“It’s neither orange or silver,” Calliope said as she held up her hand in front of her face.
“It’s purple.”
“Perhaps it is different for all of us,” Athena said quietly.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice echoed, and they all turned to the direction of the sound, noting they were not truly alone.
Three students, a woman with reddish-orange hair, a woman with long, blonde hair, and a man with gelled black hair looked back at them.
Athena felt her blood chill as she recognized the animal that was beneath his skin.
Hellhound.
She’d seen those dark eyes once before, when she’d spent more time in the Underworld with Orion.
The man was a hellhound shifter, a rare breed of shifter.
The woman who stood next to him smelled of vampire, and the human...
The human was just that; untouched by magic, but Mars seemed to be staring at her like he knew her.
Perhaps she was one of his many trysts...
“Hello, Lorelai,” Calliope answered.
The redhead waved lightly.
“Hey, Calli, uh... this place is uh... off limits,” the red-haired girl said, her cheeks heating as she looked at Mars.
Of course, Callie spends much time here infusing the mortals with inspiration and purpose...
“We have a key,” Athena said, brushing the tears from her face.
Brian wrapped a protective arm around her.
“Um, okay... but you still shouldn’t be here. The exhibits not finalized yet...”
“Have we met?” Mars asked, his voice far away.
“I... um... I don’t think so,” she said with a blush creeping up her cheeks.
“I promise we won’t be long, we—”
“What are you doing here?” Mars asked, his usual brash demeanor returning.
“We... uh... work here,” Lorelai said, pushing some stray red strands behind her ear.
“Well then, maybe you can give us a tour,” he said smoothly, approaching her. The black-haired man sniffed the air, the blond beside him looking between us all.
“I don’t know, I—”
“It’s fine. We’re, uh, just heading out,” Brian said with a light touch along Athena’s back.
“Come back tomorrow?” the man spoke, his tone just as direct as his gaze.
He knows what we are.
“Yeah, tomorrow,” she said as she settled her hand at Brian’s hip.
