Page 14 of Flame and Fury

CHAPTER9

WREN

The stage is set up like a living room, with two chairs on the right side and one on the left with a low table in between. Thaddeus occupies one of the chairs on the right, and TV talking head, Lucinda Hinson, is next to him. Thaddeus has his signature skinny microphone in hand, but Lucinda has been wired with a small mic attached to her pastel pink blazer. Her skintight skirt is a minty green color, making her look like springtime puked all over her clothes. There’s a long slit up the back of her skirt, which is the only reason she can cross her legs.

“We’ve saved the best for last, haven’t we, Lucinda?” Thaddeus turns to look at the woman and then back at the crowd, winking at them. The theater is full of people, just like last time, although it’s hard to see them under the glare of so many bright stage lights.

“Oh Thaddeus, I don’t pick favorites.” Lucinda giggles and swats a hand at the old, slick-haired bastard.

I don’t like you either, Lucinda.

“Too right. Without further ado, let’s welcome our last competitor of the night, Ares’s champion.” There’s that reminder that we’re not worth more than our identity as a champion.

Neither Thaddeus nor Lucinda gets up from their seats. They both turn to face where I’m standing in the wings, impatience only showing when their faces are turned from the crowd.Rupert is buzzing about behind me, trying to shoo me on stage. He must’ve remembered my last warning to keep his hands off me, though, because he doesn’t try to push me out there.

“Miss Torres, um, Wren.”

I slowly turn my head and glare at the assistant. Is he the right target for my annoyance? Actually yes, he is. He chooses to work for these dickheads.

“Sorry, sorry, ma’am. Miss Torres, ma’am.” He fumbles. “If you could go on stage, please.”

I’m ready to get this over with so the next phase of torture can begin. I stride out on stage just as Rupert twitches like he’s about to have an aneurysm. His sigh of relief follows me on stage.

I walk across the stage with confident steps, peering out at the audience as I take my seat. I can’t see any faces, only shadowy shapes of bodies shifting around. There’s no missing the hoots and catcalls from the crowd, though. They’re screaming my name. Some are yelling that they love me. Others are booing and calling me a whore. Talk about whiplash.

“Wow, would you listen to that reception?” Lucinda smiles at the crowd, but when she turns to me, it turns into a smirk.

“Wren Torres. Champion to Ares,” Thaddeus says in his announcer voice. “It must be quite the thrill to have your name on the lips of so many households in the fine territory of Zeus and Hera.”

“It’s a dream,” I deadpan, with zero inflection in my voice. Thaddeus chuckles, but Lucinda’s eye twitches like she wants to yell at me.

“I’d imagine so.” Thaddeus turns toward the crowd and winks with an exaggerated gesture. “Tell us, Wren, what’s been your favorite part of the game so far?” Thaddeus props his chin on his fist, his elbow resting on the arm of his chair. He looks like someone gave him directions on how to be an engaged listener. I’ve seen him when the camera stops rolling and I know what an asshole he is.

“How could I possibly pick?” I respond.

My microphone is overly loud, amplifying my voice and making it echo around the theater. Thaddeus struggles to maintain his grin when a few shouts come from the crowd. Someone says, “killing the Hydra” then there’s a shout of “getting dicked down by Atlas.”

That’s real nice. I slowly turn my head toward the crowd, blink, and then turn back toward Thaddeus and Lucinda.

“Now, Wren, the last time we spoke, we talked about how the games are becoming a family tradition.” Lucinda smiles at me, a wicked gleam in her eyes. She uncrosses her legs, and then re-crosses them. The move is meant to be sensual, but I can’t imagine she’s trying to seduce me. Even if I were into women, she wouldn’t be my type. “Now that you’ve got some real experiences as a champion, how do you think your mother would rate your performance?”

A low buzz sounds in my ear, drowning out the tittering voices in the crowd. My Fury is rising under my skin. It has judged Lucinda, and she is not worthy. Whatever deeds she’s done beyond being an absolute crotch, it drips off her skin. She’s steeped in malice. Lucinda Hinson is not a good person, and my Fury scratches within me, demanding we put her down.

I focus on my breaths, counting in my head to ten and then back down to zero. The last thing I need is for my wings to burst free on live TV.

“I think my mother would be very sad that the games are still occurring.” And probably really pissed that she died for no reason. She was killed by another champion who happened to have a Hephaestus blade, one of the only weapons that can kill a Fury. They weren’t even fighting. The champion had simply stabbed her in the back to get rid of his competition.

There’s a hush that takes over the crowd. Lucinda gapes at me before she throws her head back and laughs. “You certainly have a wild sense of humor, don’t you?”

“A joke. Right.” I want to admonish her for treating the deaths of two champions in our games, not to mention the countless others, as a good time. But I can’t. I might get a momentary sense of superiority by putting her in her place, but ultimately it doesn’t matter. Lucinda doesn’t give a shit that Tyson and Chance died. That so many others before them perished competing in a worthless game. And the last thing I need is to draw more attention to my dissatisfaction. I don’t need to let everyone know that Atlas and I are plotting to take down the gods. I can’t make alliances if I’m dead.

“Tell us, if you win the games, what’s the first thing you want to do?” Lucinda asks.

This time, my answer isn’t even a lie. “I can’t wait to sleep in a soft bed for an entire day.”

The crowd laughs. Thaddeus and Lucinda share a humorous glance between them before Thaddeus turns to the crowd.

“Maybe you’ll have someone special to share that bed with.” Thaddeus chuckles and I don’t even bother hiding my disgust this time. It doesn’t register with either of them.

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