Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“Execute her! This isn’t the mundane world.”
“Get rid of the worthless bitch.”
“Let’s not be drastic,” the woman said lightly. “We haven’t yet reached the point that we must accept you’re making history.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Just because your power hasn’t manifested, doesn’t mean it never will. There’s every chance you’re a daughter of Ares. They can only summon their power when they feel intense hatred.”
“That was my mother’s explanation when I was the age of nine and giggling with my dolls. I am a woman now and I assure you”—the goddess flashed in my mind, and even the memory of her true form burned—“I’ve felt hatred.”
“Hmm.” The woman went back to her seat. It was then I noticed Alexander was not in the stands where he should be. He was standing behind Commander Vasili.
No. No, no, no! He cannot tell him of what happened in the prison, believing that will prove me a liar. A god’s curse is not a god’s power. The first Medusa would attest to that.
“I say no,” the woman said, dragging me off Alexander. “You do have power, my dear, you simply haven’t discovered it yet. I once knew a man who was also convinced he had no power, then at the age of twenty-eight years, he set foot on his first boat and the seas calmed beneath his feet. He didn’t know he could control the tides, because he’d never seen the ocean.
“You are exactly where you need to be now, young one. Here at Deucalion, we will help you discover who you really are.”
“But I—”
“Or,” the commander said, “you will be sentenced to twelve years hard labor. As was the lying traitor of two years hence who spun the same story, and then refused to participate in training. In the end, he was made useful to his people.”
Alexander bent and whispered in Vasili’s ear. I surged forward. What the hades are you telling him!
“I see,” Vasili said. “Aella Galanis. Sisyphean class.”
I looked from Alexander to the commander, then back to that blasted grin. My protest stalled on my tongue.
Arguing with him would only move me from one prison to another. I’ve seen men on hard labor. They’re cursed to do the worst and most dangerous jobs, but the manacles never leave their wrists. I can’t break free of the goddess if I can’t break free of my jailors.
Accept it for now. The plan remains the same. I will leave the academy on my own terms.
I left the stadium. Making my way out of the shadows, someone called my name.
“Aella, over here.” Ionna waved me under the awning. She, Nitsa, and Daciana sat on the steps of a side entrance into the academy. “Are you finished? How did it go?”
“Sisyphean,” I replied, leaving out the details.
“Nice,” Nitsa said, giving me a smile that trembled. “We’ll be together.”
“Are you okay?” I put my arm around her. “Were you hoping for something different?”
She shook her head. “I knew I would be in Sisyphean, but that doesn’t make it any easier to tell my parents. They and my three older brothers were Titans. Having a useless daughter doesn’t go down easy.”
“You’re not useless. The way they think about these things is ridiculous. You have one of the most incredible powers out of the bunch.”
She snorted. “I’m a cow, Aella. There are thousands of them grazing the fields. What exactly is so incredible about turning into a lowly, common animal?”
“Do you retain your mind when you change? Do you see and understand everything that’s going on?”
“Yeah. So?”
“Then you’re not a lowly common animal. You’re a spy, Nitsa. You’re the best sentry in the land,” I said. “Demigods can’t get close to a herd of minotaurs because they can smell them coming from miles away. They’re the hardest monsters to track, but you. They’ll just dismiss you as a lowly cow, and it’ll be the last mistake they make. Sounds pretty fucking useful to me.”
“I... I never thought of it that way. A spy,” she whispered, rolling it around on her tongue. “A tracker. No one would see me coming.” Nitsa bumped my shoulder. “Thank you.”
“I’ve got to go back,” Ionna announced. “If he’s hit the Gs, he’ll be calling my name soon. You guys are done. Get us a good dorm room before they’re all snatched up.”
“She’s right,” Nitsa said. “No point sitting around here when we could be scoping out the place. Three brothers and I’ve never been inside. Can’t wait to see what’s real and what’s one of their silly tricks.”
Her good mood was back in full force. Nitsa took off, hurrying to grab her bags and begin her first day in the academy that labeled her useless. I followed at a slower pace. Daciana fell in step with me.
“Thank you for that. We’d been trying to cheer her up for half an hour. You did it instantly.”