Page 19 of Zeus' Spark
The wards always feel like bees buzzing around my head when I’m near them, but now? I feel nothing.
Raven chews her lip nervously. “Are the wards completely down? That is not good at all. We need to find a Hermes kid to fix them.”
“I know the wards were working when we first started patrolling,” I say.
“They were. It felt like fire ants warning me that I wasn’t allowed to cross.” Raven shuffles her feet and adjusts her grip on my arm.
“This isn’t good at all. Who was able to take down our wards? And why would anyone want to?” I ask.
The sun is just peeking over the trees when we make it to medical. The same healer clucks his tongue at the state of me.
I shrug. “Fire-breathing, three-headed lion thing with a goat’s head and a snake head for a tail. I didn’t roll away fast enough.”
“A Chimera did this to you?” he asks, seeming shocked.
“Is that what that thing is called?” I ask as Raven leads me across the sterile space to the same gurney I was just on mere hours ago. “It’s dead now, but that won’t stop it from coming back.”
We know from firsthand experience that monsters can come back from the dead. I electrocuted a Minotaur on our way to the academy and then it found us at a Halloween party Raven dragged me to.
The healer bustles around the room and grabs a small jar of something that looks like a cream. I flinch when he touches the cream to my burnt flesh, but I sigh in relief when I feel the soothing coolness seep into my skin and numbing the pain.
“You will need to keep this on the area for the rest of the day. Apply it every couple hours. Or as needed for pain. Magical fire from the Chimera can be very dangerous if not treated properly.”
“Is that all, sir? I need to find a Hermes kid to reinforce the wards and talk to the headmistress about what we discovered.” I stand up, testing putting weight on my foot.
It’s still tender and the skin feels tight, but I can walk, which is a relief.
“Yes, but no fighting monsters for at least a day.”
“I can’t promise that. They seem to be coming after me specifically.” I shrug.
I flinch when he glares at me, but honestly, what can I say? Someone has to keep the school safe. It seems like no one else is there when the wards are compromised.
I can’t just sit here and watch as the monsters destroy everything, especially since they’re after me.
We don’t have time to waste. We need to find someone to fix the wards.
“We might find someone in the cafeteria.” Raven strides off in that direction, and I follow along.
I have a slight limp in my step but nothing life-threatening.
Jayden runs up to us in the hallway outside the cafeteria. “What the hell happened to you?”
He looks about ready to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder.
He better fucking not. I will zap his ass. I’ve got shit to do.
“I’m fine. Just went and saw the healer.” I dodge to the left to get around him, but he sidesteps and gets in my way.
He crosses his arms over his chest, causing them to bulge. “How did you get injured before even eating breakfast?”
It shouldn’t be hot, but it is, and that just pisses me off.
“We were patrolling the wards and got attacked by the Chimera.” I shrug and tap my foot impatiently.
I answered his damn question. Now, he can get the fuck out of my way.
“The what now?” His brow furrows as if he’s trying to remember something.
