Starcrossed: Goddess Part 24

Andy made her way through the commotion and stood inches away from Hector, begging him with her eyes. "Don't fight him."

"Tempting," he said, smiling down on her lovely and totally confused face. "But who would I be if I didn't? Not myself, that's for sure. You know I have to do this, Andy."

"I love you," she blurted out, completely horrified that she was saying something so sappy in front of a huge crowd like this.

"Well, it's about time," Hector replied sarcastically.

For a second, it looked like Andy was going to punch him, so Hector did the wise thing and kissed her. When he finally pulled away he did so reluctantly.

"Hold that thought?" he asked her, his eyes vulnerable. Andy nodded slowly and released him.

Hector turned to Lucas, Jason, and Orion, holding out his hand for his sword. Lucas handed it to him, his face darkened with frustration. Embracing his brothers one by one, Hector walked into the ring alone.

Helen went to Lucas, pleading in a low voice. "Is there anything we can do to stop this? Think, Lucas."

"Nothing. Only one of them can leave that ring alive," he replied angrily. "I hope you know what you're doing."

She didn't. Helen had no idea if her plan would work. The only thing she knew was that she had to try to change things, and sticking close to her s.h.i.+eld while she thought it out was the only chance she had. Helen backed up until she was leaning against Orion to brace herself. Lucas swallowed hard and looked away.

"He's hurt," Orion whispered in her ear. "He thinks you're choosing me over him."

Helen knew this. She also knew that every second she hung on Orion hurt Lucas more and more. But there was nothing she could do about it right then.

"Just help me come up with a way to save Hector," Helen whispered back.

"I can't," Orion replied. He wrapped his arms around Helen and squeezed, more to comfort himself than her. She stayed near him, hoping that not only was she protected from the Fates by Orion's presence, but that Hector was as well.

"It could be different this time," she said, feeling optimistic as she watched Hector and Matt face off. She lowered her voice to the softest of whispers and pressed her lips to Orion's ear to make sure the G.o.ds didn't hear. "With you around, the Fates can't use him."

Orion nodded, and when he pulled back and looked at Helen there was cautious optimism in his eyes.

The first blows came so fast Helen could barely see them. Even though Helen had fought Hector many times, and even though he'd trained her from day one, she still couldn't believe that such a big guy could move so gracefully and so swiftly.

But this new, supercharged Matt was just as fast. He parried Hector's blinding strokes, twisted, and maintained his balance even though his adversary tried to use his larger size to press in and intensify the angle. Instead of getting trapped under Hector's rain of downward strokes, Matt was able to make s.p.a.ce between them without losing his footing on the sand.

Helen felt Lucas, Orion, and Jason all inhale sharply when they saw Matt dart in and draw first blood.

"Hector!" Ariadne cried out.

Hector backed away from Matt, dropping the point of his sword and touching his ribs. His hand came back red. He looked across the arena at his sister and his father who stood with Tantalus. They had sided against him.

As soon as Hector looked at her, Ariadne ran to the edge of the circle, nearly dancing on her toes along the magically sealed rim, like she was trying to throw herself into it and stop this fight. Hector smiled at his sister.

"It's okay, Ari," he said, forgiving her. "I understand."

Hector faced Matt again grimly, aware now that he had met his match. He didn't waste any time, feinting and spinning past Matt, and slas.h.i.+ng downward at Matt's heel as he spun away. Blood flowed freely from Matt's Achilles heel, but he didn't die. He limped away from Hector and took up position on the other side of the arena.

"Wrong heel, my friend," Matt said sympathetically as the wound closed immediately.

"It was worth a shot," Hector replied with a shrug, and then he pressed in again with reckless abandon.

Scions healed quickly, but for Matt it only took seconds for his skin to seal back up like nothing had happened. After seeing that, Hector knew his only shot at beating Matt was to find his one weakness. Matt had to have one. He had to be at least partially mortal or Hecate wouldn't have allowed him to take part in this fight, but there were a lot of body parts to choose from. Hector tried the other heel first, but Matt only recovered faster this time.

"Cut his head off!" Daphne yelled, her eyes wide with fear for Hector now that stabbing both Achilles heels hadn't worked.

"His heart! Hit his heart!" Orion shouted after her.

As soon as these first two ideas were offered, the Scions on Helen's side began calling out suggestions in a flurry of voices. Hector fought on, stabbing at Matt's heart, liver, and even trying to cut off his head, but none of these turned out to be right. Matt would feel the injury but heal immediately, and all the while Hector was getting wounded and not healing as quickly. With each furious exchange, Hector was the one who grew weaker.

The G.o.ds looked on with rapt expressions. It was clear that this was the best fight they'd seen in over three thousand years. They were soaking up every minute of Hector's and Matt's pain like they were cheering downs at a football game. It was sport for them.

Unable to bear watching the bloodthirsty G.o.ds, Helen looked over at Lucas for comfort. He wasn't even watching the fight anymore. He was looking blankly at the sand, racking his brain for the body part that Matt would choose as his one weakness. She could see him talking to himself, frantic for a way to figure it out. She thought she heard Lucas repeating the word "heel" over and over to himself.

Lucas lifted his head and made eye contact with Helen, his face bright with hope.

He'd figured it out.

At that very moment, Helen and Lucas heard Hector shout. Their heads spun around in time to see Hector crumple to his knees. Matt's sword was buried up to the hilt in his chest.

Many voices cried at once, and bodies on both sides of the arena's circle pressed against the invisible barricade in a wave, as loving members from both factions tried to rush into the arena and come to Hector's aid. But the magic of the battleground prevented any being from interfering.

Matt stood over Hector, his lips trembling and his shoulders hunched with regret. Nearly out of her mind, Ariadne was screaming hateful things at Matt while Claire tried to hold her back.

Hector fell onto his side, still clutching the thick blade that had run him clean through the heart. He hit the ground and his head turned upward, his eyes staring directly at the clouded sun. He pulled in one taut breath, then another, and then no more. His mouth seemed to smile at the sky, but his eyes, which had always been so fierce and full of life, ran dry.

Hector was dead.

FOURTEEN.

Staring at Hector's body lying on the sand, Helen couldn't help but think-I chose him as my champion because I couldn't bear it for Lucas or Orion to be lying there. This is my fault.

"Challenge!" Lucas shouted, his deep voice piercing through the commotion.

The G.o.ds collapsed into a tight group to confer.

"How can this be?" Poseidon asked. "I thought you said the Face took him to her world."

"She did," Hermes answered defensively. "She must not have made him . . ."

"Wait," Zeus said, holding up a hand to silence them before Hermes could finish. "Hecate still has to decide."

Lucas reached the edge of the arena and strode into the ring, unhindered by the barrier that had kept everyone else out. Whatever old magic tested a challenger's fitness, it had accepted Lucas. The G.o.ds exchanged looks of confusion.

Helen followed Lucas in a daze, unconcerned with the G.o.ds' reaction. She knew why it was possible for Lucas to enter the ring. She just didn't know why he would want to. It didn't make any sense. Matt had killed her champion, and now he was supposed to challenge her.

"Lucas? What are you doing?" she asked, fear making her breath flutter. He didn't answer or even acknowledge that he'd heard her.

"Lucas is Hector's second, Helen. It's his right to challenge Matt before Matt can challenge you." Jason's voice was breaking. Helen looked at him. Tears were falling freely down his face for his brother. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Can I stop them?" she whispered.

"No. This is what it means to be a champion's second."

Helen knew it was foolish of her not to have realized that, but it honestly never occurred to her that anyone could defeat Hector in the first place. And if they did, she figured it was up to her to do her own fighting. She looked at Orion pleadingly, and he shrugged, helpless.

Inside the circle, Lucas had crouched down over Hector's body. Matt stood back respectfully as Lucas shut his dead brother's eyes. Helen could hear Pallas and Ariadne weeping on the other side of the arena. Helen knew she was crying, too, but more important to her than her own sorrow was the guilt she saw in Lucas.

"One more second," Lucas whispered to Hector's body. A sob burst out of him unexpectedly, like it escaped without his permission. It was a rough and angry noise.

Lucas picked Hector up and carried him to Orion and Jason who were waiting at the edge of the barrier. As he handed Hector's body over, Andy pushed her way into the tight circle that waited to claim the fallen hero.

"Wake up!" Andy commanded, her voice carrying that haunting note that made nerve endings strain to obey. He didn't move. Her cheeks flushed a bright red as she concentrated every ounce of power she had.

"I said, wake up!" she repeated, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him.

Her siren voice echoed across the dunes and the water. Sand and spray jumped into the air like they were trying to flee from her. But still, Hector did not move. When Andy started to shout and call him all kinds of nasty names for leaving her behind, Castor was the one to finally come in and drag her away from Hector's body.

"Enough! He's gone, and not even you can wake him," Castor said, trying to get through to her. She didn't have the strength of a Scion, but she fought him for a moment before she fell apart.

Noel was there to hold her as she cried. But even as she comforted Andy, her eyes were fixed on Lucas, who still had yet to fight. Lucas had his hand in his right pocket, his fingers worrying something he kept in there.

"Bow and arrow," Lucas called to Jason.

A startled murmuring began to rise among the onlookers. Several of the G.o.ds laughed.

"This one doesn't disappoint," Apollo said excitedly to the G.o.ddess in armor. Helen a.s.sumed she was Athena. "It's just like last time."

"That's what worries me," Athena said back to Apollo. Her shrewd eyes were trained on Lucas.

"Why didn't he pick a sword?" Helen asked Orion, ignoring the G.o.ds as they placed bets.

"I have no idea," Orion responded.

"Well . . . how many arrows does he get?"

"Just one."

Helen's head snapped around, and she stared at Lucas as he stood calmly in the ring. "Why would he pick that weapon then? That doesn't make any sense," she pressed. Orion's puzzled look deepened Helen's fear.

"Come on, Luke," Jason said, throwing up his hands in an exasperated gesture, like he didn't know what Lucas expected of him.

"Bow and arrow," Lucas repeated distinctly.

Flushed with anger over Lucas's seemingly suicidal choice, Jason picked a bow and a single arrow from the weapons chest that waited on the edge of the dueling ground. He pulled on the bow and stared down the shaft of the arrow to test them, and then brought them to Lucas.

"You aren't even wearing armor," Jason said to him in a harsh undertone. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

As soon as Helen heard Jason say this, she realized that she hadn't considered that possibility. What if Lucas was so fed up that he wanted to die?

Lucas took his weapons without answering Jason and moved away from the edge of the ring. He didn't try to communicate with his father or mother. He didn't embrace Jason or give a last-minute speech about what he was doing and why. He didn't even look at Helen or try to let her know that it was going to be okay. Lucas simply took his weapon and squared off opposite Matt, signaling that he was ready.

But Helen wasn't. "Hang on," she said, her voice coming out breathy and shrill with fear. "You don't really want to die, do you?" she asked frantically. When she looked at his chest, all she saw was a dull, lifeless ma.s.s inside of him that was equal parts grief and resignation. It looked to Helen like he didn't much care if he died or not. And that was the one thing that could kill him.

She ran at the invisible barrier surrounding the arena, sending orange fire coursing across the surface of the dome-like barrier. Even if she could find a way to batter it down, she knew it was too late.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Lucas lifted his bow, and Matt his sword before Helen could yell. As she threw herself at the barrier and was stopped short a second time, Matt charged forward. Both of his hands were wrapped around the pommel of his sword and his arms raised over one shoulder, the blade held high, to cut Lucas down with a single powerful stroke. Lucas loosed his arrow.

Matt stopped abruptly, his face shocked. The arrow stuck out of Matt's left hand.

Out of the heel of his left hand.

Matt dropped his sword, and Lucas lowered his bow. Staring at his hand for a moment, Matt smiled and nodded.

"I shouldn't have said that," Matt said, looking up at Lucas as his legs wobbled and weakened. "I shouldn't have said the word heel to Hector. I should have known you'd figure it out."

Lucas dropped his bow and met Matt as he toppled over to catch him and break his fall. Lucas laid his defeated foe respectfully on the sand.

"She's too powerful," Matt whispered as his life faded away.

"I'll be there to balance her," Lucas promised.

"Worse than Olympus," Matt said, his voice failing. "At least with them there were twelve."

"We don't want to rule, Matt," Lucas told him gently, but in vain.

Matt was already dead.

Lucas closed his eyes, just as he had Hector's a few minutes earlier. For a moment, the only sound was of Ariadne weeping. Dark shadows spun out of Lucas like a black fog, and Helen heard gasps all around her as the crowd fearfully whispered the word Shadowmaster. He stood and pointed a finger at Helen.

"Don't follow me," he ordered.

Darkness billowed around him like a cloak and hid him. Before Helen could even process what he'd said, Lucas launched himself into the sky and disappeared.

Lucas soared up into the roiling thunderclouds, hidden in his cloak of shadows. He knew Helen well enough to know that by ordering her not to follow him he'd made her determined to do just that. Lucas wanted to kick himself. He would bet one of his legs that Helen had the Shadowmaster talent as well and could see through the darkness, but he was pretty sure she hadn't learned to use it yet. This was Lucas's only edge, and when he turned back and confirmed that Helen wasn't following him, he went right to her house.

From the air, he could see that it was miraculously undamaged even though no one had been home for days now. The blue tarp was still covering her bedroom window from when Helen had accidentally thrown a rock through it. Lucas ducked under it and flew into her room.

It was cold and empty and the smell of her all around made him ache.

Lucas went directly to her bed, still tussled and dirty from the time Orion and Helen had emerged from the Underworld onto it-landing on top of Lucas in the process. Throwing the bedding on the floor, he lay down on top of the bare mattress.