Goddess
Page 33
They were both painfully aware of the fact that Lucas could still be called to serve in the Underworld at any moment. He’d insisted that Helen stay on Earth while he went to Hades, which she thought was a ridiculous idea. It was an argument in process, but Helen was pretty sure she’d win. There was no way she was ever going to live without him again, and she knew that he couldn’t live without her, either. She figured in another century or two, he’d give up.
Unlike the Myrmidons. There were only three of them left, for which Helen was grateful. She knew they would hunt her forever, always seeking a way to get rid of her. Hector watched the family like a hawk and kept on the alert for Myrmidons. Helen had the sneaking suspicion that he liked it that way. Hector was always happiest when there was someone close to him who needed protecting.
The one person Hector couldn’t save was Ariadne. She was devastated about Matt and was starting to pull away from the family. Helen checked in on her every day, but she knew there was no solution. Ariadne would miss him always. At least she and Helen had that in common.
Things were still a bit shaky between Lucas and Orion, despite the fact that Orion did little more than hold Cassandra’s hand. Helen knew from experience that Orion would wait as long as he had to for Cassandra to be ready for something more, but Lucas was still keeping his eye on the situation. Helen supposed a big brother was a big brother, especially when the guy that’s following his little sister around like a puppy was an actual Adonis, like Orion. Eventually, Lucas would come around. Cassandra and Orion were opposites in a lot of ways, but they obviously adored each other more and more with every passing day. Helen couldn’t think of two people who deserved happiness more than they did.
Except maybe Daphne.
Helen knew her mother had done some terrible things; most of them to Helen herself, but Helen didn’t feel anger when she thought about Daphne. She felt sadness. She truly hoped that Hades gave Daphne her wish and reunited her with Ajax in the Elysian Fields. She’d earned it, after all. In the end, Helen’s wicked witch of a mother turned out to be quite the hero.
Last on Helen’s list of never-ending worries was Zeus. She could still feel him in Everyland when she turned her concentration to it, which she did several times a day, just to make sure.
Everyland. The loss of it still hurt like crazy, but even setting foot there would be impossible for Helen now. She’d taken Zeus by surprise when she’d tricked him, but she had no illusions about what would happen if she tried to go back to Everyland. Zeus would be ready for her, and he’d send her to Tartarus before she took three steps. That didn’t stop Helen from dreaming of it every night. When she closed her eyes, Helen could smell the wildflowers and hear the wind.
“Helen,” Lucas whispered, waking her. Her head was in his lap, and his hand was stroking her hair. “I have to go.”
Helen sat up on the couch and nodded, rubbing her forehead and trying to shake off the dream. Lucas narrowed his eyes, studying her.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently. “Was it Everyland again?”
“Always,” she admitted, looking down at her hands.
“Helen! Come upstairs, now,” her father called down impatiently. “It’s time for Lucas to go home.”
Helen and Lucas grinned at each other and stood. They both thought it was adorable when Jerry got overprotective.
“I’ll be right back,” Lucas whispered in her ear, brushing his lips across the sensitive skin on her jaw before pulling quickly away.
“Tease,” Helen whispered as he went to the door.
“Good night, Mr. Hamilton,” Lucas called upstairs as he left.
“Good night, Lucas,” Jerry replied testily.
About an hour later, Helen heard a tap on the window that Mr. Tanis had finally fixed about a week earlier, and she rushed to open it. Lucas soared into her bedroom silently, dusted with snow. Helen started kissing him before he even had a chance to land, guiding his weightless body to her bed and pulling him down over her.
“Hold on a sec,” he said with a warm smile. Lucas held up a wrapped present and gave it to Helen. “I couldn’t wait for Christmas.”
She peeled the wrapper off as quietly as possible, both of them listening for the sound of her dad waking, and found a framed picture of a single white flower. When Helen looked closer, she saw it was actually a dried wildflower, pressed and mounted behind glass.
Tears filled her eyes instantly. It was the only thing from her world that existed in this one—the only souvenir she had of Everyland.
“Thank you,” Helen whispered, clutching the frame to her chest.
Lucas nodded, wiping her tears away. He took the picture out of her hands and placed it on the table next to her bed before standing.
“Where’s your swimsuit?” he asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
“W-why?” Helen replied, confused. It was twenty degrees out. And snowing. Helen was immortal, not crazy.
“Because you’re going to need it when we get to Puerto Rico. It’ll still be dark for a few more hours, but we can swim, watch the sunrise, and be back before your dad wakes up.”
Helen jumped off the bed and rushed to her dresser. She pulled out a little red polka-dot bikini and waved it in the air like a flag before grabbing her coat and stuffing it in the pocket.
“Live every day like it’s our last day on Earth together,” she said, beginning their new motto as she jumped out the window.
“For forever if we can get away with it,” Lucas finished, joyfully following her.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This is hard. It takes a small miracle to get a trilogy out into the world, and there are a lot of people who have worked very hard to make that miracle happen for me. I’m just about to forget half of them. Two people I can’t forget, mostly because they call/text/email me about every ten minutes, are my amazing agent, Mollie Glick, and my fearless manager, Rachel Miller. They have been my guides, my cheerleaders, and my champions every step of the way, and I am blessed to have them in my life. Stephanie Abou, Rachel Hetch, and Kathleen Hamblin have been my go-to team for all things foreign and confusing, and I can’t thank them enough for their expertise and support. Heather Toth, the Chancellor, has proven her infinite patience by answering all of my dumb questions and keeping track of my crazy life. My ever-understanding editor, Barbara Lalicki, and her ninja of an assistant, Alyssa Miele, have helped both shape my story and shepherd it through the vagaries of the publishing world. Many thanks to them both. I want to give lots of love to my beta readers and fellow “Elevensies” authors, Amy Plum and Tara Hudson, for their encouragement and support. The past two years have been quite a trip, and it’s been a joy to share it with them. My friends and family know the drill at this point, but just in case, I want to send them my love. And lastly, I want to thank my husband, Albert. Quite simply, there would be no Starcrossed trilogy without him.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JOSEPHINE ANGELINI is a Massachusetts native and a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a major in theater and a focus on the classics. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three shelter cats.
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CREDITS
Cover photo © 2013 by Lara Jade Photography
COPYRIGHT
HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Goddess
Copyright © 2013 by Josephine Angelini
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ISBN 978-0-06-201203-6 (trade bdg.)
Epub Edition © APRIL 2013 ISBN 9780062208804
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