Page 32 of Monster Song
here were several times in college I wished I could have been in two places at once. There would be one me desperately studying for an exam, and then there would be another me off having fun instead of sitting there with flashcards. I felt that so hard right now.
There would be a massive slaughter at the fighting arena, and people I cared about would be there. I think everyone unanimously agreed they didn’t want me there. I was being sent with Kimon and Solron to rescue Persephone. Everyone kept saying it was because that was where I was needed if Lis happened to be there, but I think we all knew Lis would be with Demeter, and they couldn’t think of anywhere else to put me. I might not be good with it yet, but I knew enough to burn the door down if they tried to lock me in my room to keep me away from this.
I wanted to be in the arena using what powers I could fight with to help those I loved. I wanted to be at the temple with Kimon helping to rescue Persephone. I couldn’t be in both places, and I had to work with what I was given. I’d never been stupid, and me being at the arena would have gotten them killed. They’d all worry about protecting me and drop their guards for Demeter to hurt them. Still, it didn’t mean I had to like it.
Solron was in my bedroom. I wasn’t exactly sure what Solron was wearing or how she intended to fight in it. It looked painted on, and I would have broken my neck in those boots. Still, she fucking owned it and was playing with this deadly dagger like we bored her.
Pavlina strolled in looking sexy as hell in all black leather. She had her long hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and her eyes were heavily lined in black. I’d never so much as been in a girl slap fight before, but were you supposed to go to battle looking like you were going to a sex club? Because I wanted an outfit like Solron and Pavlina, and she had a garment bag.
“You can’t rescue the queen of the Underworld in yoga pants, River.”
Solron flipped her knife in the air and quickly caught it.
“She’s totally right. You have to make a statement with your clothing when you kill people. It’s just gauche to kill someone when you look frumpy.”
“Ido notlook frumpy.”
“You wear yoga pants when you need to make a midnight run to the store, and no one will see you. You justcannotwear yoga pants to kill people,” Solron said.
“You need clothing that offers protection, River,” Pavlina said. “And yes, you want to look like a badass when you make your entrance. Solron is right. You can’t kill anyone in that outfit.”
Pavlina thrust the bag at me. I was under the impression I wasn’t killing anyone. Sure, I kept saying I wanted to kill Demeter and had threatened to maim several of the Olympians. I offered up crowd members for Pavlina and Demos to eat. That was different. I’d never actually killed anyone before. Even if it was my first time seeing an animal, it hit me in the gut every time I lost one or had to help them to eternal sleep. Could I actually burn someone alive after all my boasting?
Still, I needed to feel like a badass if I would try. I moved towards my bathroom, and Pavlina just smirked.
“You could give me a little show changing into the outfit I made for you.”
My eyes darted to Solron, who was engrossed with her knife.
“Oh, please. I’ve seen plenty of demon tits before. Bael only likes it when I admire them with him present. I won’t peek, and I suspect your spider has already seen them up close and personal.”
I just shrugged and started stripping out of my clothes. Pavlina had gotten me buttery soft leather trousers with a line of spikes down the side. Where did she have the time to have this top made? It was a black leather vest, but her signature red hourglass was on the back.
She hadn’t left the others out. Each button on my vest was engraved with the other monsters. There was even a flame for Hephaestus on one button.
“When did you do this?”
“One of my talents is sewing. I made this right around the time you were fucking Demos until the room caught fire, and it took me up until you stopped screaming with Kimon to get most of it done. My room is right next to yours. If I could set people on fire, I would have long burned his ass for not giving me what I was asking for.”
I adjusted my tits in that vest. Yeah, I definitely felt like I might maybe be able to kill someone now.
“I wanted it that way.”
Solron just laughed.
“So do I sometimes. Bael takes me to his dungeon and chains me to his Saint Andrews cross until I’m ready to murder him before he gives me what I want. But sometimes, a girl just needs that.”
Solron was pretty spot on with the over sharing. I had a feeling if I ever met Bael, I’d never be able to look him in the eye because, by the time this was over, Solron would share every single kink they liked to do together. I had my own shit in the bedroom. Demos and I burned a bedroom down, and I kind of practiced spider bondage with Pavlina. I told Kimon I wanted him to tie me down next time.
I’d never done any of that before when I was on Earth, but the more I played with my monsters, the more I realized how much I had been missing out dating safe guys and emotionally unavailable women on the rebound. Maybe I was just waiting to get kidnapped. Who knew?
No one took away that dagger Hephaestus made me. I wouldn’t have let them if they tried. It was his first gift to me, and I would always treasure it. I don’t think anyone wanted me armed, and they wanted me away from the fight, but Pavlina tossed me a holster.
“For your knife. Keep it on you at all times. I know they benched you, but anything can happen during war.”
“Especially if I’m guarding both you and Persephone,” Solron said. “That psycho bitch is going to eventually realize she’s lost, but if no one can get a killing blow, she won’t leave willingly without either taking Persephone or killing her. When she sees you with her, she will realize you set some of this in motion and try to kill you.”
I realized something about Solron. I knew she really enjoyed killing and maiming things. I thought she would have been bored sitting the fight out just to watch us, and the only reason she hadn’t complained was that Barbatos outranked her in the demon hierarchy.
