by Raye Wagner
“Did you almost fall?” Xan taunted. “Yeah, I beat you.”
Athan was at her side, holding her elbow.
“Don’t be an idiot, Xan,” he said, but his eyes never left hers. “You all right?” he whispered. He brushed his thumb over her arm in a tender caress.
Hope swallowed the lump at the back of her throat and nodded.
“She’s fine, Athan.” Xan grabbed her other elbow and pulled her away. “Leave her alone.”
Hope blushed. “No, it’s—”
“Ironic company you’re choosing to keep, Hope.” Athan’s gaze hardened, and he took a step back. “Be careful. Xan’s not always reliable. Right?”
Xan’s ice blue eyes glittered, and he tightened his jaw. “Right.”
What the Kracken? The hostility between the two was stronger today, if that was even possible. She tugged Xan’s sleeve.
“Come on. Let’s go.” But she couldn’t help glancing back at Athan as they walked out the door.
Hurt was etched into his frown.
THE NEXT MORNING, HOPE trudged down the hall to the library after breakfast. Over eggs and bacon, Xan announced that they were going back to their regular study schedule, and now her morning would be spent with Obelia.
“No, really, Xan,” Hope protested. “You said yourself that she leaves out stuff. Isn’t there some way I can independently study this course?”
Xan laughed. “All your lessons are independent study. It’s not like you’ve even had a test yet.”
Hope said nothing.
“Are you sure you’re not just trying to avoid Obelia?” he continued, “I know she isn’t always the most pleasant person to be around—”
Grossest understatement ever. “Is she ever pleasant?”
Xan raised his eyebrows. “Why don’t you go to class now? You can be grumpy with me later. I’m sure we’ll find a way to work that off this afternoon.”
Hope left and was fuming to herself as she walked through the library door. She stopped as soon as she entered.
“Why does that matter?” Obelia asked. She stood inches away from Athan, her back to Hope.
“Please, Obelia?” Athan’s green eyes met Hope’s then. “Here she is now. I won’t keep you.” He reached out and touched Obelia on the arm.
Obelia glared at Hope, but her features morphed into something much sweeter when she turned back to Athan.
“I’ll see you at lunch?” She batted her lashes as she toyed with the edge of his shirt.
He smiled down at the petite demigod. It was the same tilt of his lips he’d given to everyone in Goldendale. Warm with no meaning.
“Of course, Obelia,” he answered, then he pulled away and started toward the door. As he passed Hope, he whispered something. He was out the door before Hope deciphered it.
“Study hard.”
Hope gritted her teeth. “What are we learning about today?” She crossed the dark wood floor to the study tables, dragging her feet with dread.
Obelia shuffled through the folders. She pulled one and then another out of the stack and then extended them to Hope. “We were going to study Artemis, but let’s have you read up on some of the monsters.” She handed the folders to Hope. “I heard you had a run-in with one when you first got here,” Obelia said as she placed the folders in Hope’s hands.
The inquiry made her jaw drop. The girl had never asked anything about her before. Ever. “Yes, here in the library, actually. Briareus.”
“And you went with him for a book?” The sideways look spoke volumes. “Surely, you saw he was a monster?”
“Well, yeah, but I had assumed that if he was here in the conservatory, he was safe.” She bit back any further explanation. It wouldn’t do her any good. Obelia hated her.
Obelia’s hand went to her throat, and she took a deep breath. “Athan was right. You do need some education on monsters.” She pulled the bottom folder from Hope’s hands and placed it on top. “Start with the monsters. I’ll come back for you in a couple of hours.” Obelia crossed the room to leave.
That conversation was, by far, the most civil Hope had ever had with Hestia’s daughter. She took the folders and headed over to a table to read. Hope always thought she knew a lot about Greek mythology, but the information in this folder was different. It was astounding.
The Minotaur, a crazed half man and half bull, sent as a curse to Minos, the king of Crete. For sustenance, he consumed human flesh.
The Sirens, bird-women creatures created by Demeter (Demeter! She’d always thought she’d be one of the nice gods). Sirens were women cursed for their immorality, as if the gods didn’t sleep around. These cursed creatures sang a beautiful song, calling for the lost Persephone, but the song lured men to their death.
Argus, a hundred-eyed monster, cursed by Hera for infidelity. He was set to watch over Io to prevent Zeus’s roving. When Argus was killed by the demigod Hercules, Hera put his eyes in the tail of the peacock. As if Hera had never been unfaithful. And then Hope realized she might be the only one who actually knew that. Ugh. Gods and their secrets!
The stories were depressing. The humans who’d offended the gods were then cursed to become monsters, half-breeds. In some cases, it was the human’s offspring, as if an innocent child offended the gods by its very existence. And the monsters were offensive to both man and god. More often than not, their end was horribly tragic.
Her mood plummeted to despair as she read.
A few of the stories she was familiar with, but her mother had only given broad strokes of the story. Even in school, nothing had been this comprehensive. It was the details, the very details that made her sick. Not one monster, not a single one, had met with a happy ending. Why would Athan want to shove that in her face?
There was no hope. She laughed as she thought it. Her mom had always told her she had been aptly named, but she wasn’t sure what there was to hope for.
“Did you find something funny?” Obelia stood over Hope, arms crossed over her chest.
“Not particularly. It was one of those laugh-so-you-don’t-cry kinda things. It’s really horrible and depressing.” Hope indicated the folder she was reading from.
Obelia leaned on the desk, tapping the papers with her manicured nails. “They’re monsters.” She spoke slowly as if Hope were dim. “If they weren’t created that way, they were changed because they were monsters inside. They either lack intelligence or character. They don’t deserve your pity.”
Hope was floored, and her temper flared. “Really? None of them were ever good? Do they not have any redeeming qualities?”
“Like Briareus?” Obelia’s sarcasm was punctuated by her raised eyebrows. “He was created to help, but the Titans refused to have anything to do with him. Zeus took pity on his kind and tried to let him be helpful, but Briareus is a monster. He betrayed those who would have saved him from Tartarus. Hopefully he’ll be thrown in the pit for a millennium. And he deserves it. You of all people should be glad for it.”
But Hope wasn’t. “Do you think, maybe, if they were treated with more respect—?”
“How can you respect a monster? They’re awful.” Obelia stood up, ending the conversation. “Why don’t we take a break for lunch? Take the folder. I’ll see you on Thursday.” With that, Obelia left again.
Hope flipped through the folder. Athan had given it to Obelia to give to Hope. Was he trying to tell her something? Was he trying to say she didn’t stand a chance?
Story after story, printed on white paper, stacked in the red folder, all stories that would discourage her from having any hope. A bright blue flashed from between the pages. Hope flipped back through, this time more slowly, until . . .
She pulled out the bright paper. Monsters—histories, myths, legends, and fates. Look for volumes by the Moirai. There will only be a few. The rest are in the Underworld. Third row from the left, all the way in the back. Be brave. -A
What the—?
He was helping her. Why? She folded the paper and sho
ved it in her back pocket.
A glance told her what she already knew. No one else was in the library. Time to do what she had come here to do.
Third row. All the way in the back. It took fifteen minutes to walk to the back of the library. The dust was thick on the heavy tomes filling the shelf. Most of the lettering was in Greek, and Hope searched for the familiar markings indicating curses. She pulled out book after book, until several small piles lay at her feet. Then she sat on the floor in the midst of her search.
She pulled the closest volume off the top of a pile and blew the dust from the spine. Gold lettering in Greek was embossed on the cover. She opened the book; etchings swam in front of her, and she blinked. With a snap, the writing solidified. Cassandra, Daphne, Castalia . . . Hope read story after story of these women who had rejected Apollo and were cursed for it. None had escaped.
She pulled another book down, and another, and another from the seemingly endless stack.
She found exactly nothing about the curse of the Sphinx. But each of these tomes were from the Moirai, so she knew they were accurate. But after hours of research, the only conclusion she had was that curses were fulfilled, not broken.
She refused to give up, but it was all she could take for today. One by one, she shoved the books back on the shelf and then stood. She took the blue paper and slid it between the books separating the ones she still needed to read. There were only five tomes left. Of course they were the biggest. And probably the most depressing.
Hope had skipped her afternoon workout to do research in the library. She trudged to her room, knowing she needed to get herself together. Artemis had told her to come to the conservatory for a reason. There was something here she needed to learn. And she refused to believe it was that her existence was hopeless.
She showered and dressed in jeans and a sweater. Ready for dinner, she crossed her room while mentally counting down the days until she’d change into the Sphinx. Ten. She had ten days before she would morph into the Sphinx. She steeled her heart. She’d have to leave for good this time. Whether she had an answer or not. She couldn’t leave and come back without an explanation again. This was it. Nine more days.
She opened the door and heard yelling from downstairs. She took two steps before Athan was up the stairs, pushing Hope back into her room.
“Hey—”
“Shh!” He hissed and clapped his hand over her mouth, closing the door behind them. “You need to get out of here.”
Her gaze narrowed, and she shook her head. She glanced down at his hand and gave it a tug. It didn’t even budge.
He leaned into her, his lips grazing her ear as he whispered, “I’ll take my hand off your mouth, but be quiet, okay?”
Her heart did a funny flip. How could he still affect her?
He pulled his hand away.
“What are you talking about?” she snapped. “Get out of my—”
His hand halted her speech. “They’re here.” He swallowed, and the vein in his neck jumped with his erratic pulse. His fear became a thick cloud surrounding them. “They’re here, and they’re hunting you.”
Apollo’s sons. Her mind raced. Should she leave? She thought about the five volumes left in the library.
“I’m not leaving,” she murmured. Her resolve pushed the fear away. “I’m too close. I need to go through those volumes, and this is my only chance.”
Athan inched closer, his eyes begging.
“I can do it. If they find out what you are . . .” He didn’t need to finish the thought. They both knew.
“I’ll make sure they don’t.” She forced herself to say it with confidence she didn’t feel.
His shoulders sagged. “Why won’t you let me help?”
How much could she tell him? Did she trust him? He hadn’t told her secret yet. “I only know that I need information in the library. That’s all I have to go on.”
“Okay.” He sounded defeated, but when his eyes met hers, green flame blazed within. “Be careful of Xan. He’s not the good guy you think he is.”
“Why would you say that?” Hope frowned. “Are you jealous?” Boys were stupid.
A familiar smirk blossomed over his face. “Should I be?”
She hated that he could read her.
“Maybe.” She dropped the word like a hot pan.
“Not hardly,” he said, but his haunted eyes contradicted the words. “Well, let’s go down, and I’ll introduce you to more of your enemies.”
Hope took a deep breath and nodded. She opened the door and saw Xan coming up the stairs.
“Holy Hades,” she swore and stepped back into Athan. She shoved him back in the room and closed the door.
“What are you—?”
“Hope?” Xan said her name as he knocked on the door.
Athan rolled his eyes and offered her another smirk.
She did not need this right now.
“Just a sec, Xan.” She briefly contemplated her sparse room, but there was nowhere for Athan to hide. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into the bathroom. “Stay here until we get down the stairs. Then you can come out.”
He leaned in, closing the distance between them.
“Are you trying to hide me from your boyfriend?” he whispered in her ear, his lips tickling her skin.
Her heart jumped at his nearness. That was not fair.
“Don’t be a jerk.” She couldn’t put her finger on why this was important, only that she didn’t want Xan to know Athan was in her room. She looked up into his green eyes, and her heart thudded with anticipation and wanting. “Please?” she breathed.
His smile turned to a grimace. “Fine.” He gritted his teeth. “Fine.”
But it wasn’t fine, and worse, she didn’t know how to fix it. She didn’t know how to fix anything. There was another knock from Xan, and without another word, Hope left Athan in the bathroom.
She pulled open the bedroom door. “What’s up?”
Xan’s eyes lit up, and he tried to step into her room.
But Hope wasn’t about to let that happen.
“I’m starving. Let’s go down for dinner.” She pushed him out into the hall and closed the door behind her.
“Before you go down there, there’s something I need to tell you.” He pulled her to a stop and levelled her with his somber expression.
Hope gave him her full attention, trying to pretend she didn’t already know. Trying to pretend she wasn’t scared. Trying to pretend Athan wasn’t hiding in her room. But even with her preoccupation, the furrow on Xan’s brow and the strained tendons of his neck told of the tension he was struggling to contain.
“Are you okay?” He reached up as if to touch her face, but she flinched, and he dropped his arm with a frown.
“I’m fine.” Her heart raced, and she licked her lips. Her gaze darted down the hall. “What’s up?”
“Ty and his brothers are here.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t go anywhere with any of them. No matter what, all right?”
“Okay.” She had no intention of going anywhere with them. Ever.
“All right.” He let out a long exhale. “Where were you this afternoon? You missed our workout.”
“Uh, I was reading. In the library.”
“Really? I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
What was with the twenty questions today?
“Yeah. All the way in the back. Sorry. Should I have let you know?” Was she supposed to tell him everything? He wasn’t the boss of her. The thought crossed her mind, and then guilt followed. She pointed down the stairs, and they headed toward the kitchen.
Xan thumped his fist against the wall with every step. “No worries. It was probably better. Ty and Prax came in talking about killing a monster and going after some demigod. Better you didn’t have to listen to them.”
She recognized them as soon as she walked into the kitchen. These were the three blond boys she’d seen in Goldendale before she moved, and then again when she’d g
one to visit Haley. One of them was supposed to be in her grade at school. But none of these men were seventeen.
“Hey, hey, hey!” The tallest one shoved another away from him and sauntered up to her. “Who are you?” His gaze traveled from her head to her ankles and back up again. To his credit, he didn’t focus on her chest.
“Hope.” She extended her hand.
His grip was firm, and he squeezed more than was courteous. Hope clenched her jaw and squeezed back.
“Whoa! You’re not a pussy, eh? Good. Good. Prax, Ty, come meet your cousin. Or should I say aunt?”
Hope shrugged as if the question meant nothing to her. As if they meant nothing to her. But her stomach was rock hard, and images of her aunt’s terror flashed in her mind.
Two additional tall, blond young men came over and sized her up.
“She’s awful thin. You sure she can fight?” This one had a blond patch of hair below his lower lip and two piercings on his right eyebrow. He was built like a tank. He leaned forward and pushed her with two fingers.
Anger rooted her to the floor, and she braced herself. “I can fight just fine.”
He lifted his chin to the taller brother then extended his hand. “I’m Ty. That’s Tre, and that’s Prax. You’re Leto’s daughter, huh?”
“I am.” It didn’t matter if she was scared, only that they didn’t know it. She stood tall.
“Never knew she had a daughter.” He said it like if he didn’t know, then maybe it wasn’t true.
“I didn’t know she had to tell you.” She knew this kind of person, and Hope refused to be bullied.
The one named Prax laughed. “This one has fire, she does.”
He smirked, and his eyes lit with humor. Maybe he wouldn’t be so bad.
“Stay out of our way, and you’ll be fine, Aunt.” Ty said aunt like ant.
“Hey,” Xan said and stepped forward as if to challenge the hulking boy-man.
Ty was a jerk.
“Right,” Hope said, cutting Xan off. “Then you best stay out of my way too, Nephew.” She hoped the best defense would be a strong offense, but she couldn’t help the shiver of fear running down her spine. Were these the demigods that tortured Priska? It seemed very possible.