Muse Song, #1

by Sarah Biglow

  “Not in a very long time and some of you lesser known demigods don’t come back every generation. You might be unique and original, my boy.”

  I was at a loss for words. The idea that I didn’t come back every generation like my father hadn’t even occurred to me; I’d just accepted the concept that it happened and, given my parentage, I must have come along too. Taking the front steps two at a time, I followed Hermes inside. The librarian led me through a foyer with high ceilings and into a living room with a tall grandfather clock in one corner and a mantle decorated with family photos on the opposite wall. A small group sat sharing drinks.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Hermes thumped me on the shoulder. “We’ve got a guest.”

  I stopped short of entering the room. I recognized Mr. McManus, but that was it. I was lucky to spot Mr. McManus at all through the overlapping haze of auras flaring in the room. Blinded, I turned away to keep from completely passing out. Something deep down told me they weren’t even trying to exert their power. That meant they were all definitely major gods. By the crackle of electricity orbiting one man’s aura, I guessed he was Zeus. The rest were a mystery.

  “I think you’re overwhelming him.” Mr. McManus’s voice seemed gentle with a hint of deference for the people around him.

  Cracking one lid open, I could finally make out people instead of intense blurs. I opened the other eye and crossed the threshold. The man sported short, graying hair and was dressed in a simple, dark navy suit that complimented his eyes. One of the women leaned against the edge of the mantle and wore a skirt suit in a cream color. She appeared to be a little younger than the man.

  “Liam, this is my wife, Andrea.” Mr. McManus stood up and wrapped an arm around the woman to his right. She waved and tucked a few strands of strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear.

  The man I assumed was Zeus extended his hand. “My name is Xavier Maragos.” I shook it in silence. Mr. Maragos gestured to the woman by the mantle. “This is my wife Helena. You are Hayden Gray’s son, yes?”

  I coughed. “Uh, yes, sir.” Shoving my hands in my pockets, I didn’t meet his gaze. “But I swear I didn’t have anything to do with Abbie and those other girls going missing. I’m trying to find them.”

  Helena stepped forward and put a hand on her husband’s arm. “So we have heard.”

  Hermes stepped up from behind me until we were shoulder to shoulder. “He wanted some answers and I thought it was time we at least heard him out.”

  “What do you know already?” Mr. Maragos set his glass down on an end table.

  I held up a hand. “Before we get to that, can we talk about who you are?” I gestured toward the three strangers. “I mean… I want to know who is opposing my father.”

  “Ah, I assumed your talents allowed you to know our identities.” Mr. Maragos rubbed his chin.

  I shook my head. “No. I can tell you’re super powerful and your aura is different than anyone else’s I’ve met. I’m guessing you’re Zeus.”

  Mr. Maragos nodded. “Correct.”

  “Do you really throw lightning bolts at people who piss you off?” Embarrassment warmed the back of my neck for asking such a stupid question of the King of the Gods.

  “Not very often these days.” He let out a little chuckle before clearing his throat. “Now, moving on… As you might suspect, Helena is the Goddess Hera.”

  Staring blankly, I couldn’t recall a single fact about Zeus’s wife. “Sorry, I’m drawing a blank.”

  “I protect women and marriage.” Helena sipped from her drink. “In our original incarnations, my husband and I had a rather rocky union.” She patted her husband’s hand. “We seem to have learned from our past mistakes now.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  Andrea pulled herself from Mr. McManus’s grasp. “And I am Athena. I represent the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. I am also involved in the arts and in another life was quite the activist.”

  I took a minute to digest the information. “My father is working with Rhys Holden. I’m pretty sure he’s Ares.”

  “Yes. We were worried they might form an alliance.” Zeus nodded.

  “I also happen to be a military strategist when I find a cause worth fighting for so Mr. Holden isn’t without an equal.” Athena smirked.

  Taking a step farther into the room, my chin jutted out. “Is Abbie worth fighting for?”

  Athena folded her arms over her chest and the smirk transformed into a gentle smile. “Absolutely.”

  “Now that we’ve done introductions, what else do you know about our current situation?” Zeus picked up his drink.

  “I have an idea of what … um … who Abbie is. At least in the general sense. She’s a Muse. I know that my father and Captain Holden … um, Ares … are planning something and they need Abbie and the other girls to make the plan work. They’re using my stepmother to do it.” Hermes nudged my shoulder and pointed at my bag. “Oh, I found this book in my stepmother’s study at work about Greek mythology. There was a chapter at the end about the theory that the gods are real and return every generation. Do people who are just … normal know this stuff?”

  Hera shook her head. “No. The author of that text was one of us several incarnations ago. It would not surprise me that your father keeps it in his collection.” She moved back to leaning on the mantle. “What more can you tell us about your father’s plan?”

  “I don’t know.” I dug the toe of my sneaker into the carpet. “They did say that they have a deadline and it’s coming in a week.” I looked Zeus in the eye. “So why aren’t you just swooping in there and rescuing them?” I pointed at Mr. McManus. “He knows where they are. You must too.”

  Zeus closed the distance between us. “Because, as you say, normal people don’t know what we are or that we even exist. We cannot simply go in and rescue them. And we believe that the girls are on the verge of rescuing themselves. Consider it a trial by fire.”

  I scoffed. “More like hell fire. And that’s unfair. They’re the victims. They’re just kids!”

  “You’re right, Liam”—Athena reached out to put a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged out of reach—“but they are also incredibly strong-willed and resourceful.”

  Shaking my head, I took several steps back. “You’re scared of my father and Captain Holden. He could file charges against you for anything he wanted. That’s it, isn’t it?”

  They didn’t deny my accusation, which made it clear they were terrified of their enemy. A part of me couldn’t blame them. Still, sitting on their hands rubbed me the wrong way. “You want me to do your legwork for you.”

  “One thing you don’t seem to know is that a war is coming, young man. It is inevitable. Every generation we clash with your father.” Zeus’s aura flared for a few seconds and overwhelmed my senses. “That time is near and it would seem your father is scheming to turn the tide to his advantage by taking the Muses.”

  My hands balled into fists. “But why would they matter?”

  “The Muses are responsible for creativity in the world.” Athena stepped into the middle of the room, drawing my focus. “After every battle, they are instrumental in rebuilding the world. It’s my guess that your father is trying to use their abilities to sway the tide of the war and give himself a leg up before the fighting starts.”

  “You may not know this but since your father’s power comes from the underworld, his reach is limited here.” Zeus peered down his nose at me.

  I squirmed under the man’s gaze. I hated being treated like a child who knew nothing. Still, I got his point. My father’s power was weaker here. A shiver ran the length of my spine at the thought that the power he displayed here wasn’t the full force. I disliked being used but if it helped bring Abbie home safe, I’d do it. “If I can find out anything else I’ll let you know.”

  “That would be useful. But do not take any unnecessary risks.” Zeus pulled himself to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest. He struck just as imposing a figure as my f
ather. “You may not believe we are taking steps to assist the girls in their safe return but we are. And we are planning for their safety in the future. If you want to help Abbie, you need to trust us.”

  24

  Persephone didn’t visit at all on Wednesday. I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, while Erin poured over the book. I ignored the pressure in my overly full bladder but the boredom and the monotony of our existence weighed on me. There was so much I wanted to know and the answers were within reach if only Erin would stop hogging the book. Rolling over to face her, I asked, "Can I have the book?"

  Erin looked up from her reading. "I'm not done yet."

  "You’ve had it for like a half hour." I maneuvered into a sitting position.

  "So what?" Her red hair fanned out around her face as she looked back at the book.

  "It’s called sharing.” Standing, I sidestepped the instruments cluttering up the middle of the room. “And I think I deserve a look since I’m the one who smuggled it in."

  Erin rolled her eyes but closed the book and tossed at me. I caught it just before it landed on the floor and retreated to the piano bench. Propping the book on the keyboard, I flipped to the table of contents and skimmed until I hit the end of the As and found Athena’s entry. Paging through to the entry, I read aloud. “Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Peace and Reason, is the daughter of Zeus and Metis. It is said that Zeus swallowed Metis while she was pregnant and Athena burst from his forehead fully grown.” I bent forward to read a footnote. Glaukos was her familiar. “Huh, Glaukos is in here.” Neither of my cellmates reacted to what I’d read. Turning to my left, I found Rosa staring quietly at her hands. “Rosa, are you okay?"

  She didn't say anything. Erin had settled back on her bed facing the wall. I assumed Rosa’s silence was due to the mini argument over the book so I got up and settled beside her. "What's wrong?"

  "I do not know. I have this bad feeling that maybe ... maybe what she is making us do is more than just a play."

  "What is it then?" Erin rolled over but didn’t look at me directly.

  Rosa shook her head. "It is just a feeling I got when she was making me inspire her."

  “Can you be more specific?” I wrapped what I hoped was a comforting arm around her shoulder.

  “Really sad … like I will never get to see my family again. Like maybe they do not want me and for a moment I felt so angry I thought I might explode.”

  “Maybe you’re just homesick. I mean being locked up in here will do that to you.” Erin tugged on the hem of her shirt as she sat up.

  “I do miss my family, but I know they love me. It had to be something she did.” Rosa wiped away tears.

  “Did you feel the same way Rosa did?” I hoped Erin wouldn’t give me the cold shoulder.

  Erin shrugged and stared down at her hands. “Not really. Maybe it’s because I only did it once.”

  I wet my lips and leaned forward. "Did you see anything in her notes that might give us a hint about what she’s writing?"

  Erin looked away, like she wasn't going to answer. After a minute or two she shook her head. "A bunch of stuff about music, like chords, and she’d marked out measures. There might have been some song lyrics too.” She tapped her chin. “I guess they were kind of sad."

  “Okay. Maybe she’s writing a tragedy.” I let go of Rosa’s shoulder. “That still doesn’t explain what it’s going to be used for." Retreating to the piano bench, I resumed my search through the book. Rereading Persephone’s entry didn’t give any further hints about Dr. Phillips’s plans but revisiting Euterpe’s passage provided some information I’d missed before. A short paragraph at the bottom described additional abilities including precognition. “That’s weird.”

  “What is?” Erin started to stand up but then sat back down.

  “It says Euterpe … I mean me … I can see the future,” I explained with a laugh. “That’d be pretty awesome for tests but as far as I know I’ve never had a vision or anything. It’s probably just an error.”

  Rosa settled next to me and pointed to the very bottom of the page. “Look, there is a footnote next to it. See what it says.”

  Squinting at the small text, I read the note. “It says that some historians disagree about the accuracy of the information. It looks like the more modern interpretation is that it’s just a wrong translation but older scholars think it could have some truth to it.”

  Rosa tilted her head. “Then why did they put it in the book?”

  I shrugged. “Well, since it’s in a footnote I guess it’s just so people are aware of conflicting viewpoints. They can’t say for sure which group is right so they gave equal credit to both.”

  “Can ... I see the book?” Rosa backed up and didn’t look me in the eye.

  Smiling, I handed it over. “Yeah, of course.” I settled my elbows against the keyboard. “You know I bet we could learn a lot about the other gods and goddesses from the book. I read about Athena. Mr. McManus—my English teacher—really liked her, said she was his inspiration.”

  “I wonder who out there is on our side … besides Athena?” Erin finally stood up and joined us in the middle of the room.

  Rosa looked over the top of the book. “Or how we would know who they really are.”

  Silence fell again and I let things sink in. Knowing that I was a Muse made everything that happened at school during the last couple of years make a lot more sense. The spark I saw was the potential waiting inside. I’d been inspiring them without realizing it. Somehow, Dr. Phillips—Persephone—had figured out who I was after just a couple sessions, which raised the question of who else knew our secret. Did Mom and Dad know the truth?

  “Abbie.” Erin’s voice was distant.

  “Huh?” I blinked, pulling myself back to reality. “What?”

  “You’re crying.” Erin’s fingers danced over the closed key cover of the organ like she was playing.

  “Sorry.” I wiped at my cheeks. I hadn’t even noticed the tears falling. “I just realized that this whole time I’ve felt crazy and it turns out I wasn’t. There was a reason everything was happening. And I was thinking about my parents, wondering how much they know about who I really am.” I scratched at an itch on my neck. “They must be freaking out right now and blaming each other. Things were bad when they were still together but these days they can’t agree on anything.”

  “They probably just worry about you.” Rosa set the book in her lap.

  I blinked back more tears. “Maybe but my dad was supposed to pick me up the day Dr. Phillips kidnapped me so Mom is probably blaming him and that kills me.”

  “When we get out of here you can tell her that it wasn’t his fault.” Erin gave my arm a gentle pat.

  I sighed. “We still need a plan to get out of here.”

  “You came up with the idea about sneaking out to get the book. Maybe we can do that again but find a way to stop the door from closing all the way and then sneak out for real when she’s not around.” Erin rotated to face the blank wall with the secret door.

  “But what about the play?” Rosa moved from her bed to one of the empty chairs, book still in hand. “We must stop her from finishing it. I do not know why but I cannot get rid of the bad feeling about what will happen if we do not.”

  “We need to prioritize.” I scrubbed at my eyes with the heels of my hands. “I don’t think we have much control over the play. It’s not like she’s letting us actually give input. Escape needs to be our focus.”

  Erin spun the watch on her wrist three times. It was after nine o’clock at night. “Do you think you could sneak out again?”

  I glanced around the room. “I don’t think we need anything else. We can use what we have in here already. It won’t arouse as much suspicion.”

  “So we wait until she comes in again.” Rosa flipped pages without looking at them.

  “Yeah. We just need to trust each other. Either we all get out together or none of us do.” Stifling a yawn, I glanced from Erin to Rosa
and back again. “I wish Glaukos would come back and give us an update on what’s happening on the outside.”

  “You just want an update on Liam.” Erin winked.

  “Maybe I do.” My cheeks grew warm. “I just can’t believe I waited a whole year to even have an actual conversation with him.”

  Yawning again, I staggered back to my bed. The other girls didn’t say anything as I climbed beneath the covers and drifted off with Liam’s smiling face swirling in my dreams, a glimmer of hope to which I desperately clung.

  25

  I stood in a familiar, linoleum-floored hallway. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed and flickered, casting the space between the English and algebra classrooms in an eerie gloom. Despite the familiarity, the tiny hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood at attention signaling danger. I stood rooted to the spot, trying to decipher the meaning of the surroundings. I knew I was here for a reason but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Sudden footfalls echoed in the empty corridor and I spotted a boy—wearing jeans and a pale blue T-shirt—running away from me. He didn’t turn around but in my gut I knew it was Liam. Just as I took a step to follow, something in my pocket vibrated. Reaching in, I pulled out my cell phone displaying a new text message from Liam. “Come on, I’m waiting for you.” The little note dispelled the momentary confusion over how I got my phone back.

  Spurred on by the message, I hurried forward, inwardly hoping I wouldn’t lose sight of Liam. I passed a row of lockers and the lights overheard cut out, leaving me in darkness. Stopping, I listened for the sound of footfalls on the tile. After an eternity Liam’s footsteps picked up again and I raced on. There was so much I needed to tell him when we were finally together.

  About to round the next corner, my nose and throat clogged with smoke, forcing me to stop. I tasted ashes on my tongue and my eyes watered. Pulling my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth, I inched forward. Every step intensified the smoke and the scent. Even with the barrier I choked on it. I stumbled against a locker and stopped to rest. Liam appeared from down the right side of the adjoining hallway. I reached out a hand to get his attention. “Liam. It’s me,” I called, voice muffled by the fabric protecting my mouth.