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Helene strides confidently across the stage, turning on her heel once she reaches the raised dais. The train of her white and crystal blue dress flares out around her. The movement of her gown imitates the cresting and falling of waves.
“After the unfortunate incident with your headmaster.” She shakes her head, a look of dismay crossing her face, yet it doesn’t reach her eyes. That same devious glint remains in her gaze. My stomach drops at that look, a niggling voice in my mind telling me this cannot be good.
“The council has graciously decided to step in to run the academy for the rest of the year.” She gestures around her, and the other three members make their presence known, climbing up the stairs to the stage. I purse my lips, unsure how I could have missed them before. I sit up in my chair, scanning the area for any further threats.
I sense a familiar presence drawing closer, and I blink in surprise. My gaze darts around, attempting to find the source, when my eyes lock on Kyros, shouldering the auditorium doors open. He brushes past the few professors standing there, his forehead creases with worry, and his eyes anxiously dart around the room. His shoulders slump in relief when his eyes find mine, and he immediately heads in our direction.
He places a hand down on my shoulder, and I instantly relax with his proximity, as though his mere presence cast a warm protective shield over me. I raise my hand to cover his and glance up to give him a grateful smile. He returns the gesture, squeezing my shoulder in response, but his eyes don’t relax, and he quickly casts a wary look back up at the stage.
Domenic’s arm tenses where his skin brushes against mine. The chairs in such close proximity to each other, it’s impossible to avoid. My eyes lift back up to the stage where the four members of the council now stand. Helene’s gaze scans the back of the room, focusing on us. My lips quirk down at that, and I pat Domenic’s leg in a comforting gesture. Clearly he must be unnerved by the powerful god’s attention on us.
“We have unanimously decided that for this school year, we will be there every step of the way for our new and graduating students. We want to make sure that each student is not only protected but is equipped with the skills they need to succeed.”
I sense the double meaning of her words as her eyes find mine. They want to monitor me and watch me develop for whatever means that may serve.
“Now on to the exciting part.” Her eyes light with a malicious glint, and I grit my teeth, bracing myself for the inevitable shitstorm that’s about to rain down on us. “We will begin preparations for the trials, as it is necessary to continue moving forward. There is no use in dwelling on the past.”
I scoff at that. Of course, they wouldn’t want us to focus on the attack, on Titus’ infiltration of the academy, or how he fooled even them into allowing all of this to happen.
“I am pleased to announce that we will have a first-year student entering the trials this year. We have discovered that Olivia Rothchild is a god, not a demigod, and as such will take part in the trials if she wishes to graduate early.”
I grimace at her declaration, not wanting that information out there just yet. Students were already hesitant around me last semester due to my hulking stalkers. I already sensed a shift in their attitudes this morning, the uncomfortable silence that settled over the room when I walked in. Not to mention the way she worded it made me appear as though I demanded a spot in the trials because I think I’m better than them.
I huff out a breath of annoyance. I’m not exactly sure what I expected. Sure, they would have found out eventually since I’d be taking part in the trials, but I at least wanted a few weeks of normalcy before everything blew up in my face. Was that really too much to ask for?
I sense the students’ eyes on me, casting furtive glances in my direction.
“For our newer students, the trials are used as a means to test your abilities in your final year at the academy. There are three key tasks that students must complete. The first is a test of your physical strength through combat. The second will be a test of the individual student’s powers. And the third is a culmination of all you’ve been taught, combining all of the student’s skills in order to persevere. As we are taking over as leadership for the school, we will be in charge of assigning the tasks and their difficulty.” She chuckles, unable to keep her amusement at bay.
My stomach churns at the thought. They must have decided this last night after the stand-off with the guys and my dad.
“We must ensure the trials are fair for assessing both a demigod’s ability and a god’s.”
I swallow thickly at that. Not only would I need to take part in these tests of my abilities, but they would also test me at a standard higher than they usually would. Fucking fabulous.
“We need to make sure we’re able to test not only a god but the child of our leader Osias himself.” She smirks at that, letting the chorus of voices echo throughout the room, her words having the effect she intended. If I thought those glances were terrible before, they only intensify now. Students turn in their chairs and gawk at me, not bothering to make their staring inconspicuous anymore.
Helene inhales deeply, basking in the chaos she’s caused. I refuse to believe she did this inadvertently. On the contrary, her smug grin shows how intentional her words were. With that, she strides off the stage, her flowing gown cascading down the stairs behind her.
Instead of heading off to the back entrance, she struts down the aisle closest to us; her gaze firmly planted on me. She glances from me to Kyros, motioning us after her. I huff out an indignant sigh, the nerve that she has, gesturing us to follow her as though we’re at her beck and call. I look around the room, seeing all eyes on me as students whisper to their friends. The hum of sound invades every thought, making my brain buzz.
On second thought, following her might not be such a bad idea. At least it would let me escape this recent issue for a few hours. I grab Zina’s wrist, shaking her from her thoughts, her eyes popping open after being glazed over for most of the speech. Miss sea god is about to get a dose of reality. I’m not about to let my friend sit and agonize over her mother being in the same school, yet she hasn’t even bothered to seek her out.
Domenic grabs my other hand and leads us out, the others following us. Kyros falls in to step on my other side, an arm wrapping around me possessively, forcing my hand to drop from Domenic’s. I suppress a chuckle and lean into his touch, even the most level-headed of them still needed to stake his claim. Although I must admit, it’s in a much less violent fashion than I would expect from Maximus or Mateo, or even Adrian.
As we exit out to the hallway, I glimpse the end of her train swinging around a corner a few paces away, heading to the administration offices. I pause as we enter the hall, never having seen this section of the school before. Helene pushes a door open at the end of the hall, and I faintly make out the name ‘Headmaster Mavros’ lettered on the frosted glass. I purse my lips at the reminder of that name, of the persona Titus assumed to infiltrate the academy, in hopes to wait for me? I push that thought from my mind, unable to let my thoughts wander there now. I’ve been attempting to block out his words for the past week, distracting myself before I can let them linger on what exactly he meant or why he wanted to take me back to the infernal realm. No way, that’s a problem for another time.
“Well, isn’t this a surprise,” she intones in an amused chuckle as we move into the doorway. “I only need to speak to Olivia and Kyros. The rest of you may leave.” She dismisses them with a wave of her hand. Her cavalier attitude towards my friends, and her daughter, makes my skin heat. I drop Zina’s hand and step out of Kyros’ embrace as fear creeps into my angry haze, not wanting to hurt them if it gets out of hand. She eyes the movement curiously, a finger tapping her chin in thought as her gaze inspects me.
“You want to speak to me? Fine, then talk,” I command, crossing my arms over my chest. “But they’re staying.”
She huffs out a sigh of exasperation and shakes her head.
“I just wanted you to know this all could have been avoided if you had just spoken to us alone yesterday. We’re not unreasonable, Olivia.” She opens her palms in a placating gesture, as though I’m supposed to believe a word of her mouth.
“Well, I’m actually glad you’re here.” I smirk and my eyes crinkle mischievously. Two could play this game. “There’s someone you really should meet.”
The smug grin falls from her lips, and she eyes me cautiously. I swear I can see the gears in her head turn, attempting to anticipate my next move.
