Sweet Shadows
Page 35
“Mount Olympus?” Grace repeats. “That’s … real?”
I’m about to throw her a look that says Hello—where do you think your powers come from? but Greer beats me to it.
Not missing a beat, Grace asks, “Which one do we check first?”
Nick and I answer simultaneously. “The abyss.”
“Mount Olympus is a dangerous and volatile place,” he explains. “If any of us were caught trespassing there …”
He leaves the consequences hanging, but I think we all know what he means. Cross one of the gods on their own turf and my threats toward Nick will seem like playground teasing in comparison.
“Plus, we saw Sthenno get taken into the abyss,” Grace says. “There’s a good chance that’s where she’s being kept.”
“That,” I say, “and we don’t know how to get to Olympus.”
“We don’t know how to get to the abyss either,” Greer says, cutting to the chase as usual.
“Yes, that’s the tricky part,” Nick says. “As far as I know, on this side the portals between the realms are random, showing up at irregular times and in unpredictable places.”
“The one Sthenno was pulled into just appeared,” Grace offers.
“So—what?” Greer shifts her weight onto one hip. “We walk around, waiting for a portal to open? That could take forever.”
“There is one person who might help us,” I say.
“The oracle?” Grace suggests. “The one who helped us figure out that Ms. West is Sthenno?”
I nod. “We just came from her place. Everything’s been tossed around and she’s nowhere to be found.”
“Oh no,” Grace gasps.
“Has she been taken too?” Greer asks.
“I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “She might have fled under her own power. She had time to leave a note and to ditch this in the bathroom sink.”
I pull the pendant out of my pocket. The light streaming in the high windows along one wall of the gym catches the gold stone and beams of amber light spread out in every direction.
“Wow!” Grace steps closer, studying the dangling pendant. “It’s beautiful.”
Greer gets a very strange, distant look on her face—kind of like the look humans get when I use my hypno powers on them. She walks toward me, her eyes glazed, her steps awkward.
“Can I see it?” she asks.
As she’s reaching out, I’m about to hand it to her when Nick knocks her arm out of the way.
“No,” he says quietly. “Put it away, Gretchen.”
“What—?”
Greer lunges for me. Nick blocks her, holding her back as he yells at me to hide the pendant. I stuff it back into my pocket. As soon as it’s out of sight, Greer relaxes like she’s come back to her senses.
She shakes her head. “What just happened?”
“You’re the sister with Medusa’s power, aren’t you?” Nick asks. “You have the second sight?”
Frowning in confusion, she nods. “Yes, but what does that—”
“The pendant of Apollo,” he explains, “is a very powerful conduit of prophecy. If you came into contact with it, it would magnify your abilities exponentially.”
We all give him matching looks that say, So?
“Combined with her natural ability, it would make her a beacon of Apollo’s power here on Earth. If she is not mentally prepared, trained to control her powers and more, then it could overload her brain. She could fall into a coma.”
“All right, then,” Greer says. “Maybe you should keep that away from me for now.”
“You think?” I ask, reaching down to secure the flap on the pocket where the pendant will stay from now on.
“What about the note?” Grace asks. “What did it say?”
“We have no idea. It’s in ancient Greek.” I glance at my sisters. “Either of you happen to be fluent?”
They both shake their heads.
“Ms. West—Sthenno,” Grace says, “suggested I take another language as an elective, but I thought Spanish was enough. I could have chosen Modern Greek maybe. Or I could have started the Rosetta Stone course as soon as I learned about my legacy.”
She looks upset, like she might cry. As much as I have no patience for tears, I can’t fight the urge to comfort her. She’s my sister, and it stabs at my heart to see her hurting.
“You couldn’t have known,” I say, giving her a reassuring pat on the back. “And you wouldn’t be fluent yet anyway.”
“I know.” She sniffs. “It’s just that everything is going so wrong so quickly, I wish I could—I don’t know, I feel so helpless.”
“You weren’t feeling helpless when you took on that harpy,” Greer says.
“What?” I can’t have heard her right. “A harpy?”
“Yeah.” Grace wipes at her tears. “On my way over here I ran into one.”
“You fought her?” I ask, shocked.
She nods.
“And won?”
“She even used her autoporting power,” Greer adds, a clear look of pride on her face. Maybe the Ice Queen has a heart after all. “Almost at will.”
“Wow, Grace,” I say, “that’s great.”
“Yeah, well, that doesn’t help us now,” she says. “We still need to find out how to get our ancestors back. Do you think the oracle left town?”
I’m about to throw her a look that says Hello—where do you think your powers come from? but Greer beats me to it.
Not missing a beat, Grace asks, “Which one do we check first?”
Nick and I answer simultaneously. “The abyss.”
“Mount Olympus is a dangerous and volatile place,” he explains. “If any of us were caught trespassing there …”
He leaves the consequences hanging, but I think we all know what he means. Cross one of the gods on their own turf and my threats toward Nick will seem like playground teasing in comparison.
“Plus, we saw Sthenno get taken into the abyss,” Grace says. “There’s a good chance that’s where she’s being kept.”
“That,” I say, “and we don’t know how to get to Olympus.”
“We don’t know how to get to the abyss either,” Greer says, cutting to the chase as usual.
“Yes, that’s the tricky part,” Nick says. “As far as I know, on this side the portals between the realms are random, showing up at irregular times and in unpredictable places.”
“The one Sthenno was pulled into just appeared,” Grace offers.
“So—what?” Greer shifts her weight onto one hip. “We walk around, waiting for a portal to open? That could take forever.”
“There is one person who might help us,” I say.
“The oracle?” Grace suggests. “The one who helped us figure out that Ms. West is Sthenno?”
I nod. “We just came from her place. Everything’s been tossed around and she’s nowhere to be found.”
“Oh no,” Grace gasps.
“Has she been taken too?” Greer asks.
“I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “She might have fled under her own power. She had time to leave a note and to ditch this in the bathroom sink.”
I pull the pendant out of my pocket. The light streaming in the high windows along one wall of the gym catches the gold stone and beams of amber light spread out in every direction.
“Wow!” Grace steps closer, studying the dangling pendant. “It’s beautiful.”
Greer gets a very strange, distant look on her face—kind of like the look humans get when I use my hypno powers on them. She walks toward me, her eyes glazed, her steps awkward.
“Can I see it?” she asks.
As she’s reaching out, I’m about to hand it to her when Nick knocks her arm out of the way.
“No,” he says quietly. “Put it away, Gretchen.”
“What—?”
Greer lunges for me. Nick blocks her, holding her back as he yells at me to hide the pendant. I stuff it back into my pocket. As soon as it’s out of sight, Greer relaxes like she’s come back to her senses.
She shakes her head. “What just happened?”
“You’re the sister with Medusa’s power, aren’t you?” Nick asks. “You have the second sight?”
Frowning in confusion, she nods. “Yes, but what does that—”
“The pendant of Apollo,” he explains, “is a very powerful conduit of prophecy. If you came into contact with it, it would magnify your abilities exponentially.”
We all give him matching looks that say, So?
“Combined with her natural ability, it would make her a beacon of Apollo’s power here on Earth. If she is not mentally prepared, trained to control her powers and more, then it could overload her brain. She could fall into a coma.”
“All right, then,” Greer says. “Maybe you should keep that away from me for now.”
“You think?” I ask, reaching down to secure the flap on the pocket where the pendant will stay from now on.
“What about the note?” Grace asks. “What did it say?”
“We have no idea. It’s in ancient Greek.” I glance at my sisters. “Either of you happen to be fluent?”
They both shake their heads.
“Ms. West—Sthenno,” Grace says, “suggested I take another language as an elective, but I thought Spanish was enough. I could have chosen Modern Greek maybe. Or I could have started the Rosetta Stone course as soon as I learned about my legacy.”
She looks upset, like she might cry. As much as I have no patience for tears, I can’t fight the urge to comfort her. She’s my sister, and it stabs at my heart to see her hurting.
“You couldn’t have known,” I say, giving her a reassuring pat on the back. “And you wouldn’t be fluent yet anyway.”
“I know.” She sniffs. “It’s just that everything is going so wrong so quickly, I wish I could—I don’t know, I feel so helpless.”
“You weren’t feeling helpless when you took on that harpy,” Greer says.
“What?” I can’t have heard her right. “A harpy?”
“Yeah.” Grace wipes at her tears. “On my way over here I ran into one.”
“You fought her?” I ask, shocked.
She nods.
“And won?”
“She even used her autoporting power,” Greer adds, a clear look of pride on her face. Maybe the Ice Queen has a heart after all. “Almost at will.”
“Wow, Grace,” I say, “that’s great.”
“Yeah, well, that doesn’t help us now,” she says. “We still need to find out how to get our ancestors back. Do you think the oracle left town?”
