Page 18 of Deception

“Absolutely not,” my father declares, crossing his arms over his chest. I blink in surprise at his insistence, unsure what to make of this since I’ve never heard of the trials before.

“I’m afraid it’s not up for debate. The council can’t, in good conscience, allow Olivia to use her powers freely. Not without assurance that she will not cause others any harm,” Helene concludes smugly.

“We also have no proof that she actually is a god, as you say,” the fourth god proclaims snidely, apparently gaining confidence now.

“Yes,” Victor agrees, wincing in pain from the movement of his face. “Since the Tome of Agathos cannot be located—”

“It isn’t back at the temple?” Kyros questions, interrupting the foul-tempered god, Vicky.

“No,” Victor grumbles, shooting Kyros with a scornful look. “We haven’t been able to locate it since the Ascension.”

“Great job on that one.” Mateo chuckles, looking down his nose at them. “This is all your fault for siding with that imposter over us.”

Victor’s mouth flaps open, searching for the words, but nothing comes out. Frustrated, he marches off. “I can’t deal with them anymore, Helene. Ridiculous.” He throws over his shoulder.

I turn back and examine Helene. Catching the incredulous look she shoots at his retreating form. “Fucking coward,” she mutters before turning back to us. She scrubs a hand over her face. Finally pulling herself back together. I quirk an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.

“Despite my beliefs, some of my colleagues doubt the validity of you being a full-fledged god. With the Tome of Agathos missing, we have no way of knowing your true powers,” she explains, darting an exasperated glance towards the god who spoke up before. He holds her gaze unflinchingly, still maintaining his opinion.

She sighs. “We will ensure you have the proper training to complete the trials in this short timeframe. Most students spend their three years here, after the Ascension, developing their gifts,” she explains, seeing my brows crease in confusion. I quickly smooth them out, not wanting to display any signs of weakness she could exploit. She grins, giving me a tight nod of understanding at my now blank face.

“Unless, of course,” she turns her gaze towards my father, a calculating gleam in her eyes, “you’d like to tell us who her mother is.”

She nods in affirmation. My father’s stern expression and the crossing of his arms over his chest, answer enough.

“As I suspected.” She smirks. “Well then, you leave us with no other choice. Olivia will be enrolled in the trials this semester.”

The guys and my father speak over each other, their protests incomprehensible. The remaining two council members stride towards the door, taking Helene’s lead. Apparently done with the conversation now, her decision final due to their power over me as a student. Her black heels smack against the hard floor and I focus on the sound of her retreating footsteps over the shouts of the others.

“I suggest you train her, rather than arguing with me,” she calls over her shoulder, smirking before she walks out the door. The other two gods follow closely behind her, not wanting to be left alone with us.

“Cowards,” Maximus growls, but they seem unmoved by his comment, simply striding out the doors without a backwards glance.

“What’s the trials?” I ask expectantly, cocking my eyebrow at my father, before my gaze moves to encompass the rest of the remaining gods. I hope they can all appreciate how hard it is when everyone keeps spewing cryptic words about.

“Let’s discuss it back at the manor,” my father directs, looking around the room warily. The others agree with him, making an executive decision to leave the auditorium. Okay ... I guess we’re leaving. I huff out an annoyed breath, taking Kyros’ proffered hand. They better believe I’m getting my answers one way or another.

* * *

Arriving back at the manor,my father pulls me aside, and lets the others walk ahead of us to the doors. Kyros lets my hand drop, giving me a reassuring smile before moving towards the door.

“Why did you do that, Olivia?” he asks sternly, waiting a moment for the others to get out of earshot.

“You heard her. They weren’t going to let me leave here without completing the trials. Either way, I’m sure they would have found one way or another to have pushed for that. At least this way, I’ll get the training and time I need to succeed. I’m sure you already know the other reason.” I glance after the guys, watching them move into the mansion. I keep my real reasoning to myself though, the guys would need to be here for at least the next semester, and after experiencing that deep ache of loss tearing my heart apart, I need to figure everything out between us.

My father groans, his eyes going to where mine rests. “Why did this have to happen to me?” He buries his head in his hands, shaking in disbelief. Sheesh, no wonder I’m dramatic with this man as my only parental figure.

“I need answers,” I interrupt his lamenting, my voice firm and sure. Tired of being left in the dark. He pauses, raising his head to look back at me, and nods, straightening his suit, before placing his hand on my shoulder, guiding me up the path to the manor.

“Of course, I’ll give you whatever answers you need—no deserve,” he corrects, glancing down at me. “Please understand there are some secrets I must keep for your safety.”

My chest deflates at his words, but I nod back. Not sure my brain can handle the brunt of the millennia’s worth of secrets he has stored. The most critical information would have to be the trials and what exactly I need to prepare myself for.

As we move through the threshold, my father gestures back, a gold sheen forming over the doorway.

“Just in case they found some way to listen in here too,” he murmurs, explaining the power sheathing the house. “I would not put it past those disingenuous assholes.”

We find the others spread out around the sitting room, trying but failing to keep the tension off their faces. I go to sit by Kyros on the couch, and I can’t help but smile when his face lights up. His honey-brown eyes are so warm and inviting. He clasps my hand, pulling it into his lap, and pulls my leg to brush against his. A pleasant tingle runs up my spine at the contact, and I have to force myself to focus.

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