by Holly Hook
And Ronin's text? OK. Awesome.
Wendy was busy washing her clothes in the basement and Serena and Percival were both missing. She didn't look up at me as I reached the bottom of the basement stairs, but she made a click with her tongue. I guess that was acknowledging that I was there?
“Ready?” I hissed.
Wendy faced me, wasting no time. She nodded to the window. “There's a maintenance trail we can use. Best if we're not seen. I know we can leave campus on weekends, but people are watching me all the time.”
I thought of Serena and Percival. Were they even real friends? “Your own friends try to spy on you?”
She said nothing, tossing a black top into the machine and slamming the lid. “Let's go. I managed to get a car. Don't ask me how.”
My heart thudded. If Ronin didn't get here on time I was screwed. And this night would be just as hard on him as it was on me. He'd never recover.
Wendy opened the window and slid a laundry basket over to stand on. We didn't have Maria here to lift us. I wasn't going to tell Wendy I had followed her off campus this way before, even if we had saved her life from those werewolves by mistake. We were both walking a tightrope of trust.
Fresh air washed in. Wendy climbed out, having clearly practiced, and extended her hand to help me out as well. Despite my better judgment, I took it, and the low thrum of Underworld dread filled me as I climbed out of the basement. She let go and I shut the window.
“We should take our weapons,” Wendy said. “I might be able to impress Cerberus with mine. If he knows what I am, then he might let us through. Then we'll need to find a way over the River Styx.”
I hadn't seen one. Wendy would know better than I would.
I followed her down the trail, which was lined with thick pines on both sides and basically hidden from the rest of campus. Tire tracks from golf carts and other heavy vehicles had stamped down the dirt.
Wendy bounded forward, taking the same way I took to leave campus. She pushed through a pair of thick pines and onto a narrow trail I'd taken dozens of times.
“You get out this way, too?” Best to sound stupid.
“All the time. Lots of us know about this,” Wendy said.
I looked at the back of the main building for Ronin. He still hadn't shown. It wasn't like him to be late. And I couldn't breathe a word about waiting a minute.
“I've seen you off campus,” Wendy said, dry.
“I know you have.”
On the way around the main building, Wendy veered off towards the weapons shed near the shared arena. It was tucked back into the trees, a small building with dry rot at the edges, and a huge padlock hung off the heavy wooden door. The shed itself looked like a small house and wasn't very far from Prometheus's little place. From here, I could almost make out the outline of his home in the trees. I prayed he was still in his office.
I shuddered, thinking of his clay figures that looked almost alive. Yeah, he'd make the golems, all right.
“How are we getting in?” I asked.
Wendy flashed me an evil grin. “Like this.” She hooked her foot under one of the rotting boards and pulled out the bottom portion, creating a hole about high enough for a mouse.
“That's not going to do it,” I said.
“I was being sarcastic.”
Wendy had a sense of humor?
Well, I knew what this meant. “We have to make that lock disappear.”
“Ronin locked this place up good after I got my own sword out of here last year,” Wendy said. I didn't miss the venom in her voice. She was still hurt. And I had to tread carefully.
Worst of all, I had to use my powers.
Wendy stepped back. Yeah, that was what she expected.
Without my real birthright weapon, this was going to be hard, but doable. I hadn't opened a void since that awful Magical Meditation class, which gave me an idea. “Let me focus.”
“We can't take long.”
I eyed the lock and reached down for the darkness. That was easy, since Wendy stood feet away, arms crossed, staring at me like I needed to get on with it already. The low groan, as if it had been waiting for an opportunity for years, surged up through me and stole the breath from my lungs.
Wendy backed off.
I gasped, sucking in air, as a low whistle filled the air. Too easy. I'd underestimated this. A dark hole opened in front of the giant lock. Icy plasma choked me, filling my limbs, filling my head, pooling in my chest. Mentally I ordered the hole to grow as my heart raced in terror and crazy strength. I pointed at the lock. The ball drifted to it. Dark lines formed on my hand, my skin--
A squeak came from Wendy.
And the void grew, swallowing the lock. Metal broke into tiny flecks, flashing purple as they fell into the maw. I was power. Destruction.
“Giselle!”
Wendy's piercing cry snapped me back, and I dropped my hand, closing the void.
“You were going crazy. You can't control this crap. Well, the lock's gone. Come on.” Wendy stormed past me and threw open the shed door.
The chains once holding the lock swung, broken.
Silence had fallen. My ears rang as I held up my hand, which had returned to normal. Now every time I used these dark void powers, my body tried to mature.
Every single time was a huge risk.
And one day soon, I would go too far.
I shook my head, holding back hot tears, as Wendy vanished into the dark. I sucked them down as she shuffled through things inside, coming back out with her dreaded sword and my fake Chaos Dagger. But she hesitated.
“Can you handle this without going crazy?”
“Yes,” I said. “That dagger. You've seen me use it in Combat Training.” All I'd done in class was summon some blackish-purple sparks, definitely nothing like what I'd done on my first disastrous day.
Wendy lifted an eyebrow. “You just did more without this thing than with.” Suspicion dripped off her words.
“That's because that dagger is a fake,” I blurted.
Good job.
Wendy sighed. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. If I had my real one, I'd get scary fast. But I can do magic without it. Trust me, it's better this way.”
Wendy surrendered the weapon to me and tucked her sword under her black skirt, just as she had during the end of year dance last year. I took the fake dagger and tucked it into my belt. And then Wendy closed the now lockless door, letting the chains hang.
The trip around Cursed Academy, this time in the other direction, seemed to take forever. Ronin still hadn't showed up. We circled around the front of the grounds, through the vine-laden trees, and towards the front gate. Being motion-detected, it slid open with an eerie squeal, and Wendy and I ran through, hugging the stone column on the side. At least Cursed Academy didn't have the funds for cameras.
Wendy was right. A Mercedes waited in the trees, parked off the dirt road about two hundred feet off campus. She waved me to the car with a glare. “We don't have all night."
“But--” Ronin. I was leaving him behind. He was probably wondering where I was right now. Every instinct told me to stall.
“Get in,” Wendy ordered. “And don't ask me how I got this car.”
I did, climbing into the passenger side. How had Wendy gotten this car? Money, I hoped. Just money, maybe paid to someone over at Olympian because this was one of their fleet cars. I tensed when Wendy turned on the ignition, waiting for darkness to emerge from the vents and possess her, but nothing happened. We were getting out undetected.
“Tell me where to go. There had better be an Underworld entrance. Even I've never found one.” She took her sword out from under her skirt and handed it to me.
So she also didn't know I could use the powers of others. I took the sword, and immediately I filled with an eerie green glow that I saw every time I blinked. Placing the sword down by my legs brought relief. That was a power I didn't want to have to use. I had the sense it wouldn't help me on the no
t going dark front.
“Colton Corners.” Wendy would sneer at my town for sure.
But she said nothing, turning on the GPS. I gave her the address for Gramp's Convenience Store. We'd left that heavy trapdoor open, right? If we hadn't, the two of us would have issues.
And Wendy wouldn't be happy about the precious, wasted trip.
The drive didn't seem to take long enough, and I had to stop and use the bathroom at a fast food joint (thanks, nerves.) The prickling dread in the car thickened when I got back into it and Wendy finished the trip to Colton Corners. By now, it was getting dark and Gramp's Convenience Store looked like a black box against the evening sky. I gulped. The silence in the car was thick enough. The thought of what I was going to face was suffocating.
At least I still had the store key with me, unknown to Ronin.
We got out.
I unlocked the place, breathing more dust. It was even more stale than I remembered. Wendy stepped into the dark store behind me and I fetched the flashlight Carmen had left on the counter months ago. Light fell on shelves of expired junk food, candy, and the warm fridge section still dotted with cans of fizzy drinks.
“You're telling me,” Wendy said, fetching her sword, “that there's an entrance to the Underworld in this store?”
“The goddess of misery used to work here. Achlys. She posed as my fake grandma all my life.”
Wendy fanned herself. “That explains this town.”
“She got water from the River Lethe here. And we found the entrance.” The storage room door was still open.
“We'll see.” Wendy's sword burst to life with a green glow as we approached the store room.
I yanked the door open all the way. A mixture of green and regular light fell on the boxes of the storage room, untouched since the summer.
But inside the storage room stood Ronin, Cal, Mikey, and Maria.
Chapter Fifteen
“What are you doing here?” I blurted.
Instantly the atmosphere went from dusty and suffocating to dusty and almost lethal. The green glow from Wendy's sword flared, casting the room in a cold fury that overcame the flashlight beam. Dark shadows fell under everyone's eyes. Mikey's. Maria's eyes, too.
Maria's eyes.
I gasped. She looked normal. But how—had they removed the curse? Mikey seemed normal, too. No blue skin. No killer look in his eyes. In fact, he stood very close to Cal, and I could tell that Cal had his arm around Mikey.
Ronin winked at me.
“Giselle. We're sorry,” Maria said. “We spied on you and couldn't let you two do this alone.”
“Wendy--” I started, facing her.
As predicted, she held me in a death glare. A wave of dread washed over me. My skin prickled and I backpedaled into the beer shelf.
“You broke your promise,” she growled. “I'm out. Have fun with--”
Maria seized Wendy's arm.
And she dropped her sword, which died and left just the flashlight beam.
“What have you done?” Wendy shouted in my face.
“We told you what we did,” Maria said. “We spied on the two of you.”
I cleared my throat. “I don't know what's happening.”
“This was supposed to be a secret!” Wendy slugged Maria on the arm, but Maria had the advantage now.
Ronin gulped and approached. “Wendy. Listen to us. Giselle probably didn't break any promises she made to you. The four of us acted on our own. We've been doing some research, and you two will need us to get through to the Underworld.” Then he gave me a side wink. For the first time in ages, Ronin seemed confident. “We need someone to deal with Cerberus, for starters.”
“You're going to fight Cerberus?” I asked. I'd told him about the story.
“Well, I'll have help. I'm not Hercules,” Ronin said. "Musical help."
Wendy softened her expression from die to suffer. She looked at me, and then Ronin, and then Maria, Mikey, and Cal. But with her arm in the grasp of Maria, she could do nothing. “Well, the secret's out of the bag now.” Wendy's eyes flashed in terror.
“No secret is out of the bag,” I told Wendy. “I don't know how they found out about all this but we do need help getting past Cerberus. Ronin has the strength. Maybe. And I don't know what this musical plan of attack is.” I looked to Cal and Mikey. “You think you can charm Cerberus with your singing?”
“Well, Cerberus is a guy, right?” Mikey said. “It might work. Orpheus was able to charm his way into the Underworld with music. He charmed his way all the way to Hades himself and got his wife back for a bit. Why can't we? All we need to do is find a plant.”
“Their album is amazing,” Maria said.
They'd known I was ready to come here as soon as Maria saw my laundry room text. I should have realized. They got here before we did.
Wendy looked to me, confused. “Music?”
“You should know the myth,” I told her. “Look, I wasn't expecting people to be here. And you gave Maria and Mikey the idea about that herb that could slow down their changes. I had nothing to do with that.”
Wendy sighed. “You're right. But this had better not get out. And when we're done--” She punctuated her sentence by glaring at everyone.
Slowly, Maria let her go and lowered her arm. And another question exploded.
“Maria. How?” I asked.
She grinned. “Forget about my weekend pass?” Maria reached into her pocket, pulling out the prize she'd won last year. It still had her name on the paper as well as Prometheus's seal.
“But it's a piece of paper,” I said.
“It's a magical piece of paper. Only valid for one weekend. I told you I was saving it. I wasn't sure it would work, but it passed the test. I feel fine."
My jaw dropped. Ronin just grinned at me. I'd missed another painfully obvious fact.
“I forgot,” I said. “I didn't think the pass would work against a curse.”
“Prometheus made it. Why wouldn't it?” Maria asked.
“Mikey.” I turned away from Maria. “How did--”
Cal grinned and slapped Mikey on the arm. “My shining light does, in fact, hold darkness at bay.”
“It's that simple?” I asked.
“Only if Cal's close to me,” Mikey said. “If we get separated while I'm off the Cursed campus, I'm hosed.” But he didn't sound mad about it. Far from it, in fact.
“Okay. So we're all fine for this weekend,” I said. Maria's pass would only last a couple more days before she was trapped again, and what if Mikey and Cal ever had a fight? This was a super temporary solution. “Now for the hard part. Getting across that river.”
Wendy gathered her sword and we climbed down the ladder, one by one, with Mikey descending right after Cal. Cal's sword hung on his belt, and it gave off a sunny glow that felt foreign in the dusty, old tunnel. I coughed as I dropped off the ladder and to the floor, kicking up more dust, and Ronin landed behind me. He, too, had his sword hanging on his belt. Maria had come without her weapon. Why need it? She was strong on her own at least until we could find that herb.
Once we were all down and I found my place beside Ronin, we progressed down the tunnel in silence. Wendy led the way. I couldn't tell if she was still angry at me. Probably. Cal had his phone out and kept switching to an app of some sort.
At least it kept him distracted once we reached the eerie green glow. This highway of the dead wasn't busy tonight, since I only felt a couple of icy ghosts racing past. People shuddered. Ronin hugged me from behind.
And the low groan filled me without warning.
I stopped and squeezed my eyes shut.
“We're going to slow this down,” Ronin whispered in my ear. “And we're going to get you into the right school. We'll make this right for everyone.”
His caressing words eased the tension within. And just in time, too: we emerged from the tunnel and into the vast, enormous chamber of greenish fog and quiet, ominous water. The River Styx flowed at the bottom of a g
entle hill. Black. Inky. The sight sent a shudder through me and even Wendy stopped, eyeing the smooth, flowing expanse. Just like before, I couldn't see through the fog to the other side.
“There's nothing here.” Wendy faced us, arching her shoulders. Even she was tense down here.
“Wait,” Ronin said.
She turned her back to him. “Come on. There must be a way across.” Wendy marched towards the rocky banks of the river, full of confidence. The dread emanating from her blended with the environment. “I don't see a bridge. I--”
Maria charged forward. “Watch out!”
Heavy feet pounded the ground to the far left of the huge chamber. Wendy stopped, little more than a shape in the fog, and raised her glowing green sword. Wendy screamed and pointed her weapon at the hulking, misshapen monster. Cerberus closed the hundred feet between them.
He was charging Wendy.
It didn't make sense.
“Shit,” Ronin said, charging after Maria.
What was she going to do? Banish Cerberus to the Underworld?
“Get back!” Wendy shouted, losing her composure. “I don't get it. He shouldn't attack me.” She backpedaled as the three-headed dog closed the last fifty feet between her and it.
Drawing my dagger, I bolted after Maria and Ronin. They'd never reach Cerberus in time. Every detail popped. Wendy shot green magic from her blade, but Cerberus ran through as if it were nothing more than wind. His eyes were dark. Clouded with black.
The same as--
“He's possessed!” I shouted.
Wendy screamed, backpedaling.
I pointed my dagger at the monster. The darkness I'd chased from Natalia. It had found us again. And Cerberus would be much harder to handle than an oracle.
Fear pumped the void into my limbs, icy and deep.
“No,” Wendy shouted. Her sword trembled. “No!”
I raised the dagger, using it as a focal point. Purplish-black sparks danced around the tip. “Wendy, back up!”
She threw herself to the side, away from the river, rolling over her sword as if to protect it. Cerberus opened all three mouths, revealing long teeth and slobber, and let out a growl I'd never heard before—a growl almost as deep as Chaos itself. Cerberus slowed, surveying Wendy. I shot my sparks at the monster. They bounced off black fur. Ronin and Maria closed the distance, but the monster had cut in front of them.