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“You’ve both asked and answered that question,” Theron replied. “Because we’re Sisypheans and they’re Titans.”
“Shit,” Ionna swore. “We were too late. All the good seats are taken. Now we’ve got to sit next to the waterfall.”
“Why is that a bad thing?” I asked. “It’s the only spec of effort they put into making our lunch spot nice.”
She shook her head, rubbing her temple. “I had a vision that we won’t be saying that when breakfast is over. But I could be wrong, or it could be a vision of another day. Oh well. We’ll see.”
With that, we got in line for our food. Despite the buffet carrying none of the gourmet quality meals I saw on the Titans’ plates, everything I laid eyes on looked delicious. Spiced eggs, bread, cheese, sausage, porridge, lamb stew, fresh fruit, yummy-looking pastries, four kinds of drinks—including wine.
“At least they don’t plan to starve us.” I loaded my plate with everything.
“They wouldn’t do that,” Nitsa said. “They think we’re useless against monsters, but there are other jobs we can do for the army. They’ll give us everything we need to train and do those jobs, butthem”—another glance at the imperial heirs—“they’ll get everything theywantwhile they train. Get used to thinking it’s unfair, but don’t bother saying it. No one’s going to care.”
I didn’t know what there was to say in response. Neither did Daciana by the matching wide eyes she gave me.
I changed the subject as we headed for our table. “Is there any chance that we’ll get a tour of the castle? This place is massive, and the school map in the handbook was no help. Theyou are heredot was so tiny, I had to squint.”
Tycho laughed. “No tour, but we can go exploring after lessons today. There’s already word spreading that a couple of children of Poseidon found the perfect lake on the grounds for skinny-dipping.” His gaze traveled up. “We could go. Cool off after a day of training. Meet demigods from all over.”
“Is Calix going to be there?” I asked, blunt as a truck.
Tycho flushed. “How would I know? I’m not his social secretary.”
“That’s a yes,” Daciana muttered under her breath.
We snorted, covering laughs.
“All right, let’s do it.” I glanced at the bracelet. “An afternoon swim sounds great.”
I wasn’t saying no to a venture in and around the castle, no matter where it took me. The first clue in the prophecy was that three would stand guard. What else would they be guarding but Selene’s prison? If I learned anything from the ridiculous number of movies and books I read while trapped in a psych hospital, it’s that you never take a riddle too literally.
The three standing guard could be three people, three rocks, three trees, three fluffs of pocket lint! The point was I needed to be looking for a weaver, a deceiver, and a believer, and I needed to look everywhere without prejudice or assumptions. My mom was counting on me. I wouldn’t leave a single stone unturned if it meant I had to bust through the damn walls. I was searching every inch of the academy.
I still need more information though. The weaver, deceiver, and believer could be anything in this place, and I don’t know a damn thing about Deucalion or this world.
I inhaled my spiced eggs, considering. I saw a library marked on the school map, but I needed a shortcut through the days, months, maybe years of studying it’d take to learn everything about Olympia.
I scooped the last bite and stood up. “I’ll be right back, guys. I need to talk to Alex about something.”
“Alex?” Theron said. “Alex who?”
“Alexander. Alexander Damien,” I added at his blank stare.
Theron cracked up. “Good one, Aella, but seriously, which Alex?”
“That Alex.” I pointed up. “Don’t let anyone touch my porridge while I’m gone.”
“Aella, wait—”
I took off.
“Wait!”
I hit the stairs and bounded up them two at a time. Selene was very serious about me not telling anyone the full truth of why I was here, but she also engineered my meeting with Alex for a reason. He was named in the prophecy as the person who’d break the chains, so there was no keeping him out of it.
I’d tell him just enough so that he could help me decipher the prophecy but not so much that Selene would lose her bodiless shit.
Jumping over the tiny river, I hit the steps to the Twelve’s spot and climbed up. A faint realization that it had fallen quiet tickled me. I didn’t pay it any mind.
