Page 14 of Dark Gods
"I saw what happened last night," he said, frowning down at me. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"
"It was..." I trailed off, realizing that coming clean about thereasonI'd given Hades a one-sided coat of blush was not only pointless, it would put my mother's reputation even more on the radar than it apparently was. "He just pissed me off, that's all."
He eyed me doubtfully, but he either seemed to give up or became convinced. "I shouldn't have to tell you this, but violence of any kind against another student outside of the arena or training gym is absolutely unacceptable. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal, sir," I muttered. "I was going to apologize to Hades."
"I'd highly suggest it," he said, giving me another stern look. "Go on. You're already getting a name at this school, and you don't need to add tardiness to it."
I held in a sigh of irritation until I left the room and picked up my pace as I headed off in search of Hades. Class could wait, and tardiness was the least of my problems, despite what Hephaestus seemed to think. I had another missed call from Dionysus, and this time, he'd left a voicemail, but I'd get back to him later. He didn't need to be involved in this circus bullshit and the sooner I found Hades, the better. The hallways were crowded with students moving to and fro, and more than a few went out of their way to bump into me.
Two days in and this was already getting old. It had to end, and at that point, I was torn between appealing to Hades' ego and beating the shit out of him so everyone at school would realized there was a new bitch in town to cower around.
I caught sight of him up ahead, standing next to Loki and a boy with spiky black hair streaked with green. "Hey, Hades," I called, knowing he'd just run off if I gave him the chance.
He looked up and his eyes met mine with that icy hot stare. Before I could say anything else, a herd of Valkyries pushed me into the bathroom and one shoved me hard enough to send me ass-first onto the ground.
"Hey!" I cried, springing to my feet as they fanned out, blocking my path to the door. "What iswrongwith you feathered bitches?"
All four of them were staring down at me, thanks to their willowy frames. Even the shortest was a few inches taller than me in flat boots. I recognized her as Ingrid, but today, she was anything but apathetic.
"Making another scene, Rabbit?"
I frowned. "Rabbit?"
She ignored me and her flaxen-haired sister stepped up beside her. "You had a good thing going, sweetie. Shouldn't have blown it."
I scoffed, picking up my fallen books. "What are you, Hades' personal guard?"
They looked at each other and some communication seemed to pass between them as instantaneously as the alert that had triggered every phone in the classroom.
"What do you think, sisters?" the tallest one asked. "Should we give the bitch a proper welcome?"
"I think so, Drea," Ingrid answered, looking at me with predatory intent in her clear blue eyes.
I clenched my fists and felt the vines prepared to spring. Guess I was gonna figure out what kind of gifts the Valkyries were packing. Just as they seemed about to pounce, the bathroom door flew open and a tall, athletic woman I recognized as Artemis came in, giving us all a look to curdle blood.
Artemis was one of the few Olympians I'd actually met in person, and she was far more imposing up close. Her short blond hair fell partially in her eyes, but it did nothing to diminish the force of That Look. I swear, she and Mom could've been twins.
"Ingrid, Drea, Astrid, Maya,” she barked, “You girls want to tell me what you're doing here?"
"Nothing, Coach," Maya mumbled.
Artemis gave her a look harder than the rest and pushed her out the door. "Whatever it is, it ends now. Back to class, all of you."
The Valkyries filed out, but not without a parting glare each. I flipped them off while Artemis' back was turned, but the look on her face as she turned to face me suggested she knew somehow.
"Ms. Ademone. You're on quite the roll, aren't you?"
"This time wasn't me," I said, holding up my hands to profess my innocence. "They cornered me, ask them what their problem is."
"If that's the case, then they'll be dealt with," she said evenly. "The fact remains that you've been at the center of not one but two conflicts within your first twenty-four hours at this Academy."
"Professor Hephaestus already gave me that lecture," I mumbled.
"Good. Maybe after three times it will sink in," she quipped, giving me a disapproving once-over. "You know, if you want to channel some of that energy, we could use another girl on the preliminary training team."
"Preliminary training?" I asked. "You mean for the Games? I thought they weren't until the end of the semester."
