Page 23

I could tell Lucian was upset by what he did and I believed him that he didn’t remember doing it. It was probably some magical thing he couldn’t help. But at the same time, I was still devastated. This was supposed to be my second chance.

Even if the IRS sorted my father and I was able to get student loans, I’d be graduating with a ton of debt and diabetes was expensive. This wasn’t just the education I wanted that they were offering me a chance to work off during my tenure there. It was a chance to figure out who I was and once I got that trust, I could afford to be alive wherever I went.

And it was about to be taken away from me because of my blood sugar. It wasn’t fair. Khalid said he could try to fix it, but what if he couldn’t? I didn’t even know where Liam went until he came back inside.

“Okay, so I’m definitely not a trickster, but I came to an arrangement with the wildlife. We don’t eat any of them and protect them if anyone else tries to, and they’ll leave everything we need to feed ourselves outside our tent. Mate, they seemed particularly concerned about you,” Liam said to Lucian.

“I’m a pacifist who has never been hunting a day in his life.”

“You also never ate fifty thousand calories in one sitting before, but here you are,” Liam snapped.

“Sage, I can do this and keep you in the trials,” Khalid said. “They gave us utensils to cook if we run out of food and we’re able. Liam might be an original shifter or some god who can communicate with animals, but if they are willing to help us because of him, you can do the trials and go to university.”

“The bees said they would let the bears bring you some of their honey since it’s mostly going to be nettles and mushrooms,” Liam said. “They are much smarter than we think they are.”

I looked at Liam. He was still rubbing his forehead like it was bothering him. The wildlife was helping me because of him and I liked Liam. I should help him, too. We were a team.

“Let me see,” I said.

Liam took his hands away from his forehead. It was red because he kept rubbing it, but I could see something else.

“You’ve got two bumps growing. They are small, but they are there.”

“Shite. I went through puberty once. If these are magical zits because I have to go through it again, I might have to beat up Lucian.”

“You kicked me in the kidneys.”

“You ate all our fucking food.”

I pressed on the bumps. They were perfectly spaced. A little too spaced to be pimples. They also felt hard.

“Maybe you’re growing horns?”

“I’d better not be! I can’t do Only Fans with horns. Headmaster Mykene said I can’t make edibles when I’m working in the kitchen, but I can still bake naked for my channel.”

“That’s unsanitary,” Lucian moaned.

“Headmaster Mykene is a fully trained god. I wouldn’t risk pissing her off getting naked in her kitchens,” Khalid said.

I barely knew Liam. The church I was raised in did a lot of sex shaming, even though Jesus technically told that guy to just not look and if he couldn’t control himself to rip his eyes out. I didn’t really have a problem with Only Fans. I think what bothered me was people looking at Liam like that, but that was my issue, not his. I wasn’t going to say anything about how he made his money.

“Horns could be sexy. It might bring you new subscribers. And I’d definitely do your content in your dorm room with sheets up so Headmaster Mykene doesn’t know it’s your dorm room. I wouldn’t piss her off,” I said.

“Nah, she’s a softy. I can tell.”

“She’s not,” Khalid said. “The original Athena took her curses to the next level. She splashed a man with water and blinded him for surprising her while she was bathing. Turned a girl into a spider. Everyone knows about Medusa.”

“Do you hear that?” Lucian asked.

“The sound of your arsehole gurgling and trying not to shart out all our food?” Liam snapped.

Liam was angrier about it than I was. I got that he couldn’t help it and between Khalid and the wild animals, I might be able to complete the trials. I wouldn’t know until I did it and I’d be able to tell before it got bad if I needed to drop out. So, I was only slightly pissed at him and had half forgiven him.

“No, there are people outside. You can’t hear that? I can smell them, too.”

“I don’t hear anything and I don’t smell any funky BO,” I said.

“No, it’s new. It’s not body odor. Like, you smell amazing. Liam and Khalid smell good, too. I can’t even describe what the scent is because it’s not perfume. The people outside smell different, but similar, so I think they are all the same kind of supernatural. Except this just kicked in and I don’t know what kind.”

That was pretty neat. Khalid already knew he was Anubis. Liam was having conversations with the wildlife. Lucian was hangry and ate all our food, but he also got some new senses.

I had nothing, and I didn’t really feel all that different.