•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

She was the Greek goddess of vegetation,

The goddess of spring,

Wife to Hades.

Together, they rule the Underworld.

A daughter to Zeus and Demeter.

Beautiful maiden, Persephone.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

I hugged my books to my chest, biting my lip as I stared thoughtfully into my locker. This morning was the worst. I recalled the vague memory of sitting in Hunter's black car as we drove to school.

Dimitri sat by him in the passenger seat, leaving me to myself as they conversed. Okay, maybe it wasn't all that bad. At least Hunter ignored me, which was way better than any interaction we had. While Hunter was mean, Dimitri was sweet.

Every four minutes, Dimitri will ask me a simple question and I'll give him a simple answer. Other times, it escalated into a real conversation involving just the two of us. Hunter, on the other hand, never spoke or sent a glance my way.

I wasn't bothered though. Whatever I did to make him hate me was not my concern...for the meantime. I was more worried about Zion and the human-murdering spirit in him. Ever since we arrived, I haven't seen him or Pedro.

Are they okay? Is Aunt Callida aware of last night's incident? And what about Hunter?

Zeus' appearance brought even more questions. Why did he call me Pandora? And who's going to find me?

None of it made sense.

"Hey, Penny."

I jumped at Helena's voice, never noticing her arrival. I released a breath and lightly touched my chest. "Hi, Helena."

She watched me for a moment. "I'm very sorry I startled you."

Her brown hair fell in curls around her face and her bluish-green eyes seemed more prominent than ever. A cute handbag hanged at her side. You hardly see her without it.

I leaned against my locker and waved her concerns away. "It's nothing. I'm just feeling thoughtful today."

Helena adjusted the black bag on her shoulder. "I'm worried about Zion. I haven't seen him this morning and last night. I tried to call but he didn't pick."

Even after the humiliation she still comes back. I remembered Pedro's words after he knocked Zeus unconscious. "Zion wasn't feeling too well last night."

That second, Helena's face turned into pure concern. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine. Just some minor pains in his--"

"The kings are back, baby!" Pedro's voice boomed through the hallway.

Helena and I swiveled our heads in his direction. Near the entrance was a happy Pedro with his arms spread wide like he was welcoming a hug. He had a purplish bruise on his left eye.

What happened to him?

Zion stood to his left, his face neutral as he pocketed his fists. He also had a bandage wrapped around his head.

"Whoa, what the heck happened to both of you?" Hunter stood about five lockers behind me. Dimitri stood by his side like a bodyguard. I never realized their presence.

Hunter walked past without bumping my shoulder -- which was surprising enough -- and slapped hands with Pedro while giving a friendly punch to Zion's arm.

"How did you get past Aunt Callida?" He asked after noticing Zion's head bandage and Pedro's bruised eye.

Zion smirked. "It was a miracle if you ask--"

He was cut off when someone surprisingly hugged him. Judging from the empty air before me and the brown hair on the invader, I knew who she was. Helena wrapped her arms around Zion's slender waist, and she did it in front of everyone. It made a few students pause in their tracks.

Even Pedro was staring with wide eyes. Hunter didn't seem bothered. Zion was surprised but hesitantly hugged her back.

The interaction might seem normal, but I knew Helena's intent. She isn't any dumb girl to hug someone without an agenda. She was signaling Zion as hers, trying to keep the other girls away and she made it perfectly clear. Even though she and Zion aren't a couple, she acts like they are.

"It's nice to see you still breathing." I jumped at the sound of Pedro's voice over my ear. He stepped away and stood before me, his hands behind his back.

I watched him. "What happened to your eye?"

"Oh, this?" He gestured carelessly at the bruise. "Zion needed to make things even after I gave him a concussion."

I smiled. "Told you he won't let this go."

Pedro shrugged nonchalantly. I glanced at Zion and Helena. It was like taking possessiveness to a different level. Helena had both hands cupping Zion's face and they were talking in low tones. An additional act to seal the deal. But I notice a slight uneasiness in him. The hallway began its busy movement but some people still stared.

"Does Zion know what happened?" I couldn't look away from the two.

"Yeah. But in the meantime, I ask that you watch your back around him. We aren't sure when he'll get possessed and kill you. Zeus might not hesitate on the second round."

Great! Now my life is in danger.

"We must find a way to fix this," I said.
Right then, Zion's eyes snapped to mine. His expression was easy to read.

I'm sorry.

I smiled and gave a small nod. Pedro was right. This isn't just for my sake but Zion's. I don't think he'll ever forgive himself if he makes the death blow.

"We'll definitely fix this," Pedro answered. "Zion and I are working on it. For now, we want Hunter out of the loop."

I faced him with a quizzical look. "why?"

He shrugged. "Minor reasons you won't understand now."

I bet one reason is to prevent Hunter from worrying. They want to protect him from this kind of knowledge. Helena was gone now and Hunter was talking with Zion. They spoke animatedly with smiles on their faces.

Hunter hardly smiles except when he's with Dimitri or his brothers. In fact, Hunter has someone crushing on him and she's been stalking his every move.

I didn't have to scan much, but a few feet away by her locker was Phyllis. She had black hair with pink strips running through it. Her pink top was flawless with her black skirt and black flat shoes to match.

She seemed to be searching through her locker, but she was actually glancing at the younger triplet. A few of us had heard the rumor but some never believed nor cared. Then again, I must say she doesn't deserve him. Hunter was meaner than a drug dealer on drugs.

"You're thinking again, Sugar." Pedro brought me back to reality.

I looked at him. Did Pedro have a stalker? If he does, she might probably hate me.

"He called me Pandora." I shut my locker and held my books tighter to my chest.

Pedro creased his eyebrows. "Who?"

"Zeus."

His eyes rose in surprise before lowering them in thought. I could feel the wheels in his head turning -- even though his bruised eye had disfigured his face a bit.

He bit his lip and looked away. After three seconds, his eyes came back to mine. "Meet me in the Library at lunch."

I didn't get a chance to protest before he walked down the hallway to class.

Why does he want to go to a library? He never reads.

The bell rang, signaling the next lesson. I made a step but paused when I caught Gwen -- the quiet girl at the camp -- watching me. She adjusted her glasses and briskly walked down the hallway, her ginger hair bouncing.

Why does she keep staring? Am I missing something?

I sighed. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

I ignored it and went to class.

Is Gwen acting strange or what? Please don't forget to vote and comment.