calmly, but Helen could still hear the fear in his voice. There
havent been very many of them in our Houses history, but every
one of them that we know about has turned out to be, well . . . evil.
A few tense minutes passed with Cassandra cupping her hands
over her eyes in a posture of deep concentration. Finally, she
looked up at Helen, and with a determined smile she dispelled the
lingering negativity.
Well, youre safe for now. I dont see any immediate threats,
she said reassuringly, watching Helen cradle her still-tender midsection.
Any idea which human saw you chasing Creon?
Gretchen. Dont worry, no one will care. Shes always saying
stuff about me, Helen said positively. Wait a sec. How do you
know someone saw me?
These cramps youre having? Theyre the curse. Your mom
cursed you to feel almost unendurable pain if you use your Scion
powers in front of mortals, Cassandra said with a shrug.
Is that what it is? Its been driving me crazy all week! Lucas
said from the front seat as he turned down the long Delos
driveway.
Of course you wouldnt recognize them. Youre a boy, Ariadne
said. Curse Cramps are sadistic, really. I havent even read about
anyone doing it in centuries.
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My mother cursed me? Helen repeated back to Cassandra, who
nodded sadly.
Way back, hundreds of years ago, it was thought to be the only
way to keep women Scions in line with the society of the time.
Mothers would do it to their daughters to keep them from drawing
too much attention to themselves because women werent supposed
to be special or smart or talented. Cassandra wrinkled her
nose, like she had said something that smelled bad as it came out
of her mouth.
Helen sputtered uselessly to herself for a few seconds, unable to
process what she had just learned. Cassandra took Helens hand
and smiled kindly at her. If its any consolation, the curse probably
kept you hidden all these years.
As much as I hate to admit anything so barbaric could be useful,
I have to agree, said Ariadne as she opened her door and got out
of the car. If you hadnt been cursed, can you imagine what your
mortal dad would have gone through when you were a toddler with
all that strength? He tries to punish you, you throw him out a window.
Bedtime would have been a bloodbath.
Well, when you put it that way, Helen admitted as she climbed
out of the back, accepting Lucass politely offered hand. As she and
Lucas walked side by side behind Ariadne and Cassandra toward
the house, she started to laugh to herself.
What is it? he asked.
I always knew my mother hated me, and now I find out that she
literally cursed me, she replied, hearing her voice sound matterof-
fact. I dont think Ive ever heard anything that made so much
sense in my whole life.
Your mother was trying to protect you, Lucas countered
judiciously.
Oh, you are such a boy! Youve never had cramps, Helen
muttered. They paused on the landing.
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Maybe take your shoes off, Lucas said, looking down at Helens
feet. She was caked in black marsh mud all the way up to her waist.
Maybe get a hose, Helen countered with a laugh.
I can do better than a hose, he said with an easy grin, pulling on
her hand to follow him toward to the pool. Outdoor showers are
sort of a requirement for our family.
He brought her to the outdoor shower and left her there to go to
the pool house to get some towels and a change of clothes. When
he was completely out of sight she self-consciously stripped down
in the shower area. The beautiful teak walls of the shower curved
around in a spiral that screened off the important parts of her
body, but her feet and the very top of her head were still visible.
Shed taken millions of beach showers like this, but never without
wearing a swimsuit. She washed as quickly as she could and was
nearly finished by the time Lucas returned.
The T-shirts definitely mine, but I have no idea who the sweatpants
belong to. Dont worry about it, though. No one will care, he
said, flipping the clothes and a big beach towel over the top of the
screen. Then he put a plastic shopping bag down on the ground.
Thats for your uniform and sneakers.
Thanks, Helen called out, painfully aware how little space stood
between him and her naked body. It was silly, really. Everyone is
naked under a few millimeters of clothes, but this felt different
somehow. It felt dangerous. She watched his feet through the gap
at the bottom of the screen as he began to turn away, hesitated,
and then hurried off. She let out a breath she didnt realize shed
been holding.
The clothes hed left her were gigantic, but they were soft, comfortable,
and they smelled like dryer sheets. She toweled off, put
the borrowed outfit on, and came out of the shower area carrying
her bag of dirty clothes.
By the time she and Lucas made it into the house, Jason and
Hector were sitting at the kitchen table watching Cassandra and
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Ariadne shower a man Helen didnt know with affection. Lucas introduced
Helen before giving his uncle a big hug.
Pallas Delos was a large, blond man, still glowing with health and
youth even though he was graying at the temples. He and Hector
shared the same cautious smile and sharp eyes, but there was more
of Jasons and Ariadnes prettiness about him than Hectors blunt
masculinity. He shook Helens hand politely, but his curious stare
followed her long after the introduction was over and it began to
make Helen feel uncomfortable. She wondered if he was just reacting
to her taboo name or if he had heard unflattering things about
her from someone in the family. His stare made Helen jumpy. She
tried to hide herself behind Lucas.
Okay, everybody out. I have to get started on dinner, Noel
ordered as she entered the kitchen, waving her hands in a shooing
motion. Helen found herself being pulled out the back door by
Lucas.
Its a good idea to stay out of my moms way when she gets like
that or youll end up chopping vegetables for the next hour, he
said. He led her back outside toward the grassy lawn between the
tennis courts and the pool.
I dont mind helping, Helen said, starting to head back toward
the house.
I do, Lucas said with a sly smile, tugging on her hand. Besides,
I thought you wanted to learn how to fly. Isnt that what caused all
the fuss earlier this afternoon?
Helen could tell he was upset and trying not to show it. About
that, she began, scrunching her face up guiltily.
Yeah, that was bad. And it was all my fault. I should have taught
you to fly as soon as we healed from our fall, but I didnt trust . . .
he said, stopping himself and shaking his head ruefully. Never
mind. The point is, once I learned I could fly all I wanted to do was
get back in the air. I couldnt sleep, I couldnt eat. It was stupid of
me to think you would wait.
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How old were you when you found out? Helen asked.
Ten? But it took me a while to understand it, he said as if to
prepare her for something. Scions are born with all their talents,
but it takes time to discover how to use some of them. Especially if
theres no one with your particular talent to act as a mentor.
Did you have one? A mentor, I mean.
No. I dont know any other Scions who can fly besides you. But I
had books, and my family for support. He pulled up and stopped
to face Helen. You never had any of that, so this might be a little
harder for you.
Im good at hard, its easy Ive never trusted, she responded
quickly, but he gave her a look that indicated he thought she had
missed his point.
I just dont want you to get discouraged if this takes us a while.
So before we start, I have to explain some things, he said, suddenly
all business. Strength, speed, agility, acute hearing and eyesight,
beauty, rapid healing, and intelligence, although that last
ones debatable, these are all gifts that pretty much every Scion
has, and we dont have to be trained to use them. But theres another
group of talents that are rare, and most of them take some
work. Flying is one of the rare ones. And its one of the hardest to
get the hang of.
I honestly dont care how hard it is to master this. I dont care if
this takes me years. Im just dying to do it again! Helen bounced
up and down on her toes impatiently.
Okay, okay! First of all, you have to hold still. The jumping part
comes later when you want speed, he said with a laugh as he put
his hands on Helens waist.
She gasped faintly at the unexpected touch, and tried to make
herself stand still like he had said, but it wasnt easy. They stood
for a few moments, just staring at each other.
Close your eyes, he whispered. Helens heart was racing and
she had a feeling Lucas could hear it.
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Calm down, he said, smiling with his eyes closed. Try and slow
your pulse down if you can.
Im trying. Do you have to stand so close? Helen asked, her
voice thin and shaky.
Yes. I dont want you to get away from me. That would be bad,
he said in a deadpan voice, maintaining his concentration. A few
seconds passed. When he next spoke he sounded very calm and far
away.
Now. Focus on your body. Take a deep breath and follow it in,
like your brain is floating gently inside that air youre breathing.
He waited a few moments for Helen to get to where he was.
It took her a few breaths, but eventually she was able to do it. He
knew exactly when she was ready. Good. Now youre inside of
yourself, he said triumphantly. Can you feel the weight of you, all
stacked up and all tied together?
She did feel it. She could feel the weight of her skin on top of her
muscles on top of her bones, all stacked up, just like he had said.
There were millions and millions of little bits of her, all marching
around like soldiers with different but cohesive orders. Those were
her cells, she realized at once. She giggled, thinking how strange it
was to be this massive army and never feel it. She heard Lucas
laugh, too, and she knew that he was right there with her, experiencing
what she was experiencing.
Now I want you to do something really hard, he said, his voice
light and curious, almost childlike. I want you to stay inside, but
also look out, if you can. Dont be scared. Im right here with you.
Helen did as he told her, but the sensation was way too intense to
process.
She had lost her sunglasses once. Shed looked all over, in the kitchen,
the living room, back up in her bedroom, but she couldnt
find them anywhere. It was annoying because she knew she had
just had them in her hand, but she couldnt remember what shed
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done with them. Then her dad told her that her sunglasses were on
top of her head.
In that moment she realized that she had been using the wrong
sense. She had been looking when she should have been feeling.
She reached up and felt her glasses with her hand, but she also felt
them with her scalp, and when she thought about it she realized
that she had been feeling her glasses up there the whole time.
Shed just been so busy looking she hadnt thought to feel.
This was similar. Again, she was realizing that there were many
different ways to experience the world around her. Now, she was
still aware of all of her millions of cells, but she could also feel
something new. She felt herself falling toward something truly
huge, and she knew she had another sense that could stop the
falling.
Scared out of her mind, she instinctively pushed with this new
sense. She needed to put some distance between her little army
and the big, fast monster she was falling towardthe monster she
suddenly realized she had been falling toward every second of
every day of her life.
A moment too late to stop herself, Helen realized that the monster
was the earth, and the falling sensation was gravityand that
what she had just done was switch it off. Vertigo sucked at her,
pulling her off balance. She grabbed on to Lucas, frantically burying
her face against his chest. He was the only unmovable object in
the entire universe, and if Helen let him go of him she knew she
would spin off into space forever and ever.
Its okay, he whispered into her ear. His breath was warm, and
his voice soothed her. I wont let you go, Helen. I promise. Do you
trust me? The temperature dropped and great gusts of wind
tossed her hair around in a tangle.
She kept her face pressed against the L-shaped hollow where Lucass
shoulder turned into his neck. She told herself that this is
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what difficult felt like, this was the hard that she had been cavalier
enough to tell Lucas she preferred to easy.
Yes, she whispered, feeling the cold, thin air crawl into her
clothes and snatch the sounds she made away from her lips as soon
as she spoke.
Then prove it, he whispered back. Open your eyes.
They stayed in the air until the sky was almost completely dark and
Helen was so cold she couldnt stop shaking. There was a lot for
her to learn. Defying gravity was a big deal, but it was only half of
flying. The other half was less of a mental leap, but it was also
much trickier. Helen learned that to move through the air she
couldnt just flap her arms or kick her feet. She had to manipulate
the air around her. Lucas started to teach her how to command the
air, make it denser o
n one side and thinner on another so that a
tiny, Helen-sized current was created around her. When Lucas did
it, it seemed as if he were floating underwater. The wind didnt
whip at his hair or clothes, but flowed around him, gently holding
him or quickly pushing him depending on how fast he wanted to
go.
Lucas spent most of this first lesson just floating there in front of
Helen as if he were in the ocean, his long limbs sinuously riding
the currents, his fingers splayed to stave off random eddies. He
kept his arms out and ready to catch her in case she shot off too
fast, or slipped off a current of air pressure that she had created
unevenly before she tumbled into a spin. Flying was complicated,
and Helen didnt have the feel of it yet. It was a bit like learning to
drive a car and aim a rifle at the same time. It required a light
touch and complete concentration.
Lucas also taught her tricks for not getting spotted by the gravity
impaired, as he called the poor landlocked suckers they were looking
down on. Helen was surprised to learn that early evening was
actually the most dangerous time to fly. Sunset was when people
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looked up to admire the pretty colors, and on Nantucket it was also
when half the islands residents were making their living taking
photos or churning out watercolors.
Several times, Lucas had to grab Helen and fly out over the ocean
so they werent seen. Apparently, flying any time during the day
was dangerous, but if Helen stayed high enough, anyone who spotted
her would think she was a bird. Night was the safest time, of
course, and thats when they could fly closer to the ground, which
Lucas promised was a thrill. But all of it was a thrill to Helen, and
when Lucas finally said that they should go in, she literally whined
and asked for five more minutes. Lucas just laughed.
Believe me, I know how you feel. But Im freezing, he said.
Helen pushed away from him with narrowed eyes and a small
smile. She swooped over his shoulder and around his back, softly
brushing against him as she passed.
Tomorrow? she asked, feeling shy and powerful at the same
time. He rolled over gracefully and captured one of her arms just
before she could drift away.
Tomorrow. I promise, he said quietly as he reeled her in. But
its nearly dark and my family will worry about us if we stay out
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