by Belle Malory
Three mysterious Fates.
Okay. I could process this without freaking out. Deep breath.
“I’ll grab your trunk and head on in.” Grandpa got out on his side, seeming to sense I was having a hard time. Before shutting the door, he said, “You, ah, might want to use the mirror overhead.”
The door shut, and the mirror dropped in front of me. Oh dear god. I looked like a zombified raccoon. My eyes were swollen, surrounded by smudged mascara. My hair stuck up in all kinds of weird places. And my skin was blotchy from crying. My makeup had been stuffed somewhere in my suitcase, but the more I stared at myself, the more I didn’t care about the person in the reflection.
“You deserve to look crazy,” I whispered, and for a moment I let my mind go where it shouldn’t.
I could still hear Riley’s screams. Before the fire started, our fight had gotten out of control. I wasn’t sure when it got as bad as it did; the entire night blurred together in a storm of rage, cursing, and violence. Riley was taller, in better shape, and she should have easily demolished my ass.
But something inside of me had been unleashed, amplifying my strength. I remembered the terrified look in her eyes as I shoved the scissors into her shoulder. Feeling them dig into her flesh gave me satisfaction I didn’t know I was capable of feeling. I could’ve killed her, wanted to kill her, but I didn’t. Just a few inches lower, and it would’ve been her heart. Just a few inches lower…thank God that fire started when it did. The hot flames snapped me out of it. Otherwise, who knows what might’ve happened.
Hell, maybe I was a monster.
I shook myself, refusing to wallow any longer. My reflection reminded me it probably wasn’t a good idea to walk around looking like a crazy person no matter how much the shoe fit. I wiped away the mascara residue, readjusted my ponytail, then hopped out of Grandpa’s truck.
Gold glimmered around my wrist in the sunlight. I stopped and removed the bracelet, stuffing it into my pocket. No reminders. I’d have to remember to chuck the thing into the nearest toilet as soon as I got the chance.
As soon as I entered the dark smoky pub, a girl with wayward brown curls appeared out of nowhere, wearing the biggest, toothiest grin I’d ever seen. She looked about my age, had a flawless olive complexion, and wore glasses with neon-purple frames. “I’m Hazel.” She spoke with a British accent, in a tiny, excited voice. “I overheard your grandfather say to my dad that you’re going to Arcadia Academy. It’s my first year there too.”
I forced an uncomfortable smile. “Arcadia…is that like a detention center or something?”
“A detention center?” She tilted her head to the side, chuckling. “No, silly. It’s the most prestigious school in Mythos for both mages and creatures alike.”
Huh. I thought for sure Dad planned to punish me. A school for magical beings sounded more like a reward than punishment.
“I’m freaking out,” Hazel said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I’ve heard the other students won’t welcome us with open arms. Too much resentment, you know.”
“Why?” I said, clearing my throat.
“Because we’re from the human world. My mum and dad wanted live here, and they’ve managed to find their place, but I’ve always felt…well…a bit lost, I guess.”
Lost.
I understood that feeling. As hard as I tried to fit in, to be perfect, and to get the best grades, it was never enough. Even when I succeeded, I still felt like I was trying to find my way through the dark.
“Mostly, I’m tired of applying glamours to my horns and hooves every day,” she said with a sheepish laugh. “Bloody tiresome, if you ask me. In Mythos, I won’t have to.”
I drifted down the length of Hazel’s legs, noticing the large, clunky shoes that stuck out from the bottom of her jeans.
“I’m a faun,” she said, as if on cue. “The hooves are hidden…for now.”
I racked my brain, trying to remember what a faun was. “Half human, half goat?”
“Exactly,” she said, widening her toothy smile. “And your grandpa says you’re an Ares descendant, right?”
“That’s what he says.” I shrugged. This chick was a stranger and batshit crazy, for all I knew. She had to be, especially if she thought she was half goat. Honestly. Just because she had big feet…then again, I hadn’t expected my Grandpa to turn into a human torch either. Anything was possible.
“Ares is a badass bloodline,” Hazel said, sounding impressed.
“I’m still not entirely sure what it means, actually.”
“It means you’re what humans think of as demigods. Or what those in Mythos call guardians.”
“Right, guardians.” I nodded, pretending it all made perfect sense.
She studied me for several long seconds. “You’re pretty, too, just like the others,” she lamented, twirling one of her curls. “We fauns aren’t really known for our beauty.”
“Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself. I like your hair.” The compliment was genuine. Her hair was wild, chaotic, and very different than my own.
“Really?” She perked up. “Thank you.”
I stepped farther inside of the pub, looking around. “Um, Hazel, do you know where my grandpa went?”
The place was empty, the chairs and tables clear, save for one lone customer sitting at a mahogany wooden bar across the room, his face glued to some baseball game playing on TV.
“Mr. Thorne is upstairs, helping my dad open the portal. I wasn’t planning to leave so soon, but if everything works out, we’ll all have booked passage on the Mythos Line Ferry today. School starts next Monday.”
“In April?” It seemed like an odd time for school to start.
“Mythonians use astrological calendars, not human ones. The true beginning of a year starts in Spring, and that’s when our school year starts as well.”
Most of my friends would cry at having to start the school year all over again, especially at the end of their junior year. But ever the academic, I loved school. I spent most summers doing extra classes and reading books by the dozens; otherwise, I’d die of boredom. I was grateful to know I wouldn’t be behind everyone else.
“Follow me. I’ll take you up to him.” Hazel led the way up a curved staircase, talking my ear off along the way. “You have no idea how excited I am to have someone to tag along with. High school is already daunting, but Arcadia is a whole other ball game. My sister, Maple, went there, but she graduated last year. I have a younger sister, Poppy, who will go next year if she decides the human world isn’t for her. Where are you from originally?”
“Davidson, North Carolina. It’s a suburb outside of Charlotte.” I thought of the home I’d left behind, and my friends, too. No more endless texts from Sophia. No more morning lattes with Luke. Dad wouldn’t let me bring my phone, and I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to either of them.
Hazel led me down a narrow hallway, the walls covered with family photos. It became clear the upstairs was used as the McDerby’s place of residence. There was a picture of Hazel with her sisters that made me wince. They all looked so happy. I bet none of them tried to kill one another.
“This way,” Hazel said, rounding a corner at the end of the hall. I overheard Grandpa and Hazel’s dad discussing the portal from another room.
“Will you make sure my Hazelwood gets into Mythos safely? I’d take her myself, but I’ve got no one else to run the pub, and this portal can’t handle more than three people at a time.”
“Of course, Mac. We’ll take her.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Frank. Truly, you are. Her sister Maple will be waiting at the capital. She’ll take Hazelwood from there.”
“No trouble at all. Now let’s see if we can get this thing working…”
Hazel opened a door on the right, just a normal looking door that led into a normal looking room, but my stomach dropped as we stepped inside. Energy swirled around me.
There was an empty wooden desk in the corner, topped with stacks of folders, bo
oks, and paperwork. The two men stood in front of a closet door that had a large padlock. A taller, bonier version of Hazel—her mother, I assumed—stood behind them. She wore blue jeans and a black waitress apron with a checkbook sticking out of it. Hazel’s dad, or Mac, as Grandpa called him, was stout, with the same olive complexion as his daughter and the same wild hair. “I’ve hidden it in there,” Mac said. “Tried installing a keypad once, but the bloody thing kept frying. Nothing electrical works in this room.”
Grandpa noticed me lingering by the door. “Ah, there you are, Sheridan. You look better. I see you’ve met Hazelwood. The three of us will be making the trip into the Mythos port together, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. McDerby’s hospitality.” He picked up my suitcase as if we were about to board an airplane. “They were planning to escort Miss Hazelwood themselves, but they’ve given up their spots to allow us passage through the portal. As long as everything goes smoothly, we should all be in Mythos by nightfall.”
“How kind of you, Mr. and Mrs. McDerby.” They looked like decent parents. They chose to live a human life, but they didn’t keep their daughters in the dark about their heritage. That gave them several points in my book.
Mac glanced down at his watch. “You’ll need to leave now if you want to catch the next ferry.”
Mrs. McDerby used the bottom of her apron to wipe her eyes. “Come, Hazel. I have your things here.”
Hazel pranced to her mother, and Mrs. McDerby took her face between her palms. “Remember to write. Stay focused on your studies. Don’t get caught up in the wrong crowds. Stay away from wild parties, and please stay away from Folly Promenade. I will miss you, sweets.”
“I’ll miss you too, Mama. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will.”
I blinked several times as I watched Mr. McDerby unlock the closet door and hold it open for us. By the looks of it, he clearly expected us all to step inside.
Had I suddenly found myself in the Twilight Zone?
“Ready, Sher?” Grandpa said.
“Let me get this right,” I said, my legs trembling. “On the other side of that door is some kind of fairy land?”
Hazel giggled. “There are no fairies in Mythos,” she said. “Pixies, sure, and they’re awful little creatures, but no fairies.”
I eyed the door warily. “Can’t we take a plane? Or a boat?”
Mr. and Mrs. McDerby gave me a funny look.
“She’s nervous,” Grandpa explained. “Sheridan didn’t know about Mythos or magic until yesterday, and she’s never been through a portal.”
Mrs. McDerby offered me a weak smile. “They can be a bit intimidating, dear, especially if you’ve never used one before. Just make sure you keep your balance, and you’ll be fine. One time, I went topsy-turvy, and landed on my head.” She laughed once, as if she was thinking back on the memory of it.
Grandpa took my arm with his free hand. “Come on, my girl, we’ll go together. Hazelwood, keep right behind us.”
“I will,” she said.
Grandpa nodded over his shoulder as he pushed me toward the closet. “Bye, Mac. Let’s catch up next week.”
This was happening way too fast. I still wasn’t used to the idea of magic, much less traveling to a world full of godlike descendants and other magical creatures.
But…what did I have to lose?
Going back to Davidson wasn’t a great alternative, even if Dad allowed it. The tension was still too thick, and honestly, I needed some time away from Riley. This was the perfect opportunity for a nice long break, in a place where my sister’s betrayal couldn’t haunt me.
Before I had a chance to back out, Grandpa steered me inside the closet that was empty, dark, and smelled of oak. Our heels clicked against the floor as we walked, and Hazel’s clog-like shoes thumped along behind us. Just as I was about to yell at Grandpa for being so pushy, I noticed our heels suddenly weren’t clicking against the floor. We were still walking, still moving, I still felt his hand on my arm, but we were no longer inside the closet.
3
“Don’t feel bad, Sher Bear. Lots of first-timers retch.”
I gripped the bucket in my lap as another bout of nausea hit. Tingly bumps prickled down my arms, and my stomach swirled into chaos. The only comfort was hearing the nickname Grandpa had given me when I was a little girl. It reminded me of happier times. Normal times. Times that made sense, when Grandpa and I used his truck to get from one place to another instead of magical portals that transported us to—good grief, where were we?
The port was bustling with travelers, most of them in a myriad of jewel-toned robes and togas. There were also people who weren’t, well, human, shuffling about. There were fauns, like Hazel, who was suddenly free of her clunky shoes. She proudly displayed her hooves for everyone to see, along with two small horns that had miraculously sprouted from her forehead. I could hardly believe the sight of her, let alone the others. Creatures I couldn’t make sense of strolled past. Centaurs with shiny coats, ferocious-looking sphinxes, harpies with top hats, green-skinned nymphs, and one very tall cyclops who glanced down and chuckled at me. In his big, booming voice, he said, “Came by portal, eh?”
And Grandpa, that old bastard, laughed with him. “The girl’s first time.” He proudly clapped me on the back, like it was a rite of freaking passage. The centaur nodded in understanding, then carried on about his business.
I didn’t get it—how could anyone be okay after that? Traveling through the portal was like walking through a tornado. Forces pulled from every direction, and it felt like being ripped apart from the inside out. When I landed on the port’s wooden dock, I was thankful to find my body whole and intact. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, then there was the port itself.
It was all true.
Grandpa and Dad hadn’t lied about this place’s existence, and if they hadn’t lied about that, it meant they were also telling the truth about our lineage. Not that I didn’t believe them before, because I did. Especially after seeing Grandpa’s fireball. The proof spoke for itself, but I hadn’t fully understood what it meant. Now I was being hit from every angle, and I couldn’t escape this new reality. That had more to do with my upset stomach than anything else.
Seeing was believing, and actually seeing this place with my own eyes felt like uncovering a hidden truth. A truth I’d known all along, deep down, but I didn’t want to acknowledge it.
Grandpa tucked my hair behind my ear. “Feeling better?”
I wiped cold sweat from my brow. “Define better.”
He gave a knowing smirk and set my suitcase down beside me. “Take it easy and rest here for a few minutes while I buy our tickets.”
He left Hazel and me alone while he weaved through the throngs of travelers to get to the ticket counter. Those who weren’t lined up to buy tickets were busy boarding the large blue and white boat anchored against the dock, Mythos Line Ferry sprawled in gold across its side.
I looked at Hazel over the brim of my bucket. She was busy scanning the port with a sense of calm about her, as if it were no big deal. And to her, it wasn’t. Hazel had grown up with the knowledge of what she was. If I’d known about it, I might be a completely different person today. I wouldn’t have tried so hard to be the perfect human, that’s for sure.
“Have you ever been here before?” I said, wondering what her life had been like.
She brightened at my attempt to start a conversation. The girl was definitely a talker. “A handful of times, but we’re technically not in Mythos yet. Just the port. Also, I haven’t been to all the islands—there are several—only Spring and Autumn.”
“Spring and Autumn?”
She narrowed her eyes on me. “You really don’t know anything about Mythos, do you?”
I shook my head. “I only learned of its existence last night. I thought gods and goddesses were supposed to live on Mount Olympus.”
She grinned and sat down on the bench next to me. It looked like she was about to catch
me up to speed. “As much as we’d like to be actual gods, none of us are. It’s a word humans used to describe us, back when we were much more involved in their lives. Interesting fact—Mount Olympus does exist. It’s on Winter Island, but not many people live there. Nothing but snow, ice, a few monasteries, and the Mythonian prison. The mountain itself was said to be the first home of the gods. Legend has it, Zeus’s original lightning bolts are hidden inside its caverns.”
“What about the other islands?”
“Arcadia Academy is on Spring Island. It’s super secluded and enchanted with magical barriers to keep out unwanted beings. Mythonians are highly protective of their children.”
“Unwanted beings?”
“There are bad people here just as there are bad humans on the earthly plane.”
Bad humans—like me.
I swallowed, unable to help the thought. I wondered how long it would take to feel normal again. Or if I would ever feel normal. By the looks of this place, I shouldn’t count on it.
“Not to worry,” she said, mistaking my expression for unease. “You’ll never encounter any at Arcadia.”
“And Autumn Island?” I asked, trying to distract myself. “What’s there?”
“The capital. It’s a big city full of shops, and it’s also where the parliament buildings are located. That’s where we’re headed now, to petition the Fates for your academic enrollment, and then to get school supplies.”
I sat up straighter. The Fates—Grandpa mentioned them several times. “What are the Fates?”
“Three sisters, older than anyone else in Mythos. They remain neutral on all matters, and they can see the past, present, and future. They’ll decide whether or not you’re fit to study at the academy.”
If that was true and the Fates really could see the past, they would know how I ended up there. They would know about Riley. “What if they decide I’m not fit?”
“Don’t worry, they will. They never turn down anyone from an original bloodline.”
“Hazel,” I said, lowering my gaze. “I’ve done things…things I’m not proud of. The reason I’m here—”