Page 11 of Dark Gods
"Good to see you finally made it to the Academy." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, which I wouldn't have found entirely off putting, coming from anyone else.
"Oh, you finally noticed?" I countered. "After the way you ran from class, I thought you had me confused for someone else."
My remark didn't amuse him. He watched me with those cold eyes, seemingly searching for what to say.
No. He was too quick for that. I could see it in his eyes. He was figuring out whether what he already wanted to say was worth it.
"Sorry, did you want a procession and a bouquet of flowers?" he asked in a bitingly charming tone.
I shrugged. "I'm just surprised, that's all. You'd think a guy who has his daddy buy a bride for him and uproot her life would be able to spare a moment for ‘hello.’"
Anger blazed in his eyes and I knew I'd crossed a line. It wasn't an entirely fair jab, to be honest. Hades was a few years older than I was, but he'd still been a kid when our fates were decided for us by our parents. Even so, he had far more leverage to put an end to it than I did.
If I got lucky and really pissed him off, maybe he would.
"Sorry, princess, but you're not in Manhattan anymore. This is my world, and it doesn't revolve around you."
I laughed. "Princess? That's rich, coming from you. I'm surprised you don't have your heralds carrying you to class on a gilded bed."
He opened his mouth to speak and I was actually beginning to enjoy our little spiteful back and forth when I realized we were no longer alone. And that's how I found myself face to face with Odin.
His portrait didn't do him justice. He was taller, for one thing. For another, the air around him seemed dead silent, and there was an intimidation factor that had somehow not been passed down to his sons, as formidable as they both were in their own right.
Loki definitely hadn't gotten his sense of humor from the guy in front of me.
"Persephone. Hades," he said, nodding to us both. Hades was still seething, but he'd collected himself in front of the headmaster. I guess even the school prince was smart enough to bow to the king. "It's good to see you both finally meet."
"It's been a pleasure," Hades said in the smoothest, most bald-faced lie I'd ever heard in my life.
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," I said.
Odin's sharp gaze made it clear he hadn't missed the undercurrent of our mutual politeness, but whether he didn't care or he simply didn't have the time to indulge it, he moved on. "Allow me to welcome you officially, young lady. Your mother made quite a mark in her time here, and I expect to see good things for you."
He was being polite, of course. He knew my past as well as anyone, but I smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you, Headmaster. It's an honor to finally meet you."
And it was. Next to Cronus, Odin was the most respected--and feared--member of the Council, and there were plenty of lesser gods who went their whole lives never having met him.
"I trust you'll see that she's properly integrated into the student body, Hades," Odin said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course, sir."
With that, the older god left us to grace the other guests with his company and I finally let myself take a deep breath. I could see why he'd become the chief of the Aesir. He wasn't the most physically imposing man, but he had the kind of brooding energy young Hades seemed so intent on cultivating.
To be fair, one day he'd probably succeed, but I'd dealt with too many spoiled rich boys to be intimidated by them.
"Let's get one thing clear," said Hades, changing his tune entirely. "This school is my domain. Everything and everyone in it, including you. I've got another year and a half left in this place, which I intend to enjoy, and I'm not going to have you ruin it for me."
"Me? Ruinyourlife?" I challenged, pressing a hand to my chest. The dress was a bit lower than I remembered, but the fact that Hades' eyes kept drifting told me the pushup bra was working its magic. "You think I wanted to come here to your little Ivy League playground? I was perfectly happy in Manhattan."
"Yes, running your cute little girl gang," he said in a wry tone that made me want to deck him then and there. I could feel the rage shifting and congealing in my veins, ready to become something deadly, but I wasn't going to ruin my night on account of this smug prick. "Which brings me to the next matter we need to sort out. Your reputation precedes you, and it’s not very flattering. Frankly, I don’t care how you spend your time between now and graduation, but I do care how it reflects on me.”
“Aw. Is keeping up appearances important to the big, bad god of the Underworld?” I taunted, folding my arms. It was against my better judgment, but the guy was stepping hard on my last nerve, since he’d burned through all the rest.
His eyes narrowed dangerously and for the first time, he looked like what he was: damnation. “You test the limits of my patience, Persephone, and we’ve only just met,” he said in a restrained tone pulsing with irritation. “I wonder, do you really think you can survive the next three and a half years at this school once you’ve reached the end of it?”
“That sounds like a threat,” I remarked. “That’s not very divine of you. Then again, maybe what they say about you isn’t far off, either.”
Those black flames in his eyes roared to an inferno. Hades’ questionable parentage was no secret, but his mother’s identity certainly was. Rumor had it, Cronus had impregnated a human woman and banished their offspring to the Underworld along with her to hide the evidence. Maybe it was nothing more than gossip, but it had certainly made the rounds in Olympus. Petty to go there, but he was the one who’d struck first with that little reputation comment.
