know I was there?” I ask with a pout. “I was trying to sneak up on you.”
“My shadows shifted when you appeared behind me. I think it’s a new trick like a warning system.” He props his chin on my shoulder.
“That’s good. You need to always have someone at your back,” I say.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. Our enemies want you dead specifically. You need someone at your back always.” Jayden kisses my neck.
Butterflies erupt in my stomach at the soft touch but this isn’t the time or the place.
The other students have begun to trickle onto the training grounds and are waiting for directions.
I transport myself out of his arms and giggle when he stumbles forward and scans the training grounds, appearing confused.
When his gaze locks with mine, I finger wave at him and shoot him a grin. Shadows wrap around him and the next second he’s at my back again.
“They tried to attack you for something stupid earlier. I’m not leaving this gorgeous ass unprotected.” Jayden pinches me on the ass.
I glare at him but there’s no heat in it and then turn back to the crowd of students. “All right, You’re going to do two laps around the academy grounds to get your endurance up.”
There’s a chorus of groans but everyone moves away to get ready to run. Jayden grips my hips.
“They need to run as a group or the whole thing is a waste,” he says.
“You guys better stay together as a group,” I yell. “This is a group run. There are no fastest times. You all succeed based on your slowest person so make sure everyone gets through both laps. No matter what.”
There are more yells mainly from the Athena and Ares students but I ignore them. They will be a team because that’s the only way we are going to end all this bullshit. They need to be a unit. If I have to threaten them to do that, it will be done.
“This isn’t a race. It’s conditioning,” Raven snaps. “Get to it.”
They all take off at a jog and I sag into Jayden. “What more can we do to get them to stop being idiots?”
“Nothing, baby. They need to figure it out on their own, after a little push, of course.” Jayden kisses my temple.
“This feels like a violent shove off a cliff.”
“You’re not wrong,” Raven says. “But it’s what they need to stop this crazy.”
I shake out my arms, getting ready to spar with Raven and work on our transporting, when a Hermes student who’s been helping with the mind-controlled students races over to us. He bends over hands on his knees as he breathes deeply.
“Zeke is awake. He’s not okay,” he huffs.
“What do you mean he’s not okay?” Raven asks.
“He’s going insane hurtling himself at the bars of the cell he’s in.” The kid straightened. “I was sent to get you. We don’t know what to do.”
“Why did he wake up now?” I ask. “They have been unconscious for days. The healers couldn’t find a single thing wrong with them.”
“I’m guessing the unconsciousness is magical and not because something is physically wrong,” Raven says.
“Like whoever is controlling them can’t focus on it all the time so when they don’t need to do it, they just shut down?” I tilt my head to the side.
“Something like that.” Raven shrugs.
“That’s slightly terrifying. They just cease to exist as people while controlled.” I shiver.
“We need to get over there and see what new fresh hell the bitch has in store for us.” Raven loops her arm around mine.
What could they possibly want them for? It does no one any good to leave them empty husks until the person in control needs them. Least of all them. It’s a hades I hope I never experience. It would be a fate worse than death.