My heart skipped a beat, and Esme looked at me expectantly, as if she knew something that no one else knew.
Was that because of the fire I’d summoned? The flame had looked more like hellfire than divine fire. I hoped the headmistress wouldn’t remotely connect me to some kind of Lost Princess from Hell.
“With all due respect, Headmistress Von Rouche, could you at least cut half of the history classes?” I attempted one last time.
“No,” she said.
I sighed. “One-third then.”
“No,” she said.
“Then I won’t do homework,” I said, deciding not to back down this time.
“There’s no homework,” Axel said, grinning at me. His thumb traced the line of my stubborn jaw in fondness, and pleasure sizzled across my skin. “There never is.”
Damn, I should have bargained for cutting the classes about demons. I wanted nothing to do with those creatures or their linguistics. And I had a bad feeling that those classes were new and tailored for me.
“That’s all for now,” Esme said. “I have a conference call with Ares in five minutes.”
I jumped up and strode toward the door.
“And Marigold,” Esme called before I exited. “Welcome to the Half-Blood Academy.” She smiled at me like a feline to a squirrel. “We’re all so excited to start this new journey with you.”
CHAPTER 7
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Iwasn’t that excitedto start this new journey Esme had promised. I treaded down the path to a pond half-concealed by ancient trees.
I now had forty-three minutes before my next class, and according to Esme, all four demigods would be there. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see them so soon, but I was still feeling a bit overwhelmed.
I just needed to catch a breath before they whisked me to gods-knew-where.
The other students were in classes now, so I had all the quiet beauty of the campus to myself for a change.
There was something odd about this pond, though. Despite its clear, blue water, dotted by white lilies, the only residents were a family of black swans.
But this place drew me in, calming my nerves.
I strolled off the path and toward the water’s edge as conflicting thoughts and emotions whirled through my head.
Then, I felt a tug, both strange and familiar.