I sat on the bench across from him. “Not so good. Been kind of weird.” I tilted my head to study him. “Who are you, exactly?”
He stopped strumming and met my gaze. “Hades. Surely, you’ve heard of me.”
Although I didn’t want him to see my surprise, I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening. A little rush of adrenaline spiked through my body. Hades was a legend. The ruler of the underworld had a bit of a reputation. I was surprised to see him here, as I didn’t think he was welcome at the academy by the way I’d heard some of the Gods talk about him.
“What are you doing here?” I gestured to the gazebo.
“Playing a little guitar, chilling out a bit. I like to come here when no one is around.” He ran his thumb over the strings. The sound vibrated against my skin, making me shiver. “What are you doing here? Running away?”
“I’m not running away. I just needed a little time to myself to think.”
“About what?”
I snorted. “You ask a lot of questions.”
“I’m a curious kind of guy.” He grinned.
“Well, if you must know, I kind of sprouted black wings instead of red wings during flying with Hermes.”
He laughed. “Oh, I bet Hermes lost his mind, didn’t he?”
I smiled. “Maybe a little.”
“Then he flew off to grab old Zeus and whoever else to confer about this shocking occurrence, I’ll bet.”
“Yeah, he did.”
Hades shook his head. “Typical. And I imagine after a lot of poking and prodding and humming and hawing, they didn’t tell you a damn thing, right?”
I nodded.
“That’s why they don’t like me around here, and why I’ve never been part of the academy. Because I tell the truth. I don’t hide it away from you.”
“And what’s the truth?”
“That you’re different. And it’s awesome that you are” He played a few notes. “They’re scared of different. Different upsets their status quo.”
I eyed him, unsure if he was feeding me a bunch of crap. Although he’d have no motive to do so. He wasn’t even part of the academy. And he was right. They definitely didn’t like different.
“You should embrace your differences, Melany. It’s what makes you special. It’s what makes you powerful.”
“Blue? You in here?”
I looked up to see Lucian heading toward the gazebo. I smiled as he approached. “How did you know I was in here?”
“I may have not gone back to the dorms and hung around waiting for you. I saw you run over to the maze.”
I turned to introduce him to Hades but he was gone. I hadn’t even seen him get up and leave. The only thing that indicated he’d even existed was a guitar pick lying on the stone bench he’d been sitting on.
“What are you doing out here?”
“I was just talking to Hades.”
Frowning, Lucian’s gaze swept the gazebo. “Hades?”
“Yeah, he was just sitting there, playing his guitar.” I pointed to the bench. “We were talking about the academy and my black wings.”
Lucian sat on the bench beside me. “Blue, I didn’t see anyone else when I came around the corner toward the gazebo. Just you.”
I grimaced. “No, he was right there.” I pointed to the bench.
“I’m sorry, but it’s impossible that Hades would be here. He’s not allowed to step on school grounds. There are wards or something preventing him.”
I got up and went over to the other bench and picked up the guitar pick. “Then how do you explain this?”
He shrugged. “Maybe it belongs to Dionysus. I’ve seen him around the academy carrying a guitar.”
I shook my head. That couldn’t be right. He’d been here. I’d talked to him. It wasn’t a figment of my imagination. But maybe I shouldn’t press the issue. I didn’t want Lucian thinking I was any crazier then he probably already did.
“Maybe you’re still tired from the trial. I can’t believe you’re actually walking around after that.” He got to his feet and came toward me. “And today was—”
“Messed up?”
“I was going to say amazing. You have black wings. It’s wicked cool.”
I made a face. “It’s not cool. It’s weird. Zeus and the others poked at me like I was some science experiment.”
He grabbed my hand. “It’s not weird. You’re not weird. You’re… special.”
Hades’s words played in my head again. What was so special about me?
“I bet everyone else thinks I’m weird.”
“Screw everyone else.” He tugged me closer to him. I looked up into his face, enjoying the way the gold flecks in his eyes sparked. “I think your wings are sexy.”
I made a face, pressing my lips together. My heart skipped a few beats. Flutters started low in my belly. “Sexy?”
“Yup.” He ran his fingers over my shoulder. “I’d love to see them again.”
I knew what he was doing. Making me feel better about my wings. Who knew Lucian was so damn sweet? I wouldn’t have ever thought that upon our first meeting. I’d thought he was a bit of a jerk.
He pulled me out of the gazebo and into the open. “If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.” His sly grin made every muscle in my body quiver.
“What if I can’t do it without being dropped?”
“Just try.”
I took a few steps away from because I couldn’t coherently standing next to him. I squared my shoulders, concentrated on what I wanted to do, and then closed my eyes. Within seconds I could feel ripples up and down my back, then a bit of pressure, then…
My wings unfurled out of my shoulder blades and spread until they neared touched the shrub wall. I grinned in triumph.
Lucian beamed at me. “They’re commanding. Just like you.”
“You think I’m commanding?”
He put up his fingers, spacing them an inch apart. “Just a bit.”
Laughing, I pushed him. “Ha! You’re a funny guy.”
He took a step back, swirled around, and BAM! Out popped his wings. He flapped them once, and then they curled around him a little like a red shield.
I actually sighed at the sight of him. He looked more God-like then the Gods themselves. And I’m pretty sure he noticed because he grabbed my hand. “Let’s go flying.”
“What? I don’t think we learned that part.”
He shrugged, wings fluttering in the process. “How hard could it be?”
I hesitated for a moment, considering all the things I could’ve been doing. Sitting in my dorm room worrying about the implication of my black wings, or wondering why I saw Hades in the gazebo and Lucian didn’t. And decided that being here with Lucian, about to fly together for the first time, was the most exciting moment of my life and one I shouldn’t squander.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
I spread my wings out as far as they could go and then flapped them once to get the hang of it. I flapped them again and again, and the power of it lifted me off the ground. Soon, I was hovering in midair over the gazebo. Lucian joined me.
Then I winked at him and was off like a shot. I could feel the power of flying surging through my body. It was euphoric. I did a quick glance over my shoulder to see Lucian easily catching up to me, a grin on his face.
I flew up as high as the spire on the main tower of the academy then zipped to the right and soared around the citadel, swooping down toward the training field, then up again. Lucian was right on my heels, never breaking form. He was gorgeous to watch, like a golden bird of prey, powerful and majestic.
He swooped in along my side, the very tips of our wings nearly touching. Together, we veered around the east wing of the school, past the dorms. If anyone had been looking out their windows, they would’ve seen Lucian spiral up into the air, like a blazing red and gold tornado. When he swooped down, he tapped my shoe, and then shot off toward one of the towers. Tag. You’re it.
Laughing I caught up to him, as he landed on the upper most balcony of the academy. He folded in his wings just as I landed beside him. We leaned against the railing and looked out over the vast grounds surrounding the school. I spotted areas I didn’t even know existed. There was an expansive wood over the horizon. The land looked like it went on forever.
“It’s beautiful here.”
“It is.”
I turned my head slightly to see Lucian staring at me and not the view. My cheeks flushed at the avid attention he gave me.