“No,” I shake my head. “No, of course not. But if someone had the weapon, it might be enough of a threat. If he just knows it exists, and has been re-forged—”
“Right,” Cassie says. “Okay, so…no killing?”
“No,” I repeat emphatically. “I’m just going to convince Mr. Zee to step down.”
“And then Themis takes over, and of course she’ll free Mavis,” Cassie says, nodding along. “Okay, I’m in.”
“Great!” I say, hoping she means it. Because there’s a big ask coming up next. “I need you to help me find the first piece of the sword. According to the prophecy, it should be hidden here, at the Academy.”
“Three places of learning…” Cassie muses aloud. “Right. But that’s all I’ve got. The prophecy wasn’t specific, and this campus is huge.”
“I know,” I say, taking a deep breath. “That’s why I need you to use a Seer Stone to locate it.”
“Oh…” Cassie’s face falls, her enthusiasm fading.
“Listen,” I say, leaning in. “I know what I’m asking is huge. I know the last time you used one it…changed you. But wasn’t it for the better? Aren’t you glad that you see important things now?”
“Glad!” Cassie pulls away from me, her face twisting. “No, Edie! I’m not glad I get to see things like Darcy’s head being cleaved from his body!”
She starts crying, and I immediately feel terrible. My wings burst from my back, a deep, dove gray to match my mood. I wrap one around Cassie, and she leans into it, hiding her tears from students passing by.
“I’m sorry I asked,” I whisper. “Truly. Never mind. I’ll figure something else out. I’ll—”
“No,” Cassie pulls away, holds her hand out. “I’m being selfish. I’m the only seer you know, and I can help you save your sister. Not doing it would be cruel.”
I hesitate, but Cassie’s head is thrown back, her shoulders squared. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she says, and I try to slip the stone into her hand. But she shakes her head. “Tonight,” she says firmly, then walks away to her next class.
She doesn’t look back.
11
Tina wasn’t kidding when she said that she doesn’t need sleep. Adjusting to being a roommate with someone who never needs shut-eye has been hard enough. Having a bird following her constantly hasn’t made things any better. At first, Tina experimented with trying to exhaust the poor thing. Her endless vampire energy never flags, so she’d run everywhere she went around campus, and had even taken to morning jogs in an effort to wear her bird out.
But the bird had seemed unfazed by all her tricks—until she got it drunk.
Now, it wants more.
“Oh my gods,” Tina cries, once again burying her head under a pillow as the bird alights on the headboard.
“Gawk!” It calls, its voice harsh. Vee actually folds her leaves around either side of her head.
“Gawk?” This time it comes out as a question, and the bird nudges into Tina’s pillow.
“Go away!” Tina yells, shoving it off the bed. Feathers fly, but it doesn’t seem bothered by the treatment. Instead, it hops over to me, head cocked to one side.
“Gawk?”
“I don’t have any booze, buddy,” I tell it, and I swear, it looks disappointed. I almost feel sorry for it, until I remember that it’s a living, breathing sign of Mr. Zee’s bigotry. “Hey, Tina?”
I’m answered by a groan from under the pillow.
“Do you want me to see if I can find some—”
“Gawk! Gawk!” The bird flies at me, encouragingly. I put my arms around my face to protect my eyes.
“Some ambrosia?” I yell, which pushes the bird to such heights of anticipation that it craps on the floor.
“Whatever,” Tina moans, and the bird goes back to her bed. It pulls the pillow away from her, then settles down and begins grooming its feathers, pausing every now and then to pull its beak through Tina’s hair.
“Get off me,” she growls at it, but I intervene.
“Wait,” I tell her. “Maybe if we give the bird what it wants, it’ll get off your back. Like, literally.”
“Great, so now we’re enabling an alcoholic bird?”
“A sort of evil magic bird. Yes.” I turn to the bird. “Good birds don’t shit all over our room. Good birds get ambrosia.”
“Gawk!” It cries, then goes to the window, positions itself just right, and poops…outside.
“Oh my gods,” Tina says, looking at me with astonishment. “Did you see that?”
“Tina,” I say, not breaking eye contact with the bird. “I think we can housetrain this thing.”
“Do it,” she nods firmly. “Get this bird its—”
“Gawk!”
I slip into Cassie’s room after dark and find her sitting cross legged on her bed. She doesn’t look ready to go—much less have an epic prophecy.
“Edie, don’t be mad at me,” she says quickly.
“Why?”
“I know that I said I’d use the Seer Stone and I will. There are three parts of the sword, so I’ll probably have to use it eventually, I promise. But for MOA, well, I thought maybe my mom could find some sort of written clue.”
I rush over to Cassie. “Of course, that’s fine! You know I trust Merilee! I should have thought of it first.”
Cassie immediately brightens. “Mom says that since Mr. Zee has been getting sort of loopy, he’s taken to writing everything down. She found a lot of scattered scribblings, but we both thought this one might be it since it specifically mentions a sword. Though, um…” Cassie blushes. “It’s possibly not the sword you’re looking for.”
She holds a paper out to me, where I see Merilee’s neat handwriting replicating Mr. Zee’s note.
Remember those who die
Though some I wish would rise
One girl I’d again prick
Upon my sword so thick.
“Gross.” I drop the paper. And then to my horror, I feel tears start to spill down my cheeks.
Cassie throws her arms around me. “Edie, I’m sorry. I know Mr. Zee’s bad poetry about his sexual exploits is awful and probably has nothing to do with the actual sword piece. I’ll use the stone now, okay? I’m sorry for making such a big deal about it.”
“No, Cassie.” I wipe away my tears, amazed at her generosity. I know I can trust her with anything. “I’m crying because I’m pretty sure that poem is about the sword and also about Mr. Zee’s sexual exploits.” I hesitate for a moment, and then spill it. “The thing is, I found out the other day that Mr. Zee got my birth mom pregnant. She had the baby, knowing it could kill her. And that baby was me.”
Cassie’s eyes go round as she stares at me. “Edie. Oh my gods.”
“Yeah.” We both absorb the enormousness of this. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully accept it.
“If he hid the sword with your bio-mom, he must have loved her,” Cassie offers kindly.
I nod, hoping it’s true. That my mother knew love before she died. But then why did she keep me a secret? Because she knew Zee would expel her regardless, would probably kill me in her womb. I shudder.
“Do we know where she’s buried?” Cassie asks.
I shake my head. “No. It would have to be somewhere on campus.” But wait, I know a place to start. “Maybe Zee hid the sword behind my mother’s portrait,” I suggest.
“Let’s go and find out,” Cassie jumps to her feet.
“Cassie, it’s okay, you should get some sleep…” I start to say, but she waves me off.
“I’m not letting you wander around campus by yourself, with everything that’s going on,” she says. “Everybody has their blood up about the Moggies, and with Nico telling everyone he’s planning something to get back at the vamps… no way. I’m sticking with you.”
My heart swells with love, but I don’t have time to say anything about it. Cassie is already out the door, headed for the Hall of the Dead.
It’s even cre
epier than the first time I was there, with sconces burning in between each portrait of students who have died while attending the Academy, although the tradition was short-lived…much like the people it was built to memorialize. When we get to Adrianna’s—my mother—my breath catches in my chest.
She’s exactly as I remembered…it would be almost impossible to forget, after all. The same face looks back at me in the mirror every morning. Underneath her portrait are the Greek words Hepa helped me translate: died in childbirth.
My throat closes up. The first time I was here it stunned me. Now, I know more. Know how my mother died…and why. I still have her note to Metis, rolled and tied shut. I haven’t had the gumption to read it yet. Haven’t had the guts to look at my mother’s handwriting. And it’s no wonder. I can hardly raise my eyes to hers, even though it’s only a photo. This woman—girl, really—died giving me life.
“Hi…Mom,” I say, my voice coming out weak and empty here in this dark stone corridor. Cassie takes my hand, and her fingers intertwine with mine. I clear my throat, and go on.
“So, I…I know what happened to you,” I tell Adrianna. “I know about—” But I can’t finish, can’t say it out loud.
“I know that you hid a secret,” I say instead. “And I think you’re still hiding one now.”
My fingers go to the portrait, running around the edges, looking for a clasp or a lever, something that will indicate that there’s more to this portrait than meets the eye. But there’s nothing.
“I thought…” My finger catches something sharp and I pull my hand back. A perfect round drop of blood beads up on my finger. Suddenly I remember the “prick” part of Mr. Zee’s poem. I press my finger to the corner of the portrait, avoiding my mother’s face.
I needn’t have worried, though. When I pull my hand away, I see that my blood has left no mark. The portrait seems to have absorbed it. Or accepted it as payment, because suddenly there’s a small click. My mother’s picture swings outward, revealing a dark hole in the stones behind.
“If Zee put a blood spell, and it worked for you,” Callie says, her eyes wide, “you really must be his daughter.”
“I guess there’s no denying it now.” I reach inside, my hand closing over metal so cold it feels like it’s burning my fingers. I gasp.
“Okay?” Cassie whispers.
“Yeah,” I say. “Just…surprised.”
I pull the hilt from the shadows, a heavy, ornate thing with no blade attached and a large, gaping hole in the center.
“I wonder what that’s for,” Cassie marvels.
“I don’t know,” I say, swinging Adrianna’s portrait back into place. “The prophecy says there are three pieces. So maybe it’s the hilt, the blade, and something that goes there?”
“Like a gemstone, maybe?” Cassie suggests, but I can only shrug. I slip the hilt into my belt loop. It hangs heavy against my hip.
Kratos taught us to never pick up a weapon unless we were prepared to use it. But this is only part of a weapon, so maybe it doesn’t count.
“Back to the dorm?” Cassie asks, a smile of relief on her face.
“Actually…no.” I open Adrianna’s portrait once more and put the hilt of the sword back inside. “Mr. Zee hid this here and he’s paranoid right now, so possibly he’ll check on it. We’ll let Adrianna hold this secret just a little bit longer.”
Cassie nods. “Good call. I was gonna offer to hide it under my mattress, but—”
“You’ve already done more than enough for tonight,” I tell her, then add, “Thank you.”
“No problem. I like being the breeze beneath your wings.”
I sling an arm around Cassie. “Wind beneath my wings. And yes, you are. Now if you don’t mind, I do have one last errand. I promised Tina I’d bring back some ambrosia for her bird.”
“Um, what?”
“We reached a deal,” I tell Cassie. “We get it drunk; it shits outside.”
“Nice,” she nods appreciatively as she touches me elbow, guiding me back toward the infirmary. “They use ambrosia as the base for a lot of healing potions,” she tells me. “I’m sure we can find some in here.”
The few patients are still asleep, the night nurse no further along in her reading, since she’s joined them in la-la land. We’re making our way down the hallway when we hear footsteps coming around the corner. I grab Cassie by the elbow and we duck into an alcove just in time as Hepa appears, a cup in her hand. Jordan is tailing her, in his pajamas. Or at least, apparently in what he sleeps in. It’s not much. Just boxer briefs.
“Can I carry that for you?” he asks.
“It’s just Zee’s tonic. It’s not heavy,” she says, waving him off.
“What’s that anyway?” he asks. “Zee’s been looking pretty crappy lately. Shouldn’t his medicine help?”
“It’s a placebo,” Hepa tells him.
“Ew. That’s gross.” Jordan wrinkles his nose.
“No, you doof. It’s not medicine. It’s just watered-down ambrosia,” she explains. “Why do you care?”
“I don’t,” Jordan tells her. I just thought that I could I carry you, while you carry it?”
Hepa sighs, and shakes her head. “Why don’t you—oh, bless the gods,” she says, now truly frustrated. “I forgot to lock the door to the potions cabinet.”
“I’ll do it!” Jordan says, highly invested in pleasing her.
She gives him a dark look. “I am not handing over my keys. Metis only entrusts a few healers with them.” Setting the cup down on the windowsill, she turns to head back the way she came, Jordan pivoting immediately to follow.
“I’m coming with you,” Jordan calls, shadowing her all the way.
Cassie and I watch each other over our hands, trying to stifle our giggles. “I think they’re gone,” she finally whispers.
“Yeah, and I think we just scored our ambrosia,” I say, swiping the cup.
We head back to the dorm, sneaking into our respective rooms. Tina sits up in bed, her chin resting on her hand as the bird perches on her shoulder.
“Gawk!” It greets me, flying to me when it spots the cup in my hand. It perches on my wrist, immediately sucking up as much as it can.
“Took you long enough,” Tina says. “Were you meeting my brother?”
“What? No!” I say, a blush rising to my cheeks as I remember the rustle of feathers I’d heard as I left the dorm. Had that been Val? There was definitely another Moggy running around campus tonight.
“I mean…I don’t think I saw him, was h-he h-here?” I’m stuttering, trying to find the right words.
When the bird on my wrist lifts its head, looks at me oddly and asks…. “Gawk?”
Then it falls to the floor, dead.
Tina looks at me. “Well, shit,” she says.
I glare at her. “It’s your bird. You deal with this.”
“Fine,” she agrees. “Vamps don’t mind dead things.” She flashes me her fangs.
I hide under my blanket and hope the bird’s death isn’t a portent of something worse.
12
The next morning I wake up before the sun rises, hoping to catch Metis before everyone else is up. The dead bird is gone—or at least out of sight—so Tina has taken care of it, but I really don’t want to know how. I have too much shit to deal with to worry about that.
As I hurry across campus, the sound of running feet comes from behind me. I duck behind a giant Kratos statue, depicting him strangling the life from two monsters simultaneously. A group of maybe twenty students thunder past. Some of them are shifted into wolves or other animals, but others are in their human form. They wear masks, though, so it’s impossible to identify who they are. There’s no mistaking Nico’s voice at the back of the pack, urging them on.
“You have to be fast to beat a vampire. Only the strongest will survive if they decide to come for all the shifters!”
His voice carries back to me even after the group disappears over a small rise. Nico has taken to
training some volunteers, claiming that—with the war on hold—MOA students need as much activity as possible. Funny, though, how he only invited shifters to participate. I shake my head, certain this will end badly for everyone.
But there’s nothing I can do about it now, so I continue on my way.
When I arrive at Metis’s office, she doesn’t look happy to see me. “You can’t possibly have collected the other two parts of the sword.”
“No, I wanted to see you about something else.”
She sighs. “Edie, I don’t have time for daily chats with you.”
“This isn’t a chat. I need a favor. Normally I’d ask Themis, but you told me to stay away from her.” I look over my shoulder where the sky has begun to lighten through the window. “It’s early still, though, maybe no one will see me if I go to her now—”
“No, no,” Abruptly changing her mood, Metis pulls me into her office. “There are eyes everywhere. Let’s not risk it. Why don’t you tell me—quickly—what you need.”
Since Metis doesn’t invite me to sit, I stand. “I found the first piece of the sword last night.”
Metis’s eyes light up. “Wonderful.”
“Yeah, I guess. But the thing is…holding it…I realized I’m not sure I want to find the other pieces.”
“Oh.” Metis nods and looks pissed, but also like she’s trying to hide it. “But dear, we discussed this the other day. You don’t need to use the sword—”
“But once it’s out there someone else could use it. A sword that can kill a god would probably also do a lot of damage to non-gods. And what if I’m not the person in the prophecy, what if someone else uses it to kill Mr. Zee? Themis said that’d be bad.”
“Hmmm.” Metis walks around her desk and sinks into her chair, looking pensive. After a moment she gestures for me to sit as well. “So you need a pep talk of some sort? That’s why you’re here? And…” She sighs heavily. “This will be a regular thing?”
“No, that’s not why I’m here.” I hesitate. Since Metis seems pretty annoyed with being bothered again, I decide to sweeten the pot. “Actually, if I can get this one thing, I promise you won’t hear from me again until I have the second sword piece.”
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