Page 36 of Wild Hunt
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I said, knowing it might well leave me with a two-man team on short notice. I just couldn’t go into the Games with her in good conscience without telling her what Dionysus and I had planned if we won.
Over the last few months, I felt like Daphne and I had grown close. She had been a friend to me when it was incredibly politically inconvenient to be that. At the very least, she’d never piled on like the others, so I felt like I owed her the truth.
“Yeah?” she asked, growing concerned.
I took a deep breath. No easy way to say this. “If we win, I’m planning on using the speech to confront the Council about the Wild Hunt.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t react as hastily as I feared. “I don’t understand. The Hunt…?”
“Not just that,” I admitted. “Everything about the way this place runs, from Phrixus’s murder getting swept under the rug to the fact that there are a few students who run everything and anyone who questions it gets trampled on.”
She was silent for a few moments before finally saying, “I see.”
“I understand if you can’t go out there with us,” I said, holding her gaze even though it was difficult. “But on some level, I know you must understand. You’re not like them either.”
She looked away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Things have always been this way.”
“That’s just it,” I said, grabbing her hand. “They don’t have to be. We could win this thing, and actually give a voice to all the people who’ve been silenced in this school since it started. Putting pressure on the right people might actually make a difference.”
She watched me closely, but I could see the hesitation in her gaze. “This isn’t just about Phrixus, is it?”
I gulped. “No,” I admitted. “But that’s part of it. A student was killed in cold blood, and everyone’s just continuing on like nothing happened even though the killer was never caught. There are never any consequences at this school. If you belong to the right group, you can literally get away with anything. Including murder.”
She grew wary. “You don’t still think that Hades…”
“I don’t know what I think anymore,” I muttered. “I know nothing is ever going to change if no one ever tries.”
She fell silent, and I could hear the announcer instructing the crowd of the Coliseum to take their places. The opening ceremonies would begin soon. “Are you with me?”
Daphne stared at me, and it seemed like she would never answer. When she finally did, I certainly wasn’t expecting, “I’m with you.”
Relief washed over me and I couldn’t help but pull her into my arms and squeeze tight. “You won’t regret this.”
“We’ll see when the headmaster gets a hold of us,” she said dryly, putting an arm around my shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out there.”
With the weight of secrecy lifted, I followed her out of the makeshift dressing room and across the lawn to the Coliseum Towers. Contestants were supposed to enter through the back, and the triumphant music was already beginning to play.
As first years, we were expected to be the first ones out. I scanned the backstage area nervously in search of Dionysus, and when I finally caught sight of him, he seemed shaken. I pushed through the crowd to get to him, latching onto his hand. “There you are.”
He gave me a tired smile. “Hey. Ready for all this to start?”
“Yeah,” I said, glancing back over my shoulder. “Daphne’s with us.”
His eyes widened. “You told her?”
“I know I should have talked to you first, but it just kind of came over me. She’s good with it.”
He eyed her doubtfully through the crowd before looking back at me. “Are you sure we can trust her?”
“If we can’t, we’re kind of screwed anyway,” I reasoned. “Besides, she’s stuck with us so far and I’m sure she’s paying the social price for it.”
He still didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded. “I trust your judgment.”
“Come on,” I said, pulling him back to our place in line. He looked handsome as ever in a dashing toga with his golden hair crowned with laurels. I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather have at my side.
The first few groups walked out across a golden carpet to the uproarious cheers of the crowd. Even though it was only opening ceremonies, most of the parents had already arrived. Chronus wouldn’t be in attendance until tomorrow, around when my mother was scheduled to arrive. I couldn’t help but be relieved I didn’t have to worry about either of them tonight.
Their arena somehow looked bigger than it had during training, and there were torches all around it, casting an intimidating glow on the crowd. I must’ve looked nervous when it came to our turn to walk across the carpet, because Dionysus subtly reached for my hand.
