Despite the tragedy that had just happened, I couldn’t stay here with Rachael, mourning how I hadn’t been able to save her. The hydra had four heads left, each of them snarling and snapping the air, ready to sink their poisonous fangs into anyone who came near. The others were using their weapons to hold it off, but none of them were getting close enough to slice off another head. I needed to help my friends.
I needed to fight.
So I grabbed my bow from behind my back and strung it with an arrow, zeroing in on my target. Then I unleashed the arrow, sending it straight into one of the hydra’s eyes. The hydra screamed, and blood poured out of the ruined eye, burning its flesh as it ran down its face. I did it again and again, each shot of the arrow releasing more of my anger, until every single one of its eyes gushed with blood. Now the heads flailed in the air, chomping madly, but aimlessly, and I knew it had worked.
I’d blinded the hydra.
“Nice job, Nicole!” Chris yelled back to me. The hydra lunged one of its heads toward him, and he jumped out of its way, leaving it to chomp on the air. Once sure he was out of its reach, he stuck his tongue out at it and raised a fist in victory. While he was celebrating, Kate snuck up behind one of the other heads and slashed it off with her sword.
The head fell to the ground and rolled to its foot.
“It only knows where we are now by hearing us,” Kate said, jumping out of the way of another head. “Since it’s blind, we have a huge advantage. We have to use that and sneak up on it quietly.”
Chris flew Blake up from behind, and he sent fire into the open wound. The other heads didn’t even know he was there until he was finished. It worked so well that they kept doing that—sneaking up and chopping off one head, cauterizing the neck, and then moving onto the next—until only the immortal, central head remained.
“Who wants to do the honors?” Chris asked, motioning to the flailing head.
“I will,” Blake said, turning to the hydra and raising his sword. “This is what you get for trying to kill me.” He swung the sword at the neck, but it clanged against it, like metal on metal, and the weapon flew out of his grip. He backed away as the hydra snapped its teeth where it thought he was. The monster snarled when it caught only air, and Blake tiptoed around it to retrieve his sword.
“Seriously?” Chris chuckled and swung his sword around, as if confident that he could do this. “I guess this is going to be left to me.” He snuck up on the hydra from the other side, raised his sword, and brought it down on the neck. But the same thing happened to him that had happened to Blake. His mouth widened as the sword flew out of his grip, and he watched it bounce off the wall and fall to the ground. “It’s like trying to cut through metal!” he yelled, running to retrieve his sword. He picked it up and examined it, as if searching for a defect. “It isn’t working.”
“Because that’s the immortal head,” Kate said. “It can’t be killed with mortal weapons.”
“If it can’t be killed with mortal weapons, then how are we going to slay this thing?” Danielle asked, pointing at what was left of the hydra. “The Book told us we had the weapons we needed!”
Before anyone could answer, another one of its legs forced its way out of the tree roots that had been restraining it, stretching once it was free. Only two legs were still secured. And judging by how the roots holding the back legs were cracking and popping, I doubted they would hold for long.
Once the hydra got loose, how were we supposed to protect ourselves against the immortal head, when our weapons were powerless to stop it?
We wouldn’t be able to. Maybe we could hold it off with our powers long enough to escape the cave, but then we’d have failed the task we’d come out here to complete. Everything we’d been through on this journey would have been for nothing.
We couldn’t fail—I wouldn’t let Rachael’s death be in vain. So I did the only thing I could think to do. I gathered as much black energy as possible by thinking about how much I hated this monster that had killed Rachael and had almost killed Blake, sprinted towards the hydra, and placed my palms on its chest—sending the darkness into its body and killing it on the spot.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The hydra let out its final breath, and I hurried out of the way as it collapsed to the ground. It crashed down legs first, then its shoulders, all its headless necks, and finally the immortal head. Dust poofed up from under it, and I coughed a few times, holding my elbow over my mouth to stop myself from breathing it in. Once the dust settled, all was silent.
“What was that?” Chris was the first to speak. “Nicole—what did you do to it?”
I stared at the body of the hydra, speechless. Because what could I possibly say? They’d all seen me use black energy. This wasn’t like with the harpy, where I could say that it was the stalagmite to the heart that had killed her, or like with the pirate on the Land of the Lotus Eaters, where everyone had been too focused on their own fights to pay attention to what I was doing. They’d seen the hydra die at my touch.
I had to tell them the truth.
“My power heals.” I kept my gaze focused on the hydra, afraid of seeing their reactions once they learned what I’d done. “But it can also do it opposite. It can kill.”
Blake stepped closer to me, resting his hand on my shoulder. “Have you done this before?” he asked, his eyes flashing with concern. “Because if you haven’t—if this was the first time testing it out—you never should have risked your life like that. If it hadn’t worked—”
“Yes, I’ve done it before,” I interrupted, and he relaxed, but not much. “I did it with the harpy, in the cave. It wasn’t the stalagmite that killed her. It was when I touched her afterward. And on the Land of the Lotus Eaters—I killed that pirate who was attacking me. Just by touching him.” My voice shook as I said the last part, fearful of what they would think of me now that they knew the truth. Would they think I was a monster, just like the ones we were trying to fight?
Blake didn’t pull away from me, but his eyes flashed with something else—betrayal. It hurt to have him look at me like that, but I supposed I couldn’t blame him. I would probably feel the same way if I were him.
“You’ve known this for a month, and you didn’t tell us until now,” he said, his voice so calm that it was clear he was holding back anger. “Why?”
The others were quiet as well, waiting for an answer.
“Because to heal, I have to use white energy.” I flexed my hand, thinking about the warmth of the white energy that flowed through me when I healed. “But to kill, I have to use…” I swallowed, dreading whatever reaction was going to come after I said it. “Black energy.”
“Black energy?” Kate repeated, her eyes wide. “But that’s illegal.”
“And black energy doesn’t kill,” Danielle added. “It tortures. I’ve never heard of a witch using any type of energy to kill. It shouldn’t be possible.”
“Witches have also never been able to heal, or to manipulate the elements,” I reminded her. “Why is this any less possible than what we can already do?”
“I believe you,” Blake said, his gaze still locked on mine. “But you still haven’t answered my question. Why didn’t you tell us until now?”
“Because it’s illegal.” I shrugged and glanced at the ground. “I thought…”
“You didn’t think that we would turn you in?” he asked, and his eyes widened when I said nothing. “We would never do that.” His jaw hardened, and he looked at the others for confirmation. “Right?”
“Of course not,” Chris said, and the others all echoed their agreements.
Once it sunk in that they meant it, I relaxed for the first time since killing the hydra, relieved that they were all on my side—and guilty that I hadn’t trusted them to begin with.
“Maybe they won’t say anything,” Ethan spoke up, still hunched over Rachael’s body. His eyes were dark—haunted—and focused only on me. “But I know how dangerous you can be. You killed the hyd
ra with a touch. What’s to stop you from doing that to anyone who gets in your way?”
“I would never use my power unless it was absolutely necessary,” I told him, shocked that he would think otherwise. “The hydra was a monster. It had to be stopped. If I hadn’t killed it, it would have killed us first.”
“But you don’t only kill monsters,” he said. “What about the pirate on the Land of the Lotus Eaters? I lived with them for over two years—they’re all good people. It’s not their faults that they’re stuck there. None of them deserved to die.”
“He was attacking me,” I said, although guilt wavered in my voice at the reminder of the way his eyes had glazed over when I’d used my power on him. He’d had no idea it was coming. “I had no choice. If I didn’t do it, he would have killed me first.”
“We all killed back there,” Blake added. “We had to. What does it matter if we did it with a sword, or with our elements, or with black energy? The end result is still the same. And Nicole’s ability saved us in here. If it wasn’t for her, the hydra would still be trying to kill us. We owe her our lives.”
I squeezed his hand, thanking him for his support, and he squeezed it back.
“Except that Nicole killed one of us,” Ethan said. “When she kissed you instead of running over to save my sister.”
I looked down at the ground, guilt welling in my chest again. Because Ethan was right. I’d made a choice—a terrible choice—and because of it, Rachael had died a horrible death. And there was nothing I could say to make it better. Rachael was gone, and despite my promise to Ethan that I wouldn’t let anything happen to either of them, I couldn’t bring her back.
“Rachael was dead before Nicole finished healing Blake,” Danielle said, and I whipped my head up, surprised to find her standing up for me. “And she would have been fine if she’d stuck to our plan. Instead, she ignored it and ran up to the hydra, knowing that Blake wasn’t nearby to cauterize the neck. If she’d waited for him to finish, the heads wouldn’t have had time to grow back and attack her. She would still be alive.”
“You’re not seriously blaming her for dying.” Ethan stood up, his fists clenched, narrowing his eyes at Danielle. “Are you?”
Danielle flexed her fists, and I wondered if she was about to rain hell upon him.
“Can you all please stop fighting about this?” Kate broke in, so strongly that her voice filled the cave. We all stopped talking and stared at her. I’d never heard Kate speak so loudly, ever. Her cheeks flushed, and when she spoke again, it was at her normal volume. “What happened to Rachael was horrible,” she continued. “Ethan—you have to know that none of us wanted this for her. And while I know that nothing will ever be able to make this better, I hope that this will help.”
She walked silently over to Rachael’s body, kneeled down next to her, and placed her hands on the ground. Ethan stood next to her, his arms crossed as he watched her. The two of them blocked my view of Rachael, but soon the cave started to rumble, as if the ground was shifting. The ceiling broke apart into a small circle overhead, sunlight shining upon them.
Soon the rumbling stopped, and Kate moved away, revealing what she’d done.
Rachael’s body was now buried under a mound of dirt, and on top of it grew flowers in every color you could imagine. In the center was a stone, and I stepped closer to see what it said.
Here lies Rachael Thompson, Daughter of Zeus and Bella Thompson. At seventeen years old, her life was taken in this cave while she was helping to slay the hydra. The blood of the hydra she helped destroy will aid in saving the world as we know it. May her bravery always be remembered.
“The flowers will never die,” Kate said, brushing her fingers over a yellow rose. “I know it can’t bring her back, but I hated the thought of leaving her here the way she was.”
“Thank you,” Ethan said. His voice was devoid of emotion—I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling right now—but he did give Kate a small nod of appreciation. The rest of us remained silent. There was nothing we could say or do to fix this. Instead, we lowered our heads and paid our respects to Rachael.
I wished more than anything that I could promise myself to never let anyone die on my watch again. But that would be impossible. Accidents happened. Choices would always have to be made. I didn’t regret saving Blake, and I wouldn’t always be able to save everyone, no matter how much I wished otherwise. What happened today would always remind me of that unfortunate truth.
After a few minutes, Danielle finally spoke. “The longer we’re gone, the more Hypatia will worry,” she said softly. “Let’s collect what we came here for and head back.”
Kate handed out the zip lock bags she’d brought with her, and we used them to collect as much blood from the hydra as we could manage. Since the blood was poisonous, we were careful not to touch it. Once the bags were full, we packed them up and walked silently back to the yacht, one less than we’d been when we’d arrived.
It was crazy to realize that the secret I’d kept guarded for so long was now out in the open. I’d feared that once the others knew, they would be scared of me. That they would be afraid to even touch me.
But for the entire way back, Blake’s hand never left mine.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Hypatia’s face fell the moment she saw our group. “Is Rachael…” she started, although she must have figured it out, because she stopped speaking and raised her hand to her mouth, unable to complete the sentence.
“She didn’t make it,” Ethan said, walking past her without meeting her eyes. As if in a trance, he continued through the living area and disappeared down the steps to the rooms, not looking behind him once.
“He hasn’t had time to process it,” I explained. “He probably needs some time alone.”
“Yes.” Hypatia nodded. “I’ll get a staff member to prepare a meal for him and drop it off in his room, in case he gets hungry.”
Once she did that, we filled her in on everything that had happened with the hydra—including what I’d told the others about my ability.
“This is all true?” she asked once we’d finished. “You kept the truth a secret for so long because you were afraid we would punish you for what you can do?”
“Yes.” I bowed my head, ready for whatever was coming next. “It’s in the laws—any witch found using black energy will be sent to trial, and if found guilty, the punishment is that they will be stripped of their powers, or worse, death.”
Blake dropped his gun on the table and stepped closer to Hypatia. “Who cares about the law?” he said. “Nicole’s only used her powers to save lives. You can’t punish her for that.”
“Please, back down.” Hypatia spoke calmly, but threateningly enough that Blake did as she said. “We have these laws in place for a reason,” she continued. “Without them, chaos could ensue, and we couldn’t have that. As a Head Elder, I’ve taken an oath to honor the law no matter what.”
“You can’t be serious!” Danielle exclaimed. “We were only able to slay the hydra because of Nicole’s ability. Without her, more than one of us might not have made it back today.”
“I am perfectly serious,” Hypatia said, although when I finally got the courage to look back up at her, her lips twitched with the hint of a smile. “But luckily for us, Nicole is a demigod—not a witch. So according to the wording of the law, which specifically states that any witch who uses black energy must be punished, it doesn’t apply to her.”
It took a few seconds for what she was saying to sink in. “Seriously?” I finally said, letting out a long breath of relief. “I’m not going to get in trouble?”
“Not at all,” she said. “As I’m sure you know, when witches use black energy, it tortures—it doesn’t kill. What you can do is unique to your element of aether, the spirit of life. Your ability—all of your abilities—have been gifted to you from the gods themselves. It’s not up to me, or any other Head Elder, to question the plans of the gods.”
“Thank you,” I
said, and without a second thought, I pulled Hypatia into a hug. I couldn’t believe that all of my worries for the past month had been for nothing. I didn’t have to hide what I could do anymore. I could use my power to help myself, the others, and everyone else in the world whose lives would be at risk if the Titans returned.
She relaxed and returned my hug. But when she pulled away she straightened her shoulders, becoming a serious, authoritative Head Elder once more. “I know it’s been a long day,” she said. “But now that we have all three of the required ingredients, I think it’s best that we create the formula and apply it to your weapons. You shouldn’t have to go one more minute without being armed to the fullest.”
We all agreed, and as the yacht pulled away from the island, we set to work.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
“First, we have to coat the tip of the weapon with the sacred milk,” Kate said, doing so with one of my arrows. “The milk will keep the weapon from decaying due to the poison from the blood. Then add a drop of the hydra blood/lotus seed mixture…” She took a dropper and let one drop of the mixture fall onto the place where she’d coated the arrow with the milk. It hissed, and dried on contact, turning a deep, rusty red. “Now, whenever any creature is killed with this arrow, it will be sent to limbo for an entire year,” she said, handing the arrow to me.
I held the arrow up to the light and inspected it. “It’ll work like that forever?” I asked.
“It’ll have to be refreshed after a month,” she said. “But once we close the portal to Kerberos, we won’t need to use the formula anymore. And we gathered more than enough of each ingredient than we could possibly need. We shouldn’t have to worry about running out.”
“Of course Nicole’s weapon got to go first,” Danielle said, rolling her eyes. “Can one of us lowly, non-demigods have a turn now?”
Elementals 2: The Blood of the Hydra Page 19