Page 35 of Dark Gods
Once I was sure he was gone, I resumed my search, more determined to find Hades now than ever. Kore had his head in a way I'd never seen before, and if he didn't get it back in the game, we were all fucked.
The hallways were eerily quiet, but their silence spoke volumes, whispering stories never meant to be told as I crept along the walls. As my hand rested on the bannister to head downstairs, the old carved wood hummed with energy of some strange kind.
It was a melody I didn't recognize, even if it felt as old and familiar as the ancient ballads. I had only taken a single step downstairs when I realized just what kind of energy it was.
Death.
At the very bottom of the stairwell, sprawled on the floor with his long limbs in unnatural poses and a deceptively serene expression on his face, was none other than Phrixus. He and Helle had been my lovers for a season, and it was the first time I'd ever seen the one without the other. A fortunate mercy, considering that his crown of white hair was surrounded in a crimson pool that resembled a saint's halo.
What a night this was shaping up to be.
18
Kore
Ioverslept my alarm by five minutes, despite its constant shrill bleating. The events of the night before seemed like more of a dream than the bizarre non sequiturs my subconscious had treated me to for the last seven hours, and as I sat up and rubbed my eyes, I felt anything but rested.
I didn't have time for a shower, so I donned my uniform hastily and headed out the door to find the lobby empty. I wasn't runningthatlate. Usually there were at least a few upperclassmen who had the option of scheduling their classes later in the day. There was plenty of noise coming from downstairs, and when I reached the top of the stairwell, I froze at the sight of yellow tape cordoning off all but a narrow path down. At present, the tape was holding back a throng of onlookers as men and women in pristine white suits and sunglasses took pictures of the chalk outline in the shape of a body surrounding a suspiciously dark stain in the marble.
Was this a joke? It had to be. As I stood frozen at the top of the stairs waiting for a punchline, the crowd turned to look up at me. I was used to being the center of attention in the worst way at this school, but this time, something was different. The look on the collective faces of my classmates wasn't the one of casual disdain and predatory intent I had grown so accustomed to.
It was... fear.
"What the hell happened?" I blurted out since everyone was already staring.
A woman who'd been knelt over the suspicious stain on the floor with a camera a moment earlier rose to her considerable height and looked at me. Even behind those dark lenses, I could feel her suspicion.
"Are you the new transfer student?" she asked, stepping over the yellow tape to come to the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah," I said, my answer sounding more like a question as I remained where I was, afraid to take another step. I'd seen enough crime shows to know what that outline meant, but this was a school. A sheltered academy for the privileged children of the most notable deities, sequestered in an ancient city so heavily protected with magic that most people thought it was nothing more than a myth. How could anything like that happen here?
Bullying was one thing, but death, despite its personification dwelling within these walls, seemed like a far off thing that could never reach us here. Maybe most of my classmates hated me, but the idea of one of them dying was too surreal and awful to process.
The woman in sunglasses and a jet black ponytail pulled so tight it gave me a headache just to look at it climbed the stairs to meet me, since she must have realized I had no intention of coming down. She pulled something from the pocket of her suit and flashed a badge with the same omega symbol that decorated my uniform, albeit on an entirely distinct crest.
"Agent Kunzite with the Olympian Special Task Force," she said, tucking her badge back into her pocket only to pull out a notepad in its stead. "I'm going to need to ask you a few questions." She took off her glasses, revealing the solid, glowing pink of her eyes, sclera and all. Her irises were a shade darker, barely distinguishable, and immediately I knew who--or what--she really was.
Hell of a time for a flashback.
* * *
Three Months Prior
"Are you insane?"Mom had screamed, her voice getting higher and higher with each glass vial she pulled from the plastic kit inside my school bag. I'd tucked them away in a makeup case, thinking she'd never know the difference, and to be fair, she wouldn’t have if she hadn't just so happened to peep me coming out of a club on one of her shopping excursions.
We'd been doing the whole song and dance ever since we'd gotten home, and the car ride had been one long, "Do you have any idea what kinds of people hang out at those places?"
Of course, I knew admitting that Iwasone of those people and had been since long before I was old enough to drive, let alone get past the door, wasn't going to help matters.
As I sat in the living room watching her go through my every belonging, all I could see was the dollar signs going down the toilet with the encapsulated herbs she'd flushed.
"Panaceas!" she cried in dismay, staring down at a glowing green vial in the shape of a skull. One of my most popular menu items. Good thing most of it was back at the warehouse with the Nymphs.
When she finally turned to me, her hands on her hips, I realized she expected me to chime in. Every time I'd tried before had just resulted in more screaming and tears. "Well?" she demanded. "What have you got to say for yourself?"
"It's... not as bad as it looks?" I tried.
Her murderous look told me that was the wrong answer. "These are illegal, Persephone, and for good reason."
