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“There’s still so much I don’t know about Olympia,” I said after we sobered. “I’d spend all night reading the handbook if I didn’t have a mountain of scrolls to crawl out from under.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” He winked. “I know a guy.”
“A guy?”
“A son of Janus. He duplicates things. Like dozens of punishment scrolls we, and especially you, shouldn’t have to do. Colin will take care of that, leaving you free to come to the lake tonight.”
“The lake?” I toed the ground, keeping my ballooning giddiness down. “I heard about that actually. My friends and I are planning to go, but is it okay? You said we can’t be around each other.”
“We’re both novices. Course we’re going to be around each other. We just can’t let anyone know about us,” he said.
I thought I loved the way he said my name. Turned out I loved the way he saidusmore.
“Tonight will be great because you won’t be the only Sisyphean there. Barba’s putting the word out about the sons of Hades selling their powers.” Anger crept into his voice. “Went from a bit of fun to their personal marketplace. I was pissed but not anymore now that you’ll be there.”
A frown crept onto my lips. “About Sebastian Barba. Is he someone I need to worry about?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what’s his deal? Is it normal to go around selling your abilities?”
He shrugged. “Well, yes, actually. Children of Hecate sell their spells and potions. Children of Demeter sell their crops. Children of Hephaestus sell everything they make. It’s really the only way to make a decent living after you get out of the army. They’re not doing anything against the rules, but standing up during placement and announcing they’re open for business?” Alex whistled. “Just because they didn’t break Vasili’s rules doesn’t mean they didn’t piss him off. That’s never a good idea.”
“But what about him?” I pressed. “Is he dangerous? Should I be worried about him?”
“I have no idea.” Alex rocked back on his heels, lips pushed out while he was thinking. “Some would say every child of Hades is dangerous, but I’ve always believed it’s the person, not the power, that matters. Plenty of seemingly harmless demigods have used theiruselessability for evil.”
I wondered if he was thinking of Lysandros.
“But I don’t know much about Sebastian Barba. Only rumors. He was born at the palace—unlucky for him. There was no hiding from the council that there was a son of Hades right down the hall. When it was discovered, his mother took him and disappeared. Father and I moved into the palace after it all went down.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I cried, waving my hands. “Why would she take her kid and run?”
He looked me in the eye. “Because she’s a good mother.”
I quieted, not knowing what to say. Something told me the reasoning would not make me like Olympia very much, and I couldn’t deal with that right then. There was no sense hating a place I couldn’t leave. Not until Mom was by my side.
“But to answer your question,” he continued. “No. You don’t have to be worried about him, because he’s not dangerous to you. No one is while I’m around.”
My secret smile was back. “We should go. Class either has started or is about to start.”
Alex swept out a hand. “After you.”
I was heading for the door when that hand caught my wrist.
“But one last thing—”
The room spun.
I gasped as our lips connected in a shower of sparks.
Impossible nonsense of course, but right then, I could’ve sworn on everything that ever was that Alex’s power surged through us—igniting my blood and making my nerve endings singe and spark to life.
He kissed me deep, unrestrained, andamazing.I confess, I thought my first kiss with Alex would be sweet, short, and polite. He was such a gentleman. A guy like him would double-check before plundering and dominating my tongue like a wanton whore.
Thank goodness I was wrong.
Explosions burst behind my eyelids like a million billion fireworks going off at once. I moaned into the kiss, throwing my arms around him and hanging on for dear life. My knees were weak. My legs noodles. Without him holding on to my waist, I’d float away, faint, melt into goo, or all three.
