Half-Blood

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Page 14

 

  I felt something tighten in my jaw. “What I had to do is what al Sentinels have to do. I’m training to kil daimons.

  And I can’t talk to anyone. If Marcus even suspected I had problems dealing with it, he’d hand-deliver me to Lucian. ”

  Aiden stopped and when he looked at me, there was an infinite amount of patience on his face. Once again, I was struck by what Deacon had said. “You’re only seventeen.

  Most Sentinels don’t make their first kil until a year or so after graduation. ”

  I sighed; now was a good time to change the subject.

  “You know what you said about your parents not wanting you to have this kind of life?”

  Aiden nodded, a curious look on his face. He probably wondered where the hel I was going with this.

  “I think—no, I know they would be proud of you, anyways. ”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Do you think that because I offered to train you?”

  “No. I think that because I remember you. ”

  My words seemed to catch him off guard. “How? We didn’t share any classes or schedules. ”

  “I saw you around a few times. I always knew when you were around,” I blurted out.

  Aiden’s lips tipped at the corners as he stared down at me. “What?”

  I took a step back, flushing. “I mean, you had this reputation for being so kickass. Even though you were stil in school, everyone knew you were going to be an awesome Sentinel. ”

  “Oh. ” He laughed again, relaxing a little bit. “I suppose I should be flattered. ”

  I nodded vigorously. “You should be. The halfs look up to you. Wel , the ones who want to be Sentinels. Just the other day, they were tel ing me about how many kil s you’ve made. It’s legendary. Especial y for a pure—I’m sorry. I don’t mean kil ing a lot of daimons is necessarily a good thing or something to be proud of, but… I need to shut up now. ”

  “No. I understand what you’re saying. Kil ing is a necessity of our world. Each one takes its tol , because the daimon used to be a good person. Someone you may have known. It’s never easy to take someone’s life, but to stare down at someone you once considered a friend is… much harder. ”

  I made a face. “I don’t know if I could do it… ” I saw the amusement fade from his face. That must not have been the right response. “I mean, when we see the daimon, we halfs see them for what they truly look like. At least, at first and then we see them for who they used to be. The elemental magic changes them back so they look like they used to. You already know that, of course, even if you don’t see through the dark magic like we do. I could do it. I’m sure I could kil someone I once knew. ”

  Aiden’s lips pursed and he looked away. “It’s hard when it’s someone you knew. ”

  “Have you ever fought one you knew before they went al dark side?”

  “Yes. ”

  I swal owed. “Did you… ?”

  “Yes. It wasn’t easy. ” He faced me. “It’s getting late, wel past your curfew, and you aren’t getting off easy for tonight.

  I expect to see you in the gym tomorrow by eight. ”

  “What?” I’d assumed I had the weekend to myself.

  He simply raised his brows. “Do I need to list the rules you’ve broken?”

  I wanted to point out I wasn’t the only one who’d broken rules tonight—and that some people who weren’t me were stil currently breaking rules—but I managed to keep my mouth shut. Even I could acknowledge my punishment could be far worse. Nodding, I started to walk up to my dorm.

  “Alex?”

  I turned around, figuring he’d changed his mind and was going to order me to see Marcus in the morning and fess up to my bad behavior. “Yeah?”

  He brushed a lock of dark hair off his forehead and flashed that lopsided smile. “I remember you. ”

  I scrunched up my face. “What?”

  The grin increased to a ful smile. And… oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died. “I remember you, too. ”

  CHAPTER 8

  I WAS BEING PUNISHED.

  It seemed that the part from last night’s conversation about not being al owed off the Covenant-control ed island wasn’t an assumption. Okay. I total y knew that, but honestly, was it real y that big of a deal?

  It was a big deal to Aiden.

  He carted my butt to the gym first thing in the morning and we spent the better part of the day there. He showed me a few exercises he wanted me to do, a couple of weight reps, and then a whole slew of cardio.

  I hated cardio.

  While I ran around from one exercise machine to the next, Aiden sat down, stretched out those long legs of his, and cracked open a book that probably weighed as much as I did.

  I stared at the leg press machine. “What are you reading?”

  He didn’t look up. “If you’re able to talk while working out then you aren’t working out hard enough. ”

  I made a face at his bent head and climbed into the machine. After doing my reps, I realized there was no graceful way of getting out of the thing. Concerned I’d look like an idiot, I stole a quick glance at him before rol ing out of the machine.

  There were a few more machines he wanted me to work with and I was quiet for next five minutes or so. “Who reads books that big for fun?”

  Aiden lifted his head, pinning me with a bored look. “Who talks to hear themselves speak?”

  My eyes widened. “You’re in a lovely mood today. ”

  With the obscenely large book balanced on one knee, he turned a page. “You need to work on your upper body strength, Alex. Not your motor speech skil s. ”

  I glanced down at the dumbbel and pictured it flying across the room—at his face. But it was such a nice face, and I’d hate to ruin it. Hours went by like this. He’d read his book; I’d annoy him; he’d yel at me, and then I would hop on another machine.

  Sad as it was, I was kind of having fun messing with him and I think he was, too. Every so often, a smal —and I mean really smal —smile would grace his lips whenever I’d ask him an irritating question. I wasn’t even sure he was paying attention to the book of—

  “Alex, stop staring at me and do some cardio. ” He flipped another page.

  I blinked. “I hope that book of yours is on charm and personality skil s. ”

  Aha! There was that ghost of a smile. “Cardio—do cardio. You’re fast, Alex. Daimons are fast, too, and hungry daimons wil be even faster. ”

  My head fel back and I groaned as I dragged myself over to the treadmil he’d pointed to earlier. “How long?”

  “Sixty minutes. ”

  Sweet baby in Hades! Was he insane? When I asked that, he didn’t find it funny. It took me several tries to get the treadmil working at a speed I could jog to.

  Five minutes later, Aiden glanced up and saw how fast I was going. Exasperated with me, he stood and walked over to where I was jogging. Without a word, he increased the speed above four—I’d been at two—and then went back to his wal and his book.

  Damn him.

  Out of breath and stil completely out of shape, I nearly fel off the treadmil when the time hit sixty minutes and slowed to cool-down mode. I glanced over to where Aiden leaned against the wal , engrossed in his mammoth size book.

  “What… are you reading?”

  He glanced up and sighed. “Greek Fables and Legends. ”

  “Oh!” I’d always loved reading what the mortal world wrote about our gods. Some of it was kind of correct while the rest was just bonkers.

  “I got it in the library. You know, it’s the place you should be hanging out in your spare time instead of drinking. ”

  I shuddered and shook my arms out. “I hate the library.

  Everyone hates the library here. ”

  Shaking his head, he closed the book. “Why is it that halfs believe there are hel hounds, harpies and furies living in the library? I don’t get it. ”

  “Have you no
t been in the library, seriously? Ugh. It’s creepy and you hear stuff al the time. When I was a kid, I heard something growling in there once. ” I stepped off the treadmil and stopped in front of him. “Caleb heard wings flapping in there, near the bottom level. I’m not kidding. ”

  Aiden laughed deeply. “You guys are ridiculous. There’s nothing in the library. And al those creatures have long since been removed from the mortal world. Anyway,” he lifted the book and shook it, “It’s one of your textbooks. ”

  I dropped down beside him. “Oh. Boring. I can’t believe you read textbooks for fun. ” I paused, considering that.

  “Never mind. On second thought, I can believe you read textbooks for fun. ”

  He turned his head toward me. “Cool-down stretches. ”

  “Yes, sir!” I saluted him, then stretched out my legs and grabbed my toes. “So what legend are you reading about?

  How Zeus was the most promiscuous god of them al ?”

  That was a legend the mortals actual y got right. He was responsible for most of the original demigods al those years ago.

  “No. ” He handed me the book. “Here. Why don’t you take it and do some reading? I have a feeling after today you’re going to spend some long evenings in your room. ”

  I rol ed my eyes, but I took the book. After practice, I met with Caleb and bitched for the next hour about how Aiden was being total y uncool. Then I bitched about how he’d disappeared on me last night, leaving me with Jackson.

  Friends don’t let friends act like ho-bags.

  Shortly afterwards, I did go back to my room instead of sneaking off with Caleb. I had a sinking suspicion if I did, I’d get caught, and I real y didn’t want to spend another day in the gym. It was bad enough I had to spend a good hour or two in it every night.

  Bored out of my mind, I picked up the musty smel ing book and thumbed through the ancient thing. Half of the book was written in ancient Greek and out of my ability to decipher. It looked like a bunch of squiggly lines to me.

  After finding the part in English, I discovered it wasn’t about legends or fables. It was actual y a detailed account of each of the gods, what they represented, and their rise to power.

  There was even a section on pure-bloods and their lesser halfs—us. Literal y, it was how we were listed in this book.

  No joke:

  The Pure-Blood and their lesser half—the Half-Blood.

  I skimmed through those pages, coming to a stop on a smal block of text under the name “Ethos Krian. ” Even I remembered that name. Al of us half-bloods did. He was the first of a very select group of half-bloods who could control the elements. But… oh, he was more than that. He was the first Apollyon—the only half-blood with the ability to control the elements and use the same kind of compulsion the pures could use on mortals.

  In other words, the Apol yon was one big, badass of a half-blood.

  Ethos Krian, born of a pure-blood and mortal in Naples, year 2848 ED

  (1256 AD), was the first recorded half-blood to display the abilities of a true Hematoi. As foreseen by the oracle of Rome, at the age of eighteen, the palingenesis awakened Ethos’ power.