I stagger into the house as my family is finishing breakfast. I’m still covered in blood, mud, and sweat, and my wounds, although partially healed, are still visible. My clothes are a tattered mess and my hair is shedding leaves and dirt every time I shake my head.
“Thank the gods you’re safe,” Themis says when I fall into her arms.
“We got worried when we didn’t hear from you. We didn’t know whether you were a prisoner or if you’d run off somewhere. Or if Zeus had killed you.”
Mom leads me to the couch and pushes me down, heedless of the ick I’m leaving on her upholstery. Clotho sits next to me, firing questions at me that my brain can’t quite process. Finally, Mom quiets her.
Themis turns to me and asks, “What happened?”
I tell them as much as I can, as clearly as I can. Their expressions turn from relief that I am safe, to sadness over Alex’s death, to fury at what Thanatos and the Keres have done. Finally, I see pride in their eyes when I tell them how I buried Alex despite Zeus’ temper tantrum.
When I confess how badly I’ve messed up in allowing the Keres to steal my shears, I’m relieved they don’t scream at me. After I’ve explained it all, Themis says, “We knew it was bad. We knew you were no longer cutting lines, and we’ve seen the news reports on CNN about increasing wars, murders, and plagues among the humans. We knew it was the Keres when we saw a report about some ugly female-like creatures that sealed off an elementary school and slaughtered everyone inside, and then killed every cop that tried to stop them.”
I shrug, not because the thought of innocent children being slaughtered doesn’t upset me, but because I’ve become somewhat immune to pain. The last twenty-four hours haven’t made anything that’s happened any less horrible; they’ve only made me too tired to get worked up about it.
“I’ve only come home to change and clean up. I have to go give Alex’s family some explanation about what’s happened to their son. Afterwards, I have to go see Zeus, apologize for this mess, and beg for his help in cleaning it up. I can’t fix it alone. I’ll need his help and the help of the other gods.”
Themis shakes her head. “He’ll enjoy that a little too much. He’ll enjoy seeing you grovel and beg for his help, but you’ll just have to be strong and not let him goad you. Check your temper at the door.”
“I’ll try. Fortunately, I think I’m too tired to fight very hard.”
“Good. I’d go with you but since I wasn’t summoned, my presence would likely only anger him more,” Themis says.
Clotho says, “While you’re gone, we’ll work on a plan. We’ll contact some of the other gods and work out how we can get your shears back.”
“Thanks,” I say, putting a hand on her arm. “But I don’t want you involved in this. It’s not only dangerous, but it’s also likely to have consequences for the future. A screw up this big is something Zeus will punish me for, and it may be eternal punishment. I don’t want you all dragged down with me. You’re better off just doing your jobs and keeping out of it.”
Lacey, who has been standing off to the side since I entered the house, shakes her head and says, “She’s right. This isn’t our fight.”
“Of course it is,” says Chloe.
“No, it’s not. Atropos was stupid enough to get herself into this mess, so she can get herself out of it. I’m not willing to be punished for her mistakes. Let her deal with it.”
“That’s not fair, especially since you set these events in motion by screwing with Alex’s fate. You bear some responsibility and the right thing to do is help fix it,” Chloe says, coming to her feet and getting in Lacey’s face.
“Stop it,” Mom says, interrupting and stepping between them. “We’ll figure out the right thing to do eventually. For now, we help your sister.”
I can see that none of them are going to back down yet, but I hope they’ll reconsider. I know that Zeus is going to take me down, and I don’t want them to fall with me. They don’t need to lose their jobs and status because their sister and daughter fell in love with a human, screwed up her job, and violated every rule of the gods.
I turn to Mom. “What do I tell Alex’s family?”
“I don’t know. You can’t tell them the truth; at least, not all of it. I don’t know whether it would be better for them to know he is dead, or for them to assume he’s dead. I think you’ll know what to say, though, when the time comes.”
“I hope so,” I say.
I let Chloe lead me upstairs to the bathroom. She helps me undress and get underneath the hot shower spray. Once I’m safely in, she leaves, promising to bring back food.
I stand in the shower for a few minutes, letting the water relax my sore muscles and rinse away the filth of the last twenty-four hours. Scrubbing the caked blood off my wounds, I wash my hair until the water finally runs clear. After I’m clean, I lean against the shower wall, close my eyes, and rest until the water cools. At one point, I think I may finally cry, but no tears come. I’m too spent.
When I get out, I’m happy to see that Chloe’s laid out my favorite black jeans, a black, long-sleeved T-shirt, and my newest pair of hiking boots. The outfit is appropriate for visiting Alex’s family, but it’s also suitable for trekking through the woods to the portal to Olympus. Not having to change will save me a trip back here. As I dress, I wolf down two sandwiches that she left on a plate by the sink and wash them down with a can of soda.
Feeling somewhat healthier, I head downstairs.
“Good luck,” Mom calls as I open the front door. She and Chloe are huddled at the kitchen table, no doubt discussing how to best deliver a swift and decisive butt-kicking to the Keres. Lacey is nowhere to be seen.
“Thanks,” I call back. “I’ll need it,” I mutter to myself. I pause to look at them one last time, not knowing when or if I might see them again.
I hop in the Thunderbird and drive the short distance to Alex’s house. Mom said that I’ll know what to say, but I don’t share her confidence. I hope I won’t blow it; that I’ll be able to strike the right mix of truth and lies that will provide them comfort and closure but not scar them too badly.
My heart sinks when I see the police cars in Alex’s driveway. Well, what did you think would happen? I ask myself. He’s been gone over twenty-four hours. Of course they called the cops.
The presence of the cops makes my decision much easier, though. Since I don’t want to answer anything the cops might ask, I just have to pretend that I have no idea what happened to Alex. I review last night in my head, making sure anything I say won’t contradict what the cops already know. Emily and Mr. Morgan left us at nine o’clock. They hadn’t checked back in before I took Alex to Oz around one in the morning. That means there are four hours that they can’t be certain where I was or what I was doing. Perfect.
I get out of the car and walk toward the front door. Before I can ring the bell, the door flies open so fast that I’m almost sucked into the foyer by the sudden whoosh of air.
“Where is he?” Mr. Morgan demands, grabbing my arm and hauling me inside the house.
“Alex?” I ask, giving my best impression of ignorance. Fortunately, I’m so tired that my stupid look is likely believable.
“Yes, Alex. You were with him two nights ago, and he’s been gone ever since.”
I look around the room. Three cops are watching me, waiting. Emily is sitting in a corner, crying softly and clutching Alex’s faded Appalachian State baseball cap. I remember how much he wanted to go there.
“He’s gone?” I ask.
“Yes, gone,” yells Mr. Morgan. “And you had something to do with it.”
“Sir, I don’t know where he is. I left here around midnight. I read to him for a while. When he fell asleep, I went home,” I say.
“Well, where have you been for the last day? You’re always here with him and since you haven’t come to visit before now, it looks a bit suspicious. You were together, weren’t you?”
“No, sir,” I
say. “I went home, and I’ve been home ever since. Mom said I had to stay home and catch up on homework and chores. I was only planning to come by yesterday if he got worse.”
I know Mom will back up the lie and since she is the D.A., the cops will likely take her at her word. There are perks to living with the law.
“Well, in his condition, he didn’t unhook himself from his IV and walk out of here on his own,” Mr. Morgan says.
“Did he tell you anything before you left? Give you any indication that he might be planning something?” the youngest of the cops asks me.
I act like I’m thinking hard. Pacing over to the living room window, I stare out at the tiny, weed-filled flower bed. Maggie comes to me and rubs herself against my legs, hoping for a scratch behind her ears. I have to take her home, I remind myself, adding Maggie to my lengthening to-do list.
Without turning around, lest the evasion be visible on my face, I say, “He did make it clear to me over and over again that he didn’t want to die here. He didn’t want his father and sister to find him dead. As close as he was to death the other night when I left, I can’t imagine that he walked out on his own, but he was determined not to die here.”
There. That’s honest to a point, with no mention that I was the one who took him away.
The young cop turns to his buddies. “Then it sounds like he somehow left this house to die,” he says to them.
“Did he ask you to take him somewhere?” another cop asks me.
“He did. But I refused.” I did refuse. Several times. Until I gave in, that is. Half-truths are working well for me.
“Do you know if he asked anyone else?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t think he knew many people. Maybe he asked one of the nurses?”
I’m not proud of throwing someone else under the bus, but I have to give the cops and Mr. Morgan somewhere else to look. Mr. Morgan hasn’t taken his eyes off me since I entered the house. I have a feeling that he knows exactly what I’ve done, but with no way to prove it, he can’t accuse me outright.
While everyone is pondering who else could have helped Alex, a fourth cop comes in from the back of the house carrying a tool kit and wearing gloves.
“I can’t find any definitive evidence that he walked away. Neither can I find any evidence that anyone else besides family and caregivers were in this house. It looks likely he either walked out on his own or he had help from within his inner circle. But unless anyone wants to admit it, we can’t prove anything.”
I look at Emily and Mr. Morgan and they look right back at me, accusation in their eyes. I say nothing.
“We’ll keep looking for him,” the young cop assures Mr. Morgan. “If he went out on his own, it’s unlikely that he made it far. For now, we’re going to assume that he’s alive. We’ll put out an Amber Alert for him and bring in teams to scour the neighborhood.”
Mr. Morgan nods.
“I can help you look,” I offer, hoping to sound innocent and concerned. “I know the area well.”
“Fine. Just stay out of our way and don’t get yourself into any trouble. Mr. Morgan, you and your daughter should wait here in case he comes back.”
The cops leave and I follow behind them, not wanting to endure the accusing glare of Mr. Morgan any longer. Besides, I have to get to Mount Mitchell to complete the rest of my torturous day. As I’m climbing into the Thunderbird, Emily comes flying out of the house. I slam the door, but I roll down the window so she can talk to me.
“Where is he?” she whispers.
“I told you, I don’t know,” I say.
“You know. Of course you know. Look, I’m not going to say anything to dad or the cops. A few days ago, Alex told me that you’d be able to tell me the truth if anything strange happened. He said that you were special and not like us, that you specialized in death. I asked what he meant, but he wouldn’t explain any further. He said you’d be able to take care of him at the end, and that I should trust you to do what was best.”
Tears run down my cheeks. I’d known, of course, that he trusted me, but I hadn’t realized how completely. I sigh and reach for her hand.
“I have to know. Please,” she begs.
What the hell, I think. I can’t get in much more trouble, and I trust her to keep her mouth shut. “He’s dead.”
She nods, and fresh tears start. “I figured. Can you tell me what happened?”
“Someday, I promise I’ll tell you. Right now, there’s a lot going on that I have to sort out before I can tell you everything. But I will tell you when I can. For now, all you need to know is that I honored all of his last wishes.”
I don’t need to tell her that I have no idea if he is okay or not, or that his last moments were brutal. Half-truths.
“Thank you,” she says, squeezing my hand. “It’s good to know for sure, you know?”
“I know,” I say. “Remember your promise. You won’t say anything, right? Those cops wouldn’t hesitate to throw me in jail and I still have work to do.”
“I swear it. I won’t say a word.”
I turn to face front and crank the ignition. Emily backs away from the car.
“Will you come visit me, now that he’s gone?” she asks.
“If you want me to, and if I can,” I say, thinking that I’m likely to end up imprisoned on Mount Olympus again, this time forever. “And probably only when your dad isn’t home.”
She looks back over her shoulder, wincing when she sees her dad watching us from the front door. “Good. I’d like to see you,” she says, waving as I pull away.
As I drive toward Mount Mitchell, I keep a watchful eye on my rearview mirror, checking for any cops who might have decided to follow me. The last thing I need is to lead a cop to the portal to Mount Olympus. But I see no one.
I reach Mount Mitchell in the early afternoon and begin my hike toward the portal. It’s a gorgeous early summer day, and there are plenty of other hikers sharing the path. I have to wait nearly twenty minutes, pretending to tie my boot laces, check a map, or study the flora before I can make it off the trail and into the woods without anyone noticing me.
When I finally reach the portal, I’m surprised and dismayed to find Ares waiting for me by the pool.
“The day just gets better,” I say.
“I heard you’d be coming here today,” he says.
“I’m sure everyone knows of my failure by now.”
“Not everyone, but most.” He says it with a smile, and I have to smile back. That’s the thing about Ares. He might be a jackass and perfectly capable of gleefully reducing an entire civilization to rubble, but he is also boyishly good-looking and charming.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him. “If you’ve come to rub it in, or make fun of me, I haven’t got the time.”
“I’m here for neither,” he says, and I’m shocked to hear sympathy in his voice. “There was a meeting this morning of the Olympians. That’s why I’m here. I’ve just come back from Zeus’ little conclave, and I have a message for you.”
“Fabulous,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Let’s hear it.”
“First, Zeus is so angry that he no longer wants to see you. You are not to go to Mount Olympus unless and until you complete the task that Zeus has set for you.”
“Oh boy,” I say, thinking of the thousands of twisted things Zeus might ask me to do.
“Yeah. I was surprised he didn’t want to ream you out in person. He usually never misses a chance to yell at someone, but he’s so angry at you that he doesn’t even want to see you. It’s a first.”
“That’s kind of good,” I say. “I really didn’t want to see him either.”
“Not so good, Little Atropos. No one has fucked up this big since Prometheus stole fire and gave it to the humans. Remember how that turned out?”
“Yeah. Zeus bound him to a stake, and now an eagle comes every day and eats his ever-regenerating liver.”
“Exactly.”
&nbs
p; “So, what, Zeus wants to tie me to a stake and let an eagle eat my liver?” I ask.
“No. Well, not yet, anyway,” Ares says.
I tilt my head and wait for him to name my punishment. When he remains silent, I roll my hand in the “hurry up and spill it gesture.” Finally, he gets to the point.
“You are to defeat the Keres and retrieve your shears yourself, within two months, without any intervention from the gods,” he says.
“Zeus doesn’t want to intervene?” I ask. “Even though the Keres are killing indiscriminately and the population of Earth is decreasing at an unsustainable rate?”
“Nope. Zeus doesn’t care about the humans. They’re playthings to him, and this is just another game. If you can’t win, I suspect he’ll fix this and save the humans at the last possible second so he can look like the hero. After he punishes you, of course. Right now, it’s a sporting event for him. It’s you versus them.”
“Great. Two months. I doubt that’s possible, but okay. What happens if I don’t win?” I ask, knowing that this is likely to be the worst punishment ever created for a god.
“First, Ker will be given access to the room of lifelines. She will take over your job permanently, to do as she sees fit. She will become the Death Fate and work with your sisters. She’ll have to slow down on the indiscriminate killing, of course, but Zeus will give her enough leeway to keep her tribe fed.”
“Ker will become part of my family? She’ll work with Clotho and Lachesis?” This is almost worse than the thought of her controlling death.
“Zeus thinks it fitting that the victor should have the job. If you can’t win, you aren’t fit for the work. Ker will be made a legitimate goddess, and the humans will die a lot more often and a lot more painfully.” He shrugs as if this is all fine and dandy.
“What happens to Thanatos?” I ask.
“He’ll get his fondest wish. He will replace Hades as the King of the Underworld. Zeus isn’t happy that Hades took your side and is using this as an excuse to punish him, too.”
“Great. So in Zeus’ sick mind, the ones responsible for this mess get rewarded while the rest of us get screwed.”
“No one ever said he was fair,” Ares says.
I know that my sisters will work with Ker if forced, if for no other reason than loyalty to their jobs. But they’ll hate every minute of it. The joy in their lives will be snuffed out. This is Zeus’ way of punishing them, too. Of course, Lacey deserves it, but still. And Hades? What would my uncle be without his job as ruler of the Underworld? I can’t even imagine it.
I sigh. “And he doesn’t care that Ker will kill every human in the bloodiest and most violent ways possible? That there will be untold suffering? That Thanatos will screw up the Underworld so badly with his incompetence that the dead will likely end up walking the Earth and terrorizing the living?”
“Why should he?”
“Spoken like a true god,” I sarcastically say.
“Hey. I’m just passing on the message here,” Ares says.
“A little too gleefully,” I mutter. “Okay, what happens to me?” I ask in a louder voice. Zeus has devised a cruel punishment for everyone connected to me. I’m sure mine will be a hundred times worse.
“You will be made mortal. At the end of your life, you will face whatever death Ker devises for you. That’s likely to be painful,” he adds helpfully.
“That’s not too bad. It’s actually great,” I say, thinking that at least at the end of my life I will be able to see Alex again. If I can stand whatever death Ker devises for me, the rest will be easy. As a mortal, I can get a different job, have something of a normal life, and, at the end of it, be reunited with Alex in the Underworld. Zeus is actually giving me a gift.
“Well, it’s not so great when you add this last part,” Ares says.
“Leave it to you to leave out the important bits,” I say. “Would you just get on with it? I’m tired and my patience with you, Zeus, and pretty much everyone is at its limit.”
“Wow, you’re stressed. Relax, Little Atropos,” he says, putting a hand on my arm.
“Don’t call me that,” I say, slapping his hand away. “The time for that name is long past.” I let him get away with calling me by my old pet name earlier, thinking it was a slip, but twice is too much.
“Just finish explaining my punishment, you big brute,” I snap.
“Okay, okay,” he says, taking a step back. “The Underworld will be forever barred to you. You will never be able to enter and rest there. Your soul will wander the Earth forever, never finding peace, never seeing your beloved Alex again, and never finding society with humans or gods again. You are guaranteed nothing but endless wandering, loneliness, and no peace or rest. That’s an exact quote, by the way,” he says, looking smug.
“Well, that does suck,” I say, sitting down on one of the rocks bordering the pool.
I’m good with being alone. In fact, I prefer it most of the time. But I’ve always had the option to seek out my family or the few other gods I like when I want company or need advice. Being alone forever is scary. I know I’ll miss Clotho the most, followed by Themis. Missing Lacey is a crapshoot, but after a few thousand years, I’ll probably miss even her.
And, of course, Alex. Of course, as long as I am immortal, we’ll be separated forever and I know that. The best I can hope for in the normal course of events is to talk Hades into letting me see Alex once or twice once he makes it to the Underworld. It isn’t much, but it’s something to hope for, at least. If Zeus makes me mortal and condemns my soul to wander forever, I won’t even have that shred of hope. Even Asclepius’ powder won’t help.
Ares sits down next to me and puts his arm over my shoulder. I try to lean away, but he simply tightens his grip, keeping me where I am. I sigh and give up, dropping my head to his shoulder, not out of affection but exhaustion.
“There is one bright spot,” Ares says after a few minutes.
“And that is?” I ask, not seeing anything bright about my situation.
“After several hours of arguing from myself, Hades, Persephone, and Aphrodite on your behalf—” he begins.
“Wait,” I interrupt him. “Aphrodite said something on my behalf?”
“She did. Shocking, I know, but she did. She is the goddess of love, remember. She took pity on you because your actions were motivated by love.”
“But she hates me because of you,” I say.
“Oh, she does, you’re not wrong. Even though she and I are no longer together, she still hates that you had me first. But, she loves love and that’s why she spoke up for you.”
“Huh,” is all I can say. So he and Aphrodite are no longer together. I wonder what happened there, but I push it to the back of my mind to ponder later. She probably realized what a jerk Ares is and went back to her husband.
“Anyway,” he continues, “we argued that you should have at least one champion on your side. After all, the Keres number in the thousands, plus they have Thanatos’ strength now. We argued that it would only be fair if you had the help of one god. Zeus reluctantly agreed.”
I snort.
“Well, only agreed because he felt it would make it more sporting. There’s a lot of betting going on around Olympus right now on the outcome, and the odds were stacked too high on the Keres. He allowed you to have a champion to even the odds somewhat.”
“Of course. He certainly didn’t do it because he cares one iota about me. Do I get to choose the god I want?” I ask, thinking immediately that I’ll take Hades. Not only do we get along well, but as a god of death with considerable powers, he’ll be able to control Thanatos while I work on the Keres. Plus, he’s got his own motivation for me to succeed.
“Sort of,” Ares says. “You can choose only from those who volunteered to help you.”
“And who volunteered?” I ask.
“I did.”
“And who else?”
“No one else.”
“So I c
hoose you or I go it alone?” I ask.
“Pretty much.”
“Well, now, this really sucks,” I say.
Ares chuckles.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” I say.
“Wasn’t planning on it,” he says, suppressing his laughter beneath a cough. I just glare at him.
“Why’d you volunteer? Why no one else?”
“Everyone else hates you right now. They’re facing punishment because of you, their jobs are screwed up because of the mess that death has become, or they’re pissed that you risked exposing us all. I thought you could use the help. And I feel like I owe you one. For what happened all those centuries ago.”
I wave my hand, “It’s forgotten.”
“If that’s so, I’m glad. But if it’s true, I wonder why you seem so skittish around me. You keep backing away from me, Little Atropos,” he says, pulling me closer.
I try to pull back again, but fail. “Self-preservation, you big jackass,” I say.
“Like I said. I owe you something and helping you is all I can give. Atropos, I wronged you horribly all those centuries ago. I got what I deserved, I suppose, when Aphrodite’s husband strung us up in that damn net for all the gods to laugh at. Had I stayed with you, none of that would have happened,” he says.
“I wouldn’t have wanted you to stay with me just so you could avoid a worse fate elsewhere,” I say.
“That’s not what I meant,” he says.
“I know. But it’s done and I don’t want to talk about it. If I take you up on your offer of help, will you expect me to be your lover? Because I’m pretty much done with love.”
“No. I don’t want anything in exchange for my help.”
I raise my eyebrow in disbelief and wait.
“Well, it will anger Zeus, which is always fun. And he and I have a score to settle.”
“Ah. Spoken like the Ares I know,” I say.
He’s not in this just for me, which is kind of a relief. He volunteered so he can advance his own vendetta against Zeus. I don’t really care what that’s about, as long as it makes him loyal to me. Maybe he and I can work together, after all.
“I will train you to fight and I will teach you to wage a war that will not only win back your shears and avenge your Alex, but which will never be forgotten in history. And I will ask for nothing in return,” he says.
He finally lets me go and I hunch forward on the rock, resting my elbows on my knees. I have to think. I know I can’t win alone. Ares might be able to win alone, but even he would have a difficult time against such odds. Alone, I will surely lose.
I slide my eyes toward Ares still sitting beside me. Why does it have to be him? I told him it was long done and buried between us, but I lied. While I have moved on and loved Alex with everything I had, Ares is still my first love. A girl never forgets the first time she gives her heart away, particularly not when it is returned to her in such a brutal manner.
It doesn’t matter that centuries have passed, that wound is still raw. Spending every day with Ares will only continue to chafe it. However, if I want to win this war, save my family and Hades, and remain immortal with even a tiny chance of seeing Alex again someday, I have to use Ares.
I huff out a breath, standing up. Ares rises and stands next to me.
“Okay. I’ll take your help,” I say through my teeth.
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic,” he chides.
I stick my hand out. He takes it, and we shake on the bargain.
“We’re agreed, then?” he asks.
“We’re agreed. You will train me and teach me the ways of war, and we will win back my shears and avenge Alex. And then we will go our separate ways,” I add.
“Oh boy. This is going to be fun,” Ares says, rubbing his hands together and gleefully pondering the art of war.
We leave the portal and head back to the car, Ares talking non-stop about his plans and me trudging along behind, completely unsure about what I’ve just let myself in for.
Broken Fate Page 29