Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

there??

?No. This is the part where you mind your own business and eat

your dinner,? Helen said, sounding exactly li

ke a mom.

?Good! Another bullet dodged,? he said with a smile, and asked

for seconds of Noel?s potatoes au gratin.

The rest of the evening went along as well as Helen could have

hoped, until the end. Helen chatted with Jason, joked around with

Ariadne, and even spoke briefly with Pallas about his job as a museum

curator. Up to that point, Pallas had seemed cold, even hostile

toward her, but as soon as they started discussing painting, he

seemed to open up a bit. Helen was no expert, but she knew

enough about art to keep the conversation interesting. They were

both surprised to find that they shared similar tastes, and they had

a moment of mutual admiration while they discussed one of their

favorite painters. Helen was beginning to think that she and Pallas

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could get along, but after their exchange ended she saw him turn

away from her with a deep, distrusting frown.

Helen heard a merry jingling and turned when she felt a touch on

her arm.

?You can?t take it to heart,? Pandora said consolingly. ?Look, I

love all my brothers, but they can be huge jackasses sometimes.

Especially Pallas.?

?I just wish I knew what I did,? Helen said, frustrated.

?No, it?s not you! You didn?t do anything. All of this Scion crap

has been going on for a lot longer than you know.?

?Since the dawn of time, right?? Helen asked, trying to be humorous

even though she was still hurt by Pallas?s reaction.

?Yeah, right. In a literal sense that?s true, but in this family