“Zeus.”
“Poseidon.”
“Hermes.”
“Aphrodite.”
Not liking that my other family members and friends have not been mentioned, I pipe up, finishing off the list. “Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Chiron, Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus, Artemis, Dionysus, and Athena. Want me to name any of the Titans?” I ask innocently.
They all stare at me baffled.
“That won’t be needed, but yes…that is a correct list of the main ones.” Mr. Ward stutters. “But to start off with, we will only be looking at each of them separately. Hades is the first god we are going to be looking at. So, can anyone tell me any facts or myths surrounding him?”
I want to jump up and shout at them if they want to know anything, just ask his daughter who is sitting right there, but I stay silent, wanting to see what people think of us. I don’t have to wait long as people start to call out answers again.
“He is the lord and god of the underworld and the god of wealth and the dead.”
“He kidnapped Persephone from Earth to be his wife.”
“He has a three-headed guard dog called Cerberus.”
The last time I checked, Tybalt only had one.
“Anything else? No, okay. Please take notes. We will go more in depth in the next couple of lessons,” he says before going into his lecture. “Hades, son of Rhea and Cronus, has three sisters and two brothers. His sisters are Hestia, Hera, and Demeter. His brothers are Poseidon, Zeus, and Chiron, his half-brother…”
“Wasn’t there, like, a lot of incest back then?” A boy cuts Mr. Ward off.
I roll my eyes as I shake my head. I’m not going to say that it’s a lie because it isn’t. It happened ages ago when it was probably more acceptable, and since then, they have all moved on to different partners. I find it weird, and it makes my skin crawl whenever I think about it, knowing my dad was the product of incest.
“Uh—yes.” The students show their disgust. “Let’s get back to Hades. He and his brothers all overthrew their titan parents after a ten-year war. When it came to deciding on who ruled which realms, they all drew lots. Hades was unhappy with his choice of the underworld, and this caused a rift between Hades and Zeus.
“Hades’ wife is Persephone. You are correct. She is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus and is the goddess of nature. He acquired her by abducting her from the field of Nysa where she was picking flowers. He tricked her to eat pomegranate seeds. As she tasted food from the underworld, she was obliged to spend a third of her year there. They do not have any children…”
I look around incredulous. My dad may have had a short fling with Persephone, but he was no abductor. Is that what she’s telling everyone? And as for having no children, hello! Living proof right here. Not able to stay silent any longer, I pipe up again.
“That’s a lie,” I mutter, getting fed up.
“Excuse me, what did you just say?” Mr. Ward asks.
“I said you don’t know your facts. Hades was happy to take the role of lord of the underworld and even offered to take it if Zeus or Poseidon drew it, and the fact that they don’t get along is utter bullshit. They get along fine. Hell may be filled with souls and demons, but they visit each other regularly, along with their other siblings.
“I don’t get why Hades is seen as evil. He was the one to maintain relative balance and was more selfless than evil,” I tell him, getting heated. I always do when I defend my family. I quickly go back over what I said, trying to see if I gave anything away.
“And how do you know this? I think I would know the correct facts as I am a history teacher,” Mr. Ward replies in the same tone as me, bristling.
“I’m really into Greek mythology?” I respond as more of a question, deflating slightly. Technically, I am replying truthfully.
“As you are so into Greek mythology, then you can all write me a paper about Hades and the myths surrounding him. 5,000 words please,” he tells us smugly. He does not like being told he’s wrong.
I groan along with the students, although it’s for a different reason. I’m just writing about my family.
As soon as I hear the bell ring, I jump up out of my seat and head to the door. I push myself out into the busy corridor. Thinking I will have to fight my way through, I’m surprised when people stop walking and move out of my way, allowing me a clear path. I feel stares on me as I walk and realize whispered rumors are circulating about me. I listen in on them, wondering what facts I don’t know about myself.
“That’s the new girl.” Obviously.
“She was the one to correct Mr. Ward.” Wow, news travels fast in this school.
“She looks like a slut,” a girl comments to her friends.
I stop in my tracks and stare at the girl. I see people start to move away from her as I walk closer. I look her over. I start at the top of her head, moving past her dyed, bleach blonde hair and brown eyes to look at her clothes. I don’t know if I can even call them clothes. The fabric covered only a quarter of her body. I look to either side of her and see that she is accompanied by three clones. I watch as her eyes move from me to a passing boy, her shoulders going back slightly, before moving onto another. I raise my eyebrow.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I remember you…Have we met?”
Her eyes fly back to me, giving me a narrowed glare. “No.”
“Then don’t make assumptions, because it makes an ass out of you and me. Anyway, have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? At least I don’t feel the need to dress up—well, down—and dye my hair to get men’s attention, honey.”
“How do you know I didn’t dye my hair because I felt like it?” she responds, a smug grin coming on her lips. However, her heartbeat quickening tells me I’m right.
“Oh, loads of people dye their hair just for themselves, but you don’t. You do it because you think it will gain you more attention from men, so if anyone is the slut here, I’m looking at her. How many of the school population have you fucked? I’m sure I could find out,” I say bluntly, raising an eyebrow.
She glares at me before she turns around and storms off, her clones following closely behind. I turn to see everyone is staring at me, some in admiration but mostly in shock.
“What?” I shout. Everyone looks away, and I nod in approval before I continue onto English.
When I enter the classroom, I get a similar response to World History. Everyone looks at me as if I were an alien. I turn to the lady at the front and see that she is in her early fifties, her brown hair put back into a bun. Her warm smile deepens the wrinkles around her gray eyes.
“You must be the new girl. Everyone, this is Scarlett Hades. Please make her feel welcome,” she says, turning to the class. “Would you like to introduce yourself?” She looks back to me.
“No. I think you already have,” I tell her as I walk to the back, slumping into a seat.
She looks flustered for a moment, not quite knowing what to do, before she clasps her hands together.
“Well, um, welcome to Aspen Valley High,” she manages to say before turning to the board, writing our lesson material up there. She places the pen down before turning back to us, calmer now.
She opens her mouth to start the lesson when someone flings the door open. A tall, well-toned figure stands in the doorway. The longer brown hair on the top of his head is styled to keep away from his caramel eyes. His thick, pink lips are pulled up into a small smile as he watches Mrs. Hale sigh in exasperation. His gray shirt allows everyone to see that he looks after his body. A leather jacket stretches over his strong shoulders. If I didn’t know differently, I would have guessed that he was a demon who worked with my dad from the sheer size of him. My dad makes sure that the guards keep fit.
“Hunter, late again. What is your excuse this time?” Mrs. Hale expectantly asks Hunter, her hand placed on her hip.
“I was kidnapped by the devil,” he answers simply as if it were a normal thing.
“And why did he do that?” Mrs
. Hale responds in disbelief.
“You can ask him in person soon. He said that Hell was meant to be hellish and asked if I knew anything or anyone whom I thought was Hell as he needed something extra. I thought straight away of this class and your teaching. I think he purposefully allowed me to escape, as he asked me to request that you go down there now, instead of a couple of years. I’m just relaying a message. Don’t shoot the messenger.” Hunter finishes with a shrug.
I can’t contain my laughter anymore. Thinking of Hunter’s and Mrs. Hale’s faces, the discussion I had with my dad, and the irony of all this, I let out loud laugh. I laugh so hard that I find it hard to breathe and tears start to stream down my face. I know I’m laughing louder than the students’ quiet chuckling, but I don’t care.
“What is so funny, Ms. Hades?” Mrs. Hale asks in a clipped tone.
“Nothing, Miss. I’m just remembering something my dad told me.”
“Well, Hunter, next time the devil kidnaps you, tell him to do it when it’s not school time. Now, go and sit down, and stop wasting my time.” Mrs. Hale gets louder with each word. She takes a couple of deep breaths before shuffling a couple of papers on her desk.
I watch Hunter smirking as he walks to a desk rows away from mine.
Finally composed, Mrs. Hale looks back to us with a forced smile on her face. I see her open her mouth but tune out what comes out of it. I rest my chin on my arms and wait for the fifty-five-minute lesson to be over.
I watch as the hand of the clock moves past the three, groaning at the prospect of another thirty minutes sitting in this boring lesson. I can understand where Hunter is coming from now.
Someone nudges my shoulder, and I sit up. I look over to my right and see a girl holding out a folded piece of paper. She points at Hunter. I crane my neck to look at him and see him wink at me. I roll my eyes, take the piece of paper from the girl, and open it.
What’s your name, newbie?
I lean forward and give him my best glare, putting the paper on the corner of the desk. I rest my head back on my arms, only to be nudged again five minutes later. He obviously didn’t get the message. I open it to see what another paper says.
Is it hard or embarrassing? I’ll tell you mine, and then you tell me yours. Hunter Stone and you are.
I scribble out a reply before handing it to the girl.
No, it’s not. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to tell you.
Two minutes later, instead of going through the chain, a piece of paper flies through the air. I catch it and pull it open.
I know your last name is Hades…all I need now is your first name. Pretty please. :(
I groan knowing he won’t give up.
Scarlett.
I glance at Mrs. Hale before throwing the paper at him. It misses his desk, landing on the floor. Hunter bends down to pick it up before smiling. He shoots me a look before responding.
Well, that wasn’t hard. Nice to meet you, Scarlett.
I am about to write out my response when I am stopped by a shadow standing over my desk. I look up to see Mrs. Hale.
“How can I help you, Miss?” I ask, giving her a sweet smile.
“What are these?” she asks, picking the pieces of paper up.
“That? That is a piece of paper,” I tell her in a patronizing tone.
“Very clever. What is on the piece of paper?” she asks, matching my tone.
“Writing,” I respond. I bite my lip, trying to stop myself from laughing.
Hunter gives up hiding his amusement and is sniggering noticeably.
“I will not tolerate note passing and people talking back at me in my class,” she tells us sternly. She opens the papers, reading each note out.
I shrug, not feeling embarrassed like she hoped.
“Ms. Hades and Mr. Stone, leave my classroom right now. I will not be disrespected.”
“Finally!” Hunter shouts, getting up with his bag. I chuckle and join him standing up.
“Can I have them back?” I ask, pressing my lips together to suppress a grin when I see her irate reaction.
“I’ll take that as a no,” I say, picking my bag up and following behind Hunter.
When we both enter the hallway, I turn and walk the opposite way to him. I only get halfway down the corridor, however, as he stops me.
“Hey, Newbie!”
I turn around, looking expectant.
“What?” I say.
He holds up a pack of cigarettes. “Do you smoke? If so, do you want one?”
I look at the pack in his hand. If I were mortal, I would tell him no; they can kill you, but as I am not and I need a reminder of home right now, I agree.
He waits for me to catch up with him before he starts walking with me out to a small grassy area behind the school. We sit under a tree. We can see through the doors and the whole school.
He flips the pack open and offers it to me. I take one, and he offers his lighter. I press down on the lever, letting my thumb closer to the flame than normal, feeling the familiar flicker of warmth. I bring the lighter up to the cigarette, lighting it, before letting the lever go and passing it to Hunter. I bring it to my lips and breathe in. The warm smoke fills my mouth, moving down into my lungs. I let out a sigh of relief as I look over to Hunter who I see is looking at me curiously. The silence stays for a while before Hunter musters the courage to say something.
“You don’t have a noticeable accent. Where are you originally from?” Hunter asks.
“Greece, but we move around,” I tell him.
“Really? That’s cool. So, why are you here?”
“I wanted to get away before I take over the family business,” I reply telling him a version of the truth.
“What is it your family does?”
“Look after people, sort stuff,” I answer vaguely.
“Are you here with your parents?”
“No. I don’t know where my mom is. I never met her. It’s just been my dad and me. He stayed behind at home, looking after the business. So, I’m living by myself for a year,” I say and blow a smoke.
“So, have you stopped moving around? Where was home before you moved here?” he asks.
I take one last drag from the cigarette before standing up. I brush my pants before walking back toward the school, stepping on the cigarette on the way.
“We should go back,” I call over my shoulder.
“You’re bringing them next time!” he shouts after me, referring to the cigarettes.
“Who says there is going to be a next time?” I shoot back at him as I pull the door open.
I enter the school to hear the bell for the next period ringing. It only takes a couple of seconds for the doors in the hallway to open and all of the students to exit their different classes.
I ignore all the stares that are sent my way again and force my way through them until I arrive outside the gym. I see two doors on either side of the gym’s entrance, one signed ‘Boys’ and the other ‘Girls.’ Not knowing what I should do, I enter the girl’s locker room hoping to find a teacher. Luckily, I find Mrs. Karmen talking to one of the students just inside.
“I’m sorry, Laura, but you’ll have to participate.”
I hear the girl groan before walking further into the room. The young blonde woman turns around, jumping back slightly when she sees me standing there. A small smile appears on my lips when I see her shocked, green eyes travel up to mine. She quickly pushes her shock away as she clears her throat.
“Ah, yes, you must be Scarlett Hades,” she states, looking down at the clipboard in her hands. I confirm with a nod. “Do you have the gym clothes on you?” I shake my head, and she sighs.
“We have some that you will be able to use for today, but I expect you to have them tomorrow. We’re out on the track today, so get changed and join us out there.” She motions to the back of the changing room.
As she moves around me to the door, she runs her fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face before
giving a smile to the girls entering the locker room.
“Hi girls, we will be out on…”
I move through the lockers and the girls changing until I find the bin of clothes. My nose wrinkles as I smell the unwashed clothes next to the clean ones. I rifle through the white and maroon mass. I find one white vest in my size and put it over my shoulder as I search for a pair of maroon shorts. My bag falls off my shoulder as I continue to search. I only find ones in sizes too big or too small for me. I groan and pick one of the small shorts; at least they will stay on my hips.
***
I look at the sun, closing my eyes, as I stroll toward the gaggle of girls standing near the track. The heat of the Miami sun does not compare to the heat of Hell, but it’s nice to feel the rays on my skin. My eyelids flutter when I open them as they adjust to the onslaught of light. That’s one thing that accompanies the heat that I’m not used to: the brightness.
I bring my hair up into a messy bun, securing it with the hairband from my bag as I join the class. Mrs. Karmen stands at the front, her hands on her hips as she waits for the class to gather.
I hear the voices of the boys’ class walking onto the football field in the middle of the track.
Mrs. Karmen claps her hands together loudly, bringing our attention to what she has to say next.
“Okay, everyone, today, we will be doing running…” She gets groans in response from my classmates, and I notice that the loudest groan is coming from the girl who I had the exchange with in the hallway earlier.
“Quiet! We’ll start with some stretches before moving onto a warm-up run,” she commands before leading us. I follow her orders, going from lunges to stretching my arms.
“And touch your toes for ten seconds.” She finishes. I bend down, my fingers clasping around the trainers I found. I count the seconds in my head. One. Two. Three. Four.
Loud wolf whistles sound through the air.
“Nice ass, Newbie,” Hunter calls over to me.
I roll my eyes and stand up, looking over my shoulder.
“I understand why you like it. You see a version every time you look in the mirror,” I call back before I move back to doing the stretch.
Hades’ Daughter (The War of Fate) Page 5
