The Broken Curse

by Taylor Lavati

  "I want to go in there." Carter points down to the river in the middle of the divot. I've thought the same thing many times. I smile and bump shoulders with him, nodding my agreement.

  "I come here a lot," I tell them.

  "What do you think will happen when we get into the Underworld?" Mikey asks.

  "It really just depends on Hades's reaction to us. It could escalate to war, or we could successfully trick him and leave him stranded. I'm not sure which will happen."

  "As long as we're safe, I'll be happy," Kara says, wrapping her arms around the group.

  "Yeah. Me too." I nestle into Mikey and Carter's sides and let their warmth fill me. Before I know it, we've teleported down into the canyon. The river is only five feet away. I rush over to it and dip my fingers in, the chill of the river electrifying.

  "Who did this?" I look between Mikey and Carter.

  "It seemed like you wanted to come." Carter shrugs and starts to walk through the forest.

  "Where are we going?" I ask.

  "Exploring!" Kara sprints towards a tree and kicks off it. I laugh as she experiments with her speed. I do the same thing. I walk back about twenty feet from the river and then sprint straight towards it. I catapult myself over the river and land in a perfect crouch on the other side. It's only about ten feet wide.

  I find a tree on the other side of the river and sit against the bottom of it. I'm tired, but honestly I just want to revel in how comfortable this moment is. I look out at my three friends as they play around in the forest.

  Mikey and Carter connect hands and in the next second appear a hundred feet away. Kara lifts her neon top off her head and jumps into the river. The water is clear and moving fast. I can see the brown dirt and all differently-colored rocks at the bottom.

  "Come on, Ryder!" she calls to me. I shake my head and smile as she dives under the waist-deep water, dunking her head. When she pops back up, she's completely drenched, water dripping down her face.

  I lose track of Mikey and Carter, and then in a second, they're lifting me off the ground.

  "No!" I yell through my laughter. "Don't throw me in! It's freezing in there."

  "Oh, you're going in!" Mikey laughs back.

  They don't throw me in. Instead, I feel them disappear with me in their arms, and then we appear just inches above the water's surface. I yelp as we fall straight into the water. I don't have time for my legs to catch me so I sink to my butt, practically dunking myself all the way in.

  "You jerks!" I joke as I splash the water. The four of us are all soaking wet. My clothes are wet, but I guess that's good because they were dirty anyway. I float on my back and look up at the sunny day. The heat caresses my face, and the cool water beneath me is like an ice pack.

  "Do you think we can swim faster than normal people?" Mikey asks as he floats next to me.

  "I'd assume so. Although we can't really test it out here. It's like three feet deep." To prove my point, I straighten myself and stand in the shallow water. It only reaches my waist, just licking at my belly button.

  "Come on, let's race! Who knows? Maybe there are rivers in the Underworld." Mikey digs his hands into the dirt. He pulls up a bunch of rocks, and they look so smooth in his hand.

  "There are rivers. But none you'd want to swim in."

  "Why not?" he asks back.

  "There are five. And each has a different quality. One is a swamp, and you can only cross it by paying this ferry guy to take you. Then another one is full of hot lava-like liquid, and you'd die if you swam. One made me hallucinate. Trust me, you don't want to swim in them."

  "How did you make it across them all?" Kara asks, sitting in the shallower part along the bank. I crab-crawl closer to her and dig into the dirt to hold myself in place against the current.

  "Ari helped me. I didn't have any powers when I first went down. He carried me or threw me, and just helped me along."

  "He's a good guy," Mikey says. He winks at me and then goes back to sifting through rocks.

  "You think he likes us?" Carter asks Mikey.

  "Totally. He's just quiet," Mikey responds.

  "You're right. I mean he was our teacher before we even met Ryder."

  "I am right here, guys." I splash water at the two of them as they talk about Ari as if I wasn't there. Some of the water gets in Carter's mouth and he spits it out towards me. "And I'm sure he likes you." I grin and lean back, letting my hair soak up the fresh water.

  "You want to stay here all day?" Carter asks us all.

  "Do you think anyone will notice?" Mikey asks.

  "I'm down for staying all day," Kara sings.

  "You're not worried Junior will miss you?" I tease her, sticking out my tongue.

  "Oh, he definitely will. But I like spending time with just you guys."

  "Yeah, me too." I lean back, and we do exactly what I wanted. I watch the sun move its way across the sky, like a comet in slow motion. We leave before dark and head home to a bunch of worried faces. But it is the most carefree, relaxing day I've had in a long time.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  draining

  I awake to a nightmare. I'm not sure what I'm seeing, but the room I wake in is entirely metal with dark wood accents on the tops and bottoms of the walls. It smells extra clean, like bleach and Windex are all I'm breathing. I cover my mouth and nose with my hand to stop the acidic smells from coming in.

  The room is hexagon shaped with sharp edges. It's dark, no windows in sight. The darkness is thick and blankets the room in shadows. The air is heavy and damp, like I'm deep below the ground, in a cellar. It's dirty and musty.

  I stand up but remain hidden in the shadows, not knowing what is happening or where I am. A door slams in the distance, and I wince at the obstruction to my ears. I back up until my spine is pressed against the hard wall and watch. I relax a little knowing that nobody can get me from behind.

  Hermes enters the room with two lackeys behind him. Just seeing his hard face pumps anger through my veins. Every urge to murder him runs through me. His followers run around the room, hunched over themselves like they've lived in a four foot room their whole lives and their bodies have had to adjust.

  They have big humps on their backs. All they wear are what look like deep red and brown nightgowns that end just above their bony knees. Their faces are gaunt, with jagged bones and sharp lines. Their eyes are hollow. And they're identical to one another.

  Hermes remains by the door and watches as the two strange men arrange the room as he pleases. First, they pull sheets off these long bed-like structures that are connected to the large middle console.

  After each bed is uncovered, they press buttons on the middle console, each on opposite sides of the large black sculpture in the middle. I don't understand what they're doing or what the thing in the center of the room is.

  The structure is tall, extending into the ceiling, and I'm guessing beyond. It's dark black except for a few silver buttons on either side. I can't see as well as I'd like from here, but I watch in amazement as the two crippled men stab at the machine.

  In an instant, the room comes to life. I cover my face with my arm to shield my eyes from the fluorescence that comes straight out of the machine in the middle. Hermes claps as light after light blasts on and illuminates the room.

  "We've done it, boys!" Hermes steps deeper into the room and inspects the first bed he can get to. "Will it hold them?" The lackeys nod animatedly in response, clapping and grinning and staring at Hermes with honor.

  "Why don't we test it out?" A knowing smirk erupts on Hermes face, and I recognize it instantly. It's the same face he made before he killed Megan. His yellowed teeth gleam in the fading light, and his dark eyes widen with pure amusement.

  He pushes one of the two men on the bed and begins to strap him in. "Help me out, will you?" Hermes growls at the other man. Immediately the man jumps into action and begins to help Hermes with the chain-like straps.

  Hermes puts what looks like an IV into the
man's arm. The man groans as Hermes jabs it in without even looking for a vein, but doesn't object any further. The man on the table is not smiling anymore. He's scared. I can tell from the horror in his eyes and the fear trembling through his fingers, making them shake. I can almost feel the fear in the air.

  Hermes presses a button at the end of the bed making the IV instantly fill with red liquid—blood. I jump out from the shadows without thinking and scream at Hermes to stop. This man doesn't deserve to be drained of his blood. I sprint to his side and pull on the IV, praying that it leaves this poor man's body, but I soon realize that I'm not visible here.

  I punch at Hermes, kick him in the shins, but nothing works. I can't even get him to look at me. I'm useless in this vision, and my body aches for this poor man who Hermes is torturing. Tears roll down my cheeks in steady streams as I watch the life drain from this man's body. His face pales, his breaths shorten, and a second later, he's gone.

  "Ah," Hermes says, and I turn to face him with hatred in every fiber of my being. My body is shaking I'm so upset. "I think we have a visitor." My heart falls into my gut. There's no way he can see me. I just kicked and hit him and he didn't even react. He waves his hands in the air, as if looking for me, and I tentatively take a step backwards.

  "I know you are here, dear Eurydice," he taunts me, his voice haunting and cruel. He steps forward and whips his hand towards my face, but I step back at the same time. "Why don't you show yourself? Or wait, do you not know how?" I growl, but remain where I am, refusing to be found.

  "I know!" He claps his hands, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Boy, go down to the cell and bring me Athena."

  "No!" I scream at the top of my lungs. But the man nods, despite the fact that Hermes just tortured his brother, or friend, or whoever it was, and sprints out of the room. He's gone in mere seconds. And my voice is too.

  Before I know it, the man is back with my mother's limp body in his arms. My heart clenches, and I'm gasping for air.

  I've never seen a person so on the verge of death. I've never seen someone so broken, beaten, and bruised. I reach for her as he lays her on the bed, and even though she can't feel me, I hold onto her and try to give my life for hers.

  "You like what we've done to her?" Hermes touches her face as he steps beside the bed. And then he slaps her hard.

  But she doesn't even move. I just pray that she's not in pain. I pray that she's not feeling a single thing right now. I look up at Hermes and want to kill him more than ever before. All of my hatred hits me like a sixteen-wheeler until I'm reeling with it.

  "Anyway, I think you've seen enough here, and I'm tired. You won't play with me, so it's time for you to go." He steps towards me, but I don't have time to counter him.

  He shoves me right in the chest, and before I know it, I'm tumbling through the darkness back to real life. I've never been kicked out of a vision before. I vomit and then black out.

  I awake in complete disarray. Sunlight peeks into the room, but it's not my bedroom. I'm not where I fell asleep. I push up from the ground and see the familiar tile of the bathroom and the mat that's right outside of the shower. I rub my face because it's wet and feel the vomit caking my chin.

  I shake my head, trying to come up with what's happened, and see the pile of throw-up on the ground. My body aches. My chest burns, like I have a broken rib, and it hurts when I stand up.

  My stomach turns again, and I quickly turn on the shower. I don't bother cleaning the rug that I threw up on; instead I throw it in a garbage bag and tie it tight, tossing it in the trash bin.

  After slowly undressing, being sure not to strain myself, I climb into the shower and stand beneath the spray of the water. My vision comes back to me, and the image of Hermes floods my brain. I'm confused with what just happened in my vision. Hermes mentioned that I could show myself, but I don't know what that means. And then he shoved me right out of the vision.

  I know one person who will be able to help me, though.

  After I'm clean, I check the time and realize that it's too early to pay a visit to Cece right now. I doubt that she will be awake at this hour, and, truthfully, a run sounds really good for my sanity right now. I jam my feet into my sneakers and focus on the pounding of my feet instead of my hurting body.

  I decide not to run near the valley today. I don't want to get wrapped up in it and waste another day by the water. Instead, I take a trail through the woods behind Aphro Hall. My feet slam against the roots and fallen branches, but I don't stop for anything. I follow my instincts and push myself to my limits.

  By the time I loop back around and make it to campus, it's nine in the morning, and I go straight to Cece's house. The kitchen light faintly shines through the window. It's partly cloudy today, and a bit windy, but it's a welcome break from the scorching heat. I knock on the front door before letting myself in.

  "Professor?" I ask into the quiet house.

  "Back here," she calls back, and I follow her voice into the kitchen. She's warming some water in a kettle on the stove, and I move to her side. I take her arm and guide her over to the other side of the counter and have her sit down while I watch the stove.

  "You know, you guys are going to kill me yourself by treating me like an old lady." She frowns at me, but I don't care. She looks way worse than before, her entire body boney and frail. I want to cry at the change in her. But I can't.

  "I have to talk to you."

  "What happened?" she immediately asks, leaning forward on her elbows.

  "I had a vision last night. But, Hermes was there. And he told me to show myself, like I could do that or something. He said my name. And then he pushed me out of the vision, and I just fell backwards and blacked out."

  "I had hoped you just wouldn't have a vision with Hermes," Cece mumbles. "He's a blocker. Any ability he can block, and he must have sensed your presence. I've never heard of him blocking a mental ability like you have, but I suppose it's possible. Since you saw something in the past, he must have sensed a voyeur. He knew you were watching."

  "I guess that makes sense." I nod my head, but I really can't grasp how this all works. If it was a vision in the past, then how would he know I'd see it in the future? Unless it all works together. God, my brain already hurts from thinking too hard. "Do you think all of those gods in the Underworld have powers?"

  "Yes. I'm sure they do. Hades wouldn't keep them around if they weren't valuable. Although I'm sure many are just bodies to make his army seem vast."

  "How can we even compete?" I ask aloud as I take the screaming pot off the stove and shut it off. I pour Cece a cup of water and then drop her favorite English breakfast tea bag in it, mixing it around how I know she likes it. I rummage through her refrigerator, pour a little half and half in her cup, and then slide it across the counter.

  "I've got some secret weapons coming today. Actually…" She lifts up her long sleeves and checks the time on her old leather watch. "They should be here now. Would you like to escort me over to the training center?"

  "Of course," I say as I take her arm in mine and carry her mug for her.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  newcomers

  We stop just outside of the gym when we see three bodies huddled together by the entrance. Cece walks faster, and I realize these are the people we're supposed to meet. Cece is just vibrating with energy, a strange contrast compared to her normal mellow attitude.

  "Ryder, I would like you to meet some of my dear friends. This is Alexius and Alexandros." Professor Onassis gestures to the two nearly identical people standing in front of us.

  Alexius is a dark vixen. Her hair hangs loose in long, black tendrils. Her soft, brown eyes are warm and inviting, and she smiles at me, her perfectly straight teeth white as pearls.

  Alexandros is an exact mirror of Alexius, but his hair is cropped short and a bit darker. He's got deep eyes and tanned skin. He nods his head at me in greeting, but remains guarded, his wall firmly up.

  "They're full blood gods. And
this is Linus. He's traveled all the way from southern France. Linus has visions also," Cece says as she cuts a proud glance at Linus. She walks over to him and he wraps her in a hug, lifting her off her feet and then putting her back on the ground. "He's also my son."

  "Oh my gosh," I say in surprise. "It's amazing to meet you!" I reach forward and take his hand in both of mine, shaking it a hundred times. As I come out of my shock of learning that Cece has a son, I notice the subtle similarities.

  They both have violet eyes, but Cece's are darker while Linus' are pale—like a pastel violet. They each have white hair, which is another shock. I had assumed that Cece had white hair because she was old, but it's clear now that she's most likely always had it.

  His tanned, olive skin gives a crazy contrast compared to his light eyes and even lighter hair. He clears his throat, and I realize that I'm still holding his hand and staring him up and down like he's a science experiment. I let go and bow my head in an apology, my cheeks involuntarily heating up.

  "Today, I thought Linus could take those who haven't discovered their affinities and explore. He's a great teacher. Then Alexius and Alexandros can go through come combat training with the rest of you," Professor Onassis says.

  "Of course!" I say, excited to train today. I can't wait to learn more. "I'll introduce you guys to everyone, and then we can get started." The trio follows behind me, and I push through the gym doors, holding them for Alexius to walk through.

  "Hey, guys," I yell into the large gym. Everyone looks exhausted as we move closer to the group of my friends. Kara is hanging off of Junior, who's leaning against Ollie, who's leaning on the brick wall near the entrance. Mikey and Shane are standing back to back, and Martin is talking quietly to Lisa on the side.