Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy Belle Malory (highly recommended books .txt) 📖

And Grandpa, that old bastard, laughed with him. “The girl’s first time.” He proudly clapped me on the back, like it was a rite of freaking passage. The centaur nodded in understanding, then carried on about his business.

I didn’t get it—how could anyone be okay after that? Traveling through the portal was like walking through a tornado. Forces pulled from every direction, and it felt like being ripped apart from the inside out. When I landed on the port’s wooden dock, I was thankful to find my body whole and intact. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, then there was the port itself.

It was all true.

Grandpa and Dad hadn’t lied about this place’s existence, and if they hadn’t lied about that, it meant they were also telling the truth about our lineage. Not that I didn’t believe them before, because I did. Especially after seeing Grandpa’s fireball. The proof spoke for itself, but I hadn’t fully understood what it meant. Now I was being hit from every angle, and I couldn’t escape this new reality. That had more to do with my upset stomach than anything else.

Seeing was believing, and actually seeing this place with my own eyes felt like uncovering a hidden truth. A truth I’d known all along, deep down, but I didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Grandpa tucked my hair behind my ear. “Feeling better?”

I wiped cold sweat from my brow. “Define better.”

He gave a knowing smirk and set my suitcase down beside me. “Take it easy and rest here for a few minutes while I buy our tickets.”

He left Hazel and me alone while he weaved through the throngs of travelers to get to the ticket counter. Those who weren’t lined up to buy tickets were busy boarding the large blue and white boat anchored against the dock, Mythos Line Ferry sprawled in gold across its side.

I looked at Hazel over the brim of my bucket. She was busy scanning the port with a sense of calm about her, as if it were no big deal. And to her, it wasn’t. Hazel had grown up with the knowledge of what she was. If I’d known about it, I might be a completely different person today. I wouldn’t have tried so hard to be the perfect human, that’s for sure.

“Have you ever been here before?” I said, wondering what her life had been like.

She brightened at my attempt to start a conversation. The girl was definitely a talker. “A handful of times, but we’re technically not in Mythos yet. Just the port. Also, I haven’t been to all the islands—there are several—only Spring and Autumn.”

“Spring and Autumn?”

She narrowed her eyes on me. “You really don’t know anything about Mythos, do you?”

I shook my head. “I only learned of its existence last night. I thought gods and goddesses were supposed to live on Mount Olympus.”

She grinned and sat down on the bench next to me. It looked like she was about to catch me up to speed. “As much as we’d like to be actual gods, none of us are. It’s a word humans used to describe us, back when we were much more involved in their lives. Interesting fact—Mount Olympus does exist. It’s on Winter Island, but not many people live there. Nothing but snow, ice, a few monasteries, and the Mythonian prison. The mountain itself was said to be the first home of the gods. Legend has it, Zeus’s original lightning bolts are hidden inside its caverns.”

“What about the other islands?”

“Arcadia Academy is on Spring Island. It’s super secluded and enchanted with magical barriers to keep out unwanted beings. Mythonians are highly protective of their children.”

“Unwanted beings?”

“There are bad people here just as there are bad humans on the earthly plane.”

Bad humans—like me.

I swallowed, unable to help the thought. I wondered how long it would take to feel normal again. Or if I would ever feel normal. By the looks of this place, I shouldn’t count on it.

“Not to worry,” she said, mistaking my expression for unease. “You’ll never encounter any at Arcadia.”

“And Autumn Island?” I asked, trying to distract myself. “What’s there?”

“The capital. It’s a big city full of shops, and it’s also where the parliament buildings are located. That’s where we’re headed now, to petition the Fates for your academic enrollment, and then to get school supplies.”

I sat up straighter. The Fates—Grandpa mentioned them several times. “What are the Fates?”

“Three sisters, older than anyone else in Mythos. They remain neutral on all matters, and they can see the past, present, and future. They’ll decide whether or not you’re fit to study at the academy.”

If that was true and the Fates really could see the past, they would know how I ended up there. They would know about Riley. “What if they decide I’m not fit?”

“Don’t worry, they will. They never turn down anyone from an original bloodline.”

“Hazel,” I said, lowering my gaze. “I’ve done things…things I’m not proud of. The reason I’m here—”

“You don’t have to tell me,” she said, fidgeting on the bench next to me. The subject seemed to make her just as uncomfortable as it made me. “Your grandpa hinted things got a bit complicated at home.”

“An understatement,” I said under my breath.

“Look, you have Ares blood. Whatever you did, the Fates will find a way to include you.”

I wasn’t sure about that, but I hoped she was right.

“What about the other islands?” I pressed her to go on. The more she told me, the more I wanted to know. There was a whole life I’d missed out on, and I was fascinated by every detail.

“Summer is residential. Then there’s Fielders’ Island, where creatures like me live.” She paused to grin. “And Twilight Island, but its off limits to students.”

“Why?”

“There’s a street there called Folly Promenade that’s basically a Mythonian version of Bourbon Street. I’ve never been, but my parents say only fools looking for trouble go there.”

I remembered her