“Remember John; Not a single word.” My mother whispered to me before we walked into the War Chamber. I continued to follow her pace and tried to keep my head held up high.

The room was filled with 11 glowing figures. They all shared a look of superiority and knowledge. Sitting in their thrones, they sent me a look of disdain.

My mother walked to her throne of roses and I followed suit, standing beside her. As I looked around at the others, I found two familiar figures standing next to their parents as I was.

Jahan Adrih and Abi Dunn. Adrih gave me a firm nod from his position next to his mother’s throne of olive branches. From her father’s throne of grape vines, Abi gave me a carefree smile.

I could tell that this meeting was going to be a difficult one. The tension was making everyone hesitant to begin talking, except, of course, Abi’s father. He looked as carefree, and as drunk, as ever.

“I think we should send one of the Ares kids. It would make things less…difficult for us.”

There were some nods and agreements until Adrih’s mother budded in. She wasn’t very appreciative of the wine god’s attitude towards this debate.

“The prophecy suggests that we are to send a patient demigod to fight. Why would we ignore this when it is written right in front of us?”

More murmurs of agreement. I kept my mouth shut but could feel some anger coming up. They were constantly debating the lives of those below them. Who are they to send children off to their deaths?

I sent a desperate glance to Adrih, silently begging him to speak out for me. He looked at me once, then looked away ashamed. His mother must have discussed this with him, and he must have received the same warning I had gotten. Our time in Olympus was hanging on this debate.

Abi was talking along with the gods without a care in the world. Her father must have given her something to drink before this meeting. Even while he’s drunk, he still knows when to get her to stay quiet over such serious topics.

The gods went on with this debate for hours, going back and forth with each other. First, a child of Dionysus was proposed, then a child of Hephaestus. No matter who was brought up, there was a rebuttal to it. I could feel myself getting even more frustrated with this entire situation.

None of this was right. All of the demigods they proposed were under the age of 12 and were in no position to fight, especially not for the gods. They were children, they should be playing rather than training. The gods only ever saw us as pawns for them to use in battle, nothing more.

“I have a proposal.” My mother stated with a calm smile. She must have been waiting to say something this entire time. I had no clue as to who she would propose, she seemed to go along with all the others in the rebuttals. What was her plan?

Athena must have picked up on this as well. She analyzed my mother before speaking, “And who could you have to propose?”

My mother gave them a chilling smile.

“My daughter, Beverly Hajek.” The gods remained silent, and I felt my blood run cold. Both Adrih and Abi sent alarmed looks toward me. My mother’s words must have made Abi sober up.

“Are there any rebuttals to this proposal?” Zeus stated with a firm voice, looking almost directly at me. Nobody responded. Bev was a patient-headed kid and a strong fighter. She would be able to deal with this quest easily. That didn’t make this any better.

None of this was right. I felt everything pause as I heard the meeting conclude with Zeus giving the gods a confirmation.

“We shall send for her as soon as possible. You are all dismissed.”

I couldn’t force myself to move. I couldn’t force myself to feel anything but anger and disappointment. My mother and the other gods began to leave the room. Adrih and Abi both sent me concerned looks but began to follow their parents. Cowards. All of them.

I couldn’t hold myself back any longer. I had to stand up for my sister.

“Is this really how you fight against your enemies? By sending a child to do your bidding?”

Everyone stopped walking and turned to look at me. Adrih sent me a look of warning, and Abi’s smile was long gone.

“I thought parents were meant to protect their children. But none of you are parents. You’re all monsters who would rather send innocent children to die because you are too cowardly to fight.”

“Excuse me?” Zeus began to walk toward me at a dangerously slow pace. I knew this was stupid, but I would much rather have courage in the face of destruction.

“You heard me. You and the rest of the gods are nothing but monstrous cowards. Smite me if you want. It doesn’t matter. I would rather die than be around any of you ‘loving’ parents.”

By the time I had finished, Zeus had made it right in front of me. I was staring down the king of the gods and was not planning on backing down anytime soon. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, whether they were enraged or concerned for me. I felt a slight shock before he began to speak.

“You will be revoked of all your titles. You will not have contact with any members of this council. You will spend the rest of your days watching your brothers and sisters go out to die, and will not be able to do anything to help them. Be grateful for the fact that you will still have your life by the time you leave Olympus.”

“Uncle please, he didn’t mean any of it! He is unwell and just needs time to collect himself.” Adrih had cut into our stare-down, quick to my defense. Abi was right beside him, anxiety brimming off her.

Zeus turned his cold gaze to Adrih. His confident manner never faltered as this happened. There was an uncomfortable silence before anyone spoke again.

“Jahan Adrih, Abigail Dunn, and John Allen. Your visits to Olympus have come to an end. Adrih and Dunn may keep hold of their titles, but Allen may not. Perhaps next time we see you, you’ll learn to hold your tongue.”

Zeus looked back at me with the last statement. Adrih bowed to him and gave his thanks. Abi followed suit and forced me to do the same. We felt everyone’s eyes on us as we exited the War Chamber.

“Do you think you did the right thing back there John?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Good,” Adrih budded in on me and Abi, “Then we’ll stick with you.” He gave me a sly smile before continuing, “Thanks for making sure we had an easy way out.”

I resisted the urge to laugh at this. I should have known he had a plan this whole time.

“Of course Adrih.”

“Let’s get off this creepy mountain now. I feel like I’m constantly being watched. It’s starting to freak me out.”

“You’re freaking out because you’re drunk Abi.” Adrih still had a smile on his face as he was poking fun at her.

As we continued to leave the mountain of the gods, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied with how everything had gone. Even though we had openly defied the gods, we were still standing and still had each other. That was enough to survive.