Page 231 of Blood of Hercules
Once again, Augustus announced I’d scored first in the class, but this time, a muscle in his forehead jumped and his eyes narrowed as he glared at me. There was more malice in his black eyes than usual—which was saying something.
When Patro and Achilles returned, I was desperate to leave the icy mountain.
I sighed with relief as we leaped away.
The temperature was mild on Corfu, but an icy chill pervaded my bones. My bedroom was heated, so I stood over the vent, thawing from the week in my skull sweatshirt.
Helen stopped by once and gave me a rose-scented body wash and a cream that she said was a gold-infused moisturizer for my face.
I used it on my chapped feet.
Nyx finally woke up. She took one look at Fluffy Jr.—and immediately went back into brumation to stop herself from killing him.
At least, that was what I thought she said.
It was hard to tell.
Poppae ran away when she saw Fluffy Jr., and Nero snapped his teeth at him.
Meanwhile, I spent the time shoving as many pastries into my mouth as possible and chugging water, all while standing over the heated grate.
Classical music played.
Male voices shouted, but I didn’t bother to listen. At this point, I didn’t want to know.
It was now January, which meant only fourteen days until the Initiation Ball and the Assembly Ceremony.
Then I’d be free.
I wassoclose to surviving the crucible.
All too soon, it was time to go back to the academy.
Patro and Achilles gently grabbed me and Fluffy Jr. as we leaped away from Corfu.
I crept with trepidation back into the freezing classroom.
Sat down with a bone-weary sigh.
“Where is Maximum?” Augustus’s voice cracked like a whip. There were purple smudges beneath his eyes and shadows beneath his sharp cheeks, like he hadn’t slept since we’d last seen him and was losing weight from stress.
Drex looked over at me in the freezing cold, and I shrugged back as we waited for our last two weeks of hell to start.
General Cleandro pushed a button on his pager, and Ryax Dionysus appeared.
“Where is your mentee?” the general demanded.
Ryax bowed his head low, and the albino crow on his shoulder did the same. “He went home this weekend, and he never returned. I reached out to the House of Hera, and they said he defected. I’ve not seen or heard anything of him since.”
The general scoffed. “What a coward. You’re dismissed.”
“Yes—General.” Ryax leaped away in a cloud of smoke.
Drex and I looked at each other with wide eyes.
There’s no way he defected this close to the end.My stomach sank to the floor, and I held Fluffy Jr. close to my chest.
Classes passed in a blur. I barely heard anything.
