The Goddess Quest

by Clara Hartley

  Copyright © 2019 by Clara Hartley

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Afterword

  Also by Clara Hartley

  Prologue

  It’s not often I wanted to kill someone when watching them eat, but Jenny couldn’t chew neatly for the life of her. I hated Jenny, and not just because she got crumbs all around her cheeks when she bit into her sandwich. She didn’t like me either, so the feeling was mutual.

  Jenny was ten, like me.

  Unlike me, however, she had parents. I’d always wanted parents. After school, the moms and dads would come pick up their little kids and check up on their day. Me, however? Often, it was Mrs. Markle who took me back to the orphanage at two in the afternoon once classes ended. She showed no tender care whatsoever. Mostly, she seemed to hate her job, displaying little concern for my well-being, and really, that was all I was to her—a job. If Mrs. Markle had something to attend to, Mr. Davidson would come pick me up, and he showed less enthusiasm in my care than even she did.

  Jenny displayed the mashed-up contents of her mouth as she chewed. I regretted looking in her direction. On top of being disgusting, the way Jenny ate was annoying. She wouldn’t stop making that smacking noise that stirred the angry part of me I’d always tried to suppress and keep hidden. I brought my sandwich to my lips, bit into it gently, and chewed like a decent human being would, with my mouth closed and softly. I was hoping that Jenny might get the hint.

  She didn’t.

  Instead, she pointed in my direction with her stubby forefinger and blurted, “Your hair’s still ugly.”

  Anger sparked in me, though only a little. I was getting better at controlling my rage. The teachers kept sending me to detention for lashing out, but that hadn’t happened for ten days. I took calm, deep breaths, willing the anger to go away. I needed better control of myself if I didn’t want to be sent to where all the naughty kids went—the Westside preschool. The principal had warned me about that, and she’d made me very scared. I’d heard that in Westside, the bullies were twice as big, and they didn’t just throw insults, but punches, too. I was smaller than the other kids and had no doubt that I’d get knocked around if I ended up there.

  I eyed Jenny warily, wondering what her next insult might be.

  “They say only demons have red hair. Are you a demon?”

  “No,” I replied, wiping the crumbs away from my face. I wasn’t the neatest eater either, but Jenny had me beat. “Leave me alone.”

  “Where’s your mother, Cara?” Jenny asked with a sneer.

  My lip twitched.

  “Does she not want you anymore because of your red hair?”

  “Go away.”

  “It’s why none of us like you. Nobody does. I don’t see why your mommy would, either.”

  I pushed myself up from my seat and stood with lunch in my hands. I left the apple behind on the short table we sat next to. I didn’t like apples. Too healthy-tasting, and nobody really forced me to eat them, even though the adults always liked talking about how they kept doctors away. Ms. Kingsley, our homeroom teacher, called after me, “Caramel, where are you going?”

  “I’m putting the tray back,” I said.

  “It’s not time to yet.”

  Why couldn’t anybody leave me alone? I liked doing things my way, how I wanted to, at my own pace. The adults didn’t really seem to care about me unless they were ordering me around and telling me what to do. “I can’t stand the sight of Jenny,” I said.

  “That’s not a nice thing to say,” Ms. Kingsley replied.

  “She’s just jealous because she doesn’t have a mommy.”

  I rolled my eyes and stalked away. I wanted nothing more than to yank Jenny’s hair and show her who was boss, but that would only earn me another trip to the principal’s office, and Jenny wasn’t worth that. She had a couple of missing teeth and wasn’t that pretty herself. I thought she just wanted to beat me down since she’d be last on the pecking order otherwise. She scored terrible grades and did badly at sports, too. I shouldn’t waste time with people like her.

  “Caramel, will you sit down?” Ms. Kingsley asked.

  “No.” I walked toward the shelf, attempting to control my rage. It boiled and simmered beneath my skin. My emotions willed me to leap at Jenny and hit her repeatedly. I took deep, calming breaths. In the corner of my eye, I spotted a children’s book that was drawn with a scribbly style of art. On the cover was a man in white robes. He held a torch and reminded me of… something.

  For some strange reason, I knew his name was Ares, and I wished he were my father.

  My emotions heightened. The rage grew.

  I ground my teeth together.

  Jenny stood too, and sauntered toward me. She yanked my hair. “Are you running away because you’re scared? You’re not just a demon. You’re a scared one. Your hair’s ugly. Like bloo—”

  The image of the torch repeatedly flashed through my mind, and the rage tunneled through me, growing uncontrollable. I spun around and jumped at Jenny, hooking my legs around her waist. I smacked my hand across her cheek, then yanked her hair twice as hard as she pulled mine. I wanted to tear her part, bruise her, break her.

  Jenny had to die.

  “I’ll show you what’s an ugly color,” I said, panting. I couldn’t recognize my own voice. “It’ll bleed from your skin.”

  I scraped her flesh, tearing layers off it. I sensed the warm liquid of her blood staining my hands, and her cries… Oh, I loved her cries. They sounded like music to my ears, and I wanted to hit her more so that they wouldn’t stop. The mad desire to cause more pain overwhelmed me, swelling and thrumming through my mind, making my whole body shake with the gratification of seeing someone else suffer.

  “Caramel! Stop!”

  My fist flew across Jenny’s jaw. Maybe if I broke it, she’d be more careful about her annoying chewing and learn how to keep her ugly mouth shut.

  “Stop!”

  I reached for her eyes, wanting to dig my fingers into them. What would her cries sound like after I pulled her eyeballs out of their sockets?

  “Caramel!”

  Arms grabbed me from behind and dragged me away from Jenny. I thrashed, fighting to continue on my rampage. I kicked and clawed at the air. Let me at her! I needed to kill her. The need to see her dead consumed me and was eating me alive.

  “Caramel! Snap out of it!”

  Ms. Kingsley lost balance as she tried to pull me back. She tripped, and together we fell. My head knocked against the side of the table, pain shot through my skull, and the sudden sensation snapped me out of my rampage.

  I blinked.

  Balling my fingers into fists, I tried to stop my hands from shaking as my senses slowly came back to me. My anger drained out of me like water through a punctured plastic bag, and the shock of my sudden switch of emotions gave me whiplash.

  What had come over me?

  I groaned and pressed my hand on my forehead. It ached from the impact. Through my teeth, I sucked in a deep breath and turned to look at Jenny. The sight sent a cold sensation through me, like an icicle through my stomach. Jenny’s for
ehead glistened with slick blood. Scratches in deep red, harsh lines patterned her forearm and neck.

  The little girl was unrecognizable.

  I did that?

  “Caramel Valencia,” Ms. Kingsley said. She pushed herself into a standing position, chest heaving because of how much she’d struggled to tame me. “The principal’s office.”

  I quivered and bit the inside of my cheek. I wrestled with the idea that I’d managed to hurt someone this badly without even realizing it. All malicious intents had drained away from me once the anger subsided. I hated Jenny for her insults, but she didn’t deserve this. She lay limply on the ground, unconscious from my assault.

  Ms. Kingsley wrapped a hand around my arm and pulled me up. “The principal’s office,” she repeated. “Now.”

  I swallowed nervously.

  I had to calm my nerves.

  I felt fear.

  Not for the punishment that awaited in the principal’s office, but of myself.

  This was the most violent I’d ever been, and despite the current quiet of my mind, I knew there was a beast inside me that had merely decided to slumber. It still wanted to come out and play and knowing that I’d eventually have to face it once more made me terrified.

  Chapter 1

  I never thought I’d experience this fear again.

  It stopped in fifth grade, after I punched and scratched the life out of Jenny Carlito. I recalled her being sent to the hospital for ten stitches, and they put her in a cast that she had to keep on for three months after that. Jenny never bothered me again. She was too afraid of another outburst from me. I’d scared her too much, just as I was scared of myself.

  I glanced at my shaking hands as Hansel controlled the carpet and maneuvered it, bringing us back to the Sanctuary. I’d wiped the bloodstains off my fingers with a towel, but the memory of Devon’s blood, slick, red, and pungent with a coppery smell, burned in my mind.

  “He’s still alive,” I murmured to myself. “You haven’t killed him yet.”

  We should have listened to the warnings of Maxwell, Devon’s father, and Agness. They’d told us that I was going to hurt Devon, but I couldn’t fathom how that might happen. During the time I’d spent with him, I’d developed feelings, and I thought there’d be no chance I’d hurt him. Why would I, when all I wished to do was protect him and keep him safe? I’d ignored the beast inside of me, preferring to pretend it didn’t exist. It hadn’t bothered me after that day with Jenny. I assumed I’d been healed and it’d gone away.

  The Blade of Ares sat inside its scabbard, wrapped in a cloth that Theo had brought along with his supplies. They kept it far away from me, preventing it from igniting unwanted emotions that might trigger more violence.

  “I’m not as good at controlling the carpet as Devon,” Hansel said. “But we’ll get there on time, so you don’t have to worry.” We flew beneath the starry night sky of Haven. Despite knowing that the stars shone with a million sparkling colors, and that it was more beautiful than anything on Earth, I didn’t have it in me to appreciate the beauty overhead.

  “On time for what?” I asked.

  Hansel looked grim. That expression didn’t match his beach-boy looks. “Before Devon dies.”

  “Who will we send him to?” Liam asked.

  Theo sighed. He wore the same grave expression that we all had. “Agness is our best bet. She’s the main goddess who is always in the Sanctuary, and as the goddess of flora, her powers are attuned to healing. She should be able to save Devon.”

  Should.

  Not a definitive.

  I held one hand with the other, willing my fingers to stop shaking. “What if she can’t?” My guilt was beginning to tear me up. I didn’t even give myself permission to touch Devon. I raked my gaze across his skin. It looked to be paling, even though he was so tan. His eyes were closed, and I was afraid he’d never open them again. I’d never be able to meet their yellow intensity again if he died. I’d wronged him far too much. Despite the warnings and danger, he’d decided to stay by my side, and we’d been foolish to let him do so.

  Hansel did a good job of flying the carpet despite being inexperienced. We were back at the Sanctuary in record time, and once we returned, he scaled the cream-colored walls, traveling close to the edges of the building. Despite his speed, he couldn’t go fast enough. Devon inched closer to death with every passing second. The sooner I could ensure he was fine, the better.

  Liam held Aphrodite’s quilt. We needed to save Danna, too. When Clotho had shown us the lake in the chiasma, the one that determined which girl was to be killed next, Danna’s face appeared in it. If we didn’t stop Hel, the goddess of death, from taking Danna’s soul tonight, Danna would join the rest of the corpses in the morgue.

  Hansel halted beside Agness’s balcony, letting the carpet float next to the ledge that rimmed it. He took the quilt from Liam then turned, pinning me with a serious expression. Hansel often looked casual and spritely, with his ruffled sandy-blond locks, but there was none of that easygoing swagger in him now. He clutched the quilt in his hands. “I’ll bring this to Danna to keep her safe.” I wanted to talk to Danna too, but Devon needed me. “You ensure that Devon gets the care he needs.”

  He didn’t have to give me the order. I’d throw myself into hell’s pits just to save Devon.

  Liam, Theo, and I stepped from the carpet and onto Agness’s balcony. My heart raced at such a quick tempo that I heard its beating in my ears. With one decisive push, I entered Agness’s chambers, not caring that this might be against the school rules. Nothing but Devon’s safety mattered now.

  Agness sat in her chambers. She lifted a brow, noticing our entrance, but if she was startled, she didn’t show it.

  She looked up from the teacup she was sipping from. She held the cup in a perfectly elegant manner, with one pinky up. Casually, she regarded us. “And for what reason are you visiting me in the middle of the night?” Her svelte figure was dressed in a satin nightgown that hung loosely, just like the beautiful, wavy locks that fell around her shoulders. This was the first time I’d seen Agness dressed down. When she allowed herself to relax, Agness truly looked like a goddess, even more regal than when I saw her in the day.

  Behind me, Theo carefully carried Devon’s limp body from the balcony. Agness set her cup down and shot to a standing position the moment her eyes fell on Devon. She wasted no time in seeing to the situation. “Put him on the rug, there.” She gestured to a furry white rug next to the bed.

  Theo nodded, and with Liam, they pulled Devon to the rug and splayed him out in front of Agness.

  Devon looked lifeless.

  Seeing him like that pained me to no end.

  Agness bent down to Devon’s side. She prodded at his paling body, first placing a hand on his forehead, then his cheek, before running her hand down his torso. In the middle of his shirt was a red bloodstain that spread from where I’d stabbed him. It hurt to look at it. Agness tore Devon’s shirt open, exposing the wound. It was one clean gash across his abdomen.

  “Can you save him?” I asked.

  Agness ignored me and continued working over my vassal. Hovering her hands over Devon’s injury, she closed her eyes and concentrated, pressing her lips together. A light glow emanated from her palms. The magic light from her hands swirled around Devon’s wound and pulsed. I held my breath as I watched Agness’s powers work.

  A minute after, the glow fizzled out, dimming and leaving the wound. The gash over his abdomen was still there, an offensive mark that continued to be a reminder of my crime.

  “What happened?” Every inch of me screamed to go to Devon’s side and hold him in my arms. To make sure he was safe.

  Agness leaned backward, resting on her haunches. Her face sagged as she sighed.

  When she said nothing, I said, “Is he healed?”

  Agness shot a hard stare my way. “I warned you of this. Maxwell saw it coming and asked his son to be taken from you. Still, you both remained stubborn. You de
cided to be together despite all the signs. This is what it’s come to because you refused to listen. We’re going to lose him.”

  I shook my head. “Surely you can save him?”

  Agness frowned. “I thought I’d be able to, but it’s strange that I can’t. The wound is rejecting my healing, and that hardly ever happens. What was he stabbed by?”

  Theo reached into his pocket and pulled out Ares’s dagger, which was still wrapped in a towel. He lowered himself so he was eye level with Agness and showed her the weapon. Agness’s eyes widened. She took the weapon from Theo and wrapped it back up. “The Blade of Ares,” she said. “Where did you find this?”

  “We were at the Ashmeda mountains,” Theo answered, his voice lower than usual.

  “Why were you there?” Agness asked.

  “Clotho sent us.”

  “Clotho?” Her mouth parted. “You met her? Where?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Agness paused. “I would ask you to elaborate if we had time, but we don’t.” She stood and walked toward a cabinet in the shadows of the room. She opened the cabinet and took out a glass bottle that held a purple liquid. Agness then returned to Devon’s side. She cupped his jaw and pried it open before pouring the liquid into his mouth. “That will buy us a few days.”

  “Days?” I asked, taking a step forward. I was often useless, especially without Medusa’s bracelet, and I usually didn’t mind my own clumsiness. This time, however, I wanted to be stronger. Better. Just to save someone I loved. The helplessness was crippling, and the self-blame I felt crushed me. There had to be something I could do.

  Anything to save Devon.

  Agness blew a tired breath through her nose. “The Blade of Ares is a powerful weapon. I can often heal physical injuries easily, but the wounds this blade inflicts are not of the ordinary kind. They suck away the life force of its victim, causing certain death.”