by K. K. Allen
“I will leave Apollo Beach and the people in it untouched. I just want Circe and Grace—and you.”
I think my heart literally stops beating. Why does this catch me by surprise? I’ve known for the past year and a half that Erebus wants to steal my body. What I didn’t realize is that he would actually want to keep it. If he stays in my body, that means there’s no chance for my survival, no matter how strong I am.
“But you said—”
“Your mother’s memory is gone, Katrina. Soon, your memory will be gone too, and you’ll remember nothing of your life here or your life with your mother.”
As hard as I try to remain focused on Erebus, there is too much flashing through my mind: every good memory of my mother, memories I’ve worked so hard to hold on to; meeting my father for the first time; secretive Rose; sweet Charlotte; my friends … Johnny.
I can’t help looking over my shoulder to where I left him. He’s no longer there. I whip my head around, my eyes searching the darkness. There’s a pressure in my chest so great, I’m certain a force is suffocating the air to my lungs. I’m not sure if the pressure is stemming from sadness or relief. Agreeing to Erebus’ deal means no one dies … except for maybe Circe.
You can’t trust him, Kat.
“You see,” he continues, “my plan was to torture those you love so that their suffering would be in your hands, and their deaths would be the result. Once everyone you loved was dead, it would be your turn to die … by the hands of your mother.” He admires his borrowed palms, turning them up, then down.
“Okay!” I shout, unable to hear any more of his plan. It’s unbearable, especially coming from my mother’s mouth.
Erebus has had her all along. He’s taken her from me in the worst way possible, in a way even worst than death because once again, he’s stripped her of her memory. The only reason I’m alive is because I’m his ticket into the plant to get his revenge on Circe.
I know what I need to do.
“It was you this whole time.” My hands are shaking, but I still them by grabbing onto my amethyst with pressure so great it would shatter into a million sharpened fragments if it weren’t made of magic. “You faked her death just so I would come here and live, so I would gain Rose’s trust and find your precious energy source. You planned all of it.”
“See, I said you were smart. I didn’t think she would give her pendant to you. That caught me by surprise.” He’s obviously pleased with himself and the obstacles he’s overcome. Then he looks at me and waits, seeming more impatient with every passing second. “Well, what will it be, Katrina? Will you help me get to Circe? Or will the ones you love die?”
His borrowed body stands before me, eyes wearing the evil glimmer that haunts my dreams awake. He knows he’s won with the only threat that could bring me to my knees. The words have been spoken, and there’s no turning back now. I reach for the latch of my protective pendant that presses tightly to my wrist.
I watch Erebus in his serpent form slither above the body that crumbles to the ground in a heap of skin and bones—no bloodshed. That is how the God of Darkness kills the ones he possesses, eventually sucking the life from them.
He eyes me greedily, waiting, as the air around him glows a faint but unmistakable blue.
It’s time. I pause a moment, feeling the gold chain that holds my pendant safe beneath my fingertips. There’s no other way. With a final inhale, I unclasp the chain and let my pendant fall to the ground, just as a tear draws a solid wet line down my cheek.
In a swift moment, the cold air of death embraces me, and although I physically don’t have the strength to fight it, my life that has not yet died screams, claws, and kicks beneath the engulfing darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Two
JOHNNY
She’s gone.
Her shell, unbroken. Her soul, invaded. He’s infiltrated her and attempts to steal everything once good in her, everything about her that owns my heart. So where is she? When Erebus injects himself into another where does their energy go?
As I watched Erebus over those many months, I had a theory. A theory that when the Serpent captures a body and uses it as his own, they’re too weak to fight it because no Equinox is more powerful than the God of Darkness. But Katrina is no Equinox. She may be tied to Erebus by some ancient bloodline, but there is no evil in her. Fire, maybe, but that fire is fueled by strength and goodness.
My new theory, devised just moments ago, is that Katrina’s light can overpower even the darkest magic. Erebus doesn’t stand a chance. If it’s this theory—this desperate hope—that I need to hold on to, then that’s what I’ll do.
She stands there now, hovering above her mother as I wait inside the walls of the plant, watching her from the door’s sliding window. I don’t hide from her. I’m waiting—waiting for Paul to arrive with the others, because even though Kat wasn’t part of this plan, we have one. Not that we planned for this, but we wanted to be prepared just in case Erebus was successful.
Something tugs and pulls beneath the walls of my chest as I watch Grace groan and struggle to move beneath her possessed daughter. Kat doesn’t make a move. Her questioning eyes appear alien as they stare down at her mother’s body, as if contemplating what to do with her.
Everything about Kat pulls me toward her, a gravitational force so natural it would take a meteor to alter my course. But I know the rules. I know the risks. If there’s one piece of Paul’s advice that I should heed now, it’s the importance of patience.
The moment Kat fell apart in my arms at the sight of Erebus’ new body, I knew it was her mother. I should have put it together sooner. After seeing Grace so many times in Savannah, being used by Erebus, like her body was his home, I should have looked into her further. I knew there was something familiar about her, but I just accepted that she was a loyal Follower, willingly giving her body to her God.
It was after that trip to Savannah that Erebus gathered Followers to bring to Apollo Beach. The moment I realized there would be no more pit stops, just a straight drive south, I headed to Kat and didn’t look back.
My mission wasn’t pointless, but I’m not so sure it was worth it. I think Kat’s convinced herself it was worth it, but she’s also convinced herself that I’m some kind of hero, someone worthy of her. I am not worthy of her, and I’m definitely no hero. Every time Kat gets herself into danger, something holds me back. Either I’m getting beat up by Alec and tied to a tree, blocked by a sheet of ice, or locked behind a hospital door. I can’t even break down a damn door if I need to get to her.
I tear myself from the window and reach for my phone. “Where are you?” I ask through gritted teeth. “We only have two minutes before he takes full control of her body.”
Paul should be here by now. After all, this is his plan—the worst case scenario plan.
“I’m coming in through the back,” he answers. He must be running because his breaths are short and heavy.
I hear the footsteps in the hallway now, quick steps, and a lot of them. I turn back to the figures outside the window as Kat drops to her knees and brushes the hair from her mother’s face.
A gasp of hope escapes my lips.
“What is it?” Paul’s voice practically shatters my eardrum through the phone. I also hear his steps echoing down the corridor, so I shove my phone in my pocket, not even bothering to end the call.
I’m transfixed by Kat’s movements. I’ve never seen anything like this. In every body Erebus has possessed under my watchful eye, the hosts have never contained any sense of their former selves after being claimed. Kat’s expression is still emotionless, but something in her posture, and her hand motions, and even the way she’s hovering over Grace, as if protecting her, reassures me.
Kat is still in control.
Paul nears me and shoves me from my spot at the window.
It only takes an instant.
Paul’s shoulders rise as he inhales a slow, jagged breath. He leans in, touching the glass in recognitio
n. “Grace.” It’s as if he’s been punched in the gut, his voice winded and wounded. Maybe I should have warned him. We’re running out of time.
He brings his forehead to the door and knocks into it once, twice, and then I have to pull him away before he hurts himself. But he won’t tear his eyes from his wife and daughter, the two people he never thought he’d see in the same space again.
“Paul, we’re running out of time.” I say it gently, but I know he feels my urgency.
Just then, Alec and Kaleb arrive. I don’t need to turn around to know they’re here. I can sense their presence, their anticipation, their questions, and their readiness for battle.
Paul’s sadness turns quickly to anger as he slams his fists into the door.
“I’m here! “Arabella jogs up behind Kaleb and slips her hands around his waist. Now is not the time for affection! I want to scream.
“Where’s Rose?” I demand, growing impatient.
“She’s with Charlotte and Khloe—out there.” Alec points to the door. “They know what to do. Circe is ready to intercept Kat if she makes it inside.”
Paul looks around the room, staring into each of our eyes. “We stick to the plan. No exceptions. If Erebus wants to destroy everything we’ve built, he can try once Kat is free. And Grace too. Neither of them die, you hear me?”
“Grace?” The late arrivals are muttering questions to each other, not making the connection, but Paul and I don’t jump in to answer them. Right now, that doesn’t matter.
“Arabella!” Paul shouts next. He must catch himself because he closes his eyes and his chest puffs out as if he’s taking a deep breath. “I need you to help Rose and Khloe. Plans have changed. That’s my wife and my daughter out there.”
Paul’s voice cracks, and the emotion is almost too much to bear. I want to crack right along with him.
Arabella’s mouth falls open. “O-okay. What do I do?”
“Make sure Erebus gets nowhere near Grace once he leaves Kat’s body. You’ll need to get her within the walls of the gate.”
“So we’re just going to let Erebus go?” Alec grumbles. “We were supposed to capture him.”
I pull my eyes from the window in time to see the flaming daggers coming from Paul’s eyes. I’m surprised he’s able to remain calm when he speaks. “Right now, the most important thing is getting my family far away from Erebus.”
Paul looks at me next as if searching for something. Strength, maybe. I’ll give him whatever I can. I clasp a hand on his shoulder and look him in the eye, puffing air through my nose. “Erebus is starting to take control. Let’s go get your family back.”
Paul nods, signaling he’s ready. We both turn to the window.
The transformation is beginning.
Kat rises to her feet, turning away from Grace. A knot in my gut unravels as I see her now. My Kat. She looks … empty. Like a lost soul wandering far from her body without a clue who or where she is. Just like Grace. The realization hits me, just as it probably did for Kat. Erebus was the one who took—stole—Grace’s memory when she was young.
The God of Darkness is nothing but a heartless thief. Erebus doesn’t deserve to be encapsulated by Kat’s beautiful light. How a light as pure as Kat’s doesn’t repel Erebus from her body … The thought tugs on something inside me, but I don’t have time to ponder the struggle that Kat must be dealing with.
She faces us now, and I get a good look into her empty eyes. It takes everything in me not to burst through the door and tackle her, shaking the Serpent from her body. Her eyes move toward the smokestacks and we all stand a bit taller, preparing ourselves for what comes next. The smile that appears on her face next stiffens every muscle in my body. It’s not the easy, natural smile that makes my heart beat fifty times faster every time I see it. This smile is dripping with darkness. Nothing good can come from this smile.
“What is she doing?” Alec asks from behind me.
So consumed with Kat’s transformation, I almost miss it. She’s stalking toward the smokestacks with strides as slow and stealthy as a lion, deliberately, as if she’s about to take off running any second.
“Move,” I say, the adrenaline building inside me. “It’s time. Go!”
Paul throws open the door and takes off running toward the smokestack nearest us. Kaleb and Alec run to the ladders on either side of the wooden walkway that connects the main building to the first two smokestacks. There are three stories of walkways, and they plan to climb to the very top.
I move fast toward Grace, who is still struggling to move. She’s clawing the gravel, reaching for the pendant. Khloe gets to the pendant first and snatches it from Grace’s struggling grasp. She looks down at it, a dazed look on her face. This is not part of the plan.
“Khloe! Throw it to me!” I’m halfway to her.
It’s like she’s never seen a piece of jewelry before in her life. She doesn’t acknowledge me at all. Below her, Grace is gaining strength. She reaches Khloe’s foot and wraps her hand around her ankle, tugging her to the ground.
“Ah!” Khloe yells, trying to move through the gravel, away from Grace.
“Khloe!”
Finally she hears me and tosses the pendant frantically in my direction, just as Grace yanks her to the ground. Khloe’s scream pierces the night. I freeze, unsure whether to help Khloe or go after Kat.
Rose approaches Khloe and nods at me. “I’ll take care of this. Go, Johnny, go!”
Rose doesn’t need to tell me twice. I run as fast as my legs will carry me toward Erebus—toward Kat, who is already a quarter of the way to the smokestacks, but I’m gaining on her because she’s still only walking. I’m not sure she’s even aware that we’re all here, planning to stop her.
As if on cue, she swivels her head around, and her blackened eyes widen. Then she runs. Kat is a fast runner. In a matter of seconds, she’s climbing up the smokestacks like she’s got webbed hands and feet helping her climb effortlessly to the top.
Without slowing, I look around for inspiration—something, anything to slow Kat down. Then I remember the shields Kat and I used against each other on my boat when we first exposed our powers out of fear.
I draw in a deep breath and exhale while my hands push my shield of energy forward, exerting a great deal of my strength to reach out the necessary distance. Every grain, element, and particle of the Earth helps me gain speed. I aim my shield directly above Kat’s head as she spider crawls up the side of the smokestack.
At first, she’s disoriented and has to stop in her tracks, looking around for another way up. There is no other way. As much as I want to stop her, I’m careful not to let her fall. But if she does, I’ll find a way to catch her.
I’m able to propel myself up the smokestacks so that I’m directly beneath her when my shield breaks. Instead of lunging for her, I crawl to the opposite side and pull myself to the upper rim of the pipe.
We stand, facing each other, my eyes on her. Her eyes are staring down into the dark, gaping hole.
I turn my head slightly and see Paul standing on the bridge beneath us, waiting for my cue. When I nod, he springs to action, raising his arms and pushing them into the air in front of him. He’s releasing the energy in the smokestack to create a distraction for Erebus. We’re about to surround him.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Kaleb and Alec have almost reached the highest walkway. Good.
As soon as the vapor of Solstice fog begins to seep out from the hole, I edge my way around the rim of the smokestack, knowing Paul is making his way up the other side. My eyes are focused on Kat, unsure what her next move will be. Even through the thick vapor cloud I see her lunge forward into the hole as if she’s just going to float to the bottom.
My levitation abilities are weak compared to Kat’s, but adrenaline is raging through me, and I’m not sure anything can stop me. I know I’m capable of a lot more than usual. I throw my power at Kat, careful to control the distance she travels without toppling over the edge, and it act
ually works. It worked!
She’s floating just above the hole, kicking her feet and clawing the air with her hands. I place her on the opposite side of the rim and seal the hole so that energy can emerge but nothing can go in. That was Paul’s idea.
Erebus realizes what I’ve done and screams—but it’s Kat’s voice, so the scream actually causes me pain. She sounds as if she’s being tortured. She’s growling now, and her hands shoot out toward me.
A blast of air punches my chest, knocking me off balance and off the rim of the flue. My hands fly in all directions, attempting to latch on to anything. If only I could levitate myself. That’s impossible, at least for a Poseidon descendant. I’ve tried.
In the final moment before I fall to my death, my hand finds and grips the edge of the rim, anchoring the rest of my body so I’m dangling over the walkway beneath me. If I fall it will hurt, but I can make it. I use my second hand to pull me up just as Kat nears me.
“Leave. Me. Alone!” she snarls.
I tilt my head. Why isn’t she attacking me? “I’m not going anywhere until you release Kat.”
Erebus narrows his eyes. “You don’t get to make decisions today, Johnny. In fact, you’ve tried my patience for the last time. I made a deal with my host to let you all live, but I have no problem breaking that deal if you try to stop me in any way.”
Kat made a deal with Erebus? That doesn’t sound right at all. She must have been desperate, and he must have offered something she couldn’t refuse. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Erebus!” a voice shouts in the distance.
It’s Circe. She’s standing on the platform below us where Paul had been. Where is Paul? I move my head from side to side and then see him through the vapor of energy. He mouths for me to be quiet and divert Erebus’ attention from his approach.
Showtime.
Erebus swivels Kat’s head toward Circe and smirks. “There you are, dear. I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone. Quite literally, in fact.”
He turns back around and places his palms facedown, concentrating heavily on his powers. He’s shaking, smiling, and looking more frustrated by the second. Whatever he’s trying to do is not working. He turns his palms back up, and then when nothing happens he shakes his hands and looks back at me.
