The Goddess Test (Goddess Test #1)(26)
Author: Aimee Carter

As we wandered the halls, exploring the countless rooms, I stayed close to Ava. She didn’t seem to mind, and she even took my arm and led me from place to place, describing each room we passed as if she were trying to sell me a home. Calliope joined in, but Ella continued to keep her distance. Despite the tension, the afternoon was actually fun. It wasn’t until we were back in my suite that it became unbearable, all because of the news delivered by Sofia midafternoon.

“A ball?” I said, my heart sinking. “You mean like a dance?”

No one else seemed to mind. Calliope squealed, and even Ella looked excited. “A dance?” said Ava, clapping her hands together excitedly. “I don’t have anything to wear—what am I supposed to do?”

“Raid another closet?” said Ella. Both of us ignored her.

“A formal ball tomorrow night,” said Sofia, “hosted by the council in your honor. Most of the time it’s planned for the winter solstice, but since you’re the last and everyone’s so eager to meet you, it’s been moved up.”

“You mean it has nothing to do with the fact that half the girls were killed at their ball and Henry wanted to make sure she’d survive it before investing more time in her?” said Ella innocently.

Sofia gave her a look and turned back to me. “Consider it your introduction into society.”

I took a deep breath and tried to ignore what Ella had said. Henry wouldn’t let that happen to me. Not if I was his last chance. “I don’t need to be introduced to society. Society and I have gotten by without knowing each other for years, thank you very much.”

“The whole council’s coming this time?” said Calliope nervously.

“This is it for Henry,” said Ella with a grimace. “Did you ever really doubt they’d all want to meet her?”

“Who’s the council?” I said. “Why are they so terrifying?”

“They’re not,” said Ella as she sat down in an armchair, keeping her distance. “They’re Henry’s family. His brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews, though he and his brothers and sisters aren’t actually related by blood. More like they adopted each other since they share the same creator and are the original six gods, but it’s what they call themselves. It’s as good enough a description as any.”

“Like Zeus and stuff?” said Ava from her spot on my bed. “The lightning bolt guy?”

I could practically see the smoke start to pour out of Ella’s ears. “Are you crazy or just incredibly stupid?”

Ava sniffed. “Neither, thank you. Calliope? Is this the lightning bolt guy?”

“Yes, that’s him,” said Calliope from an armchair, where she’d collapsed at the news. “That’s Henry’s brother.”

I bit my lip, not knowing what to say. I had a hard time believing all of this to begin with. Throw in the king of the gods, and any conceivable chance I had at taking this seriously flew out the window. Besides, I had no doubt that if I actually started to believe what they were saying, I’d have fainted on the spot, and that was the last thing I wanted. For now, they were Henry’s family. A very scary, very intimidating, very large family, but still his family. I could ignore the part about lightning bolts in the meantime.

“New rule,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “No one talks about them unless I ask. You’re freaking me out, and I can’t do this if I’m freaking out, so just—let’s not. Not until this ball is over. Okay?”

None of them seemed too unhappy with this, and they all nodded, even Ava.

“We’re not allowed to tell you much anyway,” admitted Calliope. I scowled, but I didn’t fight it. If Henry didn’t tell me, then I’d just have to figure it out on my own.

“One thing,” said Ella. “Last I’ll say of it, but you really ought to know. The council will be the ones to decide whether or not you pass your tests. And if you don’t pass, they’ll be the ones who decide what to do with you afterward.”

My head spun, and I said in a small voice, “What they do with me afterward? I thought Henry said I wouldn’t be able to remember it.”

“Oh, don’t worry!” said Calliope, glaring daggers at Ella. “You won’t. They won’t hurt you or anything, or at least I don’t think they will.” She hesitated. “No one’s really made it to that point before.”

The way Ella glared at her made me think I wasn’t getting the whole truth. My stomach churned violently, and for a moment I thought I was going to be ill. If they didn’t like me, I was screwed, and there would be no one left to care what they did with me.

CHAPTER 9

THE BALL

“A ball?” My mother’s tinkling laughter rose above the people we passed on the crowded New York street, who bustled around us on their way to home or work or other important places. “They really don’t know you at all, do they?”

“It’s not funny.” I shoved my hands into my pockets, staring across the street at Central Park. “What if Henry’s family hates me?”

“It’s always a possibility, I suppose.” She tucked her arm in my elbow and drew me closer. “I highly doubt it though. Who could possibly hate you?”

I rolled my eyes, refusing to mention the part where apparently someone inside the manor wanted me dead. “You’re my mother. You’re supposed to say that.”

“True.” She grinned. “Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it though.”

Nearby a car honked impatiently at the slow-moving traffic, and my mother and I were constantly jostled as we made our way down the sidewalk at our own pace, not the brisk walk the other pedestrians used. I closed my eyes and tilted my head upward, inhaling deeply. The smell was uniquely New York, and it reminded me how much I missed the city. How much I missed being here with my mother. “He thinks he’s a god.”

“Does he?” My mother raised an eyebrow. “He brought back Ava, didn’t he?”

Before I could reply, she spotted a hot dog vendor. I tried to tell her I wasn’t hungry, but she wasn’t having it. Two minutes later, we reentered the park, both holding hot dogs. Hers was laden with every topping the vendor had; I stuck with ketchup.

“He said he was married to Persephone,” I said reluctantly. Even to me, it sounded crazy.

“Then that would make him Hades.” She said this so matter-of-factly that I gave her a puzzled look. Unfortunately she noticed. “What?”