Page 8 of Hell’s Weapon

Another flurry of shock, disbelief and denial breaks out around the room. Huffing at the simple minds of the humans, I stand and feign the same sort of hysteria–I’ve got a job to do after all. And if the Angel placed mole is watching me right now I can’t be seen as the odd one out in this crowd.

“Inmates, calm down!” Officer Ignores-my-every-attempt-to-talk-to-him yells.

Several variations of “what the fuck is that?” are yelled right back.

“This is how we will get to Hell,” Hades explains. “If anyone really doesn’t wish to take this opportunity, then sit back down and stay behind. As a warning, you won’t remember the last half-hour when you wake up tomorrow and you’ll be returned to the facility in which you were transferred here from, or to an appropriate prison if we caught you off the streets.”

No one sits back down.

Maybe they would if they knew the other important detail about these games but who am I to spoil the fun.

It takes less time than you’d imagine for people to start approaching the shimmering portal of dark swirling magic. A queue forms down the centre of the food hall and I jump into the throng about halfway down. I keep my ears open to as many comments and questions as I can, trying to catalogue each person’s reaction, and simply trying not to laugh at the ridiculous ones.

Hades and Garrick start filing us through the portal, transferring everyone to the facility I know is waiting. It’ll be somewhere outside the main districts of Elysium. It moves each time and Hades refused me the exact details, saying I needed to tackle the tasks as blindly as the rest of the participants. This I don’t fear, they’re human through this process. I’m a mother fucking demon. Sure, I can’t let my true nature show, but that won’t matter, I’ll be acing each round even without my wings or tail.

As I reach the front Hades catches my eyes and I offer him a wink as I pass through the magical doorway.

Let the games begin.

Apparently, this year ‘outside Elysium’ means far, far outside the city. Which is sensible I suppose after what happened last time. At least here, wherever we are, we’re away from where the main population of the underworld resides.

As I step through the portal, all I can see are mountains, grass and the empty valley we have been transported into. I can’t even spot the set of buildings we should be residing in whilst the interviews take place. What the fuck?

What is waiting for us is Garrick’s team, the guards and officers responsible for looking after us as the games take place. We won’t exactly be prisoners whilst we compete in them but they sure as fuck won’t let anyone leave the vicinity and go wondering into the city. Wherever the city is from here.

The surprises for the humans keep coming as several members of the Guards have their wings out. I’m so jealous, my own are screaming at me to let them loose and take to the skies. One guard flares his, showing off the great expanse of their leathery texture. He doesn’t leave the ground but extends them out and sends a gust of air over the gathering crowd.

I note that none of them have let their tails out. Yet. And a couple of them I recognise from the central offices have hidden their horns too. The others, the ones that still look fully human are probably shifters. Especially the female who is currently shooting daggers at Wyatt. He has wasted no time in introducing himself and flirting.

She’s pretty, petite, with dark hair braided over one shoulder and hanging down over her chest. Even from a distance, I swear I see her eyes fleck the telltale amber of the panther shifters. And when she actually takes a swipe at Wyatt, I can’t stop the chuckle that escapes my lips. Yep, she’s definitely a panther. I wonder if he realises how deadly she really is. He graciously steps back and moves on, face split into a shit-eating grin like he’s having the time of his life.

Shaking my head, I take another look over the crowd. The quiet one, number Nineteen, is looking wide eyed and on the brink of bolting. I haven’t been able to get much of a read on him so far, other than the fact I haven’t seen him converse with a single person. There’s a few in this cohort where the language barrier has been challenging, but he hasn’t spoken at all.

Now we’re through the portal, everyone will be speaking one language. A neat trick of Hades’s power. No matter where you spent your last life you’ll speak one universal language on this plane, and you’re fluent as soon as you cross over the threshold. Maybe once he’s figured that out number Nineteen will be more talkative.

“This is insane isn’t it?” My attention is drawn to my left where number Seven has joined me on the periphery of the mass of bodies. She’s shorter than I am and her icy blonde hair hangs in loose waves. She sounds excited though, not scared, as she engages with me.

“Yep, totally insane,” I mumble back.

“I’m Seffy by the way. I don’t think we’ve talked much since you joined us the other day.” She holds out a hand for me to shake.

I take it tentatively, wondering why she’s all of a sudden trying to be friends. Her grip is firm and she doesn’t keep up the contact for too long. It’s such a weird human custom, why do they feel the need to touch each other when they’ve just met?

The only place that is acceptable is a hook up.

“Tacita,” I tell her.

“Isn’t this the most exciting thing that could be happening? I’ve always loved fantasy books and now it looks like we get to live one!” She’s beaming from ear to ear and I look at her a little closer. She’s totally average. Well, she’s got decent curves, and somehow looks flawless and fresh despite the fact we’ve been without any skin products or make up in days. Scratch that, with her low assignment number she’ll have been in that prison for months, and more if she came from being incarcerated elsewhere.

I have no idea how she’s landed on Hades’s list but she looks incapable of squishing a bug, let alone committing any serious crime.

“What do you think our first task is going to be?” She continues talking to me even though I am practically ignoring her.

“I don’t know,” I say irritatedly. I wish I’d insisted on knowing now, especially as it looks rather likely that we’re diving right in with the first game before we’ve even been taken to the place we’re going to call home for the next three months.

“I hope it’s not too physical. I hate running.” She looks around us at the mountainous terrain. “And climbing. I really hope it’s not climbing.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that simple.” I surprise myself by joining in on speculating what we could be doing out here. “Maybe they’ll get us to spar with that lot,” I add, indicating the guards creating a ring around us.