Chapter 215


    Chapter 215: Preparing for Game Day


    Finn.


    “What do you mean you want me to talk to Lucas?!"


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    When Ss showed up at my doorstep wanting to talk, I figured it had something to do with us sharing


    Cassie. I didn''t even consider the idea of himing here to discuss with me about the event that


    would be taking ce in just twelve hours. The only problem was he wanted me to convince Lucas to


    join in with our n, and then we would share her.


    “Finn, it''s the only way to make this work," Ss eximed, trying to make me see his side of the


    situation. “Without Lucas on our side, it onlyplicates things further. We need you to win tomorrow."


    “Your faith in my skills isforting, Ss," I muttered, lifting the goblet to my lips as I rolled my eyes


    and made my way towards the lush piling of pillows that sat within a corner of the room.


    “It isn''t that I don''t have faith in your skills, Finn. We just need to make sure nothing bad happens," he


    replied confidently.


    I didn''t understand why Ss suddenly felt the need to handle things considering how he had acted


    earlier and how he had been so off with the idea of keeping Cassie before. The man was beyond


    confusing even for me, but I could see the desperation in his eyes. A desperation that cried for help to


    keep a woman that he loved.


    “Okay. I''ll talk to Lucas, but I can''t make any promises that it will work, Ss. The kid doesn''t even know


    me and seems to have a very self-centered perception of who he is."


    Nodding his head, a smile crept over Ss'' face. “That''s okay. All I ask is that you try."


    As Ss turned toward the door, obviously done with our conversation, I felt the need to know what was


    really going on through his head. “Before you go… what suddenly changed your mind?"


    He stopped dead in his tracks, his shoulders sagging a bit as he let a heavy breath escape him before


    turning to face me once more. “What do you mean?"


    “You know exactly what I mean, Ss. Why is it that you suddenly changed your mind about wanting to


    be part of Cassie''s life? I understand that we all copted back on earth, that you indulged yourself in


    the love that she wanted, the attention that she wanted. But the moment she got back here, you fell


    directly back into your guard duties. Why is it that you suddenly havee to terms with the fact that


    you want to fix this situation?"


    He stood there staring at me for a moment as if he wasn''t quite sure exactly what answer to give me.


    And I could respect that because, it was a hard decision. To know the choice between right and wrong,


    desire and need. It wasplicated for anybody who would have been in his position, but it was


    important for me to know the true answer behind this.


    Because if I was going to stick my neck out there to make things work, instead of keeping Cassie for


    myself, I want to know that the men that were nning to stand by her side would also stand by mine.


    “You know why I want this, Finn?" he replied calmly, his eyes trying to look anywhere but at me. “I am


    in love with Cassie, just as you are. And because of my position, I am going against orders from the


    main god of this realm. It isn''t easy for me to make things work, but you… you have that chance. As the


    winner of the games, you could make what we want a reality."


    For the first time in a long time, I was looking at a man with sincerity written all over his face, stating


    that he was hopeless in this situation. I could make everything that everybody wantede true. I did


    hold the key to all of this, the way for us all to be able to be together without anyone stopping us. But it


    still made me wonder why he would trust me when he barely knew me.


    “Very well," I muttered, nodding my head as I watched him turn and continue leaving the room. I would


    do as he asked. I would go and talk to Lucas and try to find a solution to all of this. I couldn''t promise


    that Lucas would do this willingly because he didn''t seem like the kind of man to easily back down. But


    I would do what I needed to in order to make sure that Cassie was happy.


    Now the problem was I had to figure out where Lucas was and make sure that I could have this


    conversation before thepetition began.


    *****


    Lucas.


    There was no time to simply go to sleep tonight and “get good rest" like Odin had told us to do. If I was


    going to win this thing, I was going to have to spend every waking moment training to ensure that I


    could beat Mani. I knew I wasn''t any match for Finn, but Mani… I had a bone to pick with that one.


    Since the moment that I decided to join in thepetition, Mani had made it his purpose to piss me off


    at every turn. It didn''t matter how much I tried to stay out of his way if he wasn''t the one that bothering


    me, it was one of his goons. That was thest thing that I needed right now. I needed uninterrupted


    training where I could focus and n my revenge against him.


    Mani wanted to hurt Cassie, and I had heard from so many different people talking exactly what he was


    nning to do to her, how he was going to bend her to her knees. How he was going to breed her to no


    end and when he finally was done with her, he would make sure that she stayed within a cell, never


    seeing the light of day again until she either took her life or he decided to take it for her.


    Of course, she was a celestial and she couldn''t die. But I was sure that he could make her wish that


    she was, which was something that I wasn''t going to allow to happen.


    Away from my room, I quietly edged out towards the garden. I was nning on going to the training


    arena, but the moment that I stepped outside, I ran into a figure that I had been hoping to avoid.


    “Lucas, I was hoping to finally see you."


    Damian stood before me d in a purple robe, staring up at the sky when I initially had walked out, but


    his eyes fell on me quite quickly as soon as he heard the noise wrestling behind him. To say that he


    was thest person I was hoping to see would be an urate statement. I mean, I would have rather


    had ran into Mani than Damien.


    “Damien, what are you doing out here?" I asked, halting in my step, wondering if I should run because


    he was going to try and kill me, or if I needed to stay in ce and face him like a man, which would


    have been the more obvious thing to do. I just wasn''t quite sure what kind of mood this man was in.


    He definitely looked a lot older than I remembered.


    “I could ask you the same question. Shouldn''t you be inside resting, preparing for the event tomorrow?"


    There was a look of amusement in his eyes that allowed the tension growing within me to die down.


    “I couldn''t sleep. So I decided to get ast training session in."


    “Thiste at night?" Damian questioned me, shaking his head. “No, Lucas. You''re going to go to bed.


    Even the best of warriors know when it''s best to call it a day."


    “Excuse me?" I muttered, shocked that Damian actually thought he could tell me what to do. He wasn''t


    my father and he definitely wasn''t my keeper. It wasn''t his ce to tell me what I could and couldn''t do.


    “You heard me, Lucas."


    Shaking my head,ughter escaped my lips as I dropped my bag on the ground and crossed my arms


    over my chest in a show of defiance. “We aren''t on earth anymore, Damian. You can''t tell me what to


    do."


    Never once did Damian waiver in his expression. His smile held and instead he stared at me with


    intrigue before his eyes fell to the bag on the floor and back up to me once more. “What is it that you


    feel you need to train for, Lucas?"


    Dumbfounded by his question, I opened and closed my mouth before gritting my teeth. “I need to be as


    strong as possible to defeat Mani tomorrow."


    “I see," he replied, nodding his head. “You''re not worried about Finnick then?"


    Of course I was, but there was no point in worrying about Finn. He was faster, smarter, and way


    stronger than I was. I had confidence in myself to an extent, but I wasn''t going to be unrealistic. It didn''t


    matter how much I wanted to beat Finn, I doubted I could.


    “He is extremely good at what he does. My target is beating Mani."


    “Well, if that''s the case, Lucas, then you should already be ready. Strength means nothing in war,


    however, what does matter is the mind of the warrior. If your mind isn''t at its best, then you will lose


    whatever battle you''re walking into. The weakest of men cane out victors if they use their brain


    and not the body."


    I didn''t understand what it was Damian was ying at but he passed me on the garden path headed


    for the door as if he no longer cared what I was going to do. “Where are you going?"


    “To bed, Lucas. Like you should be."


    “So, you''re just going to leave me out here to do what I want?" Of course the question was stupid, but I


    was so taken back by how Damian—the Alpha of Alpha''s—was just leaving from a conversation


    without a care in the world.


    As I watched him, he stopped at the door and turned to look at me from over his shoulder with a smile


    on his face. “You''re a grown man, Lucas. At the end of the day you have to decide what kind of warrior


    you want to be. No one can tell you the answer to that… only you can decide."


    What the fuck…


    I didn''t have the slightest clue what had just happened, but the moment he was gone, I was left


    standing there trying to decide who it was I wanted to be. Never once in my life did I really even


    consider that I needed to make this choice, but if the same cold Alpha I once knew could change, then


    perhaps there was hope for me in the future after all.


    Bending down, I picked up my bag and turned to head back towards my room.


    Damian was right, if I wanted to beat Mani… I''d need all the rest I could get.