The Broken Curse

by Taylor Lavati

  "Ready?" he asks and I nod in response as I try to focus on my dream. "It's Mount Olympus. You're twelve and I'm seven. This is your first life and it was a long, long time ago. We lived at the top of the mountain, with Zeus and Athena, our parents. We played tag…"

  His words begin to fade in the background, the low rumble of his voice disappearing, and images pop into the forefront of my mind. Before I know it, the images fade and blackness takes over. And then I'm right where he wants me.

  I'm watching this vision like a movie, and I'm not sure if I can be seen. I try to stay behind the scenes, but when I spot my dream self she runs so fast that I have to sprint to follow her.

  "Atee, I'm sick of this game. Come out, right now!" My twelve-year-old self stomps her foot and pouts, sticking out her bottom lip. She's tiny, her body still a child's.

  She has short brown hair, cropped in jagged angles framing her face. Her eyes are very light yellow, and they reflect the sun's unrelenting beams. She sits against a tall white tree and crosses her arms over her flat chest.

  "Eury!" The boy's voice is far away, but my dream self hears it and jumps into action. She stays behind the tree and watches from behind a low hanging branch.

  I see Atee in the distance. Two boys step close to him and pin him to the wall of a stone fence. One boy grabs Atee's arms while the other lays a hard punch to Atee's face.

  My dream self steps out from behind the tree and jogs over. The boys attacking him are definitely older. They've got at least six inches on Atee, and the bulk of a sixteen-year-old.

  "What's going on here?" my dream self asks as she steps close to the scene. I follow behind her, knowing now that I can't be seen. My dream self is confident and isn't scared of the boys.

  "We're just playing around," one of the boys answers. He has black hair and green eyes. His eyes are mean, his mouth drawn down in a frown. His voice is snarky, filled with misplaced attitude.

  "Why don't you go find your girly friends to play with. Us boys are busy," the other one says. This one has white blond hair and a smile that creeps into your skin it's so evil.

  "Leave him alone." My dream self reaches forward and shoves the blond-haired boy backwards. He stumbles and trips over a raised rock.

  "Eury." Atee glares at my dream self, but she ignores him altogether. She's taller than Atee, who's still a young boy. The boy shoves my dream self back, but she barely budges, standing her ground.

  "I guess now's a good time to call his dad." She cups her hands over her mouth when the two boys cower. "You guys are little babies. Go play in the sandbox." She laughs as they run away, the threat of Zeus too much to handle.

  "I could've handled it myself." Atee is mad at my dream self for stepping in. I mean, he is a seven-year-old boy, who just got saved by his older sister. But she saved him. Who knows what would've happened if she didn't step in?

  "I know, but those boys are always picking on the little kids. I hate their guts."

  "Me too."

  My dream self takes Atee's hand and pulls him past the white tree and over to a crystal-clear stream that reflects the white tops of Olympus and the evergreen trees. She tears off her sock and dips the heel of it in the frigid water. She presses the now sopping-wet sock to Atee's lip, and it cleans up all his blood.

  When she's done, she smiles at Atee and pats him on the head. She tosses the sock over her shoulder and puts her shoe back on, sockless. He hugs her, but it's deeper than just a regular friend hug. I can feel the connection between the two kids, and I want something like that; I crave that sort of relationship.

  "Let's pull a prank on those boys."

  "I don't want to get in trouble," Atee says back, swaying from one foot to the other as he stands up from the side of the river. My dream self follows and crosses her arms in front of him.

  "We won't. Zeus never gets mad at you."

  "I know, but…"

  "Let's throw toads in their bed."

  "Okay!" Atee is quick to agree this time. I stay watching them as they fish around the bubbling stream, picking up toads and putting them in a wicker basket. I lean against a tree and squat close enough to hear their words. They don't talk about much, day to day things like what Athena is up to and what happened down at the market with the humans.

  By the time the basket is full, Atee is too tired to pull a prank. He leans his head back against the ground and sighs, crossing his arms over his face. My dream self bends down and peels his arms away.

  "Do you think we could do it tomorrow? I'm pretty tired."

  "Just put the toads back. We can always catch them again."

  "That's true." Atee nods, and they carefully place the toads back on rocks in the stream. I'm surprised by how many toads they managed to catch.

  "Let's go home." My dream self puts her arm around the small Atee. They walk together through the field and past the white tree. I follow closely behind, craving more of their easy relationship. They start to skip when they get close to the house, and suddenly the door opens.

  I see my mother, bright-faced and genuinely happy. She has a silver glow around her, and I'm not sure if it's real or not. Maybe I'm just seeing things.

  Behind her is a tall man with chiseled features. He's taller than the door, and he peeks his body out, crouching through the frame. That must be Zeus. My mother wraps both kids in a gut-wrenching squeeze, and Atee and my dream self giggle and squirm to be let go.

  "Let's go kiddies," Zeus says and ushers the family through the door. He shuts the door behind him and it's like a kick to my gut. The blackness envelops me and I'm gone.

  "Was that the first time I was alive?" I ask as soon as I'm transported back to the porch. It's darker now, the light leaving behind the trees. Atee sits beside me with questions in his gaze.

  "Yeah. What did you see?" Atee asks. His eyes light up like a Christmas tree with curiosity. I don't see him like I did before. Now I understand what he meant when he knows me. I feel like from seeing our first interactions, I know him, too.

  "I saw us playing and catching toads. We were best friends. I didn't know I was older than you though, little brother." I wink and punch his shoulder, smiling from ear to ear. I cringe, because I feel like I've overstepped our bizarre relationship, but Atee doesn't seem to mind at all.

  Instead, he wraps his arm around my shoulder and tugs me against his chest. One thing is obvious—he's not smaller anymore. He at least has a good foot on me.

  His body feels familiar, yet doesn't at the same time. I rest my head on his shoulder and look out on the campus grounds. A light hue of pink coats the edge of the sky, lighting up the cotton candy clouds.

  We're running out of time. The thought hits me hard. I just met Atee, but it's bittersweet. He could be gone soon, and I'll be left with nothing. I could be gone soon without having a chance to forge a relationship.

  I can't die. I don't want to risk my life down there. But I know I have to if I want to have a life at all. Risking my life to break my curse is the only way that I can give myself a chance to know my family.

  I'll do anything to break my curse and free my soul.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  opal

  With each minute that passes by, I'm reminded that another minute of safety is gone. Atee and I walk through the foyer and find Cece, my dad, Ari, and Ollie all in the living room talking very quietly with one another.

  "Hey," I say, announcing us. I look behind me to explain what happened with Atee, but he's not there anymore. Faint footsteps retreat upstairs, and I assume that it's him, leaving. I glance back at the room, and everyone shuffles around each other in the quiet.

  "We're all meeting in the training center; your brother will make the portal there. When you're done with Cece, meet us there. We're leaving tonight," Ollie says as he stops in front of me.

  "Tonight? I thought we had a few more days."

  "It has to be tonight. There's no reason not to," Cece says from her still sitting position on the love seat.

/>   "They're not ready!" I lash out, knowing that I sound childish. I can't travel to the Underworld knowing that these people haven't had the proper time to prepare.

  "It has to be now." Cece's voice is stern and hard.

  "Sorry. It's just that I know we have to go sooner rather than later, and I want to just get this over with. I guess I'm just scared for everyone else." Ollie comes closer and wraps me in a one-armed hug. He kisses my cheek and then walks past me, with Junior by his side.

  Ari walks by next, his dangerous musky scent wrapping me up in its essence, but he doesn't kiss me. He lightly takes my hand, squeezes it, and locks eyes with me. I hold him there, craving his love. But he leaves too soon, following Ollie and Junior out the door.

  My dad presses a kiss to my forehead and then leaves as well—I'm not sure where he goes. His eyes are bagged underneath the bottom lid, and it seems as if he's aged. I'm sure the stress of all this isn't helping him.

  "I've been searching high and low for this object for a year now. Ever since we met and I knew I wanted to help you." Cece leans back in the plush red love seat and waves out her hand, gesturing for me to sit beside her on the couch.

  She reaches for something on the side table and holds up a box, about the size of a cellphone but thicker. Draped over the box is a velvety, royal blue cloth.

  "What is it?" Anticipation blooms in my gut, and I just want to touch the thing. For some reason this strange box calls to me. I feel a connection to it, which is ridiculous since it's an inanimate object.

  "Patience, my dear." She sits back in her chair and places the box on the short coffee table in between us. It stares up at me, just begging to be picked up and played with. "I found an amazing stone that will give you the confidence you deserve."

  "It's magic?"

  "Not exactly. It's very old; the Originals of Mount Olympus created it out of a single stone. It has the power to show you where the other half of your soul lives." After seeing my astonished expression she shakes her head left and right. "The catch is that you can only use it once."

  "So, I just use it in front of Ollie, and we're all set."

  "No," she answers, again shaking her head in disappointment. "I would use it when both men are in front of you. You'll hold up the opal, and it will shatter in front of your soul mate. The power of the bond between you two will force the power within the stone to break."

  "This stone will tell me who my soul mate is?"

  "Essentially."

  "Oh my god," I mutter, unbelieving. I push up from the couch and hold my head in my heads. This can't be real. "How long did you know about this?" I turn back to face her but can't sit down yet. My body is in shock, adjusting to this amazing piece of information.

  "I've known about it forever. It was the tracking it down that was the problem."

  "What did you do for it?" I ask her, hoping that it was nothing severe.

  "It wasn't all me. Your mother and I were working together before she was captured. Linus helped me track down the previous owner. My sisters came with me and helped me locate the origin of it. Then your brother found out where it was.

  "Luckily, it was still located near Mount Olympus. If it had been in another realm Hades could've gotten it. He probably assumes we don't have it, but he definitely knows it exists."

  "How did you get it?"

  "We paid off the group of gods who held it. Their price dropped substantially once we told them why we needed it. They were nice, older women who inherited it through generation after generation of relatives. I think they were descendants of Hermes, but I didn't stay to chat."

  "How can I ever repay you for this?" I quickly sprint across the room and wrap myself around her. She's always been saving me, and I've always needed the saving. I don't know how I can say thank you enough.

  "Just come back here in one piece, and we'll call it even." She laughs and pets my head, holding it to her chest. I want to cry, I'm so thankful. Cece reaches over and turns on the light beside us, the kitchen light no longer enough to see in the now darkening room. The shadows only remind me that we're that much closer to the war.

  "Deal." I practically hold her together as I clench her tight. I feel like I might break one of her bones with a simple touch. I don't want to let go. I don't want to have to go to the training center.

  "Now, walk with me to the training center so we can send you all off right." She smiles down at me, her hands on either side of my face, and I fight the urge to take everything back. But I know that the potential fate of the world is resting on my shoulders.

  I shove the royal blue covered box in the back pocket of my jeans, press it down so I don't lose it, and then take Cece's hand in mine. Together, we walk to finish this once and for all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  the end

  The second we step foot into the training center, I feel the tension radiate through the air in tornado-style lashes of wind. It's almost painful to feel everyone's nerves shoot into you and their anxieties float around a room.

  I walk Cece to the bleachers and sit her down. Luckily, her sisters both come over fast and sit on either side of her. Linus comes over to us and sits behind her, placing his hands on both her shoulders and giving her a light squeeze. Anytime he is near, she immediately lights up with pure pride. I'm just glad he's here.

  "See anything good?" Linus asks as he holds his mom.

  "I think I know what I'm going to do." I cut a glance to Cece, trying to convey my thoughts. I don't want anyone else to know about the opal. I need it to be my secret weapon. Just like they hid me from watching training, I'm hiding them from my opal.

  "I'm going to go talk to my dad and say goodbye." They both nod, so I walk to the other side of the gym and find my dad sitting with Kara and Junior against the brick wall.

  "I'll let you guys talk," Junior says and winks at me.

  "Don't go too far. You're next," I smile and wink back. He slaps my shoulder as he passes, and him and Kara walk off together hand in hand. My stomach rolls realizing that Kara is going to leave Junior behind and her safety is more or less in my hands.

  "Is this the big goodbye?" Dad asks as I sit beside him, replacing the pair. The bleachers are hard, and for the first time, I notice how annoying it is to sit on them. My butt aches. I want to run away, but I know I'm just making excuses.

  "I don't know what to say," I admit, averting my eyes and awkwardly laughing under my breath.

  "You don't have to say a single thing. You're coming back here, and you're going to finish your curse, and then you're finally coming home." My dad reaches towards me and picks up my shaking hand. His thumb traces circles over my palm.

  "I am." I nod in reassurance. "But in case—"

  "No, Ryder." My dad holds up our hands in front of him to shut me up. "I love you. And you will be safe. You will come back here, because if you don't, you're grounded. And you're never leaving my sight again. So be fast, but be safe. And, again, I love you."

  "I love you, too." I circle both my hands around his neck and bury my face in his shoulder. "And, I promise, I'll be back. And you can even ground me." I laugh since I've never been grounded before. But I'll be grounded for months if we can just pull this off and come home safe.

  "Go say goodbye to Junior. I'll be right here when you get back."

  "Okay, you better be." I kiss his cheek that's covered in gray stubble and then find Kara and Junior leaning against a wooden door on the side of the bleachers. They're making out, erotic noises coming from their corner, and I almost don't want to stop them, but I do want to say goodbye. I have things I have to say before I go.

  "Junior, I need you." I shut my eyes and inch forward. I tap his shoulder, and Kara jumps backwards like I scared the life out of her.

  "Sorry," she giggles as she steps backwards from Junior. She untangles her hand from his bright purple mohawk. "I'll give you a few." She kisses Junior one more time right on the lips and then walks off. But, I only see Junior. I hug him tightly, a
nd he hugs me back, squeezing me until I can't breathe.

  "I'll miss you while you're gone."

  "Listen," I say and take a breath. "I need you to know a few things."

  "Just stop." He holds up his hand and steps back from me, his eyes pinched and trained to the ground. "Kara won't stay here, and, honestly, I can't make her. I don't want her mad when she goes down there. She's in the right mind frame."

  "No," I say, shaking my head. He completely got the wrong idea. "I'm trying to talk about Dad."

  "Oh…" he says, the recognition dawning on him.

  "If I don't come back, I need you to take care of him. Move into my house with Kara—he won't say no. Cook for him, keep him company, make him date random women. Introduce him to new people, make him talk to Atee and build a relationship there. Just make sure he doesn't get depressed. Keep him happy."

  "Of course I'll do all of that, but you're coming back. You all are. I know it. I can just feel it."

  "I hope so, but Junior, this isn't a joke. There's a major threat, and I can't guarantee anyone will be safe. I know I can trust you to do these things."

  "Okay." He pulls me against him and holds me. "I promise."

  "Thanks," I say, but the old familiar feelings of a panic attack start to come on. I step back away from Junior and face the wall. I practice my breathing, in and out, counting to eight, but my heart starts to pick up.

  "You're having one?" Junior asks. I feel his hand on my shoulder, and he spins me around towards him.

  "I…can't…" My breaths are harder to come by. I feel the sweat start to make its way down my back.

  "Ryder. Hey." Junior grabs my face between his hands and makes me look at him. "You're good. You've got this." I shake my head at his words. I can't protect people when I'm freaking out. It's been months since I had an attack. Why now? Why the most important day of my life?

  Tears start to form behind my lids, knowing that I'm letting myself down. The shakes get me, making my body jiggle and vibrate. I run my hand over my top lip and wipe the sweat.