Harper pulled up a stool at the counter, sat on the cracked vinyl, and ordered a glass of ice water. When Daniel came in, she’d probably order something more, but for now, rehydrating and cooling off were her main priorities.
“You should take a swim,” a husky voice said from beside her.
With her glass of ice water pressed to her cheek, Harper hadn’t been paying attention to who was coming or going in the diner. She lowered the glass and glanced over to see Thea climbing up on the stool next to her.
“I don’t like swimming,” Harper replied. She sat up straighter and stirred her water with the straw.
“You really are the exact opposite of your sister. ” Thea set her purse on the counter. She rummaged through it for a second before taking out a hair tie. As she spoke, she leaned back and pulled her long red hair up into a ponytail. “The two of you are night and day. ”
“What about you?” Harper gave her a sidelong glance. “How much are you and your sister alike?”
“What can I get for you today?” Pearl asked Thea, interrupting their conversation.
“Just a cherry malt. ” Thea smiled sweetly at her.
Pearl smiled back at her, but seemed to flounder for a minute, like a starstruck teenager meeting her idol. Even without using her song, Thea still had the power to captivate men and women alike.
“The bonds between sisters are very complex things,” Thea said once Pearl had left to fill her order. She rested her arms on the faded counter and looked over at Harper. “You must understand that better than anyone. ”
“I suppose I do,” Harper agreed.
“You and I really have a lot in common,” Thea went on. “Like you, I’m the oldest. ”
“Penn is younger than you?” Harper asked, glancing over at her.
“Yeah,” Thea said. Pearl brought her the malt, and Thea politely thanked her. She took a long sip before speaking to Harper again. “Most people think that Penn is older. It’s a common misconception. ”
“She’s pretty bossy,” Harper said.
“That’s my fault. ” Thea smiled sadly. “Our mothers weren’t around when we were children, leaving me to essentially raise Penn and Aggie. Penn was the youngest, and I overindulged her. ”
“I can understand that. ” Harper propped her chin up on her hand and watched Thea. “But that was a very long time ago. If Penn turned out to be a spoiled brat, why haven’t you corrected it?”
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“If you really stand up to Penn and tell her no…” Thea trailed off. “Well, let’s just say you don’t get a chance to ever tell her no again. ”
“Lovely,” Harper muttered. “And I’m sure that Gemma is already in the habit of telling her no. ”
“Don’t worry about Gemma,” Thea said. “She’s your sister, but she’s my sister now, too. ”
Harper looked at her dubiously. “You’re saying you’re protecting her?”
“Something like that. ” Thea took another long drink of her malt. “Gemma reminds me a bit of Persephone. ”
“The girl that you let get murdered before?” Harper asked.
“There’s one good thing about making mistakes. ” Thea turned to her with a smile. “You learn not to make them again. ”
“Why are you telling me this?” Harper asked. “What are you hoping to gain?”
“I like Gemma, and I’d like her to stay with us for a very long time,” Thea said. “Lexi is annoying, and Penn is … well, Penn is Penn. I want someone on my side for a change. ”
“And you think that’s Gemma?” Harper asked.
“I think she could be, yes,” Thea said. “And I think the biggest thing holding her back from really committing, from really joining us, is you. ”
Harper shook her head. “The biggest reason she doesn’t want to join you is because you’re evil and Penn is a monster. You are a monster. ”
“If Gemma really commits to us and really tries, I can assure you that I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe and alive and happy,” Thea said. “But if she keeps going against Penn and keeps trying to break away, I can’t protect her. ”
Harper swallowed hard. “I can’t make this choice for her. ”
“Maybe not, but you can let her go. ” Thea pulled a few dollars out of her purse and left them on the counter. “I’ll see you around. ”
“Yeah, I’m sure you will,” Harper said as Thea slid off the stool.
Once Thea was gone, Harper rested her head in her hands. For the first time, she wondered if it might really be in Gemma’s best interest to remain a siren. It was a very high price to pay, but if she was alive and happy, that had to be a better choice than being dead.
TWENTY-FIVE
Pursuit
Visiting their mom the day before had completely drained their dad. In truth, it had drained all of them, but it hit Brian the worst.
The rest of the day he was out in the garage supposedly working on a project. But when Harper sent Gemma out to get him for supper, he’d just been leaning against his workbench, drinking a beer and staring off into space.
To make matters worse, the air-conditioning broke on the hottest day of the year. They only had a window unit, in the living room, so the upstairs never cooled off anyway. The air conditioner did a fairly good job on the main level, since the house was so small.
Instead of going out and buying a new AC, Brian insisted that he was going to fix their old one. He took it out to the garage, where he’d spent all Sunday morning tinkering with it, but so far there had been no results.
While Harper was out in the garage trying to convince their dad to drink water instead of beer so he didn’t get dehydrated, Gemma put her plan into motion. She’d already texted Marcy and made sure it was a go. Now all she had to do was keep Harper preoccupied.
“Hello?” Daniel answered his cell phone on the third ring.
“Hey, Daniel, what are you doing?” Gemma asked in a hushed voice. She stood in her bedroom doorway, watching the stairs and listening closely for the front door.
“Why are you whispering?” Daniel instantly sounded tense. “Is something wrong?”
“No, I just don’t want Harper to hear me,” Gemma said. “Listen, can you do me a favor?”
He hesitated before saying, “Possibly. ”
“I need you to keep Harper busy today. ”
“What for? What are you doing?” Daniel asked.
“I’m going with Marcy out to Sundham to visit her friend at the bookstore,” Gemma explained. “We’re going to see if we can figure out where the scroll might be or see if we can find Demeter or the muses or something. ”
“And why don’t you want Harper to know about this?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t want her to know about anything anymore,” Gemma said. “I’m trying not to tell her anything about the sirens at all. ”
“So you want me to get Harper to come over so you can sneak off with Marcy?” Daniel asked. “Won’t Marcy tell her what’s up?”
“No, I already swore Marcy to secrecy. She likes sneaking around anyway. ”
Daniel sighed. “All right. I’ll do it. But this isn’t dangerous or anything, right? You’re not going to get hurt or anything?”
“Nope. I’m just going to a bookstore,” Gemma replied. “How dangerous could that be?”
After she got off the phone with Daniel, it only took a few minutes for Harper to come in the house and say she was going out to Daniel’s. She invited Gemma to join, tempting her with promises of air-conditioning, but Gemma managed to decline without raising suspicion.
With Harper gone, Gemma just told her dad that she was going out to swim for a while, and he told her to stay cool and be safe. She texted Marcy, who came to pick her up in the Gremlin, and they were off to Sundham.
“This really isn’t that long of a trip,” Marcy said as they parked in front of the bookstore. “I don’t know what your sister is so
worried about. ”
“Well, you know Harper,” Gemma said as she opened the car door. “If she’s not worrying about something, then she’s not alive. ”
Marcy led the way into the bookstore, entering underneath the perpetually creaking sign that said CHERRY LANE BOOKS. The last time Gemma had been here, they’d found Lydia back in a dark, hidden corner of the store, but today she was waiting right inside for them.
“Hey, guys,” Lydia chirped. She sat on the front counter next to an antique cash register. A glittery deck of cards was in her hand, with a few cards laid out beside her.
Sitting perched at the edge like that, wearing tangerine tights with a flowered jumper, Lydia reminded Gemma even more of a pixie. She was so petite and cheery, and pink clips held her short black hair out of her face.
“Hey, Lydia,” Marcy said as they walked over to the counter.
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“Thanks again for letting us come in,” Gemma said. “I know you’re usually closed on Sundays. ”
“It’s no problem at all. ” Lydia waved it off and winked at Gemma. “I make exceptions for supernatural beings. I can’t expect them to live on normal mortal time, can I?”
“I really appreciate it anyway,” Gemma said.
“Sorry. I was just doing a quick tarot reading. ” Lydia peered down at the cards next to her for a minute, tilting her head this way and that before shaking her head and scooping up the cards. “This week looks like it’s going to be busy. ”
“I’m sorry about that,” Marcy said.
“Don’t be. ” Lydia smiled brightly and shuffled the cards. “It’s better to be busy than bored. That’s what I always say. ”
“Marcy lives by the exact opposite of that motto,” Gemma said.
Marcy nodded. “I really do. ”
“I know. ” Lydia laughed in her usual light, twinkling way, and set the deck of cards aside. “Anyway, I got the e-mail with the list of names you wanted me to look up, and I’ve started the search, but it may take a little while. ”
“Bummer. ” Marcy leaned against the counter next to Lydia. “But I suppose there isn’t, like, a national Greek God Database like there is for missing children. ”
“No, there’s not,” Lydia said. “And it doesn’t help that most of the gods and goddesses don’t want to be found. ”
“How come?” Gemma asked.
“Humans and other immortals were always trying to capture them or kill them. ” Lydia pulled one knee up to her chest and leaned against it. “They wanted their power or were afraid of them or blamed them for their problems. It’s a very tricky thing being so powerful. ”
“I would imagine it is,” Gemma said.
“That’s why so many of them change their names,” Lydia went on. “What do your siren friends go by now? I’m sure it’s not Peisinoe and Thelxiepeia, is it?”
Gemma shook her head. “No, it’s Penn and Thea. ”
“They’re much more manageable to say and spell, too, which is an added bonus,” Lydia said.
“The Greeks were lame about names,” Marcy muttered.
Lydia smirked. “Well, I’m sure the Greeks would think you’re pretty lame about names. ”
“What about Achelous?” Gemma asked. “Do you know if he’s still alive?”
“I can’t say for sure. ” Lydia gave her shoulders a helpless shrug. “Many of the gods live so far off the radar that their deaths don’t even register. I’ve got plenty of feelers out for both him and Demeter, though. ”
“What about the muses?” Gemma asked.
“I did have some word on them, but none of it’s good. ” Lydia smiled sadly at her. “The two you were looking for—Terpsichore and Melpomene—are confirmed dead, along with Calliope, Euterpe, Clio, Thalia, and Urania. The other two have been missing for centuries and are presumed dead. ”
“So you’re saying that all the muses are dead?” Marcy asked, looking up at Lydia.
Lydia nodded. “Yes, I think so. ”
“Dammit. ” Gemma ran her hand through her hair. “I really thought they might be the key to destroying the scroll. ”
“Destroying the scroll is pretty impossible, even if you had a muse,” Lydia reminded her.
“‘Pretty’ impossible isn’t ‘completely’ impossible,” Gemma said. “Thea told me about this Asterion guy, and how he used a muse to break the curse. ”
“Are you talking about the minotaur?” Lydia leaned forward, her excitement piqued. “They’ve been extinct for over a thousand years. ”
“Right. ” Gemma nodded. “Because they undid the curse. ”
“And you’re saying they heard it from a muse?” Lydia touched her chin as she thought about it. “That would make sense. Muses kept a lot of secrets, which is why they’re likely all dead. The other reason is their almost boundless love. ”
“Boundless love?” Marcy asked. “Is that a nice way of saying they were prostitutes? Because hookers always seem to be targets for serial killers. ”
“Serial killers aren’t killing immortals,” Lydia said, casting Marcy a bemused look. “Muses gave up their immortality when they fell in love. They chose to be human to be able to have a relationship instead of the somewhat parasitic version they’d normally have. And then they would just die of natural causes, like any other mortal. ”
“So is that what happened to the gods, like Achelous?” Gemma asked.
“No. He’s a true immortal—he was born that way,” Lydia said. “Only those that have been granted immortality—either by being blessed or cursed—can give it up. Everyone else is cursed to live forever. Unless, of course, they’re murdered. ”
“So if Achelous is dead, he was murdered?” Gemma asked.
“Yes. That would be the only way. ”
Marcy readjusted her glasses on her nose and stared at the floor thoughtfully. “It’s weird that immortality is considered both a blessing and a curse. ”
“It is a double-edged sword,” Lydia agreed.
“How do you kill a god?” Gemma asked.
“It depends on the god. If you’re god of the sun, it would probably have something to do with darkness,” Lydia said.
Gemma thought of Achelous, remembering how he was a freshwater god. “So for something like the god of water, it would probably involve being dried out?”
Lydia nodded. “Yeah, something like that. ”
“So is that how you kill a siren, then?” Marcy asked.
“No, killing a siren is a lot easier than killing a god. A god—something like Apollo or Achelous—they would be here. ” Lydia held up her hand above her head. “And an immortal, something like a siren or even a werewolf or troll, would be here. ” She held her hand in front of her chin.
“Where would humans be?” Marcy asked, and Lydia lowered her hand in front of her stomach. “That far down, huh?”
“Yeah, we’re pretty fragile,” Lydia said. “So anyway, lesser immortals like vampires usually have more than one way to kill them. Breaking the curse, starvation, sunlight, a stake through the heart. A god only has one way, and it’s usually complicated and arduous. ”
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“So there’s more than one way to kill a siren, then?” Gemma asked.
“Since you were here last, I’ve been doing some research. I found a few ways to kill sirens, but most of them are longer-term,” Lydia explained. “Starvation, having fewer than four sirens on a full moon, being apart from each other for several weeks. There’s only one instantaneous way to kill them. ”
“And would that involve a stake through the heart or a silver bullet?” Marcy asked.
Lydia shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. It’s not quite that simple. ”
“Of course not,” Gemma muttered.
“Hold on. ” Lydia leaned back and punched some buttons on the cash register. It made a loud ding, and the drawer popped open. She dug inside, then pulled out a small,
folded square of paper. “Here. ”
Lydia had her hand outstretched toward her, but Gemma hesitated.
“What’s that?” Gemma asked.
“It’s how you kill a siren. Not all of the sirens at once, but if you’re fighting one hand-to-hand and need to stop her in self-defense, here’s how you do it. ”
“Thank you. ” Tentatively, Gemma took the paper from her. “How do you know all this stuff?”
Lydia smiled slyly. “You could say that it’s a family business. My grandma is a witch, and my father is a vampire. ”
“Wait. ” Marcy narrowed her eyes, as if noticing Lydia for the first time. “Does that mean you’re a vampire? Or a witch?”
“I’m neither, actually,” Lydia answered. “It just means I have an affinity, a natural inclination, towards the supernatural.
“If it makes you feel any better, my grandma is more of a good witch,” Lydia said when Marcy continued to scrutinize her. “She used to help various immortals out when they were in trouble, but she was mostly a record keeper. ” Lydia gestured to the bookstore. “Many of these books and scrolls you see here came from my grandma, handed down generation after generation. ”
“Have you ever destroyed a scroll?” Gemma asked.
“No, I haven’t. ” Lydia paused, then took a deep breath. “But if I’m being honest, I never wanted to. It’s always been our job to protect them. ”
“Why? Some of these creatures are evil,” Gemma said.
“Some humans do bad things, truly horrendous things, but that doesn’t mean that they’re all evil or that we all deserve to die,” Lydia said. “Though if the right creature found the scroll with humanity’s curse, they might be tempted to destroy it. ”
“Are you implying that we are a curse?” Marcy asked, and she seemed to have relaxed around Lydia again.
“Mortality is a blessing and a curse, too,” Lydia said simply.
“What if I find this scroll?” Gemma asked. “Will you help me destroy it? Or will that go against your nature?”
“My nature is to help those in need,” Lydia replied carefully. “If I have the tools or information you need to protect yourself and those you care about, I will gladly give them to you. ”
“Do you have any ideas where the scroll might be?” Marcy asked, turning her attention to Gemma. “I know you came up empty a couple times. ”
“I think it might be with the sirens now,” Gemma said. “It wasn’t before, but I told Thea I was looking for it. I think they’ll hang on to it to guard until I’m either gone or I’ve lost interest. ”
“But you aren’t going to lose interest, are you?” Lydia asked.
“No. ” Gemma shook her head. “I can’t. ”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you,” Lydia said, sounding sincere.
“No, you’ve been plenty of help,” Gemma assured her with a smile. “Thank you. ”
Marcy thanked Lydia again, and Lydia promised she’d be in contact soon. They went outside, Gemma’s head swimming with everything Lydia had told her.
“So,” Marcy said once they were both sitting inside her Gremlin. “How do you kill a siren?”
Gemma unfolded the paper to find a photocopied illustration from an old book. It showed exactly what needed to be done, including a detailed diagram with suggested weapons written in English.
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