“Those of you that have your phones out instead of stretching are going to regret it!”
“Sir, we’re trying to figure out how to turn Lola back.”
“If you make my girlfriend run laps, I’m going to break out all the pork belly recipes I learned from a lovely Filipino lass passing through my hostel and my famous maple bacon cannolis and I’m not using an actual academy pig,” Liam snarled.
Sorry, I probably looked like a complete psychopath because none of them knew Lola had her boyfriend beat her and was responsible for all the deaths on campus and I fell out laughing when Liam threatened to cook Pig Lola. If any of them gave any appearance of questioning her ever changing stories, we’d probably approach them and warn them, but none of them had.
And maybe I was twisted because if we could just cook Pig Lola and serve her friends bacon and end this, it would just be perfect, but we couldn’t. I could not stop laughing. I don’t know if Adrian even realized why I found this funny, but he started laughing, too.
My entire group started laughing while the rest of the class looked at us in horror. Radames never stopped stretching and briefly looked at all of us like we were annoying children and he was above all of this. Even Professor Adamastus looked like he wanted to laugh.
“All of you might want to consider that the staff here is trying to turn all of you into functional adults since you’re going to eventually have incredible power. No one is being mean to you for absolutely no reason. I’m going to run you ragged and give you a zero for today if you don’t participate in my class. I’m the reincarnation of Ares. I have ways of forcing you to run and they aren’t fun. I suggest you be less worried about changing yourfriend back and more worried about what they did to deserve to be turned into a pig.”
“Are you victim blaming?” someone gasped.
I could never remember that one’s name, but she was actually worse at running laps than I was. I never got bit by a vampire because I was still running, even if slowly and badly. She kept walking even though she got bit so many times, she had to be carried off the field to the nurses office because she couldn’t stand up. Our first class started at nine in the morning and she always showed up late, half asleep, and in her pajamas.
No judging. I wasn’t a morning person, and neither was Morgana. The only reason we were remotely functional in the morning was because our guys figured out how we took our coffee.
And I just noticed something. My group and Ivar’s group were around each other like the rest of the school. Adrian fit right in as soon as he got close enough to Ari to sense him. No one else was connecting the way they were supposed to because Lola was in the way.
I was pretty sure the lazy girl was named Lena, and she was on a team with two women and one man. They all looked more concerned with Lola than each other and Lena was getting in trouble in all her classes because she was either half asleep or didn’t do any of the reading.
I knew my group, and I’d been around Morgana’s and Ivar’s. We were all friends, and we’d do anything for each other, but if Liam, Khalid, or Lucian was having trouble in school, I’d do everything in my power to help them. I’d make time for my friends, but I wouldn’t let them take up all my time at the expense of my mates.
Something was going on. Maybe if I could figure out what, it would take us closer to finding Apep.
Professor Adamastus seemed reasonable with his punishments for a man who previously had us chased by a hungry vampire. Those of us who were willing to learn what he was trying to teach had a pretty decent lesson. He taught us to put magic behind our strikes and even helped Lucian since he didn’t have the same magic as us as an original.
The rest of our class got a zero. And he wasn’t kidding. I didn’t know what kind of powers Ares had, but everyone threw their phones down and ran laps. Even the people who would have rather been bit by a vampire than actually attempt a light jog were running and by the end of class, they all looked like they wanted to die.
It was weird. If Sage got turned into a pig, I probably would have skipped class to research how to turn her back, but Sage was also my mate. I’d have done the same for Liam and Lucian, but we were brothers now. None of these people were mated to Lola. I highly doubted she was cosmically connected to all these people.
Sage noticed the same thing and brought it up in the dining hall. I was the resident know-it-all when it came to history, but Morgana was the genius when it came to all things magic. I wasn’t quite there yet. I wanted to be, and it was going to take time.
“Hemlock and Apep weren’t love gods, so they can’t force feelings. We know Lola is pretending to be bad at potions, but has Hemlock’s knowledge of fairy potions, even if they are banned. Could she be drugging people?” Sage asked.
“She doesn’t work in the kitchen,” Liam said. “Those people are about as fun as chugging a Guinness that’s been mixed with hotdog water, but they take their jobs seriously. I’ll fuck with anyone, but younevermess with people’s food. I’m hyper aware of things being slipped in drinks on account of I enjoy killing rapists. It’s second nature. No one is drugging anyone in the kitchens.”
“Lola managed to drug you,” Lucian pointed out.
“Thanks, Captain Helpful. I don’t know how she managed to do that, either.”
And Liam was poking Lucian, but I had some things to say to Liam.
“Uh, Liam, I get why a good bit of the offerings for dinner are pork related, but some of us still adhere to our religious dietary guidelines, so maybe have more than one option. You left us lentils cooked by someone with no understanding of lentils.”
“Shite, sorry mate. I’m the only freshman in the kitchen from our side of the school. The rest of them aren’t under Lola’sspell and think she’s kind of shady. They’ve also been students of Professor Thornheart long enough to know you don’t get piggified for no reason. They were happy to cook a pork fest to poke the minions. Maisy wanted to handle the lentils. She comes from a land where they’ve never heard of spices, but she does amazing things with pastry dough, so I haven’t stabbed her. Do you want me to because the lentils were bad?”
“Liam, no. Don’t stab anyone because they don’t know how to cook lentils. Just if you’re going to keep tormenting the minions making them think you cooked Lola, have some options for everyone.”
“I’ll personally take care of it.”
I suppose that was the best I was going to get. Liam was an amazing cook. It was best to focus him when he was being a menace.
“So, I have a question. How was Lola able to attack Liam with the protection spells?” Sage asked.
“Easy,” Morgana said. “The protection spells have limits. They keep any person or spirit out that means you harm, but if they are invited in, they can’t kick them out before they can harm you. It’s more of a barrier. As for your theory, there are old stories about gifted people from various supernatural races falling in love with someone who didn’t love them back.
