Page 7 of Dark Gods
Not just someone.Thesomeone.
I’d never seen Hades in person, but I’d seen him in pictures. Pictures that did him no justice, it seemed. My breath caught in my throat as I managed to stifle another remark watching him enter the room like he owned it.
Then again, he owned everything south of everywhere.
Hades was tall, but not nearly as physically imposing as the guy I’d caught leering at me in the lunchroom. Even so, there was something about him that silenced and stilled the energy in the room even more dramatically than Hephaestus’ entrance had. He had bone-white hair, an appealing contrast to his tan skin, and his eyes were so black they seemed to have no depth. He glanced around the room coolly, only pausing for an instant when his gaze landed on me.
His face didn’t change. He looked like a statue, as beautiful as he was unchangeable, but there was fire in those eyes. He was so unlike his father, a man of greater stature who nonetheless seemed ready to cave in on himself at every moment. While Cronus was frenetic energy and paranoia incarnate, Hades was cool and confident, as if he knew himself to be far above everyone around him and only tolerated reality as an afterthought.
He walked right past the Professor and took a seat in the second row, like he hadn’t just walked in late without a word. I waited for Hephaestus to ream him out, but he said nothing and turned toward the blackboard. “You all should have printed out and looked over your syllabi last night, so hand them forward and we’ll get started,” he said, droning on about the course overview.
I meant to pay attention, but despite the somberness of the instructor, it was bound to be an easy class and my attention kept drifting to Hades. I’dplannedon avoiding him, and I wasn’t expecting a formal introduction in front of the class, but I’d still expected something more than a cursory glance.
Should’ve been a relief, but on the other hand, who the fuck did he think he was, King of the Underworld?
Bad question.
But still.
As the Professor continued his preliminary lecture, I tried to focus on the task at hand, but I couldn't help but be the tiniest bit irritated. All this time, all that buildup, and I didn't even warrant a second glance?
I studied the surface of my water bottle, half-consciously stirring the little microscopic lifeforms until they form tiny blossoms on top of the water. I realized the guy next to me was looking at me funny, so I stopped and went back to taking notes.
Maybe this class wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.
When it was finally over, I gathered my things and glanced toward the front of the room, where Hades was already on his feet. He breezed out of the room without a word and everyone turned to stare at me.
So I wasn't the only one who'd noticed my fiance's chilly reception. Great.
"Is there a reason you're all lingering?" Hephaestus asked, wandering over to the door. "Waiting for me to assign more work?"
That got them moving. I followed suit, not terribly eager to spend the next couple of evenings playing Guess the Prime Minister. Before I could follow the last girl out, that commanding voice called my name.
"Ms. Ademone."
I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him, finding myself the object of a far more scrupulous gaze. "Yeah, Prof?" When I saw the lack of amusement on his face, I added, "...essor."
He gave a weary sigh and leaned back against his desk, his broad arms folded. Even the humanities teachers here were jacked. "When the Headmaster sent me your file, I became aware of the circumstances surrounding your transfer."
"Circumstances, sir?" Better play innocent. I knew better than to admit to anything I hadn't already been caught doing. Figured that one out when I ate Mom's favorite lipstick at the age of six and failed to wipe off the incriminating smudges.
"Panaceas," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I understand you're something of an amateur botanist."
Gulp. "Tales of my horticultural pastimes have been greatly exaggerated," I assured him.
There was the slightest glimmer of amusement in his eyes, which gave me hope that he wasn't quite as stuffy as he seemed, but it disappeared quickly enough. "Whatever the past may be, I believe in a clean slate, which means I expect nothing less from you than any other student. In other words, I expect you to come in here each day, sit your butt in a chair close enough to the board that you won't be hopelessly distracted by microbial life, and learn something, Ms. Ademone. Do I make myself clear?"
I sighed. "Perfectly, sir."
"And throw that away," he said, taking the water bottle from my hand and dropping it in the waste bin by his desk with a grimace. "Disgusting."
So teach was a germaphobe. Noted. He gave me a dismissive wave, so I left before he could assign me any homework as a special delinquent bonus, and considered my first glass a relative success.
One down, five more to go.
3
By the time I was done with all my classes, I was ready to pour myself into bed, but I still had the party to get through. At least now I could hope to be pleasantly ignored by my betrothed all throughout the night.
