Four

ZEUS

In this stadium in the crowd somewhere is our mate.

I sniff the air, trying to locate her. I'm able to narrow down the scent from a lady in a black dress, wearing a golden mask. Every single cell in my body is telling me to go after her.

And that's when I lose grip of Atlas.

He gets up from his sleeper hold and reverses the position on me, pinning me down to the ground. The impact of my head hitting the floor makes me lose the scent.

I look up, and the lady in the black dress is no longer there.

"I'm sorry, brother," Atlas whispers in my ear as he wounds his arms tighter around my neck, pushing me face-first against the ground. "It has to be only one of us. Nothing personal."

With that, he presses against my neck really hard, cutting off my air in one go. I gasp, struggling to breathe, but I still find myself scanning the crowd to look for my mate.

My vision is starting to blur. The faces in the crowd are blending with each other. I'm trying really hard not to tap out, but with every passing second, it gets harder and harder to breathe.

But if I pass out, it's going to be over.

I already had a little taste of victory earlier. I can't let that go. Not now that I just found my mate and I want to everything to her. I want to be strong enough for her. Not just good enough. I want to be the best.

"You got this," Legacy tells me sternly. "Come on, Zeus. You got this."

I let his words flow through me, and slowly, I manage to turn around and lift Atlas off of me.  Then I elbow his nose and send him flying back, feeling myself getting filled with a strange mix of strength and power.

But Atlas is also strong. With one sweep of his feet, he kicks me in the jaw and sends me crashing down on the ground. I prop my arms just in time to stop my face from skidding on the rough surface, but then he kicks me on the abdomen and tries to tackle him again, but he's quick to dodge so I have to jump on my feet despite my breath getting knocked out of me.

I'm about to deliver a strong punch to his face to do his nose in, but that's when the mediator whistles and brings down the white flag. "UP!" he yells, which signals the end of the round. "Gather!"

No. No way it's over. I have to win.

I open my mouth to refute the decision but then Atlas comes to me and takes my hand to shake it firmly. His nose is bleeding, but he's still managing to smile at me. I can't bring myself to smile back at him. I keep wheeling around to check the crowd and see if she's still there.

"Good fight, brother," Atlas says. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I say absent-mindedly, staring at the spot where I last saw my mate. "I just. . . I saw my. . . ."

I falter, but Atlas smiles knowingly. "You found your mate? That's awesome! Find her at the ball later, yeah? Right now we have to know the decision."

I nod, knowing he is right. At the word decision, my pulse starts to quicken. Together we stand in front of the King and Queen, who are talking to the mediator. The mediator then steps forward and raises his arms.

"The King and Queen have decided that it is a tie," he announced. "We shall have another fight by sundown tomorrow, until one candidate comes out victorious."

A mix of disappointment and relief floods me. Relief because at least I have another chance, and disappointment because I almost took Atlas down.

But at least I saw my mate.

Everything is worth it.

* * *

MEREDITH

My heart is beating so fast it's almost breaking out of my chest as I watch Zeus try to fight his brother. I want to scream and cheer for him, to tell him that his mate is rooting for him, but instead I just try to move closer to the stage to see him better. To let him see me. . . .

But that's when someone blocks my view. Then another one. And another one. Before I know it, I’m buried behind so many people.

Deciding it’s my cue to go back, I get out of the ballroom and run straight to the kitchen's washing area, where Dad is pacing around, looking worried. Thankfully Mom is not here so I just swerve right in, sidling up next to Dad who flinches. He immediately deflates in relief when he sees me, but he frowns when I take off my mask.

"Where have you been?" he asks, touching the mask suspiciously. "Did you go out with the guests?"

Well, there's no point in lying. "Yes, Dad."

"Meredith! You know your mother would have been so upset if she found you going out and mingling with the crowd! We're here to be servants and--"

"But Dad, I found my mate."

"What? What mate?”

"My mate, Dad," I say, running into his arms and looking up at him imploringly. "You know, the partner thing you told me about. Granted he doesn’t know me, but I think I like him.”

He frowns. “And did you two talk?”

“No,” I mumble sheepishly. "Do you think I should see him and try to talk to him?"

He smiles sadly. "You really are grown up. I keep forgetting that." He wipes his eyes and laughs at my question. "Will you really let me stop you? Go for it, baby. Go find your mate."

I hug him again, pressing my face against his chest. When he releases me, he whispers, "Now I'm going to leave." He winks. "That conversation never happened, understand?"

"Yes, Dad," I say, laughing. Then I smile when he hands me the mask. "Thank you."

With that, I run back out into the garden with a big smile on my face. Happiness is coursing through me. I’m so excited to find Zeus and strike up a conversation.

Well, I do know that he may not be interested in a lowlife like me. But I don’t know, something about this just feels so right. Something about the idea of talking to him is just naturally appealing, as though this is the thing I’m supposed to be doing all along.

It’s almost like it’s meant to be.

Smiling, I crane my neck to look at the entrance of the ballroom when suddenly someone steps in front of me.

And my heart soars when I see that it’s Zeus.