“Fifi!” Forget my cheeks, my whole face catches fire.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not sorry.”
“She never is,” Arjun mutters as he finally makes his way out from behind the tree.
“You okay?” I ask, because he’s still looking a little green.
“I’ve been better,” he answers as he plops himself on the bench.
“I’m still waiting!” Fifi says, eyes narrowed as she tries to stare Kyrian down.
But he’s too amused for the stare-down to be actually effective. “I like your best friend,” he tells me.
“Me too,” I answer, then put a hand on Fifi’s arm. “It’s okay. This is the guy I met the first day of school.”
“What guy— Oh! Kyrian?” Her eyes go wide as she whisper-yells, “This is Hot Hades Boy?”
Kyrian cracks up.
“Stop!” I tell him as my face gets even hotter. “I did not describe you that way.”
“Aw.” He makes a sad face. “Now my feelings are hurt.”
“Don’t start with me.” I roll my eyes, but he just grins.
“It’s okay, Penelope. You can think I’m hot.”
It’s my turn to narrow my eyes as I glare at Fifi. “Do something,” I order.
She waggles her brows. “I feel like I already did. You’re welcome.”
“I swear, I hate everybody,” I groan.
My words rouse Arjun from his still nauseated stupor. “Hey, what did I do? I’m just sitting here.”
“Just admit it. You don’t hate any of us,” Fifi tells me. “Especially Mr. Hot Hades Guy over there.”
“Maybe not, but I’m starting to.” I make a face at her.
“Okay, now that we’ve got that settled,” Kyrian says. “Does anyone know what we’re doing out here?”
“Not a clue,” Fifi answers.
I look around, trying to figure it out, but we’re surrounded by the athletic fields. I can’t imagine what we’d need to do here that is so important. But then I turn around and catch sight of a familiar building in the distance.
“It’s got to be the Hall of Legends!” I tell them as I take off running toward the museum.
“You mean the place with the statues?” Arjun sounds doubtful as he and the others catch up with me. “What could be in there?”
“I don’t know.” But I’m already thinking about the peacock and my conversation with Prometheus and the way Calliope and Frankie looked when she said Hera’s name. I have no idea what all that has to do with the Hall of Legends, but my gut is telling me that’s why we’re here.
We burst through the big glass doors, Kyrian first, then Fifi, then Arjun and me. And no, it doesn’t hurt at all that I’m the slowest of my friends.
I take a second to look around and get my bearings—also to catch my breath, but they don’t need to know that. As I do, I try to figure out why the school thinks we need to be here right now. But it looks the same as I remember.
Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Hades, and Aphrodite are all stationed around the room in places of honor—Zeus beneath the big arches and the others in front of all thebig windows. Down the middle of the room are the same mythical statues I remember from my first day here. Atlas, with the world on his shoulders. The three Fates spinning the thread of life. Even the full-color rendition of Perseus holding up Medusa’s head that I nearly killed myself trying to climb that first day.
I shudder as I get a good look at the snakes on her head. I’ve got nothing against Medusa at all, but after my experience in the Underworld, it’s way too soon for me to even be thinking about snakes.
