The impact shattered the glass like she had hoped and he fell on his knees. She used the force of the jump to crash down on his arm. He roared, in no way seriously injured and already about to get up again, and Cassandra reached to the side, picked up a shard of glass and rammed it into his neck.
“I thought you wouldn’t attack them first”, Charlie whimpered beside her covering his head with his hands and looking more than slightly panicked.
Cassandra didn’t answer. Even though she might have stopped Bear for a second, there was still Wolf to consider. She more felt than saw Wolf release the spear towards her and instinctively threw herself to the side, smashing into one of the sinks and trying to reach for Bear’s hammer in the process. But her hands were slippery from the blood where she had cut herself on the glass shard and the hammer slipped away.
She immediately rolled to a standing position and once again jumped up the side of the walls and threw herself at Wolf. He was standing there calmly and with no apparent effort threw her across the room against the toilet stalls.
Cassandra, who was used to being thrown off by someone much stronger, was ready for the impact. She let herself crash against the stalls and then rolled towards one of the heavy wooden chairs that were standing in the bathroom. She snatched one up and tried to ram it into Wolf’s side but he evaded the chair with ease, still sneering. The sneer turned into a grimace when Cassandra aimed well and kicked him where it hurt most.
Wolf fell to his knees groaning and Cassandra felt a hand close around her foot, then a tug and with a heavy thud she hit the floor. Bear had her ankle in an iron grip and Cassandra felt herself being mercilessly drawn towards him. Cassandra saw a movement at her side and reacted instinctively. She stuck out her hand, took the hammer Charlie had slipped towards her and in one fluent motion sat up to smash the hammer down on the hand that was holding on to her.
The howl of pain was loud enough that the whole bathroom shook. Cassandra, expecting Wolf to attack her from behind, turned around with a raised hammer but Wolf was looking at a spot behind her, hesitating. Bear, too, slumped down when he realized who was looking at them from the doorframe.
“Stop it, all of you”, the beautiful boy called Alexander said.
Cassandra felt his voice tug powerfully at her mind, then turned around and threw the hammer at Wolf. She intentionally missed him by a fraction, shattering another sink in the process. Then she calmly turned around.
Wolf and Bear had joined ranks with Alexander and Arissa who was standing beside her brother looking furious. Shadow boy, too, was standing at the entrance to the bathroom, looking at them with an expression that was hard to read.
“You need to punish her”, Arissa hissed. “Look what she has done to Bear and Wolf.”
Her brother looked at the two warriors who were torn between shame and rage but didn’t dare do anything to Cassandra as long as Alexander was there with them.
“And for what should I punish her, sister?” Alexander said, looking at Cassandra with interest. “For being attacked in the restroom? Or for reducing two fierce warriors to a bawling heap of shame?”
Wolf gave a sharp growl and Cassandra, shaking with after-battle adrenaline, hurt and rage almost laughed because of the absurdity of what he had just said. A minute, or even ten seconds later and not much would have been left of her.
“What do you think, Ben”, Alexander said, his eyes still not leaving Cassandra’s face as if he was looking for something there. “Maybe next time my dear sister should send an army to retrieve what she has lost. Just imagine if something else went missing. Like her good judgment, for example.”
Arissa snarled and the boy called Ben, who had been watching Cassandra with the same intensity his friend had, didn’t answer, only wrinkled his brows when Cassandra swayed slightly and eventually steadied herself against one of the few remaining sinks.
“Maybe next time she should just ask for it herself”, Cassandra said hoarsely and Alexander laughed.
It was a nice laugh, warm and honest, but she didn’t trust it or him. He knew too well how to use his voice and she felt that this was just as dangerous as Wolf or Bear attacking her. Again, she felt dizzy so she wasn’t prepared for what came next. Cassandra felt something sharp slash her cheek open. Surprised, she reached for the spot where blood was running down her cheek.
“Don’t ever talk to me like that again, brother”, Arissa said, her voice cold and burning hot at the same time. “And you, Unclaimed, don’t you dare think that I would ever lower myself so much as to ask you for anything. You and your blue-haired pixie scum of a sister have something that belongs to me and whatever you think you did here…”
She didn’t get any further because Cassandra, with the deep calm that always came with something she knew was unavoidable, went straight at her. Because she could bear being attacked for something Pandora had done, she could have even lived with promising Alexander to get that thing back to his sister but what she wouldn’t accept was anyone insulting her sister.
Despite Charlie’s cry of warning and the sure feeling that this went against everything her father had taught her, Cassandra went straight at Arissa. Before she came even close, the son of Hades was on her. With a force greater that anything she had ever met, he threw her into the wall. Her head went smashing against it and her world turned black.
Cassandra woke up with the thought that no living being should be so fast. Her hand was throbbing from where she had cut herself with the glass shard and her cheek hurt more from pride than actual pain but the real damage lay in her head that felt like it had been split in two. She tried to move and immediately felt bile rise in her throat and slumped back again.
“You have a minor concussion”, a dark voice suddenly said beside her and Cassandra scrambled to the side, frantically trying to get a hold of some kind of weapon.
She had been sure she was alone and suddenly he was there, detaching himself from the shadows as if just a moment ago he had been one too. She had never felt so exposed in her life.
“What do you want from me?” she said hoarsely.
He didn’t look as strong as Bear or as fierce as Wolf but he had something about him that made her skin crawl. He was night moving, shadows reaching for you. A nightmare come alive. Except, he wasn’t. Because when he came to crouch down next to her, his eyes weren’t cold, opaque holes of darkness but it was rather like looking at a silent lake in the middle of the night.
“We have a proposition to make”, he said, his voice making every fiber in her body vibrate. “You will give us back what your sister took. And in return, we will not tell the dean about it if you agree to pay us back five times its worth.”
Cassandra started to shake her head but thought better of it.
“I am going to give it back to you”, Cassandra said, finding it in herself to smile. “But I am not going to pay you for it.”
If he was angry about her resistance, he didn’t show it.
“And why do you think we would let you do this?” he asked, curiosity disturbing the peace of the lake that were his eyes just enough to see a tiny sliver of silver moonlight reflected in them.
A reflection of the light in the bathroom, Cassandra told herself, but still. Beautiful. She felt bile rise again and hoped she wouldn’t be sick in front of him. She breathed in and remembered the glittering object, tried to remember why she had thought that it wasn’t right somehow, why it had been so bright. Her brain was grasping at the answer, almost had it, let it slip away again.
She looked at him again. Silver moonlight. Reflecting on a lake. And suddenly she knew what it had had been bothering her. Pandora’s room faced North. There had been no light to reflect on the object.
“Whatever it is my sister stole from you is illegal”, she said, exhaling slowly. “Regulations state that you are not allowed to possess true mythological artifacts in here. Not even you.”
When he slightly raised his eyebrows in surprise she knew she had gotten it
right. Or rather that she had gotten something right because it wasn’t quite the answer he had been expecting. Cassandra made herself sit up a little straighter.
“So here is my proposition for you”, she said and got up staggering. He raised himself too in one swift movement. “How about you leave us alone and…”
She didn’t get any further because this time she couldn’t control her stomach. Once she was finished, he handed her a towel.
“You know that your little speech would have been much more impressive if you hadn’t puked”, he said and waited until she had cleaned herself up.
“You don’t say”, she murmured, pressing the wet towel against her temples that were throbbing like crazy now. “Tell him that I am going to give it back tonight and that I want you to leave us alone. All of us. No repercussions on anyone or I will tell the dean about the object. Even though I am just an Unclaimed, this should matter. He can’t ignore his own rules.”
At least she hoped he wouldn’t. The son of Hades didn’t give any indication that he was impressed by her threat, simply gave one sharp brief nod. But that was good enough for her.
“And now, if you don’t mind, I will get myself home. And tell your girlfriend that if she ever sets her dogs on me again, they will not survive it.”
With that she walked out of the room. Ben watched her leave on unsteady feet, somehow making it to the door and from there undoubtedly back home. He had never seen anyone like her. She was reckless, stubborn to the point of almost being stupid, strong and very fast.
That she had been able to slow Bear down had been impressive. That she had outwitted Wolf bordered on a small miracle. But what had been truly astonishing was that she had been able to withstand Alexander’s authority. He had seen her hesitate for a fraction, like she had felt the power of his voice but had then decided to act against it. He had only ever seen one person able to do that. And that was him.
He gingerly touched her blood that had turned from bright red to a soft, golden color. She obviously had no idea what that meant. He took out a sharp little knife, cut himself and watched the color turn from red to gold within seconds. That girl Cassandra bled Ichor, the blood of the gods. It was a gift that only a divine father or mother could give their child; it disappeared in the next generation.
Ben stroked the spot where he had cut himself and where already nothing more than a thin line was left to be seen. The knowledge that she was one of them was a valuable piece of information that he would keep to himself for the moment though. He was pretty sure that Alexander had seen it too. Almost nothing ever escaped his friend’s notice Ben thought with a grim smile and then went to find Arissa. He had a word or two to say about what she had done today.
That conversation wouldn’t be half as pleasant as the one he had just had with the Unclaimed girl. Arissa could be… difficult sometimes. And that was to put it nicely. With a sigh he left the bathroom and carefully closed the door behind him.
4 The Necklace of Harmonia
Cassandra didn’t know how she found the strength to get back to the house. She must have done it somehow though because when she woke up next, she found Pandora hovering over her and Summer taking care of her hand with surprising efficiency.
“You are lucky you don’t need stitches”, Summer said.
Cassandra wanted to reply that she had never had stitches before but her voice wouldn’t obey.
“Shsh”, Pandora said and Cassandra saw tears in her eyes. Then she passed out again.
When she came to herself again, it was dark outside and Pandora was curled up on the floor beside her. Summer was sitting in a corner and got up when she saw that Cassandra was awake.
“You should drink something”, she said gently and gave Cassandra a glass of something bitter to drink. “This will help with the pain.”
Cassandra did as she was told and fell asleep again. The next morning, she felt much better. Her head was still aching, but it was a dull ache and she could move her hand without trouble. She sat up and Pandora turned around in her sleep muttering and making strange little shrieking noises. Summer was gone and Cassandra gingerly tried to get up. She found that she could walk without feeling dizzy and quietly slipped past her sister and downstairs into the kitchen.
Charlie was nursing his flask again, looking somewhere between groggy and halfway normal and the little one was disassembling something that looked like a radio of some sort. Summer looked up when Cassandra came in and smiled but continued making scrambled eggs.
“I bet you like yours sunny-side up”, Charlie said hoarsely and toasted Cassandra.
Cassandra ignored him and sat down beside Jim who looked up at her with big, somewhat frightened eyes. Then he moved a little to the side and continued with his work.
Summer held up a wooden spoon and pointed it at Cassandra.
“You should eat something”, she said and it sounded more like an order than a suggestion. “Your sister got us leftovers from the big party and we were just about to eat them when you came in here and passed out on the kitchen floor. And we have eggs, lots of them. And bread and butter. It has been ages since I have eaten scrambled eggs.”
At first Cassandra was unsure whether she would be able to handle solid food but when Summer handed her a plate, she dug in and found she couldn’t stop.
“Thank you for taking care of me last night”, Cassandra said once she was finished wiping the last bits of egg from her plate. “That drink you gave me really helped with the pain. What was it?”
Cassandra had never gotten any medicine before. Their father always said that things either got better by themselves. Or not.
“It’s a brew made from willow tree leaves and some other things”, Summer said and smiled her sad smile again. “It helps the pain, is easy to get and doesn’t cost a thing.”
Just then Pandora came in, took a good look at her sister and then complained that no one had left her any food. Jim offered her his leftovers and Pandora sat down to eat.
“You sure that is safe?” Cassandra asked and Jim shot her an angry look. “You didn’t poison that again, did you?”
Pandora told her to shut up and gave Jim a bright smile. She clearly liked the boy although why escaped Cassandra entirely.
“At least he didn’t risk the wrath of the demigods like you did”, Pandora said with a full mouth and then clapped her hands on it when she realized that it had been her fault that Cassandra had gotten into trouble.
Cassandra bared her teeth in a smile that was anything but friendly.
“You, my dear sister, are going to give me whatever it was that you took from them and anything else you might have happened to pick up that day”, she said. “And then we will talk about what happens if you do something stupid like that again. Because next time it won’t be the demigods coming after you but me. And believe me, that won’t go in your favor.”
Pandora managed to look ashamed and rebellious at the same time.
“She doesn’t need the necklace”, she pouted. “It was just a small one and she has hundreds of them anyway.”
Cassandra shook her head and pointed a threatening fork at Pandora.
“I wasn’t talking about the necklace”, she said. “I was talking about the other thing you took which you are going to show me now.”
She stood up and motioned Pandora to follow her.
“Can we come, too?” Charlie asked but closed his mouth when he saw the look on Cassandra’s face. “Just thought we could maybe help…”
Cassandra stomped out of the kitchen, an almost subdued Pandora following her. Cassandra went into the room and sat down to wait. It would be no use to rummage through Pandora’s things. Cassandra knew she wouldn’t find anything Pandora didn’t want to be found. When her sister finally came in, she immediately dove under the bed and started to make some really strange sounds. Then, all of a sudden, a small part of the window pane sprang open, revealing a small compartment that held several pieces of jewelry and some coins.
“So which one is it?” Cassandra said and Pandora reluctantly handed her the necklace.
Its chain was made of tiny golden rings and the pendant was something that reminded Cassandra of a flower but she wasn’t quite sure. It seemed to keep shifting shape while she was looking at it. She tossed it on the bed.
“Not this one”, Cassandra said in exasperation. “I want what you stole from Arissa’s room.”
“But this is what I got from Arissa’s room”, Pandora answered angrily. “I told you it was just a necklace and she has hundreds that are more beautiful and expensive and bigger…”
Cassandra reconsidered.
“Show me the other thing you got in the house”, she said so Pandora could no longer evade her.
Pandora drew out another necklace, much bigger and impressive and this time Cassandra immediately saw the glow of magic.
“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you”, Charlie said from the doorway.
“I didn’t think you were invited”, Cassandra said but immediately knew it was hopeless.
She hadn’t closed the door and there was no way she could make him not see what he had seen anyway.
“So what is it?” Cassandra asked and motioned Charlie in with Summer and Jim following suit.
Charlie took a closer look but didn’t seem to second-guess his judgment.
“It is the infamous Necklace of Harmonia, otherwise known as the Cursed Necklace”, he said and stroked his beard which didn’t look too bad that day. “Where did you say you found it?”
Pandora thought about that for a moment.
“In the room of Aphrodite’s daughter”, she said. “It wasn’t hard to miss who lived there because the room basically consisted of mirrors and statues of Aphrodite. Most of them naked. Very yummy, if I might add.”
Jim’s eyes got huge as saucers when he heard that. Charlie carefully approached the necklace.
The Unclaimed (University of the Gods Trilogy Book 1) Page 4
