The Blessed and the Pure┃🖋

Chapter Λ

Looking at Nikas, one wouldn't think he was a pushover. When she first met him, Hallie hadn't either. That is, until her curiosity and determination to answer every single question that caught her interest took over.

"If I knew being friends with you would cause getting dragged halfway across the city at eight in the morning, I would have invested in an earlier bedtime."

Nikas brushed his chestnut-brown hair out of his face with his free hand, then yawned. "Or is it seven? It feels like seven."

"It's eight-ten, I think." Hallie continued to drag her reluctant business partner - or so she convinced herself - by the hand. "And we need to be there early. We're already late for that!"

He frowned. "How?"

"To be on time for being early, you must get there thirty minutes early. We agreed on eight-thirty. It's eight-ten. We're late to being early."

"That's confusing," Nikas grumbled. "Charax never makes us get up this early. The day you take over will be a nightmare indeed."

"Haha, hilarious."

"What's so funny? Once you're in charge, you can show Hero what's what."

Hallie rolled her eyes and tugged him harder. "Charax will retire the day he goes into the ground. And by then, Hero will have gotten bored and left to do who knows what. Maybe run for the Bol or the Areópagos just to rub it in our faces now and then."

"Fair point." Nikas rubbed his eyes. "Where are we going again?"

"The market."

The market where Perialla and Miscenus would meet them. They ran over a list of known Blessings the night before, settling on Talaus Hatzis and agreeing to meet up the next day at the edge of the market. They said Talaus went there every morning at nine o'clock sharp to collect food for the day. Taryn, Semele, and Kirphis were doing the same with Laothoe Athanasiou.

The seven of them discussed who should follow who and whether they should all go together, Kirphis objecting at any point he could. The little objector that could. They realized seven teenagers following members of a cult could end badly, so they sent Hallie, Nikas, Perialla, and Miscenus, the Sómata of the group, after Talaus and Taryn, Semele, and Kirphis, the Taktikoí, after Laothoe.

"Are we almost there?" Nikas asked. "I want to get this over with. Then, I can go back to sleep."

Hallie laughed. "You're useless on little sleep, aren't you?"

"I revel in it."

The pair forged onward, Hallie still dragging Nikas behind her like a sack of dried figs. He never interjected, just lazily obliged like he had since the former of the two woke him an hour before. But thirty seconds later, he stopped acting like a tether and began walking on his own.

"Over here!" Miscenus waved to signal his and Perialla's location. The Kardiáns around them, especially the Taktikoí, sniffed in disdain and sent many dignified stick eyes. One bumped into Perialla, causing the girl to stumble, but righted herself after a few paces. Miscenus and Perialla ducked their heads but otherwise didn't acknowledge the brief, passive-aggressive interaction.

Hallie looked between Perialla and Miscenus, and Nikas took a break from being exhausted to frown. Miscenus shook his head.

Hallie and Nikas caught up, and they retreated to the edge of the market where no one would bother coming over.

"H-Hi. Did we keep you waiting long? I knew we should have left earlier-"

"No, that's okay. We got here a few minutes ago," Miscenus said, smiling.