FULL STORY NOW ON KINDLE UNLIMITED
New Olympus: a secret haven where Greek mythology comes to life and mortals possess godly powers.
Leila is the city's newest resident, gifted with the goddess Persephone's power. If she wants to keep her freedom s...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Blake sat on the steps of the agora, his back to the entrance.
He was near one of the white marble columns, thicker than tree trunks and taller than the old evergreens blanketing the mountains around the city. He sat still enough that he could have been mistaken for one of the statues lining the perimeter of the grand temple. Even if he'd positioned himself in the middle— where a growing crowd of Vessels had gathered and now mingled— he knew he wouldn't be welcome. He wasn't exactly a mingler, either.
He could just imagine the unease rolling off the other Vessels as they regarded him, trying to figure out what Blake would do.
I'm not like that– like him, Blake argued to his imaginary scenario.
He sat, his head resting on his clasped hands portraying a look of false serenity. Like he was praying and not nursing a wicked hangover. Blake had mastered this stillness from years of toeing the line between outcast and loner. He figured it was easier for everyone if the young Vessel of Hades wasn't that visible— it wasn't fun to be constantly reminded of one's mortality. He learned to absorb noise and release nothing, even in the last couple of months when his circle of friends finally started to grow.
He always felt like a boulder in a room of earthquakes. A room of noise and excitement that echoed and multiplied until it was unbearable— until he cracked.
Kat understood this a little bit— and drinking always helped ease that destructive teetering he felt in big groups.
Today there wasn't any so he took what precautions he could. Isolation and a dark pair of sunglasses would get him through today's Induction.
He was always losing his footing.
Not anymore, he promised himself.
Blake could hear Danny's fluttering feet before he sat down. Danny wasn't exactly what he would call subtle, his long limbs and curly russet hair making him stick out. That and the fact that he utilized his ability to fly whenever he could.
Who wouldn't? If I could fly...
Where Blake wasn't generous with his movement, Danny was teetering with energy; his gawky body almost vibrating with the need to stay in motion.
"Hey!" Danny said grinning. Unlike Blake, Danny was quick to smile in almost all situations.
"Have you heard who they think is coming? I saw that Ares kid with the shaved head taking bets. I didn't— obviously— but my money's on another Zeus. If the crowd is anything to go by, it has to be either Zeus or maybe even Apollo. They don't announce open attendance for just anybody."
Danny had a way of steamrolling through a conversation without actually noticing he was doing it. It suited Blake fine because that meant that he didn't really have to contribute that often. His head and jaw ached and talking was an effort.
