Oriium

“Get your knees up higher, come on!”

The one voice that Reyna did not want to hear lecturing her – no – the one voice she didn’t even want in her vicinity cried out. She begrudgingly raised her knees higher as she ran, sweat beading down her face. Her body was used to working out from a lifetime of playing recreational sport but nothing could have prepared her for this.

“I’ve seen more energy from a troll,” Damien said with a smirk, lounging on her couch. As if to annoy her even further, he popped a grape into his mouth. A spitting image of his Dionysian father. The same one that he refused to open up about except to scorn.

“I guess you would know all about trolls,” Reyna bit back, but her remark was undermined by her ragged breathing. She took a step off the treadmill, skirting around the weights and fitness machines that littered her living room. When Damien had said he could set up a multifunctional professional home gym system, she had hoped for something less… chaotic. She had expected exactly what she got, though.

“I didn’t say you could stop,” Damien said.

Reyna waved him off as she gulped water from her water bottle. Her body wasn’t used to using professional fitness equipment. It was good fitness equipment, with delivery Australia-wide, and its scorching summer didn’t help the situation. She sat down with the water bottle and wiped her sweaty brow, sucking in several greedy breaths of air.

Damian had a bemused look on his face as he watched her. She felt the same tight feeling in her chest that she always had when the demigod was around; a feeling of pure annoyance. He always knew exactly what to say or do to get on her nerves. She couldn’t believe that she was stuck training with him for the next month.

Reyna’s best friend Lilith had asked her to give Damien a chance. According to her, he was worth trusting, despite the fact that he had sold them out to the God of War only a year ago.