•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Leda was the queen of Sparta.
She was the mother of beautiful Helen,
A girl who sparked the Trojan War.
Leda was famously seduced by Zeus,
A god who took the form of a swan.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Hunter frowned at me, his lips puckered as his wrist strained against the handcuffs. He stared at his best friend with the look of betrayal. "You're letting her see me like this?"
Dimitri slipped his phone into one pocket and leaned his hands on Hunter's desk. "For the thousandth time. Penny is not your enemy. She'll never try to hurt you. In fact..." He glanced at me as an idea popped into his head. "You could both get to know each other. It'll be fun."
Hunter jerked in his seat as he struggled with the handcuffs. "Fat chance. Now help me!"
A conflicted thought flickered over Dimitri's face like he was actually considering it. He brushed it off as his lips stretched into a teasing smile.
My eyes zoned on the restraints around Hunter's wrist. "Are these my dad's?"
Finally registering my question, Dimitri turned to me and scratched his head innocently. "Uh...I wanted to get a pair of cuffs for Wyatt and since your dad was a cop I asked him for one."
I folded my arms and quirked an eyebrow. He wasn't telling me everything. Dad won't willingly give a pair of handcuffs to a high school kid. "Did you sweet-talk my dad?"
Dimitri clicked his tongue and shot fingers at me. "I did. Said I wanted to be a police officer when I grow up." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants and smirked at Hunter. "I was getting it for the stupid Manticore but I guess it has other uses."
"I don't think Zion will be happy to see his younger brother cuffed to a chair." I rose an eyebrow at Dimitri. A darting object caught my eye and I turned towards a window at the opposite end of the room. A cloudless sky stared back. There was nothing out of the ordinary.
Dimitri waved me off. "Let's bet. Zion will overlook it like it's the weather forecast. Now back to the introduction. Let's start from the top." He patted Hunter's head, making him grunt. "Penelope Vercelli, this is Hunter Peterson. Hunter Peterson, this is Penelope Vercelli. Did you know he has the softest hair curls?"
I tried to suppress a smile.
"Wanna touch it?" He asked.
That instantly got my attention. Call it strange but ever since I met Hunter, he made it a point to keep his distance. And for almost a year, I haven't physically touched him except for the slap I gave him last month at a party.
Stroking his curls isn't such a bad idea.
"Touch me and I'll bite your arm off," he hissed.
Now that he said it, some part of me wanted to touch his hair just to spite him.
In fact, I rarely see him display any emotion other than anger towards me. And with Dimitri allowing this opportunity, I decided to take it. I stepped closer and leaned a hand on his table. He stared at me uncertainly. With a hand, I grabbed his chin and tipped his face up. His eyes bulged out in surprise.
Bingo!
Right there is an expression I'll cherish for a lifetime. Finally having his attention. I voiced out the one question I've been dying to ask ever since we met. "Why do you hate me so much?"
I felt Dimitri shift uncertainly at my side, but I didn't care. Hunter, on the other hand, was glaring. His anger was two times worse. His hatred was always a mystery and anything mysterious sparks my curiosity. And every time I get curious, I search for answers, which I'll find no matter what.
"Don't you have something else to do?" His hands had balled into tight fists. "Like finding my brother perhaps. Pedro is missing. And it's all your fuc--"
"Hunter," Dimitri warned in a sterner tone. "We talked about this."
Hunter tore his chin away from my fingers, mumbling an apology. That immediately caught me by Surprise. Dimitri is practically the only person who could keep Hunter in a good mood. Even Zion finds that difficult and that says a lot.
Dimitri was arranging his messed-up hair and Hunter seemed so at ease with it. Seeing them with this kind of friendship made me jealous. I felt like a third wheel. And it had me missing Pedro.
I jerked upright when someone pushed the door and walked in. I smiled, recognizing a familiar face.
Hunter jumped at the opportunity. "Zion, help me get this thing off."
Zion froze, looking between us. The sleeves of his white shirt were folded at the elbows. And not a single button was released. It echoed his dutiful mannerism. He observed Hunter's awkward position. Dimitri pulled a big smile, hoping it sold.
After a moment, Zion sighed. "I'm sure you have a reason for doing something like this."
Dimitri snapped his fingers. "That I do, Zee."
Hunter's jaw dropped, feeling the second betrayal hit hard. An outsider could be fooled by his innocence card, but Hunter is notoriously stubborn. He's a prick.
"Told you Zion will brush this off," Dimitri whispered to me. I wasn't surprised. Zion trusts Dimitri like he was family.
Zion drew nearer. "I've been scoping around Gevaldor high school for Wyatt's whereabouts. Turns out, he hasn't been to class in two weeks. But his mom leaves south from here so if we want to find him--"
"Hold on." Dimitri held a hand up. The room stretched in silence for two seconds. "Won't you greet your girlfriend with a kiss? I mean...you just arrived."
I glanced at my flat shoes, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. Damn it, Dimitri!
Zion gave him the stink eye. "Drop it."
Dimitri placed an arm around my shoulders. "Did I say something wrong? If you want to convince cat-eyed Liam that Penny here is unpersuadable you got to act like it. By that, I mean a power couple."
He pushed me towards Zion and I stumbled to a stop inches from his chest. My cheeks were burning and I tried to smother it, trying not to meet his coffee brown eyes.
I kinda agreed with Dimitri. Liam was a sin who drew close to me because of Pandora. He was sent to steer my lustful attraction towards him like a mouse to a trap. I nearly fell for him though, until a certain crocotta, disclosed every secret Liam had. It was more like a wake-up call. And I had to suppress any hopes of seeing the sin again after we got separated.
Turns out, the bond I had with Liam was still influencing my decisions. But it gradually fades when I turn my emotions towards someone else. Which means it's breakable. And with Zion and I acting like a couple, it could work. He agreed to participate since he's not a great fan of bonds. Though there are other...reasons.
My other goal was to revive the feelings I had for Zion. He was someone I could trust while Liam remained a dangerous and mysterious shadow. He was a red zone.
A hand grazed my cheeks, angling my face towards kind brown eyes. Zion seemed to ask if I was okay with this. I gave a slight nod. Not a moment later, he leaned down and kissed me. It was neither soft nor demanding. I reached my hands into his hair and drew closer. His arm around my waist tightened, almost protectively.
Something fluttered in my chest like a set of embers igniting into a deadly fire. I pressed in with all my emotions, remembering the first time I met Zion; the instant attraction I had with him, and his laid-back personality. I remembered my hesitancy to draw close because he always had an intimidating aura. And since he rarely expressed his emotions I was fearful to voice out mine. So instead, I suppressed my feelings until they were utterly insignificant, all in an attempt to dodge rejection.
Zion groaned against my lips. With high reluctance, he drew back. I quickly buried my face in his chest, fighting the embarrassment. I made him do that. The room projected a loud silence.
"Well..." Dimitri coughed a short distance away. "That was intense. You're definitely going to convince everyone with that kiss. Not to mention the entire school."
I expected Hunter to say something but he was oddly quiet. Zion slid his hands up my waist and I breathed his aerosol-like scent, still fighting back a blush.
Dimitri continued after another awkward silence. "Um...so you were saying something about Wyatt."
"Yeah." Zion ran a hand over the nape of his neck. "The manticore hasn't been in school for a while but a few students said his mom lives nearby."
"Are we going to force answers out of Wyatt's mom?" Dimitri asked.
Zion shrugged, his face void of emotion like he couldn't care less. "If we have to. Wyatt knew what he was getting into the moment he abducted Pedro. Knowing where his mom lives will help us find him." He glanced at the window. "It's getting late. Security will be coming in any minute now."
Dimitri quirked an eyebrow. "That reminds me...Why were you late?"
I could say the same thing.
Zion's jaw ticked as an emotion swooped over his facial expression. He blew out a breath and relaxed into a seat. "I was just dealing with...something."
I tried putting the pieces together. "It's Zeus, isn't it?"
He bit his lip and glanced at me. "You still have the pendant I gave you?"
I nodded, feeling the heavyweight on my back pocket. Zion had asked me to keep it in case Zeus takes control. It's his one kryptonite. One we stole from a snake-like crazy lady.
"You mean...it took you two hours seventeen minutes to stop Zeus from taking over?" Dimitri asked with utmost concern.
Zion's lips pressed into a thin line. He glanced away but the answer was clear. As the days went by, it became harder for Zion to keep the god in check. He was like a ticking time bomb. Unless we do something about it.
And I knew just the person to help.
So...who is this person she has in mind?
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@Belination.
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