She turned back to the house, and we sat together in tense silence.
"That's your house, isn't it?" I guessed.
"It was," she admitted bitterly. "Before you bought me as your slave."
I ignored that. I wasn't here to fight. For once.
"You wish you could go back to your old life," I said.
"Well, as much as horrible monsters and almost dying have been really entertaining, I think I'm all good now, thanks," Carson replied.
"I'm sorry that you're unhappy with how things turned out," I told her honestly.
She snorted.
"But even I can't change them now," I said.
"Then why are you here?" she demanded. "To bring home your runaway slave?"
"I think you'll come on your own," I replied. "After you tell me what's really bothering you."
"And why would I do that?" she argued.
"Because it's killing you," I answered. "Because you have a lot to say and no one to say it to. So say it now. This is your chance."
But she didn't say anything, not for a long time.
"It's stupid," she muttered.
"What is?" I asked.
"High school," she finally answered, her brow furrowing. "High school is stupid."
I didn't say anything. She wasn't done yet.
"Everybody thinks there's, like, two types of people in high school," Carson told me.
"You'll have to enlighten me," I replied. "My high school experience is limited to twice. And this last time was really brief."
"People think there are two types of people in high school," she repeated. "The people who want high school to end as fast as possible..."
"People like Jason," I guessed.
"Right," she admitted. "And then the people who want high school to last forever."
"Darren," I supplied.
"Yeah," she said. "But everyone forgets about the third group."
"And who are they?" I asked.
"The people who don't care," Carson answered. "People like me."
"Why don't you care?" I asked.
Carson narrowed her eyes. "You really want to know?"
"Yes," I told her.
"Fine," she breathed. "I don't care, because it doesn't matter, at least not for me."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Why should it?" she countered. "Look, I'm average in high school. I'm going to be average after. That's never going to change."
"Who told you that?" I demanded.
"No one had to tell me," she replied. "I just know; I'm not blind. I'm not that smart. I'm not that good at sports. I'm not that pretty. I'm not really anything. I'm just…"
"Average," I finished.
"Average," she agreed. "Which is just another word for nothing. For expendable. Like Morgan."
"You're not expendable," I replied. "Morgan chose her fate. She chose to sacrifice herself because she isn't average. An average person wouldn't have done that. It's extraordinarily brave. Trust me. That's not your average mortal."
"Great," Carson said. "So Morgan isn't average. But what about me? It's stupid and it's selfish, but what about me?"
"Off the top of my head, most people can't turn things to stone with a glance," I pointed out. "Hardly average."
"But that's not me," Carson argued. "That's what you did to me. That's you."
"Yes and no," I replied. "Is it my power? Yes. But there had to be something there to start with. Carson, Heroes are born special. Not everyone can do what you do. Not everyone can have the type of power you have. I could give an amulet to 99% of the world, and they'd be lucky if they had enough power to glow in the dark."
"Really?" Carson asked, surprised.
"Really," I replied. "Why do you think Ekhidna bothered killing Teresa? Heroes are rare. They're incredibly precious. You were made to defend Order, to defend all the worlds. You are the most powerful weapon we gods have. We hand-crafted you to be able to take our power and use it in the most amazing way. People like you. People were are bad at school, bad at sports, not that pretty. You're one of the most powerful people on this planet. You're going to save billions of lives. How's that for average?"
"Pretty good," Carson admitted grudgingly.
"I'll say," I replied. "If average people could do what you do, my job would be a lot easier. I wouldn't have had to stay here in the mortal world. But they can't. So I had to find someone like you. We searched long and hard for you, Carson. And it wasn't easy. You know I'm not patient. I wouldn't have wasted my time, if I didn't have to. But it wasn't a waste. Finding you was one of the most important things I've ever done."
Carson sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm stupid. I…"
"Okay, new rule," I interjected. "We are not going to call ourselves names. Unless they are awesome. Or variations of awesome. Understood?"
Carson rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever."
She sighed. "How can I hate my old life so much and miss it so badly at the same time?"
"You were together a long time," I pointed out. "You were comfortable with that life, even if you hated it. You were comfortable hating it. Now everything's changed. That's scary, even for gods."
"Gods?" Carson echoed. "Like you?"
"Infinitely scarier," I assured her. "Because we've had a lot longer to get comfortable with the way things are. A lot longer."
Carson sighed again. "We should go. I have billions of lives to save and everything."
She stood and gave me a sad smile.
"Even a crappy, average life is better than no life at all, isn't it?" she asked.
"An amazing life is better than both," I told her. "And I'm going to do whatever I can so you can keep your amazing, new life."
Carson hugged me. It caught me off-guard. But I hugged her back.
"And for the record," I continued. "Average people don't get to speak to gods. Or hug them."
"I keep forgetting that," Carson admitted as she let me go.
She cocked her head. "Hey! Does that mean… am I, like, some kind of prophet now or something?"
"Only if I told you some great secret of existence," I replied. "Ready to go?"
Carson nodded. "Can't you tell me one teeny, tiny little secret? You know, on account of me feeling bad and stuff?"
I rolled my eyes. I headed back to Darren's house. Carson ran to catch up.
"Just a small one," she begged.
"Fine," I said.
"Seriously?" she squeaked.
"Seriously," I said.
"Okay, wow," she murmured. "Let me think."
"Take your time," I replied.
She took all the way back to Darren's house. Frankly, I enjoyed the silence.
But as I reached to open the door, she caught my hand.
"What is the meaning of life?" she asked, eyes bright.
"You sure that's it?" I asked. "That's your question?"
"Definitely," she assured me.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
"Well?" she demanded, hands on her hips.
I smiled. "That's easy. The meaning of life is."
"Is? Is what?" Carson asked.
"Exactly," I said, brushing her cheek.
I walked away from a stunned Carson.
Prophets never handled the truth well at first anyway.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
By the time Carson and I made it upstairs, Justin had revived. When he spotted Carson, I thought he might tackle her. But he was too busy trying to help Demeter keep Jason, Ares, and Darren separated.
"I'm back," I announced loudly.
Everyone froze.
I smiled. "And so is Carson. So, if you're all done … this, I think Ares was about to help us with finding Promethean Fire and saving the world."
Ares straightened.
"The Alchemist will have it," he said. "He's been keeping the Promethean Fire since it was first brought to the mortal world."
"They have the original Spark brought by Prometheus?" Demeter asked, astonished.
&
nbsp; Ares nodded.
"Now that's dedication," I admitted.
"How do we find this Alchemist?" Justin asked.
Ares ignored him. Instead, he looked at me.
"I did some poking around while I was … thinking," Ares continued. "Rumour is the Alchemist just happened to have swung into town."
"What a coincidence," I said.
"Ekhidna," Darren guessed.
Ares nodded.
"He came to meet her?" Jason asked. "They're on the same side?"
"Not exactly," Ares shrugged. "Alchemists are kind of outside the whole good versus evil thing. They're total free agents. Witches at least answer to Hecate. Alchemists answer to nobody."
"We'll see about that," I said grimly.
"But if he came to meet her, he must have a reason," Carson insisted. "She must have something he wants."
"The waters from Hades," Demeter realized.
"Pretty hefty ingredients," Ares agreed. "Invaluable. Impossible to get. Imagine what an Alchemist would do to get his hands on those."
"Anything, apparently," Justin remarked.
"Even sell out the whole world?" Jason protested. "I mean, they have to live here too, right?"
"Like I said, they don't care much about who's in charge," Ares explained. "Order. Chaos. Gods. Monsters. They keep themselves separate from it all."
"So, if the Alchemist is in town," Justin said, "where do we find him?"
Silence.
"Maybe we don't need to," I thought out loud.
"What do you mean?" Demeter replied.
"I have the power of Water," I continued. "Alchemists use the Elements in their experiments."
"So, what? You trade the Element of Water for Promethean Fire?" Jason asked.
"I can't give it up," I admitted. "But the Alchemist will want Water to be restored to its rightful place, along with the other Elements. Otherwise, alchemy won't work anymore."
"So, you think he'll show up to, what, try to take it from you?" Darren said.
"We can't use you as bait! It's too risky!" Justin said fiercely.
"I'll be fine," I assured him. "Besides, I won't go alone."
"I've got your back," Ares promised.
And when I looked at him, I knew he'd forgiven me. Not that I needed it, especially from him. Still I was glad I had it for some reason. Stupid emotions.
"We'll all go," Demeter decided.
"No," I replied. "I don't want to risk everyone in case something goes wrong."
"That's exactly why we should all go," Jason pointed out. "We're stronger together."
"But if something happens," I countered, "I can't risk there being no one left to stop Ekhidna. Half of us will go. Half will stay behind."
"I'm coming," Justin told me.
I nodded. "You and Ares, come. Demeter will stay here with the Heroes."
Demeter sighed, but she knew better than to disagree.
"Fine," Darren said. "But I have an idea."
I looked at him expectantly.
"Look, I doubt the Alchemist is going to try to fight you," Darren explained quickly. "They're like scientists, right? They want to experiment. And, like Ares said, they want to stay out of all this."
"Go on," I pressed.
"So, the Alchemist will probably want to make a deal," Darren reasoned. "I mean, he made a deal with Ekhidna, right?"
"But Ekhidna had something to trade," Jason reminded him. "The waters from Hades."
"So, you agree to let the Alchemist keep the waters, and you agree to return the Elements to their realms," Darren said.
"I'm sure Ekhidna has already offered all that," I pointed out. "Once she has Typhon, she doesn't need the Elements anymore."
"So sweeten the deal with something unique," Darren continued.
"Such as?" I pressed.
"Me," Darren finished. "You've got to admit a Hero, a mortal infused with divine power, that's one hell of a unique test subject. Probably never had one before."
"We've already given up Morgan," I replied. "I'm not giving up anyone else."
"It's my choice," he insisted.
"No, it's mine," I said. "I'm the god. You're the Hero."
"So use me," he argued. "There's no other way."
"I can't make the Alchemist promise not to hurt you," I warned. "Their experiments aren't exactly ... humane."
"I'm not afraid," Darren pressed. "Let him do what he wants. I don't feel pain anymore. My brain can shut out that information, no problem."
I looked at Darren for a long time. He didn't shrink under my gaze. No hesitation. No boyish humour. No arrogance. It was like staring at someone else.
"You're serious about this?" I asked.
"Yeah," he promised.
"Fine," I agreed.
"Darren! No!" Carson cried.
But it was too late. He'd made up his mind. And so had I.
"As a back-up plan," I finished. "For now, we'll just let the Alchemist think we'll trade you. We're running out of time. And so is this world. So we go ahead. But I suggest everyone do a lot of thinking so it won't come down to actually trading Darren to that amoral psychopath."
No one said anything. They just nodded.
"Then let's go," I ordered. "It's time we ended this."
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Emotions roiled inside me. They pounded against my inner dams like enormous tidal waves. They had come in handy. I'd been able to empathize with Carson when, in the past, I might have simply shut her down. I'd sensed how serious Darren was about sacrificing himself to the Alchemist. I'd also sensed how upset everyone else was at that prospect: Jason, who hated Darren; Ares, who hated Darren; Justin, who hated Darren. But that didn't matter. He was one of us now, and no one wanted to lose another one of us. Morgan, strange and disconnected though she was, had been enough of a loss. More than enough.
The truth was I didn't want to lose Darren either, and I made a habit of getting what I wanted.
I shut my eyes. The images told me the Alchemist would come. He'd be drawn to the power of Water inside me. He'd find me, standing alone in the middle of this empty city park at night.
But that was all the images told me. Once the Alchemist arrived, I wouldn't have any more time to check the future. The rest was up to me.
The sea inside me churned. It was all I could do to keep from running. Or crying. Or laughing. Or screaming. Every emotion. All inside me. So intense. I could hardly think.
"Forgive me," a cold voice said. "But I was expecting someone else."
A tall man in a black suit stepped out from behind a tree. He was paler than pale with slicked-backed hair. The closer he got, the more skeletal I realized he was. Gaunt face. Thin lips. Colourless eyes. In his bony hands, he held a thick, black briefcase.
"Queen Hera," he greeted me. "I'd recognize you in any body."
He inclined his head. He seemed amused.
"You obviously wanted to draw me here," he continued. "My question is why. Oh, and you can call your friends out. I already know they're here, and I'm hoping to avoid any unpleasantness. For all our sakes."
I clenched my jaw, but I waved Ares and Justin out from behind the trees where they were hiding. I motioned for them to keep their distance. The Alchemist said he didn't want things to get unpleasant, but if they did, I had no intention of grouping us into a single, easy target.
"I know what Ekhidna has planned," I informed him. "And I know that you're going to bring her the Promethean Fire."
"And you're here to stop me?" he asked.
He didn't seem concerned, just mildly curious, almost bored.
"The thought crossed my mind," I replied. "But even if I did stop you, Ekhidna would find another way to get the Spark. Eventually."
"Quite right," the Alchemist agreed. "So, if you're not here to stop me, why are you here?"
He may have mastered his emotions, but being this close to me and the raw power of Water, I could sense that they were still there, far below the surface.
"I'm here to make a trade," I answered.
"Finally, something interesting," the Alchemist said. "You have my full attention."
"You seem a bit impatient," I replied.
I could feel it. He'd shoved it far down, farther than a mortal ever could, but not far enough. I could sense it. More than that. I could use it.
I didn't just contain the power of Water anymore. I wielded it.
"I don't like having my time wasted," he snapped. "So, if you're here to offer me a deal, get on with it. I have places to be..."
"People to see?" I guessed.
I smiled. The Alchemist didn't say anything. He didn't have to. I could sense how nervous he was. And I fed it. And fed it. And fed it.
A single bead of sweat formed next to his widow's peak. It slid down his face. He was starting to tremble.
"Where are you meeting Ekhidna?" I asked.
"I thought... that's not important," he said. He took a step back. "You said there was going to be a trade."
"Changed my mind. Forget the trade, and answer my question," I ordered.
I drew emotions out of him. Fear. Panic. Dread. He was soaked with sweat now. I kept pouring the fear into him, smashing against the walls he'd built for himself. So much like me. It made it all the easier to know exactly what to do to destroy him.
He fell to his knees.
"There's a warehouse," he whispered, his voice quavering.
"Isn't there always?" I murmured.
"On the edge of town," he continued. "It's abandoned. Now, please..."
"I need an address," I snapped.
"1300 Michael Street," he answered quickly. "The Industrial Park."
"Now give me the Spark," I ordered.
"I ... I won't!" he said. He clutched his briefcase tightly.
"Fine!" I replied. "Have it your way."
I focused all the power of Water on the Alchemist. I reached inside him. I heated the Water inside me. It boiled, exploded, drowned the Alchemist in a foaming torrent of fear. Tears fell from his terrified eyes. He curled into a ball.
The briefcase fell out of his shaking hands. I took it. Then I bent down to whisper in his ear.
"If you ever try to work with Ekhidna again, I will personally hunt down every last one of your kind and obliterate you all from the face of this world and every other," I said softly. "I've been merciful for far too long. If you're not with us, you're against us. And if you're against us, your days are numbered."
Hera, Queen of Mortals (Goddess Unbound) Page 26
