First Lie || Deception Book I ||

Demigod

Tomorrow was the school field trip.

I sighed and rubbed at my temples. I still had fifteen tests to mark, and it was already seven. I glanced beside me to see Ally with her face buried in her science textbook.

It was now May, four months and a half since I'd started volunteering at Yancy.

Since then, nothing interesting had happened. Life at Yancy, as Mr. Brunner's assistant, was uneventful.

I'd befriended both Percy and Grover at the end of my first week at Yancy and was over at Yancy until dinner most days, helping Percy with the classes he struggled with, especially English and Latin.

I'd also gotten a job at the town bookstore, and worked shifts there for the day on Saturday.

Life at the orphanage was also uneventful, seeing that the only time I was ever there was to sleep or help Ally with stuff. We'd become very close friends. She'd even stood up to Olivia and her gang a couple of times, who, over the past weeks, had become even crueller and mean towards her.

Today was Sunday, and Ally and I were in the study, her studying for her finals, me grading some papers from a recent test that Percy and his classmates had completed when Olivia stalked in.

"Where's the rest of your devoted slaves, Olivia?" I asked, my eyes still on my paper.

"Out. You two, doing work, you nerds? Do you ever have anything better to do other than study? It's June. You know, warm sunny weather and plenty of boys?"

"In case you were wondering," I said flatly, "That makeup of yours isn't going to secure you a stable position in the economy and a future."

Olivia flushed. "Well, then I'll just have to rely on my other bountiful talents, then. Ones that you don't have."

To my surprise, Ally spoke up. "What, so you're going to be a stripper?"

I burst out laughing.

A small smile crossed Ally's face, her warm brown eyes shining with an inner light.

Olivia turned beet red, stepped forward, and slapped Ally on the face.

I jumped up, fingering my bracelet. You can't stab her, I chided myself. She's mortal. I was about to punch the living daylights out of Olivia when Ally grabbed my hand.

"Don't," she said. "You'll just make it worse."

I sighed in exasperation but sat back down, glaring at Olivia, who smirked.

"Allison, do you need Rianna to protect you all day? Hiding behind her back like a little mouse? Oh wait, you are one."

I looked at Ally. Her eyes were frosty and flickered with purple fire.

Wait, what?

Just then, the grapevine that was growing outside the window near us slithered into the room, latched itself on Olivia's neck, and tightened.

Olivia's eyes bulged and her mouth opened, gasping for air. I fought the urge to snicker. She looked like a fish. But then, I couldn't let Ally strangle Olivia to death. I lashed out with Pyrkagia and it flew through the air, slicing through the grapevine holding her, and she collapsed to the floor like a puppet. My whip slid back into the silver snake ring, and I turned to Ally.

She was standing there with her mouth open, a look of blatant horror on her face. Before I could say anything, she turned and jumped out the window.

"Ally!" I yelled, dashing across the room to the window. Looking out, I saw that she'd grown the vine and slid down it, taking off across the lawn of the orphanage. She grabbed her bike and rode off down the road, likely to town or the neighbouring forest around the orphanage. I sighed. Better to let her go off. I still have to deal with Olivia.