"Oh My Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tera Lynn Childs)

Damian leads Mom to a bench seat on one side of the rear deck and I head for the opposite bench. Hopefully this boat ride will be less earthquake-like than the last, and I donтАЩt want my potential calm disturbed by disgusting baby talk or anything.

I think IтАЩm out of hearing distance.

Not that Damian respects my isolation.

I rest my head against the back of the bench and start to close my eyes when he moves into the seat next to me. Prying one eye open to glare at him, I ask, тАЬYeah?тАЭ

Mom is sitting on the other side of him.

тАЬPhoebe, there is something you need to know before we arrive at Serfopoula.тАЭ He folds his hands carefully in his lap. тАЬAre you familiar with PlatoтАЩs Academy?тАЭ

The big philosophy school where a bunch of old Greek guys got together to talk about intense stuff like the origin of life and what kind of poison worked best? тАЬYeah.тАЭ

тАЬWell,тАЭ Damian continues, тАЬthere is more to the AcademyтАЩs history than most textbooks contain. In the sixth century, the Roman emperor Justinian issued an edict demanding the Academy be closed and forbade formal philosophical education. The . . . ah-hem . . . benefactors of the school were not prepared to see it closed so they moved it here. To Serfopoula.тАЭ

I donтАЩt know Damian real well, but I think itтАЩs not typical for him to ah-hem in the middle of a sentence. He seems like a very formal 26



guy who keeps his speech squeaky clean. Still, I think I should just ignore this observation and instead say, тАЬJustinian must have been pissed when he found out they disobeyed his orders.тАЭ

тАЬHe never found out.тАЭ Damian swallows hard. тАЬThe . . . ah-hem . . .

benefactors kept the knowledge from him.тАЭ

There is something strange in the way he says this. Something ominous.

It must have been hard to keep a Roman emperor and every tattletale who would rush to tell him from finding out. Maybe these benefactors murdered anyone who found out and buried them in the school basement. I get shivers at the thought and I have to ask,

тАЬHow?тАЭ

тАЬWell, Phoebe.тАЭ Damian looks over his shoulder at Mom, who nods in encouragement. тАЬThere is little the Greek gods can not do when they choose to act.тАЭ

27



C H A P T E R 2

MY FIRST THOUGHT IS, Damian is insane. Like crazy, nuts, messed-up-in-the-head insane. As if Greek gods really exist.

They are myth. Myth, as in the kind of stuff you read about in sophomore English with guys killing their dads and marrying their momsтАФ ew, and I think my life is gross. As in, the kind of stuff you see Brad and Orlando duking it out over on the big screenтАФyum.

Not the kind of stuff the man my mom married fully believes in.

I look at Mom, ready to express my sympathies and assure her I am ready to head back to America and that we can sort the divorce out once we get there. But sheтАЩs not freaking out.

SheтАЩs nodding.