She looked familiar, but my head was rushing with adrenaline, and I couldn’t remember why I recognized her.
Zeus droned on about honor.
The lady held a pen over a scroll and looked at me expectantly. A yellow raincoat was draped over her, and she wore neon-orange galoshes. She looked ridiculous.
“Whatis your name?” she repeated. “You’re the last one on the list... we have to write ya down, make this all proper.”
A manic snort escaped my nose.
“Snap out of it, girl.” My head snapped to the side as she slapped me across the face.
Who does that to someone they just met?
Dorean would—I missed her.
As I rubbed my aching jaw, the little old lady (violent assaulter) grabbed the mangled remains of my sweatshirt and pulled me down to her level with surprising strength.
“The fates are rooting for you—don’t youdaremake us regret backing you, Alexis Hert.”
I yanked out of her grasp.
If she already knew my name, why did she ask?I would haveasked her, but it turned out even a massacre wasn’t enough to overcome my fear of speaking to strangers.
Her eyes glowed an unnatural shade of electric blue. “Tell me your name?” Her voice register dropped three octaves. “Tell menow.”
“Alexis H-Hert,” I whispered.
Her blue eyes faded back to violet as she patted me on the cheek and smiled sweetly. “And don’t you forget it, dearie.” She leaned close and whispered conspiratorially, “Girl to girl—I’d take a chance on the killers, if you know what I mean—even with their hounds.” She winked and wrote my name on her scroll. “Don’t let their...passion... scare you away.”
“What?” I asked.
She wiggled her brows and waddled away, stepping on bodies as she headed toward Zeus.
She might be worse off than neighbor Paul, pre-shovel.
I’d only ever heard of Chthonic eyes turning red when they used their power. What did it mean that her eyes turned blue?
What can she do? What is she? Why does she look so familiar?
A strange sensation skittered down my spine.
It felt like?—
“Fate has written these ten Spartans into our ranks,” Zeus announced as he held the scroll, then read off it. “Maximum, mutt from the House of Hera.”
A short naked boy with blue streaks in blond hair and brown eyes stumbled forward.
“Your mentor is Ryax,” Zeus said, “another mutt from the House of Dionysus.”
A Spartan man stalked forward with an albino crow on his shoulder. He glared and looked intense.I’m glad I didn’t get him as my mentor.
The crowd cheered.
Lightning flashed across a gray sky and thunder boomed.
Myteeth chattered.
Names were read, men stepped forward, but I barely noticed. Everything was falling to pieces around me. Nothing was real.
