Page 5 of Ares' Shield
The tree rustles at her touch as if in a breeze, but there is no wind in the forest.
“I don’t like it either. I’m sorry.” I shake my head and scan the forest. “I don’t think he was actually doing that.”
“Demigods aren’t usually that mean.” She sticks her bottom lip out.
“What are the rumors?” I ask.
She’d said there were rumors about dead eyes. Are there more people missing from the academy that I don’t know about?
“People with glassy blank eyes are leaving the academy. They get beyond the wards somehow.” The dryad shrugs.
Is this another situation like with the Hermes students a few weeks ago? To what end though? I’m almost positive that guy wasn’t a Hermes descendent.
The Hermes students are the only ones who can keep the wards going so if there is something sinister happening here, then why did they pick that guy to control?
There are more than just him? What the fuck? Why haven’t I been told?
Because you’re a fucking student, Beth. You don’t get to know all the secrets.
But I seriously should have been told, unless Rebecca doesn’t know.
“Shit, how many have been spotted? Did they all come this direction?” I ask.
“I don’t know, a few?” she asks.
Why the fuck is she asking me? This is the first I’m seeing of it. What is happening?
“Has anyone seen them out here? Does the faculty know what’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” she screams and grips the ends of her hair, pulling at it. .
“Sorry, I get that. I’m just trying to get all the facts before I sound the alarm.” I shake my head.
“I don’t know anything.” She glares at me.
“I get it. You haven’t seen anything.” I wave her off and stomp through the forest.
I’m sure to give it a lot more care than the fumbling mind-controlled student who just blundered though without care.
I make my way back to the small pond and scan it for the nereid that sprayed the guy in the face not long ago.
Several nereids poke their heads out of the pond and watch me as I crouch close to the water.
“Had you seen anything like that before?” I ask the nereids, but they just stare back at me.
“I don’t think they’ve seen anything either,” the dryad whispers from behind me.
“Don’t speak for us, dryad.” The nereid from earlier stands in the pond and crosses her arms over her chest.
“You weren’t speaking for yourself. She’s trying to help.” The dryad stomps her foot angrily and the trees sway.
Please tell me there isn’t about to be a brawl between the tree spirit and the water spirits. I don’t want to be in the middle of that and accidentally get impaled.
“Look, you don’t need to fight. I just want to know if you have seen anything like the guy I asked you to spray earlier.” I hold up my hands in surrender.
“No.” A different nereid stands in the water. Seaweed coats her body, covering her modestly.
“That was the first time you saw someone with blank eyes?” I ask and she nods.
