by Holly Hook
"And I bet Hades's barrier summons spirits or something," Wendy said, letting her forehead fall to her open palm. "That's what I would do if I wanted to imprison a whole school."
"I can ask Hades," Ronin said. "I'll need a pass to get off this campus eventually, anyway. Wish me luck."
"Where's Zeus in all of this?" Anger flared in me, making the low groan of Chaos rise. Ronin, as if sensing it, tightened his grasp and let his electricity flow into me. I breathed in, trying to take his power--he was lending it to me--while Maria and Mikey stiffened across from us. The roar fed on my rage, and I gripped the table as a hairline crack appeared across the surface, growing and heading right for my friends.
People on either side of us stopped talking to stare.
"Giselle," Wendy warned.
I took a breath as blackish purple sparks shot from my hands, eager to go somewhere, anywhere. Even without my weapon, my power was waking. What gave? I'd taken two doses of asphodel this morning and almost passed out in the process.
"Giselle!" Ronin shouted.
I let go of the table. The crack remained. Mikey and Maria got up, leaving their trays. A ripple of silence spread through the dining hall.
"Breathe," Ronin ordered, slapping his hand on my back. "Now."
Electricity flowed into me, but the cold gripping my body and infecting my muscles tried to hold it off. Chaos was tired of its prison already. I hated this prison. But at last, the cold faded. "I'm better."
Almost nothing was stopping it now.
"Are you sure?" Ronin asked. His eyes shone with helplessness.
"Yes. Let me step out and go to the bathroom. If you can distract people, that would be great," I said, kissing Ronin on the cheek.
"What? Me? Catch attention?" He forced a smile.
I had to be alone for a bit and get away from what I was doing to Ronin. Rising, I crossed the dining hall, ignoring the stares. I pushed through the double doors and burst into the torch-lit hall, letting them swing shut behind me. Maria emerged a second later, coming through the doors so fast that one banged against the black marble wall. She faced Ronin, who tried to push through after her, but Maria held the door shut. "We need girl time!"
Yes. We did.
I took a breath. "Ronin, I'm okay now. You did good."
He nodded through the small door window and backed away. It must have been hard for him to do so. Maria and I were alone.
Maria looked at me, all dead serious. "Giselle," she said, holding me in her stare. "We'll find a way out of here before your boyfriend ends up in therapy."
"Everything's falling apart." I slammed my open palm on the wall, thankfully to no effect. But the outburst worked. The low groan drained from my head completely and Ronin's electricity remained. My sleeve fell away, revealing the green palm and flame. Though it had faded a bit more, and looked as if it might be gone within a couple of months, that time felt like forever.
At this rate, I might not make it that long.
"I know it is," Maria said. "I'm feeling more of my strength coming back in Combat Training. The curse might be gone off me, but soon I don't think that'll matter. And I'm still taking my herb, too."
Our gazes met. Maria's wide brown eyes were wide and terrified. Now that I was okay, she needed to say something to me one on one. And she'd more than earned that right.
"I'm still going to end up like my father."
"No, you're not," I blurted, thinking of Elliot and his single eye. Of how he was sitting in the same bar as Alonso, how he was sitting next to Alonso. "There has to be a way out." Should I tell Maria?
No. The last thing she needed right now was to lose hope, even if I didn't have any.
"I'm thinking of breaking up with Ted," Maria choked out.
Her words punched me in the gut. "You're what? But you're so cute together."
Her chin wobbled. "Cal's good for Mikey. If they stay together, Mikey might never have to mature. He's not suffering like we are. My only hope is to date a descendant of Apollo, but what are my chances of that?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You and Ted have been going out since last year. I know you're happy with him."
"He won't love me when he sees what I become."
"Ted's a lion shifter," I said. How did this conversation get here? It wasn't as if she had the shot to transfer to Olympian Academy and avoid her changes. "He's got his own secrets. If he loves you, he won't mind yours. Does he know?"
"No," Maria said after a pause.
I swallowed. "He must have some idea. Ted's not a dumb guy. Oh, I'm not saying you're trying to pull a fast one on him--"
"I am," Maria said. "That's the problem."
"Maria." What did I say to this? I eyed the door, making sure no one else was coming out. Maria must have told the others to stay behind while she talked to me. And I knew why. Ronin and I had been attached at the hip lately, and me and Maria rarely got the chance to talk alone. She needed this.
As if on cue, Ronin knocked on the door, peering through its window. I held up a hand to indicate I'd be back inside in just a minute. If I could even stand to face everyone after my display.
"What else can I do?" she asked. "I don't want to break up with him. He's a great guy. But once he knows what I'm going to become--"
"Hang on," I said, grabbing her shoulders. "Don't break up with him yet. We've made it this far and there has to be something else we can do. When I mature, I might be able to help. If the gods can curse people, they can un-curse people, right?"
"But I was born this way," Maria said.
My heart raced. It was up to me to give her hope and stop her from sacrificing what happiness she could get. "Your father wasn't. When the Awakening happened, he was cursed in a way. This whole thing woke up some dormant genes. What if there's a way to make those genes dormant again?"
"I don't know. The gods would all have to go back to sleep, and it's too late for that," she said, lifting one arm to wipe her eye.
Losing my grip, I watched her clear a single tear. I wanted to throw up my dinner because she was right. The energy of the immortals themselves had woken up all these dormant genes in god and monster descendants. Without the Awakening, no one, not even Ronin, would have any powers or any inkling of their divine or dark origins. They'd all just be regular people like Carmen. Heck, me and Ronin wouldn't be here at all. Or would I? I still didn't know why Chaos spat me out or how I'd been placed with Achlys.
"They haven't been awake for very long. A generation," I told her. My words quaked. "We don't know what could happen. Maybe, if I mature the way I want, I can take Apollo's powers and give them to you on a regular basis. There is a way. Promise me you won't break up with Ted yet."
"I don't know if I can do that."
I had to get out of here and transfer already. "Promise me. Hang on. Keep taking that herb as much as you can without dying. It will get better."
She looked at me. Really, she meant to ask.
I wasn't sure, but I nodded even as the pressure settled on my shoulders.
Ronin knocked on the door again from the inside, as if he sensed my tension. Maria jolted and whirled. "Oh. We probably should finish dinner." Obvious relief hung in the air. Neither of us wanted to finish this conversation.
I hoped Maria could think it through. The last thing she needed was more misery. But what would Ted think if she matured? I didn't know the guy well.
I opened the door for Ronin, expecting him to glare at me for shutting him out, but instead he turned a narrow eye on Maria. But before I could say anything about girls needing time away from guys, he flicked his gaze to the office and let his jaw drop.
I'd forgotten. We were standing just twenty feet from the closed office door, and through the little window, I saw Hades sitting inside, absorbed in something lying on his desk. The god didn't appear to have seen us. Or if he had, he didn't care.
Hades lifted what looked like a large gold coin. It shone in the regular light of the office as the g
od studied it, lifting one eyebrow. He turned the coin, and I could see the outline of an eagle--Zeus's symbol--on it. A coin from the sky god himself.
And then Hades shoved it in a drawer, slamming it so loud I could hear the bang through the closed door.
* * * * *
"Well, it's only a matter of time before Hades turns on me," Ronin said once we reached my dorm.
I slid the keycard in and opened the door. Thankfully, no one seemed to have tampered with it. Even Hades hadn't come up here. He seemed to leave a trail of coldness wherever he went, and though it was still chilly on the fourth floor, it wasn't deathly cold.
"What was Maria saying?" Ronin asked.
I sensed she didn't want me sharing her problems with anyone. I'd leave out the stuff about Ted. "She's worried about maturing, too. We need to get me over to Olympian. Then maybe I can help her."
"Well, we know the one way to do that, and you'll get a solid no," Ronin said.
"But wasn't this Zeus's idea to put a new barrier around Cursed Academy?"
"That's why I'm confused."
I opened my door.
And an envelope was lying on my floor, complete with the golden symbol of an eagle on the front.
I stopped mid-step, eyeing it as my heart rose into my throat. "Ronin?"
He gasped. "That's an envelope from Olympian. I've seen plenty of them. They put our class schedules in those every year."
The room seemed to expand. But since I knew the deal with mysterious envelopes, I backed off as Ronin approached. "Ronin--"
"I'll be fine," he said. "I can feel the magic in this. It's Zeus's. He must have delivered this himself."
I'd trust Ronin on that. What if it was--
He picked up the envelope and tore it open like it was nothing. And inside was a piece of neat cream paper with golden lettering across the top, lettering that held promises and hope. Olympian Academy. Schedule: Year Four.
I gasped.
Ronin did the same.
"It's real," he muttered. "It's finally real, but it doesn't go into effect until next year. Zeus wrote this up himself."
"Let me see!" I stood beside Ronin, letting my arm brush against his. Dizziness stole over me. The gods hadn't forgotten about me.
Advanced Warrior Training 4. Mystical Channeling. Advanced Divine History Individual Study. Career Path 4 - Individual Study.
My classes.
My Olympian Academy classes.
Ronin wrapped his arm around me. The background noise of the void whimpered and faded as if it knew it was defeated. Electricity pooled in my chest. I felt invincible. Even three years into my education, my emotions affected my powers, only now the effect was good.
“There's a note at the bottom,” Ronin said, moving his thumb down the paper.
I did the same as he held it up for me. Yes. A handwritten note in golden ink. As I ran my finger across it, more electricity zipped up my hand. Zeus had clearly written this himself in blocky text.
I've created a hole in Hades's magical barrier. Fence, between the combat arena and trail entrance. Tell no one.
I breathed out a big sigh of relief.
Zeus had come through.
“Amazing,” Ronin said. “Just amazing. We can go back and forth.”
Then I swallowed as a thought hit me. “We can't just leave the others behind. What about Cal? Mikey needs him. And Wendy--”
“Oh.” He let go of me. “Good point. We'll need a workaround. Let's go see Wendy first. Zeus knows she wants to transfer."
My heart sank. Wendy, since we agreed to get to Olympian together, had been lingering in my shadow when it came to the gods. I left my dorm after placing my schedule in my drawer. Wendy might not have gotten one and I didn't want to rub it in her face. Plus Zeus had risked himself and breaking the Oath to write this up for me. And he must be counting on Prometheus's mark to vanish by the end of this year. Or over the summer.
We marched down to Wendy's dorm together. Her door was shut and she was blasting loud music, something Gothic that sounded like it had been recorded in the eighties. She was also shouting over the music like she was talking on the phone. I froze there, trying not to listen but being unable to help it.
“Yes. I know, I promised. Geez. There is this thing called the Oath. You know what? I'm done, Mom.” A beep managed to cut over the music as Wendy ended the call.
Her parents were still being difficult about her still being at Cursed, and from the sounds of it, we already had our answer as to whether she'd gotten a new schedule.
I knocked.
Wendy answered and blew a strand of black hair away from her cheek. “So, you got to hear the butt end of that lovely conversation.”
I swallowed, knowing I should get it out now before it festered. “Zeus sent me a schedule for Olympian next year. I take it you didn't get one.” Bad timing.
I waited for the blowup, but Wendy frowned instead. “Well, we never got the chance to ask to get me transferred over, did we?”
Of course. The last time Wendy and I visited Olympian's office, Zeus ignored her.
“Good point.” Ronin shifted leg to leg.
Wendy was taking it well, but a gleam of hopelessness in her eyes made me cringe. I couldn't leave her here where she was now the bottom rung of the social ladder. That fact was the elephant in the room. No one wanted to talk about it.
But I also wasn't supposed to talk about the secret opening in Hades's barrier. For all I knew, Zeus had cursed that part of the note and I'd get struck by lightning every time I mentioned it to someone. But if there was anything I'd learned during my third year, it was that there were always loopholes. And Prometheus exploited one like a pro. If you wanted to break the Oath, you just had to convince yourself that weren't.
And one way to do that was by offering up a partial truth.
“I might be able to ask Zeus about it,” I said. “I don't know for sure if there's a way for you to get to Olympian, but there's always a chance Hades left a weak spot or two in the barrier. The Lower Order won't be attacking from that direction, so he might not have focused on the Olympian side as much.” I finished with a nod and braced for the worst, but nothing happened.
And Wendy returned it with the faintest of smiles. “Got it.”
* * * * *
Walking over to Olympian that night wouldn't have been the best idea, partly because a winter storm started to rage and the wind got so chilly that Hades's office sounded cozy in comparison. Ronin and I retreated up to my room. The emotional warm glow left from my new schedule was so strong that it rivaled Ronin and I making love. Just having real hope for the first time in forever and knowing a god had my back served as a major boost.
Classes went on as scheduled the next day, except Max canceled Combat Training due to the weather, a real rarity. We all got to stay inside and hang out in the dining hall while snow continued to blow past the skylights, turning the world outside white. And the dining hall was cramped. Hades hadn't needed to bother putting up a barrier in this crap.
But Mikey kept shuffling the cards he brought over and over, lost in them. Maria and Ted sat together, but Maria kept her gaze turned away from him, even as his gentle eyes asked what was wrong. Wendy also stayed close as more stares inched in her direction. Only Ronin and I seemed to be doing well. The world was falling apart for the rest of us.
Was that the light from the winter storm or was Mikey's skin tinged the faintest blue?
A new heaviness settled in my chest. “Mikey?” I hoped my question got across everything I needed to know.
“I feel weird,” he said. “Maybe I took too much asphodel this morning. Wendy, how long is it supposed to stay potent?”
“Well, if you leave the cork on the vial loose, it might lose some potency,” she said. “But it should still work somewhat. You might need to double up on your dose, but be careful.”
Maria shifted. “I'll say it. I think it's just plain losing some potency. I mean, anything will get old,
right? Especially something from the Underworld.”
We were all in agreement and didn't want to admit to the other elephant in the room. I couldn't take it anymore. My friends deserved better than this. Even Mikey was turning his now-desperate gaze to Wendy, as if she could do something to make all this better. The blue tint to his skin remained. I'd seen it before while he was fighting, when combat forced him into a partial Siren mode, but not while sitting and relaxing.
"I need to go out and take a walk," I said, letting my gaze linger on Wendy. "I know it's horrible outside, but if there's any day the Lower Order won't be out, it's this one. Unless they like to punish themselves."
"But we can't leave campus. I asked around, and there's a rumor going that the barrier extends out about a mile around Cursed Academy in all directions, except for Olympian," Mikey said. "Zeus wouldn't let Hades put a barrier around his school, so it cuts right through the shared combat arena. At least, that's what Cal texted me."
I balled my fists at the injustice. The barrier wasn't so much to protect us as it was to keep us from going to the Lower Order.
"I'll go with you," Ronin said with a nod to my friends.
Wendy was already gripping the table, ready to stand. She cast her own worried glance to Mikey. I eyed the lunch ladies, who were busy bringing out rolling trays of hot chocolates. Even Max stood near the kitchen, ready to snatch one.
We had other things to do. Like make sure Mikey could reach Cal before he matured. Neither of us spoke as we crossed the dining hall. I cast a look back at Mikey and offered an encouraging nod. I hoped my friends understood.
And there was no guarantee Hades hadn't figured out Zeus's trick and fixed the hole in the barrier.
Chapter Seven
The storm was all cold knives and raging flakes. Ronin and I couldn't see far in front of us once we stepped out the side entrance. The cold burned my cheeks and nose, despite the heavy coat hood I'd pulled over my face. Keeping my head down was the only way I could breathe because the wind sucked the air from my lungs. Wind whistled and snow blasted off the pine trees around campus. The bare trees that had lost their leaves this fall trembled like bony hands sticking out of the ground. The whole scene was creepy and if I didn't know better, I'd say Hades was causing it.