by Belle Malory
I nodded, but the warning wasn’t needed. After Connor and Riley, I would always be careful of who I trusted.
He ruffled the hair on the top of my head. “I’ll be back to check on you,” he promised.
“Ah, stop it!” I smoothed my hair back into place, readjusting my headband. “And you don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.”
At least I thought I would. To be honest, I had no idea what was in store for me at Arcadia. But for better or worse, I was on my own.
9
While waiting for my student assistant to show up, I went over the class schedule Headmaster Waddley gave me. The first two classes of the day didn’t sound that bad. They were universal to all students, not specific to any houses.
Basic Magic Principles
Mythonian History 101
The following two periods were core classes of House Aphrodite and…ugh. They both sounded awful.
Love Potions
Seduction Principles
Then there was my chosen elective.
Flight Equestrianism for Beginners
That one had taken some string pulling on Grandpa’s part. The class was full, but he begged Waddley to add me because he knew how much I wanted to be around the Pegasus descendants.
Finally, the last class of the day was Mirror Realm. I meant to ask Waddley what it was, but we got sidetracked, and I’d forgotten before I had the chance.
Someone tapped my shoulder from behind. I set my schedule aside, then turned around to find a short chubby kid with rosy pillowy cheeks and the biggest green eyes I’d ever seen. He wore a white toga and a gold laurel leaf around his head full of silky brown curls. I smiled, unable to help it. He was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
“Hello,” he said, gripping a clipboard against his chest. “I’m Zack. I’ve been assigned to you.”
“Assigned to me?” He couldn’t be my assistant. He was way too young. “What are you, like ten?”
“Eight, actually.”
Oh hell no.
It was bad enough I’d been housed in Aphrodite. Had I also been enrolled in the Mythonian version of the third grade? I clenched my hands into fists, ready to scream.
“We’re not in the same classes.” His mouth curved on one side.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good to know.”
“Every Aphrodite student has to have an archer. That’s where I come in—we’ll be paired up during fieldwork.”
I noticed the pack of arrows on his back. They were made out of a metal I’d never seen before, crystalized and opaque at the same time. They also looked viciously sharp. If the ends of those babies hit their intended target, they’d do some serious damage. I couldn’t help but let out a breath, envisioning all the ways I could use them.
I shook myself.
The Fates were specific in their lecture about my heritage. No way would they push me into situations involving violence. “Wait a second.” I pressed my hand against my hip. “Why does a student of Aphrodite need an archer?”
Zack grinned so hard his cheeks turned red. “These are special arrows, Sheridan. We can’t change the will of humans and force them to fall in love, but we can do something that helps move things along. These arrows are full of lust.”
I blinked several times. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Insatiable attraction. Sexual desire.”
Was this kid for real?
He rolled his eyes as if he was talking to an idiot. “You know, wet panties and boners, everything leading up to the big mom—”
I slapped my hand over his mouth, cutting him off. Heat crept into my cheeks as I looked around the marbled hallway to see if anyone overheard. Once I was sure it was empty, I glared at Zack. “You are eight. Why are you talking to me about this stuff?”
He made muffled noises beneath my hand until I released him. Then I realized he was laughing. He was laughing so hard, he gripped his stomach.
“What is so funny?” I said, frowning.
“Kidding earlier—just wanted to see your reaction. I’m actually one hundred and eight. We cupids age much slower than mages and humans.”
I didn’t get what he was talking about, so he pointed to the painted ceiling overhead. I looked up. It was a sky full of angels and cherubs.
“Cupid. Every Aphrodite student works with a cupid. That’s how this works. You call the shots. I take them.”
I pressed my lips together. Arrows full of…lust. The idea almost made me gag. So much for my dreams of blood and violence.
I let out a resigned breath and looked Zack over once more. He was just a chunk of a kid, rosy cheeks, and cherubic in a way I hadn’t noticed before. Give him wings and stick him up there on the ceiling with the other baby angels, and he’d fit right in.
“Partners, huh?”
He nodded, looking more excited than I felt.
“All right then.” I shook my head, still baffled by the world I’d stepped into. “Show me around, partner.”
He stepped forward, waving for me to follow. “This way. The grounds can be confusing if you don’t know where you’re going. There are plenty of secret passages, confusing hallways, gardens with mazes, booby traps, and—”
“Booby traps?” I tightened my grip on the handle of my suitcase.
Zack laughed. “Don’t wear your new girl card so obviously. Now listen. There are seven houses, but only five you’ll interact with on a regular basis. House Hades is located on the other side of the island along with House Creatura, and they like to keep to themselves. The other five are all connected right here, in the shape of a pentagram. You’ve got Zeus, Ares, Aphrodite, Poseidon and Athena.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I remember there being more gods and goddesses.”
“Those original six are the core representations of all guardians. They banded together during a dark time in human history, deciding to use their gifts to serve mankind. That’s why humans saw them as gods. We don’t know much about the originals that aren’t made-up stories, but their individual lives aren’t important anyway. It’s their names that live on. Their names have become ideals to live by. Aphrodite isn’t a person—it’s our chosen practice of magic. We create love and beauty where it’s needed.”
“And Ares creates war?” I asked, raising a brow. “Don’t most people hope for world peace?”
“Conflict is needed where there is resistance to change,” Zack said. “Ares fights the good fight, not always to promote one side over the other, but to give stagnant nations or forces the change needed to evolve.”
I nodded, appreciating the concept. In a way, I understood my link to Ares and felt the strength of it. But…the Fates asked me to break that link. If the only way to get back to my dad was to thrive in House Aphrodite, so be it. I’d shoot arrows full of lust and help people fall in love, even if the idea disgusted me.
“What about Zeus? And the others?”
“Leadership and electric magic. They’re famous for their lightning bolts.”
Dang. Every house sounded better than sucky Aphrodite and stupid love magic.
“There’s a cluster of Apollo descendants that study in Zeus that have been petitioning for their own house for years, but I doubt it will ever get approved.” He grinned. “Poseidon is water and storm magic, and Athena uses mind magic.”
Grandpa’s old colleague, Willa, was an Athena descendant with a psychic connection to truth and deceit. She could tell when anyone lied, which made her invaluable to MEM.
“Hades is…” Zack shivered. “The kind of magic that borders on darker stuff.”
“Darker stuff?”
“Death magic, for one. Demonic, for another. They can create demons and monsters.”
Monsters? I hadn’t considered that those might exist along with the other supernatural beings in Mythos, and I wished Zack hadn’t told me. Creepy crawlies already sent me over the edge, especially spiders. If there were giant-sized creepy crawlies out there, I didn’t
want anything to do with them.
“Mental note to self: stay away from Hades.”
Zack chuckled. “They have to abide by Mythonian laws when they practice, but when someone gets into trouble, it’s usually always a descendant of Hades.”
“Good to know. And Creatura?”
“Halflings and creatures. Some of them have magic, some don’t.”
I nodded, figuring that was where Hazel would be placed.
“Sounds like an interesting school, that’s for sure. By the way, what age do they start kids here?”
“First years are seventeen, since that’s when your magic typically roots inside of you.”
That wasn’t so bad. Since I just turned seventeen, I was right on track.
“Cupids are special cases.” He puffed out his chest proudly. “We have a private wing in House Aphrodite and our own set of teachers.”
“What makes you so special, huh?” I teased, nudging him with my elbow. “And how many years do we spend studying?”
“Six. The first four are pretty standard. The last two are considered your mastery years—and I think it’s pretty obvious why I’m special. I’m Viagra in human form.”
Oh Jesus. This kid was on another level. “So how did you get stuck with me? I doubt I’m anyone’s first choice in Aphrodite.”
He led me out into a courtyard of lush green gardens decorated with stone sculptures. “Most of the classrooms are through there,” he said, pointing to another towering white building adorned with Grecian columns. This one had intricate carvings of animals on the arches, some I recognized and others I didn’t, and the word, Academia, sculpted above the entrance. “You’re going to be my special project. I’m about to age out. I’m in my last year, at the top of my class. Since you’re new to magic, there is no one better to train with.”
“I see.” As we drew closer, I noticed the building expanded for miles. Whoa. “How many guardians attend this school?”
Zack shrugged. “Probably close to five thousand. House Aphrodite is northeast. Let’s get you settled.” He headed that way, his pack of arrows clinking as he walked.
“How’s the Wi-Fi?” I said, figuring I already knew the answer to that question.
Zack snorted. “Sorry to break the news, but most technology doesn’t work in Mythos. EMF and radiation interfere with our magic.”
Wonderful. Dad literally cut me off from the outside world.
“Don’t worry though,” he said. “Magic helps us get along just fine.”
“Any other fun facts I should know?”
As we walked, Zack filled me on campus life. He told me about the rivalries between the houses. He went over which professors were easy and which ones were strict. He also couldn’t stop talking about the Magic Olympics that took place at the end of the year. “Aphrodite never wins,” he said with a sigh. “The other houses are naturally adept at sports. As the saying goes, we’re lovers, not fighters. But hey, now that we have some Ares blood, our odds might be better.”
I smiled awkwardly. I didn’t want to burst his bubble and tell him I wasn’t great at sports either. The only athletic thing I’d ever been interested in was horseback riding. Occasionally, I liked to jog in the mornings before school, too, but Riley had always been the athlete. The shelves in her room were full of trophies for soccer, softball, and gymnastics. Things she used to enjoy before her radar tuned to boys and parties.
We stopped in front of the northeast building. Aphrodite was carved in stone above the entryway.
“You’re on the second level. Dorm room 10. It looks like a little triangle.”
Ah, acrophonic numerals. Dad taught the basics in his class at the community college.
Two guys in white togas strolled past, eyeing Zack and me. They even went so far as to turn around and look over their shoulders.
“Get used to that,” Zack said, straightening. “Aphrodite students don’t know the meaning of subtle. We’re also the gossip mill of the houses, and you’re fresh meat.”
“Lovely.” I gripped my suitcase, pulling it close to my side.
“We like to know everything about everyone,” Zack said. “To be honest, it helps with our studies.”
“You sure it’s not a good excuse to be nosy?”
He laughed. “You can’t put love in the air without getting to know people.”
“Hey, that reminds me.” I took out the list the headmaster provided. “Where do I get my books?”
“The library, but it’s closed on Sundays. Most students arrived last week. Here, give that to me, and I’ll have them delivered to your room.”
I handed him the list, and he gave me a thumbs-up. “See you tomorrow, Thorne.”
“Thanks, Zack.”
As I walked up the steps, he hedged there on the sidewalk. “Was there anything else?” I said, pausing at the door. I got the feeling he left something unsaid.
“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his mop of curls. “It’s just…you’re roommates with Ione. She’s brilliant, but she takes some getting used to.”
“Isn’t this house supposed to teach love?”
Zack snorted. “Exactly, but…well. Good luck.”
With that said, he readjusted his pack of arrows and headed back down the sidewalk, no further explanation. Guess I would have to find out for myself just what kind of roommate situation was waiting for me.
The first floor was a shared community space, full of sofas and chaises. I looked around, noticing how pretty everything was. Oil paintings and tapestries covered the walls. Plush carpets lined the marbled floors. Fresh flowers filled vases at every corner. Students sat sprawled along the furniture, chatting with one another, most of them already in their school togas. There were a few like me in normal clothes, and I wondered how many of them came from the human world.
I made my way up the stairs, garnering a few stares along the way. I tried to smile whenever I made eye contact, but no one ever smiled back. For students of love, they didn’t seem very friendly.
The second floor was a long marble hallway of doors, each marked with acrophonic numerals. When I got to my room, I knocked first, but there was no answer, so I let myself inside.
The room was small but elegant. The walls and floors were white, two twin beds at opposite ends of the room, along with two armoires and two small desks. A curved velvety chaise sat in the center against the wall, and a balcony led out to a view of the mountains in the distance. Half the room was flooded with someone’s belongings. Clothes were strewn across the bed, purses hanging from each end of the headboard. The desk on that side was covered with books, makeup, hair brushes, and perfume bottles.
I sat on the edge of my bed, sighing.
Now that I was finally here, it was becoming real. I already missed my silver and white bedroom with its sparkly twinkle lights, posters, and the constellations I painted on the ceiling. I missed the telescope by the window that Dad and I used to stargaze. I missed my purple stuffed unicorn, my cellphone, and definitely the TV.
And as much as I hated her, I missed Riley’s voice, listening to her talk for hours about music or her latest crush. I missed Dad’s hugs, and the way he still enjoyed tucking me in every night, even though I was seventeen.
Balance and inner clarity, I reminded myself, trying not to cry.
10
Around midnight, my roommate slammed the door open and flung herself on her bed before I could introduce myself. She didn’t bother turning on the light. I doubt she even realized I was there. Zack mentioned there wasn’t a curfew since moonlight hours were often needed for magical purposes. He also said a lot of people took advantage of that freedom. Late-night parties, secret rendezvous, and forbidden trips to Twilight Island were all commonplace.
I wanted to make a good impression, and since I was groggy from sleeping, I figured I would catch her in the morning. But only a few hours later, I woke again at the sound of voices outside the door. The clock on the wall said it was just past three—way too ea
rly to be up.
“She’s in my room,” said a scathing female voice, “and she reeks of Ares blood.”
Uh oh.
I slowly sat up, listening closer.
“Calm yourself, Ione,” said another voice, this one patient and motherly. “You’ve obviously been drinking, and you’re overreacting.”
Hold up. Did that mean we were allowed to drink?
“There has been a mistake.” I heard her pacing outside the door. “Or someone is pranking me. Either way, I want you to remove her from my room this instant.”
“There has been no mistake.”
“You’re telling me you put her with me on purpose?”
“Sheridan descends from Ares blood, but she was chosen by the Fates for Aphrodite magic. Give her a chance—”
“I. Will. Not.”
I winced. The conversation quickly spiraled into a full-blown temper tantrum. Within a matter of seconds, my roommate was screaming at the top of her lungs. She threatened to contact her parents, Headmaster Waddley, as well as several of the school’s donors. I rolled my eyes at the last part. She sounded like a spoiled rich girl, used to getting her way. But all the commotion led to nothing.
The admin eventually convinced my roommate that she would get nowhere with threats and that she was better off returning to bed. She did, very loudly, by opening and slamming the door in a fit of rage.
She stood in the center of the room. At nearly six feet, she glared at me as her blonde hair gleamed in the moonlight. She looked like a supermodel, probably as beautiful as Aphrodite herself, but her near-perfect features had contorted into an ugly scowl.
“Don’t get comfortable, fire-blood,” she seethed. “One way or another, you’ll be gone before the week’s end.”
I swallowed, listening to her huff and puff as she climbed back into bed.
Nice to meet you, too.
When I finally did get to sleep, I was haunted by nightmares. Yellow eyes stared down at me in the dark, like a snake hanging over my bed, watching and waiting to strike. It zapped my energy, paralyzing me in my bed. Whatever it was felt both foreign and familiar, like it was human…as well as something much darker. I tried to speak, tried to ask what it wanted, but it felt like a pair of hands were wrapped around my throat. Its magic was powerful, weighing me down with its intensity. It was too much. Too much weight. Too much force. Too much darkness. At any second, I was going to collapse…