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Chapter 20 - The Sweetest Nightmare

Chapter 20 – The Sweetest Nightmare

Weaver

The few weeks leading to the graduation ball were one of the most frustrating periods of my existence. And that was saying something. Normally, I'd give it a century before I'd let a stretch of punishment raise my hackles.

The last time I'd felt this aggravated was when Mother banished me for an era simply for introducing the screw to Archimedes. It had taken civilization several millennia before they'd discovered nails to replace interlocking boards. Zeus help me, but I couldn't wait another thousand years for them to conceive screws. I merely gave the Greek scholar a nightmare about crumbling structures and subtly placed a little metal fastener next to a scroll of an arithmetic spiral. Archimedes had figured it out. Unfortunately, so had Mother.

An eon wandering wingless in a desert of coffee beans instead of grains of sand—Mother knew my pet peeves—had been easier to stomach than finding out Markus had asked Selene to the prom.

I was planning to ask her myself.

I was.

Fine, I wasn't. But I had convinced myself to go to that blasted ball hoping I'd see her there. I would've asked her to dance with me. Or something. I'd never danced before. I'd watched a few videos to learn the basic steps.

But it was pointless to go now. It would be unbearable, too.

The last weeks were horrible. It was agonizing to watch Selene smiling while we had breakfast. She didn't gush like most females, but I knew why she was so happy. As a last-ditch effort, I had considered asking her to be my date even though I knew Markus was already taking her, but I didn't want to put her on the spot. Then Yvonne started talking about that damn dress and those cursed shoes. Hades, Markus was such a slick bastard.

I'd stayed away from Selene the past week. If I hadn't, I might've done something stupid. Like buy her glass slippers and rent a pumpkin carriage—although I wasn't sure where I could get those. I'd probably ask Father. Or Archimedes.

I was stunned when Markus called me earlier and said he couldn't make it to the ball. He said that he had a tux at home that could fit me and if I didn't mind, I could take Selene instead. I started to feel dizzy. Then I heard a girl giggling in the background. I saw red.

"What the fuck do you mean??!!" I roared at my brother.

"Sorry, Ice. My hands are tied here. You can handle this," the asshole replied before he hung up.

Fucking douchebag should drown in Acheron then be buried in Tartarus after he'd been mauled by Cerberus.

I looked at my watch. The prom started half an hour ago.

I didn't have time to dress up.

I also didn't want to wear Markus' tux. It stank of that dickhead.

I tried calling Selene, but she wasn't picking up. I told Francis in a series of cusses what his dipshit brother did. Styx, I detested blaspheming like the mortals, but I was so upset I couldn't help it.

I saw Francis try to contact Selene. I got my bike and rode as fast as I could to the Fishers. Times like these, I terribly missed my wings.

Helen, Selene's mother, answered the door. She said Selene was at the park. She probably saw the confusion on my face and she added, "She's in jeans. I don't think she wants to go to the prom anymore."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. I wasn't apologizing for my brother, but I was sorry Selene had to go through this disappointment. It wasn't her fault Markus was a prick.