#had Travis doing some gladiator shit

[lab-gr0wn-lambs]

Oh. Ftwd is doing the whole um. ''cowboys and indians'' bullshit. alright.

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Oh, the horrors of falling in love -Danny Words: 2,534 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Little Lion Man' -by Mumford & Sons

XXVI: Ah Shit, Here We Go Again

"We were..." I look at the boys towering over me, "training."

"Training?" Mike asks indignantly. "For what? Dying?"

"It's a long story," Nico rolls his eyes. "Harmless match, that's all."

"Harmless," Percy repeats, scowling. "Nico, you have a black eye. Ara's lip is busted and her leg is bleeding. What the Tartarus were you doing?"

Nico and I look at each other with the same surprised expression. I touch my lip and feel the blood, as well as the pain. Nico touches his eye and frowns. "Ouch," he mumbles.

"They wanted to know which was the strongest since they both believe they are the top gladiator of the twenty-first century," Connor explains.

"Why didn't you try to stop them?" Michael scolds him.

"Di Angelo cracked the ground beneath her feet and she threw a water bottle at his face and kicked him in the crotch!" Travis complains. "They move too fast."

"You two come with me." 

Mike guides us out of the arena with Lily quietly following close.

"Where are you taking us?"

"The infirmary is for campers who hurt themselves training properly, not for uncontrolled beasts who have fun breaking arms. I'm going to cure you two with other remedies, the ones that stink of compost."

"No one broke anything," Nico sulks.

I nod thoughtfully. "Can't be hard, though..."

"No more fights!" Lily and Mike shout in unison.

"Who won, then?" Connor asks Lily, quickly catching up to us.

We look at her, she looks back like she can't believe we're asking. "Nobody! None of them asked for a truce, Percy and Mike had to break the fight."

"One of us should've been better anyway."

"You're both equally stupid," she scolds us. "There was no winner. Period."

We get to the edge of the forest, Mike sits with us and smears our faces with a strange moss that stinks of stagnant water. 

Let me say, that stuff tastes as bad as it looks, so I refuse to put that in my mouth, I don't care if that means I'll end up having a scar.

Percy takes a look at us once we go back and asks in a frustrated tone: "You'll continue fighting until there's a winner, won't you?"

Nico and I look at each other with the same dark grin.

"Forget Kronos, they're going to die before they turn fourteen," Lily groans.

"I hope they gain some sense before that happens," Mike fixes my bandages with concern.

I don't care about the bruises and the scarring, they show I'm not afraid to throw a punch. Besides, if getting into fights means I'll have Mike's attention on me, I think I can live with it.

Ara gets yanked backward before a boulder hits her. 

"Get us out of here!" Nico yells at Leo, then he leans down. "That'd be the third time, by the way."

Ara pushes him aside. "I've saved your life more times than you can catch up to."

"Judging by how sloppy you are, I doubt it," he replies.

They've been trying to pass through this patch of sea for the last two days and each attempt ends with them having to retreat. Ara hasn't been this angry since the second time Percy went missing.

The girl curses in ancient Greek and tosses remains of rock off the deck, they land in the water with a pathetic splash. She walks up to the others, scowling and muttering swear words under her breath.

"Well, that was sucktastic," Leo groans, matching her mood. "Should I wake the others?"

"They need rest," Hazel says, though she looks tired too. "We'll have to figure out another way on our own."

"Huh... another way—do you see one?" Leo scowls at his monitor.

Ara's eyes stay on him as he speaks. She doesn't know if he's angry or guilty about the fortune cookie, could be both, but the boy's made a clear effort to keep her away so she can't use her empath touch on him, which is torture. 

Today he's wearing a stained work shirt and singed jeans, and his hair is covered in sweat and dirt yet Ara has the urge to reach up and kiss his stupid frown away. The longer he stays away, the more she wants to yell at him, hating that she can't focus on saving her friends because she's too busy yearning for a kiss.

"It's our fault," Hazel says at last. "Nico's and mine. The numina can sense us." 

"Yeah, I agree," Ara sulks. "It's Nico's fault."

The boy glares at her as he picks out splinters off his jacket. Ara suspects he knows she's just pushing his buttons because she has no other outlet.

"Earth spirits don't like children of the Underworld. That's true," he says ignoring her. "We get under their skin—literally. But I think the numina could sense this ship anyway. We're carrying the Athena Parthenos. That thing is like a magical beacon."

"So crossing the mountains is out," Leo sighs, examining the monitor again. "Thing is, they go a long way in either direction."

"We could go by sea," Hazel offers. "Sail around the southern tip of Italy."

"That's a long way. Plus, we don't have..." Nico glances at Ara pointedly. "Our sea expert, Percy."

The girl tightens her grasp on Almighty's grip. "Well, we obviously can't go this way any more than we can shadow travel the whole ship, so there's gotta be a way around it."

"What about continuing north?" Hazel continues. "There has to be a break in the mountains, or something."

Leo tinkers with the Archimedes sphere newly installed on the ship. Ara's fingers have been itching to touch it, but she doesn't know how it works, and since Leo is spending the least amount of time with her, asking her boyfriend for lessons is out of the question.

A hologram comes out when Leo presses a few buttons and proceeds to examine the map carefully. "I dunno. I don't see any good passes to the north. But I like that idea better than backtracking south. I'm done with Rome."

"Whatever we do," Nico continues, "we have to hurry. Every day that Annabeth and Percy are in Tartarus..."

"They'll be fine for the next three days," Ara states confidently.

"Because you say so?" Nico scoffs. "The universe doesn't bow to you, regardless of what you think."

Ara's blood boils instantly. "Do you know what my job was on the quests I went to?"

"Was it Lady-in-distress?" Nico taunts her. "Or bait? You liked to squirm a lot."

Ara steps closer. Hazel and Leo prepare to break a possible fight, this has happened way too many times in the two days Nico's been on the ship. "I was in charge of supplies. I know how much food Annabeth and Percy consume, the amount of nectar and ambrosia they need, and they know I'm good at my job. I would never let them starve during the first two days of a journey."

"The supplies you had in your stupid dino were for you, not them," Nico argues.

"They were better survivors than I ever was, dumbass, do you think I didn't take that into consideration?" She scowls. "They have enough for a whole week, perhaps more if they eat less than they should."

Hazel hurries to speak. "He's just worried, Ara. Please."

The girl sounds so stressed that Ara snaps out of her anger. She looks back at Hazel's imploring eyes and steps back, arms crossing over her chest as she avoids looking at Nico.

"Anyway," she continues in a gentler voice. "If we're going to change trajectory, we should bring the others. Jason can fly and check for us, Piper's dagger can help too, maybe."

"No," Hazel replies stubbornly. "We can figure this out. We just need some creative thinking. Another way to cross those mountains, or a way to hide ourselves from the numina."

"The only way to hide would be using the mist," Ara raises a brow. "But I've never been able to trick monsters with that."

"And like Ara said, if I was alone, I could shadow-travel. But that won't work for an entire ship. And honestly, I'm not sure I have the strength to even transport myself anymore," Nico says with frustration.

"I could maybe rig some kind of camouflage," Leo suggests, "like a smoke screen to hide us in the clouds."

"Arion," Hazel says suddenly.

"What?" Nico frowns.

Leo lets out a joyful exclamation as he points forward.  "It's her horse, man! You missed that whole part. We haven't seen him since Kansas!"

"He's back?" Ara squints, spotting the animal rushing towards them.

Hazel smiles. "We have to meet him—He's here to help."

"Yeah, okay." Leo tilts his head. "But, uh, we talked about not landing the ship on the ground anymore, remember? You know, with Gaea wanting to destroy us and all."

"Just get me close, and I'll use the rope ladder. I think Arion wants to tell me something." 

"Just don't go too far away," Ara pauses. "Though since it's Arion, I almost feel stupid asking that."

"Almost?" Nico responds sarcastically.

"Enough," Hazel scowls at them. "Leo, don't let them fight while I'm gone."

"What?" Leo waves his hands in front of him rejecting the idea. "No, no, no! These two drive me nuts! Not even Coach Hedge can stand their arguments, and he loves it when people fight!"

Ara frowns. "I'll go below decks, if that makes you feel less anxious, Hazel—you," she points at Nico. "Wait for your sister."

"Like you have to tell me," he mutters.

"And you..." Ara looks at Leo. He briefly looks into her eyes before turning to the control board. "Keep looking for alternative routes."

"On it, General," he mumbles, eyes fixed on the sphere's projection.

Lily stares at the Aphrodite figurine in her hand. I'd left it in my room, but I guess she found it when she went looking for her dagger. She's on border patrol, it seems, next to Thalia's tree. Connor Stoll is with her. 

"Hey," he nudges her arm. "Don't you need like a whole deck of cards to play with that?"

Lily puts the item in her pocket. "I'm not playing."

"What's on your mind?" Connor asks, then looks away wincing. "Never mind."

The girl stares ahead. "Do you think she's okay?"

"The last thing we heard was that she was slaying sea monsters," he grins. "I think she's having a ball."

Lily pulls out her dagger and plays with it. "But the Roman tropes are coming—and she's not here to send them away."

"Quests are more important, Lily," he tries to reason. "And it's her brother we're talking about. I mean, you have to remember he and Annabeth are her oldest friendships in camp—"

"I'm not talking about stupid friendships," she snaps. "She made an oath. That's what this is about."

Connor frowns. "To you?"

She stabs the ground and glares at it. "Didn't even try to take me along..."

"Because there was no way that'd—"

"I know!" Lily stands up. "It's not about that either!" The girl huffs before continuing. She seizes the Aphrodite figurine again. "Do you remember... people used to like her from the get-go? She could make a crowd welcome her in with open arms. I know she has charmspeak, but there used to be something else—she made me believe there was hope out there for us. Now she..."

Lily hands Connor the figurine and sits down, gazing wistfully at the small statue.

"She was pure sunshine. You know what I mean."

Connor seems uncomfortable, he puts the figure in his pocket and gets up, then offers his hand to Lily. "C'mon, you have to join Grover and Rachel for the meeting with the Roman kids."

Lily groans, but she takes his hand anyway. I get to see their matching soul lights immediately after. "Do I have to?"

"We respond to you while Ara is gone," he smiles. "And we all know you've always been in charge of the diplomacy, anyway."

Ara opens her eyes at once, almost falling off her chair. She'd fallen asleep on the worktable while trying—and failing—to read.

"Hey, man, why are you hugging Nike?"

She turns and spots Jason and Leo, her boyfriend has been napping in one corner of the engine room hugging the statue in Athena's hand. Ara straightens her posture and rubs her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Leo pushes a tangled blanket off his lap. "We were just cuddling. Um, what's going on?"

"We made it through the mountains," Jason announces. "We're almost to Bologna. You should join us in the mess hall. Nico has new information."

"Oh, goody," Ara mutters, pushing the hair out of her face and closing her book. "Nico wants to talk..."

Jason frowns. "Can we get through a meeting without you two fighting?"

Ara thinks of what she saw in her dream, and her annoyance shifts into shame. "Fine, I'll sit away from him."

Once they're left alone, Leo and Ara speak simultaneously. "I had a bad dream."

Ara raises a brow. "That's why you were cuddling Nike?"

"Don't worry, she was a one-night thing," Leo approaches her worktable. "But please, tell me yours didn't have Janus again? That would make mine worse."

"What? No, it was a different type of dream," she replies, eyeing him intently. "What was yours?"

"It was a lady and she was like, offering me two different types of death," he shrugs, trying to remember. "Said something about a maze..."

Ara's stomach twists in dread. "No, that was not related to my dream, but it sounds bad. You don't want to find yourself in a maze ever, Leo. They suck."

"Geez, sunshine, stop trying to cheer me up," he sulks.

"Sorry," she tries again, Lily's words tormenting her. "Perhaps Nico has something useful for a change. And uh... is Hazel..?"

"She came back. I came here to let you know but it felt wrong to wake you, so I took a nap instead."

Despite everything, Ara smiles. "You took a nap where your girlfriend was... just at the opposite corner of the room?"

"Your bench isn't large enough for the two of us."

"Nothing to do with avoiding all physical contact with me, right?"

Leo's nose starts to steam. "Whaat? Baby, you know I can't live without you!" Ara crosses her arms and stares at him, so he caves. "Listen, can't blame a guy for feeling awkward, okay?"

"About what?"

"Your brother and oldest friend falling straight to hell because of what I did."

"It sounds terrible that way," she frowns. 

"When you bravely tried to lighten our burden by closing the Doors of Death alone but ended up getting your friends in trouble," he raises a brow, being heavily sarcastic. "Better?"

The girl sighs. "If it means anything... I would've been really sorry about not giving you a goodbye kiss."

Leo's voice contains a bit of amusement. "That's as close as you can get to an apology?"

"I won't say I'm glad it was my brother and Annabeth instead," she complains.

"That's not what I want to hear either."

"What do you want?" Ara leans closer, almost begging.

The boy holds her by the shoulders, playfully shaking her. "I don't want anything, Arae! Stop trying to fix it!"

"That's rich coming from you!" She huffs, pushing his hands away.

Leo smirks, cupping her face and kissing her forehead. "It is, isn't it? Come on, we shouldn't keep Nico waiting. That'll only give him more reasons to talk shit about you."

"He'll do it anyway," Ara mumbles, letting him guide her out of the engine room.

"I know, honey, I know," he replies in a mushy voice. "You are so strong for putting up with that."

"Shut up."

"My brave little angel..."

"I mean it!"

"The gods's strongest warrior—"

Ara tries to elbow him but Leo dodges her, escaping with a devilish laugh.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

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[nochiquinn]

campaign 2 episode 11: at dawn we plan

(edited to fix some pronoun fuckery re: nott, I type faster than my brain can edit me)

I saw the cast on the screen at like 9:30 and thought the show had started hells of early and freaked out slightly

[chuck testa voice] nope, just critical recap

is taliesin roleplaying or did he take a nap during their little scene

(bc same tbh)

mimic frumpkin

mrs potato nott

travis that was very dramatic paper-flipping

caleb doesn't want to go back bc pumat will make him clean again

I thought matt had a rain ambient noise going but it was just my roommate's pc tower going nuts with the cooling

(it's a big old alienware with giant side vents)

datemate just got to viktor in campaign 1 so now he gets him AND pumat at the same time

#thanksglaive

I don't trust anything from this city but cerberus assembly is just such a cool name

new armor smell

#treatyoself

fine firbolg crafts

this isn't topical at ALL

NOT TOPICAL AT ALL

(I might be the only one hearing "immigration" and "gun control" but that's absolutely what I'm hearing)

never not siblings

liam no

I knew it, it's run by the absolute tiniest mom

I missed a bunch of that bc datemate came home but I saw matt's face start resembling a tomato so

do people hide magic books in smut shops to get around the empire

me buying my boyfriend things without his knowledge

make matt describe porn on the fly

"I was thinking of fjord and I was trying to be nice!"

"while she was distracted" "oh no"

ceiling jester is watching you masturbate

"written by sevin korbo"

marisha: citation needed

this lady is going to make me hate elves all over again isn't

it's the voice

"I would have burnt the bread" "that's called toast"

some beaus just want to watch the world burn

"I bought you history pooooorn"

gesture jester

"ugh, people" same

jester don't vandalize the temples

bottom table what are you three doing

it's the only one YOU FIND

cask of amontillado

that pacific rim ad is the best thing I've ever seen in my life

I don't watch the how to play board games show bc having rules explained at me makes my LD go haywire but her dress is really pretty

oh wow they filmed this wednesday club thing a while ago going by tal's hair

jester's thirst is v v real

oskar

gay married!

"this is like US planning"

I'm so glad travis can be smart now

"you lick those gladiator assholes"

discord: laura "ya gotta eat gladiator ass" bailey

window pennywise is watching you have an emotional breakdown

[wonder pets voice] we've got a mis-sion

"I pull molly up with me" [lenny]

jester is grounded from oskar

this fucking dramatic music

what a fucking adorable little felon

no wait I take that middle part back

see y'all encouraged her to dress up like pennywise and now she's being all fucking creepy

laura just shaking her head

TRUE POLYMORPH SHE WANTS A TRUE POLYMORPH

weh

"I did my own dental work" DID HE PULL OUT HIS OWN TUSKS

discord: beau "what is this straight shit" regard

"ARE WE A BOOK CLUB NOW"

medium well

fjord: I'mma fight this motherfucker with this other motherfucker

"you're like the paul bearer" THAT'S a reference

motherfucker I didn't even pick up on them being identical-looking (half?)elves

that's a monty python voice is what that is

it's the Dragon from supergirl

roll for racism

"don't make me say it" "it's on all our minds"

jester tracts

is kaylie there

mercer I want to sleep

I am honestly surprised it took them that long to call it the hall of justice

AT DAWN WE PLAN

this is the kasumi goto dlc

ocean's NEIN

[enzoseven]

oldie

LyricsYo, shout out to everybody that worked on the album You feel me, son? Yo, shouts out to Ty Dollas Shouts out to Hodgy Daddies, shouts out to Left Brizzle Shouts out to Domyon, shouts out to Frankie Ocean Shouts out to Syd the Dude, shouts out to L-Boy AwkBig eared bandit is tossing all his manners In a bag and wrapping them in seran wrap bandages Tossing 'em in baskets with the rest of those sandwiches So when he says "Catch up, nigga" it looks like an accident Um, flowing like my pad is the maxiest My bitch white and black like she's been mimicking a panda It's the dark skinned nigga, kissing bitches in Canada Then kicking all out like Mr. Lawrence did Pamela Put her in the chamber all against her Wilt Chamberlain I never had a Reason, nigga I was just Ableton Not a fucking Logic contradicting dick head Flyer than an ostrich moshing in a tar pit Semen scented cheetah printed tee In that 'Preme five panel, I'll repeat it for the season Previous items in the present With the normal ass past like I cheated on my team It's me (Tried to get that nigga, but, Golf Wang)To have some type of knowledge that is one perception But knowing you own your opponent is a defeating bonus I'm Zeus to a Kronos, cartilage cartridge is boneless Smiles of cowards in lead showers Dead spouses in red blouses Children who fled houses on Mustang horses and went jousting I'm on my Robin Hood shit, robbin' in the hood Whips, drugs, jewels, and your pet, I'm stealing your rings Coke diamonds and your Vet, soldiers lace the fuckin' boot And salute like the troop when you shoot you gon' poop It's kill Hodgy, nigga, stay the fuck off my stoop And out my Kool aid, JuiceHodgy got the juice, I got the gin Jasper got the Henny, my nigga we get it in Wolf Gang party at the hotel I call a ho, you call a ho, and all the hoes tell You know Left Brain need a freak I need a bitch to go down like a Nitty beat Yup, uh, and her ass fat Don't be surprised if I ask where the hash at Nigga I'm tryin' to smoke, bitch get higher Domo where that Flocka Flame? Talkin' 'bout a lighter Still bang salute me or just shoot me Cause if you don't salute me then my team will do the shooting Yeah my nigga Ace will pull the black jack The king Mike G is in the cut with the black mac Livin' like the Mafia, bitch, don't get to slacking up And if these haters actin' up, throw 'em in the aqueduct Free my nigga Earl, yo, I don't really ask for much But two bad bitches in front of me cunnilingusWhat the fuck is caution? Often I leave you flossin' and cause exes next to coffins Lost in translation, the dreams you chase Got you diving for the plates like you stealin' home base That's great, I'm home alone dreamin' of two on ones With Rihanna and Christina Milian, bring it on And Travis is in the closet organizing and hangin' the tramp Three lettermans that Ace has been making him No strays while we catchin' matinees, huh? I'm gettin' blazed thinking 'bout those days I had the top off the GT3 like toupees One finger in the air, all's fair when crime pays My grand scheme of things is to be attached To the game like bitches to their wedding rings And you don't even need to look cause we gleam obscene In the light, ride slow to my yellow diamond shining Like the Batman logo over Gotham, rock LA to Harlem If you say "get 'em Mike G" then I got 'em One man squadron, nigga I'm a problem From Briggs I got bars and plans to Pimp these Polish bitches into pop stars Humanity kills, we all suffer from insanity still And if I said it then it is or it's gonna be real OF 'til I OD and I probably will, uhIt's still Mr. Smoke-a-Lotta-Pot, get your baby mommy popped With my other snobby bop, do I love her? Prolly not Know your shit is not as hot as anything I fuckin' drop Bitch I'm in the zone, stand alone, like Macaulay Cock I've been runnin' blocks since a snotty tot Big wheel was a big deal with the water Glock Now I'm all grown, sing songs just to give 'em watts Fire what I talk, but still cooler than the otter pop Op Dom neck shit in your wish list Mad sick shit, mad dick for your bitches On some slick shit, your mistress on my hit list And I'm lifted 'til I'm stiff out of this bitch Odd in your motherfuckin' area Blood clots give me five feet 'fore I bury ya Suicide flow, let the big wave carry ya Tyler got the mask like he held Jim Carey up And fuck your team, ho nigga wassup Wolf Gang so you know we not givin' no fucks You know me dog, I'm a chill in the cut so I can Cut it short, break it down, couple pounds, roll it upGet me a Persian rug where the center looks like GalagaRent a super car for a day Drive around with your friends, smoke a gram of that haze Bro, easy on the ounce, that's a lot for a day But just enough for a week, my nigga what can I say I'm hi and I'm bye, wait I mean I'm straight I'mma give you this wine, the runner just brought the grapes My brother give it some time, Morris, and Day Course you know the vibe's as fly as the rhymes On the song, cut and you could sample the feel Headphone bleed, make this shit sound real Used to work the grill, fatburger and fries Then I made a mil and them psychics was liars Now, how many fuckin' crystal balls can I buy and own Humble old me had to flex for the fogs Down in Muscle Beach pumpin' iron and bone Bumpin' oldies off my cellular phone Yeah, bumpin' oldies off my cellular phoneGoddammit, this rapping is stupid and it's hard Gotta do it over and over and over again but here I goHey it's Jasper, not even a rapper Only on this beat to make my racks grow faster Got a TV show, so I guess I'm an actor Pot head, half baked, lookin' like Chappelle Rollin' up a blunt with that fire from hell Still ignorant, still hit a bitch Wolf Gang, nigga, so I still don't give a shit Catch me in the back with Miley on my lap Bong rips as I feel on that little bitch catHah, nigga came through with a 9 bar real quick Just for the bitches, little bit of money in my pocket Fuck it, Wolf GangYeah, fuck that, look, the contrast is a pair of lips Swallowin' sarapin, settin' fires to sheriffs whips (Whoosp, whoosp) fuckin' All-American terrorist Crushin' rapper larynx to feed 'em a fuckin' carrot stick And me? I just spent a year Ferrisin' And lost a little sanity to show you what hysterics is Spit to the lips meet the bottom of a barrel So that sterile piss flow remind these niggas where embarrassed is Narrow, tight line, might impair him since I made it back to Fahrenheit, grimey get dinero type Feral, fuckin' ill apparel, wearin' pack of parasites Threw his own youth off the roof after paradise La di da di, back in here to fuck the party up Raidin' fridges, tippin' over vases with a tommy gun Never dollars, poppa make it rain hockey pucks And 60 day chips from fuckin' awesome anonymous Call him bloated 'til he show 'em that the flow deluxe Off the wall loafers, Four Loko, and a cobra clutch Vocals bold and rough, evoke a ho to pose as drum And let me hit and beat it with a stick until the hole was numb The culprit of the potent punch Scoldin' hot as dunkin' scrotum in a Folgers cup, or Nevada Drivin' drunk inside a stolen truck, shittin' like his colon bust Belly full of chicken and a fifth of old petroleum Supernova, I'm rollin' over the novices I'm roamin' through the forest and spittin' cold as the porridge is Stay gold 'til the case closed and the story end Post mortem porkin' this rap shit and record it To escort it to the morgue again, lord of lips Bored of this, forklift the tippy top, best under 40 list Stormin' the gate, ensurin' the bass, scorchin' ladies Motherfuckers sore in torso and face Get at me with savages, have a pack of Apache Indian pack of niggas who don't give a fuck if we nasty as flatulence As a matter of fact, your swagger is tacky So see me you can't like Crunchy Black catchin' a taxi Back like lateral passin' With that motherfuckin' gladiator manner of rappin' As an addict I let percocets and xannies relax me Fall back if your paddies is Maxi, pleaseOF, shit that's all I got From my bigger brother Frankie to my little brother Tac From that father figure Clancy to that skatey nigga Naks Shredding down 'Fax, Wolf Gang run the fuckin' block Storefront, knee tat Book cover is the same lettering on lettermans and cotton socks And grip tape, and my shoes Um, I was 15 when I first drew that donut 5 years later, for our label yea we own it I started an empire, I ain't even old enough To drink a fuckin' beer, I'm tipsy off this soda pop This is for the niggas in the suburbs And the white kids with nigga friends who say the n-word And the ones that got called weird, fag, bitch, nerd Cause you was into jazz, kitty cats, and Steven Spielberg They say we ain't actin' right Always try to turn our fuckin' color into black and white But they'll never change 'em, never understand 'em Radical's my anthem, turn my fuckin' amps up So instead of critiquing and bitching, being mad as fuck Just admit, not only are we talented, we're rad as fuck Bitches 

I don't own this lyrics I got it from odd future

[thefaeriereview]

Blitz: Unsportsmanlike

https://ift.tt/2Qw2o2f

  Gods of the Gridiron, Book 1

Sports Romance, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 28, 2020

  They don't call him Ares for no reason!

Travis Redmond, the ram of a running back for the Atlanta Gladiators, may be a lot of things—hot-headed, arrogant, rash—but a cheater isn't one of them. Until cheating is the only option he has to save his brother, Tucker, from the clutches of a dangerous criminal mastermind.

When his impulsive actions get him an UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT penalty and he ends up suspended and back in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, the last person he expected to see again was Skyla Larson, his former classmate from Brevidge High.

Skyla isn't the shy girl he remembers from Biology. She's changed after a decade and man, is she scorching hot now… and with the sass to go along with it too! Sly little Sky’s got a few secrets of her own, including a particular person she's investigating as Atlanta’s assistant district attorney.

Their reunion and bar-side banter are short-lived though as these two suddenly find themselves running for their lives...and falling in love on top of that!

Love has poor timing, especially when they have everything to lose including their hearts… The “god of war” may have found something worth fighting for—the mighty Aphrodite of his.

    Excerpt

PROLOGUE

  Travis Redmond sat at the bar, beer in hand, feeling like the biggest loser in the NFL. He’d gotten formally suspended this time after he’d pulled his helmet off and gone nose to nose with a player on the field, during a game, in front of eighty-thousand plus fans.

Yeah, he’d been wrong. Yeah, he’d been angry. Yeah, he’d been throwing the game...intentionally. And Pollux Reed had called him out for it. But dammit, he had no idea what Travis was going through and why he’d done what he had. He was tired of the talk behind his back and when Reed had mumbled that bullshit under his breath, Trav had seen red and went at him before he could even think.

He’d only been playing for the Gladiators for a month now and he was being scrutinized, his motives questioned—like they’d been before he’d gotten traded from the Stallions. But no one understood what was happening, what a shit-show his little brother had gotten the two of them into. There were some dark and shady men at the center of this whole scandal, and if Travis didn’t play his cards right, Tucker’s life was at stake. He had to do what they said, had to subtly throw the games, had to keep the facade going. The alternative was unthinkable.

For now, Travis was simply biding his time and looked back over to Hank, the bartender of Gunslingers, the current bar he was in, here in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. He’d needed a break from all the heat he was in, back in Atlanta, using the excuse to come out and visit his family and catch up with his former teammates. 

Tonight, Trav was meeting up with a friend he used to play with on the Stallions—his former QB, Judd Gilbert. He’d be heading back to Georgia in a couple days’ time.

Travis checked his phone again, all too aware of the eyes that kept coming back to him. He was as inconspicuous as a famous football player and record-breaking running back could be in his backwards ball cap and shades, despite that it was so dark in the place that he could barely see. The tight Nike t-shirt and jeans probably didn’t help. Judd hadn’t texted him back, although Travis had been at the bar for about twenty minutes now, waiting.

“Is it true? Were you throwing that game like they said?” Hank asked, leaning over the half-empty bar top, polishing a beer stein.

“What the fuck do you think?” Trav grumbled and looked around. “You know me. You know I ain’t like that!” It hurt that people had no more faith in him than they did...even if it were true.

“I know, but it sure don’t seem that way. You shouldn’t have fumbled that ball, Trav.”

“What do you do for a living?” When Hank paused, Trav buried the hatchet. “You pour fucking liquor into glasses. Why don’t you do that and stop telling me how to do my job? When you bust your ass on that field every Sunday, then we can talk. Until then, shut the hell up.” Travis looked away, his heart hurting at the acid dripping from his lips. He had to make this seem legit though or Tucker was a dead man. They’d warned him and warned him and warned him. And Tucker was in their grasp now. They could put a bullet through his head in the blink of an eye if Travis acted suspiciously. They’d already sent him a pinky toe in the mail. He assumed it was his brother’s but couldn’t verify it for a fact. They could be bluffing, but he knew them too well; they hadn’t bluffed prior to now.

Travis pulled his shades off and looked around, narrowing his eyes at the onlookers, almost growling like a cornered dog. Yeah, it’s me fuckers, Travis fuckin’ Redmond! In the flesh, he wanted to shout but took another sip of beer instead, back home and up to no good, he thought to himself.

Just then his phone beeped and he checked it, seeing a text from Judd.

Judd: Hey, man. Sorry, I’m gonna have to bail tonight. Jerica is running a fever and Gemma thinks we should take her to urgent care. FML. I really hate this. I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can do lunch before you head out on Thursday?

Well, shit! Trav was on his own tonight...in a bar he didn’t even wanna be in. His night just kept getting better and better.

Travis texted back with: No worries, man. Hope she’s alright. Talk tomorrow.

He replaced his phone in his back pocket and looked at the opening door, seeing that it was raining out now as an impeccably dressed redhead with a giant umbrella stomped in, huffing.

Trav’s eyes narrowed as he tried to place her. That face, mouth, and skin tone… He could swear he’d seen them before. When she looked up, her blue eyes grazed him robotically before zeroing in on the bartender.

“Excuse me, do you have a phone I could use?” she asked and got a scoff from Hank.

“Payphone’s in the back, lady.”

She sighed heavily and closed the dripping umbrella, swiping her black heels on the giant rug at the entrance of the door. She was clad in a striped, heather-gray pant suit with a cream silk top. She rifled through the big leather bag on her shoulder before tucking her unruly, long curly hair behind her ears. He heard her grumble, “Fuck,” as she pulled out a wallet and runaway coins began to bounce onto the floor with little pings here and there.

Travis understood; his day was just as shitty.

He decided then to move off his seat and assist her. He stepped forward and bent down to retrieve the three quarters, five nickels, and four dimes that had fallen out of her wallet. As her sapphire blue eyes fell to his, the woman’s jaw literally dropped as she recognized him.

He was used to this. Being a professional athlete got a man all kinds of attention; some wanted and others not so much. He wasn’t sure of the attention here but hoped she didn’t draw too much his way. The heat of the chaos he’d already generated himself was creating steam around him and he wanted to hug a wall at this point.

The shock on her face quickly turned to scorn. Great! She not only recognizes me, she hates me. No scoring for me tonight.

“Here, you dropped this,” his voice plunged in annoyance as he thrust the fist full of change forward.

“Keep it! No one asked for your two cents anyway.”

Ouch! Feisty. Well, she was a redhead after all.

“It’s actually $1.40 to be exact,” he smarted.

“Hmm, you could probably use it more than I could right now, Mr. Redmond.”

He rolled his eyes. Maybe she was a jaded fan or the wife of an opposing player. Either way, he wasn’t taking her money, to hell with her.

He slammed it on the bar top because his temper was the shortest thing on him. “You’ll need it for the fucking payphone,” he grated out even as she turned her back to him and walked in the direction of the phone and bathrooms. “Ungrateful bitch,” he mumbled under his breath.

Travis sat back down at the bar and continued to nipple his beer, looking up at the television that hung on the back wall. It was set to SportsCenter, so he kept his eyes locked on it, listening to the play by play of past Sunday’s games. The sportscasters began arguing predictions of the coming games, evaluating the players and their stats, and then started to debate Travis’s future with the Gladiators. Again, anger seized him. What the hell did they know? His head coach, Greg Cavanaugh, and the owner of his team, Jerry Taylor, hadn’t talked about cutting him. He was only suspended for two weeks, and it’d been for taunting, not throwing the games.

Travis sighed and leaned back on the bar stool. His guilt might be enough to kill him; the team didn’t deserve to be done the way they were, nor his teammates. Travis wished things could be different, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t go to the cops, he couldn’t discuss it—with anyone—and he couldn’t allow them to fire him. He had to keep this up. Had to continue to keep his brother alive.

“Can I have a water please?” Joy! The stuck-up lady was back.

“Does this look like a Waffle House?” Hank snorted.

“C’mon, I’ll pay for a soda. I—”

“Give her a damn water, Hank, and quit bein’ a dick,” Travis scolded with yet another scowl, getting one in answer. Hank huffed but did as he was told. “You’re grumpy tonight and it’s showing.”

“Yeah, and with no damn help from you. You’re supposed to be the town hero, Travis. You’re really disappointin’ us lately.”

Yeah, that makes two of us, buddy, he thought but spoke instead to the mysterious redhead who’d sat down two stools from him. “You sure you don’t need somethin’ stronger?”

“I don’t drink.”

“Figures,” he mumbled and sipped his beer again.

“Yeah, well maybe if you didn’t drink so much, you could keep your damn hands on the football.” The redhead smirked, and Travis frowned over at her. Who did she think she was, talking to him like that? What Hell had she come from to torture him like everyone else was tonight?

“Like you’d even fuckin’ know,” he retorted back. She probably didn’t even watch football, he bet. She just went along with what the man who’d put that big rock on her finger told her to do.

Travis rolled his eyes and looked back at the TV, getting nothing else out of her for a minute. As soon as this beer was done, he was saying, “Fuck off” to all of ‘em and getting the hell out of Dodge while the gettin’ was good.

The redhead rifled through her giant bag once more and sighed at the cell phone in her hands, drawing Travis’s attention again.

“Fuck,” she mumbled under her breath and threw it back into her purse.

Trav’s brows went up in question, but she looked away quickly, as if his stare was abhorrent. She’d be pretty if she would stop being such a cunt. There was something about her though that, again, made him feel as if he knew who she was.

“You from around here?” he finally asked, curiosity getting the best of him, and moved lithely onto the stool beside her. He was curious by nature; he couldn’t help himself.

“Yes, unfortunately I am,” she responded, running a hand through her mane of red hair.

“Unfortunately?” he sassed. “What? You too good to come from ol’ San Antonio?”

“No,” she smarted back and rounded on him. “But I certainly wasn’t hoping to run into you again.”

Again? When the hell had he run into her in the first place? He hadn’t slept with her, had he? If he had, he was certain he would’ve remembered a set of tits and a pair of legs like hers.

He grinned. “I don’t reckon I know you, darlin’.”

“Oh, yes, you do,” she retorted hotly and took a sip of her water. “You just don’t recognize me. I mean, it’s been almost ten years since we graduated.”

Holy shit! He’d gone to high school with her? Who was she?

He looked her over and tried to rack his brain. High cheekbones, great tits, curvy hips, porcelain skin... Nope, he was drawing a blank. But then again, he’d been hit one too many times in the head since high school.

“Got a name, Fireball?”

“Yes, Travis Redmond, I do. Too bad you don’t remember it.” She huffed, and he couldn’t help but laugh at this woman’s audacity. He was certain he would’ve remembered a sexy, feisty redhead; this lady was unforgettable.

“You’re gonna make me work for it... Ok, fine. Maybe it’ll be fun.” His grin was like the cat that ate the canary for a moment before he spied her engagement ring again. Damn! She was engaged, he’d forgotten. Too bad too, because he could’ve had loads of fun with this sassy, little ginger. Each one he’d ever taken to bed had truly been straight fire and tonight, he needed that kind of fire to forget all his problems.

“Oh, I—” she stammered as she went to remove the ring from her finger. “I—I’m not—”

“Sure. And I’m not one of the NFL’s leading running backs.”

“No. Actually. He—he, uh—”

“Sure, he did.” Travis went to turn, annoyed by the woman’s sudden separation from her fiancé on his account.

“He was fucking his secretary. I just found out yesterday. It’s one of the reasons I’m here. Along with work. I needed to get away.” She blushed, her face as red as her hair. Tears hit her blue eyes. “The affair is big news now. The media got wind of it this morning,” she mumbled, looking down. 

“Bummer.” He understood how the media took a story and ran with it. “So, your fiancé a politician or somethin’?”

“He’s the mayor of Atlanta.”

“No shit!” She lived in Atlanta too? “Wait, ain’t he a bit old for you?” The mayor was, indeed, an old dude.

She shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter much anymore, does it?” She smirked sarcastically, and Travis’s eyes fell over her face.

She had a light dusting of freckles, which her foundation covered, rosy cheeks, an aquiline nose, and no-nonsense blue eyes. And in that moment, she looked as run-down as he did. He took pity on her and felt bad for calling her a bitch behind her back.

“Hank, get us two shots. Make ��em lemon drops.”

“No,” the pretty woman protested, shaking her head. “I can’t. Really.

“Oh, c’mon. Have a drink with your old classmate. We’re celebrating a reunion. Just a round or two. It won’t hurt ya. Besides, there ain’t enough liquor in those things to even get you good and buzzed.”

She cocked her head, trying to get him to understand, but he persisted.

“Just one. Maybe two. I swear, I’ll get you home in one piece.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you’ll try to do, if you’re anything like what you were back in high school. But my car needs a tow and the wrecker’s gonna be a while, so I’ll have one, maybe two with you. But I am not going home with you, Travis.”

“Deal!” Travis grinned and motioned for Hank to get the shots. “But I gotta ask? Have we slept together before?”

She shook her head dramatically. “I’d never sleep with you. Not in a million years.”

“Right, but you’ll sleep with the damn, old-ass, bald guy you were engaged to,” Travis snorted. The woman didn’t confirm nor deny the accusation but she sure as hell was gonna marry the asshole, so there was that.

“So, you gonna tell me your damn name so I can get reacquainted with you or continue to keep me guessing?”

She laughed, like genuinely laughed, and Travis was taken by how beautiful she was as her face lit up.

Wow! How had he forgotten a woman who looked like that?

“Skyla.”

“Skyla?” Travis was combing through every neuron to try and remember this lady, but he couldn’t place her to save his life.

“I wore glasses, had braces, was overweight,” she elaborated. “Skyla Larson from Bio.” 

“You’re fuckin’ kidding me!”

Travis was literally dumbfounded as he recalled the chubby, strawberry blonde he’d had Biology with. The girl he remembered was shy, practically mute, and tripped over her own two feet constantly.

“No way! You are not.”

“Am too.” Skyla’s brow rose.

Travis’s eyes roved over her. She’d honed that fleshy pubescent body into a slender masterpiece, taken those ugly-ass glasses and braces off, and now she was fine AF, and he told her so. “Damn! You’re smokin’ fuckin’ hot now, Skyla. What’d you discover? P90X.”

She rolled her eyes but gave him a smile. “Thanks, Travis. That means a lot coming from you. But not only did I discover P90X and clean-eating, I also grew the fuck up… unlike some of my classmates.”

Travis laughed. Damn, this was entertaining and got his mind off the fear that his life had become since his brother had come to him six months ago, pleading for five million dollars and protection. “You grew up alright.” Travis’s eyes focused on her big breasts, and he remembered that she did have those in high school—Braces, buck teeth, and big tits. It was starting to come back to him now. “You were never sarcastic though, and I can’t say I like that about you.”

“Good thing I don’t give a shit what you like.”

“Burn, baby.” He smirked. “Is the rest of you as scalding hot as that tongue of yours?” He gave her a crooked grin.

“Wouldn’t you like to find out?” she asked and thanked Hank for the shots he placed before them.

“Yes! I would indeed,” Travis answered and raised his shot after Sky grabbed hers. “Here’s to reconnections.”

   About the Author

Shanna Swenson is an award-winning finalist in the Fiction: Romance category of the 2020 International Book Awards for her books Abundance and Return to Abundance. She's known for writing endearing adult romance novels that showcase the healing power of true love in the face of tragedy.

She's a dreamer turned author who does cardiac ultrasounds by day and creates fictional worlds every spare chance she can. Shanna started writing at the age of fourteen and has always loved dynamic characters. She's fascinated by the unknown, is a Cancer with a capital "C", and has an eclectic taste in music, movies, and books.

When she's not writing or reading, she's working out, taking photographs, or hanging out with her own "knight in shining armor."

You can find her on BookBub, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

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