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Oh. My. Gods. - Weebly

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“Listen, if you’re going to do the silent thing the whole way then<br />

just—”<br />

“Hercules is my ancestor.”<br />

“Isn’t Hercules Roman?”<br />

“The name is,” Griffin says. “But most people have never heard of<br />

Heracles. Even the gods stopped using that name centuries ago.”<br />

“I thought you were descended from Ares.”<br />

“I am,” he grumbles. “On my great-grandmother’s side. Hercules<br />

is on my father’s line.”<br />

“And . . .”<br />

“Descendants of Hercules are compelled to act heroic when<br />

someone is in need.”<br />

I can’t help it—I burst out laughing. That’s the funniest thing<br />

I’ve ever heard. He really is helping me because he can’t stop himself.<br />

This is priceless.<br />

I can see this definitely working to my advantage.<br />

“You can’t, however,” he says when I can’t stop laughing, “abuse<br />

the privilege. Only genuine situations of need qualify.”<br />

“What?” I ask, suppressing my giggles. “Is there some kind of<br />

contract? Qualifications and exceptions to your heroics?”<br />

His jaw clenches again and he doesn’t answer.<br />

In fact, he stares straight forward and doesn’t even look down<br />

at me. I must have touched a nerve or something. Great, now I feel<br />

guilty for teasing him—the guy who tried to zap me off the crosscountry<br />

team in the first place. I have no reason to feel bad for him.<br />

But I do.<br />

“I’m sorry,” I hear myself say. “I shouldn’t make fun of stuff I<br />

don’t understand. This hero thing is pretty serious, huh?”<br />

156

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