First Lie || Deception Book I ||

Ticking Time

June nineteenth. The date clanged through me.

I stumbled. "I've been out for four days?"

Luke nodded. "Why?"

Shit, shit, shit. I needed to get to the Underworld ASAP. I stood up wobbly and staggered towards the door.

"Hey, slow down," Luke said, bracing me. "Where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Ally about something," I replied. "And get changed."

"Why? What's the rush?"

I couldn't tell him about my plans. Despite everything, I still had a facade to keep up and Luke was the enemy. "Well, there's only two more days until the solstice. I need to brace myself for any fallout and stuff. I can't just lie in bed."

"Fair enough," Luke replied. "I'll get you down to the Hermes cabin and you can get yourself cleaned up. And talk to Ally about whatever you guys need to talk about."

"Thanks," I said.

Luke walked me down to the cabin, where he stopped. "I'll go get Ally. She's been worried sick, so I'll just tell her to go right inside. I'll be in the arena if you want to find me. Try not to die."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

I walked into the cabin, which was, thankfully, empty, and quickly got myself cleaned up. Just as I was pulling my black hoodie over my shadow suit, Ally burst in.

"Anna!" she cried and launched herself at me.

"Watch the bones," I grunted as she hugged me.

"Thank the gods that you're alright," she said, tears rolling down her face. "If you d-"

"Hey, none of that," I interrupted, brushing her tears away. "I'm fine now."

Ally sniffed. "Okay. I'm just really glad that you're fine."

I winced. "You get used to it, the brushes of death you have as a demigod. It wasn't my first time."

"Yeah, I know," Ally murmured. "But it doesn't mean that it gets easier to deal with."

I hugged her quickly again. "I'm okay. And you'll be too."

Someone knocked on the door. "Rianna? Are you in there?"

I glanced at Ally, who shrugged. "Yeah, I'm here." I opened the door. "What's up?"

Travis and Connor stood outside, grinning like a couple of maniacs. "Glad to see you're feeling as peachy as ever," Connor commented.

"You know, our brother had been out of his mind the last few days," Travis added.

"It's true," Ally chimed in from behind. "Luke stayed with you the entire time."

I grimaced. "Okay, guys, why are you here?"

"Uh," Connor said, rubbing his neck nervously. "There's no good way to put it-"

"-but Chiron has requested your presence at the Big House," Travis finished.

"Fantastic," I muttered. "Okay. I'm going. Just let me get a few things."

I walked back over to my bunk, leaving Ally to chat with Travis and Connor. I quickly pulled my mask and cloak out from my bag, which I'd sealed to the bottom of my bed with a little magic, and misted them to transform into miniature versions, which I tucked into my hoodie before anyone noticed. Reaching into the alcove again, I also brought out a black and silver skull pendant and quickly fastened it around my neck and tucked it beneath my hoodie.