Awakened (Eternal Guardians Book 8) Read Free Page B

Something that looked like…
    He let go of the object. A box floated down to her with the help of a small red-and-white parachute.
    She stepped back as it drew close. The box landed in the sand feet away. The object was as long as her foot and as wide as her hand. Dropping to her knees, Elysia lifted the box and studied it from all sides. It was made of wood—oak, it seemed to her. And stamped on two sides was the Greek letter for Sigma, cut with an arrow.
    Sigma…arrows…oak and eagles…
    The eagle and oak tree were symbols of Zeus, the king of the gods. And the Sigma insignia cut by an arrow was that of Zeus’s elite Siren warriors.
    A shiver of foreboding rushed down Elysia’s spine. She wasn’t sure how she knew all that—especially when she didn’t know anything other than her name—but something told her she was right.
    Licking her lips, she eased back on her heels and flipped the latch on the box. Inside sat a scroll of parchment paper that looked to be ancient. She drew it out and unrolled the paper.

    Welcome to Pandora, Siren Recruit—
    Your trial begins now. In order to join the incoming Siren class, you will be put to the test. Only the strongest and sharpest recruits will succeed, so be mindful of everything you do from here forward.
    Our order was formed thousands of years ago by seven original Sirens, each of whom completed seven labors to prove their worthiness. Below you will find the first of seven similar labors. Once a labor is completed, a new box will be delivered to you. Upon fulfillment of all seven labors, you will join the Siren class at Siren Headquarters on Olympus. Should you fail at any of your labors, you will remain on Pandora until such time as you succeed, or the island’s inhabitants find you.
    There is no way off this island save completion of the labors, so do not waste time looking for an escape. You have been chosen by Zeus for this task, recruit. Prove your worth.
    —Athena

    Elysia read the letter three times. Athena? The goddess of war? The head of the Sirens? Holy skata . A new, more intense shiver rushed down Elysia’s spine. She’d been chosen for the Sirens. She didn’t know the first thing about being a warrior. Sure, her father was an Argonaut, but that didn’t mean she—
    Her gaze skipped over the beach once more. Yes. Her father was an Argonaut. A great warrior. She searched her mind for anything else…a memory, an image, something about him…but came up blank. She couldn’t picture him. Didn’t know his name. It was like trying to see through thick fog. She knew the thoughts and memories were close, but for some reason, she couldn’t reach out and grasp them.
    She read the scroll one more time and noticed a note at the bottom.

    Labor One:
    Build a shelter that can be defended from predators.

    Elysia’s gaze lifted to the trees, and her stomach tightened with fear. What kind of predators lived on this island? If Zeus and Athena sent Siren recruits here as a test, something in the back of her mind warned the predators had to be far worse than lions and tigers and bears.
    The brush behind her rustled, and she jerked in that direction. Her heart rate shot up. Pushing to her feet, she gripped the scroll and watched with wide eyes. Maybe finding some kind of shelter, away from whatever lurked out there, wasn’t a terrible idea.
    She glanced toward the canopy again. From above, she’d have a better view of anything coming toward her. Since she and Talisa and Max had built numerous tree forts when they were younger, she knew how to climb. She—
    Whoa. Who were Talisa and Max?
    Again she tried to make connections between the names suddenly popping into her mind and any kind of logical memory, but nothing made sense. Why couldn’t she remember?
    The brush rustled again, jerking her out of her thoughts. Moving quickly down the beach away from whatever was lurking, she circled the cove until she was at least a hundred yards away. In the trees, she spotted