I had thought Carlo would be here, but he’d texted during the ceremony to say he couldn’t get here until tomorrow. I was disappointed; the thought of him being here was part of the reason why I’d agreed to stay for the after-party. But, at the very least, the party was the best way to avoid my parents until tomorrow, and so I turned my ringer back on and looked around at the party. As I suspected, it was obnoxious as hell.

Despite seeing a lot of Regulars at the Awakening Ceremony, I didn’t see that many of them here. Instead, the ballroom was crowded with a bunch of drunk Royals. Even though Alaska’s legal drinking age was twenty-one, Hellenicus law allowed us to drink at eighteen, the legal age in Greece, while on Court Grounds. The smell of expensive perfumes and booze in the air, coupled with the ridiculously loud music, should have been red flags that this party wasn’t going to be my cup of tea. Still, I reminded myself that I had promised Kris I’d try my best to enjoy myself.

A girl I didn’t know came up to me with two of her friends in tow as I looked for Kris. They wore high heels that made them so tall that I needed to crane my neck to meet their eyes. “Hey, aren’t you the one who choked on the wine?”

Great. Apparently that small incident had not gone unnoticed.

“Yep, that’s me. It went down the wrong pipe.” My nervous laugh met dead silence.

One of the girls squinted her eyes as she stared me down. “You do realize choking on the sacred nectar is considered blasphemy?”

“What?”

“You’re being disrespectful,” said the one with curly brown hair. “You’ll have seventy years of bad luck.”

I found this to be hilarious, considering I already had so much bad luck in my life. “Let’s hope I really am Tyche’s descendant then.”

The three of them gasped loudly enough that several people around us looked over in curiosity. “You’re a Regular!”

Their eyes dropped to where my family crest would be if I were a Royal or Pure Royal. The absence of a crest confirmed their suspicions, but I answered them anyway. “Matter of fact, I am. I was in the lineup for the Regulars, remember?”

“Dear Aphrodite, I can’t believe I wasted my breath talking to a Regular,” said the first girl before turning around and saying, “Come on, ladies.”