Wisdom's Daughter

Chapter 8: The Super (Annoying) Guy

I had decided to explore the Pegasus after we picked Nyssa and Amara up. So far, I had found pegasus stables, a hidden room filled with fridges stocked with ice cream (Mateo's work), and an armoury.

I climbed back up to the deck, and as the Pegasus rose above Eryna, I relaxed to take in the sights of the river dividing Osto and Eryna. I heard a loud thump behind me, and turned in curiosity. Nothing.

"Nice view, huh?" a voice next to me said.

As I turned to face the unexpected voice, my heart jumped. Startled, I stumbled back, nearly tripping over my own feet. Smooth, Diana. Real smooth.

A boy who seemed about my age was leaning casually on the wooden railing, looking as if he had just walked out of a romance novel. He had tousled brown hair, wide and innocent caramel eyes, and a cheeky smile. I gasped.

This was the boy from my dream. I maintained my reserve. He made no threatening movements, but I stood ready just in case. Summoning the ounce of composure I had left, I introduced myself.

"I'm Diana. Diana Jane Fortia. Who are you?" I said cautiously.

His eyes widened as he glanced at me again and he blushed. "Why, I-I'm the one and only Dylan Lopez!" he exclaimed, quickly recovering from his brief shock.

I looked at him blankly. "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"Uh, no it just... sounded cooler in my head. Seriously though, how could you not know me?? I almost brought down the Golden Gate Bridge trying to bring down a monster?!"

It only got more expressionless stares and a smirk from my side. (Though, I did remember seeing an article somewhere about the Golden Gate Bridge and a demigod...)

He pouted, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his blatant attempt at looking innocent.

"I invited myself!" he replied earnestly. "Oh, and in case you were wondering," he leaned in closer and grinned- I scooted farther away, "and I know you were, I am a son of Councillor Solaris! Warden of the Sun, healing, and rhythm!"

He spread his arms and grinned at me, as if expecting applause. I snorted, laughing at his sheer audacity.

"Boy, we all know who Solaris is. Now leave my granddaughter alone and get off our ship," Kai butted in, glaring at Dylan.

Dylan's eyes widened, and he quickly took a step back, clearly intimidated by Kai's fiery glare.

"Um...I was told I'm a crucial part of this quest. Something about my light, Diana's wisdom, and the child of Pyralis' fire coming together to melt the Ice of... uh, I wanna say, Sneevil?"

Kai's face went slack, but showed the slightest hint of a grin. "Oh. Fine then, but stay FAR AWAY from Diana. Got it?"

Dylan nodded nervously.

Dylan's eyes darted between Kai and me, clearly intrigued by the mention of flying pans. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he shot me a sideways glance and sprinted below decks.

Kai narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious of our silent exchange. I couldn't help but smirk, excusing myself to go to Avani's bunk and use her computer to see what I could discover about the prophecy.

I was only partly present as I read through the prophecy in the bunk. The other half of my mind was wondering about my first quest.

It had actually been quite simple, and the same thought kept running through my mind: Why had the Council wanted to test me? And what had I done to deserve the sword? Couldn't Councillor Seraphel have just searched for the soul that matched the sword?