Muse Song, #1

by Sarah Biglow

  “Why am I not surprised all you care about is what this gets you?” Persephone crossed her arms.

  “Answer my question, Priscilla.” He caressed her cheek. “You know I don’t like it when you tease me.”

  “Every child in the audience will fall under your influence.” She settled in one of the chairs just out of view. “It will expend minimal pull on your powers so this time you won’t have to fight your brothers at half strength. And, as I said, an added benefit for me. After all, you wouldn’t be happy without some extra chaos to admire. You should be thanking me for this, not rushing me to finish. For all you know, if I don’t take proper care to get the wording just right the whole thing will fail and you’ll be stuck powerless just like last time—because, believe it or not, I haven’t forgotten that either.”

  “How exactly do you plan to spread this play?” he asked.

  “Local theaters will pick it up first. I’ve made sure I have plants in all the places where it might be harder to get the production accepted.” Persephone brushed a dust mote off her skirt.

  I tuned out their distribution plans. I didn’t care how they were getting the play into different theaters or what Hades’ brothers would think about it. The dream from earlier came flooding back and bile rose in my throat at the possibility that it was more than just a dream. Convinced Liam was in danger and there was nothing I could do stuck in this stupid room, I slammed my fists against my thighs. If only Glaukos hadn’t left. I could have given Liam a warning.

  “Abbie, what is it? What did you hear?” Erin leaned forward so the front legs of the chair bore her weight.

  Turning to look at my friends, I wet my lips. “It’s bad. It’s really, really bad.”

  26

  My fingers went numb and slipped as I tried to pull the book out of the doorway. On the second try the book came free, landing on the floor between my legs with a thud. Blood pounded in my ears and the room swam in and out of focus. If I’d eaten recently, I know I would have been sick.

  “Abbie, talk to us. What did they say?” Rosa settled on the floor at my side.

  While my hands stopped shaking and the room came back into focus, I couldn’t hold back the angry tears anymore. I scrubbed at my eyes with the heels of my hands to try to get myself under control. Freaking out like this wasn’t going to help. “This play … it’s a way for Persephone and Hades to turn every kid in the audience into one of Hades’ followers. They said something about testing it on someone who was meddling and I think that dream I had was a vision.” I stood and kicked at the wall. “I think Liam’s in trouble and there’s nothing I can do to save him.”

  The chair clanged as Erin settled her weight back on all four legs. “But she keeps saying the play isn’t ready yet. So how can they test it?”

  “I don’t know, but I think it has something to do with Zeus and Poseidon.” I raked hair back out of my face. “They said something about how last time Hades was at half strength and this will help. Maybe there’s a fight coming.”

  “What can we do stuck in here?” Rosa settled with her back against the wall.

  “I don’t know but we need to do something.” I was getting tired of not knowing how to solve our growing list of problems. “Persephone said something else … something about new clients. Maybe it will do something to the parents of the kids,” I said.

  Erin let out a harsh laugh. “Okay but how can they do any of this? It’s just a play.”

  I couldn’t stop from rolling my eyes. “She has powers too, remember? We haven’t seen them at full force but I bet that with Hades helping her they can make it work. He can control people even on Earth. It wouldn’t surprise me if he puts his own finishing touch on things.” I couldn’t stop the panic tightening my throat.

  “Calm down. We’ll figure something out.” Erin held her hands up in a placating gesture.

  “I can’t.” Clenching my hands into fists, I started to pace, uncomfortable warmth spreading from my gut. “I should have told Glaukos about the dream while he was here. And now Liam’s in danger and it’s all my fault.”

  Sitting around worrying about Liam wasn’t going to save him and I couldn’t count on Glaukos to get a message to him. We were going to have to get out of this on our own and fast. “The next time she comes in we’re getting out. And we’re taking the notes with us.”

  “How does taking her notes help us?” Erin pursed her lips.

  Rosa nodded and smiled. “She cannot put on the play without the notes.”

  “Exactly.” I kept pacing. “We’ve only ever seen her with handwritten notes. If she’d started typing things up she would have brought printed pages with her. So if we take her only copy then she’s screwed.”

  Erin drummed her hands on the back of the chair. “Okay, but we need to do something she’s not expecting and catch her off guard.”

  The heat in my gut continued to roil even though a plan was forming. “We’ve only got one shot at this so we need to plan it all in advance.” The book drew my attention. How I wished it would just open and make the plan as easy as searching the index. An idea started to form in the forefront of my brain and I gasped. “We inspire her.”

  Rosa’s brow furrowed and she titled her head to one side before she nodded. “Yes, that might work.”

  Erin raised one hand. “You want to fill me in?”

  Rosa grinned. “We do it all together,” she elaborated. “It would be like … how do you say—”

  “Overload.” I clapped and bounced on the balls of my feet.

  “That’s a brilliant idea you guys.” Erin joined in the clapping.

  Rosa blushed. “I am not certain it will work.”

  “We won’t know until we try it.”

  Erin looked from me to Rosa. “Do you think she’ll come back today?”

  “She has to.” Scooping up the book, I set it down on one of the beds. “Hades said they were running out of time. She needs to finish the play before some sort of alignment happens. She will definitely be back today. When she does, we’ll be ready for her.” Needing to work off some of the excess energy, I sat down at the keyboard and turned the volume low. Only a few hours and we would be free.

  Erin watched as I picked out a tune and then nodded in the direction of the book. “I think we should take the book with us. We’ve barely even scratched the surface of what’s in there.”

  I played an arpeggio and hit the highest note on the keyboard. “We need to get the key to the outer door. She’s got to keep it on her.”

  “I can try to get the notes.” Erin tapped out a continuous four count with her foot.

  “I’ll take the book.” Looking over my shoulder at Rosa I asked, “Can you get the key?”

  “I can try.” Rosa nodded. “What will we do with the notes for the play?”

  Playing one of my piano lesson assignments, I shook my head. “I don’t know. Right now, we just have to get them out of here.”

  “We need a signal or something so we start inspiring her at the same time.” Erin lifted the key cover on the organ and started to play chords to match my song.

  I stopped playing and let the music from the organ fill the small space and the music sparked an idea. I let out a breath and snapped my fingers. “That’s it! We use a four count like we are about to start playing. She won’t know that we’re planning to run.”

  “Great, now we just have to wait for her to come back.” Erin sighed.

  I let the ember of hope ignite in my chest, warming me up. We were so close to getting out of this nightmare situation. But one thought snuffed out the flame. Gritting my teeth, I fought back tears. “What if stopping Persephone isn’t enough? We know Hades is involved.”

  “But she’s the one who kidnapped us. She’s the one making us inspire her.” Erin lifted her hands from the organ keys.

  I turned on the piano bench to face Erin. “He knows we’re here and what she’s doing. She’s doing it for him.”

  “We will destroy the n
otes and hope there are no other copies,” Rosa said.

  “Easier said than done.” I spun away from them.

  “Abbie, don’t give up.” Erin patted my shoulder. “We’re so close to getting out of here. And as soon as we can figure out who some of the other gods are, we can go to them for help.”

  “It’s just hard to hope when everything is stacked against us. We’re just teenagers. We shouldn’t have to carry all of this on our own.” I let out a sniffle.

  “But we are not on our own. We have each other.” Rosa pulled one of the other chairs over and gave my hand a squeeze.

  I tried to give them a reassuring half smile. But maybe it was really an attempt to convince myself. Now we waited.

  27

  I was sitting in the living room on Friday afternoon fiddling with an app on my phone when I heard voices from the front hall. Maybe I’d get lucky and they’d share the top secret information about their plan before they realized I was there. Before leaving the meeting at Zeus’s house the day before, I’d gotten the god’s phone number so I could text whatever I found out. I stayed still so as not to give myself away as my father and stepmother moved into the kitchen and then the dining room. Glasses clinked on granite and a dull pop signaled the opening of a bottle of wine. They were in a good mood for some reason.

  “I really shouldn’t. You know I have to go back to work.” She let out a little hiccup of nervous laughter.

  “It’s only one glass,” my father said.

  I leaned back so I could spy between the gaps in the cushions. There was enough space between the back of the couch and the wall that I could recline and not be noticed. My stepmother carried a pad of paper tucked beneath her left arm and a pencil was tucked behind her ear. I watched them clink glasses and take a sip; my father placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “I should not have been so harsh with you before. I am very grateful you are doing this for me. We really have a chance at changing the outcome this time around with this play.”

  “You should be thankful.” She took a larger sip from her glass. “Then again, we don’t know if it will actually work.”

  He waved off her concern. “As you said before, we should test it first to work the kinks out.”

  Come on; just tell me what this play is supposed to do.

  I was so intent on listening to the conversation and mentally urging them to spill the beans that I didn’t notice they had stopped talking and left the dining room until a heavy hand pressed down on my shoulder. My father stood in the space between the couch and the back wall and held me against the back of the couch so I faced my stepmother. She held her notepad at the ready. “What are you doing?” I struggled against my father’s grip.

  “You have been very nosy, Liam.” His nails dug into the meaty flesh of my upper arm.

  “I wasn’t doing anything. Let go of me!” The more I fought against his grip the more my arm hurt.

  “We can’t have you snooping around places you aren’t supposed to be.” My stepmother leered at me.

  He grabbed hold of my other shoulder. “And we can’t have you running off to report what you just heard either.”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything to anyone.” Gripping my phone tight, I shook my head. “I don’t even know what this is about.”

  My father bent low until his mouth was next to my ear. “Stop lying.”

  Pain shot down my arms as the fire in every nerve ending transitioned to pins and needles numbness. Eyes watering, I kept still, waiting for feeling to return to my body. Nothing happened. My stomach cramped with nausea and my head grew heavy on my shoulders. It took all of my strength to keep myself in a sitting position. Through the blur of tears clouding my vision, I saw my stepmother flip a few pages on her pad. She began to speak in a cadence but I wasn’t listening to the words. Something else was more important. My father’s presence became sharper until it wrapped itself around me like armor.

  A high-pitched hum rang in my ears and made me want to shake my head to make the noise go away. The desire to do so disappeared as quickly as it came along. The more I tried to think about what I wanted the louder the ringing grew. My only attempt to move my right hand resulted in the burning ache returning, like I’d stuck it in scalding water. Fighting became too unbearable so I gave up, my body going slack against the couch cushions. The high-pitched ringing diminished instantly. Despite my father breaking physical contact, I couldn’t help but smile when he stepped around the couch to face me.

  “Liam, can you hear me?” He snapped his fingers in front of my face.

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  “What were you going to do before we came in?”

  “I think I was going to send someone a text.” I leaned forward to be closer to him. “Do you want me to do something else?”

  “Yes. Go to your room.” My father held out his hand. “And give me your phone. You won’t be needing it for a while.”

  “Sure.” I handed the device over.

  Without argument I stood up and marched off toward my room, content in the knowledge that my father was happy. That seemed to be the only thought that stayed in my mind for longer than a few seconds. There was something nagging at the very back of my thoughts but it was probably nothing. What my father wanted was far more important than something I couldn’t even cling to for more than a breath.

  I was halfway up the stairs when I heard my father give a hearty laugh. “You have impressed me, Priscilla. It seems to work wonders. With the power of that play, all of these children will be under my control, Maragos won’t know what hit him.”

  My father’s statement had to bear some meaning but I didn’t know what. Since it wasn’t directed at me, it clearly wasn’t my concern. I headed off to my room to await his next instructions.

  28

  Persephone returned at just after six o’clock. Erin and Rosa took up residence by their instruments and I sat on the chair next to the empty seat, ready to make my move. To my relief, she carried the same pad of paper that was at least two thirds full of handwritten notes. The guess about our captor’s notes being the only copy seemed to be right. Score one for Team Muse!

  “I need to work with Erin again.” Stress lines tugged at the corners of the doctor’s eyes. Maybe her interaction with Hades that morning had made her desperate.

  We swapped places while she rifled through the pages of notes for a few minutes. Trying not to be obvious, I glanced at the pillow on my bed concealing the book. Catching the other girls’ attention, I silently mouthed a four count. Rosa and I started to play and we all started to hum. Erin laid a hand on Persephone’s shoulder and the goddess let out a strangled grunt and shook uncontrollably when she tried to write. Trying to inspire without having physical contact was a new sensation and the room tilted a little as I tried to make that connection with Persephone. Her aura—yellow laced with angry red—flared and clashed with the soft blue glow Erin gave off. I noticed had a faint halo as well. It must have been working. Pain tried to draw my attention away from the task at hand but I was practiced in ignoring it now.

  Time slowed down. Erin reached out for the key ring clasped to the woman’s belt but wasn’t fast enough. Persephone let the pencil slip from her fingers and clamped down on Erin’s wrist. Erin cried out in pain, releasing her other hand from the woman’s shoulder. “Stop! Let go!”

  Time sped up again and I dove to my right, pulling the book from under the pillow. Erin stopped humming and the inspiration overload faded. We needed to keep Persephone off-balance if we had any hope of getting out. I saw Rosa inch forward and scoop up the notepad before running into the outer room. Erin twisted Persephone’s arm to try to free herself but it made no difference. Tears trickled down her cheeks, prompting a knee-jerk reaction on my part. I slammed the hardbound book down on Persephone’s wrist and forearm as hard as possible.

  “Hurry!” Rosa called from the next room, leaving me the only one left humming.

  I swear I heard something snap
as Erin tumbled off the chair gripping her wrist close to her chest. By some stroke of luck she’d managed to free the key ring from the clasp. Persephone cradled her own wounded arm to her body.

  Kicking the chair aside, I lifted Erin with my free hand and shoved her ahead of me out of the prison. I was halfway over the threshold when Persephone lunged and snagged the back of my shirt, pulling me back into the room. Falling backward into her arms, I watched wordlessly as Erin and Rosa jammed every key on the damn ring into the lock of the outer door without success. I twisted my body so I faced the crazy bitch and her eyes sparkled with what I could only describe as mania. Refusing to lose when we were so close, I swung the book again, this time connecting with the goddess’s head. Persephone crumpled to the floor with a low moan. The hand that had been keeping hold of me loosened but raked down my neck leaving angry scratch marks.

  Much to my surprise, the book remained firmly in my grip. Walking with renewed purpose, I strode into the outer room and, without thinking, jabbed my fist into the side of the nearest bookshelf and it moved, sliding closed, locking Persephone inside.

  “I got it!” Rosa turned the key in the lock and the door swung open.

  Pushing past them both, I led them out into a hallway. I got two feet beyond the outer room and saw the brightly colored furniture and drapes of Dr. Phillips’ office.

  “I know where we are.” I moved forward with more caution.

  The waiting area was empty even though technically the workday was just over. The secretary’s absence momentarily bothered me but I put it out of my mind, picked up the phone and dialed 911. “Let’s get out of here.”

  29

  “911, what is your emergency?” a female operator answered.

  I leaned into the speaker. “My name is Abigail Rollands. I was kidnapped and I need help. Please hurry.”

  “Is there anyone else with you, Abigail?”