by Holly Hook
When I left my dorm, I found a few girls packing and hauling boxes out of their dorms on my floor alone. Heads turned away from me as I waved, so I progressed down to the third and second floors to where other girls were cleaning out their dorms for the summer. No one spoke much. This felt like the time Hades had taken over the school, only now the cause was me. Me, and the Lower Order.
I found Wendy half-kicking a box out of her room and died a little inside. She had a low look on her face and her eyes stayed on the floor as I approached. Wendy hadn't scored that transfer she'd promised her parents.
"Thanks for actually talking to me last night," I said as pain started in my chest. I could still feel pain. Maybe that made me less different than everyone else than I thought.
"It was no problem." She ducked back into her room, which was still semi-trashed.
"Have Mikey and Maria left yet?"
"Cal's going with them both. He's going to do what he can do," Wendy said. "I gave them both two extra vials of asphodel. They might be fine over the summer."
Might. I couldn't help them anymore. What use was I, other than killing Zeus? And I hadn't even managed to finish the job. He would not be easy to destroy, for more reasons than one.
"So they haven't left yet," I said.
Wendy kicked another box out of her room and dared to meet my gaze. "You know, you look normal right now. Maybe now would be a good time to talk to them, especially if you keep those contacts in. They've had a good nights' sleep."
"I was hoping to. Wendy, I don't know what to do. Is the Order still here?"
"They couldn't leave. Not with your barrier up," she reminded me.
Oh. That made sense now. At least I had remembered to put my dagger on my belt. I felt the handle, which made more strength flow through my limbs. "I feel like my body's different, but I'm the same person. You know, I didn't think that would happen. And I'm not tormented by sounds in my head or ice in my veins anymore. It's there, like it's just waiting for me to tap it."
Wendy managed a smile at me. "Well, Mrs. Ershaw says the immortals might be mostly indestructible and powerful, but they're still people."
"She gave you that lecture, too?" Wendy, descendant of Hades, was making me feel better. She had more people skills than she gave herself.
"I asked her about Hades and if there was any chance he'd ever forgive me for wanting to go to Olympian."
"Oh. I think he would have," I said.
"Would have?" Wendy lifted her eyebrow at me.
Gulp. It was time for the rest of the truth. "He attacked Zeus to save Dominique. Broke the Oath. I watched him sacrifice himself. You know, he's not that bad of a guy."
Wendy's jaw dropped. "He sacrificed himself for the Order?"
"He was giving me a chance to fight back. Wendy, your parents were wrong about you. You don't have to go to Olympian to do amazing stuff. They just want you to make them richer."
She rolled her eyes and walked back into her room, opening her dresser. "Well, at this point, staying here means supporting the Lower Order. Everyone saw them here. That's why the school is so quiet. A lot of people are talking about not coming back."
I gulped. "They have to by law." The Order had effectively taken over the school and I couldn't stop them unless I wanted to leave Mikey and Maria to their fates. "Don't think I'm buddies with them. As soon as I can find a way to get rid of them and help everyone else not mature, they're gone."
"Dominique and Alonso could be liars," Wendy said, whirling on me. She wasn't going to give up those old ideas easily. "They've got strings on you. And that's just what they wanted."
I bristled but not at Wendy. "What other choice do we have?"
"Demand answers from them."
"I did. According to Dominique, if the gods go back to sleep, their power leaves the world, and the monsters and god descendants all return to normal."
"Would that include you now?" She stared me in the eye, anger turning to worry.
I didn't know. I was different, just formed, and I'd come after the Awakening. What would happen to me if all the gods went back to sleep? Would I have to go with them? Maybe it was for the best that Ronin had left. He could move on more quickly than he would have otherwise.
"I...don't know," I said, turning away.
"Giselle. I'm not trying to be a bitch. I swear. Sometimes I still need to work on it." The air shifted as Wendy approached, then tentatively wrapped her arms around me.
"Huh?"
"I'm not completely heartless. Let's find Maria and Mikey. You need someone in your corner."
"I have to see them anyway." The way the two looked at me last night would stay with me, but most of all, I kept seeing Ronin's horrified, destroyed expression when he caught me trying to cast Zeus into nothingness.
And he still hadn't responded to my texts.
I helped Wendy to gather her boxes. I could lift better now--much better--and other girls parted for me as I carried her stuff to the front. I tried to smile at people, but nerves were still high, but the closer I got to the front of the school, the more empty everything got. The front corridors were bare except for Prometheus, Dominique, and Alonso. They spoke in a huddle, and I knew the subject. Me.
"Giselle!" Prometheus waved. "I asked these two to leave, as I must, but they can't go anywhere."
"Off to buy Alonso a drink?" I asked, hating how casual I sounded.
"That was merely as a friend," Prometheus said, emphasizing that last part. He eyed the floor, perhaps looking for cracks that would haul him to Tartarus, but so far he had dodged that fate. The titan was a master at convincing himself that he wasn't breaking any rules.
And I wasn't sure how I'd feel if he did sink to Tartarus. At least he had helped me fix my appearance and had coached me on how to save the lives of everyone in Cursed Academy. Already, the former principal trembled with weakness. He had paled, just as Zeus and Apollo had when I tried to attend Olympian's classes and they caught wind of my stunt.
Dominique looked at me. I knew what it meant. You must let us back in secretly.
"You'd better let them out," Wendy hissed in my ear. "Your reputation depends on it. And talk to them."
"Huh?"
Wendy added, "She can't hurt you. Get some clues."
Wendy didn't trust Dominique and never would, not after what had happened to Percival. We exchanged a glance. Wendy's eyes were hard. Full of rage. Her weapon thrummed with hate. She now held a grudge she would never let go. I knew what she was asking. How long would I have to work beside Dominique to save Mikey and Maria, and after that, could Wendy take revenge on the Order?
This deal got more raw by the minute.
I swallowed as Wendy took her box and shoved the wooden door open to the porch. She set it down and let the door swing shut behind her. Outside, a few students stood around, waiting for rides that would have to pass through the barrier.
I shoved the door open, nodding to Dominique. Best to get this over with.
She and Alonso followed and Prometheus busied himself by stepping into his office. He was turning his back once again. Maybe I could confront her while no one else was around, but she still held the bargaining chip.
Wendy glared as Dominique and I walked past her new position on the front porch. We walked to the far side of the fountain, away from everyone else.
"Giselle, I need your contact information. Prometheus must kick us off campus," Dominique said.
"My contact information?"
"Yes. Your phone number. You'll need to open the barrier for me whenever I need to get into the school, and I'll also need to stay undetected by Prometheus so he does not break the Oath."
My stomach turned at the thought of Dominique just casually asking for my number. But the sparkle in her eyes told me that if I didn't give it to her, she'd pull back on her promise to stop Maria and Mikey from maturing.
So I gave it to her and watched her punch my number into her phone.
And she smiled, turning her
twin tattoos upward. "I will be in contact soon." As she clapped her hands, the werewolves bounded out of the trees, ready to depart.
"Don't hurt Ronin if you see him," I said, determined to get some power back. "Or I might decide I can live with my friends turning into monsters."
Dominique whipped her stare to me as Alonso joined her like a good lap dog. Her golden-flecked eyes darkened and I knew I had scored a point. Would I?
"I will not harm him," she spat.
"Good. Now come on."
Leading the two, plus the werewolves, down the road and to where the new barrier now stood was satisfying. I was sure Dominique and Alonso couldn't see it, but then Dominique lifted her eyebrow at it as we approached the black, filmy wall. So some humans could detect magical barriers if they practiced magic long enough.
Or maybe she could see where the tornado had struck the barrier, because a lot of the trees beyond it were snapped clean off, tossed into one another, and debarked. I gulped. The storm Zeus had summoned had been meant to kill everything in its path. I hoped he hadn't taken any homes or businesses along the way. Before, I'd seen Zeus as a protector, not a serial killer. This damage lent weight to Dominique's words. A part of me still didn't want to believe the gods were dicks.
I cut a hole as I had through Zeus's barrier, and watched as the two Lower Order leaders, with their werewolves, paraded through one by one.
If I wanted to kill them right now, I could.
But did I want to? What if they were telling the truth?
Dominique, once outside the barrier, faced me and offered another one of her trademark nasty grins. "Remember what I told you," she said before turning away and navigating through the fallen trees, black robe swishing and eventually disappearing behind the destruction.
Upon walking back, I found students sitting on the front steps of Cursed Academy, in the sun that still streamed through the dome far above. Maria and Mikey sat on the front steps, Cal beside Mikey, and Wendy stood behind them, leaning over and talking to Maria. She was in my corner. Of course the darkest among us would hang out with the darkest among us.
Prometheus paced around the fountain, but I didn't speak to him about Dominique taking my number. If she really was the last means to help my friends, I couldn't stop that now. "Can Zeus hurt my friends when they're off on summer break?"
"I have not allowed the Olympians to see where my students live," Prometheus said. "The students should remain safe over the summer."
I didn't have the heart to tell him Cal had hacked his computer more than once to change my address. But Cal wouldn't have given anyone's whereabouts to Zeus, would he? "Thank you."
Walking over, I sat down beside Maria and Mikey. Wendy took a seat beside me while heads turned in my direction.
"You guys," I said, careful to keep my voice down, "might want to go on some long vacations this summer."
Mikey didn't speak for a while. Then he nodded. "Yes. Me, Maria, and Cal were just talking about going off somewhere. Cal can set us up."
I swallowed. They didn't mention taking me. "I know defending myself against a perverted god makes me a bad friend." I rose as the darkness within surged forward, begging me to use it.
"Giselle. That sounded bad, but that's not what we meant. We figured you'd have to stay here over the summer and that sucks," Maria said.
Then she took my arm and squeezed.
The students left later that afternoon, later than planned, and Wendy was the last to leave, picked up by her asshole father driving his own Mercedes. I got a glimpse of him behind tinted glass, and he looked at me and quickly looked away. Maybe my new atmosphere was an advantage in some situations. Most people couldn't intimidate me anymore.
"I'll see you soon," Wendy said with a strained smile. She didn't want to go with her father, and I could tell she would have much rather stayed on campus with me, but he waved her to the car, impatient. Odd. He was the one who was late picking her up.
I retreated inside and found Prometheus standing in the entry hall, against the black marble wall and between two torches. Did he stay here all summer, too? Of course, his house was located on the grounds.
And to my shock, Celestus and Natalia stood beside him, though Celestus looked away from the titan as I entered. I had the sense Natalia had been the one trying to mend the rift.
"You staying for the summer, too?" I asked.
Natalia flinched at my voice, though I hadn't meant to alarm anyone. I just wanted to sound small again.
"Yes," Celestus said, answering for her. "Some of us staff do stay over the summer months to work on security. Mrs. Ershaw is staying as well."
I breathed out a sigh of relief as Natalia smiled. She and Wendy had been the most open to my new state since last night and I was glad she was here. I hoped some time away would help Maria come around.
And that she wouldn't start her fourth year with just one eye.
"We can also bring in some new staff," Prometheus added. "I have several friends who are willing to fill some roles, since many of the Olympian teachers won't be coming over here anymore. We can't hire anyone who is officially in the Lower Order, but we can hire some others who have never been marked. From what I heard, you've met Elliot before in Zeus's power plant."
"Elliot?" I about choked.
Maria's estranged father.
A fully matured Cyclops who wanted nothing more than to hide from her.
"Yes. He's coming in as the janitor. Wants to stay in the background." The titan waved his phone at me, indicating that he'd just communicated. "He wants to help make sure the students...and Maria...are safe during this tough time."
"But he can't," I said, heart racing. The last thing Maria needed was to see the truth in front of her, and during her fourth year to boot. But Elliot was willing to move mountains for her. He'd gotten fired so I could help Maria.
But after that he befriended the Lower Order. At least I knew he wasn't in it now. But for how long?
"We need all the help we can get now," Prometheus said, shaking his head. "Relations will be strained. Risks will be taken. The upcoming year will be a very long one."
Chapter Four
The titan was right about everything being strained.
I retreated to my room and stayed there over the following days. The sun rose and set. Time stretched out. And time would continue to stretch out. I couldn't die, right? What if this misery dragged out forever? Maybe these thoughts had driven Achlys to tears and caused her to become the goddess of misery.
I texted Ronin again and again.
Please, just answer.
Your father backed me into a corner.
He tried to force himself on me. I'm sorry. I had to fight back.
Ronin would have to respond to that, right?
But he didn't.
I almost felt as if he didn't exist.
I wanted to get off my bed, go out into the world, and hunt for Ronin myself. I imagined he'd retreated to one of Zeus's mansions for the summer. My messenger app gave me no indication he'd even read what I sent him and I wondered if he had blocked me altogether and decided to move on with his life.
He made a commitment to me.
And I forced him to break it in one horrible moment.
After several days of mostly hanging out in my room, only coming out to eat, I took to walking around the mostly empty campus of Cursed Academy. I didn't even tell Carmen what had happened. She could figure it out for herself.
The place had a sad air now that students didn't inhabit the halls, and I avoided Elliot, who I spotted down corridors on occasion, using a floor buffer to strip the wax from the tile and marble. He waved to me once as he trained his single eye on me, but instead of waving back, I turned away and fled through the side doors. Jerk move, but the last thing I wanted to see now was a reminder of Maria's fate.
And the fact that I'd thrown away the best chance to save her. Now I only had the Lower Order. And Elliot must know. I'd let him down.
June merged into July. In the middle of the month, Natalia knocked on my dorm door.
"Giselle? Want to go to the mall with us? Celestus is driving, so if any shadows come out of the vents, we're fine. He can also help cloak us."
I knew what I had to say. "I can't. I'll freak people out."
"You can look normal. And I bet if you focus, you can reduce...the effects. Giselle, you can't stay here and mope all the time. It's not healthy."
Since when did I have to worry about health? Well, mental health was still an issue for everyone, I supposed. So I got up and went out with Natalia and Celestus. At least the mall was mostly empty so early on a weekday, with some of the gates still down, and Celestus was nice enough to get us into a movie. It was the same theater Ronin and I had visited before the world fell apart.
A few other people were in the dark rows with us, and I watched as a few groups entered, paused at the steps, and settled in the uncomfortable seats at the very front of the theater. I shrunk down in mine, hating that these normal people were having to spend time in my presence, that they felt uneasy and didn't know why.
But at last, I breathed in, focusing on pulling the imaginary darkness I gave off closer to me, and a few more groups came in, taking seats just a few rows away from us. Bingo. Maybe I could control that aspect by the time Maria, Mikey, and Wendy returned to school.
We hit a few more stores and had some lunch, where Celestus talked about doing research about the original stories of the gods for Prometheus. "He can't talk about the real past with mortals," Celestus said, "but he wants us to start teaching it this school year in Divine History. Can you, um, gather some materials from him and pass them off to me? I'll be teaching it this year."
"Sure," I said. It was an act of rebellion. And I was needed for it.
By the end of the day, I was feeling a bit more confident. Celestus and Natalia relaxed, too, and Celestus kept one arm around her as he drove. He was good for her. And they were good for me. We also stopped at a gaming store and picked up a console, so we'd have something to do on campus, and we spent that night testing a whole stack of games that Ronin would have enjoyed. I tried to swallow my despair, but went to bed early just to get away from those thoughts.
