My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess #3)

Happy Freaking Birthday (Part 1)

To my surprise, Festos wasn't a fan of the idea. "Talking to Kai didn't work the last fifty times."

"This isn't talking. It's fighting. And I'll try harder." I started to rise from the table, but Festos pulled me back down in a iron grip.

"It's not about trying harder, honeybunch," he said, as I struggled to break free. "I'm worried about you. You're a mess." His hand snaked out and whipped up my sleeve.

Hot adrenaline flooded my system as Festos revealed my bare arm. I snatched it away, pulling the sleeve back down. "I'm fine."

But it was too late. Theo was staring at my arm in horror. "Soph?" he asked, quietly.

"It's nothing," I said.

But I let him push my sleeves up again and examine my arms, both of which were covered in an angry red rash, made horror show worse by the tons of scratch marks on top. I peered down at them. I'd avoided checking them out too closely up until now. I'd preferred the "deny and rub raw" approach. But even I had to admit they looked like I'd been through some kind of nuclear disaster.

"It's a rash," I explained uselessly.

"I see that," Theo replied. "From what?"

Festos looked at him like he was nuts. "Really, Thesi? From this. All the stress she's been under." He shook his head. "If that's on your outside, I hate to think what your insides are like."

My insides were confused, angry, and seemed to have put spring on hold. But all I said was, "I could put some Calamine lotion on them."

Festos snorted. "Unless you're gonna brine your arms in a barrel of it for a few days, I'm doubting that's the fix. Why not take one night off? Get out and blow off steam. Actually enjoy yourself. You can talk to Kai tomorrow."

I raised an eyebrow. "At which point we'll have five days until I face Zeus and Hades. What if I have to sit outside Kai's door for two days until he opens up, huh? The clock is ticking here."

Festos cocked his head and looked at me. "What if I could guarantee that he'd speak to you? Tomorrow. Would you let me get you out of your head for one night?"

I stood up, more than ready to end this ridiculous conversation and get back to working on Kai. "How are you going to do that, Miracle Max?"

Festos and Theo did more of that wordless communication thing. It was highly annoying.

Festos looked at Theo. "It's her birthday," he said.

More meaningful glances with zero explanation.

I threw my hands up, turned, and walked toward to my room.

"Magoo," Theo called out after me before I'd gotten far.

I stopped and half-turned back. "What?"

"He's right. Celebrate your birthday tonight, like any other seventeen-year-old. It'll do more good than harm. Tomorrow we'll amp up with a vengeance. All of us. Including Kai."

I exhaled heavily. Then weighed the pros and cons. On one hand, I was very aware of how little time we had left. On the other, if Festos could guarantee that Kai would speak to me tomorrow, that would make the whole "putting the past behind us" process much much easier.

I scratched at my arms, then growled as I caught myself. Fee was right. I was a mess. Meditation hadn't worked. Focusing on what lay ahead hadn't either. And I had read about soldiers playing paintball to blow off steam, pump up adrenaline, let go of anger, and generally bond. Which would be perfect. "We could play paintball," I suggested.

"We could not," Festos replied, aghast. "Get ready to shake your booty, because we're dressing you up and taking you to the most exclusive club in the universe."

"Nyx?" Theo groaned.

"Nyx," Festos confirmed, beaming at me. "It's going to blow your mind."

Two hours later I wanted to blow my brains out. Did that count?

You're going to be a laughingstock. That little pep talk was the fifth one of its kind I'd heard in the past little while. Persephone's voice-in-my-head was on a roll, creatively magnifying all sorts of deep-seated insecurities. The fact that I'd already tried on every outfit I owned and failed to feel fabulous in any of them so did not help the situation.

Not to mention, Festos met each new ensemble with a variety of "ick" faces. He allowed me a dinner break without letting up on his constant chattering criticism of my utterly lacking fashion sense.

"Don't you have anything a little less ... teen prom?" he asked, staring doubtfully at my latest pairing of a blue strappy number with a pouffy skirt. Over top of which, I'd added a red cardigan, since I was super self-conscious about my arms.

"My wardrobe is fine," I snapped. "I was a student. Not a club kid." I perked up as I heard Theo call out, "Incoming with Saul." Saul was his nickname for Hannah.

I grinned, pushed away from the table and skipped over to her. The two of us burst into gleeful shrieks while jumping up and down holding hands. Yup, totally channeling our inner eleven-year-olds here.

It had been almost a month since we'd seen each other. For the two of us, having grown up at boarding school together, that felt magnified by dog years. Students weren't allowed cell phones at Hope Park, and our Skype time had been limited. Seeing Hannah now? It was like having my other half back with me.

A piercing whistle cut through the noise of our reunion.

We glanced at Theo, whose arms were laden with dresses. "Where do you want these?"

Hannah and I exchanged a wordless look, in which we communicated an entire pros and cons discussion of leaving the clothes in the living room versus the bathroom versus the bedroom.

"Bedroom," we said in unison.

I felt somewhat smug that I had a silent psychic buddy, too.

Theo dutifully headed off with everything.

Hannah enveloped me in a giant hug. "Happy birthday, Kitten." Her eyebrows rose as her hand brushed my bicep. She gave it a squeeze. "And hello, Warrior Princess."

I flexed for her as we broke apart. "Me of all people, right?"

"We live in strange times," she said gravely.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough chit chat. More presents for pretty girls," I said.

She waved me off. "Later. Maybe."

I was so getting a present.