“He had her pressed against a fucking wall with his hands all over her. If I hadn’t walked up—”
“I would have kicked his ass,” I declare. “I was trying to handle it diplomatically.”
“Fuck that.” Armin shoves up his sleeves. “I’m going to kill him.”
Even Rupert, who hasn’t said a word, looks distressed and ready to take up a pitchfork.
“Stop!” I shout. “Not you, too! Gods, you guys don’t get it. I can handle this—Luke—on my own. He’s nothing. Just a stupid kid. You’re the ones that are making me crazy, running off half-cocked, getting into fights and injuring my classmates. You’re this close to blowing our mission. Do you want to go back and tell Dylan and the other guardians you screwed up because you were worried about me?”
Armin and Agis both avert their eyes to the floor.
Rupert finally speaks. “I think the Guardians understand protecting the female in their life, Hildi. Morgan is strong. Epically so, yet they’ll do anything to keep her safe.”
“But Morgan is their…” I swallow the words. “It’s not the same.”
Armin steps forward. “No one is messing with you, Hildi. Not an ally or a foe. Not the prince of gods-damned Hell.” He touches my chin and forces me to look at him. “Understand?”
I nod, feeling overwhelmed and confused, because the truth is…I don’t think I understand what just happened at all.
28
Hildi
“Mythology has been foretelling the apocalypse since the beginning of time. All societies have their version of how the end will take place. Some think a plague, others a war with a trickster god and giants, even more believe in the four horsemen. I have no idea what form the apocalypse will arrive in, but I do know we have these stories to use as lessons for the future.” Armin stands in front of a screen that slowly reveals images of classic apocalypse scenes. He flips past one detailing the Norse version, Ragnarok, and my breath catches in my throat. No one wants to battle the Frost Giants, including me. “Another thing that is certain is the gods love to meddle in our affairs. I tend to view these stories as breadcrumbs left by prophets, visionaries, and maybe a few gods themselves. During our sessions we will examine each of the major apocalyptic myths. You never know what information will come in handy.”
Armin’s class is the most serious so far, and although he’s invested in the topic, he knows the importance of what he’s teaching. The end of times are coming, and we’re the only ones that can stop it. I am a little surprised he’s talking so freely about the horsemen in class, but he’s a strategist, there must be a greater purpose. Maybe someone will slip up and reveal some information we need. I stay quiet and listen.
I stop by the communal bathroom on my way to my room. There’s a girl standing by the sink. She’s tiny with pink hair. She looks over and I recall seeing her on campus.
“Hi,” she says, brightly. “Hildi, right? I’m Elizabeth. We met on the first day.”
Vaguely. “Sure, hi.”
“Armin’s class was interesting today, don’t you think?” she asks, pumping out soap from the container affixed to the wall. “Not many people want to discuss the apocalypse directly but basically everyone here is focused on it. I like that he didn’t hold back.”
?
??He’s a pretty blunt guy.”
Her eyes connect with mine in the mirror. “Do you know him? Like, personally?”
“No, I mean, he’s my instructor. Like you.”
Her shoulders drop. “Oh, right. Makes sense. I guess he is pretty blunt. And smart. I’ve already told him I want to be on his side of things when the stone is found.”
“Aren’t we all going to be on the same side?” I ask.
She laughs and gives me a look like I may be stupid. “You never know someone’s true intentions until the apocalypse starts. People may think it’s a good idea, but they’ll wimp out in the end. They may lose their minds before it even starts.” She takes a shirt and hangs it in the closet. “Personally, I think this is all a big setup by the gods. There’s no way everyone here is on the same side. That’s way too easy.”
Professor Christensen basically said the same thing. The gods want to be entertained. We’re their Must See TV.
“So you’d flip to whatever side Armin is on?” I ask, feeling like this is a risky statement to make.
“Any of the Immortals,” she says. “They’re coming in here with the most damage. Years of fighting as slaves with reinstated souls. Who knows where they’ll wind up?”
The thought makes me sick to my stomach. If the Immortals flipped sides? Well, the Upperworld would be lost for good.
“So where do you think the Stone is located?” she asks suddenly.