Half-Blood c-1

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  He looked doubtful. “Try to remember that.”

  I threw him a grin. “You have such little faith in me.”

  Surprisingly, Aiden grinned back at me. It made me feel al warm and stupid. “How’s your back?”

  “Oh. It’s doing okay. That… stuff real y helped.”

  He stalked across the mats, silver eyes focused on me.

  “Make sure you put it on every night. The bruises should fade in a couple days.”

  You could always help put it on again, but I didn’t say that . I backed up, keeping a space between us. “Yes, sensei.”

  Aiden stopped in front of me. “Better get going. The Minister and his Guards wil be arriving soon, and al of those at the Covenant wil be expected to meet him.”

  I groaned. Everyone would be wearing a Covenant-issued uniform of some sort and no one had given me one.

  “I’m going to look like a—”

  Aiden placed his hands on my upper arms, obliterating my critical thinking skil s. I stared up at him, entertaining a vividly wild scenario in which he pul ed me against him and kissed me like the barrel-chested men in those smutty books my mom used to read.

  He picked me up and put me on the floor a few feet off the mats. Crouching down, he started to rol up the mats.

  There went my fantasies. “You’l look like what?” he asked.

  I ran my hands over my arms. “What am I supposed to wear? I’m going to stick out and everyone wil be looking at me.”

  He glanced up at me through heavy lashes. “Since when are you bothered by everyone staring at you?”

  “Good point.” I grinned at him, and then bounced away.

  “See you later.”

  By the time I made it to the common lounge, everyone was buzzing about tonight.

  It wasn’t Lucian that had Caleb pacing the length of the room. Even Lea seemed wound up as she twisted a strand of hair around her fingers. None of us halfs cared much about Lucian personal y, but as the Minister of Court he exerted a high level of control over the pures and the halfs.

  No one could figure out why a Minister would come to the Covenant during the summer, when the vast majority of students were absent.

  I was stil busy picturing Aiden as a pirate, sweeping me off my feet.

  “Do you know anything?” asked Luke.

  Before I could answer, Lea chimed in. “How would she know? Lucian barely claims her.”

  I looked at her blandly. “Was that supposed to hurt my feelings or something?”

  She shrugged. “My stepmother visits me every Sunday.

  Why hasn’t Lucian visited you?”

  “How would you know?”

  Her look was sly. “I know.”

  “You are so screwing one of the Guards, aren’t you?” I frowned at her. “That explains how you always know so much.”

  Lea’s eyes narrowed, much like a cat did when it spotted a mouse.

  Snickering, I placed my bet on Clive, a younger Guard who’d been present the first day I’d arrived at the Covenant.

  He was good-looking, liked to check out the younger girls, and I’d seen him around the dorms a few times.

  “Perhaps Lucian is coming to remove you from the Covenant.” Lea studied her nails. “I always thought you’d fit in better with the slaves.”

  Casual y, I leaned forward and grabbed one of the thick magazines. I chucked it at Lea’s bent head. With half-blood reflexes, she snatched it before it made contact. “Thanks. I needed something to read.” She thumbed through it.

  As it neared seven, I headed back to my room to get ready. Folded on the coffee table was an olive green, Covenant-issued uniform. My eyes widened as I picked up the uniform and a smal note fel out. I opened it with trembling fingers:

  Had to guess your size.

  See you tonight.

  Smiling, I looked inside the pants and discovered they were my size. There was no stopping the wealth of heat spreading over me. What Aiden had done meant the world to me. Tonight I’d look like I actual y belonged at the Covenant.

  Instead of the black uniforms the trained Sentinels wore, the students donned green outfits of the same cut—

  reminiscent of army uniforms. And they had al the nifty pockets and hooks meant to carry weapons, which I real y liked.

  liked.

  I took a quick shower, and after I put on the uniform I felt a rush. Years had passed since I’d worn this, and there were times when I didn’t think I’d ever get to wear it again.

  Turning in front of the mirror, I had to say I looked good in dress greens.

  Excited, I pul ed my hair up in a ponytail and left to meet up with Caleb. Together, we headed over to the main campus and a funny surge of nostalgia coursed through me as we entered the largest academy building.

  I’d avoided the academy section of the campus since I’d returned, mainly because that was where Marcus had his office. It also seemed unfair to subject myself to al the memories if he decided in a month or two to not let me stay.

  Of course, Caleb thought things were going great and Marcus would al ow me to stay, but I wasn’t so sure. I hadn’t even seen him since the day he’d stopped by the gym and I’d made an idiot out of myself. I felt confident that had made a lasting impression. Come to think of it, no wonder Aiden was so worried about what I would say to Lucian.

  Shaking my head, I glanced around the crowd of people that fil ed the grandiose lobby of the school. It seemed like every Guard and Sentinel was in attendance, standing under the statues of the nine muses. The Olympian nine, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, or whoever it was that he hooked up with. Who real y knew? The god got around.

  The Guards lined every corner and blocked every exit, looking stony and fierce. The Sentinels stood in the middle, appearing vicious and battle ready.

  Not surprising, my eyes found Aiden at once. He stood between Kain and Leon. In my opinion, those three were the most dangerous-looking out of al of them.

  Aiden looked up then, his eyes meeting mine. He gave me a little nod, and even though he didn’t say anything, his eyes spoke for him. That one glance held a measure of pride and fondness. Maybe he even thought I made the cadet uniform look good. I started to smile, but Caleb led me past them, to the left of the Sentinels where the students belonged. We managed to squeeze in next to Caleb’s secret obsession—Olivia. How convenient.

  She smiled. “I was wondering if you guys were going to make it.”

  Caleb said something incoherent, cheeks flushing a ruddy color. I turned away from secondhand embarrassment and I couldn’t even look to see Olivia’s response. Poor Caleb.

  “Looking good, Alex,” Jackson whispered.

  It never failed. The one guy I didn’t want to notice me always did. Glancing up at him, I forced a smile. “Thanks.”

  He looked as if he thought I truly did appreciate his compliment, but then Lea sauntered in, and I swear, she managed to get the uniform as tight as humanly possible. I looked down at my own and noted that my legs looked nowhere near as good as hers did. Bitch.

  I watched as she prowled past the Guards and curved her lips at one of them before squeezing between Luke and Jackson. She murmured something, but my attention had already been caught by something more startling than how good her legs looked.

  Half-blood servants stood behind the staff, stil and quiet.

  Row after row of drab gray tunics and washed out white pants made them nearly indistinguishable from each other.

  Since I’d returned to the Covenant, I’d only caught a glimpse of a servant here and there. It was their job to be invisible, easily overlooked. Or maybe it was ingrained in us—the free halfs—to ignore their presence. Gods, there were so many of them and they al looked the same: eyes glazed over, expressions vacant, and a crudely tattooed circle with a line through it scarred each of their foreheads.

  Marking them so visibly ensured that everyone knew their station in the caste system. It hit me al of a sudden.

  I could really beco
me one of them.

  Swal owing down the sharp spike of panic, I faced the front just in time to see my uncle stalk down the center of the room and stand with his hands folded behind his back.

  There wasn’t a strand of brown hair out of place on Marcus’

  head, and the dark suit he wore looked so out of place.

  Even the Instructors who were present were dressed down in comparison to him, wearing Covenant-issued uniforms.

  The thick glass and marble front doors swung open as the Council Guards entered. I couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped my lips. They were an impressive sight to behold, wearing white uniforms and brutal expressions.

  Then the members of the Council entered. Actual y, only two of them floated in behind the Guards. I had no idea who the woman was, but I recognized the man immediately.

  Dressed in white robes, Lucian hadn’t changed one bit since the last time I’d seen him. His raven-colored hair stil hung ridiculously long and his face looked as emotionless as a daimon’s. Undeniably, he was a handsome man—like al pures were—but there was something about him that left a bad taste in my mouth.

  His air of arrogance fit him like a second skin. As he approached Marcus, his lips twisted into a plastic-looking smile. The two exchanged their greetings. Marcus even bowed slightly. Thank the gods, they didn’t expect us to do any of that nonsense. If so, someone would have to force me to my knees with a drop kick.

  Lucian was a Minister, but he was no god. He wasn’t even royalty. He was just a pure with a lot of power. Oh, and self importance. Couldn’t forget that. I’d never understand what Mom had seen in him in the first place.

  Money, power, and prestige?

  I sighed. No one was perfect—not even her.

  Several more Guards fol owed Lucian and the woman, who I realized was the other Minister. Each of the Guards was identical to the first set, except one. He was different, very different from every half-blood here.

  The air sucked right out the room the moment he stepped into the building.

  He was tal —maybe even as tal as Aiden, but I couldn’t be sure. His blond hair was pul ed back in a smal ponytail, showing off his impossibly perfect features and golden complexion. He wore al black, like the Sentinels did. Under a different circumstance—one in which I didn’t actual y realize what he was—I would’ve said he was smokin’ hot.

  “Holy crap,” Luke murmured.

  A fine undercurrent of electricity permeated the room, coursing over my skin, then through me. I shuddered and took a step back, bumping into Caleb.

  “The Apol yon,” said someone behind me. Maybe Lea? I had no clue.

  Holy crap, indeed.

  The Apol yon trailed behind Lucian and Marcus, keeping at a safe enough distance. He wasn’t crowding them but could react to any perceived threat. Al of us stared, affected by his mere presence.

  Unconsciously, I took another step back as the little group neared our side. I don’t know what got into me, but suddenly, I wanted to be as far away as possible… and I needed to be right here more than anything else in this world. Wel … maybe not anything, but pretty damn close.

  I didn’t want to look at him, but I couldn’t look away. My stomach lurched when our gazes met. His eyes—they were the strangest color I’d ever seen, and as he got closer, I realized it wasn’t my imagination. His eyes were the color of amber, nearly iridescent.

  While he continued to stare at me, something happened.

  It started as a faint line inching down his arms, darkening to an inky black as it reached his fingers. Then, al at once, the thin line spread across the golden hue of his skin and shifted into a multitude of swirly designs. The tattoo shifted and changed, reaching under his shirt and stretching along his neck until the intricate drawings covered the right side of his face. The markings meant something. What, I had no idea. When he passed by us, my breath came out as a harsh gasp.

  “You okay?” Caleb frowned down at me.

  “Yeah.” I smoothed my hair back with shaky hands. “He was… ”

  “Freaking hot.” Elena turned to me, her eyes dancing with excitement. “Who knew the Apol yon would be that unbelievably gorgeous?”

  Caleb made a face. “He’s the Apol yon, Elena. You shouldn’t talk about him that way.”

  My brows knit. “But those markings… ”

  Elena shot Caleb a dirty look. “What markings? And why does it matter if I say he’s hot? I doubt he’d be offended.”

  “What do you mean?” I pushed past Caleb. “You didn’t see those… tattoos? They appeared out of nowhere. They covered his entire body and his face!”

  Elena’s lips pursed as she stared at me. “I didn’t see anything. Maybe I was just stuck on those lips.”

  “And that butt,” interjected Lea.

  “Those arms,” added Elena.

  “Are you guys being serious?” I glared at each of them.

  “You didn’t see any sort of tattoo?”

  They shook their heads.

  The guys, with the exception of Luke, looked pretty disgusted with the commotion Elena and Lea were making.

  So was I. Exasperated, I whirled right into Aiden. “Whoa!

  Sorry.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Don’t roam off far.” That was al he said.

  Caleb pul ed me to the side. “What’s that al about?”

  “Ah, Lucian wants to talk with me or something.”

  He cringed. “That’s gotta be awkward.”

  “You ain’t kidding.” I momentarily forgot the Apol yon’s tattoos.

  Even if I’d wanted to, I didn’t get to roam very far. Our little group made it out front and into the setting sun. Everyone appeared to be talking about the Apol yon. No one had expected him to be here or knew how long he’d been one of Lucian’s Guards. Since Lucian had taken up residence on the main island, it seemed like someone should’ve known about the Apol yon’s presence earlier. That question switched to a much more interesting one.

  “The Apol yon’s usual y out there hunting daimons.” Luke popped up on the railing. “Why would he be reassigned to guard Lucian?”

  “Maybe something’s going on.” Caleb’s eyes darted back to the building. “Like something big. Maybe Lucian’s been threatened.”

  “By what?” I frowned, leaning against one of the columns.

  “He’s always surrounded by a crap ton of Guards. Not a single daimon could get close to him.”

  “Who cares?” Lea sucked in her lower lip and sighed.

  “The Apol yon is here and he’s hot. Do we need to worry with anything else?”

  I scrunched up my face. “Wow. You’l make an excel ent Sentinel one day.”

  She sneered at me. “At least I will be a Sentinel one day.”

  My eyes narrowed on Lea, but Olivia’s nonstop fidgeting drew my anger. “What is your deal?”

  Olivia glanced up, her chocolate-colored eyes huge.

  “Sorry. It’s just… I’m so antsy now.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I don’t know how you guys can say he’s hot. Don’t get me wrong, but he’s the Apol yon. Al that power is frightening.”

  “Al that power is sexy.” Lea leaned back, closed her eyes and sighed. “Can you imagine what he’s like in—?”

  The doors behind us swung open and Aiden motioned me forward. On the steps below, someone made a low noise. I ignored it and left my little group of enemies and friends behind.

  “So soon?” I asked once I was inside.

  He nodded. “I guess they want to get this over with.”

  “Oh.” I fol owed Aiden up the stairs. “Hey. Thanks for the uniform.” The memory of him getting it for me made me smile.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “It wasn’t a problem. You look good in it.”

  My eyebrows shot up as my heart did a cartwheel.

  Flushing, Aiden looked away. “I mean… it’s good to see you in the uniform.”

  My smile grew to epic proportions. I caught
up to him and took the stairs alongside his tal frame. “So… the Apol yon

  ?”

  Aiden stiffened. “I had no idea he was going to be with Lucian. His reassignment must’ve happened not too long ago.”

  “Why?”

  He nudged my arm. “There are some things I cannot disclose, Alex.”

  Normal y I would’ve balked at that, but the way he said it, in such a teasing manner, made me feel airy and funny.

  “That’s not fair.”

  Aiden didn’t respond to that, and we went up a couple of floors in silence. “Did you… feel anything when Seth came in?”

  “Seth?”

  “The Apol yon is named Seth.”

  “Oh. That’s a boring name. He should be cal ed something more interesting.”

  He gave a low laugh. “What should he be cal ed then?”

  I thought about that for a moment. “I don’t know.

  Something Greek-sounding, or at least, something kickass.”

  “What would you have named him?”

  “I don’t know. Something wicked cool, at least. Maybe Apol o. Get it? Apol o. Apol yon.”

  Aiden laughed. “Anyway, did you feel anything?”

  “Yeah… it was strange. Almost like an electrical current or some-thing.”

  He nodded, stil smiling. “It’s the aether in him. It’s very powerful.”

  We neared the top floor and I wiped a hand over my forehead. Stairs were a bitch. “Why do you ask?”

  “You looked a little out of it. It’s a bit unsettling the first time you’re near him. I would’ve warned you if I’d realized he was going to be here.”

  “That wasn’t the most disturbing thing.”

  “Hmm?”

  I inhaled deeply. “The… tattoos were more unsettling.” I watched him closely. His reaction would tel me if I was crazy or something.

  Aiden came to a complete stop. “What?”

  Oh man, I was crazy.

  He came down a step. “What tattoos, Alex?”

  I swal owed hard at the sharp look in his eyes. “I thought I saw some markings on him. They weren’t there at first, but then they were. I… guess I’m seeing things.”