Page 27 of Dark Gods
Monday morning classes were a hell of a lot tamer than the last week's had been. Everyone was on good behavior, since the teachers were watching more closely. From what Dionysus had told me, it was the first Hunt that had resulted in a serious physical injury, and I guessthatwas where they drew the line.
Lying to Mom and friends back home had become second nature. I was even getting good at spinning up fake stories of all the new experiences and people I'd met. Back in reality, I was getting used to being invisible. Invisible had its perks. Invisible didn't get you broken bones and lost time.
As I sat down for third period, I was surprised to find the empty seat next to me occupied by none other than Ariadne. She'd actually given me an acknowledging glance this morning, but I half-expected her to ignore my question anyway.
"What are you doing here? I didn't think you were in this class."
"I transferred," she replied, smiling. "I hear you're looking for a lab partner?"
I glanced around the room to see if anyone was watching us, but if they were, they were at least pretending to be invested in their own alchemy. "You sure about that? You're kind of putting a target on your head."
She shrugged. "It's class. It's not like we're painting each other's nails and hanging out."
"Sure," I said, reluctantly taking the seat next to her. "I was out most of the week, so I missed a lot."
"I got notes from a friend," she told me, sliding over her open notebook. "You can copy them if you want."
"Thanks," I said, surprised. I snapped a few photos of the pages before she could change her mind and went to work. The assignment was simple enough. Just a basic tincture, the kind I'd whipped up plenty of when I was first starting out. At least I wasn't as far behind in schoolwork as I'd feared.
Now, if only I could catch up socially.
"You're good at that," Ariadne remarked, blinking at the vial in front of me as it swirled with blue and gold magic.
"Plants and chemicals are kind of my thing," I admitted. "It's easy once you get the hang of it, though."
"Maybe you could show me? This class is already giving me a headache."
"Sure," I said, opening up the chart the professor had given us of all the different elements and their corresponding plants and herbs. "It seems complicated, but it's really not. Alchemy is all about elemental energy, and there are four basic types: earth, air, fire and water. Every substance has its elemental alignment, and once you master those four, you're golden."
"Sounds easy enough," she murmured. "So what, if you wanted to make a love potion, you'd use plants with a fire element?"
I laughed. "You could. Cinnamon is pretty popular for that, but it all depends more on your intent. That's the fifth element, when it all combines with your will to form the Quintessence."
I could tell I'd lost her again when I saw her eyes glaze over. "I thought there were only four."
"Those are the building blocks, sure, but the Quintessence is when it all comes together," I tried to explain. "It's magic, basically."
"A wonderful explanation," said Akron. I hadn't even noticed the professor walk over to us, but he always made the rounds, attending the various stations to help anyone who had questions.
My face grew warm as I realized I'd just been caught explaining the basics in front of a master alchemist. "I'm probably oversimplifying it."
"A little," he said with a glimmer in his eyes. "But you've got the foundation right. The Quintessence is a force that predates life itself, and it can never be controlled or recreated so much as accessed by the practitioner. The fact that you've been able to do so suggests you possess quite a natural acuity."
"I guess it's my good subject," I said, feeling sheepish in a way all the Triad's efforts had failed to produce.
"Keep up the good work and let me know if you need any help," he said before going off to check on a group across the room.
"Praised by the most gorgeous prof in school," Ariadne said wryly. "Color me jealous."
"He is stupidly hot, right?" I sighed, daring a glance over my shoulder.
"I take it Hades isn't your type," said Ariadne.
"Hades?" I snorted. "I'd rather get gored by a manticore."
"Word on the street is he's hung like one," she said in a singsong voice.
I raised an eyebrow. I wasn't sure what to make of her suddenly being Ms. Friendly, and I didn't trust it from a mile away, but my first impression of her had been a good one, so I decided that had to count for something. Besides, allies and even people who weren't out for blood were too rare to turn my nose up at an offer of smalltalk. Even if itwasabout my fiance's junk.
