The Trouble with Hades

Chapter 20

We hadn't moved far. Cooper's first lesson was in the room opposite, so he walked a few steps down the main corridor to the rooms. The teacher was late, and rather than sit in the classroom with the other students, he decided to stand outside and talk to us. Karina and I still had half an hour to wait for our lesson to start.

Kannon approached. I didn't know his lesson schedule, but he was carrying a math book, which meant he'd be climbing the stairs behind us to the next level.

He stopped with a nod to Cooper.

"Hey, you're CJ, right?"

Clearly, he missed football practice. They hadn't met yet, which I found a little odd, considering CJ's already had a run-in with Drakkus.

"I am."

"Kannon. You know, the new paras always check in with the guy running this town."

Karina rolled her eyes, which made me smile.

"You'd be better off to join his group."

"You're a little late to the party, Kannon." I offered. "Someone's already played that card. In fact, Captain Peckerhead actually called Cooper and his siblings abhorrent, so your suggestion that they join the Fleming clan is rather pointless."

His eyes turned to CJ, probably trying to figure out what he was.

"I'm pretty sure I can convince him to change his mind if you're interested."

"You're sounding desperate."

"Evie, mind your own business."

"Seriously? You approach this group who were talking, you invade our conversation, and you make a pathetic attempt to lure Cooper to your clan. How is it not my business?"

"You're not going to win this war. I'm just trying to save lives."

He was so delusional.

If I thought that it couldn't get any worse, I was wrong. Audrey and her friends were drawing closer, and it was clear that she intended to be a part of this.

"Maybe you and your mother should reconsider as well."

"We picked our side, and I'm not interested in changing," Karina said firmly.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Karina on that one," Cooper added. "Being called abhorrent is low, but the way that you speak to the true leader, your true leader, is just pathetic. Clearly this faux leader that you seem to worship has shown you a poor representation of what is right and wrong. I don't want any part of that."

"Then you will die with the rest of them."

Karina scoffed a laugh, shaking her head. That didn't help Kannon's growing anger.

"Evie, I know that you think that you're this all-powerful being, but I know what Drakkus can do. You're going to lose. Brad's a dead man walking."

I inhaled sharply. He'd just threatened Brad.

"Are you threatening my family?"

Kannon was silent for a moment. Behind him, Audrey smiled supremely.

"Yeah, maybe I am."

I nodded and decided that I was done with him. I was no longer interested in toying with him, stringing him along with false information, or anything else that came with the fake friendship.

"Okay. I'm done. Here's a little info blast for you. I know that you've got secret plans with Drakkus to formally become his second in charge, not this lie that you've tried to make me believe. I also know that you've been screwing him for years and that you have no intention of changing that in the future. I know that you've been cheating on Audrey because I know that you've been in a relationship with her, too. If you think that I am wrong, know that I saw you screwing her against my locker. I've seen a lot of things. I also know that you were in that relationship with Audrey and Drakkus at the same time that you were attempting to start one with me. Which for the record, I am fully aware that it was nothing but a ploy to get into the house. I know that you're not eighteen and that you're actually twenty-one."