“Today will bring you sorrow,” the other echoed.
“And we will meet again, friend.”
I won. I won everything I entered—more than half of the games, earning ten golds each time. That was more money than I made in months. Enough to hire a doctor, to pay for medicine, food, to not worry about being thrown in the street for a while.
I was told to present myself in the arena again after collecting my winnings. A special prize would be offered to me.
I stood before the imperial box with gold and purple drapes, where Hera waved and Zeus smiled down at me.
“For your exceptional skills, I offer you more than gold,” he’d boomed as he laid his trap.
My gift had been the energy of a god. The moment it entered me, I could tell I was in for another battle—one I’d likely lose. And then, I’d die. Zeus had wanted to erase me, and awaken one of his lost gods instead.
I won another battle that day, enraging the vile monster, who destroyed my world for my offense. He killed them casually, with a lightning bolt.
I was sure my parents gave me presents as a child, but the memory had long faded. The only one that I recalled—the only one that mattered—was the one I got from the king of the gods. Death. The death of my family. The death of the mortal I used to be.
Words like “present” were a trigger for me. I didn’t believe in gifts without strings or tricks.
I opened the box slowly, half expecting it to explode.
Inside, there was a leather jacket and a bunch of plain black T-shirts.
“I wasn’t sure if you owned any tops,” Silver said. “And we are going to Paris in the middle of November. You can’t walk around half naked if we’re to be inconspicuous.”
I tried the jacket on. It felt was a little tight, as I was used to wearing a himation or an exomis. They were still in fashionin most immortal lands, though Demeter liked denim dungarees and Aphrodite had discovered Lycra.
“That’s thoughtful.” She had a point about standing out.
The two of us would draw the eye no matter what we wore, but it was logical to wear weather-appropriate clothing in the mortal world.
“I like it.” It was a far sight superior to my last gift, for sure. “Thank you, doll.”
“Whatever,” she grumbled, flushing. “Ready to go in a couple of hours? I need to drop Amavi at Kleos’s, but I booked the shopper for ten in the arena.”
She’d already told me so yesterday, which meant she was steering the subject away from her gift.
I let her, uncharacteristically just as awkward as she was.
I had the memory of the old god who used to receive offerings, but Silver wasn’t a worshipper. We were equals. I was certain my family had celebrated my birthdays, though the details were blurry, but that was different too. A gift from her left me unsettled. I immediately regretted not having anything to offer in exchange. This imbalance needed to be rectified promptly.
“Who’s looking after the snake, by the way?”
I shrugged. “It’s a great big snake. He can look after himself.”
“Ugh—let me rephrase. Who’s ensuring he’s not eating the cats from your neighborhood?”
She had a point.
I headed back to my apartment to find the snake curled up on the balcony, enjoying the rare winter sunshine.
“Do you want to hang out at Eris’s or Gideon’s?” I asked it.
The reptile opened one eye, tongue peeking out.
“Stupid question,” I agreed. “Fine, I’ll drop you off on the way.”
Eris happily agreed to look after the ten-foot-long reptile, promising to bake for him. I opted not to mention I wasn’t certain cupcakes were part of his diet.
