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

But she says sheтАЩs seen proof.

The black edges come back just as Mom finally swipes me across 31



the nose. And ouch, does it hurt. That shakes me out of it and I bolt up, ignoring the tingling dizziness in my brain.

тАЬIтАЩm fine, really.тАЭ I bat away a few of the bright yellow bugs swarming around my head before I realize these are only in my mind. Knowing Mom and Damian and the gurney-pushing warrior princess would have a field day with this, I close my eyes and take three deep breaths before saying, тАЬI donтАЩt need a gurney, you can call Xena off.тАЭ

тАЬWho?тАЭ Mom asks, clearly not up on her TV culture.

тАЬNot Xena,тАЭ Damian explains. тАЬZenos. Our yacht captain.тАЭ

Somehow, it is only a minor relief to find out that he knows some fictional characters are actually not real.

тАЬSorry,тАЭ I say. тАЬMy bad.тАЭ For the time being, I think itтАЩs better to just play along. I can talk some sense into Mom laterтАФwhen weтАЩre alone. тАЬIтАЩve got it now.тАЭ I open my eyes, relatively certain I can maintain consciousness for the moment. тАЬXena, not real. Zeus, real.

Check.тАЭ

Mom and Damian exchange one of those I-donтАЩt-think-the-poor-child-is-buying-it looks. TheyтАЩre not far off. Who can blame me, what with the idea that the Greek gods really exist still ricocheting through my brain? I deserve at least a little wiggle room when it comes to confusing reality with fiction. Maybe if I approach it with a little scientific logic, Mom will see how crazy all of this is.

тАЬSo, what does this mean?тАЭ I ask, rubbing my temple to make it look like IтАЩm really considering believing all this. тАЬAre the students all immortal?тАЭ

тАЬNo, no, of course not. Immortality is reserved for the gods,тАЭ he says with a little laugh. As if thatтАЩs the most absurd idea floating 32



around. тАЬWe descendants are more like the heroes of ancient legend. Like Achilles and Prometheus, we have some, ah-hem, supernaturalтАФтАЭ

тАЬWhoa,тАЭ I interrupt. тАЬWe?тАЭ

тАЬDamian is a descendant, as well,тАЭ Mom says.

I close my eyes and take a deep, deep breath. This just keeps getting better. тАЬAll right.тАЭ I wave my hands at myself as if to say, Bring it on. тАЬYouтАЩre like heroes. . . ?тАЭ

тАЬYes,тАЭ he continues. тАЬLike those you may have read about, we have varying degrees of supernatural powers. In most descendants the powers manifest pre-adolescence, though there are cases in which they remain dormant until after puberty.тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs really quite amazing,тАЭ Mom says, bubbling with enthusiasm.

тАЬThere are apparently built-in controls to protect the rest of the world, with the gods monitoring all use ofтАФтАЭ

I tune out. I mean, Mom seems honestly convinced and, until recently, IтАЩve always trusted her judgment, but this isnтАЩt exactly the kind of thing thatтАЩs easy to accept. Like I can suddenly decide that everything IтАЩve ever learned about the Greek gods is not just some fluff story English teachers make you learn. No, itтАЩll take more than DamianтАЩs say-so to move the Greek gods from the fairy-tale land of Santa Claus, werewolves, and Cinderella into everyday reality.

But even if IтАЩm not a believer in тАЬalternative realities,тАЭ as Nola calls them, IтАЩm willing to keep an open mind. Sure, IтАЩll believe theyтАЩre real. Just as soon as I see one. . . .

тАЬWell, well,тАЭ the girl who just appeared next to Damian says. тАЬI see the barbarians have arrived.тАЭ When I say appeared, I donтАЩt mean she walked up and there she was by his side. No, she appeared. As in 33