Complete Nothing (True Love #2)(4)

I could see a tiny sliver of the side of Orion’s head through the door’s window—the wave of his thick dark hair—as he spoke with the administrative assistant, Mrs. Leifer. His muffled laughter sent my pitter-pattering heart into my stomach.

“What is he doing here, Hephaestus?” I whispered urgently. “What does this mean?”

“I don’t know,” Hephaestus said. “Perhaps Zeus sent him here to goad you on? Remind you of why you’re doing this?”

I liked his theory better than mine. At least that would mean that there was still a potential end to this trial. That I could still complete my mission, form my three couples, and return home to Mount Olympus with Orion at my side, his memory perfectly restored. But I didn’t quite believe it. Zeus had seemed so pleased at the idea of keeping Orion as his slave, at the prospect of torturing him while I did my work on Earth. Now, on a whim, he sends Orion here to torture me? It didn’t add up. Something was off. I needed to know why Orion was here. I needed answers.

“We must contact Harmonia,” I said breathlessly. “Find out what she knows.”

It was my sister Harmonia who had dispatched Hephaestus to me after I’d sent up a desperate plea to her in the town square, begging for help. Now that I was human, he was my only direct line to Mount Olympus. Aside from praying and offering up sacrifices—two notoriously dodgy forms of communication and bargaining—I had no other way to contact home.

“That’s not really how it works,” Hephaestus told me.

“What do you mean?”

Orion disappeared, moving out of view inside the office. I leaned over Hephaestus, trying to catch a glimpse.

“Excuse me. Your breasts are kind of in my face,” Hephaestus groused, gently shoving me away.

I groaned and stood up straight. “What do you mean that’s not how it works?” I repeated.

“I mean, I don’t contact her. She contacts me.”

I heard Orion laugh again, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I sidestepped Hephaestus and walked into the office at the exact moment Orion was shaking hands with a guy I’d seen around school. He was tall and muscular with shaggy brown hair, and his pretty blond girlfriend was at his side. He wore one of those blue-and-white varsity jackets that every other person at this school seemed to own. It looked like Orion had just met his peer guide.

“Peter Marrott,” the guy said. “And this is my girlfriend, Claudia Catalfo.”

“Welcome to Lake Carmody,” Claudia said with a smile.

“Thanks.” Orion nodded at Peter’s jacket. “You play ball?”

“He’s the starting quarterback,” Claudia replied, looking up at Peter proudly. She sipped hot tea from a paper cup and entwined the fingers of her free hand with his. She was petite, the top of her head barely reaching Peter’s shoulder. Her auburn hair was tied into a French braid, and she wore skinny pink jeans, a white button-down, and a flowered headband. Her face was familiar, but I couldn’t place why. “He’s going to play in college next year, right, Peter?”

“Maybe,” Peter said, a blotchy blush popping up on his cheeks. He tossed his light-brown bangs off his head, and they fell right back into place. “You play?”

“I was starting running back at my old school,” Orion replied, rounding his sexy shoulders. “I had twenty-one touchdowns and almost a thousand yards last season.”

My brain went fuzzy and I felt faint. He had an athletic history too? What else had he left behind in Boston? A part-time job? A slew of clubs? A girlfriend?

“Really? That’s awesome. We’re a little weak at running back this year,” Peter replied excitedly. “Our starter graduated, and the backup guy is kind of a bust.”

“Think they’ll let me try out?” Orion asked hopefully. The eager tone in his voice nearly broke my heart. I loved him so much. It killed me not to be able to reach out and touch him, hold him, tell him I was going to make everything okay.

“Definitely! Come on. I’ll introduce you to Coach Morschauser right now.”

They turned toward the door as one and paused, catching me standing there with what I was sure was pure desperation in my eyes.

“Um . . . excuse us?” Peter said.

I glanced behind me and realized I was blocking the door. “Oh. Sorry. Right. I’m . . . sorry.”

I shoved the door open and stumbled out ahead of them, almost mowing over Hephaestus, who was still, loyally, waiting for me.

“Thanks again, you guys. I’ll see you around,” Orion said dismissively.

“You’re . . . problem,” I blurted. “I mean, no welcome. I mean—”

“True, stop,” Hephaestus whispered, grasping my wrist.

But it didn’t matter. They were already halfway down the hall. Claudia leaned toward Peter and loud-whispered, “That’s that girl. The one who stole my scarf on the first day, remember?”

Right! That was why I knew her. I’d used her scarf to tie my hair back on my first day of school, before I started to get a handle on how covetous people were of their things. They glanced back at me, even Orion, with that look in their eyes. That look that I had, unfortunately, grown accustomed to. Orion’s, at least, had a smidgen of sympathy in it, a touch of curiosity. But the fact remained: