We fought occasionally when we were younger students at the school, and I still easily beat him in our skirmishes. I have an advantage; I can call on the strength inherited from my father, Odin. Plus, I’m half a head taller than every other guy here and all know not to cross me.
Girls? They appreciate what they see. Who wouldn’t? Six-foot-six of Norse god perfection with a muscular body that Apollo once teased me I spent too much time perfecting. And, let’s face it, I live amongst mostly dark-haired Roman and Greek gods, so catching girls’ attention isn’t hard.
I pick up the cork and place it on the table. “I haven’t met Artemis yet. Triton said he saw a girl with wild red hair leave the boat with Hati, but she was ushered inside before anybody could speak to her. I’m guessing that was Artemis.”
“Hati? Why did they send him to collect her?”
“Curious, isn’t it? Probably because of all the men on campus he’s least likely to defile her on the way.”
“Yeah, he may like redheads, but only attached to a god instead of a goddess.” He leans forward and picks up his glass, his thoughts back on the girl. “Did he say if she was hot? Mind you, I’m not keen on redheads.”
“I doubt Artemis will fall prey to your party boy charms, whatever her hair color is. She’s lived isolated from the world since a child, hidden by Zeus.”
“Yeah, I know the story. All women together in the woods, with no men to entertain them. Sounds like she may be desperate for a man.” He gestures at himself. “Wait until Artemis comes across this fine specimen.”
I laugh. “I guess you never heard the story about how Artemis killed a man for accidentally seeing her naked. What do you think she’d do to someone who deliberately tries to?”
Dion sips his wine again. “Well, she’ll need to be friendly and try to fit in, if she wants to take your best buddy’s place. Do you reckon she can match him?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” I pause. I need to voice what’s playing on my mind. “I’m not happy Zeus chose to bring a goddess in, even if she is his daughter. With a female, we’ll be at a disadvantage in the team trials.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t judge her before we meet?” I look over as Loki walks into the room and sinks onto the sofa beside Dion. “Do you really think Zeus would bring another lamb to the slaughter?”
His words grate, as he surely knew they would. I try not to let him know and say, “Hello, brother. So, you’ve heard about the new goddess as well.”
Loki leans over and sniffs at Dion’s glass. “Are you drinking already?”
Dion holds his glass up in a toast and drains the contents.
“Did you see her?” asks Loki.
“No, but I heard she looked like a doe caught in a trap when she disembarked the ship. She may be more wild dog than a skilled competitor like her brother.” Dion lifts the bottle to pour into a nearby glass. “Forget about that, join me in a drink.”
Figuring out Loki’s thoughts is a challenge. I can’t tell if he’s worrying Dion will draw attention by heading to the dinner with too much wine inside him, or about Artemis’s arrival. The dark-haired Loki stands out amongst the fair haired gods from our realm, thanks to his sketchy origins in the giants’ realm. He adopted the black sheep label and uses it as a front now.
Loki has few friends and keeps them close. Everybody else, he either treats dismissively or is friendly if it’s to his advantage. He doesn’t trust easily, following his early time here when he was looked down on and excluded. Loki backed off. This shaped him into the guy I know today, one who resents and retaliates against anybody who makes him feel like an outsider.
Yes, he loves to cause trouble and fingers always point at him if something unusual happens, but that kind of behavior comes from a guy who’s smart. Despite our closeness, he pisses me off because I was the one who helped him out, and he still likes to screw around with me, too.
What will he think of Artemis?
“The good news is that there may be no need to fight over whose turn it is to use the mirror.” Loki chuckles, mocking my obsession with my appearance. “I heard Artemis is feral, probably doesn’t even brush her hair.”
“Reckon she’ll make herself pretty for us?” asks Dion. He’s fixed like a dog in heat.
“Dude, her brother just died and she’s been dragged into an environment a world away from her own. I don’t think throwing herself into your lifestyle is top of her list.” Loki shakes his head and takes the bottle off the table. “And can you at least wait until the dinner tonight before getting drunk?”
“New supplier. Testing the goods. Loki, did you ask Triton if he’ll make an appearance at my post-dinner soiree tonight? There’s a chick I want to join us whose friend is into Triton. She won’t come with me unless Triton’s there.”
“No idea. Haven’t seen him this afternoon. Have you checked the library?” I ask.
“Or the pool?” I put in.
“Maybe he’s in the ocean and has swum away with the mermaids again,” says Dion with a grin. “I swear he has a secret mermaid harem he sneaks away to visit. He always smells suspiciously of salt water.”
“Yeah, like in your wild imagination. How many times do I have to tell you, sirens aren’t real?” I cross my arms. “Listen, I want to talk to you about Apollo, while there’s nobody else around.”
Dion and Loki glance at each other with a look I recognize. They say I’m obsessed and the best way I can help is to uphold his name and ensure one of us wins. Yeah, I’m obsessed all right, because when I find who murdered Apollo, they’ll find out the myths about Thor’s anger aren’t true. I’m worse.
Loki stares down at his shoes and pushes both hands into his hair; more than anybody, he hates the subject and the finger pointing. He’s about to speak when the heavy oak door swings open and then closes with a thud. Hati holds a book against his chest as he watches us through narrowed eyes.
“Why do you always stop talking when I walk into the common room? Something to hide?” he asks. His hair is a similar shade to my own and his body more lean like Loki.
He looks to Loki, who runs his tongue along his teeth before standing and addressing us. “I’m headed off. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Tension has always existed between Hati and Loki due to what they both call ‘family differences’. Hati was the first to point the finger at Loki when Apollo died, which resulted in Hati walking around with no hair when it mysteriously fell out. Loki pleaded innocence but there’s no doubt who was responsible. I’m not a Hati fan—the guy’s older than us, higher up the Academy food chain, and a real butt-kisser—but I prefer to ignore him. I swear he taunts Loki deliberately to try and get the trickster into trouble.
Loki leans in to whisper something to Hati as he passes him. Hati’s mouth falls open and he turns to retort, but Loki’s through the door before he can speak.
“How was your vacation?” asks Dion. “Did you find time to check out the local scenery?”
“You mean my important mission to collect Artemis?” He arches a superior brow. “It was good, thank you.” He looks straight ahead.
“And?” Dion waves a hand. “Tell us more about Artemis and her handmaidens. Did they tremble at the sight of an actual god?”
“No, if anyone was trembling, it was me,” he says in a moment of honesty. “She’s definitely kin to Apollo. Tried to shoot me with an arrow.”
I laugh and Dion snorts at the thought.
“Luckily, I have good reflexes. Anyway, Artemis has arrived safely. She is with Themis, who wanted to introduce her to some of the female students first, but Artemis has questions,” he says. “The kind that could stir up trouble. Themis feels you may be the best to meet her first.”
I doubt Hati agrees, but Themis is probably right. Artemis surely has questions about her brother, ones that could get her into hot water with the wrong person.
“So, what? She’s bringing her here?” Dion asks. For all his talk, he’s suddenly nervous.
“Outside. She suggested I ask one of you to walk Artemis to her quarters as a way to introduce yourselves. Thor?”