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We rounded a corner, joining a line of novices heading to our first activity of the day: breakfast.
I fell in behind Daciana, boring a hole in her head. She was named in the prophecy. I could make the case that the son-of-Zeus part could be about another son of Zeus, not Alex, but a wolf who crosses domains? That’s Daciana for sure.
What does that mean? What part does she have to play in all this, and should I warn her?
Friends let friends know when a trapped, manipulative, vengeful god is weaving a web to drag them into their schemes.
But the second you open your mouth, she’ll know,another voice reminded.She boasts about her allies, and one who is using her ability to see the future to place me, my mom, Alex, and Selene where she wants us on the chessboard is a strong ally. She and Selene could also place someone close to us, ready and waiting to strike if I break Selene’s rules.
My head whipped around, seeing all the sleepy, hungry faces in a new light.
Friends also don’t put friends in danger, so what do I do? I could warn Daciana and Alex to try and save them, and just put them in more danger.
I fretted all the way to the mess hall.
“Oh my goodness...”
I’d been in my fair share of cafeterias, from New York public schools to New York asylums, and none of them came close to this.
Mosaics dominated the walls, surrounding us on all sides with battle scenes, stories, and lessons from the lives of the Greek gods. The story of Athena and Arachne splashed across the tiles beside me. Zeus saving his siblings from their father’s stomach. Hades dragging Persephone to the underworld.
It was the most beautiful wall décor I’d ever seen, and it still paled in comparison to the sight before me.
A gushing fountain claimed the middle of the space—a myriad of pretty, serene women holding water basins that spilled into the pool and flowed out through the moats carved into the floor—creating lazy rivers spreading through the mess hall.
It took me a second to notice the river lines carved out a space, and each space was more magnificent than the last.
Water jets shot into the air and fell in a graceful arc over a funky, lumpy-looking table made of blue coral. Placed around it were seats shaped like starfish.
“Poseidon,” I whispered.
Next to Poseidon’s was a space with seats shaped like the back of a chariot and an impossible, shifting, fiery yellow orb on the floor beneath the table.Apollo’s sun.
A miniature Parthenon housed Athena’s eating space. A clamshell table and crashing sea-foam chairs for Aphrodite. An incredible green, flowery haven with real hedges and hanging green vines declared the space for Demeter. Every one of thetwelve major Olympian gods was featured, even Hades. If the dark, shadowy space in the corner that was mostly obscured by a huge rock wall feature was anything to go by.
It was all amazing, especially the homage to Zeus.
A clear path led to the opposite end of the room and stopped before the feet of a grand stone staircase. Up and up it went, carrying the platform almost to the lightning-and-thunder-painted dome. One long table was placed up there with twelve golden ch— No, twelve thrones.
I didn’t need to grow up in Olympia to know that was the ultimate lunch spot.
“Wow,” I breathed. “Guys, let’s sit up there.”
Theron snorted. “You’ve got great taste, Aella, but we can’t sit up there. We can’t even look at it for as long as we have.”
“What do you mean?” Daciana asked.
Ionna saw what we were talking about. “This whole area is for the Titans,” she said, “andthattable is for the future Twelve, also known as the imperial heirs.”
“Future Twelve?” I repeated.
She tipped her chin. “The lucky few tapped to rise and take the seats of the current council members when they die or step down. As in—”
The doors banged open behind us.
“Them,” she finished.
It was in that moment I understood every slow-motion movie scene and camera-clinging close-up. They blew in on a wave of sweet perfumes, musky colognes, and glittering, shining armor—a band of drop-dead gorgeous models headed off to war.
