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Realistic or Modern Oracle Manor

Her fingers curled around his bicep, and in a rough drag she turned him. She looked at him like he'd just committed the most heinous crime and broken her heart. Hayden hated that, hated how his insides curled up like a snake desperate to find out who'd hurt her so he could hurt them. But the fact of the matter was, he already knew what was hurting her and it was he who was responsible for that line of anguish that separated her brows. It was he who caused those glassy eyes, brimming with unshed tears. He suddenly knew he'd bend over backwards to make sure he didn't see her cry again- and he hated himself for that very fact.

The anger that boiled deep within his gut rose to the surface as she all but yelled at him, demanding to know what had been said, what they both already knew. He could feel the eyes of Jade and Jayden as they leaned closer to the blow up, their hushed whispers carrying on the breeze. Hayden's jaw ticked, his dark eyes narrowing on the spitfire in front of him as she continued to explode. She demanded to know if it was true and he could all but imagine as Jayden and Jade held their breaths, breathless with anticipation of the news.

He wouldn't give it to them however. If word got out about their connection... their... bond- they'd be targets number one and two in the next competition. So Hayden did what he thought was best, and that was to shutter his expression as best as he could and wrenched out of Essa's hand. She looked about ready to murder him and he couldn't have that either. So he bent, his shoulder connected with Essa's stomach and lifted, hoisting her over his shoulder like she was a sack of potatoes.

He banded his arms over her legs, stopping any kicks or struggling there- ensuring she wouldn't be able to escape him as he marched them away from prying eyes towards the empty dock.

"If you quit struggling, I'll consider not throwing you into the ocean." He hissed at her as he stomped his way down the steps towards the dock. Finally when they were out of earshot he bent, setting her back down. Her hair was a wild halo around her, curling up around her face from her short stint upside down. He braced himself ready to catch any blows she might rain down upon him for his invasion of space.

"What were you thinking?" He seethed, stepping forward like it was instinctual. He couldn't deny the undeniable, almost feral desire to be in her space. "Announcing what we know to everyone like that? Use your fucking head Essa- or do you want to fight extra hard in the next competition because being the winners of the previous set isn't enough of a target on our backs? Hm?" Fuck, she smelled so good, he longed to grasp her by the back of the neck and bury his nose in the soft curls near her ear. His arm still burned from where she'd touched him and he did everything possible to avoid noticing it.

"You saw it too?" He lowered his voice to ask the question burning in his mind. "The lines of Fate?" She didn't have to answer him, he could already see the answer in her eyes. Bound so tightly together, they were. "Hades wasn't very forthcoming with information." He admitted into the silence that had fallen between them for long seconds. "He demanded to know why I was bound up by the threads of another, and when he revealed the line he said the competition was about to get a whole lot more interesting." Hayden dragged a hand through his hair, his weary mind trying desperately to make sense of the words the God had spoken.

"For better or worse, it seems you and I are... bound." Hayden had to bite out the last word. "Everything we've been feeling is just a product of the God's meddlesome games." His gaze lifted and he met Essa's eyes and before he knew what he was doing, his thumb caught a stray tear that had managed to slip from the corner of her eye. Her skin was soft under his touch, and sparks of pleasure skirted up his arm, he pulled back like he'd been burned. "We can't give in." He muttered. "Tell me everything they told you and I'll do the same, and when one of us wins, we'll find a way to serve this tie. Forever." He felt sick as he spoke the words, like the idea of not being connected to Essa might kill him. But it was what they had to do. They would not be willing pawns in this game of divinity.
 
Hayden wrenched out of her grasp and Essa’s expression darkened even further. If he was about to walk away without answering her, then so help her god… In the end though, Hayden went much, much further than that. Within moments he was bending in front of her, thrusting his shoulder into her stomach and hauling her over the top of him so that she dangled unceremoniously while he used his hands to prevent her from kicking him in the chest, just like he deserved.

“Hayden, what…?! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Essa shrieked, trying to wriggle and failing miserably in the iron grip that held her. “Put me the fuck down, right fucking now!”

Her protestations continued all the way to the dock and his threat to tip her into the ocean was met with a growl before finally he leaned down to place her back on her feet. Eyes flashing, expression and hair practically feral, Essa stepped forwards and without hesitation she shoved Hayden directly in the centre of his chest. “Don’t you ever do that to me again,” she hissed, stepping forwards as he did to ensure that she was in his space, that he could see how much she meant those words and because… she wanted to be, yearned to be.

In reality, Essa was beyond angry with him for humiliating her like that but a small part of her, a tiny seed that was buried deep enough for her to ignore it, thought that that kind of reaction? It was exactly what she had needed, it was a welcome distraction from her reality, from her saying something in her raw state that she might come to regret.

None of this showed however, as her eyes bore into his, as she listened to him explain himself, as her own gaze to burn with the emotion that she was suddenly so unable to contain. He had a point, she knew that he did but she couldn’t accept it, couldn’t accept any of this when all she wanted was to run, to run far away, back home to her sister, her life and all that mattered within it. She had never thought of herself beyond that, what her life could be and who might come into it and this… this bond that had forced her to do that was overwhelming to the point that all she wanted to do was bury her face into the chest of the man who stood before her and hold him until that gap in her chest, the one that had always been there, was filled in a way that she now realised could only be filled by him.

By the time that Hayden spoke again into the silence, Essa was too choked to reply. She knew that her face, her reaction said it all; they’d both seen the same thing, both knew what it meant. His confirmation resulted in that solitary tear slipping from the corner of her eye, the one that he reached up a thumb to catch. His touch was the one thing that lifted her eyes to meet his, to search his stunning features as if looking for an explanation, a reason to move away from him. Essa didn’t want to though; her chest ached with the need to maintain that contact, to lean into his hand. The instinct was almost primal in its intensity until the contrast of his words were what yanked her back into the very real understanding that… Hayden didn’t want this. And neither did she.

“I will not be tied to someone else,” she managed to choke out, using her discomfort to fuel her anger, her gaze flickering away as she retracted from the touch that had sizzled its imprint onto her cheek, burning her just like it had Hayden. “My fate is my own; not Athena’s, not Hades’s and certainly not yours. Fuck, the gods really have a great fucking sense of humour, don’t they? I have struggled and fought on my own for my whole gods damned life and now they want to bind me to someone else, now they think I need someone else?”

In truth, Essa hadn’t considered that this was the Gods meddling with them until Hayden had suggested as much, not when the explanation for how she had been feeling suddenly made so much sense. She didn’t want to accept it sure, but… did Athena and Hades really have that kind of power? To influence and imbue feelings – wasn’t that against freewill? and even if they did, why would they? Want was that kind of connection to them? It was easy to blame them as both she and Hayden apparently wanted to do but that didn’t make that blame true; after all, Athena, and Hades as far as she was aware hadn’t taken credit for the gift and that… was unusual.

When Essa finally spoke again her voice was thick, heavy and she finally turned away from Hayden towards the ocean lapping at the dock, her expression weary and full of hurt that she hated herself for, hurt that she didn’t want him to see.

Taking a breath, she tried to speak past the ball of emotion still clogging up her throat, knowing that she needed to do this, that the information was important even if neither of them wanted to hear it. “Athena told me that I am… fated to another,” she admitted, forcing her voice to continue, “And that the connection is a gift, one that if we accept… may help us in the trials to come.” Essa stopped short however, of telling Hayden what they had to do to accept the gift and found herself wondering if he already knew. “She didn’t tell me how it would help, just that it would.” That part was added bitterly and Essa supressed a shudder at Hayden’s suggestion of severing their tie, a suggestion she found that she couldn’t, wouldn’t speak to. Not when it lanced a strike of pain through her, one of discomfort, of nausea at the very thought, all feelings that she didn’t want to feel, didn’t understand. She didn’t want this, so then why was the thought of no longer having it so dreadful?

Lifting up two hands to run through her bouncing curls, Essa stared off into the horizon, whatever anger she had felt previously seemingly ebbing away with the flow of the tide, only to be replaced by complete and utter impending mental exhaustion. She didn’t want to think anymore, didn’t want to feel and as if demonstrating this fact, she finally flopped herself down onto the edge of the dock and sat, legs dangling off the edge of it, letting a brief silence fall in the aftermath of everything that had just been passed between them.

“I didn’t realise that the Gods could meddle with our feelings too,” she eventually revealed quietly, though even as she spoke the words, something about them didn’t quite ring true. But if that was the line that Hayden wanted to tow then she was more than willing to tow it with him to protect herself. “This is such a fucking mess and none of it makes any sense. I’m just… I’m so done. With all of it.” I want to go home.

The words teetered on the edge of her tongue but Essa didn’t speak them as more tears burned; she had never, not once in her life felt that way before - hadn’t ever believed that she could.
 
"I have struggled and fought on my own for my whole gods damned life and now they want to bind me to someone else, now they think I need someone else?” At Essa's words Hayden felt his heart crack in two. The damn nuisance of an organ all but threatened to jump out of his chest at the confession layered in truths. Truth's he was certain Essa would rather no one know, and the fact that he had even a glimpse of the life she had before the competition was telling. She fell silent and he watched as her throat worked up the nerve to speak against the block that was surely forming.

He'd seen Essa display all manner of strength and bravery in their short time together. Had it truly been only a few weeks since their meeting? It felt like there had been nothing before Essa, and now here she was; looking like a she was a scant few moments away from falling apart. He wanted to pull her back to him when she turned away, wanted to tuck her into his side and lean his cheek against her top of her head. He'd whisper words to her, words of comfort and support. And none of it would be real. Essa confirmed as much when she spoke again, revealing that she too knew about what would happen if they allowed their bond to rule them.

He joined her, without thought, as she sat on the edge of the dock. His body as close to hers as he could get without actually touching her. He'd been about to speak, and share what Hades had revealed when she whispered one more confession onto the salty sea breeze.

"This is a mess." Hayden agreed ruefully. He looked up to the heavens, as if his mere glance could scold the God's for doing this to them. He cleared his throat and let his gaze drop back down to the sea below them and he watched as bubbles foamed and frothed as the waves met the sturdy wood of the docks. An errant bit of kelp danced through the waves, and it was something for him to latch onto as he spoke.

"Hades said as much as Athena. He kept alluding to the power within and that we would be remiss to resist it." He scoffed at the memory of the warm voice dictating how he should feel. "He said that we would know how to complete the bond, because it would be etched into my every thought and desire." Hayden snuck Essa a sideways glance, he wanted to know how she felt about that, if the idea filled her with a mixture of horror and pleasure like it did for him. "He also told me that he'd never seen a gift like this before, that a human bound by the red thread was unheard of." He ran a frustrated hand down his face. "He said it was the divine hand of another that had touched us but from the way you spoke it seems like Athena wasn't taking credit for it either."

Hayden groaned and leaned back, his hands meeting the back of the dock as his feet hovered listlessly over the water. "Why can't the God's ever speak clearly? Why must it always be so cryptic?" Essa looked so sullen and defeated that Hayden wisely shut his mouth. His desire for the facts and truth wasn't what Essa needed in this moment, he could see that clearly. Like she said, she was done. So Hayden did something he didn't do often, though when it came to her it was as easy as breathing. He reached out and pressed a comforting hand over her back, his fingers circling over the skin over her neck. His palm brushed over the bumps of her spine, just under her neck and his thumb was a sweeping trail over the skin of her shoulder.

"I lied when I said this changes nothing." He confessed, because truly it changed everything for him. "The fact of the matter is, you and I are stuck together in this. As much as I want to wring your pretty little neck, I just... can't." Was it a risk to tell her that? Most definitely. "You can count on me Essa, and together we're going to get through this. We're going to make the best of this, and when it's over we can both tell Fate to fuck right off. You'll get your wish and I'll get mine."

Hayden's other hand crept up his chest and he winced at the pain his own words caused him, "it has to be the God's meddling with our feelings?" He'd meant to say it to confirm Essa's suspicion, but it ended up coming out like more of a question. "I've never felt this strongly about anything. Ever." He rubbed at his chest before a horrifying thought occurred to him. "Oh Gods..." He muttered, he suddenly needed to lean forward because for a brief moment he wondered if he was going to be sick. "Thank the God's Fate chose you. If I'd been all moon eyed over fucking Jade or Jayden I would have begged you to kill me." He couldn't fathom the idea of feeling this strongly over anyone, but perhaps if it was Essa, he could manage.
 
Her own thoughts had consumed her so completely in that moment that Essa hadn't considered what Hayden might do, how he might react. So, when she felt his presence sit down beside her, she glanced at him before looking back out to the ocean and letting a long, slow exhale leave her lips. It was a comfort to know he was here with her, to feel him, even though she didn't want it to be. Essa never showed this part of herself, very rarely arrived at this point, where her walls were down to leave her so exposed, vulnerable. Right now though, she simply didn't have the strength or the energy to maintain them and in truth? Even if just right at this moment, she was beyond caring.

A brief silence flowed over them as they sat companionably with their own thoughts and when Hayden did speak, when he began to detail what Hades had revealed to him, Essa listened and she contemplated, and looked mildly uncomfortable at hearing he also knew what they had to do to accept the bond. Even unspoken they both knew, knew what they wanted, what they felt. They had come close to it back in the baths, a feeling Essa had been very quick to shuck after Hayden's admission that he'd played her in the helicopter. Gods, they had so much history already and yet they had only known each other for a few days.

Hearing that even the gods seemed surprised by the red thread of fate binding them together was what eventually pulled Essa once more from these thoughts but before she could speak to it, or address it she felt a shift beside her and a warm hand make contact with the base of her neck. Her small body immediately stiffened; not because the touch wasn't wanted, but quite the opposite in fact. Hayden's touch was desired so much that all Essa wanted to do was sink into it and although she spent a good few moments battling the instinct to, in the end she let her muscles relax one by one, let the sparks ignited from that point on her back sizzle along her nerve-endings until every fibre of her being craved more.

Could such a feeling really be planted by the Gods, when it felt so organic, so... natural? Essa shivered softly as Hayden's thumb swept across her shoulder and when he confessed that he had lied about what this bond meant to him, something inside of her seemed to thaw. Essa didn't have the energy to fight the sudden overwhelming urge she had to go to him, didn't care that she would regret this later, or that she quite possibly wouldn't be able to look him in the eye again for a long while afterwards. She simply needed this, needed comfort... needed him and so with only a moment of hesitation, she began to move herself along the edge of the dock, so close to Hayden now that their legs were touching and so that she could slowly lower her head down, albeit tentatively, onto his shoulder.

Almost immediately, Essa relaxed into his warmth, his scent, closing her eyes as she breathed him in and just for a moment, allowed herself over to the pull towards him that she had been fighting ever since they had first met. "Me neither," she eventually confessed quietly to his acknowledgement of how strong the feeling between them was, although it was his sudden shocking revelation that pulled a snicker of laughter from her, an actual laugh, a sound that Essa couldn't remember the last time she had heard it. The tightness in her chest unravelled just a fraction more at that realisation. "I guess we have to take the small wins where we can," she murmured around a smirk. "Though I count that as a loss myself. Seeing you drooling over either one of those idiots would have been a prize in itself."

In truth, the very thought of Hayden drooling over anyone but her made Essa feel particularly feral, but she quelled the bite that threatened her by taking another deep inhale and then releasing it, as if that small action in itself could expend all of what she felt in one fell swoop. Another brief silence fell before she spoke again, knowing that there were things between them that they couldn't just ignore, that needed to be said. Knowing that they needed to figure this out, what it meant and more importantly, what they were going to do about it.

"If the Gods truly aren't responsible for this, if they really were surprised by two humans being linked like we are," she offered softly after several moments, considering what Hayden had told her earlier about Hades' surprise revelation. "Then how can we be so sure that they are causing the feelings too?" The question lingered, settling between them like a shroud, shielding them from anything else that wasn't the two of them. Essa hadn't meant it to change the mood but it had and as if realising as much she finally lifted her head, but not away from Hayden; instead she looked up into his eyes, her own searching his expression in a moment of uncertainty, vulnerability. Her next question was not one that she wanted to ask but one that felt necessary, given the implications of what accepting the bond might mean, what it might grant them in a competition where they needed every leg up they could get. Or at least that's what Essa tried to tell herself the reason for asking her next question was.

"Hayden..." She began, her words a barely audible whisper. "Do you think we should accept it?"
 
The feeling of Essa inching ever closer to him filled Hayden with a breathless sort of anticipation. And when she was pressed against his thigh, his side and her head touched his shoulder Hayden knew without a doubt that he wanted to stay in that moment forever. The soft halo of her curls tickled his neck and he caught a whiff of her shampoo. The press of her cheek was so soft against his shoulder and he felt his arm tighten around her instinctively. He wanted her there, no, needed her there. With her curled next to him he finally felt like he could think again.

It helped to know she felt similar in the intensity of her feeling towards him, though there was still that glaring bit of logic that refused to let him think that any of this was real between them. How could it be? He was not someone who felt with intensity of the burning sun, his heart didn't reach as deep as the Mariana Trench. But when she laughed all those deep recesses of unknown feeling felt so full he was close to bursting.

"What if it was the other way around?" He threatened with a growl that had absolutely no bite to it, "and you were the one who found herself tangled up with the likes of those two? Oh how easy the competition would be then." Hayden lamented. They fell into silence once more, but it felt different, less like they were at odds and more like they were bolstering themselves to do 'this' (whatever this was) together. Soon Essa broke the silence with her quandaries and he hated that she was right. He didn't like not knowing who was responsible for this, or why the fates had done their bidding.

"I wish I knew." He muttered. "On top of keeping each other alive, we'll need to focus on understanding who could have done this to us. As much as it pains me to say, I think you're right that we can't be sure. If we knew who had done this, perhaps we could seek audience and find out how much this bond affects us and our... feelings." Hayden could spot a faint black dot in the distant sky, spearing through the clouds, and from the rapid blinking light near it's bottom he knew it was the helicopter come to collect them. Essa didn't spot it however and his eyes dropped to hers as she lifted her head from his shoulder.

They were breath's apart and it would have been all to easy to tighten his arm around her shoulder and tug her the rest of the way, so he could claim that damn perfect mouth. It was like the air around them was alive with energy, it sizzled and popped between them as his gaze dropped to that one pouty lip he so desperately wanted to drag through his teeth. Her question was breathless and he forced his eyes shut against the tantalizing image of her peering up at him through her lashes.

"I... Fuck I want to Essa. I want to so fucking badly, but if neither of us are in control..." His eyes opened and his charcoal eyes were doused in sadness. "If at the end of this we found out that none of this was real, it would kill me to know I took advantage of you when you couldn't say no. I don't want that to happen to me either." Hayden ran a hand over his face and he could just barely make out the whip of each helicopter blade as it sliced through the air. "No amount of power is worth yours or my free will." Hayden moved to stand and he reached a hand down to Essa, willing to pull her to her feet.

"Looks like it's almost time to head back." Hayden's head lifted to the darkening sky and let out a deep sigh. "So I guess there are three rules for us from here on out, until the competition is over. One: keep each other alive. Two: Find out who did this to us and see if there are any myths and legends that can lead us to more answers. Three: and most importantly, no falling in love."
 
It was all Essa could do to smirk at Hayden’s growl because they both knew that she would never make this competition easy but for once, there was something comforting in the way they jibed at each other, something familiar. It felt less intense than their speculations of what could have caused this and why it had chosen them to play with, that there was more at work here than the Gods themselves. Essa’s mind felt like it was overloaded with it all, past the point of being able to think logically, so when she asked her final question of Hayden she could feel her body slipping into the pull towards him and for a moment, no matter how brief, she was simply too tired to fight it.

In the end though, it was Hayden’s response that jolted her back from the precipice, like he’d just tipped a bucket of ice over her head. Essa blinked in the face of what felt like a rejection; she didn’t hear the part that Hayden wanted to do this, didn’t hear anything other than if they followed through with what she had asked, what she had suggested... it would be like they were taking advantage of one another because none of it was real. She could have quite easily spun that it didn’t matter, that they could use this thing to better their chances but Essa felt hurt that she had no right to feel riling up within her, and finally it was that same hurt that caused her to pull away, to avert her gaze in an attempt to hide her shame, her embarrassment.

Gods, she was such an idiot. This was exactly why she didn’t let her walls down, why she didn’t let anyone in because everyone, even Hayden, would disappoint her in the end. If anything she suppose he’d done her a favour by reminding her of that fact, before she'd done something she knew now that she would come to regret.

When he held out a hand to her, Essa considered it for a moment but didn’t take it and instead lifted herself to her feet by using her own two hands, the same two hands that brushed down her clothes while Hayden listed the rules he thought they should follow over the course of the next few trials. At the third and final one, she couldn’t help the scoff that left her mouth; “Don’t flatter yourself Kaneko. I’ll do what I can, but winning comes first. Always.”

Then without a word more, without so much as a look back in his direction, Essa turned on her heel and began back up the slope that had led them down to the dock in the first place.


The helicopter whirred the sand beneath it into a frenzy, it’s humming engine loud and disruptive in the previous peace that the temples had afforded their Chosen. Jade and Jayden stood side by side watching it descend as Essa re-joined them, and unsurprisingly it was Jade who spoke to her re-emergence first. “So. You and Kaneko…?” There was a bitterness to her question that might have amused Essa if she hadn't felt so disgustingly raw.

“There is no me and Kaneko,” she snapped because fuck, if anyone else asked her that...

“That’s not what it looked like to me,” Jade lifted her chin. “What was all that about, anyway?”

“Even if there was something to tell,” Essa practically growled, clearly done with the niceties of their little holiday, though she added as an afterthought, “You would be the very last person on this entire planet that I’d talk to about it. Going forwards, how about you mind your own fucking business?” Jade momentarily gaped at her as Jayden did, but Essa wasted no time in staring back at them and instead, she practically stomped towards the helicopter that had now set itself down before them. When she reached it, she ignored the man in black who stood gesturing for her to mind her head and slid herself into it, shuffling right into the corner seat, arms folded across her chest.

In truth, she never believed she’d be so willing to get into a death trap that could fly her into the air but here she was; wishing beyond hope that it would set off soon so that she could concentrate on managing her fear of flying, rather than the million and one thoughts about red threads, and fate and love, that were buzzing around her overly tired mind.
 
Essa's feet stomped against the dock and with each angry step that she took from him, Hayden repeated the mantra 'this is for the best,' to himself. If they both started thinking like Essa and bowing to their baser impulses they would end up in a place where he seriously feared hurting her. Every instinct in him demanded to care for and protect the woman marching away from him without a second glance, and that included protecting her from himself.

"Fuck." He rumbled out the single expletive, forcing himself to stand still and give Essa the space she so clearly needed. Only when the helicopter landed did he let himself move to catch up with the group. He saw Jade's mouth move, though he couldn't hear the words exchanged between her and Essa over the roar of the helicopter blades. From taken back expression Jade wore seconds later, Hayden knew Essa had lost all her patience.

The group of four chosen was ushered into the helicopter and Hayden found himself once more seated in front of Essa. The didn't speak, didn't meet one another's eye as voices crackled through the speakers of their headsets. The pilot announced their take-off and in a move that was completely instinctual Hayden felt his foot move forward, he felt the slide of his sneakers rub against hers, until the side of his foot was pressed to the entirely of hers. Sure she was mad at him, and in truth he felt a little mad at her for even entertaining the idea of completing the bond, but even with all that anger betrayal simmering between them, that didn't negate the fact that Essa and flying did not go hand in hand.

He watched out the window, hoping that she would see his silent gesture for what it was- "you've got this."

***

The manor looked entirely familiar and unfamiliar at once. Gone was the blue tarp hiding the damage that had been caused and in the space of 24 hours a new gleaming kitchen and outer wall seemed to have been magicked into existence. The garden's were empty, save for the chosen who rushed away from the helicopter and back up the stone stairs up to one of the manors many expansive balconies. Jade brushed past Essa in an air of haughty disdain, bumping her shoulder into Essa's back purposefully as she marched ahead of the group and into the massive oak doors. Jayden was quick to follow after her, stopping only to shoot them both an indecipherable look over his shoulder.

Hayden held the door open for Essa and followed after her into the manor of luxury and danger. They passed some chosen on the way to their rooms, most regarded them like they wore nothing but trash bags. Though a few friendly faces did peek out of doors or pause to wave their greetings in a silent hello. Hayden trailed after Essa, walking just behind her until they reached the wooden door that held her room.

Hayden's arms crossed over his chest and he leaned on the wall next to the door. Finally, after all that silence he spoke.

"Try not to get killed while I'm gone." There was something harsh about those words and they way they tumbled from his lips, a harsh juxtaposition to the sincere concern lacing through his eyes. He would wait here until he knew Essa was safe behind her door and the bolt was clicked shut. Only then would he return to his room. Above them, a sound system in the house crackled to life and Hayden had to close his eyes against the nasally voice of the MC.

"Welcome back winners! Might I suggest that everyone gets a good sleep tonight, because our next challenges starts off bright and early tomorrow. Sleep tight Chosen."
 
Essa hated flying, but she hated that Hayden felt the need to comfort her more.

Or at least, that's what she told herself as she felt his foot nudge against hers, the entire length of his engulfing the side of her own. Already visibly tense as the helicopter began to whir and lift into the air, Essa fought with herself for a few moments, her own gaze trained upon the window, but in the end... she moved her foot away. She retracted it so that they were no longer touching in a silent rejection, because if he didn't want to accept whatever this was between them? Then they both needed to accept that whatever happened from here on out, happened to them alone.


Despite her apparent attempt to spite Hayden, there was no doubt in Essa's mind that she had also spited herself. By the time the helicopter set down, her knee was bouncing and she was practically shoving Jade and Jayden out the door so that she could scramble her way out and back onto an onmoving surface.

Once she was out of reach of the death trap's blades, she stood for a few moments gulping in deep breaths of air, her eyes closed in an attempt to negate the pounding in her head. It was for this reason that she didn't notice Jade's viper like eyes upon her, or the way that she brushed past her close enough to initiate contact until it happened. The bump to her shoulder is what pulled Essa back into the present and she blinked at the unexpectedness of it before her eyes narrowed and her lips curled slightly into what could have been either a feline smirk or a baring of teeth. Essa wasn't in the mood for bitchy games - Jade was child's play compared to what else lay out there, waiting for them, waiting for her. All she needed to do now was get back to her room and sink into the sheets of her bed until sleep wiped all thoughts and feelings from her body.

The manor house itself was a semi-welcome sight of familiarity, but it was almost as though Essa didn't see it, or the other Chosen who watched her, or gave her a wide-berth as she walked by. She was vagely aware of Hayden following her through the gardens, into the house and through the hallways - not a coincidence she realised, the longer it went on. She didn't even have the energy to turn around and tell him to get lost until they finally reached her door and he took it upon himself to stand in front of her, leaning casually against the wall like a God of Death himself.

Essa didn't look at him though, not as she stepped forwards, not as she placed her hand upon the door handle and not when he spoke. His words did pause her for a moment, a muscle working in her jaw as she processed them before finally she rounded on him, her amber eyes flashing in barely contained fury because how dare he, how dare he say something like that to her? Before Essa could mutter anything in response however, the voice of the MC cut through whatever scathing reply she been about to bestow with a thinly veiled threat that was disguised as something informative.

Turning her gaze upwards to where the voice sounded like it was coming from, Essa's expression morphed into something else for a brief flicker of a second, something softer... until she looked back down to Hayden and was reminded of what he'd just said to her.

In the end, it was all Essa could do to offer a scoff and a quirk of her lips that didn't reach her eyes. "Don't pretend for a second that you care," she uttered, the words dripping with contempt that in reality, was there to hide so much more beneath. And with that she pushed through her door and pretty much slammed it in Hayden's face, pausing on the other side for a moment as she contemplated whether she could even make it to the bed before collapsing under the weight of... everything.


Although it took her a while, Essa did finally make it before full unconsciousness claimed her. She could hardly remember sluggishly shifting across her room, or wrapping her body into the covers, so when she was awoken after a few hours by a violent jostling of her bed, it took her a long time - too long - to try and fight through her sleep addled mind to contemplate what was happening to her.

Large hands grabbed at her small body, two sets she realised, as she thrashed and struggled against the fingers now digging into her skin. "Hey, what the fu--"

She kicked her legs as she was dragged from the bed, hitting the ground at an angle that knocked the air from her lungs, and sent one of the bodies that was trying to grip her stumbling back into the bedside table and lamp behind them with a smashed clatter. The room was still shrouded in darkness, and Essa tried to scramble back onto her feet but just as she lurched forwards in the direction of her bedroom door, a set of hands once more encased her, this time pushing a cloth over her mouth, her nose. Essa tried to scream as the smell of chemicals burnt her eyes, her throat, tried to struggle even as she felt her limbs becoming heavy, wearisome.... until she was dragged fully back into the depths of unawareness once more.


It was a light that woke Essa properly the next morning, a light that seemed to flicker against her eyelids. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she felt cold, that she was shivering and that.... was she on the ground? There was something rough and sharp digging into her side and a soft groan escaped her lips when she finally tried to move.

A rustle of leaves and twigs protested beneath her and the she lifted a hand to her head as she attempted to open her eyes, a sharp pain lancing through her temple. The world around her seemed to shift and change as she was threatened with slipping back into a sleeping state for a third time, but she fought it through gritted teeth, forced her eyes to remain open, forced herself to notice that above her there were... tree branches that were responsible for the flickering sunlight that had roused her.

One by one her senses began to return, the scent of moss and rain filling her nose as she quickly came to realise that she was no longer in the manor house, in her bedroom, but rather... a forest. Alone. With nothing but the same clothes she'd worn the day before.

"... Fuck."
 
There was an arm tucked under Hayden's head as he stared sightlessly up at the ceiling. His brain was working overtime, doing its best to analyze each moment with Essa on the docks and the ones that subsequently followed. Those soft pouty lips of hers had been so damn enticing as she invited him to make good on the bond, then in the blink of an eye and a simple no she'd transformed into a righteous ball of fury and detachment. Hayden's hand rubbed over his chest, right over his heart- letting his fingers tangle with the fabric of his shirt as his brain played her words over and over again.

Essa was right. If there was no bond between them, would he care? Would he have walked her to her room, or pressed his foot against her? He scoffed at the notion and turned over. No, he definitely wouldn't have...Right?


A scream pierced the air. It was muffled and far away but Hayden's eyes snapped open and he jumped like it had happened right next to his ear. Darkness filled the room, save to faint glimmer of moonlight peeking in from the curtains- it hid the figures in the room with him before it was too late. He didn't even get the chance to fight back, the harsh sting of chemical halting him before he could even lift a fist. Hayden's eyes rolled back, and he slumped against the bed his world once more black.


"Wake up gentle warrior.... wake up NOW!" The whispered voice in his mind forced Hayden's bleary eyes open in the nick of time. He caught the image of a large stone hovering high over his head, held up high by a vicious looking chosen. Hayden's breath caught and he twisted, just as the Chosen above him let out a roar and brought the stone down. He felt it's impact in the ground next to his ear. He didn't look at the weapon, didn't twist his head to see how closely he'd come to death. Instead Hayden let out a growl of his own and kicked up with his feet, hitting his assailant right in the knee.

He heard the snap of tendon before the chosen let out another unearthly noise, this time, one of agony as they hit the forest ground. He rolled with his hips, forcing himself to his feet, even as the remains of whatever had knocked him out still lingered in his system. Hayden was unsteady as he got to his feet, but his eyes never left his target.

"Pl- please!" The chosen crawled backwards, trying to clutch at their oddly bent leg while seeking retreat. "Please! Mercy!" He thought of complying, of giving the chosen a second chance, but idea of them doing the same thing to Essa stopped him cold.

"Not on your fucking life." Hayden seethed, advancing. Another scream pierced the air before silence filled the woods around him again. He didn't look at the body, he couldn't afford to lose his composure when this round of the games had only just begun. Hayden focused his gaze on where he'd been laying and he bent, brushing through the blanket of pine needles and stones on the ground, doing his best to see if his attackers left anything behind. He found nothing, but when he looked up he spotted a carving in a nearby trunk of a tree. It was an arrow. From the suns position he could tell the arrow guided him East. Below the arrow a small pouch was nailed to the tree and Hayden stepped forward to collect it.

From the jingle, he knew what was in the bag before opening it. He muttered a faint curse, wondering if all chosen were given this gift, or if it would only be Hades Chosen. They were after all shepherds of the dead. He dug out the coin and tied the bag to loop of his sleep pants. Bending he finally forced himself to look down at the vacant eyes that had sought to kill him only moments before.

"Safe journey, Chosen." He murmured. Standing, Hayden found East and walked away without another glance.
 
What she really needed to do now was… not panic.

Yet even with this thought flickering through her mind, Essa could feel it bubbling in her throat, her body reacting involuntarily as it trembled with cold and with fear. The forest was quiet around her, every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves caused her to flinch and spin towards it as if waiting for something or someone to emerge from between the trees.

She needed to get a hold of herself. Although they had not received any official confirmation, Essa knew that this had to be a part of the third trial – what other explanation was there for it? It wasn’t as if strangers could break into Oracle Manor, it wasn’t as though strangers had a need to dump her in a forest in the middle of nowhere. Unless the other Chosen…

Essa couldn’t think about that right now. She needed to find out where she was, what she needed to do, needed to get warm…

Her first footsteps towards the closest throng of trees were tentative, as if she feared making a noise in the otherwise silent space. Her shaking hand reached out to the first trunk, amber eyes scanning the others. She’d once read something about moss growing on certain sides of trees and how it correlated with where the sun was but her mind was too scrambled to remember the details and she cursed softly under her breath, beginning movement to the next cluster and then the next, hoping beyond hope that something might appear, that something would hint at the direction in which she needed to go.

A rustle to her left immediately halted her in the next instance however, but before Essa could move, before she could do anything, a fist connected with her jaw from the right and sent her sprawling.

Her small body hit the ground, the breath whooshing from her lungs. It took her a moment to blink past the ringing in her head, the metallic taste she could now feel oozing from the corner of her mouth, the pain that was lancing through the right side of her face. It was movement once more however, that pushed her into breathing through it, into moving herself and leaping back onto her feet so that she could brace herself for whoever it was that she faced.

As her eyes lifted to meet the hazel gaze of another, she realised the one responsible for the blow was a male Chosen that she didn't recognise. He stood before her, taller, wider, his fists up in front of his face as if waiting to parry a return attack. Essa assessed him, the way his body rippled with unspent adrenaline, the way that he seemed to tower over her. Even if she'd had any experience in hand to hand combat, it was unlikely that she stood a chance going up against him with her fists alone. She wanted to fight, hell, she wanted to break his nose just for almost knocking her teeth out but she knew it was futile and so in the end… Essa made towards the figure, saw him tense and then… she broke out into a sprint in the opposite direction.

The trees whistled by her as she dodged and weaved, as she heard the panting breath and rapid footsteps pummelling the earth behind her. A voice yelled in her mind, one that she wasn't sure belonged to her or someone else... Left! Swerve right! Stop!

Essa only skittered to a halt when she reached a second clearing, her breath heaving from her chest. Silence once more compressed into the air around her and she strained to listen, strained to hear that voice above the manic pounding of her heart until... Climb, Essa. You must climb.

So that's exactly what Essa did.
 
Twigs and leaves crunched under Hayden's shoes and he found himself grateful that they had deemed to put his shoes on- he wished they had thought to give him a coat or a sweater too. The morning air was crisp against his skin and gooseflesh pricked his skin- fall was well on it's way to embracing the earth. Demeter's interest in the earth waned each time her daughter left for the underworld. His breath fogged in the air before him and Hayden increased his pace through the woods, keeping the sun's rays just over his shoulder. He jogged until he heard the faint echo of voices through the trees.

Instantly on alert, Hayden ducked for cover, pressing tight to the ground and seeking shelter behind the trunk of an overturned tree, it's roots hung uselessly in the air, covered in the debris of the forest. The ground was firm under his hands as he peeked around the trunk, his ears straining to find the direction of voices. It would be better to avoid them, there was no telling how many people had come together. One of the root's pricked Hayden's skin, casting a small drop of blood down his cheek as he twisted his head when the voices sounded once more. He muttered a silent curse, his mind jumping from the sensation of pain to the realization that he should get his hands on a weapon.

It took some doing, but Hayden quietly managed to pry a long bit of root off the tree, his hands forming around the densely packed wood like it was a handle. He kept an ear out for the voices, breathing a sigh of relief as they moved further away from him. He checked for the position of the sun once more and then stood, doing his best to keep his eyes peeled for other chosen, better weapons and... dammit all, he kept an eye out for Essa.

He found a stone a few feet away that was circular on one end with a small groove on the other. It almost seemed made for the root as he laid in the indented stone. One of the legs of Hayden's sleep pants was ripped all the way up to the knee and he took his time shredding the fabric into one long rope. Within minutes the stone was secured to the branch and he hoisted the makeshift club over his shoulder.

"There." He muttered, giving it a few test swings before approaching a nearby tree and heaving it at the gnarled bark. Bark exploded around the stone and when root didn't break and his wrapping didn't budge, Hayden decided it was time to move forward. He took one step before stopping short, his gaze landing on the two chosen who'd spotted him. Hayden twisted his wrist, letting the club arc around him- reminiscent of a samurai preparing for battle.

"Fake it till you make it." He muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes on the man and woman to marched closer to him, death in their eyes. "You might want to grab a few more friends. This hardly seems fair." Hayden rumbled, making the two chosen stop short.

"You really think you can stop the both of us?" The woman sneered.

Hayden flashed her a wicked grin and he took his stance, club at the ready; "why don't you come find out?"
 
She wasn’t exactly dressed or prepared for scaling a tree but Essa supposed that the scrapes and scratches of branches and bark were better than another fist to the face. Her jaw already ached with the blow from earlier, as she gritted her teeth and used all of her strength to begin hauling herself upwards, higher and higher into the branches that would hopefully camouflage her from the predator below. It was during her ascent that Essa noticed the shape of an arrow carved into the trunk of the tree, one that pointed in a specific direction, but she had no time to consider it properly as she continued, saving the memory for later.

As soon as she reached a ledge that was arguably more stable looking than the others she paused, breath heaving from her while sweat began to prick around the edges of her face. Her legs trembled with the exertion of holding on, of trying to remain still, of tempering her breathing as she heard a body burst into the clearing after her.

From where she perched, she could just about make out the top of the Chosen’s head, and she could certainly hear his voice as he called out, “I know you’re here Hariki! There’s no getting away from this! If I take you and that wretched Kaneko out I’ll have a clear shot at the finish line, so why don't you be a good girl and make this easier for the both of us?"

Hayden’s name lanced through her like a dagger as Essa's mind flashed to where he could be in all of this, if he was out there alone, hurt or maybe even…

No. She shut the thought down before she could truly consider it, before the gut-wrenching pain at even the thought of that consumed her entirely, because as much as she wanted to pretend that she didn't care, that it didn't matter... her heart whispered otherwise. Taking another gulp of air to steady herself against the onslaught of such feelings, Essa tried to shove thoughts of Hayden Kaneko away; he was capable, built for these kinds of situations and even if he wasn’t… right now, there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing mattered but the Chosen beneath her and clearing her own path to ensure her survival. Only then could she get through this and find what she needed.

Essa could wait it out up here she considered quietly, although from the way her body trembled she knew that she wouldn’t last long and even if she did, there was no guarantee that the Chosen wouldn’t find her again, wouldn’t trail her until he got what he wanted. No, what she needed to do, what felt like the only option was very clear to her, one that had solidified somewhere in her mind as soon as he had threatened both herself and Hayden combined. If she let him walk away from this, he could very well kill either of them and she... couldn't, wouldn't allow that to happen.

The stranger beneath her seemed to still for a moment as if listening for something, listening for her. Essa saw it and slowly, quietly she began to lower herself, amber eyes scanning the branches for the route she would need to land a kick hard enough to either knock him unconscious… or kill him.

“Come out, you coward!” He screamed into the trees, his frustration bubbling over which is when Essa finally seized her chance. Taking a breath, she let her body drop, hands catching on a lower branch. It was a risk, but one that paid off as she caught it between her hands and used the momentum to swing her body towards him, her feet colliding straight into his chest.

With a yelp, the stranger went crashing onto the ground and Essa landed on top of him, using his dazed state to her advantage. She straddled him and lifted her hands to his throat and squeezed with as much strength as she could possibly muster. It didn’t take long for his face to begin turning shades darker, for his eyes to bulge as he gasped for a breath that he could not find. His arms flailed and his legs kicked but Essa didn’t move, didn’t even so much as flinch as she pressed and pressed and pressed until—

The blow to her head knocked her clean off of his body. Her teeth felt like they clacked in her skull as the world exploded into a haze of blood and pain around her. Essa clutched at where the rock had made impact with temple and her shaking hand came away crimson.

From somewhere beside her, the Chosen responsible grunted and spluttered but he managed to haul himself back onto his feet and upon seeing the girl who sat a few feet away from him, he growled in his anger and began towards her.

Essa herself heard the noise and she tried, she really tried to start moving but her body felt like it was wading through treacle and before she knew it, a hand had gripped at her ankle and yanked her onto her back. Twigs and leaves scraped through her too thin pyjama top as she was dragged towards the heaving man who hovered over her, who looked animalistic in his intent rather than anything human. But it was just was he lunged for her that Essa did so for him, driving the end of the branch she had grabbed from beside her straight up into the Chosen’s chest.

He paused for a moment, as if trying to compute what Essa had just done to him. They stared at each other for long, terrible moments until blood began to trickle from the side of his mouth and the light began to fade from his eyes. Essa choked on a sob when he finally slumped and she just about managed to roll out from beneath him before he collapsed in a heap onto the ground.

For a long while Essa lay there, trying to steady her breathing and the trembling of her body in the aftermath of the fight but it didn’t take her long to realise that she couldn’t. It wasn’t the exertion that was causing the symptoms now but her injuries; she was too cold in her too thin clothes and she’d lost too much blood from the wound gashed into her head. In simple terms, she was fucked; she didn’t even have the energy to consider what she had just done, what it meant. All that she knew is that she needed to keep moving, to keep going otherwise she was going to die and leave Esther with nothing, nobody. And she would never know if Hayden had made it.

So, from somewhere deep within herself, Essa tugged at the remainder of whatever strength she had left. She groaned as she pushed herself onto her feet, her body swaying as the forest spun around her, sheer will and determination fighting against the unconsciousness that threatened to consume her. There was a vague recollection in her mind of the arrow she had seen engraved onto the tree and so Essa did all that she could manage in that moment, and began to limp in the vague direction she believed would take her to the finish line, whatever that looked like.

So long as she wasn't intercepted again before she reached it.
 
The rock whistled through the air, arcing around and halting with a dull crack as it met ribs and skin. The first chosen, the man, folded in on himself- clutching at the spot Hayden had just hit with all his strength. The woman leapt, her nails digging into the skin around Hayden's eyes as she attempted to claw at him, her legs wrapped around his torso and she wrapped an arm tightly around his throat making him choke.

"I'll fucking kill you!" The woman screamed into his ear. Hayden refused to let go of his weapon and he stumbled away from the wheezing man, ripping the club out of his weak grasping hands. The woman clutched to his back was strong, and there would be no chance for him to pry her off before she cut off his airways and crushed his throat completely. Hayden's vision blurred at the edges as the woman's bicep and forearm pulsed, pouring every bit of strength into incapacitating him. He thought quickly, his eyes scanning over the forest, landing on the thick trunks of the trees around them.

Hayden stepped back, each step felt like the earth was shaking under him, and when he saw the roots of a nearby tree begin to shape the soil under him, he reared forward and then back, slamming the woman into the tree just behind them as hard as he could. Her shriek of pain filled the air as nubs of branches long ago fallen pierced the skin of her back. He took his first deep breath of air as he stumbled away from her. A cough wrecked through his lungs as oxygen was both a blessed relief but entirely overwhelming to his senses. He just barely recognized the man coming for him and lifted his club only to have his attacker grip it as well.

They grappled for the weapon, shifting around the forest in a writhing circle as both weakened men fought for the weapon that would change the tide of war for them. Hayden grunted with the exertion but his mind whirred to life, doing everything in his power to keep him one step ahead of his attackers. He went for the places he already knew were hurting and though it would throw him off balance he risked a swift kick to the man's presumably broken ribs. The chance paid off and the man screamed out and fell back as Hayden exacerbated the damage. There would be no reprieve as the woman joined the fray once again.

His body reacted on instinct, doing everything it could to protect himself. It was like he had stepped outside of his body and was now a mute spectator to the sight of his arms become spattered with blood as the club made impact with the side of the woman's head. He didn't feel the fresh warmth of the crimson liquid as he reared back once more and delivered a final killing blow to the Chosen, her knees giving way as her body lost its soul. He remained a ghostly apparition outside of his vessel as the man was also dispatched and soon two body's lay on the ground at his feet.

Hayden's chest heaved, and the club slid from his numb hands to the ground as he desperately scrubbed at his face, trying to remove the blood. Panic flared to life in each fiber of his skin as he lifted the hem of his shirt collar and wiped the stains of red away as best he could. He wanted to crawl out of his skin, wanted to scream at the knowledge of what he'd done.

"Careful now, gentle warrior. This isn't the time." A little voice whispered in his ear. "Honour them as best you can and move on- your bond demands it."

It took everything in him not to scream out "fuck the bond!" Instead he took the most centring breath he could, and when his coal like eyes opened once more the sheer panic had been replaced with cold calculation. He bent and began to rifle through the Chosen before him. He slipped the man's sleep sweater off, he ignored the spattered blood as he slipped it on over his own shirt and the warmth was welcome. He took the man's pant's and though they were a little long and loose, they were better than his destroyed pants. He turned his old sleep pants into more shredded rope which he wound around his knuckles- just like his boxing trainer had taught him.

They didn't appear to have anything else useful on them, so Hayden took two coins from his pouch and placed them both between his competitors lips.

"Safe journey's." He muttered, standing- his eyes seeking out an arrow once more.
 
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The trees were swaying and the ground felt tilted.

Essa knew she was in trouble and the longer she moved, the worse it got. Her body was shivering from the cold yet her face felt warm, feverish - or was that just the blood still oozing from the wound in the side of her head?

Stupid, Essa. Stupid. All consideration of the first aid she had learned, mostly for Esther, had left her mind. She needed to stop the bleeding but how? She needed to warm up, but how? The body she had left behind her had clothes and yet she hadn't used them, hadn't even considered that she could rip her own shirt to stem the flow of blood. Her mind couldn't and wouldn't consider the basics, not when it was fixated on simply staying conscious, alive, on following the arrows to safety.

Essa didn't know how long she trundled through the forest before a branch snagged her ankle and sent her toppling into the dirt beneath. The ground was hard and grating on her skin but in a way it felt welcome, as though it was encouraging her to give up what little remained of her energy and lay down atop it so that she could simply... rest. Just for a little while. The heaviness of her eyes was becoming harder to fight, more tempting to give in to. Yet somewhere at the back of her mind, a voice...

Fight it, Essa. You have to fight. You are my Chosen and you will fight this.

It was enough to light a kindling fire beneath her and through gritted teeth, Essa pulled herself firstly to sitting, then to standing, swaying slightly on the spot. Eventually, the dizziness subsided enough to allow her to make it to the next cluster of trees and when she did so, she began her search for the second gods damned arrow...

"Well, well. I guess they might call this serendipity."

Essa whirled towards the unexpected voice, just in time to see a brunette emerge from in between the trees, a sharp weapon in hand that looked like it had been whittled out of tree bark. Her own amber eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to place the girl's face through the dull ache in her head, and when she did...

"You," Essa breathed, her voice hoarse. "I know you."

The girl laughed, a humourless sound. "I'm glad you recognise me. It'll make this moment all the sweeter, when you realise what a mistake you made back at the House that day. You should know better than anyone, Essa, that mercy holds no place in a game like this."

Essa tried to swallow but she couldn't. Her throat felt thick, her breaths shallow. She needed to run, she would never be able to fight but she could do neither as the girl advanced on her.

The fight that ensued was a brief one. The girl lunged for Essa, which by some miracle she managed to dodge, landing a blow with her fist to the stranger's jaw. She seemed unfazed however and returned with her own punches, knocking Essa clean off her feet and sprawling once more into the mud below. The first drops of rain were just beginning as she groaned and tried to pull herself back onto her feet, her body trembling and finally... giving up as she slumped back down onto her front.

The girl laughed again. "I must admit, I thought you'd have put up much more of a fight, but then I wasn't expecting to find you so... bedraggled, already." The words were punctuated with a harsh kick to her ribs and Essa gasped, but before she could curl inwards to coddle the pain, a harsh hand rolled her over and she found her bleary amber eyes blinking up at the sight of the girl who now straddled her, homemade knife held to her throat.

Essa didn't have anything left. Her consciousness was hanging on by a thread and her arms... her legs. They wouldn't move. They had become dead weights attached to her body. This was it, she realised. She had come this far... and she had failed. She had failed her sister. Hayden. She wanted to fight but she simply... couldn't. All she could do was hold off the inevitable for just a few seconds longer as her hands reached for the weapon at her neck, wrapping around the wrist that held it and pushing with what little strength she had left.

"I let you live," Essa hissed through gritted teeth, as if those words might make a difference. The other girl pushed harder, drawing the blade closer to Essa's skin and their arms shook with the exertion, the last battle.

"I bet you're wishing now that you hadn't," she panted, forcing back. Essa's eyes widened as she felt the blade make contact. "I'd say you've learned your lesson the hard way, but it'll make no difference when you're dead."
 
There was something in the very air that whipped up around Hayden's feet, sending a cascade of dried leaves and pine needles in a frantic circle. It whipped through his legs and filled his lungs with such a sense of urgency that Hayden broke into a run. There was no danger, nothing around him that should have spurred him on like he needed to run for his life; but it was undeniable. He forced himself to keep breathing, even as blind panic steered him left and he raced through the lumbering trunks of trees The earth became a blur on the sidelines of his vision.

Faster, you need to run faster.

His arms pumped, the club he'd fashioned a sling for bounced uncomfortably at his back but he ignored the rock as it tapped against his spine with each powerful lunge of his legs. He grunted as he leapt over a fallen log, his eyes always forward, seeking out whatever was pulling him in. It was like the red line of fate around him had gone taught, it compressed his chest and seemed to all but pull his heart out from between his ribs.

He spotted movement just ahead as he felt the first drops of rain against his forehead. He blinked away the spatter and hurtled forward. A figure towered over another and they looked seconds away from delivering a killing blow to the victim who lay weak under them. His mind screamed and his lungs let out a mighty roar, he didn't need to see who lay there in the dirt and earth- his heart already knew it was Essa.

Mine. His mind narrowed down to one singular thought and he became devoted to the primal beast within him. It demanded vengeance for even daring to hurt what was his.

His vicious warcry startled the Chosen over Essa and the woman jerked back just as Hayden ripped the woman clean off Essa and the ground. His fists gripped hard against clothing and skin, drawing a sharp cry from the Chosen as he tossed her mercilessly away. The Chosen's arm clipped a nearby trunk as she hit the ground and the woman screamed, clutching her arm tightly to her torso as she scrambled, trying her best to crawl backwards from the dark shepherd of the dead before her.

The woman's mouth gaped open wide, a silent scream on her lips as she watched the man before her take a menacing step, she watched as his eyes flickered, the pupils and whites fading away into an endless voidless black. It was only for a moment, but she was certain of what she had seen- it was her end. Asphodel awaits.

His beast snarled, and when he approached the Chosen, she ducked her head and closed her eyes, a gesture of submission or acceptance. He didn't care. Strength he didn't know he carried with him made snapping her neck easy. His prey didn't gasp or scream and when he let go of her head she slumped uselessly to the ground at his feet. The monster in him licked its maw in satisfaction, though he gave it no time to celebrate its victory.

Leaves fluttered around him as he fell to his knees next to Essa. She looked so battered and broken, deep soul wrenching shivers had taken over her body and her skin was ice to the touch. He needed to get her out of the rain and stable. The sight of blood leaking down the side of her head was enough to send a deep ruthless growl through him, he worked quickly- gathering what resources he could from the dead Chosen nearby. He peeled off her clothes, knowing he'd need them for bandages and keeping Essa warm. With the clothes tucked under his arms he approached Essa and her sad amber eyes. Twigs and moss clung to her halo of curls as he gathered his bond in his arms, and lifted her.

His dark eyes scanned over the surrounding area and he spotted another arrow on a tree. Had Hayden been thinking properly, he would have been grateful for the sign as the cloud cover above them made tracking direction with the sun next to impossible- but his mind was filled with one thing and one thing only. Take care of her- take care of what's mine. It was all too easy to slip into the demanding nature of the magic that wove them together with Essa a mess in his arms.

He followed the arrow, cradling Essa close to him and tucking her head under his chin as he wove through the trees. He kept his eyes open for any sort of shelter and whether it was luck or Fate's guiding hand he found a large outcropping of rocks, at least twice his size that speared up through the earth. It angled forward and provided enough shelter out of the rain for him to lay Essa down on the mossy ground.

"I've got you." He muttered when she blinked those beautiful unfocused eyes at him. He dealt with the head injury first, mopping up the blood and dirt with the dead Chosen's shirt. While it looked like she wouldn't need stitches he knew that it would bruise and swell. Once he wrapped it as best as he could, he peeled out of his sweater, gritting his teeth against the biting cold as he worked with Essa and sat her up. "Lift your arms." He directed, and together they slipped the shirt warmed by his body heat over her. He didn't think twice about gathering her up and guiding her into his lap. They were torso to torso and he wrapped Essa's legs around his back as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"God's you scared me." He muttered the confession as he gripped the back of her head and held her like he was never going to let go. His head tilted forward, landing on her shoulder and he curled around the woman the God's had chosen for him- whether he liked it or not.
 
Essa didn't have anything left.

The strength in her arms was failing, the adrenaline coursing through her system was giving way to sheer, unabashed panic. She could feel the sting of the blade slicing into her skin, knew that she was only seconds away from breathing, thinking, living her last. It would have been easy in that moment to give up, to close her eyes and let Hades guide her soul away into his abyss and yet... it took being so close to death for Essa to realise just how much she truly wanted to live.

A voice screamed in the back of her mind; fight this, Essa! Fight this like I know you can!

Except just as she was about to attempt one final push, a noise cut through the ringing in her ears. A cry that seemed to reverberate off the trees themselves as something rushed towards them and startled the other Chosen enough to loosen her grip before she was wrenched from Essa's form completely. For a few moments it was all Essa could do to splutter and gasp, even though she knew that she needed to move, to get up, to do something other than just... lie there. But it didn't matter how much she wanted to, her body wouldn't comply. It was a deadweight that could do nothing other than roll onto its side and blink through a blurred vision at the sight of Hayden Kaneko towering over what had nearly been her end.

It was the final image before Essa momentarily blacked out, her body finally giving in to that delicious unconsciousness it had been craving, as though knowing that Hayden was here, feeling him close to her... It chimed safety through her body, allowed her to loosen her grip on survival just a fraction.

The next hour or so drifted in and out of coherence for Essa, whose body had started to shut down against the cold and pain that claimed it. Her eyes fluttered, opening to Hayden crouching over her through unfocused eyes and then drooping again as another each shiver battled to pull energy from her that she didn't have. She became vaguely aware of being jostled and lifted, of being cradled like a small child into a hard, warm chest but even that she couldn't acknowledge properly as she was held limply in a grasp that felt so familiar it was a comfort to her, a reminder that she didn't need to fight right now, that she was safe, and everything was as it was meant to be.

The next time that Essa became aware of anything was her being placed down once more onto broken twigs and leaves. A small, muffled groan escaped her at the loss of being close to he who had carried her, but Hayden's muttered reassurance was enough at least for her to try to force her eyes to stay open, to assist in attempting to stay upright while he dealt with the wound on her head and ordered for her arms to lift so he could pull his sweater over her head. The warmth was immediate and so was his scent, filling her nose, her senses with its woodsy tones and warming hint of spice and yet... it wasn't enough. Essa wanted more through the haze of her mind and the tension of her body, a request that he seemed to sense and within moments was giving her exactly what she needed.

Hayden pulled Essa into his lap and draped her around him, which at any other time she might have refuted but now? She clung to him like a koala might a tree, her chin dropping to his shoulder while her arms tried to lift so that she could cling to his back. The shivers still shuddered through her but her teeth had begun to chatter, which somewhere in the back of her mind, Essa knew was a good sign. Her head still pounded though and honestly, she wasn't sure she wasn't going to be sick, but she managed to stave off the nausea long enough to meagrely respond to Hayden's confession, as he gripped the back of her head held her close.

"Y-You sh-should have l-left me," Essa tried, her voice hoarse. "W-Would have... s-solved... your problem." Gods she hadn't realised how pathetic that might sound until the words were out of her mouth but truly? She was past caring. Hayden had seen her at one of her worst moments and not only that but saved her from it, too. "You s-stil c-can," she tried again, but even as she spoke those words, her hold seemed to grow tighter. "T-To win." He was losing time by being here with her. There was no hope of her beating this thing, she had accepted that; now all she had to do was concentrate on simply surviving but him? He could still do it. She knew that he could.

Another shiver claimed her then and Essa couldn't help the whimper that escaped her lips as a pain thrummed in her head, almost as though the words she had spoken were being physically rebuffed. Instinctively, she nestled her face into the warmth of Hayden's neck, unashamedly seeking more of him, seeking what she knew would make the pain seem less. "Mm, y-you're s-so... w-warm," she murmured more softly this time and then added in a sentence that wasn't entirely lucid, her current state seemingly eradicating any and all filters from her brain. "A-And you... s-smell good. Like... t-trees."
 
The simple fact that she was speaking coherently brought Hayden so much relief that he almost forgot to be mad at her for suggesting that he leave her there. A rumble of irritation moved through him and his muscles bunched in his arms as he fought the urge to squeeze her tighter than was probably comfortable. He felt Essa curl tighter around him and he chose to find the comfort in the knowledge that she couldn't seem to let go of him as much as he couldn't let her out of his sight. He'd half a mind to tell her that he'd decided they would not be sleeping in separate rooms again- that the distance and the unknowing was too much for the thread of fate around his neck to bear. But that seemed like a battle for another time.

Instead of fighting with her over her ridiculous notion that he leave her behind, Hayden jumped into action when a soft whimper escaped her lips. He forced himself to be still, the only movement of his body were his hands that roved gently over her back, trying to encourage any warmth that she could muster. Her breath bathed coolly over his neck and he suppressed a shudder at the sensation. When she spoke he forced his eyes snapped shut and he did everything in his power not to react to the delicious words she'd huffed over him.

"Careful now Essa, talk like that makes me think you find me tolerable." He grunted as she burrowed closer and his hands found her hips, halting her from settling fully against him. Gods, this wasn't the time to be feeling desire. He needed to focus on getting them out of here, on finishing the challenge. She fit so perfectly against him, however and it was impossible to think of anything other than her. Her shivers wrecked through her body and the sound of her clattering teeth, while a good sign- drove Hayden almost mad with the need to fix the problem.

A cold gust of wind danced through the trees, and Hayden twisted, turning the both of them so Essa was between his body and the rock wall. "We'll get out of here-" his chin dipped down and he pointedly bumped the side of her head with it- "together, once your shivers calm down a little bit." He wrapped his arms fully around her once again and rubbed them up and down.

"You think this is cold? Just wait until you sit in an ice bath for five minutes everyday." The words slipped free- almost like the very bond within him wanted to share. He couldn't help but tinge them with his usual trademarked gruffness. "My personal trainer thought ice baths cured everything- if I showed up to the gym with a cold it was right into the ice bath before he worked me until I couldn't stand- then right back into the ice bath." Hayden unconsciously began rubbing his cheek against the soft bit of curls near Essa's ear as he spoke. He ignored the own chatter of his teeth and forced himself to keep speaking. "He was like the fucking dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, always curing everything with Windex. That was my trainer, but with fucking ice baths."

He drew back after a long moment and rubbed his hands down the side of Essa's arms. "I think we better get moving. That will help in warming us up too." They untangled themselves and once Essa was on shaky legs, Hayden bent and scooped her up bridal style. He nestled her as comfortably as he could in his arms and gave her a stern look. "If you tell anyone that 90's rom-coms are my weakness, I'll use my every resource available to sus out your darkest secrets and I'll just lord them over you for the rest of time." Now that she'd been properly threatened he started walking. "If you want to try and walk just let me know." He didn't like the idea, as he much preferred the idea of holding her close, but he would respect her wishes.

The rain spat down around them, and soon Hayden's dark curls were plastered to his forehead- their breaths fogged the air between them and together he and Essa kept an eye out for the arrows. He was warmed by the work and Essa's nearness, but there was no denying that the two of them needed to get out of the rain and have a warm bath and a cup of tea.

"So far, I hate this challenge the most." Hayden growled long moments later, the arrows had begun to lead them up a hill and each step was a well fought battle. He frowned down at Essa before she could even speak. "I am not leaving you- stop thinking that nonsense." He didn't have the words to explain how her existence seemed tied to his- how if he had left her to die he didn't think he'd be able to carry on. The challenge without Essa was more hellish than he could bear.
 
Although she wasn’t completely aware of what she had just said and perhaps would deny it with her last dying breath, Essa huffed at the notion she might find Hayden tolerable. In reality, she found him much more than tolerable but he didn’t need to know that. “I-In y-your dreams,” she managed back, shifting ever closer and frowning when two warm hands caught her hips. Her own mind was so far away from anything other than his warmth right now that she felt confusion momentarily cloud her mind and tried to shift into him again, wanting to feel the heat from his body, craving it like a moth might a light. Her own body was beginning to ache with the tension of her muscles contracting and she moaned quietly when the wind rustled towards them and through her bloody hair. For every negative though, there was another positive; Hayden’s chin gently bumping the side of her head, his reassuring words, the way he worked his hands up and down her arms, her back – trying to draw out every bit of heat that he could.

For a few more moments Essa simply rested against him and she was pretty sure if he hadn’t spoken again she might have fallen asleep. Even though she was freezing, sitting with him here like this, being so close to him? It was the most content she had felt in a long, long time… despite the very real possibility that she was contracting pneumonia and probably had a concussion.

When Hayden did speak again, his words were unexpected enough to surprise Essa, even in her current state. She didn’t let on though as she listened, as she concentrated upon the information he was gifting her about himself like a lifeline. It gave her a focus, something to take her mind off her current predicament and spiralling into depths it would be difficult to pull herself out of. So... Hayden had a personal trainer who sounded a lot like he had pushed him beyond the limits that any human should be pushed. Essa felt her brow furrowing and instinctively, her grip upon him tightened.

“H-He sounds l-like... a fucking p-prick,” she uttered defensively, without even needing to think about her tone. “M-maybe you sh-should find a n-new one.”

Her words lingered and so did the realisation through the fog in her mind that despite how she felt about Hayden, despite how connected to him she knew that she was, she really didn’t know much about him. These trials hadn’t exactly provided the chance to get to know one another on a level beyond their bond and she made a vow with herself in that moment, that if she survived this? She would find out more and not because she felt like she should but because… she wanted to.

A comfortable silence fell over them then and Essa found that her shudders had lessened a fraction, though that didn’t mean that she was ready for the suggestion that they start moving again. A small groan whispered past her lips at the thought of leaving where they were, at leaving the warmth that Hayden provided but she knew, she knew that they needed to, for their health and for their safety. She had been completely prepared to try and walk again until he set her back onto her feet and her knees immediately buckled, resulting in him scooping her back into his arms bridal style. Essa simply didn’t have the strength to complain about it as she gladly nestled back into his chest and found herself smirking at his admission, despite the fact that she was burying the information away into the box in her mind that she had reserved specifically for him.

“I’ll t-take it to my g-grave,” Essa tried to hide the smile in her voice, she really did. “I f-figure if I k-keep y-your secret, we’re a-about even?” In reality, she knew they weren’t – not even close.

They traversed the forest together now, as the rain came down around them. They followed the arrows as best they could but visibility was becoming increasingly difficult and the cold was absolutely relentless. Every now and then Essa would peer up at Hayden and the way dark curls had started to form upon his forehead, the fog of his breath puffing out before his lips. There was only so long that they could go on like this she knew, and what if they came across someone else? What if they needed to fight again? It was very unlikely that she would be any help at all and Hayden was already beginning to tire as they hit an upwards stride. She could feel it in the way his hold upon her tightened, the muscles in his arms straining.

“I-I’m not r-really a f-fan of it either,” she admitted dryly, but before she could even so much as hint at the fact she was considering how much further Hayden could get without her, he cut off that thought immediately. “It’s n-not nonsense,” she grumbled in return, “D-Don’t tell m-me you wouldn’t o-offer the same in m-my p-position.” Although even as she said this Essa considered that if their roles were reversed, she wouldn’t so much as think about leaving him behind either.

Before either of them could speak anymore on the matter though, a clanging chime sounded through the trees, sending birds that they hadn’t known were there scattering into the mist above. It rang out once, twice and then continued in a steady rhythm as if calling followers towards it. Essa frowned and for the first time lifted her head away from Hayden’s chest. “Wh-what… is that?” The chiming continued, loud and clear and it seemed to be coming from over the hill that they currently found themselves about halfway up.

“P-put me d-down,” she tried, unsure as to whether she could actually stand but determined to try because if that sound, if it meant something, if something could be coming their way…

“I-I can w-walk... I think. We n-need to see where that n-noise is c-coming from.” If Hayden respected her request, Essa swayed once her feet hit the wet ground beneath her, her hand reaching out to hold his arm to steady herself. “I’m okay,” she breathed, closing her eyes against the nausea and dizziness that threatened her once more. “I’m okay. I just… I n-need a m-minute.” She took in a steady breath and then exhaled, repeating the process once, twice.

“Okay,” she nodded her head slowly. “Okay. L-Let’s go.” Despite her condition, Essa forced herself to move forwards, her teeth gritted against the way her body protested. She hadn’t realised that she still held onto Hayden, that she still remained close by his side. Her focus now was on reaching whatever that noise was in the gods damned hope that it was something to do with the end of this hell they had both been landed in.
 
Of all the gifts Hayden had ever been given, and he'd been given a lot: private plane, designer cars and luggage, heck he'd even been offered an island getaway. There was no greater gift than the soft hint of a smile from his Bond and the amused lilt to her voice as she promised to keep his secrets. He seared the image in his mind, and let it carry them up through the woods and up the hill. Rain had all but soaked them through, but their movement and closeness kept them from hypothermia's most adverse effects. Essa's teeth were a constant chatter and her words jarring and filled with stutters as she fought to get the words out through the cold.

He scoffed at the suggestion that he would offer to be left behind if their roles were reversed. Perhaps there was a bit of truth to it, but he couldn't dwell on hypotheticals, not when the clanging began and continued in it's rhythmic call. He set Essa down, his hand weaving around her waist as she held onto a nearby tree and gathered herself. His dark eyes refused to leave her face and he watched for any notion that she might fall or loose consciousness. His heart ached as he took in the damage to her head and the way the rain had turned her hair into a vicious tangle. The tips of his fingers began to numb with the cold and he hopped up and down in place to try and keep his blood flow going.

"Look at Athena's l-little song bird n-now." Hayden forced a smile, and his teeth visibly chattered. They clutched tightly to one another and lumbered through the woods, following the chime as it grew louder and louder. Hayden hated himself for forcing them to slow and take cover as they drew close, but he didn't want them walking into a trap unknowingly. Together they peered around some dense bushes and watched as the games MC stood under moss covered marble gazebo and happily rang the gong.

From here they could just barely hear his shouting over the repetitive noise, "calling all remaining Chosen! We have ourselves a winner! This challenge is officially over!" Well shit. Hayden's eyes snapped to the proud looking Chosen that stood under the marble ceiling, hands on their hips- looking as proud as could be. She was a woman Hayden didn't recognize- but he could tell from the blood and rain soaked clothes and the scratches over the Chosen's face the win had been hard earned.

The woods seemed to darken around them as the knowledge that Hayden and Essa had not even placed in the running hit them. It was like the God of death himself cast his displeasure out in looming shadows. Above their hiding spot came the rustle of wings and Hayden and Essa lifted their heads to see a large brown owl peer down at them. It's head tilted this way and that before it gave a disapproving hoot. It's feathers ruffled up and Hayden recognized the stance and was quick to move he and Essa out of the way just as owl droppings splattered white over the leaves of the bush they'd used for cover.

"Come on." Hayden all but snarled at the owl as it took off, and together he and Essa limped up the rest of the hill towards the small gathering of Chosen there. Their numbers were quickly dwindling and still they had so much of the competition left. "It doesn't look like anyone's fighting still." Hayden kept his eyes peeled on the group and the woods around them. "Keep on your guard Essa, don't relax until we're behind closed doors." He hissed his instructions out of the corner of his mouth- not wanting anyone to see them working together beyond their walk. The less the Chosen around them knew about the bond, the better.

"Welcome! Welcome!" The MC finally stopped his chiming and clapped out in pure glee at the sight of the wet and bloodied chosen that remained. Hayden and Essa took up positions near the back of the crowd, Hayden refused to step any where near the centre of a crowd, in there he would have less control of getting them away if something happened. "Another big congratulations to our winner, Heather. She made it up here in record time!" Hayden glanced around the clearing, and in the early afternoon sun he caught the gleam of several camera lenses hidden away in the trees. Without a doubt the God's had placed camera's all over the hillside. Which meant the world had likely seen him and Essa as they struggled for warmth. The idea of so many people seeing Essa like that made him want to personally visit every watching household demand their eyes as payment for seeing something that wasn't theirs to see.

Hayden's arm hooked around Essa just a little bit tighter as the MC waxed poetic about the bravery of all those involved and the prize Heather was off to enjoy. He didn't listen to any of it, and a muscle in his jaw ticked. That should have been him up there- next to Essa. He fucking hated loosing.

"Now, I'm sure you're all very excited to get out of those clothes and dry off- our shuttle buses just down the way will be happy to escort you home." The offer was given and not a single contestant wasted time lingering in the rain.
 
It was clear from Hayden's voice that he was beginning to feel the cold almost as much as Essa was, but she knew that they couldn't stop. They couldn't stop so she could check him over, so she could try and warm him up. Stopping now would do more harm than good, they just needed to reach that sound, to see what it meant, to learn of whether this hell was over yet or not.

When they broached the crest of the hill, Essa hadn't even thought about being careful - she was lumbering along with one sole focus of not falling flat on her face because if she did? She wasn't sure she'd be able to get back up again. That meant that for a moment, when Hayden dragged them into nearby bushes, her brow furrowed and she looked at him in question, until the voice of the MC rang out through the trees and announced what neither of them had been prepared to hear.

Essa hadn't realised until now that she could feel any colder, but her blood turned to ice upon her amber eyes reaching the Chosen who had won the challenge. Since the games had begun, she hadn't lost a single one but now here she was, not even close to whatever reward was to be bestowed upon Heather for fighting her way through what Essa could not.

The rustle of leaves above briefly caught her attention from the downward spiral of her thoughts and Hayden pulled them out of the way just in time to avoid the owl's disapproval. Essa watched it fly away, a sick feeling settling in her gut before she was led to join the rest of the crowd.

Looking around them, the group felt significantly smaller than it had before. Athena's Chosen hardly recognised any who were still standing, save for a few familiar faces, such as Jade and Jayden who huddled together, unbloodied, without dirt staining their clothes. Most likely they had hidden together for most of the challenge she considered, almost with a scoff had it not been for Hayden's warning that immediately tensed her body against the very real possibility that even now, they still were not safe.

The MC's words bounced around the group but much like Hayden, Essa hardly heard it. She could feel her mind beginning to shrink in on itself, shutting down to what was too painful. The blessing that Heather was to receive, to help her with the next challenge? That should have been her blessing, Hayden's blessing. It felt almost as though they had been robbed of it, which would have been the easier consideration, but in reality? Essa knew it was because they hadn't fought hard enough. They hadn't been good enough. It was a feeling she was used to, could have greeted like an old friend yet that didn't meant that it stung any less.

The real kicker to all of this however, was the realisation of the cameras around them that Essa hadn't noticed until now. She felt her heart drop as she considered... everything that the world had seen. Of her. Of Hayden. Of their time together... Nausea rolled through her again and her head began to spin. Everyone back at home, her mother, her father... Esther. They would have all seen her weakness, her vulnerability, her reliance on another. The image she had so carefully tried to curate for herself since joining this shit show had crumbled to the point that Essa wasn't sure what she had left.

She hardly felt Hayden's arm curling around her in support as they were finally encouraged towards the shuttle buses, to safety.

There was no talking amongst the remaining Chosen, only the shuffle of feet and the patter of rain. Everyone looked cold, miserable, except for Heather of course who Essa made a pointed effort to remain as far away from as possible. Both she and Hayden clambered onto one of the buses but she remained silent, pressing her temple against the corner of the vehicle she scooted into and closing her eyes against the pounding of her head.

The journey was surprisingly shorter than she had been expecting - clearly the woods were a part of the island, woods that they could probably see from Oracle Manor but had never really thought about before, simply because they hadn't needed to. The heating of the bus helped her chattering teeth at least, but by the time it pulled up to the familiar grounds, her body had seized up again and it was an effort to pull herself back onto her feet. As they hit the gravelled path outside the house, she swayed and instinctively, she gripped onto Hayden's arm. She needed to get her head injury looked at, she knew that, but as an usher stood and directed the injured to first aid and the rest back inside the house, with a pointed look in her direction, Essa scowled and started limping towards the house. She was so done with this shit, and the last thing she needed right now was some overly peppy first aider prodding at her skull, concussion or not. Naturally, she wasn't thinking straight but right now, she couldn't care less.

She didn't turn to check that Hayden was following her; at this point she assumed it was a given but that didn't stop her from hissing, "I don't need your help, you know. I can make it back without you hovering like an overbearing mother hen." The words came out sharper than she intended them to and Essa flinched in the aftermath, knew in that moment that she was being unfair, that the least he deserved was a thank you because without him, she knew she wouldn't be here right now. So with this thought trailing her sharpness, she added then in a softer mutter, "Go and get yourself checked out, Hayden. I... need to go drown myself in a hot bath."
 
The bus's heating did little to warm the numbness that seemed to take over Hayden. He sat next to Essa, their bodies swaying as the bus drove over roots and rocks, jostling the silent contestants. It was as if a collective weight had settled over the minds and tongues of everyone present. These games in honour of the Gods were both a blessing and a curse- made only worth it if you came out on top, the new chosen emissary and recipient of one life changing wish. Would Hayden meet the souls of the lives he'd taken in the after life and shake their hand- or would they hate him for all eternity for stealing the most powerful position in the mortal world?

Would he even gain such a position? Without another win under their belt, Hayden felt unsettled. With Essa next to him, it almost had seemed like their win was like an inevitability and to have the rug pulled out from under his feet so abruptly was a harsh truth that was difficult to swallow. Could the challenge have been different if he'd given in to Essa's suggestion on the dock? Hades had hinted to the untapped power within him, that could be accessed by listening to his desires. Hayden grunted, hating the idea that he couldn't have earned this victory with his own merit. Helpless anger coursed through him and his hands tightened over his arms, squeezing the aching muscles painfully.

When the bus arrived, the air around them was filled with soft murmurs and the thunk of footsteps as they escaped from the close quarters of the bus out to the manor. Essa trudged forward, her shoulder's drawn up and when she seemed to be veering off the gravel path she reached up and steadied herself on his arm. His heart was ready to tear itself in two, so pleased he was that she would steady herself with his help; but he hated the freezing cold fingers and the glazed expression she wore.

First aid responders had set up tents and Hayden began to gently steer Essa towards them but she broke from his touch, ripping from him like Sisyphus' boulder. Each time he felt progress between them, there was always something that sent them hurtling back down the hill. Her hissed demand that he back the fuck off had him curling his lip up and he bared his teeth at her in a snarl.

"Essa, you can barely walk in a straight line. Your head injury is nothing to be swept away and forgotten." She seemed to deflate and in a softer tone she once more pushed him away, telling him she would rather a hot bath than first aid. He entertained the image of scooping her up and hauling her through the crowd to the most competent looking doctor, but that seemed like a recipe for disaster. Instead, he stepped back, hands raised into the air. "Go then, do what you need to do." He watched as Essa slowly and very unevenly made her way inside the manor. The second she was out of his sight he whirled on the crowd surrounding the first responders.

He didn't waste a second longer, and marched through the crowd- he ignored the protests as he shoved to the front of the line. a number of tents had been set up, offering the contestant's a small bit of privacy and Hayden stomped past them all, peering inside and taking stock of the staff the manor had on hand. He stopped at the second to last tent and watched with a discerning eye as a female doctor deftly stitched up one of Hera's Chosen. The second the doctor was finished Hayden stepped into the tent, he didn't even need to make a sound- such was the fury in his gaze, the Chosen wasted no time in getting out of there.

"I need you to come with me." Hayden rounded on the doctor, her dark curly hair was up in a bun with fly-away ringlets framing her face. She wore large round glasses perched perilously on the end of her nose.

"I'm supposed to stay here and care for the Chosen." The doctor responded, her gaze suspicious on Hayden.

"My b- er- my friend," he bit out the word like it pained him, "refuses to wait in line. I think she may have a concussion- she's inside, claiming she needs a bath." Hayden moved the flap of the tents entrance back, holding the 'door' open for the doctor. He gave her a jerk of the head, demanding she get up and follow him. "Please." He added when she didn't immediately stand. "This is important."

They found Essa minutes later and before the doctor could enter whichever room Essa had ended up in, he grabbed the doctor by the front of her collar and hauled her forward. He loomed over the healer with vengeance sparking through his eyes.

"If you do anything to hurt her, I will spare no expense in destroying you." He seethed. His throat felt tight, and every fibre of his being wanted to follow the tug of Fate and be next to Essa. He refused to succumb to it, and when the doctor gave him a jerky nod of understanding he let her go. His back found the wall next to the door and with his eyes closed he waited for the faint murmurs of the doctor and Essa before he forced one foot in front of the other and walked away.
 
It was somewhat of a relief when Hayden raised his hands and allowed Essa this small form of control when everything else felt like it was spiralling out of her grasp. A part of her, admittedly, felt disappointed as she began to limp away, even though she knew that was terribly unfair of her after what she'd just said, demanded. But with each wobbly step further away from Hayden that she took, the more the ache in her chest grew, as though the thread of fate that bound them was straining against the unwanted distance.

Ignoring it in favour of concentrating on not crumpling to the floor in a pathetic heap, Essa finally made it back to her bedroom relatively unscathed, if not panting harder than she had been climbing the hill back in the forest. A thin sheen of sweat covered her brow and she knew as she opened her door with trembling hands that she should really get checked out; she just... didn't want to. She needed to be alone with her own thoughts, her reality. She had lost out there today and more than just the challenge. Her dignity had been stripped away; hell, the whole world had most likely taken it from her bit by bit without her even knowing and perhaps even worse than that? She and Hayden had revealed to everyone that for whatever reason they had seen fit to help each other, to work as a team. Not only had she increased the size of the target on her back, but the one on his too.

Leaning back against her door, Essa closed her eyes against the impending nausea roiling through her. It wasn't clear how long she stood slumped like that, concentrating only on her breathing because the next thing to pull her out of it again was a knock upon her door. Amber eyes flew open and with a groan she moved. "Hayden, I swear to God if--"

But it wasn't Hayden. A doctor stood before her, all curls and glasses, her position clear by the badge she wore on her jumper and the med kit she held in her hand. Her brown eyes widened as Essa's narrowed, silently requesting an explanation.

"I-I'm here to help." The stuttered words pulled a sigh from Essa who considered shutting the door in the woman's face at the same time that she internally to not being that much of an asshole, which in the end saw her stepping aside to let the stranger in, closing the door behind her. Silence filled the room as Essa limped over to the sofa, while the doctor sat beside her and began pulling out supplies. One look at the injured Chosen and she asked, "Have you vomited in the past 24 hours? Lost consciousness? Are you suffering dizzy spells?"

"No, yes and yes," Essa grumbled, trying to ignore the ache in her jaw as much as she was the sting of the wound nestled between her curls.

"Where does it hurt?"
"Everywhere."

The doctor gave Essa a pointed look and she sighed before gesturing to her temple and blinking hard in an effort to keep her eyes open.

A small silence fell over the two as the doctor worked, save for the occasional hiss of pain but it was only once she was done that Essa properly spoke again for the first time in what felt like hours.

"Why did you come all the way up here anyway?" She asked wearily, eyeing the older woman. "Aren't you supposed to be out there with the others? In the tents?"

The doctor scoffed. "I am but..." She seemed to hesitate, as if remembering something that Essa couldn't see. "I was informed that you were in need of medical attention and refused to wait in line so." Essa paused for a moment, slowly putting the puzzle pieces together. She might have been moving on a slower wavelength than anyone else right now, but she couldn't deny what was sitting right in front of her, the parting words in which Hayden had left her with.

"He sent you up here, didn't he?"

The doctor's silence told Essa all that she needed to know, but what was perhaps most surprising of all was the hint of a smirk that crossed her features, the first small segment of light the doctor had noticed in this Chosen since she had entered her room.

"Asshole." The word was muttered but it seemed to be spoken in a strangely positive light, one that Essa used to carry her up off the sofa to see the doctor back out of her room now that she was all cleaned up. As they reached the door however, she paused.

"Hey, do me a favour?" Essa asked, "Could you go check in on him too before you head back to the tents?"

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not a travelling medic, I need to--"

"Please," Essa implored. "You're here anyway." Then before she could object, Athena's Chosen retrieved a small piece of paper and handed it over to her. "And while you're there, give him this for me?" It read touché, in Essa's shakey handwriting.

"I'm not a messenger either. I have more important things to be doing with my time."

Essa nodded. "I know. But if he dies it'll be on your conscience so... best to check in, right?"

The doctor sighed again, clearly defeated by her own duty of care as she tucked the paper into her pocket. "Alright, whatever. Just get plenty of rest and drink lots of liquid, alright? You have a concussion so I'll have to send someone up to keep an eye on you for a while."

Little did Essa know that as her own small piece of payback, the nurse intended for that someone to be Hayden.
 
The nurse found Hayden scrounging behind one of the bars in the nearby gathering rooms, a bottle of whiskey and an exquisite crystal snifter in balanced in his hand as he dumped his newly found ice in it. He barely felt the frozen cube in his fingers, the cold had done a number on him.

"I hope you mean to sterilize a wound with that and not drink it." The nurse slapped a note on the bar top along with her supplies and shot him a stern look.

"I could tell you that, but then I would be lying." Hayden rumbled as he began to pour the whiskey over the ice, it crackled and split as the booze hit it.

"Well I can't have you drink that, not when I need you to go and check on that woman in a few hours. You need a clear mind to make sure she's not destabilizing." The nurse told him and Hayden placed the glass on the counter, his brow furrowed.

"You hurt her?" He was rounding the corner and marching towards the nurse with fire in his eyes. In an act of pure self preservation the woman reached into her kit and unleashed a syringe which she pointed defensively at Hayden.

"It's just a concussion! I promise, I didn't hurt her in any way- look, would she have given me this note if I'd done the exact opposite of my profession?" The nurse shoved the note against Hayden's chest, though she still held the syringe with the clear liquid up like it was a sword to be brandished. Hayden lifted the note, a snort of derision leaving his nostrils as the wobbly letters became clear.

Hayden's check up was filled with tense silence, and he was given clear instructions for his next steps in warming up as well as what to look for when he went to check on Essa. The nurse backed out of the room, refusing to turn her back on the volatile man that looked like he was two seconds away from fraying at the edges. His loss and the damn intoxicating desire to fulfill a bond that took away his sense of free will was enough to make any man's sanity crumble. Not to mention that looming knowledge that death called out for more, until only one chosen remain for each God. Yeah- no pressure at all.

He showered and dressed in fresh clothes, but not before staring longingly at the whiskey and ultimately deciding to leave it where it lay. Above everything, he could not deny the need to be clear headed to care for Essa. The idea of neglecting or missing something because he senses were dulled seemed unforgivable. Instead, Hayden wandered through the oddly quiet house, it seemed everyone needed a moment to collect themselves after the days turn of events. He stopped at the kitchen, avoiding eye contact with anyone there as he gathered up a selection of cookies and snacks. He grabbed a few sports drinks filled with electrolytes and once his arms were full he took the journey back to Essa's door.

With his hands full he knocked by giving it a few light kicks with his sneaker and as Essa opened the door he gave her no opportunity for any sort of action as he budged his way through and entered her space. Her room was essentially a carbon copy of his and he wasted no time in dropping off his goods on the bed and tearing into a packet of cookies. He didn't react to anything Essa might be saying and instead focused on pulling out a chocolate chip cookie from it's packaging.

"Here." He turned and thrust the sugary offering at her and once it was in her hands he lifted a hand. "Follow my finger." He ordered and dragged his pointer finger around her field of vision as he watched her pupils. There was a faint stutter in those sad eyes of hers but he breathed a sigh of relief at the clarity that had not been there earlier.
 
It was a relief when the door closed shut behind her and Essa was once more left alone in the silence of her room. She knew it'd take a little time for the painkillers the doctor has prescribed her to kick in, and in the meantime she also knew that a hot bath when she felt so woozy was not a sensible idea. That was not enough however, to stop her from turning on the taps and filling her tub, from peeling her still wet clothes from her aching body and submerging herself in the heat of the steam and water until her mind cleared at least a fraction.

There was so much to think about, to consider and yet for that exact reason, and perhaps because of the concussion, Essa found it near impossible to focus on any one thing. Concepts and thoughts slipped through her fingers like sand, except for one that stood out to her above all others. The longing she felt twisting her chest when Hayden wasn't near, the way that she felt a physical pull to go to him, to ensure that he was okay, to check that the doctor wasn't hurting him. That want in itself was enough for Essa to dunk her head beneath the heat and remain there until she resurfaced with a much needed gasp for air, all in an attempt to rid herself of it.

These were not her own feelings. These had been planted there as part of a game that went beyond her or Hayden's own comprehension. Isn't that what he'd told her after they had found out about their bond? Isn't that what he believed and what she needed to? But then why...

Essa's thoughts drifted back to the forest and the way that Hayden had stepped in, the way he'd saved her. How he had killed the one who had almost killed her, how he had found her shelter and cradled her, his hand tangled into her hair to try and warm her up. Could those possibly be the actions of someone who was being forced to care? And all of that was before she even considered their loss of the challenge because of this, because of her. Athena had alluded to the bond being something of use; if they didn't accept it, if they didn't give in, what did that mean for the competition? For her home? For Esther? Surely it was worth trying, even if it didn't mean anything, for the simple advantage that it could grant them?

Even as she considered that though, Essa felt her chest twist in anticipation and her body became so twitchy at the thought, that not even the water could console her. So in the end she pulled herself from the bath before she could indeed drown in it, dried herself off and changed into a sweater that fitted her like a loose dress and a pair of fluffy socks, her curls pinned back against her head with a clip. In fact, she had just been about to collapse into bed when she heard the bumping against her door and with a frown and slight hesitancy, she moved towards it, listening until the noise sounded again, enough to force her to pull it open only a fraction.

A fraction however, was apparently enough for Hayden to barge his way past her, arms loaded with snacks and drinks. "Hayden, what the fuck?" Essa demanded, still holding the door open, still utterly confused and in denial of how her heart sputtered at the image of him in her room as if he had belonged there all along.

Amber eyes watched him as he plonked the treats down onto her bed and proceeded to tear into a packet of cookies, offering her one and then encouraging her to follow his finger, like some damned medical professional. Essa could still do not much more than gape at him, until irritation preceded her and she swiped a slap at his hand. "You have got to be kidding me?" She shook her head and then regretted it immediately as pain lanced through her temple and a wince followed. "I will absolutely not." She uttered in an attempt to move past it. "Get out. I mean it, Kaneko. I'm not in the mood." When a silence followed, Essa rolled her eyes but she moved from the door, letting it shut behind her as she crossed the small space between them.

"Why are you even here?" She demanded, coming to stand in front of him before she added a touch more uncertainly, "And why did you bring... cookies?"
 
She demanded that he should leave but Hayden would be damned if he took a single step outside of Essa’s room. He’s taken one look at her in that oversized sweater and socks and he simply knew in his heart that he was not capable of leaving her. Deep hollows formed under her eyes and though colour had returned to her cheeks Hayden had to fight off the urge to gather her up in his arms and check her over.

“Enough.” He growled. “Don’t go shaking your head at me while you have a concussion, you should know better.” She demanded he leave again and he frowned at her until she let the door closed and crossed the space to stand directly in front of him.

“You haven’t eaten anything all day, you’re hurt and instead of drowning away that knowledge in a bottle of whisky, the godsdamned nurse with your godsdamned note had to go and tell me how to take proper care of you.” He thrust an accusing finger in her face. “I had walked away, Essa. But you had to go and draw me back in, didn’t you?”

It was like Essa was the opposite pole of a magnet to him, their draw so charged that his eyes drooped, watching the path of his accusatory finger as it drew forward with an unseen force. The pad of his finger trailed from just under her ear, down the gentle line of her neck, exposed by her pinned hair, his eyes tracked the motion with aching slowness.

“Tell me what I’m supposed to do, knowing that you’re hurt and alone, knowing that I have the means to take care of you. Tell me you don’t feel the need to be by my side, or that you wouldn’t rip the heads off anyone that dare hurt me. It’s this damned thread and it’s wrapped itself around me so completely that I can think of nothing but you.” He leaned in, his words a whisper bathing over her ear. “I’m fucking mad for you Essa. Do not deny me this.”

Hayden straightened, the haze from his eyes clearing when he took in the bandages around her head, and the gaunt hollowness of her cheeks.

“Here.” He muttered and went to pick up a different snack, this one a tin of mixed nuts. “Please.” He implored her and shook the treat in her direction in an effort to tantalize. Hayden noted the sheet of her bed, curled back like she’d just been about to fall into bed and he stepped aside, gesturing to the bed. He moved then to drag a chair closer to her side of the bed and settled himself on it.

Even now, after the day they’d had, Hayden sat like a businessman. His back was pin straight, his jaw a firm unrelenting line. There was power in even his seated stance, though the mussed hair and pale skin did detract from the force of his usual impression. He leaned to grab a sports drink and cracked open the lid.

“Sleep if you must, just let me watch over you for a little bit. Tomorrow we can discuss what comes next for us.”
 
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