“If she chooses to come,” Sarah explained in her strange, new voice, “it won’t be for long. Be ready.”
I nodded. “I know what I need.”
“You do,” Sarah replied, but I couldn’t tell if it was a statement or a question.
She searched through her closet and collected her supplies. When she retrieved a knife, Beth’s eyes went wide, and she looked at me desperately. She wanted me to say that we were leaving, that this was all a big mistake, and that things were going to go back to the way she remembered. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t lie.
“Don’t be afraid. You can go.” It was the best I could do.
But Beth didn’t move. She was loyal. To a fault. She wouldn’t be here, in abject terror, if she wasn’t incredibly devoted to her friend. She wouldn’t abandon her. Not for anything. I had to give her credit for that.
Stella took the supplies from Sarah and arranged them on the floor in four quadrants. I could tell it was a familiar task to her, something she was comfortable with and something she could take comfort in doing now. But behind that veneer, I knew her mind was still reeling. She was as lost and scared as Beth. She just hid it better.
Justin arrived with a paper bag as Sarah and Stella rubbed black candles with oil and herbs. When Stella laid down the last candle, Sarah stood.
“It’s time,” she announced. She’d painted her face: red streaks on her cheeks and throat, and a strange, multi-pointed star on her forehead. “Shut the door.”
Justin obeyed, sliding down to sit with his back against it. Beth reached for my hand. I let her take it.
Sarah nodded at Stella, who walked around, sprinkling a mixture of herbs. Sarah placed candles around the room and turned off the lights. Stella lit incense. Thick, perfumed smoke wafted into the air. I smelled myrrh, juniper, mint, and cypress. But there were some unfamiliar smells as well, more acrid and unpleasant. Lastly, Sarah handed each one of us a white candle, lighting each in turn. Beth held hers like it was a snake, her hand trembling so badly I thought the flame might go out.
I felt myself being carried away by it all. The flickering light of dozens of candles, the exotic smells, the rhythm of Sarah’s slow, deep breathing.
Then Stella and Sarah began to chant. It was barely a whisper, teasing the threshold of my hearing. Then it grew louder and louder. Soon, the chant was vibrating through me, inside of me, all around me. The whole room seemed to quake with its force.
Another voice joined the chant. Then another. And another. More and more voices. Women. Men. An unseen chorus. A sea of voices. Chanting faster and faster in a language even I didn’t know, or perhaps I’d long forgotten.
The chanting became feverish, the words flowing into one long string of syllables, an unending sound. Sarah and Stella rocked back and forth, eyes closed, words pouring out of them. They couldn’t speak quickly enough for the stream of sound gushing out of them.
Outside, a dog began to howl frantically. Then, silence.
Sarah’s eyes snapped open. They shone yellow.
“Clever.” The voice came from her, but it wasn’t Sarah. I knew that voice.
“Sister,” I greeted Hecate, trying to contain my excitement. It’d actually worked! Sarah had done it!
“I couldn’t contact you directly,” I explained. “Our link to the Heavens had to be severed for us to take mortal form. But . . .”
“You can talk to witches,” Hecate concluded, looking down at Sarah’s hand with mild interest. “And through them to me.”
My voice quavered slightly, which irritated me. “Something’s happened.”
“Yes. I know.” Hecate’s voice was soft and haunting, like the autumn wind rustling through dead leaves. “I felt it. Athena. A burst of power, then . . . nothing.”
“Nothing?” I burst out. I tried to compose myself. “What do you mean ‘nothing’?”
Silence. A silence that chilled me to the core.
“Who can say what happens when a god dies?” Hecate murmured. “But she is not one of mine.”
I shivered. Hecate had a retinue of ghost followers, chosen for their power in life and bound to serve Hecate in death. Forever. Thinking of Athena among them made me sick. But at least she would still have existed. Anything had to be better than nothing.
The incense swirled around Hecate, taking on a life of its own. Her head was wreathed in snakes of smoke, like one of the Gorgons.
“What can you tell me about who’s behind this? Have you been able to figure out who took the Fates?” I demanded.
For an instant, it was Sarah’s voice that replied. But Hecate soon took over. Sarah’s control was slipping. This wouldn’t last much longer.
“This form . . . is strong . . . but it . . . cannot contain . . . my power,” Hecate warned.
“Can you tell anything?” I pressed urgently. “Anything you’ve learned since we took flesh?”
“No,” Hecate admitted, her voice sighing through the air.
I couldn’t hide my disappointment. If anyone could get to the bottom of something like this, it was her.
“But . . .” she continued.
“Yes?” I said hopefully.
“The cloud,” she murmured. “Over this place. Hiding it from the Heavens. If the Fates still live, they are close.”
“What do you mean ‘if the Fates still live’?” I replied in horror. It’d never occurred to me that the Fates could be in danger themselves.
“Our enemy is clearly willing to kill gods,” Hecate reminded me. “And there are ways to use blood. For power.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes from drifting to the empty paper bag beside her. Blood had powered the ritual to bring Hecate briefly into the mortal world. And that was just animal blood. The blood of a god, of three powerful goddesses like the Fates . . .
The snakes around Hecate began to dissolve, one after the other. Time was running out. Fast.
“How can we find the Fates?” I asked quickly.
Thirty snakes left. Thirty seconds. Twenty nine. Twenty eight . . .
“Fates . . . hidden from . . . us . . . divine . . .” Hecate answered, her voice fading in and out. “Takes . . . great power . . . to hide . . . cannot . . . hide from everyone . . . the one . . . must . . . be getting help . . .”
There were no more snakes left. And the struggle was obvious. The expression on Sarah’s face went from the inhuman coldness of Hecate to an exhausted, terrified mortal girl.
“Trace the power . . . time . . . is short . . . feel . . . power building . . . soon . . .” Hecate said. Sometimes she spoke. Other times it was Sarah. “Beware . . . you are . . . watched . . .”
Hecate began to convulse. She made a terrible sound, neither her nor Sarah. A thousand voices shrieking. I covered my ears, looking away. So did everyone else.
The candles went out. Above us, the light bulbs exploded in a shower of sparks and glass. Somewhere outside, a dog began to bark. And when I looked back, Sarah was slumped on the floor.
“Sarah!” Stella cried, grabbing her and hugging her fiercely. She began to cry.
“Is she dead?” Justin whispered.
“This is your fault!” Stella screamed.
I rolled my eyes and tried to take Sarah from Stella’s embrace. Behind me, Justin started to relight the candles.
Stella jerked Sarah away from me. I gave her a steady look, and still crying, Stella allowed me to take her. I peeled back Sarah’s eyelids and gazed into her mind.
“She’s fine,” I said. “Just exhausted.”
Stella carried Sarah to the bed, laying her down with as much reverence as any mortal had ever laid a sacrifice before me.
I left the room.
“We’re just going to leave them?” Justin asked, following close behind me. Beth followed close behind him, stunned by everything that had happened. Precisely why mortals shouldn’t hang around with gods. It put too much stress on their sanity, which was generally feeble enough already.
“Sarah just ne
eds rest,” I assured him as we headed out the door.
“You might want to check in on Beth,” Justin whispered to me. “I don’t know how she handled . . .”
“I’m fine,” Beth snapped. She had somehow appeared on my other side. Small people are stealthy.
“Are you?” I asked.
Mortals were strangely fragile at times, and then strangely tough at others. Like most things about mortals, it made no sense.
“This isn’t a dream or a prank, is it?” Beth asked. She was already resigning herself to the truth. Impressive. What were the odds of meeting two exceptional mortals in so short a time? There was more to Beth than met the eye. Even my eye.
“No,” I replied. “It’s real. Probably more real than anything else in your life.”
Beth sighed.
“Just wait ‘til you meet the others,” Justin added. I shot him a look, but it was too late.
“What do you mean ‘the others’?” Beth asked.
I glared at Justin. He managed to look fairly ashamed of himself. “Can we tell her?”
I was surprised. He and Beth obviously didn’t get along. But extraordinary experiences drew people together, even opposites. Zeus and I were a perfect example, linked by what we’d been through, our position, our power. When there were only two of you, you didn’t have much choice. There was nobody else to share with. And sharing could be everything.
“A little late to be asking for my permission,” I snapped at Justin. “But if it saves time, then fine.”
“Who are ‘the others’?” Beth repeated.
Justin grinned.
I sighed. “You’re about to find out.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“You have got to stop bringing mortals here,” Hermes said, winking at me as he sized up Beth. He loved this. Of course he loved this. He loved mortals. Probably because he spent so much time among them. We were always sending him on errands to the mortal world.
Beth was sizing up Hermes right back, albeit more cautiously. She didn’t speak for a long time, which was a refreshing change from the walk here; that had involved Justin trying doggedly to explain the situation and Beth refusing to believe a word of what he said. A few demonstrations of my powers on random passersby had finally convinced her, but it was still difficult. Having logical evidence of something illogical--or, at least illogical, to her . . . Beth wanted to believe, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to.
“Don’t be shy,” Hermes said, grinning. “We don’t bite.”
“That’s the least of your worries,” Artemis murmured, studying Beth intently.
Beth looked at me nervously. She wasn’t sure if Artemis was joking. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she wasn’t.
Everything changed when Zeus walked in. Beth’s breath caught in her throat. She blushed and looked down. I stiffened. I’d forgotten the impact that Zeus had on mortal women.
“Zeus,” Justin informed her.
“It’s easier to accept if you say it,” Hermes said.
“Zeus,” Beth repeated.
We waited as she took it all in, looking from face to face.
“You . . . don’t look any different,” she decided after a moment. “But there is something different about you.”
Zeus laughed. A rare sound these days.
“I hope so!” He smiled. “I’m the King of Gods, after all, whoever’s flesh I’m in.”
Beth grimaced.
“It’s not painful for them,” Hermes assured her. “It’s like . . . they’re asleep.”
“But you take their bodies!” she said.
“Technically, they have to give their permission,” Hermes replied.
“And it won’t be for long,” Zeus added. “Just until we complete our mission.”
“Which is to save your world, as well as ours,” I reminded her.
“By rescuing the Fates,” Beth said. So she’d been paying attention after all.
“Yes,” Zeus agreed. “Once the Fates are back where they belong, we’ll return these bodies to their original owners. No harm done.”
All except one, I thought to myself bitterly.
“And they’ll have something to remember us by,” Demeter added. “We leave some power behind. Like an imprint or an echo. For the rest of their lives.”
“This girl,” Hermes gestured at me, “will be incredibly persuasive without even trying. And he,” Hermes nodded at Zeus, “will be tough as nails.”
“Now you know the truth, Beth,” I said. “And whether you like it or not, this is how we have to do things. Now, can you tell us anything that might help us find the Fates?”
“I assume your secret business went well?” Zeus ventured.
“Not very nice to use your mojo on me,” Hermes added, a bit sulkily. “It took forever for them to find me.”
“What’d you make him do?” Justin asked.
“Turn invisible and sit quietly in the bedroom,” Hermes answered morosely. “They didn’t even notice I was gone for an hour.”
“I’m surprised it wore off so quickly,” I replied unrepentantly. “Besides, you should be angry at Zeus, not me. If he hadn’t asked you to follow me, my command wouldn’t have triggered.”
“And if you weren’t too stubborn to take a bodyguard with you--” Zeus started.
“Back to your secret business?” Demeter interrupted quickly.
“I went to see Hecate,” I said, staring daggers at Zeus. He stared daggers right back.
“How?” Demeter asked, astonished.
“I found a witch,” I answered. “Actually, I found two. The stronger one was able invoke Hecate for me. Not for very long though.”
Finding a half-decent witch these days was next to impossible.
“What’d she tell you?” Artemis asked.
“Not much,” I admitted.
Zeus snorted. He didn’t like Hecate. She, like me, was outside his power and beyond his control.
“She confirmed there’s still a cloud over this whole town, hiding it from the Heavens,” I continued, ignoring Zeus. “She said something about us being watched. And that time was short.”
“Did she know anything about Athena?” Demeter asked softly.
Everyone froze. I felt the intensity of their eyes, their desperation. They wanted me to tell them that Athena had returned to the Heavens when her mortal body died. Not for the first time, I wished with all my heart that I could lie.
“Hecate felt Athena’s death,” I answered. “And then nothing.”
“Nothing,” Demeter whispered.
A tear trickled down her cheek. Hermes went completely white. Artemis and Apollo joined hands, probably without even realizing it. Zeus just looked away.
“There could still be hope.” Demeter tried to smile.
“Maybe,” I replied. It was the best I could do. “First, we have to find the Fates. Or she won’t have anything worth coming back to.”
“How?” Zeus demanded.
“Hecate suggested we trace the power,” I replied. “And she also said that our enemy could be using the power of the Fates, siphoning it off through their blood.”
Everyone looked grim, except Beth, who just looked queasy. The power of the Fates was virtually infinite. If they were ever tapped to the fullest, they could make someone invincible, more powerful even than a god.
“We’re screwed! If the Fates are killed, there will be chaos,” Zeus said. “But if they’re kept alive, whoever has them becomes all-powerful. Either way, we lose.”
Silence.
“Which just means we have to find them. And we knew that already,” I replied. “So, how do we track the power like Hecate suggested?”
“We already tried that,” Hermes reminded me. “We went to the museum, but someone had already drained all the artifacts.”
“But that power has to be somewhere,” I insisted. “We should be able to sense it.”
“Unless it’s being hidden too,” Justin interjected. Everyone looked at him.
He shrugged. “If they can hide the Fates and this whole town, couldn’t they hide the power they took, too? Not much good to hide one thing but not the other. It’d just leave a trail for us to follow.”
“So we’re back to square one,” Zeus growled.
“What about making a list of suspects?” Beth suggested. “You might not be able to figure out where the Fates are, but maybe you can narrow down who took them. Then, you just have to check everywhere they’d hang out. So . . . do gods have any enemies?”
“Basically every monster you’ve ever heard of,” Artemis informed her bluntly. “And many you haven’t.”
“Monsters?” Beth echoed, horrified.
“You’re gods,” Justin said. “Why not wipe out all the monsters?”
“The forces at work in our worlds, yours and ours, are very complex,” Demeter explained. “Forces of order and forces of chaos. They’re interconnected. And the worlds need both to survive.”
“Yin and yang,” Beth said.
Justin stared at her.
“What? I know stuff,” Beth replied defensively.
“Yes. Yin and yang. You can’t have one without the other,” I said. “Order gives structure and shape. Chaos brings flexibility and creativity. Wipe out the monsters and you wipe out chaos, and if there’s no chaos, the worlds will cease to exist. Existence requires Order and Chaos to be perfectly balanced.”
“We, gods, embody order,” Demeter added. “Monsters represent chaos. And the worlds need both. Gods and monsters. Two sides of the same coin. Otherwise, no more worlds.”
“But if there are real live monsters, how come we don’t see them?” Beth pointed out.
“More reasons than you’d think,” Hermes replied. “For one, you live in different worlds. Different dimensions, you’d call it. Our world is the world of myth, the Heavens. That’s where monsters come from.”
“Monsters come from Heaven?” Beth said incredulously.
“Not Heaven,” Demeter corrected. “The Heavens. The divine world. It’s like this world. Only . . .”
“Better in every way,” I finished.
Demeter gave me a reproachful look.
“What? It’s true,” I said. I sighed. “But it’s not all paradise.”
Hera, Queen of Gods (Goddess Unbound) Page 9
