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CHAPTER NINE ix. it's your head on the chopping block _______
Sebastian hated the Amazons.
Yes, he respected them for the ferocity and skill on the battlefield but he couldn't get behind their ideology. Maybe it was just because he was a man himself and the Amazons had declared war on the entire gender. Women might have been treated like shit in the past but treating men the same way wasn't going to rectify it. Sebastian strove for equality.
He'd done quite well in avoiding the Amazons throughout his life but when Percy dragged them to Seattle to see them at Reyna's request, it made Sebastian want to hit the boy. And it only irritated him further when they found out that the Amazons had set up the base camp in the shop Amazon. It was a little too on the nose for the vampire.
The lobby was like a empty fish tank - glass walls, a glossy black floor, a few token plants, and pretty much nothing else. Against the back wall, a black stone staircase led up and down. In the middle of the room stood a young woman in a black pantsuit with long auburn hair and an earpiece. Her name tag said Kinzie. Her smile was friendly enough but Sebastian knew not to fall for it.
Kinzie nodded at Hazel, ignoring the boys, as Sebastian would expect. "May I help you?"
"Um... I hope so," Hazel said. "We're looking for Amazons."
Kinzie glanced at Sebastian's and Hazel's swords, then Frank's spear, though none should have been visible through the Mist. Percy was lucky his weapon was concealed in pen-form.
"This is the main campus for Amazon," she said cautiously. "Did you have an appointment with someone, or-"
"Hylla," Percy interrupted. "We're looking for a girl named-"
Kinzie moved so fast, even Sebastian struggled to follow. She kicked Frank in the chest and sent him flying backward across the lobby. She pulled a sword out of thin air, swept Percy off his feet with the flat of the blade, and pressed the point under his chin. Sebastian bared his fangs, reaching for his sword, but something was injected into him before he could attack. Vervain.
Sebastian grunted, stumbling backwards into a couple of the girls that had flooded up the staircase, armed and ready. He was amazed that they'd been able to drug him so quickly. He didn't lose consciousness but he felt considerably weaker. His sword fell from his grip and his fingers stopped worked properly and it was quickly picked up by one of the Amazons.
Kinzie glared down at Percy. "First rule: Males don't speak without permission. Second rule, trespassing on our territory is punishable by death. You'll meet Queen Hylla, all right. She'll be the one deciding your fate."
The Amazons confiscated all of their weapons - including Percy's sword, Riptide - and marched them down the stairs. There were so many stairs that Sebastian's legs could barely take it in his weakened state. He was pretty sure he kept going in and out of consciousness and was still only on his feet because two of the girls were tightly gripping his arms.
