Page 5 of Wild Hunt
I grinned. “About that. What do you do Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school?”
Chapter 3
Kore
“Ican’t believe you talked me into this,” Dionysus groaned as we stretched out our hamstrings on the lawn Artemis had claimed for practice that day.
“I can be very persuasive,” I informed him.
“Yes, especially when you have a captive audience.”
I smiled unapologetically. He’d been staying with me for the last few days, ever since Atlas’ little tantrum. It was probably a temporary fix until the teachers got wind of it, but I was counting on their total lack of attention to student affairs, selective though it was.
“Alright everyone, line up,” Artemis barked. “Time to list the final roster.”
I sprang to my feet and went to the end of the line with Dionysus. Until I’d gotten him to agree, albeit reluctantly, I’d been fearful that no one was going to be willing to be on the same team as me. After all, every competitor in the Games would be gunning for me as soon as they began.
“Now, I’m sure most of you already know the rules, but since we have a couple of newcomers, I’ll go over them once more,” Artemis announced, glancing our way. “You’ll be forming teams of two to four, and while you may be tempted to think more is better, that’s not always the case. There are certain trials that favor coordination over numbers and it more or less evens out in the end. Groups of three are statistically more represented in the finals, but we’ve had two-man teams do a clean sweep and teams of four who didn’t make it past the first round. All that said, choose your team and your teammates carefully, and remember… your choice is final.”
I took a deep breath. When I’d first come to this school, I couldn’t have cared less about the Games or winning them, but now, things were different. This school was rotten to the core and I actually stood a shot at doing something about it.
At least, that was what I had to tell myself.
“Is she always this intense?” Dionysus whispered.
Before I could answer, Artemis was right in front of us. She looked at the young god next to me, her eyes narrowed. “Is there something you’d like to share with the class, Dionysus?”
He gulped audibly. “N--no, ma’am.”
“Good,” she said, turning back to the others. “Then let’s begin. We’ll start with you, Ingrid, since this should be easy.”
The Valkyries were already preening, banded together in the same group of four they always traveled in. “We’re together,” Ingrid announced. The others seemed happy to let her speak for them, but they always did everything in unison, after all.
“Alright,” Artemis barked. “Next.”
As she went down the line, students paired themselves off in groups of three and four. Not a single duo, despite Artemis’ reassurance that it was a perfectly valid option. By the time she got to us, I was feeling a bit less confident, but it wasn’t like we had another option.
“Just us,” I said, ignoring the snickering of a few groups down the line.
I was sure the Valkyries were eating this up, but until recently, I had feared Artemis was going to draw lots and stick me with some poor, unsuspecting trio.
“It’s settled, then,” Artemis announced, making a note on the parchment in front of her with a quill pen that appeared with a flick of her hand. “From this point on, you’ll be training in your groups. Now, everyone, do ten laps around the Academy. Last group back gets to pull out the stakes in the ground left over from defensive maneuvering.”
Everyone groaned, but as soon as she gave the mark, they shot off like rockets. Dionysus and I weren’t at the head of the pack, but as long as we stayed somewhere in the middle, I was happy.
For now.
“Is she serious? This is like boot camp.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “What, is this really the first time you’ve had to exert yourself?”
“I find ways to avoid it,” he grumbled. Despite his protests, he was fast, and I found myself struggling to keep up so I wouldn’t hold us back. The ten laps had felt like torture the first time, but every session, it felt easier.
By the time we finally made it back as the third group, I was wheezing but definitely riding an adrenaline high.
“You’re dismissed,” Artemis announced, waiting for the others.
I grabbed my bag and paused when I heard her call my name.
