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A primordial deity in Greek mythology,

He lived in a cave next to his twin brother, Thanatos,

Deep in the underworld

Where no light was cast by the sun or the moon.

Hypnos, the god of sleep.

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It's Saturday morning!

The sun sparkled and the birds chipped away to their heart's content. But was I bathing under the morning heat?

Nope.

I was down in some basement. Eros was right when I asked about booby traps; there's a whole passageway hidden beneath the building. We were on our way to what Liam had called 'the garage'. I was finally ready for training and the idea made me so nervous and jittery.

Is Liam going to fight me? Will I kick his butt? Will I fight Zion and his voodoo lightning?

I had pushed aside last night's nightmare, concentrating more on today's agenda.

Zion, Liam, and I walked down a set of stairs. The wooden planks creaked under our weight and the air smelt stale and dusty. The walls on both sides seemed to be covered in soot. I tried to avoid them as much as possible.

"Where's Gwen and Pedro? " I asked rubbing the wall with my fingertip. It came out black.

The last time I saw Pedro was when we met at Ero's office about an hour ago. Right before Zion pulled him away to talk. Since then, Pedro has been missing.

"One of Eros' bouncers has volunteered to help Gwen with her origin. She won't be joining us anytime soon." Liam glanced at me, his grin wide with excitement.

"Why won't she join combat training?" I said, twirling the edge of my new tank top.

"Oracles are pretty hard to find. They prefer to not risk themselves in battle but rather hone on their gifts, focusing more on foreseeing tragic events," Liam said as we walked down a dark narrow passageway.

I nodded in understanding. "Cool. And Pedro?"

Zion sighed. "Pedro had a stupid idea to explore the entire star-crossed inc. while we train. I tried talking him out of it. He didn't cooperate."

I grimaced. "You locked him in his room, didn't you?"

Zion shrugged. I know it seemed mean, but I felt a smile tugging up my lips. Pedro might probably try to break the door down and pay Zion back.

"You're smiling." Zion watched me with a happy expression of his own.

I shrugged. "Pedro has had enough fun for the week. I would do the same if I were in your shoes."

Being the elder brother in a house with absent parents can be frustrating. But somehow, Zion trusts Hunter enough to leave him with Dimitri.

We turned down another passageway and my feet were killing me. "Okay, who's training first?"

Zion and Liam shared a glance before staring back at me.

"What?"

Zion sucked in a lip. "Liam and I discussed it in the car. We suggested you go first."

I folded my arms. "And why is that?"

"Well." Zion nervously massaged his neck. "Pedro and I can have an upper hand in battle without physical workout, thanks to the gods we have. Yours, on the other hand, requires more mobility."

I rose an eyebrow. "Because I'm human?"

Zion tried not to wince. "Kinda."

I shot an accusing glare. "Okay. So who's mentoring me?"

"It's a bit complicated than that, Gem." Liam halted in his steps and faced us. "The garage is a field controlled by Hypnos -- kinda like a dream. He's able to manipulate your mind and senses, making you see what he wants you to see."

"What if he notices I'm Pandora and tries to kill me?" Him being a god is enough to signal danger.

"He won't. He's indebted to Eros. And everything Eros says, he has no choice but to follow."

I just hope he's right.

"So I just step in a field and fight? I need a weapon; something to defend with."

"Here." Liam tossed a pocket knife at me.

I caught it, turning it over with a raised eyebrow. "Do you have a screw loose?"

Zion chuckled and Liam grinned at my statement.

"I don't think that's what he's trying to imply." Zion placed an assuring hand on my shoulder. "It's best you don't rely too much on weapons. A better strategy is to use the environment to your advantage. Try fighting with the resources you have; it might be needed in surprising situations."

Liam smirked. "And there's no 'surprising situation' than what you're about to experience."

I observed the two with curiosity. They're finally agreeing on something. "Wait. So there's no tactic advice, no defense mechanism, nothing? you just want me to fight?"

Liam drew closer and I half-expected Zion to react but his expression was blank.

Liam smiled. "You succeeded in killing Blaze when he attacked. Something you did without basic training. It was cool, but I have a feeling that situation might occur very soon. I just want you to be prepared. Unless you still prefer real combat training then I'll be happy to oblige."

Somehow Liam's words made sense. This tactic was easy to develop. "Okay, so how is this going to go?"

Liam continued on his walk and we followed. "Hypnos will create a destination filled with a small group of crocottas. They're not real, trust me. And you won't get hurt, but you will feel pain if any lands a bite so I suggest you take the imposters seriously. Your aim is to find Eros, who represents Gwen's dad. Get him out of there before things get worse."

I faltered in my step. "What!? Is this some kind of x-factor thing?"

They both gave a low laugh but it wasn't funny. "What if I fail?"

"You won't, Penny. I believe in you." Zion said over his shoulder.

"Aww. That's sweet." Liam said, earning a glare from Zion.

Liam wasn't bothered though. "You might fail. But it'll only prove your weakness; how humans lack in strength when it comes to battle."

He was teasing but that got my blood raging.

I ran ahead of them and walked backward. "If I win, you all will do whatever I say for a day."

Liam grinned at my words.

Zion rose an eyebrow but his lip quirked into a smirk. "Deal. And if you lose. You'll do whatever we say."

I smiled. "Deal."

What was I getting myself into?

I oriented my steps as we turned down another hallway. The stench of pee reached my nostrils and I froze on the spot. A man slept haphazardly on a worn-out sofa like a passed-out beggar.

Liam walked to the man a kicked his boot. "Wake up. Hypnos."

The man snorted and lifted his eyelids showing bloodshot eyes. He slowly sat up, a half-empty beer hugged to his chest. He looked rugged with a rough stubble lining his jaw. Hypnos rubbed his huge belly. That's when I noticed the manacles at his wrist. They were fixed to the sofa.

He rubbed his eyes and squinted at us. "Well, what do we have here?" He slurred.

Is he drunk?

Zion crossed his arms but his face looked disgusted. "How is this guy going to help Penny train?"

Hypnos looked up at him but he seemed to stare right through. Like Zion was invisible. "Today is my lucky day. Zeus has graced me with his presence."

Zion snorted. "I'm not Zeus."

I took a sideways glance at Liam. "I thought you're using your phantom ability."

Liam sighed. "He reads minds. It's an advantage he has."

Hypnos sniffed his beer and chugged it down his throat. He kissed the bottle. "Here to free me, friend?"

Liam smiled. "When hell freezes over and heaven burns up. Is Eros in position?"

"Yup." Hypnos popped the 'p' and giggled.

"Why are you in chains?" Zion said.

Hypnos licked his lips. "Why don't you ask his psychotic friend?"

He pointed at Liam who rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault you lost a bargain."

Hypnos gave a dried laugh before tossing the beer at Liam's head.

He ducked; the bottle shattered against the wall behind him. Hypnos shot straight towards Liam, stopping inches away, the chain reigning him back.

Their noses nearly touched. "I'll kill you and Eros. And then..." His wild eyes stole a glance at me. "...I'll kill everyone you ever cared about."

Liam had a relaxed expression. "We're wasting time. Activate the field."

Hypnos smiled and nodded to himself. "Sure." He turned to Zion, observing him with intense curiosity.

He smiled. "If I were you, I'd keep my hide safe. Some gods have tried to overthrow Zeus for centuries. If they find out about you, it won't be pretty."

Zion shrugged. "I can deal with my problems. You do the same."

Hypnos laughed. "I like this guy."

He moved towards an alcove and pressed his hand against the opening. His palm froze midway like it had contacted glass.

The god muttered under his breath and the alcove shimmered. In its place was a furnished living room with a fireplace.

Hypnos turned to us with bizarre eyes. "Well, who's going first?"

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