Awakening (Book One of the Eklektos Series)

Chapter Thirty

As much as she hated to inflate Ares' ego, she couldn't argue that he was right about one thing. Her eating habits needed to change. She often forgot to eat, and spent most of the time walking around like a zombie. If she skated by, it was only because her body automatically made up for her stupidity.

Being a vegetarian was one thing, and she couldn't bear the thought of hurting an animal. She didn't think that would change anytime soon, nor did it need to. But that didn't mean she could cut meals or ignore protein altogether. Getting by wasn't good enough anymore.

Usually, Kali would spend breaks in the library. But she reluctantly found herself heading to the mess hall. Jem and Carl broke off after class to head to the Forge; Carl muttered something about his latest project and Jem trailed after him. They had both been quieter than usual after Ares' display that morning. Kali couldn't blame them for being uncomfortable.

Tom and Sage spent most of their time eating, Kali had noticed, so it was no surprise to find them in there. As she approached their table, she could hear them talking about another trip being cancelled. Tom, his mouth full of pasta, suggested that there would be another Quest coming up soon.

They both scrutinised her when she brought a bowl of black bean chilli to their table, but she ignored their surprise to repeat "Quest?"

"Sometimes I forget you're still new." Tom said, avoiding her gaze. He was still troubled about the evening's events, Kali knew. He nearly buried himself in his plate and waved at his friend to take over. "Sage, you're better at this stuff."

Sage rolled his eyes, drawing Kali's attention to the strange goat pupils she normally tried to ignore. With an irritated bleat, he explained "The gods can't always get involved in problems, so they have demigods sort things out for them."

"No, they have Heroes sort them out." Tom puffed out his chest, smirking smugly at the table.

A clack of irritated hooves interrupted him. "Am I telling it, or are you?"

Kali giggled; sometimes they argued like a married couple. To get things back on track, she prompted "Heroes? Like Achilles and Heracles?"

"Yes, and no." Tom answered, deflating somewhat as he raised an eyebrow at her. "You really don't pay much attention, do you? The whole point of the festival is to strengthen your Hero application."

Shuffling in her seat, Kali swallowed her pride and tried for a grin. "Two questions. Hero application? And festival?"

"Seriously?"

Kali shrugged meekly, trying to swallow her blush, and Sage laughed. Tom muttered something under his breath and Sage shoved him lightly and explained "The festival is to welcome in the new year. There's a big tournament and, more importantly, food stalls everywhere. There are all kinds of performances, and kids from the other schools come to watch and join in."

"Other schools?" Kali asked.

"You didn't really think this is all the demigods in the world, did you?" Sage asked gently, and his teasing smile told her he knew that was exactly what she had thought.

"I...didn't really think about it?"

Tom rolled his eyes, leaning over to ruffle her hair. "The strongest come here. But the minor gods have kids who don't make the cut, and there are tons of kids with just a demigod parent who still need the support."

"That makes sense." Kali nodded, reassured by his familiar contact. Things were slowly crawling back to normal, she thought.

Tom's signature smile slipped back onto his face, lifting the left corner of his lip. With his chin held high, he asserted "Being a Hero is the best any demigod can hope for. Sure, you can keep your head down and try to pass off as a normal human. Or you can embrace your differences and do some good in the world."