A chill like no other sank into the marrow of my bones.
“Show me what’ve you got, Rosebud,” Zak said, motioning for me to start.
“I don’t know what I’ve got, Bolt. Sorry to disappoint you,” I said, but I’d just decided not to show him or anyone the fire again.
I also decided to give each of them a pet name, too, since they refused to give up calling me ridiculous names.
Axel roared with laughter, and Zak blinked at his nickname before a trace of lightning crackled in his ocean-blue eyes.
I shrugged. Others might be terrified of his lightning, but his bolts were harmless to me. They actually rejuvenated me like the best energy shot, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“What about trying that fire you played with, Cookie?” Axel said sweetly. He enjoyed it very much whenever I stood up to the other demigods—particularly if I added sharp words and snarls. “We’ve never seen that kind of fire. We can study it and sort it out, and then we’ll know which house you belong to.”
The Demigod of War had wanted to figure me out since the first time I’d brushed off his compulsion and refused to kneel in front of him like everyone around us. He’d been willing to put me through the trial, which could’ve killed me, to test what I was made of—though he insisted that he’d known I would survive it.
“I’m working on it, Casanova,” I said.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Casanova? I killed him!”
“So now you replaced him. Congratulations,” I said.
Zak snickered.
“Fire,” I called while I secretly commanded it to stay put and never rise to the surface unless I was in mortal danger.
“C’mon out, fire,” I added meekly.
I waited, and Zak and Axel stared at my fingertips and waited.
Across the room, Paxton stared at us like a vulture.
My fire didn’t stir, just as I wanted it to; my power slouched like a sleeping lion at the bottom of my magic well.
Cold air travelled through the room, and it wasn’t from me.
“Fire, won’t you get the fuck out to pay the demigods some respect?” I said without heat.
Zak and Axel pulled their gazes from my fingers to my face.
I shrugged. “I don’t have any fire anymore. I bet it was like a one- or two-time thing. It blasted out of me because some asshole pissed me off.”
“Do you need motivation again,Princesa?” Paxton snickered, stalking toward me from the other end of the room.
The students ceased their practicing and looked at me.
All of them had something nice going on. Their powers had manifested. Water, dust, lightning, and air currents wheeled through the room. Some objects, like rocks, floated in the air and circled like asteroid belts. That was really cool.
Yelena got a current of water to dance around her.
In Goddess Demeter’s house, Demetra commanded plants and vines to wrap around her practice partner’s ankles. The ivy dragged her partner forward. The guy fought to untangle the vines but lost his footing and fell on his ass.
Demetra giggled in vicious delight.
Damn, her power was strong. I had a bad feeling that she would use that stunt on me soon. She’d be more than happy to have poison ivy close in around my neck instead of my ankles.
Just then, Demetra turned to me with a snake-like smile. She called back her ivy vines from her partner and headed toward me.
Was she going to be Jack’s replacement and offer memotivation, since her master Paxton had just given permission for someone to fuck with me again?