The roar of the amphitheater followed me outside, and my hair still smelled like smoke and honey and whatever else it was they'd pumped into that chamber.
My father spotted me first. His whole face split into a grin, and before I could so much as wave he was already striding forward, arms wide. "There she is! My girl!"
I was scooped into a hug so crushing I worried the laurel crown would fuse permanently to my skull. Not that I minded (the hug, not the fusing). His beard scratched against my temple as he squeezed tighter.
"You did it, Hec," he said. "I'm so proud of you."
He was emotional now. My giant, manly father was about to cry, and at the same time I was afraid that when he'd let go my mother would ask me what class I'd chosen and strike me down herself. Maybe if I stayed in his hug a moment longer she wouldn't get the chance.
"I, uh… thanks," I managed.
He pulled back, still grinning, wiping at one eye "So? How are you feeling? Excited? Nervous? Strong? All of the above?"
Behind him, my mother stood with her arms folded, watching in silence.
For a moment I thought she'd seen straight through me, that she was about to unleash holy retribution for daring to disobey. I braced myself for the hiss of her voice—Hecate, what have you done?—but instead she inclined her head ever so slightly. A nod of approval.
"You made the right decision," she said coolly. "I expected nothing less."
My stomach dropped. What?
The right decision? Approval? That wasn't in the script. My mother didn't do approval. She did disapproval, criticism, judgment from on high. So why did she look almost… pleased?
My heart lurched as a thought struck me. Wait. Was it possible she actually couldn't tell? Did the System automatically give everyone resting witch face? Had she just assumed I picked [Katarologa]?
Or was it something else?
Before I could think of a single way to spin this, a familiar voice cut through the crowd.
"Hey, Hec!" Perry jogged up the steps. "You killed it out there. Looked like a superstar."
I felt my face flushing. Fantastic. Everyone had seen me waving like I was queen of the amphitheater, and apparently it came off like I was basking in universal adoration.
"I wasn't—" I started, then shut my mouth. Denying it would just make it worse.
Thankfully Perry interrupted my suffering. He leaned closer. "Nice eyes, by the way. Though your old color was lovely too." He flashed me a quick smile. "Your mom must be happy."
Nice eyes?
Of course. The class must have still been aligned with Mēnē enough to give me the same mark as every other witch. Silver-white eyes. Just like my mother's. Which meant… she thought I'd picked it. She thought I'd obeyed.
So not only had I committed witch-class fraud, I'd accidentally forged divine paperwork to prove it. I guess Mēnē really was looking out for me.
"Thanks, Mēnē," I said under my breath.
Another approving nod from my mother. Two in one day? I should've committed fraud more often.
…Except no. No, I shouldn't have. Someone was going to find out. My mother was going to find out. This class didn't look anything like [Katarologa]. How long could I keep this up?
What would happen when the truth slipped?
I was fucked. Completely, utterly fucked.
Why did I do this again? Because it was "mature"? Because it was "logical"? Oh, right, because I have the survival instincts of a drunk goat. I wasn't smart, I was a fucking idiot.
I was so deep in my spiral of dread that I barely noticed Perry's voice cutting in.
"High Priestess. Kleon," he said brightly, "if you don't mind, I'd like to steal Hecate away for a bit. A day like this deserves a proper celebration."
My father's face lit up. "Of course! Take her. Enjoy yourselves."
Even my mother gave the faintest incline of her head. "Don't be late," she said, which, in her language, was practically a blessing.
And just like that, Perry had saved me again. One of these days I'd have to start saving myself. Today was clearly not that day.
Perry slipped his arm through mine and tugged me toward the street before my mother could change her mind.
"So," he said cheerfully, "how much trouble are you in right now?"
I gave him a side-eye. "What makes you think I'm in trouble?"
He snorted. "Hec, it's Class Selection Day. If there was a way to disappoint your mother during the holiest moment of your life, you'd find it."
"Rude," I muttered. "Also… accurate."
Perry motioned vaguely at my face. "So… Dung Witch after all, huh? I didn't even know that was a real class."
"What? No!" I hissed. "That was a joke."
He grinned. "So you did pick [Katarologa] then?"
I flinched. "Well… not exactly."
He looked puzzled. "Then why are you in trouble?"
I glanced around. Too many people. Too many ears. The festival crowd was all around us, laughing, singing, clapping each other on the back. If anyone heard me I'd be finished. My mother would hear before I made it three steps. The Sisters would know. The whole damned city would know.
As it was, my eyes kept up the illusion that I had taken [Katarologa], but all it would take was one eavesdropper to shred it. And then? What would she do? Cast me out of the Sisters? Could they even do that if I still technically picked a witch class? Maybe. She might kick me out of the house, cut me off, never speak to me again. Or—depending on just how angry—she might just kill me herself.
"Not here," I muttered. "I'll tell you at our spot."
"Our spot" was the little hill that overlooked Asteria, high enough to see the whole city spread beneath you. We'd been sneaking up there since we were kids. If there was anywhere safe to spill a secret, it was there.
Perry gave me a sidelong glance. "That bad, huh?"
I forced a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Depends on how you look at it."
"And if I look at it through the eyes of High Priestess Kalliope?" he asked, raising his brows.
"Oh no," I said immediately, shaking my head. "Oh, no. Then it's very bad. The worst."
"Uh-huh. So in what way is it not the worst? Or even remotely not bad?"
"Well, for starters, if you're not my mother, it's immediately a lot less bad. If you're one of the Sisters of Mēnē it's… still pretty bad, but technically I don't think you're allowed to be upset about it. I think. Because Mēnē is very pleased. I mean, she basically forced me to take this class. Her and Ambelios both."
Perry stopped mid-step. "Ambelios? What does Ambelios have to do with this? And wait… Mēnē told you to take it? She spoke to you?"
"Welllllll," I drew out the word, "not exactly. But it definitely felt like it. Which is basically the same thing. I had to do it!"
He narrowed his eyes. "Did you though?"
"...Maybe?"
Perry gave me a long, flat look.
"Don't glare at me," I said. "You weren't the one being peer-pressured by gods while oracles blew smoke in your face!"
"They blew smoke in your face?"
"Well… no, not at me," I admitted. "More like… from the floor. I had to inhale it. You know come to think of it, I did hear voices. Clearly there was some mind altering substance in there. Or it was the gods. Maybe it was both."
Perry looked contemplative, nodding slowly. "That makes sense."
"Right!" I said, relieved.
He shook his head. "Not really."
"What?"
"You're not making much sense at all, Hecate."
I threw up my hands. "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. Gods whisper in your ear, you listen. I didn't want to get smote!"
"Right," he said flatly.
"Right!" I echoed.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're saying this is the only class they offered you."
"Well…" I shrugged. "They offered me a bunch, actually. But I didn't want to poison Phisto, I didn't want to get eaten by demons, and I also didn't want to end up having to sacrifice you."
Perry blinked. "Sacrifice me?"
I waved a hand. "You're my only friend. Seemed counterproductive."
He stared at me for a few moments. "That's… considerate, I guess."
I nodded. "And I am nothing if not considerate."
We climbed higher, leaving the noise of the city behind. The road narrowed into a dirt path winding up through olive trees until the ground finally opened into the crest of the hill and the whole of Asteria spread beneath us.
Perry dropped into the grass and patted the ground beside him. "Alright, Hec. Let's hear it. What did you pick?"
I sat, pulling my knees to my chest. The view was beautiful, but it didn't calm me. My stomach turned, because now I had to tell him what I really had chosen.