Page 11 of Hades' Shadow
“I did.” I nod. “I also messed up before I realized I knew that story from my mythology studies.”
“How did you mess up?” Dax asks with a frown.
“The Hydra has seven heads and it’s huge like a fucking dragon. How would you kill it?” I ask, not giving anything away.
“Brute strength and my ax.” Dax shrugs, sitting back in his chair like that’s his answer to everything, which given what I have experienced with him the last few days, that’s not an unfair assessment.
Raven thumps him on the forehead. “Wrong.”
“What do you mean, wrong? You are a child of Ares, and you said your strength is growing. Why not use it?” Dax is accusatory but also curious.
“Because I have a brain and brute strength is not the only option. Hell, many of the problems we faced while on that mission required a brain more than force.” Raven reaches out to thump him again, but he blocks her.
“The Hydra’s heads grow back and multiply if you cut them off,” I say to stop the brother and sister from bickering.
“Okay, so then just stab it in the heart.” Dax throws his hands up, as if saying it’s that easy, but I’m shaking my head before he even finishes his sentence.
“Not even god metal pierces it’s hide.” I flip through the book, searching for the spot where it’s supposed to tell us about the Hydra specifically.
I don’t care much to hear the story of how Heracles defeated it since I have my own experience with that.
“Then how did you defeat it?” Dax whispers, staring at me with more intensity than I am comfortable with.
“You were right about cutting the heads off, but it’s more than that. You have to cauterize the head wound before a new head grows back. And you have to cut off every head,” I say, never looking up from the book.
“How did you do that?” Dax gasps. “Seven on one is crazy.”
“I had my whip and my electricity. It did the job of both cutting and cauterizing.” I shrug, turning the page again.
“Holy shit,” Dax whispers.
I cringe.
This is not the fucking conversation I want to have with him because it’s only making him like me more, if his expression is anything to go by.
I widen my eyes at Raven sitting across from me and I am yet again wondering why she is my best friend as she smirks back at me.
I glare over at Draven, noting that this is all his fault for bringing up me single-handedly taking down the Hydra in the first place. Draven grins.
“I just wanted to hear the story.” He holds his hands up in surrender.
“Sure, you did.”
Why do I feel like they are going to be competing over me too? This is fucking bullshit.
Cross clears his throat loudly, getting everyone’s attention. His eyes are sunk in and drooping.
“Okay, class, that’s it for today. I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Cross says, standing and hurrying from the room.
“What the hell?” I raise an eyebrow at Raven who shrugs.
I pack my book back in my bag and wait for Dax to move out of my way so that I can get up but he’s staring at me with awe.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Raven’s desk is already turned around and she is walking away when she turns back and notices that Dax is still sitting there blocking me. “Dax, what the hell?”
Draven glances over his shoulder and rolls his eyes. Stomping down the row, he grabs my desk and it screeches across the tile floor loudly. I grab on, not expecting it.
