Page 22 of Dark Gods
I batted his hand away with my good one. “I’ve still got one arm left, Loki. Don’t try me.”
“Relax,” he said, holding his hands up innocently. “I’m not here as a hunter, I’m here as a friend.”
“Friends don’t set the hounds on friends, last time I checked.”
He let out a low whistle. “Demeter really has kept you sheltered from the world of the gods, hasn’t she?”
There was something melancholic in his tone that kept me from taking it as another jab at my mother. “What do you want?”
“I heard about the accident and I came to see how you are,” he said with a shrug. “You can believe me or not.”
The problem was, I did. That just left more questions than answers. “Why do you even care? You’re with Hades on this whole stupid Wild Hunt thing.”
“The Triad is always a united front,” he informed me. “But we don’t condone physical violence. That takes all the sport out of it.”
“Glad to know you draw the line somewhere,” I muttered. “That was sarcasm, in case you’re as used to people blowing smoke up your ass as Hades.”
He actually laughed, and for the first time, it seemed genuine. Not just another part of his charming devil routine.
Damn, he played the role well, though.
“At least admit you liked the rose.”
“So it was you.”
“It’s school tradition, but I saved the most beautiful for you,” he purred, sweeping his long fingers down my cheek. I hit his hand away again, but he seemed to anticipate it. “I must admit, I’ve lost my taste for the sport, but you’ve rekindled it in a short period of time. We’ve never had a Rabbit quite so… spirited.”
“Happy to entertain, but you might want to watch yourself. I’ve got a lot more than spirit in my arsenal.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it,” he purred without missing a beat. His eyes practically glowed with excitement and I realized it wasn’t just talk. The freak was actuallyenjoyingthis twisted little game. “If I might give you a tip, though?”
“What is it?” I asked warily, mostly because I was too curious to pass up the chance to hear what he had to say.
“You can be the best chess player in the world, but none of it matters if the game you’re playing is actually poker,” he remarked, standing from my bedside. “You think you can beat us by pulling yourself up by those cute little Brooklyn bootstraps and taking everything we throw at you head on, but you can’t. We don’t need to touch you to break you, and the game has only just begun.”
There was something dangerous in his gaze, but it had nothing to do with his words. I’d heard worse threats, but this didn’t feel like one. It felt like… a warning.
The smile that touched his lips was the most cutting of all. In that moment, I knew acutely what the danger was and it had nothing to do with the Wild Hunt or the bullying or the school itself.
“I’m from Manhattan,” I muttered. “Not Brooklyn.”
He just smiled wider and flicked his hand. I jolted, ready to lash out, but he simply passed me the white rose that had materialized in his hand. This time, when I took it, its petals remained pristine.
“Get well soon, Kore. I’m looking forward to our game.”
With that, he left the room and I found myself staring down at the rose. Just like the first, it was too perfect to be real, but like all impossibly beautiful things, it had thorns.
I just had to remember that.
10
Ihad the next two days off from class, and Dionysus was bold enough to risk being the one who brought me my assignments so I wouldn’t fall behind. At night and over the weekend, we conspired in my dorm in whispered tones and he filled me in on more than just the week’s reading material.
Apparently, the twins had lied about their abilities. Big shocker there. Dionysus had second period with them, so he knew Phrixus' ability was changing the texture of any surface, which explained my lubed-up descent into pain town. He wasn't sure about Helle since she kept everything pretty tightly under wraps, so for all I knew, she really was a telepath, but the joke was on me.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, that bitch is dead.
The twins would have to wait, though. Getting sidetracked by a thousand little quests for vengeance was exactly what the Triad wanted. I had to stay focused, keep my eyes on the prize, and the prize in this case was nothing less than complete and utter humiliation for Hades and everyone who sought to aid and abet him.
