My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess #3)

First Impressions Aren't Always Correct (Part 1)

"What have you done?" Oizys demanded, her fists up and ready.

One hand clutching my side, I elbowed her off of me.

She rolled herself to her feet, and I scrambled to mine. I wasn't about to let her tower over me.

"You want to get mad?" I swept my arm out. "Get in line. But if you want to do something useful, then help me break Prometheus out."

Oizys stilled, taking me in slowly.

I shook my head and started walking. I'd had enough.

"There's something off about you, Springtime," she said.

I almost laughed. How right she was. On so many levels.

Oizys caught up to me, puzzled at my amusement. "You don't have your usual energy."

"My happy goddess delight?"

She shook her head. "The darkness that is usually deep within you."

That was disturbing. I stepped back. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Oizys watched me intently. "It's tempered by a fire now," she said.

The vision ...

My body went cold. I clasped my trembling hands behind my back and kept moving.

Oizys saw my shock and nodded. "Misery and pain. I see this in you. Or I did. Something fundamental has changed."

She could try and puzzle it out all she wanted. No way would this denizen of Hades guess who I really was. Kiki's enchantment was good for that much.

"Are you going to help me break him out or not?" I needed Aletheia to come reveal the truth, and it would make life a lot easier if Oizys played on my team.

She gave a sharp nod. "Only because I want to crack your secrets."

Fine by me.

My stomach rumbled. I realized I hadn't eaten since morning, and judging by the fading light, it was heading into evening. I was starved.

"Let's eat, and then we can go back to my ..." I was going to say "room" but no way was I going back there. I shared with Kai. My brain tripped over that thought, and I trailed off. "We'll eat," I said, finally.

We continued back to the palace in the deepening gloom. I was happy to feel the last rays of warmth on my face, even as a chill nipped at my ankles. The air was rich with the scent of dry grass and scorched earth.

There was a rustle of wind. Enough to bring the faintest echo from Tartarus. I shivered and stepped up the pace, marveling at the silver trees around the deep, black, silent Pool of Lethe.

We crossed the garden to enter the palace through the front, and I let one finger trail over the cool relief of the ornately carved iron front doors depicting scenes of gods in battle.

Once again, the throne room was packed. Oizys and I raised a lot of eyebrows and heard a lot of whispers at the sight of us together. "We shouldn't be seen together," I said. I didn't want anyone getting suspicious about a newfound alliance between us.

"Works for me." She veered sharply out of the room, headed for the large alcove adjoining it. Inside, there was a heaping buffet of dinner choices.

Atkins dieters would be in roasted protein ecstasy. I went to the opposite end of the buffet, filling my plate with the most recognizable foods. I pretended to focus on my dinner, eating at my own empty table. I kept one eye on Oizys at all times.

She kept to herself a lot. That surprised me. If she was going to win Miss Congeniality anywhere, I would've thought it would be here in the Underworld. But she avoided the other deities, and they her.

I felt a pang of sympathy. Being a misfit here had to suck.

I let Oizys leave first, then snuck out after her. All right. I wasn't all that secretive because the only ones who seemed to care where I was going were a couple of intimidating looking Infernorators who puffed up their flames at me.

Two Pyrosim were child's play for me. And I knew that beyond making Persephone's life miserable by forcing her to stay in the Underworld, Hades didn't allow any actual harm to come to her here—because Kyrillos had insisted on that. Of course, if anyone could end up breaking that rule, it would be me. Since I wasn't about to test my luck, I ignored the minions completely.

A few minutes later, I spied Oizys in an empty corridor. She sped up at the sound of my approach.

I sped up, too, until I had come flush alongside her. I slung my arm around her shoulder.

She didn't go into full rigor-mortis-stiffening at my touch, but it was close. "How do you feel about a roommate, Goth Girl?" No way was I going back to that stupid shared bedroom. I hoped Kai would freeze, all alone under the covers.

Oizys shrugged my arm off, shot me a disdainful look, and picked up her pace. "What happened to not being seen together?"

"Nothing. But we're alone now." I waggled my eyebrows at her for good measure.

She stared at me, like she couldn't figure me out but would love to try. Preferably using pointy instruments that would cut my head open. "No. No roommates."

I let her think that she'd had the final word. Didn't argue at all when she made her way toward her room. I let myself zone out to the sounds of far off voices and the random hum of activity in the palace. And I followed her.

Oizys put up with me dogging her heels until we reached her bedroom door, in a wing far from my own, though it looked much the same.

She hovered on the threshold. "Much as I wish otherwise, we can't do that thing ..." She gave me a pointed stare. "... tonight. It's too dangerous to go traipsing around now. We'll reconvene in the morning."

I nodded. "Sure."

As she turned, I hip checked her, and she stumbled into her room. Quickly, I stepped in and shut the door. All sound from outside the room was cut off. The room itself smelled surprisingly floral. Girly.

I surveyed her digs. "Love your use of monochrome." Everything was the same dense shade of black. I ran a finger along one wall. "Although I hear accent colors do wonders. Consider a little blood red, or rat's eye pink. Classic choices in the goth palette."

Oizys folded her arms. "Get out."