by Holly Hook
If I even could die?
The dust vanished from the tunnel, as if the wind had blown it all back ages ago, and Ronin ran his finger along the now-black, smooth stone. The passage looked as if a million feet had trampled it over the course of millennia and I also had to grab the wall to avoid slipping. Because I would.
“Did you feel that?” Carmen asked, stopping.
A quick shudder ran over me. Then Ronin flinched as something barely there, something transparent and grayish, flew past him and into the darkness below.
“Was that a ghost?” I blurted after we stood there, stunned, for a few seconds.
Ronin's eyes widened. “Maybe? I guess the dead have to get down here somehow.”
“So we're walking a highway for the dead,” Carmen said. “I wonder if that was Mr. Tanner. We can hope.”
I held in a nervous laugh. Mr. Tanner was the jerk gym teacher who would never retire. “Ronin? What do you feel from up ahead?” He had a rare talent for sensing magic in others.
“A lot of coldness,” he said. “Yeah. I think this is one of the ways the dead use to get down here. We're standing in it. Awesome. But I don't think they'll hurt us.”
That didn't make me feel better even though no other gray, wispy things passed us. So this wasn't a busy highway. Maybe just a back road. Ronin led the way again, and I suddenly wanted to take a peek and just get this over with. At last, the tunnel widened, and an eerie green light that looked like Wendy's magic began to fill the tunnel. It was everywhere and nowhere, and Carmen clicked her flashlight off once it was bright enough for us to see each other's outlines.
Carmen seized my arm. Her palm was just as sweaty as mine, despite the cold.
And it hit me. We were about to visit the Underworld. The land of the dead. Where Hades lived and a bunch of other dark gods and goddesses liked to hang out.
Ronin thrust his hand back, wiggling his fingers.
I took it with my free one.
Now the three of us formed a chain. The tunnel continued to widen and slowly fill with greenish fog that had the hue of a bad storm. My skin turned numb as if this place were sucking the life out of me. Down here, my inner power never felt farther away. The Underworld did rob life. This was insanity. Maria and Mikey wouldn't have wanted me to do this.
But I couldn't let them turn into monsters.
I would fix this for them.
“And there it is,” Ronin said, stopping so that I banged into him.
I blinked and realized that the tunnel ended here.
And beyond, in the fog, was a chamber so big that I couldn't see the ceiling. The flat ground, made of stone with a few scraggly plants struggling out of the cracks, sloped downward to a very black, very deep river that curved away from us and out of sight. I could see nothing beyond the river's opposite bank.
“Holy shit,” Ronin said. “I never thought I'd see this. Well, in my life.”
“It's like a nightmare,” Carmen whispered, letting go of my hand. “That water looks toxic.”
“It is,” I reminded her. “Don't touch it. I bet this fog's coming off it. We're at the border of the Underworld.”
“Then it can't be good to breathe,” Carmen said.
“Well, we're all still alive,” I said. “I read that you can't touch the river or you die. Looks like there's no way across.”
Ronin turned to me, blocking my way forward. “Then we're done here.”
I eyed the water. Maybe there was a way across, just farther down? Slowly, I stepped past Ronin, who was eyeing the opposite direction, and out into the vast chamber.
A low growl emanated from within the fog.
Ronin seized my shoulder and pulled me back as a dark shape bounded towards us from the river, looming larger. I fell back into Ronin as the misshapen creature growled again, leapt, and landed feet away with the clicking of razor sharp claws. I screamed. Carmen whimpered. Ronin cursed.
A massive three-headed dog dared us to make another move.
Chapter Two
"Cerberus," Carmen said, backing into the tunnel.
Yeah. That sounded like a good idea since I didn't have the Chaos Dagger on me and hadn't seen it all summer, though Ronin probably had it under his leather jacket just in case. But if I used it here I might go dark for good.
Ronin stepped in front of me, putting himself between me and the monster that now occupied the space between us and the River Styx. His hero complex was in full swing.
"We're not supposed to be here," he said, backing into me.
I staggered back. The monster growled again, scraping the rock in a bad bull impression. But that didn't calm my pulse racing in my ears.
Even though Ronin blocked the view, I could see some of the horror. The three-headed dog was six feet tall. Bigger than the scariest junkyard dog I'd ever seen. Each head belonged to an enormous Rottweiler. Drool dripped from teeth as the heads jostled against each other, each one trying to size up Ronin. The creature wasn't attacking. But the deep, eerie green in its eyes warned me that it would.
I grabbed the back of Ronin's leather jacket. "Back away." This was the last place for his hero complex. If he tried to take down this beast without his sword, he'd be crossing the river for sure.
"I've got this." His words trembled.
Carmen whimpered behind me. "We have to go."
Then the creature took a step forward, closing the gap between him and Ronin by a couple of feet. Cerberus's claws were two inches long. Enough to spill guts. And I'd faint if I saw that. All three heads peeled their lips back, revealing three sets of dinosaur teeth.
"Ronin! Cerberus is making his point clear." Pain squeezed my chest as I said the words, pulling the back of his coat again. Why couldn't I have supernatural strength now? I reached for the void within, and it sparked to life, filling me with a distant, low thrum. The power I needed surged into my arms. I pulled him back so fast that the two of us collided and we staggered back into the tunnel.
"Okay. We'll go," he said, but not without relief.
"Now," Carmen said, already ahead of us.
The three-headed dog remained on the shore, growled again, and backed into the fog. Cerberus had made his point. "He won't attack us unless we try to cross. We can't get through right now," I forced.
In the back of my mind, Maria and Mikey collapsed in defeat.
There had to be another way.
The low thrum within vanished and Ronin faced me with a frown. Carmen backed up the tunnel, leaving us alone. "I knew he wasn't attacking us. I was hoping--"
"We don't have three headed dog treats lying around," I said.
I knew what this meant.
Wendy.
To get through the guardian of the Underworld, we'd have to go to her.
* * * * *
"I don't understand. Cerberus is supposed to prevent the dead from getting out of the Underworld," I said. My book on the Rivers had mentioned that the three-headed dog guarded the gates, keeping the dead in, and I hadn't thought too much about meeting him. I pulled another Coke out of Carmen's fridge and handed it to Ronin.
He'd been pretty quiet since we got out of the tunnel, climbed back up the ladder, and walked back to Carmen's house. Now he opened the Coke and nodded. "Okay, so I was stupid back there. I didn't want Cerberus to eat your face off."
"Passive aggressive much?" Carmen asked.
It was what Maria would say. "I know you didn't. But without our weapons, we wouldn't have a chance at fighting that thing. He was bigger than all of us put together."
"You forgot these." Ronin flexed his biceps. He spilled a bit of Coke on the floor.
I snorted. "Yeah, you're awesome, but I think Cerberus could have killed all of us even if we had our weapons."
Ronin lowered his arms and eyed his jacket. "Well, I have yours with me, but if you used your weapon down there, it wouldn't have been good. The dark part of you would have taken over for sure."
I gulped. So Ronin had brought the Chaos Dagger w
ith him. In the past few months, we'd found out I had two possible paths. I could mature into some kind of power goddess, able to amplify the magic of others, or I could turn into a being of total destruction. Whatever powers I had depended on my surroundings. As if I were just a ball of clay. Awesome.
"Let's say that Mr. Tanner really did die and was that ghost in the tunnel," Carmen said. "If we'd killed Cerberus, we would be letting all the dead free back into our world, right? There are some people we don't want coming back."
Ronin nodded as he dropped his shoulders. "Good point."
I knew she was trying to salvage the situation. Ronin wasn't feeling good about this. And I knew why. "You did your best down there," I said.
Then he dared to meet my gaze. "I know. And that's bothering me." He took another swig out of the can.
"Come on. It was a giant, three-headed dog. And it was your idea not to go down there in the first place."
Ronin screwed up his features and paced around the kitchen. "That's because I knew we were going to run into something we couldn't handle if we did."
I gulped. Then I got it.
Ronin feared running into something he couldn't handle.
Carmen eyed me like she wanted to back out of the room. But I didn't want her to go. We needed her sense of humor right now. So I shook my head at her, hoping she'd get it. And she remained in the doorway.
Say something. Please, I thought.
"I knew it, too. We just need to figure out a plan," I said. "Maybe Wendy and I aren't mortal enemies anymore after we fought Dominique together. She could help us get past Cerberus and over the river. Wendy owes me for letting her win during finals." That still burned.
"She's still Wendy," Ronin said. "She's no good. Wendy only fought beside you because she knew you were capable of destroying that witch."
"She did bring my fake dagger, thinking it was real," I said.
"You were a tool. Wendy uses others to get where she wants. Remember what she did to my hands? Sure, it wasn't on purpose, but she wasn't disappointed about it, either." Ronin set his can down on the counter. "You watch. First day of school comes around, and she'll be talking behind your back like she always does."
* * * * *
After I hugged Carmen goodbye on the first day of school, Ronin pulled into her driveway in a Mercedes. Yeah. I'd never seen him drive this particular car before, and I raised my eyebrow at him as I approached with my bags.
Ronin patted the leather seat beside him as I opened the passenger door. "Don't tell anyone I borrowed this from my father's mansion. It's not as if he's ever around but if he finds out I took a vehicle that doesn't belong to the school, I'll never hear the end of it."
"I won't. Promise. What about the bike?" Back in school, Ronin didn't have his own vehicle. Zeus hadn't let him have his own, and the god was loaded and owned dozens of mansions around the world. It was another way to get Ronin to do what he wanted: training me. Train me well, and maybe get a car. Ronin hadn't done that over the summer, either. Keeping my darkness at bay meant not training outside of Olympian.
He grinned as he backed out of Carmen's driveway. "I borrowed that, too. But I was able to tinker with the odometer so he won't find out I used it. Having electricity in your veins sure is helpful sometimes."
"Clever."
"Don't tell anyone I can do that, either. Remember. I'm supposed to be a knucklehead."
"That's stupid."
We took off and Ronin got on the expressway without a word. Once again, we'd be attending two different schools. The closer we got to Marchamp, the more my palms tingled with nerves, and not just for me. The break was over. My own magical development had stalled over the summer, drowned in junk food and movie marathons with Carmen, as well as super normal trips to the mall with Ronin. But now I'd be going back into the environment meant to make me a ball of destruction, with a principal who didn't seem too concerned about that happening.
"I'll drop you off first," Ronin said, pulling off the exit to Marchamp. "I kind of have to since you haven't learned how to drive yet."
I eyed the wheel. "I'd like to learn." I hadn't heard of any driving school programs at Cursed or Olympian next door. I was going on seventeen later this year and hadn't even started, not even at any summer lessons. Yikes.
"I'll teach you if I ever get the chance."
"That sounds great." Normal activities. Those helped keep the darkness at bay, too. That tactic wouldn't work forever but it would help until we figured out what to do.
Ronin pulled up to the gates of Cursed. The main building spread out in front of me, all dark marble and pillars at the front. Once again the lawn was overgrown and vines hung from all the trees, adding to the eerie atmosphere even in the daytime. Cars filled the big circle driveway on the grounds, surrounded by students in plain clothes getting out and unloading luggage. I'd never been here on an actual first day before. The whole place bustled with nerves.
The gate opened with an eerie squeak as Ronin pulled up. Heads turned in the driveway and Ronin circled. I half-expected him to smile as he showed off the wheels, but instead, his shoulders rose as people watched him. And me. A Mercedes didn't belong among all these beat up Buicks, Pontiacs, and Fords.
If Ronin were alone, he would grin at all these poor Cursed kids. Keep up his persona. Separate himself from the lower class as his father expected even though he hated the spotlight.
But not with me. If there was one thing he hated more than the spotlight shining on him, it was that same spotlight shining on me.
Eventually, after what felt like eternity, we stopped, pulling between a rusty truck and a small sedan with its trunk open and empty. The driver inside, a grown woman with a red spider marking on her forehead, waited. And I wondered if this spider shifter was Tiffany's mom. Tiffany would be a fellow second year this time around.
Ronin got out, closing the car door with care. I did the same, scanning the grounds for Mikey and Maria while trying to ignore the scary carved faces on the doors of the main building. Either my friends had already been dropped off by their parents or they weren't here yet.
"Well, we know which dorm is yours," Ronin said. "I'm praying Natalia didn't egg mine over the summer. Hopefully she's back to teach some of your classes. She graduated last year but was talking about staying on."
"That's a relief." Ronin's words fell into the background as I searched the grounds for someone else. Wendy. She'd be here for sure, showing off since she'd been the top of the first years' class. I shifted my gaze over more old, beat-up cars, past a silver one on the other side of the fountain that didn't have any rust, and settled on a black BMW parked in front of it with its back doors ajar.
"Uh, oh," Ronin said, grasping my upper arm.
Wendy was leaning into the car, fishing out a fancy luggage bag that of course, had a skull patch sewn on it. She wore a black tank top and jeans today. We'd have to walk past her to get to the main building. Wendy's parents had parked closest to the doors.
"Well, we need to get this over with." My heart pounded. Getting to Wendy couldn't be too bad, right? Not killing her might have changed things between us. But Ronin's words lingered.
I hurried, getting my stuff out of the backseat, trying to ignore the stares of people who couldn't believe that a Cursed Academy girl was hanging out with, let alone dating, a top student from Olympian. Ronin had brought me one of those rolling luggage bags, and I dropped it onto the gravel as the two of us locked up the car and walked beside each other to the front doors. Wendy yanked at something else in the backseat while someone in the front, sitting behind tinted windows, spoke.
"Can't you get that out?" A man. Probably her father.
"It's jammed," Wendy said.
"Can't you even do one simple task?"
I eyed Wendy, who hadn't noticed me, as she grunted and pulled out a very large trunk that even Ronin might have struggled with. And the man in the driver's seat didn't get out to help.
Wendy turned as we app
roached, face red with effort.
And shot the two of us a glare for the ages.
Chapter Three
Getting Wendy's help was not going to be easy.
I didn't even take Ronin's hand until the two of us were inside the entrance of the main building, surrounded by other people hauling in luggage. The green torches on the wall spit as usual. Wendy lagged outside, bogged down by that giant trunk.
"Wow." Ronin whistled as he looked at the doors. "I know how Wendy feels with her dad grumping at her like that."
"She saw you and me together," I said. He was right. Wendy hadn't fought beside me as a show of attempted friendship. She just hated that Duncan ditched her for Dominique's cult and almost got her killed. I'd just been useful at the time.
"That's why I didn't hold your hand on the way inside. But I can now." Ronin forced a smile. "Let's get your stuff in your dorm. I bet your orientation will be in the dining hall. Ours is at Olympian."
"Students!" Prometheus's voice filled the entry hall in a supernatural manner as he approached from the left corridor. "You are all in the same dorms as last year if you're a second year or above. First years, progress straight to the dining hall."
Ronin shoved my hand away and sidestepped towards a green torch on the wall, putting distance between us. Tension clawed its way to my shoulders as I stepped away, too. If there was one thing the titan didn't like, it was Ronin, and I had the feeling it was an extension of his hatred for Zeus.
And one other thing he didn't like was any potential Olympian influence on me.
I watched as the titan, still in his black suit and spectacles, emerged into the entry hall. The air heated as it usually did in his presence, but not to an uncomfortable level. A few guys--probably third years--squeezed to the side to avoid the principal even though he was smiling at students. Immortals tended to unnerve people even when they were acting friendly.
