In Death We're Gods

Chapter 3: Rays

Chapter 3: Rays

"Rays? You coming?"

I nod in Aryn's general direction while sliding my bag over my shoulder to stuff in the syllabus sheet that the professor handed out at the end of class.

I walk forward with my head down, bumping right into something hard.

I look up.

It's Elias Merigold.

Great. Now my day is ruined.

His perfect face splits into a wide grin, baby-blue eyes glimmering with mischief. "Ra—ays!" he says, drawing out the vowel in my name.

"Yeah, hi," I say, and start to walk around him.

He stops me with a touch to my shoulder. A far too familiar touch to my shoulder. I glare up at him.

"You busy later?" he asks.

"Yeah. I have no time...for you." I blurt out.

"Come on, Rays. Don't be like this."

I snort, roll my eyes, and shake off his hand, dodging away from him, knowing that if he wants to stop me, he could.

Since he's a demigod with super-speed and all.

"Did you change your number?" he cries after me.

Ugh. Just shut up, Elias! I put up the hood of my hoodie. Everybody's looking.

"Call me?" he adds.

***

This is what I know about demigods:

They're half god, half human, but still mortal.

Gods don't have "accidents". If a god wants to, they can even make a man pregnant (this has happened before). Apparently, you don't even have to sleep with a god to get pregnant from one. Gods could do whatever they want because they're gods. Biology does not apply.

All demigods have a longer lifespan and some superpowers, depending on how powerful their divine parent is.

And they're all like mules, can't have kids unless it's with another god—because, again, gods can do everything.

I know more about demigods than I want to. I know some things about them that only demigods know.

"Oh my gods! Oh my gods!" Aryn goes on and on. "Giirl. What was that just now?"

"Wish I knew," I say glumly. People are still giving me odd glances. If there's one thing I can't stand it's being on people's radar. I feel squirmy.

"Oh my gods. He was dreamy. I've never seen him that close. How could anyone be that perfect?"

"Easy. Have a dad who's a god..."

I could tell Aryn is scrutinising me. She swerves around me to bar my way, grabbing me by the shoulders and looking me right in the eyes.

I'm not so good at keeping eye contact. It hurts my brain to look people in the eyes so intensely. Aryn knows this. "Rays? How do you know him?"

I look away. "We went to high school together."

"That wasn't a 'we went to high school together' kind of situation..."

"That was a 'we went to the same high school and he's a creep' kind of situation," says Vicks, who, as always, appears out of nowhere.

Aryn releases me and I'm free to put as much distance between myself and that scene from earlier.

"There was clearly some history there," she says, pouting.