Page 42 of Artemis' Bow
“Are you done packing?” I ask Jayden.
“I took a page out of your book and just cleaned the clothes I traveled in and then put them right back in the bag so I could be ready if we had to leave quickly again.” Jayden shrugs. “Just gotta stop by my room and grab it.”
“Okay, then we should be ready pretty quickly.” I pull my hair back into a ponytail and finish getting ready.
“All done?” Jayden asks when I step back into the bedroom.
“Yes, hopefully the others are ready as well.” I reach for the door to my room.
Jayden gets there first and opens it with a flourish and a wink. Every time he does something sweet like that for me, it reminds me of the jerk he’d been when we first met and how much he’s changed in the months since that first fateful trip to the academy.
He wraps an arm around my waist as we rush down the stairs to his floor. There’s no one on the stairs because we are the only two demigods on our floors, but the silence isn’t eerie or oppressive. It’s calm and peaceful which isn’t something we’ve had a lot of recently.
“Just let me grab my bag real quick,” Jayden says.
A shudder rolls down my spine as I step into the darkness of his dorm. The son of Hades doesn’t exactly enjoy the décor either, but the rooms are all based off the perception of the god or goddess parent for that floor. Hades isn’t as dark and depraved as people make him out to be.
He’s a caring father and a doting husband. He and Persephone are absolutely adorable together and I wouldn’t equate them with darkness at all. They are powerful allies, though.
Jayden saunters through the room with his bag slung over one shoulder and grins at me. “The room isn’t that bad.”
“It’s creepy, Jayden.” I shiver.
“Maybe it just takes some getting used to.” He shrugs. “Let’s go.”
The stairway gets exceedingly more crowded as we descend the steps to the lower floors. I block as much of it out as possible. I can’t afford to get into it with idiots right now.
I’m not sure if it’s the expression on my face or if people know we’re leaving today, but students part for us, and no one says a word to us as we leave the dorm building.
“Relax, we’ll get there in a minute. You’re making students uncomfortable with that expression.” Jayden squeezes my hip.
“I’m just worried that we won’t get there in time. It’s already gone on for days. How long can the world keep going like this before everything freezes over?”
“We’ve been on a race against the clock time and again. It’ll be okay,” Jayden says.
We turn the last corner to the parking lot at the front of the academy and find the others gathered around a black SUV. Adrian sees us first and waves a hand.
“Is everything ready?” I ask.
“Yeah, we just loaded our bags in the trunk,” Adrian says.
“Good. And you’re sure about the location?” I ask.
“The vision was clear and to be completely honest, that city is a hotbed for paranormal activity.” Adrian nods.
“He’s right,” Greyson cuts in. “My kind avoid it at all costs. The vampires run that city, and we do not get along.”
“Vampires?” I screech. “No one said anything about fucking vampires. What in Hades?”
“Unless they feel threatened, they mainly stick to their own dens. They are a threat to watch out for, though. Especially since I will be with you.” Greyson rubs the back of his neck.
“Is there any other paranormal species we need to worry about there?” I ask, throwing my hands up in the air.
“They hide in plain sight. They look like normal humans and I’m not sure if they will be attracted to you all or not. They can smell magic so I would just be cautious.”
“Just great. If I end up a chew toy for a bloodsucker, I’m going to shish kebab you, Greyson,” I growl.
“That’s not happening,” Jayden snarls, pulling me against his side. “Any vampire tries and a pointy stick will be the least of their worries.”
