Amanda glared at the intricate heart blazing on the back of her hand. Ten seconds here, and I already hate it. She thought angrily. That has to be a new record.

After being kicked out of yet another school for fighting, she’d feared a boarding school for young ladies was next, so she’d run. She’d managed to cross the boarder between Quebec and Ontario before getting hopelessly lost. She’d wandered around the big city until someone stopped her at the Parliament Buildings.

He’d given her directions to a school, then disappeared into the crowd. Wierdo. She’d thought. But with nowhere else to go, she’d followed his instructions.

Now, she wished she hadn’t. The school was big, and seemed to include an elementary, middle, and high school division. The dorms were bigger than the class buildings, which made her curious just how many students there were.

She hid her hand behind her back and smiled at her guide. “So, where do I enroll?”

Her guide laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “Actually, you’re already enrolled.” He pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket. “You are Amanda Hayes, right?” She nodded and he handed the paper to her.

It was a class schedule. Scanning the courses, she suddenly thought a reform school wouldn’t be so bad. “Archery? Is that mandatory?”

“No.” the boy reassured her. “But it’s recommended until you find a fighting style that works.” He pointed to the block. “Plus, I help teach it.”

Assisted by Zain Mazanec. She read. She raised her eyes and something caught her attention. She pointed to the line under her name. “What does ‘family’ mean? And why am I ‘Eros’?”

Zain frowned. “You didn’t know?” he pointed at her hand, which she’d accidentally revealed when she took the schedule. “You’re a child of Eros. The God of Love and Procreation.” His face turned red and he looked away. “Just saying.”

No. Amanda scrubbed at the heart, crumpling her schedule in the process. No, no, no! “There has to be a mistake.”

Zain gave her a pitying smile. “It’s true. You’re the child of a God and a mortal.”

“That’s not…” She shook her head. “It has to be a different God. Not Eros. It can’t be Eros.”

“He’s claimed you.” Zain looked down at the heart, which was now fading. “He’s your dad.” He looked up at her face and took a step back in alarm. “Amanda, why are you crying?”

She rubbed at her eyes. Panic was building in her chest. Unable to think, she did what she always did. She picked a direction and ran.

She ran until a tree branch caught her in the stomach. She doubled over, gasping for breath. Looking around, she saw she’d bolted straight into the woods. She could still see the school buildings through the branches, but she was a good ways in and decided no one would see her. She sat on a fallen log and put her face in her hands. She might have even started crying again, but a twig snapped nearby and she looked up.

A short boy with black hair covering his eyes was stumbling toward her. He raised a hand to brush his hair away and gave her a smile. “Bad news?” he asked. “I saw you run away from Zain? Did he reject you or something?”

Amanda almost laughed. After the news she’d received, this alternative seemed almost pleasant. “No.” she lifted her crumped schedule. “I’m new. Just learned who my dad is.”

The boy gave her a theatrical wince. “Yikes.” He sat beside her on the log, leaving a good distance between them. “I bet he’s not worse than my dad.”

Despite her mood, Amanda smirked. “Wanna bet?”

“Hades.” The boy said in a challenging tone. “God of the Underworld. What did you get?”

“Eros.” Amanda countered. “God of Reproduction.”

“That’s not that bad.” The boy tried to sound confident, but his face was bright red.

“I’m Ace.”

“Blake.” The boy held out his hand.

Amanda laughed, but shook his hand. “No, my name is Amanda. I’m asexual.” She doubled over laughing and held her sides. When she calmed down, she started sobbing. “My father is the god of making babies, and I can’t stand the idea of sex.”

Blake scooted closer to her on the log. “Okay, you win.” He patted her shoulder until she got control of her breathing. “I’m… I’m gay.” He said it barely above a whisper. “But… I don’t want to be. I wish I wasn’t. It’s all anyone ever sees.”

Amanda stared at him, dumbfounded. “You’re kidding, right?” When he didn’t respond, she stood up and faced him. “‘Hi, I’m Blake.’” She said, mimicking his speech pattern. “‘I’m gay and my dad is the God of the Underworld.’” She gave him a smug look. “What part of that will people remember?”

Blake smiled and stood as well. “‘I’m Amanda.’” He mimicked her. “‘My dad is the God of reproduction and I want none of that.’”

Amanda laughed and put an arm around his shoulders. “You hungry?” she asked, steering him back toward the school.

“Definitely.” He redirected their trajectory so they were heading toward a wide, three story building. “But we need to go here for food, not the gym.”