Chapter 175

POV Dante

"Of course I know. You make sure to remind me,"

"Good."

I finished the conversation with a stern glance at Jaxon. He interpreted it as a lost battle and headed to the sofa. Cole had already exhausted his strength by scolding the act of lying down in the living room without taking a shower, so he also accepted the invitation to watch the series.

I would join in after I took a shower.

"Dante…"

Gray's murmured voice stopped me from leaving the room.

"Gray."

"Why did you give me a violin? I didn’t have one in my room."

I stared at her, undecided. She sipped her coffee, trying to hide her emotions.

"Don’t you play anymore?" Her head shake was a clear response. "Not even the piano?"

"I was never very good. You used to listen."

I exhaled arrogantly through my nose.

"Then I must have been hearing poorly because I never thought you were bad. In fact, I always liked listening to you play." Emília swallowed hard. Oxygen began to disappear, feeling insufficient for what she needed.

"Do you still read Shakespeare’s books?" she murmured like it was a secret.

"Are you telling me you stopped reading them?"

"Everything that connected me to you became too painful, Dante."

"Even if you loved it?"

Her sad smile caught me off guard.

"This is how I feel about you. It wouldn’t be different with those small things."

I didn’t want what she said to seep into me because, in some parts of me, it hurt more than I wanted. I had gotten used to seeing people die, but I hadn’t come to terms with the fact that I had killed a beautiful part of Emília.

"Do you want to relive memories from the past?" My tone came out in higher octaves than usual, with an exasperated ring.

"I came to ask you not to try to make that room a home for me."

"Are you afraid of getting attached?"

"There’s nothing about you that makes me want to attach, Dante. Your demons aren’t attractive to me anymore."

I gritted my teeth.

The impact of her words hit like ice against any heat I might have been feeling in her presence.

My angels protect your demons.

Our conversation when we were younger still echoed in my ears every day like a favorite melody. But between us now, it was a farce.

"I’m not trying to make my home your home," I spat. "I’m easing your humiliation. But fine, maybe a bitch deserves better treatment than you."

Her face showed the shock. Immediately, I wanted to take back every damn word I had spat, but my pride was heavier.

"Clean the blood of the people you killed, Dante, before it’s too late and you’re stained forever on your clothes," she declared, like an internal warning, masked in threats and curses.

I watched as Emília said goodbye to the guys, as if they were better than me, as if none of them had been on that mission too, killing and torturing every victim, and went to her room, which one day might be her tomb or the reminder of my death.

***

POV Emília Gray

“Olympus was a storm on game days. The tsunami of students shouting and dancing all the way to the field across the campus drove me crazy.

It was the day the Olympians were going to play. Asher's team was a gathering point for all the girls in town—and from nearby places as well—who flocked together just to see them. However, what made this game even more special was for another reason: Daniel was going to play.

Both Kayleen and I were excited. Not for our University's team, but for the opponent team, where our friend Daniel was studying and playing football on a scholarship. It was rare that they visited us, and vice versa, so we grabbed any opportunity to meet up, the three of us.

"I'm so excited!" Penélope exclaimed, wearing her Olympians shirt, the black and white stripes with Zeus' lightning bolt on the chest marking the Olympus signature.

Our University was shaped by Greek mythology. Even the buildings resembled ancient temples, with beige columns and intentionally decorated ruins that projected the feeling of living under Zeus' dominion.

We lived near Fokley, a town that had a significant Greek influence. Olympus had become almost a center for that culture, and the University was a way of paying homage.

"You've said that three times already," Kayleen grumbled.

"And I'll say it again. Aren't you guys excited?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"Ugh. I forgot you're from the opposing team. Traitors!" she yelled.

"We're not from the opposing team. We're just supporters of one player: Daniel," Kayleen explained slowly.

"I can't believe you’re his best friends. How did that happen?"

Cullbert shrugged, but I didn’t buy the conversation.

"He had a huge crush on Kay. I still think he does."

"That's a lie. At sixteen, he started hooking up with every girl who walked in front of him," Kayleen justified.

"Because you didn't want him. Always with the 'I don’t fall in love' and 'I don't want anyone in my life,' and all those other lies, so he gave up."

"Then, he's weak. If I liked someone, I would do much more than never say how I feel."

"But maybe it’s because you guys were friends since you were little," Penélope commented. We were reaching the end of the campus, entering the area where the highest concentration of people resided. "He didn’t want to ruin that."

"I agree."

Cullbert stuck out his tongue.

"You guys always talk nonsense. I need new friends." Penélope acted indignantly while I just laughed. Kayleen was like an old grumpy man, but she loved the people around her.

"Stop it. You're the one who doesn't want to accept your love story," Penélope warned.

"Me? Who's the girl in love with the biggest jerk I know? Not me, definitely. And don’t say it’s Lia."

Penélope blinked, channeling a robot. Her feet seemed like they were about to sprout roots into the ground if she stood still as a statue.

"You guys…"

"Of course, I know, Penélope," Kayleen interrupted. "You're easy to read. Your eyes sparkle when you see that idiot Van Doren. You almost swallow the son of a bitch."

Her fingers intertwined, and my lungs breathed cement. I couldn’t believe her body language was already dependent on all the love hormones generated by Cole.

"Don’t tell anyone."

"Of course not."

"Give up, Penélope," I suddenly declared, making her look at me questioningly.

"I’ll have to agree with Lia. He’s a jerk."

"He’s nice to me," Penélope contradicted. "But nothing’s going to happen. He’s like Kay. Focused on fighting and school."

"Is Cole a fighter?" That was new to me.

"Exactly. Another reason not to want him. Imagine dating me? Hell," Kay added.

"Yeah…" Her whisper was carried away by the crowd walking in the same direction. "You’re right."

I couldn’t map her expression to figure out if there was a secret locked inside, since Penélope turned and continued toward the entrance to the field.

I would have to talk to Cole, though my friend wouldn’t like it. But I would believe that none of the Faceless Faces intended to get involved with anyone, even if they were just regular people in the eyes of others. If anything happened, the people involved would be hurt, and Penélope couldn’t be one of them. I was already a target. No one else could be in the same limbo.

We entered in search of good seats in the stands. We climbed the stairs, passing by long legs and feet of certain people, in an endless search for three free benches. Most people were euphoric, just like the entire journey to the field. It wasn’t an important game, like an elimination or a final. It was just another one of those ego games that colleges organize to see who has the strongest team. Or, simply, a training session for the public.

However, Fokley and Olympus were rivals, so the atmosphere was like gasoline, and the slightest spark would make it explode.

"They're going to start coming in," Penélope told us excitedly.

Kayleen didn’t like it at all, especially when the girl with dark hair, angular eyes, and red lips took breaths from the crowd.

Arya Li Huang.

She had been our best friend. We were a trio, but her idea of exposing my secrets when we were younger made us fragment into a duo, and she left, moving to Germany months later.

It had been a childish betrayal, one I never got a concrete answer for, but it wasn’t something that made me angry.

Kayleen was the opposite.

She had suffered a much greater pain than I did, and even after almost a decade, her rage toward Arya was still observed from a distance. I didn’t believe it was just because of what happened. There was some story behind it. A background I hadn’t deciphered, but I never asked because I knew Kayleen would only tell lies.

"My God, she’s so beautiful," Penélope said. "Sorry, Kay."

"But she looks like an angel."

"Of course, she does," Kay muttered.

"None of our cheerleaders compare to her."

It was true.

Arya was the best in the country. No doubt about it. Her team was led by Li Huang. The countless medals and trophies for best performance, best solo, and many other categories were framed in her house.

However, she was our opponent. Arya was a student at Fokley, just like Daniel.

"I have nothing to say," Cullbert grumbled, but Penélope hugged her from the side.

"But of course, nothing compares to you."

I laughed, and Kayleen rolled her eyes, almost out of orbit. However, as soon as we refocused on the field, the mountain of muscle we were looking for was centered in our view.

Both Kayleen and I stood up, shouting for Daniel. We didn’t care if they were staring at us like traitors. Our friend was the one who brought us here.

Daniel’s hearing was abnormal because, among so many voices, his body moved in search of us, scanning every inch of the stands until he found us. His smile and a wave from afar curved my mouth into a grin.

We watched the game, cheering for Daniel to win. However, the damn Asher and his team were just as good. It was unbelievable how Hawthorn was giving his all on the field, even though it was just a friendly game.

I hadn’t seen him so serious. His mouth was addicted to irritating and cracking jokes, but in this state, his anger was exposed in every damn step he took, staining the grass.

Asher Hawthorn was a giant. His ability to dodge, use his strength as if it were his limbs, and hold the ball like it was his heart in his hands was monstrous. He had displayed the talent to be the best on the field since he was little, but I never expected him to be.

Asher had trained for this.

"Fuck, he’s amazing," Kayleen whispered.

"They're going to have to hold back Daniel’s tears," Penélope laughed, amused.

Penélope was right."