“Bull, stop lying.” 

“I’m telling you the truth!” 

“As the proverb goes, ‘Lies have short legs’. Like you do- Oww!” 

Maya punched Austin, her best friend, against his side. His yelp echoed through the university halls, turning the heads of other students their way. His shaggy, red-brown hair fell over his tawny face.

“What was that for?” Austin flinched, rubbing his hip.

He was Maya’s best friend since freshman year and they continued to be an utter annoyance to their fellow students. Like now, they often laughed a tad too loud after their lectures.

“I am being serious here!” Maya slapped Austin against the arm. “She’s real!” 

“Sure she is.” Austin made a face. “You’re telling me that a demigod woman lives with you and fought off a bunch of undead warriors to save you? And above all, that she’s extremely hot?”

“A bombshell.” Maya still couldn’t get Val’s face out of her mind. 

How her blond hair billowed past her shoulders, or how her fit body looked in Maya’s borrowed clothes. Val’s rich brown skin and shining amber eyes were unforgettable. Ask Maya: her mind still could not process it. 

Maya fanned at her heated face. She needed a drink to cool off her head.

“She’s not from this realm.” She wiped away the droplets that fell on her chin. “Literally.”

Austin took a deep breath and leaned against the reeling, blocking off the path for several students. “Are you seriously telling me you found yourself an attractive demigod girlfriend during the holiday week?” 

“Yes!” Maya replied enthusiastically before catching herself. “I mean, she’s not my girlfriend yet. We’ve only just met, and I am helping her out by having her stay at home until she gets better. Not that I am not interested. I just never was in any sort of serious relationship. You know what I mean?” 

Austin pursed his lips and squinted at Maya.

“Listen.” Maya pulled Austin to the side. “She’s unbelievably attractive, but as much as I wish there was something between us, there isn’t anything—yet. I’m just helping her out. Really.”

Riiiiiight. Austin steepled his fingers before his mouth. “You sound insane— OW!” 

Maya kicked him against the shin. Austin let out his characteristic loud yowl that echoed through the spacious halls. 

“Mean, you’re a mean woman!” Austin jumped up and down, holding his leg. “Fine, I’ll believe you got a ‘hot demigod girlfriend’ who dropped from the sky for you. Happy now!?”

“Thank you.” Maya nodded with a sly smile. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?” 

“Noooohoho, it wasn’t,” grumbled Austin, glaring at Maya with his green eyes. “Where’s she right now? What were you two doing the entire week?”

“Oh… not much.” Maya fumbled with her thumbs. “We talked, ate together, and went shopping for a pair of new clothes for her. I tell you, I spent too much money on her wardrobe, but I wouldn’t have been satisfied not buying them. She looked so gorgeous. I’m so jealous of her body. Wish mine was more like hers.”

Austin narrowed his eyes on Maya. 

“What? You asked.” She put her hands on her hips. “I could talk for hours about her. Tempt me.” 

“I meant more like what you two were doing outside of being an annoying couple. Even if you claim you’re not one.” 

Maya fiddled with her thumbs nervously. “We were looking for clues to restore her strength.” 

Austin put a hand on his chin and leaned against the stairs’ railing, pondering. “Did you find any?”

“No.” Maya’s coils danced when she shook her head. “Other than the shield, nothing,” she sighed. “Right now, Val is trying to recover her strength, but she gets winded a lot. It’s like watching someone going through rehab. I wish I could help her.” 

Austin raised a brow when she looked at him expectantly. “What?” he asked.

“I mean, you’re the expert on Norse stuff. Most of the things I know come from you. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t have anyone else to turn to for this.” 

Austin shrugged.

“You’re no help.” 

“Hey, what did you expect?!” Austin put a hand on Maya’s shoulder. “Listen, all you can do right now is to be there for her. That’s more than enough.” 

Maya dipped her head to the side and clicked her tongue. “You’re just too lazy to help me.”

Austin spread his arms. “Guilty as charged,” he laughed. “Also, I’ve got a lecture. Smell you later, Maya.” 

“Wha– hey, that’s not what friends should do! And I hate it when you make that kind of goodbye!” 

“I know, and I love it!” Austin cackled and disappeared through another hallway and outside the building, his snarky laugh still echoing throughout the campus. “Good luck with your girlfriend!”