"Don't look at me. I have enough mysteries of my own to solve. I'm human, but I'm not? What does that mean? And how can my humanity be so big and bad anyway--I don't even like humans?" Aphrodite sighed and fiddled with her hair. "Shit, my hair's a mess." She turned her face to me. "Can you tell I've been crying?"

"For the gazillionth time, no. You look fine."

"Shit. I knew it. I look terrible."

"Aphrodite! I just said you look fine."

"Yeah, well, fine is fine for most people. For me it's terrible."

"Okay, our Goddess, the immortal Nyx, just manifested and spoke to us and all you're thinking about is how you look?" I shook my head. That was incredibly shallow, even for Aphrodite.

"Yeah, that was amazing. Nyx is amazing. I never said she wasn't. So what's your point?"

"My point is that after experiencing a visit from the Goddess, you should, I dunno, maybe care about something more important than your already perfect hair," I said, completely exasperated. This was the kid I was supposed to battle world-shaking dangerous evil with? Jeesh, Nyx's ways were absolutely, totally mysterious. Talk about an understatement.

"Nyx knows exactly how I am and she loves me anyway. This is who I am." She flapped her hand up and down in front of herself. "So, you really think my hair is perfect?"

"It's as perfect as your shallow, pain-in-the-butt attitude," I said.

"Oh, good. Okay, I feel better already."

I frowned at her, but didn't say anything else as we hurried up the stairs to the Council Room that was opposite the library. I'd never been in the room before, but I'd peeked inside it often enough. When it was empty, the door was rarely closed, and the zillions of times I'd come and gone from the library, I couldn't help glancing in and gawking at the huge beautiful round table that was the predominate feature of the room. Seriously, I'd even asked Damien if that round table could have been the Round Table, circa King Arthur and Camelot. He'd said he didn't think so, but wasn't for sure. Today the Council Room wasn't an empty oddity. It was filled with vamps and Sons of Erebus and, of course, the few fledglings who were on the Prefect Council. Thankfully, we slipped in as Darius was closing the door and positioning himself, all tall and muscley, beside it. Aphrodite gave him a big flirty smile, and I stifled a sigh when his eyes sparkled at her in response. She tried to hang back so she could talk to him. Instead I grabbed her arm and practically hauled her over to the two empty chairs beside Damien.

"Thanks for saving us seats," I whispered to him.

"Not a problem," he whispered back, giving me his familiar smile. It warmed me and helped ease some of my nerves.

I glanced around the table. Aphrodite and I were sitting to Damien's right. Beside Aphrodite was Lenobia, Professor of Equestrian Studies. She was talking with Dragon and Anastasia Lank-ford, who were beside her. To Damien's left sat the Twins. They gave me twinlike head bobs and tried to look nonchalant, but I could see that they felt as nervously out of place as I did. I knew the Council was made up of the most powerful members of the school's faculty, but along with the professors, several of whom looked familiar but I'd never been in their classes and really didn't know who the heck they were, was a heavy show of power from the Sons of Erebus, including a massive guy who had taken a chair close to the door. He was the biggest person, human or vamp, I had ever seen. I was trying not to stare at him and thinking about asking Damien, Mr. King of the Rules, if the warriors were really supposed to be allowed in a Council Meeting, when Aphrodite leaned over and whispered, "That's Ate, the Leader of the Sons of Erebus. Darius told me he was coming in today. He's one hunk of a guy, isn't he?"

Before I could answer that he was more like several hunks of many large guys, the back door to the room opened and Neferet entered.

I could tell something was wrong even before I caught sight of the woman who came into the room after her. Neferet's public face was usually implacable perfection-- she more than personified calm, cool, collection. But this Neferet was shaken. Her beautiful features looked somehow tighter, as if she was straining to control herself, and the strain was a stretch for her. She took a couple steps into the room and then moved aside so we could see the vampyre who entered behind her.

As they sighted her, the shock that zapped through the vamps was immediate and obvious. The Sons of Erebus were first to their feet, but the Council followed closely. Along with everyone else, Damien, the Twins, Aphrodite, and I stood, too, automatically mimicking the vamps' respectful closed fists over their hearts and bowed heads.