New Olympus Trilogy: Teenage Goddess Teenage Star Hell on Earth (3 page)

“But aren’t I?” I felt baffled. Hell was starting to grin.

“Haven’t you ever been to a school before?” Melinda asked me impatiently. “It is normal for some students to be on top, and they will do everything to ensure the others act like it. They cannot allow any challenge to their position. “

“Sounds like our home life,” Hell commented. I knew what he meant:
our Dad, Zeus, won't tolerate any challenge to his authority. But Christabel was not in authority over me by any stretch of the imagination.

“What
’s Jason’s role in all this?” I asked. That was really a lot more important than the snits of the arrogant redhead.

“He’s easy-going, doesn’t like conflict of any kind. She’s casting him as her prince consort, and so far he’s been going along with it – not officially, because that would be in all the tabloids
, just here in school. You just saw how he allows her to manipulate him.”

“Oh.” I felt let down somehow, as though the whole day were tarnished. I expelled the air in my lungs with a long sigh. But what was I expecting - that Jason would have kept himself ready and aloof in case we’d ever meet? He was human. Humans were imperfect.

Deal with it, Myra, I told myself.

6

We had some free time after lunch, followed by a physical exercise class. I was fit enough, but some of the moves we had to do were new to me, and on the whole, quite interesting. I liked our instructor, Mrs Horton. She patiently showed me the exercises I did not immediately grasp, such as headstands. On New Olympus these would have been considered undignified.

Sports class was for the girls only
that day, while the boys had soccer practice. I kept a close eye on Christabel, observing which of the other girls deferred to her. From what I could see, only four out of the sixteen other girls, including Melinda, were outside her sphere of influence. I clearly had my work cut out for me.

S
omething far more important soon drove all such thoughts from my mind. Sliding down a little too quickly from a rope, I felt a burning sensation in my palms. Once on the ground, I saw with horror that my right hand was red and painful and had a little tear in it, from which a tiny red blob was oozing.

I was bleeding!
I was not supposed to bleed, ever. The pain was not bad, but I just stood there, stupidly staring at that little drop of blood, and feeling close to fainting with shock.

If I could bleed here, I could also die.

How could this happen? I was supposed to be immortal, invulnerable. Did Father realize when he sent me down here just how risky it would be?

“Hey, Myra, are you all right?” I heard Melinda’s question as though coming from far away, and there, next to her, Mrs Horton was looking concerned.

“You’re not one of those girls who faint from the tiniest bit of blood, I hope? It’s only a small scratch. Come on, I’ll put something on it.”

I pulled myself together. “It’s ok
ay, thanks.” I forced a smile.

Mrs Horton put some liquid in an ugly orange colour on the scratch and told me to be more careful with the rope next time. Christabel was looking on with a smirk.

I hated her. Why, again, had I wanted to come here anyway?

7

As soon as the class was over I pulled Hell aside into a corner of the entertainment lounge. There were some students close by, watching a programme on dolphins, so I spoke in Greek to make sure no one could overhear.

He
ll looked at my unsightly scratch and shook his head. “What a mess. Exactly what did father do to your powers, Myra? I can’t imagine that he wanted you this vulnerable.”

I tried to remember; I'd been too excited
about the trip to earth to pay close attention. “He did something with his staff, and some complicated invocation. The glow poured out of me like a cloud of sparkling mist, but I didn't feel any different. Dad put the mist into an urn in his study, with a stopper on top.”

“Maybe we should call the whole thing off. Get Pallas to take you back to New Olympus before something really bad happens to you.”

“No.” Anger fuelled my stubbornness.

“Jason isn’t worth risking your immortality over, Myra. Though I’m not sure it is really that bad. Your powers are kept safe; could they revive you, if necessary?”

“I've no idea. Anyway, these humans around us are in danger of death all the time and they seem to cope with it surprisingly well.” I had thought of little else since the small accident. “To go back now just because I’m in the same boat for a few weeks would be chicken. Would you give up so easily?”

“I guess not…just be careful, sis.”

I shrugged.

“What are you planning to do about Christabel?”

“Without my powers, I’ll have to rely on character and smarts. It won’t be easy. She has a lot more experience with manipulation and group politics, and she’s in an entrenched position here.”

Hell nodded. “She insulted me too, you know. Maybe I’ll just give her a terrible rash for the next week or so.”

I pictured my opponent covered in red dots and derived some enjoyment from the thought, but finally shook my head. “That would be petty, Hell. We shouldn’t descend to her level.”

“I doubt if you can win otherwise, against her type.”

“Let’s wait a few days before we do anything drastic. I want to observe Jason’s reaction to her behaviour.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

Everything,
I thought. If I found I could not respect Jason, the whole enterprise was pointless, and I might as well go back home.

“Call it a test to see if he’s worth sticking around for.”

“Fine, it’s your show. But if Christabel or anyone else directly insults us again, I’m reserving the right to retaliate.”

“So be it.” I knew my brother – and wouldn’t want to be in Christabel’s shoes when he got around to his revenge. Our family is not known for forbearance.

8

Several days passed. I found it a bit disconcerting how quickly I adapted to the school routine. Pallas had once told me that any habit, good or bad, deforms the brain in short order. If I could get accustomed to the deadly boredom of classes in a week, how much stronger must the effect on the other students be after years and years?

Unlike the rest of us, Jason had his escape at hand. A mere four days later he was off again, for a promotional tour of
Hurricane Riders
, the blockbuster about to open. He played a superhero, his highest-paying leading role so far according to the press, and he was talking all the time about this movie. Michael Douglas played the hero’s unwitting father in it. Jason also told us all about some upcoming recording sessions for his next album.

E
veryone else found this fascinating, only I was not as enthralled as I had expected. Sure, at first I listened avidly, but after a while I tired of Jason's unrelenting focus on his career. He talked about “my agent this” and “my agent that”, as though citing a prophet. For Zeus’ sake, it was just commercial entertainment, not some heroic quest or world-saving adventure.

But then I'd catch his blinding smile
, my gaze would be drawn to his tangled hair or graceful neck, and I'd feel a shiver. The attraction was still there, inside me, no matter how impatient I might feel with his priorities.

Another thing annoyed me: Jason seemed to take only a very superficial interest in our classes, and the teachers, so strict with the rest of us, let him get away with it. How fair was that?

Well. I walked in the garden, trying to figure out what to do. If I’d been an ordinary human girl, Jason’s lack of romantic interest would have been easier to accept. But I had been accustomed since my earliest memories to a starring role myself – not all that different from Jason, really. It was strange to find myself suddenly relegated to the background for someone else.

Was this what existence was like for human girls, all the time?

If so, it sucked.

Should I call Pallas to take me home and restore my divine status and invulnerability? No, not yet. Despite my confused feelings about Jason, I still wanted to stick around and follow this experience, wherever it led, to its conclusion.

Standing there, absently looking at a rosebush as I tried to sort out my options, I suddenly noticed a glimmer on my right, and turned to find my punk cousin Eros lounging on a park bench. He had brought his quiver and bow. Eros is older than time but today he looked around fifteen, with pierced lips and earrings. A red tattoo of linked hearts decorated his biceps. He often lurked around humans, though he rarely allowed anyone to see him. How long had he been watching me?

“Hello, Myra, how are you doing?”

I sighed.

“Life down here’s not as I expected, but still interesting.”

Eros smirked.

“I heard that you’re having trouble attracting that boy, Jason. We have some bets on the matter up in New Olympus.”

“It’s none of your business,” I said heatedly. “I’m not sure I want him, anyway.”

“That sounds like sour grapes to me.”

Was it?

“Anyway, I can settle the matter for you, if you need any assistance. One shot from my bow, and he’ll be stuck on you forever.”

For a moment I was tempted, but then common sense intervened. “Forever? That’s a long time. We’re only sixteen, Eros. Don’t even think of going there.”

Something he’d mentioned before
sunk in – what was all that about betting? That would be cheating, just for a bet, wouldn’t it? No way. Go back to New Olympus and take that bow and arrow with you.
Now.
”

Eros
sulkily withdrew, although I couldn’t tell if he was really gone or just invisible.

I was still seething.
So they were spying on me from New Olympus, and betting on my love life? How tawdry. How humiliating. When I went back home, I’d give them all a piece of my mind.

9

Still angry, I went to my room and switched on my laptop. I had to write an essay on Jane Austen, and needed to do some research, as English literature had not been very prominent in my Olympian education. I liked it, however, and was compiling a list of books I wanted to read when I went back and had time enough. It was getting longer every day.

Could one download e-books in New Olympus? I’d have to find out. Meantime I had ordered a
n e-ink tablet and planned to fill it up completely before I went home.

I had tried TV too, but simply couldn’t stand it for longer than ten minutes. The ridiculous advertisements completely broke whatever illusion had been created during the main programme. I couldn’t go back to a story after hearing someone witter on about feminine products (what were those for, anyway?) or some crummy stomach remedy. If these
items were so useful, why did their producers need to persuade the customers so much, probably at great cost? It made no sense to me.

Christabel hadn’t done or said anything to spite me while Jason was away from the school. I kept out of her way as much as possible, and she did the same. Melinda warned me not to get complacent. Going by past experience, she said, Christabel would humiliate me at the time when it most mattered.

“Where’s Paul?” Our English teacher asked one morning, when the bully had not shown up for class. We soon heard that he was laid up in the infirmary with a broken wrist. Paul was scheduled to be driven to Denver in the afternoon, for X-rays.

It was not hard for me to guess what had happened.
“Wasn't that overkill, with Paul?” I asked Hell when we had a moment alone.

“Paul got off lightly. He made some sexual innuendoes,
and tried to push me around. Father would have done far worse
.
“

“I don’t need to hear the details,” I hurriedly said. “Did he complain about you to the authorities?”

“I doubt it. I made him forget about the whole thing, he may just believe he slipped and fell in the bathroom.”

“All right then.” I had little sympathy to spare for Paul: What a waste that he was extremely good-looking, and could pretend to be charming when he wanted. Such types could do tremendous damage before you got their number, I reflected.

One detail bothered me. “If he doesn’t remember what happened, he’s not going to learn any lesson, is he? He might try it again.”

“It’ll take longer than this term for
his wrist to heal.”

“Well, if you have to confront him again, I suggest you do something to make him appear ugly. A handsome face
on a bully is a dangerous combination.”

“Handsome? Paul?” Hell
shook his head in surprise.

“Yes, he’s almost as good-looking as Jason. Mike and Roman are also quite attractive,” I told him. “Jeremy has the best abs, and very cute lashes.”

“I thought you only had eyes for Jason?”