Page 12 of Wild Hunt
“Nothing is impossible, just difficult,” I answered. “Go to Kore. Make up some sob story about your current team pressuring you out. Beg her to take you in and say you don’t care about being part of the herd. You’re above that sort of thing, after all.”
Her eyes flashed with guilt before she looked away. “Anything else?” she asked bitterly.
“That’s all for now,” I said, leaning back in satisfaction. “We’ll be in touch.”
As she left, I poured myself a glass of wine. This was all coming together nicely. This year’s Hunt was shaping up to be the best yet, and for once, the Games were more than just a droll event playing at school spirit and pride.
I had to admit, there was part of me that was curious to see just how far Kore and her little band of misfits would make it.
Chapter 7
Kore
Operation Sabotage was barely underway, but school called and since I had a roommate who actually gave a shit about his grades, I found myself in on a Friday night, studying in bed with Dionysus. We’d compromised and there was music going in the background, plus snacks, which made reading school-assigned material tolerable.
“You know, if you paid more attention to the practice test than you do to your phone, this whole studying thing would be a lot easier,” he remarked.
I shot him a half-hearted glare. “Seriously? What are you now, my father?”
He just smirked and turned back to the book in his hands. “You have to admit, the alchemy prof isn’t half-bad looking.”
“No, he’s not,” I said with a wistful sigh. “Too bad the guys in class can’t take a page out ofhisbook.”
“You’re not kidding.” He paused. “So, are there any guys back home?”
I shrugged. “Not really. I didn’t have time.”
“Between what, drug dealing and giving your mother a heart attack?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You could say that.”
“Come on, there must have been someone.”
“There were guys here and there,” I admitted. “No one serious, though. I went to a human high school.”
“That’s right… what was that like?”
“Normal,” I sighed. “Pleasantly so.”
“Mhm.”
I caught the doubt in his voice and couldn’t pass it up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I just find it doubtful that you really enjoyed being surrounded by humans,” he said wryly.
“Right, because hanging with gods has beensopleasant.”
“You know what I mean. You put up a big front of hating your own kind, but I know the truth.”
“Which is?” I asked.
“You’re afraid of rejection,” he said with a shrug. “I think you’ve been pushed to the outskirts of this world for so long that you’re afraid if you let yourself want to belong, you’ll only be setting yourself up for disappointment.”
His words hit some mark I couldn’t imagine he was intending them to, and for once, I found myself at a loss for words. Hades’ most well-aimed barbs failed to strike half as true as Dionysus did without trying.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I overstepped…”
“No,” I murmured, glancing away since he seemed perfectly capable of seeing through my soul. “It’s fine. You’re not wrong. And I don’t belong here. This semester has made that abundantly clear.”
