He smelled like a lightning storm.
Long seconds passed as I waited for him to speak, and there was a strange tension between us.
It felt . . .violent.
“Zeus has requested to meet you before the symposium,” he finally said, voice full of accusation, like I’d gone behind his back.
Silence stretched, heavy and oppressive.
“Okay?”
Augustus inhaled deeply. “As I’m sure you know, women are usually forbidden from attending symposia.”
Why does everyone assume I know things?
“However.” His black eyes flashed. “The federation has voted to make an exception for you. Because you’re an abandoned mutt already participating in the crucible, they do not believe there is any honor to be lost.”
From his scoff, he did not agree with their assessment.
Personally, I got where they were coming from.Never been honorable a day in my life.
Augustus shook his head sharply. “But you don’t have to attend if you don’t feel comfortable. It really is not the place for a young woman like yourself. Especially since Kharon has told me about you. On my honor as a Chthonic heir, I can’t allow it. I’ll inform Zeus to meet you here at the academy and?—”
“No, I’ll go,” I said, cutting him off with a casual (very tense) shrug.There’s food there. I will be present and accounted for. Count me in. “It sounds—delicious.”
Augustus went unnaturally still.
“Excuse me?” he asked softly.
“I’ll go,” I repeated as my empty stomach growled loudly. “It’s fine.”Did he not hear me?
He lunged forward, posture contorting with fury, face twisting, hands fisting.
I reeled back.
Never mind, it wasn’t fine.
Professor Augustus loomed above me, radiating vitriol, like he was ready to commit murder.
Of all the times for Nyx to be asleep, I needed her help now. I’d missed something crucial in the conversation.
Oh my god, he’s actually going to kill me.
He took another step forward.
I inched back toward the blackboard.
The scent of electricity increased a hundredfold, like lightning had struck where he stood.
Poco hissed, picking up on the energy.
Augustus abruptly stopped moving and ground his teeth together, then he cracked his neck back and forth like he was getting ready for battle.
The movement made his long ponytail sway, and the two-toned hair shone beneath his crown like silk in the candlelight.
“The symposium,” he said, voice menacingly low, “is not the place for a sheltered girl who grew up in the softhearted human world. Our world is... dangerous, especially for someone like you. You should rethink your choices, if you know what’s good for you. It’s my duty to protect you.”
What does he mean, someone like me? Is it because everyone thinks I’m Zeus’s daughter?
