My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy) (19 page)

“That’s my cue to go,” Cassie said, rising. “I want to put this all behind me, not learn more.”

“Don’t think you can,” Theo said gently. “It’s not going to turn off.”

She shrugged. “A well deserved rest then. I’m going upstairs to see if my roommate Jessica remembers me again. My life is going to take a bit of straightening out.” With a final thank you, she left.

“Back to the chain—” Theo began.

“It was personal to you. Because of what Zeus did with it,” Hannah offered.

“Yes, but—”

“And the fact that you’re still here, using it instead of it using you, is proof that you won that battle,” I finished proudly.

“Whose story is this?” he asked.

We gave him meek looks begging forgiveness. It worked not at all, but he did explain what he meant.

“It’s like this. Everything you said may be true, but this isn’t about me. It’s about what that asshole is using my chain for. You know Hades was poisoned, right?”

We nodded.

“He’s vulnerable right now. More so than ever before. Now, think about it. If you were Kai and you hated your dad and you came across a magic chain that could bind him up, allowing you to say, stuff him in a magically enclosed cave, what would you do?”

“Steal it,” Hannah groaned.

“Right,” Theo continued. “And his accomplice would appear to be … ?”

“Ah,” Hannah replied.

Theo gave a tight smile.

Despite the fairly conclusive evidence, I really didn’t want it to be true. Was everything Kai told me a lie? “But why stick around? Why not just steal the chain beforehand?”

“He couldn’t take it from me. The chain and I are, pardon the pun, bound to each other. My willingly turning it over to the dragon changed that.”

“And of course, Kai would know.” Hannah shot me a sympathetic look. “Sorry, honey, but it looks like he really did betray you.”

“He left me to die.” I couldn’t get my head around that. “I mean, even if I did sort of understand why he took the chain, he still needs me for his grand plan.”

“But he doesn’t,” Theo pointed out gently. “Kai gets rid of Hades, he’s in charge. He doesn’t want world domination. Earth doesn’t matter. It’s like I told you, he was raised to care about the Underworld. And once he rules it, with all its minions, he’ll either take on Zeus himself or just be happy with what he’s got.”

“He never cared much about Zeus,” I murmured. “That was me.” I stood up jerkily. “I’vegottago,” I mumbled, fleeing in a rush.

Drama queening, I know. But be fair. Kai and Persephone had had this grand romance. They (we?) defied everything to be together; I’m not talking feuding families, but all-out war. For whatever reason, I still felt remnants of Persephone’s feelings for him, coupled with my own. Whatever those were.

And if that didn’t convince you, then give me a break. I was sixteen and the dude had done me wrong. Big time.

All I wanted at that moment was to bury myself under the covers and eat chocolate until I passed out.

An arm slammed me into the wall. “Oops.” Bethany stood there, oozing malice.

Despite the fact that both students and teachers were in the hallway, no one noticed what she’d done. Or they didn’t care. Maybe they were so used to her bullying me that it failed to register.

So while no one was coming to my aid, they’d sure notice if I eviscerated her skinny ass. I was going to start wearing a T-shirt that read “highly unfair.”

Bethany leaned in toward me. “I know your little secret, Persephone.”

Great. That answered that question. “Like you don’t have any. I wasn’t the one who went along with Delphyne’s plan to keep Cassie hostage. Not to mention, she killed Mrs. Rivers. Or did that not matter so long as you got what you wanted?”

Shockingly, Bethany showed a moment of remorse at the news about Mrs. Rivers. “I didn’t know about that,” she said. “And I didn’t go willingly. I didn’t know what had happened.” Her gaze turned flinty. “But am I sorry for what I got? Not. At. All. I’m going to make your life a living hell.”

“Did you not see what I was capable of?”

Bethany smiled coyly at a group of guys who practically ran into the wall in their desire to ogle her. “Yeah, but we’re on my turf now.”

“Because I don’t go here?”

A group of girls ranging from much younger than us to a couple of seniors, sidled over. One shyly waved at Bethany as the rest hung around waiting for her to notice them.

She held her finger up imperiously in a “one minute” gesture. “All these students? They love me. And they’ll do anything I want them to. Every single day. What are you going to do? Kill them all?”

She leaned in close. “Popular trumps everything. Even goddess. And I’m eternally popular now.” Her expression hardened. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten your lame attempts to get my boyfriend,” she tossed out. “Hands off.”

If she found him, she could keep him. They deserved each other. His betrayal knifed through me again, the pain fresh.

It fueled my supreme pissed-offness.

I smiled at her with a menacing glitter. “You’re forgetting one thing. I don’t have to kill everyone. I don’t even have to kill you.” Calmly, I moved a lock of her hair out of her face.

“Mess with me and I’ll scar your face so badly you’ll be begging hobos for affection.” I shot my gaze down to her tattooed arm. “Especially if I also rip your magicked up arm from its socket and blast it into dust. No charm, no looks.”

I flicked the tip of her nose. “Nothing.”

With that, I spun on my heel and walked off.

“Ms. Bloom.”

Jeez, was I never going to get upstairs to my self-pity party? I braced myself, plastered a smile on my face, and turned to face Principal Doucette. “Yes?”

“Your mother is here. I saw her outside as I drove up.”

For a second, I thought he meant Demeter. “What?”

“Felicia. She’s out front.”

This could not be happening. I’d battled a dragon, saved lives, and been royally backstabbed. Hadn’t I suffered enough?

I guess those thoughts showed because Doucette arched an eyebrow. “Manners, Sophie.”

“Yes, Principal Doucette,” I sighed. I backtracked to the front door, located in the foyer beside the offices.

It wasn’t a particularly grand foyer or anything. Red and white tiles were supposed to convey a cheerful first impression. There was a large board cluttered with announcements and posters and a couple of armchairs. I longed to just sink into one of them and rest.

Instead, I pushed my way out the heavy wood door. Something red fluttered in the wind, down at the end of the drive. Felicia. Standing there in her favorite red dress, having a smoke. Way to role model, mom.

I started down the drive toward her, wrapping my arms around myself for warmth. I was dressed for “cute,” not weather. What could have brought her here? Unless she’d decided that I
was
on drugs when I’d phoned her the day after my memories awakened and had come to drag my butt into some kind of twelve step program.

Trust Felicia to take a few weeks before doing anything about her daughter’s addiction, if that was the case.

Even though I headed for Felicia, it took me a while to reach her because she was all the way down by the main road from town, which bisected the school. Not bothering to look for me at all. Typical behavior from her. My bet was she was indulging in a bout of passive-aggressiveness, making me hike out to her as a petty way of voicing her displeasure for having to deal with me at all.

Finally, I reached her. She blew a plume of smoke in my direction, which I not-so-subtly waved away.

“Yes?” I asked, testily.

“What? No hug?”

Gritting my teeth, I stepped into her embrace. “Not so tight,” I said. Even if she was mad, she didn’t need to crush me.

“All the better to take you with, my dear.”

I stiffened. The voice that had hissed in my ear had not been Felicia’s. I shot up into the sky, tight in the arms of a disguised Gold Crusher.

Panic filled my chest. I was so tired and mad that I’d failed to pay attention to the line demarcating school property and, therefore, Theo’s wards.

Okay, the fall might kill me, but letting him take me anywhere would be the more painful option. I focused my light at the guy but was blasted with electricity before I could do harm.

“I don’t think so,” he snarled.

The pain and crazy body spasming distracted me for the rest of the journey.

The Photokia landed hard on the ground and dropped me roughly at his feet.

I was in an enormous white and gold hallway. Sunshine kissed my skin at the perfect temperature and the sky outside was royal blue.

I’d been here before. I knew this place. I was back in Olympus.

And I was not alone.

I looked up until I found myself staring into the cold eyes of Zeus. Weakly, I pushed onto my feet, not that five-foot-five was any kind of advantage when faced with a twenty-foot god, but we do what we can in these situations.

He eyed me up and down. “Hello, daughter,” he rumbled. “You’re shorter than I remember.”

End Of Book One

And now for a few...

Acknowledgments

The first barrel of gratitude goes to my friend Sarah, without whom this novel would not exist. Thank you so much for all our Persephone talks and for your encouragement to run with the idea.

Huge love, as always, for my story editors. In this case, the lovely and talented Elissa, Sam, Frances, Corey, Deb, and Lynn. All of you helped to make this the book it is today. And no, I don’t mean that in a threatening way. (Necessarily ... heh heh ... )

Also many thanks to all of my family, friends, and total strangers who were so incredibly supportive with the launch of my first book
Sam Cruz’s Infallible Guide to Getting Girls.
None of you told me to keep my day job. Plus you laughed in all the spots that were actually supposed to be funny. With me not at me. Big hugs to you all for that.

Finally, though, my deepest thanks and the dedication of this book goes to my beloved daughter. Deciding that enough was enough, she put her foot down and insisted that if her mom was going to ignore her (I mean fall under the creative spirit), then it better be for a book that she was allowed to read. So thank you, my little dictator darling, for not only your request, but all your millions of suggestions which kept me “on track.” Seriously though, you are my joy, my delight, and I’m thrilled to have written this for you.

The Fun Continues...

Sophie Bloom’s junior year has been a bit of a train wreck. After the world’s greatest kiss re-awakened Sophie’s true identity as Persephone (Goddess of Spring and Savior of Humanity), she fought her dragon-lady guidance counselor to the death, navigated mean girl Bethany’s bitchy troublemaking, and dealt with the betrayal of her backstabbing ex Kai (sexy Prince of Darkness). Now you’d think a girl could catch a break.

Yeah, right.

After everything that’s happened, Sophie still has no clue how to fulfill her destiny. If only she could somehow retrieve her memories of being Persephone! So when Aphrodite strikes a deal that can unlock Sophie’s pre-mortal past, what choice does the teen goddess have but to accept?

The mission: stop media mogul Hermes from turning Bethany into a global mega-celebrity. The catch? Aphrodite partners Sophie and her rat of an ex, Kai, to work together … and treat this suicide mission as a date.

Add to that the fact that BFF Theo’s love life and other BFF Hannah’s actual life are in Sophie’s hands, and suddenly being a teenager—even a godlike one—seems a bit like … well, Hell. Whatever happened to dinner and a movie?

The romantic comedy/Greek mythology fireworks continue to fly in
My Date From Hell
.

Breaking up is easy; dating is deadly.

About the Author

Tellulah Darling

noun

1) YA novelist

2) Alter ego of a professional screenwriter/instructor

3) Sassy minx

Geeks out over: cool tech.

Squees for: great storytelling.

Delights in: fabulous conversation.

Writes about: where love meets comedy, flavored with pop culture. Awkwardness ensues.

Check out her other books, drop her an email, or help her procrastinate in some other amazingly time consuming way at:
www.tellulahdarling.com
.