by K. K. Allen
Her eyes narrow. “I’ll keep this one.” The last syllable hisses through the air.
Why am I thinking of Erebus as if he’s her? He will never be my mother, no matter how many times he’s possessed her, no matter their history. This person standing before me, speaking to me, is nothing but a shell, so that’s how I must think of him. And for now, I must humor him.
“What’s your promise?”
“I will leave Apollo Beach and the people in it untouched forever. I just want Circe and Grace—and you.”
I think my heart literally stops beating. Why does this catch me by surprise? I’ve known for the past year and a half that Erebus wants to steal my body. What I didn’t realize is that he would actually want to keep it. If he stays in my body, there’s no chance for my survival, no matter how strong I am.
“But you said—”
“Your mother’s memory is gone, Katrina. Soon, your memory will be gone too, and you’ll remember nothing of your life here or your life with your mother.”
As hard as I try to remain focused on Erebus, there is too much flashing through my mind—every good memory of my mother, memories I’ve worked so hard to hold on to, like meeting my father for the first time, my annoyingly secretive grandmother, sweet caretaking Charlotte, my friends… and Johnny.
I can’t help looking over my shoulder to where I left him. He’s no longer there. I whip my head around, my eyes searching the darkness. There’s a pressure in my chest so great, I’m certain a force is suffocating the air to my lungs. I’m not sure if the pressure is stemming from sadness or relief. Agreeing to Erebus’s deal means no one dies… except for maybe Circe.
You can’t trust him, Kat.
“You see,” he continues, “my plan was to torture those you love so that their suffering would be in your hands, and their deaths would be the result. Once Circe and everyone you loved was dead, and once this dreadful plant was demolished, it would be your turn to die… by the hands of your mother.” He admires his borrowed palms, turning them up then down.
“Okay!” I shout, unable to hear any more of his plan. It’s unbearable, especially coming from my mother’s mouth.
Erebus has had her all along. He’s taken her from me in the worst way possible, in a way even worse than death because once again, he’s stripped her of her memory. I’m only alive because I’m his ticket into the plant to get his revenge on Circe. I know what I need to do.
“It was you this whole time.” My hands are shaking, but I still them by grabbing my emerald with pressure so great, it would shatter into a million sharpened fragments if it weren’t made of magic. “You faked my mom’s death just so I would come here and live, so I would gain Rose’s trust and find your precious energy source. You planned all of it.”
“See, I said you were smart. I have to say, I didn’t think Grace would give her bracelet to you. That caught me by surprise. She must have known I was coming sooner than expected.”
I think back to that day she left for work and never came home, then frown at my next thought. “My mom married a Solstice. Wouldn’t possessing her give you the same access as me?”
A longing sigh slips past her throat. “Oh, how all of this could have been avoided if only Solstice magic through marriage worked the same as direct blood. Your mom stopped recycling her Solstice energy long before she handed over her bracelet to you. You, on the other hand, would die if you stopped recycling. It’s you I need to possess.” He’s obviously pleased with himself and the obstacles he’s overcome. Then he looks at me and waits, seeming more impatient with every passing second. “Well, what will it be, Katrina? Will you sacrifice yourself? Or will your loved ones die?”
His borrowed body stands before me, eyes wearing the evil glimmer that has haunted my dreams for the past two years. And now, he knows he’s won with the only threat that could bring me to my knees. The words have been spoken, and there is no turning back.
I reach for the latch of the locket, watching Erebus’s serpent form slither out from the remains of a body that just crumpled to the ground in a heap of skin and bones. That is how the God of Darkness kills the ones he possesses—by slowly and deliberately sucking the life from them. No bloodshed.
He eyes me greedily, waiting, as the air around him glows a faint but unmistakable gold.
It’s time.
I pause for a moment, feeling the gold chain that holds my locket safe beneath my fingertips. There’s no other way. With a final inhale, I unclasp the chain and let it fall to the ground as a single tear draws a solid wet line down my cheek. In a swift moment, the cold air of death embraces me. Although I don’t have the physical strength to fight it, my last vestiges of life scream, claw, and kick as the darkness engulfs me.
Johnny
She’s gone. Taken. Her shell, unbroken. Her soul invaded. He’s infiltrated her in order to steal everything good in her, everything about her that owns my heart. So where is she? When Erebus injects himself into another, where does their energy go?
As I watched Erebus over those many months, I had a theory—when the Serpent captures a body and uses it as his own, they’re too weak to fight it because no Equinox is more powerful than the God of Darkness. But Katrina is no Equinox. She may be tied to Erebus by some ancient bloodline, but there is no evil in her. Fire, maybe, but that fire is fueled by strength and goodness.
Thanks to Circe, I’m holding onto the hope that Katrina’s light can overpower even the darkest magic. Erebus doesn’t stand a chance. I cling to this desperate hope.
She stands there, hovering above her mother as I wait inside the plant, watching her through the window of the door and waiting for Paul to arrive with the others. While we didn’t foresee this exact scenario, we made a plan in the case that Erebus was successful in his mission to take her.
Something tugs beneath the walls of my chest as I watch Grace groan and struggle to move beneath her possessed daughter. Kat doesn’t make a move. Her questioning eyes appear alien as they stare down at her mother’s body, as if contemplating what to do with her.
Everything about Kat pulls me toward her, a gravitational force so natural it would take a meteor to alter my course. But I know the rules. I know the risks. If there’s one piece of Paul’s advice that I should heed now, it’s the importance of patience.
The moment Kat fell apart in my arms at the sight of Erebus’s new body, I knew it was her mother. I should have put it together sooner. After seeing Erebus use the same woman so many times, like her body was his home, I should have looked into her further. I knew there was something familiar about her, but I just accepted that she was a loyal Follower, willingly giving her body to her god.
It was months after that trip to Savannah that Erebus led the Followers he had gathered to Apollo Beach. We were in New Orleans the moment I realized there would be no more pit stops, just a straight drive east. When we reached the Florida Panhandle, I headed to Kat and didn’t look back.
My mission before that wasn’t pointless, but I’m not sure it was worth it. Kat’s convinced herself it was worth it, but she’s also convinced herself I’m some kind of hero, someone worthy of loving her. It’s times like now I struggle to believe I am worthy of her. I am definitely no hero. Every time danger has found Kat, I’ve been incapacitated in some way—whether I’ve been beaten up and tied to a tree, blocked behind an ice wall, or simply powerless to her decisions. I’m always so close, yet too far, and it’s eating me up inside. When it comes to Kat, she does all the saving.
I tear myself from the window and reach for my phone. “Where are you?” I ask through gritted teeth. “We only have two minutes before he takes full control of her body.”
Paul should be here by now. After all, this is his plan—the worst-case-scenario plan.
“I’m coming in through the back.” He must be running because his breaths are short and heavy.
I hear footsteps in the hallway now, quick steps, and a lot of them. I turn back to the figures outside the wi
ndow as Kat drops to her knees and brushes the hair from her mother’s face. A gasp of hope escapes my lips.
“What is it?” Paul’s voice practically shatters my eardrum through the phone. I also hear his steps echoing down the corridor, so I shove my phone into my pocket, not even bothering to end the call.
I’m transfixed by Kat’s movements. I’ve never seen anything like this. In every body Erebus has possessed under my watchful eye, the hosts have never contained any sense of their former selves after being claimed. Kat’s expression is still emotionless, but something in her posture and her hand motions, even the way she’s hovering over Grace, as if protecting her, reassures me. Kat is still in control.
Paul nears me and shoves me from my spot at the window. His shoulders rise as he inhales a slow, jagged breath. He leans in, touching the glass in recognition. “Grace.” His voice winded and wounded, as if he’s been punched in the gut. Maybe I should have warned him.
He brings his forehead to the door and knocks into it once, twice, then I pull him away before he hurts himself. But he won’t tear his eyes from his wife and daughter, the two people he never thought he would see in the same space again.
“Paul, we’re running out of time.” I say it gently, but I know he feels my urgency.
Just then, Alec and Kaleb arrive. I don’t need to turn around to know they’re here. I can sense their presence, their anticipation, their questions, and their readiness for battle.
Paul’s sadness turns quickly to anger as he slams his fists into the door.
“I’m here! “Arabella jogs up behind Kaleb.
“Where’s Rose?” I demand, growing impatient.
“She’s with Charlotte and Kacey—out there.” Alec points to the door. “They know what to do. Circe is ready to intercept Kat if she makes it inside.”
Paul looks around the room, staring into each of our eyes. “We stick to the plan. No deviations. If Erebus wants to find Circe and destroy everything we’ve built, he can try once Kat is free. And Grace too. Neither of them die. You hear me?”
“Grace?” The late arrivals are muttering questions to each other, not making the connection, but Paul and I don’t jump in to answer them. Right now, that doesn’t matter.
“Arabella!” Paul shouts next. He must catch himself because he closes his eyes and his chest puffs out as if he’s taking a deep breath. “I need you to help Rose and Kacey. Plans have changed. That’s my wife and my daughter out there.”
Paul’s voice cracks, and the emotion is almost too much to bear. I want to crack right along with him.
Arabella’s mouth falls open. “O-okay. What should I do?”
“Make sure Erebus gets nowhere near Grace once he leaves Kat’s body. You’ll need to get her within the walls of the gate.”
“So we’re just going to let Erebus go?” Alec grumbles. “We were supposed to capture him.”
I pull my eyes from the window in time to see the flaming daggers coming from Paul’s eyes. I’m surprised he’s able to remain calm when he speaks. “Right now, the most important thing is getting my family far away from Erebus.”
Paul looks at me next as if searching for something. Strength, maybe. I’ll give him whatever I can. I clasp a hand on his shoulder and look him in the eye, puffing air through my nose. “Erebus is starting to take control. Let’s go get your family back.”
Paul nods, signaling he’s ready. We both turn to the window.
The transformation is beginning. Kat rises to her feet, turning away from Grace. A knot in my gut unravels as I see her now. My Kat. She looks empty. Like a lost soul wandering far from her body without a clue who or where she is. Just like Grace.
The God of Darkness is nothing but a heartless thief. Erebus doesn’t deserve to be encapsulated by Kat’s beautiful light. How a light as pure as Kat’s doesn’t repel Erebus from her body is beyond me. That thought tugs on something inside me, but I don’t have time to ponder the struggle that Kat must be dealing with.
Kat faces us, and I get a good look into her empty eyes. It takes everything in me not to burst through the door, tackle her, and shake the Serpent from her body. Her gaze moves toward the smokestacks, and we all stand a bit taller, preparing for what comes next. The smile that appears on her face next stiffens every muscle in my body. It’s not the easy, natural smile that makes my heart beat fifty times faster every time I see it. This smile is dripping with darkness. Nothing good can come from this smile.
“What is she doing?” Alec asks from behind me.
So consumed with Kat’s transformation, I almost miss it. She’s stalking toward the smokestacks with deliberate strides as slow and stealthy as a lion’s, as if she’s about to take off running any second.
“Move,” I say, the adrenaline building inside me. “It’s time. Go!”
Paul throws open the door and takes off running toward the smokestack nearest us. Kaleb and Alec run to the ladders on either side of the wooden walkway that connects the main building to the first two smokestacks. There are three stories of walkways, and they plan to climb to the very top.
I move fast toward Grace, who is still struggling to move. She’s clawing the gravel, reaching for the bracelet. Kacey gets to the bracelet first and snatches it from Grace’s grasp. She looks down at it, a dazed look on her face. This is not part of the plan.
“Kacey! Throw it to me!” I’m halfway to her.
It’s like she’s never seen a piece of jewelry before in her life. She doesn’t acknowledge me at all. Below her, Grace is gaining strength. She wraps her hand around Kacey’s ankle, tugging her to the ground.
“Ah!” Kacey yells, trying to move away from Grace.
“Kacey!”
Finally, she hears me and tosses the bracelet frantically in my direction, then Kacey’s scream pierces the night.
Rose approaches Kacey and nods at me. “I’ll take care of this. Go, Johnny, now!”
Rose doesn’t need to tell me twice. I run as fast as my legs will carry me toward Erebus—toward Kat—who is already a quarter of the way to the smokestacks, but I’m gaining on her because she’s still only walking. I’m not sure she’s even aware that we’re all here, planning to stop her.
As if on cue, she swivels her head around, and her blackened eyes widen. Then she runs. Kat is a fast runner, but I’ve never seen her move like this. In a matter of seconds, she’s climbing effortlessly up the smokestacks like she has webbed hands and feet.
Without stopping, I look around for something to slow Kat down. Then I remember the shields Kat and I used against each other on my boat when we first exposed our powers out of fear.
I draw in a deep breath and exhale while my hands push my shield of energy forward, exerting a great deal of my strength to reach out the necessary distance. Every grain, element, and particle of the earth helps me gain speed. I aim my shield directly above Kat’s head as she spider-crawls up the side of the smokestack.
At first, she’s disoriented and has to stop in her tracks, looking around for another way up. There is no other way. As much as I want to stop her, I’m careful not to let her fall. But if she does, I’ll find a way to catch her.
I’m able to propel myself up the smokestacks so that I’m directly beneath her when my shield breaks. Instead of lunging for her, I crawl to the opposite side and pull myself to the upper rim of the pipe.
We stand facing each other, my eyes pinned on her while she stares down into the dark, gaping hole.
I turn my head slightly and see Paul standing on the bridge beneath us, waiting for my cue. When I nod, he springs to action, raising his arms and pushing them into the air in front of him. He’s releasing the energy in the smokestack to create a distraction for Erebus. We’re about to surround him, just like we planned.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Kaleb and Alec have almost reached the highest walkway. Good.
As soon as the vapor of Solstice energy begins to seep out from the hole, I edge around the rim of the smokestack, knowi
ng Paul is making his way up the other side. My eyes are focused on Kat, unsure what her next move will be. Even through the thick vapor, I see her lunge forward into the hole as if she’s just going to float to the bottom.
My levitation abilities are weak compared to Kat’s, but adrenaline is raging through me, and I’m not sure anything could stop me. I throw my power at Kat, careful to control the distance she travels without toppling over the edge—and it actually works.
She’s floating just above the hole, kicking her feet and clawing the air with her hands. I place her on the opposite side of the rim and seal the hole so that energy can emerge but nothing can go in. That was Paul’s idea.
Erebus realizes what I’ve done and screams—but it’s Kat’s voice, so the scream actually causes me pain. She sounds as if she’s being tortured. She growls, and her hands shoot out toward me.
A blast of air punches my chest, knocking me off balance and off the rim of the flue. My hands fly in all directions, attempting to latch on to anything. If only I could levitate myself. That’s impossible, at least for a Poseidon descendant. I’ve tried.
In the final moment before I fall to my death, my hand finds and grips the edge of the rim, anchoring the rest of my body so I’m dangling over the walkway beneath me. If I fall, it will hurt, but I can make it. I use my second hand to pull myself up just as Kat nears me.
“Leave. Me. Alone!” she snarls.
I tilt my head. Why isn’t he attacking me? “I’m not going anywhere until you release Kat.”
Kat’s eyes narrow. “You don’t get to make decisions today, Johnny. In fact, you’ve tried my patience for the last time. I made a deal with my host to let you all live, but I have no problem breaking that deal if you try to stop me in any way.”
Kat made a deal with Erebus? That doesn’t sound right at all. She must have been desperate, and he must have offered something she couldn’t refuse. “I’m not going anywhere.”
