Something True (21 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Darla

“You okay?” Wallace asked me.

I looked down at his hand, clasped around mine. He’d worn a dark-blue tie to match my blue dress, which was not only way prettier than the green, but far more comfortable. Especially with my one-inch black heels. When I stood up straight in them, Wallace and I saw exactly eye to eye.

“I’m good,” I told him as Principal Peterson took the stage. My pulse raced convulsively, and there were parts of me sweating that really shouldn’t have been sweating, but otherwise, I was fine. “Except this crown is really starting to itch my head.”

I reached up and dug my fingertips into my scalp. Wallace smirked.

“Well, good thing you’re about to get a new one, then,” he said, knocking my shoulder with his.

“Ha-ha.” I knocked him right back.

The voting had been closed about a half hour earlier, and a few sophomores had scurried out with the vote box, giggling the whole way. Wallace had been invited to help tally the votes again this year but had declined, so that he could stay by my side. Thank God. Because if he hadn’t, I definitely would have peed in my Spanx by now.

Suddenly the music died. Principal Peterson took the microphone off its stand and cleared his throat. Almost everyone turned to face the small stage, which was skirted by a dark-blue curtain. The blue, white, and silver balloon arch behind the principal had detached from the wall and was starting to peel forward slightly. A couple of the girls from the homecoming dance committee stood nearby, eyeing it warily.

“Can I have your attention, please?” the principal said, tugging at his too-tight collar. “This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The announcement of this year’s Lake Carmody High School homecoming king and queen!”

Mariah and Kenna brushed by behind us, both of them casting beady glances at our held hands. Neither of them said a word to me, but Mariah gave me a little smile when Kenna’s back was turned. I realized that I honestly had no idea who my friends were going to be on Monday morning, if I’d even have them, but right then I didn’t care. Wallace was my best friend and now, sort of my boyfriend. Who needed anyone else?

“Hey, good luck.”

I turned to find Charlie Cox, of all people, standing next to me with his arm around Katrina Ramos. She smiled shyly, looking ridiculously pretty in a dark-pink dress with a black lace overlay.

“I voted for you,” she said.

My eyebrows shot up. “Really? Thanks. I love your dress.”

“Yours, too,” she replied. “It’s the perfect color for the occasion.”

Exactly.

Principal Peterson opened the silver envelope and withdrew a white card. My grip on Wallace’s hand tightened.

“Your homecoming king and queen are . . .”

Darla Shayne. Say Darla Shayne,
I begged silently.

“Peter Marrott and Claudia Catalfo!”

My chest deflated as the world erupted in applause. Just like that. All the work, all the hoping, all the drama—it came to nothing.

“Wow,” Wallace said. “So much for my career in political polling.” He turned to me and took my hand. “I’m so sorry that I got your hopes up.”

“It’s okay,” I said, and meant it. I mean, it sucked, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t suck for too long.

Wallace pulled me into a hug as blue, silver, and white balloons rained down from the ceiling. People whooped and cheered, kicking the balloons around as Peter and Claudia ascended the few steps to the stage.

“There’s always next year,” Wallace said in my ear.

And I laughed as two tiny tears squeezed out. “You know, I really don’t think I want to go through this again.”

Wallace pulled back. “Then we’ll run someone else’s campaign. Together. Because we really can’t let Veronica Vine win.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please. Can we talk about anything else?”

“How about how much I love you?”

My heart burst into a million tiny pieces and then zipped back together again, pounding one hard, strong beat, like nothing I’d ever felt before.

“You do?” I said.

“I always have,” he told me matter-of-factly as a hundred people jostled around us to make room for the king and queen’s first dance. “I think I probably always will.”

I looked him in the eye, my hand flat on the lapel of his jacket. “Wallace, I—”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he said, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “I know it’s probably a serious shock.”

“No. I mean, it is, but . . . what’s really shocking is . . . I love you, too.”

And then, as the spotlight trailed Peter Marrott and Claudia Catalfo to the center of the dance floor, Wallace Bracken and I stood in the middle of the sea of nameless, faceless people and kissed for what felt like the very first time.

CHAPTER FIFTY

True

“This is it! This is it! They’re going to kiss!”

I grabbed Hephaestus’s shoulder, balling the black fabric of his suit jacket up in my hand. My bow and arrows were tucked safely into their case, which was hidden badly behind Hephaestus’s butt. Luckily, my mother was chaperoning the dance—the better to keep an eye on me and do whatever her mortal self could do to protect me—and since we’d come in with her, none of the other chaperones had asked him what it was sticking out a foot from each side of his chair.

Slowly Darla leaned in to accept Wallace’s kiss, the lights swirling around them, the dancers moving to block them from my view. Aphrodite watched from the far side of the room, her hands clutched in front of her. So far, Artemis and Apollo had yet to make themselves known, but they would undoubtedly be here, and I knew that they would come prepared.

“Where’s Orion?” Hephaestus asked.

“I sent him to get us some snacks.”

Orion smiled over at us from across the room, as if he knew we were talking about him. He looked unbelievably handsome in a dark gray suit, his brown hair freshly shorn.

Finally Wallace and Darla’s lips touched, and then everything happened at once. Orion suddenly fainted, eliciting a scream from someone nearby, and the entire room went black.

“What the—” Hephaestus said.

A communal groan went up around the gym, and there were a few girls’ squeals as well. I had taken one step in Orion’s general direction when someone grabbed me from behind. I had barely a chance to gasp before I felt the ice-cold blade sinking into my side. Pain exploded into the depths of my stomach as I doubled over.

“This is almost too easy,” Artemis growled in my ear.

I screeched and reached back to grab her behind her head. With everything I had in me, I flung her over my shoulder onto her back, then yanked the blade from my side, dropping it with a shaking hand to the floor. Blood soaked my fingers, but I was still breathing, still here.

“Hephaestus! My weapon!”

The lights came on. Hephaestus was slumped forward in his chair, out cold. Apollo hovered over him. Both he and Artemis, on the floor in front of me, wore breastplates made of steel forged in the deepest caves of Mount Etna—the only material on Earth or in the heavens that could stop my leaden arrows. It was their blue-black color that gave them away. Someone was helping the twins, just as my father had helped me. But no matter. I was prepared for this.

I yanked my case out in one swift motion and, before anyone could act, had the bow and arrow in my grasp. Apollo lunged for me, but instead of drawing on him, I raced across the room, where Orion was just pushing himself to his hands and knees. Girls scurried out of my way, boys grabbed their friends and darted into corners. Someone screamed as I loaded an arrow into the bridge and drew on Orion. He stood up and staggered back, his face white with shock.

“Eros?” he said.

Dear Gods, he knew me. My heart nearly exploded as I longed to throw myself into his arms. To kiss him with all the longing and despair and hope I’d felt for these last weeks of exile. But I couldn’t do it. I had to stay strong. My fingers, slippery with blood, shook as I held the arrow fast between them.

“Eros! What are you doing?” Artemis cried, running up behind me.

“Everyone just calm down.” The vice principal, Ms. Austin, walked over with her hands raised, wearing a brown dress that did nothing for her square frame. My mother was right behind her, her blue eyes sharp. “True, put down the weapon.”

“I see you’ve protected yourself, Artemis,” I said, blood gushing from my wound. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve come up with a new plan. Orion, I need you to look at Artemis.”

“But—but you’re hurt,” he said, staring at the bloodstain that was rapidly growing across the front of my white dress.

“Just look at her!” I growled, even as my side convulsed with pain.

It took obvious effort for him to tear his eyes off me and look at her. She stood next to me, shaking from head to toe.

“If I prick Orion with this arrow while he gazes upon you, Artemis, he will be poisoned against you for all time.”

“But you’ll kill him!” she protested.

I shook my head. “All it takes to breed hatred is a flesh wound. I don’t have to kill him to make him loathe you.”

She took a step toward me and I inched the arrow toward his shoulder, gritting my teeth. “One false move and I’ll do it. I swear.”

Artemis froze.

“You need to choose, Orion,” I said. “Do you love her, or do you love me?”

Apollo raced toward me with a growl of rage.

“Apollo, no!” My mother moved to intercept him, but he shoved her out of the way and into the wall of gaping students. Two guys grabbed her before she could hit the floor, and her face was red with anger.

“Stop where you are, Apollo!” I cried. “If I cut him with this, she will never get her answer.”

“Like I care,” Apollo replied.

He lunged for me, but Artemis turned around and kneed him in the groin so hard, he doubled over and fell at her feet. A few guys gasped, and some startled shouts echoed through the room.

“Choose, Orion,” Artemis said. “It’s time for you to choose.”

My love drew himself up. His shoulders were thrown back, his chin raised in that haughty way I knew so well. He looked Artemis directly in the eye, and his expression softened. My heart skipped a beat and my fingers twitched. I’d lost him. I never would have thought it possible, but I’d lost him.

“I’m sorry, Artemis, but I love Eros,” he said.

My heart overflowed and I took a step forward, but at that moment Artemis let out a battle cry like no other and launched herself off her feet. I turned to face her, hoping to get one arrow off and at least hit her in the leg, but I had let my guard down for that brief moment and I was too late. She tackled me to the ground, and my fingers slipped from the bow. My side tore in two as I watched the arrow arc feebly through the air, heading right for Orion’s chest.

There were screeches, screams, gasps. People scattered. There was a clatter as something large fell to the gym floor.

And then the arrow stopped. It froze in midair. Artemis and I sat up together as the world went silent. I shoved myself to my feet. Every soul in the room except for me, Orion, Artemis, Apollo, and Aphrodite was as still as ice. I glanced at Hephaestus, who remained unconscious, and was gratified to see that he was breathing.

“What in the name of Zeus?” Orion stepped forward and touched the pad of one finger to the tip of the frozen arrow. Then he waved his hand in front of the vice principal’s face, her mouth open in an arrested scream.

“What’s happening?” Apollo groaned, pushing himself to his knees.

I glanced down at him. “I don’t know.”

It was then that Zeus, Hera, Ares, and Harmonia whirled into the gym, taking out half the balloon arrangements and sending glitter splattering against the frozen faces of a hundred unsuspecting mortals. Harmonia fell to her knees in front of Hephaestus while the three upper gods walked down the aisle I had created with my bow-wielding run.

Ares stepped up next to me and ran his hand over my wound, healing it and clearing the blood away. “Are you quite well, my daughter?”

“Quite,” I replied, standing up straight.

The king and queen came to stand before the rest of us. Hera wore her black hair piled atop her head with a gold band crusted with diamonds running through it, her white gown pristine as ever. Zeus’s blond beard was clipped short, his green eyes almost merry, as he paused before me in his classic Roman attire—laced sandals, leather breastplate and all.

My mother, father, Orion, and I bowed. Artemis and Apollo, still on the floor, merely dipped their heads. Somewhere behind the king and queen, Hephaestus groaned.

“Well, Eros. You’ve made quite a mess of things, haven’t you?” the king said.

“Have I? I think things were going well until a moment ago.”

Artemis shoved herself off the ground and advanced on the queen. “You told me I could have him! You told me I would have my revenge!”

The queen raised a dismissive hand, passing it before Artemis’s throat, and Artemis fell silent. Try as she might to shout, nothing emanated from her mouth. She clasped her hands over her neck and tried to choke out a sound, but it was fruitless.

“I tire of your incessant complaining,” Hera said with a sniff.

“Well, I’ll give you this,” the king said, looking down his nose at me. “You’ve done as I asked. You’ve matched your three couples and proven yourself to be dedicated to your calling.”

Hera glanced over her shoulder at Wallace and Darla. Their hands were clasped as they looked toward us, frozen in disbelief.

“An odd pairing, to be sure, but love is often . . . illogical,” she said, glancing at her husband.

Zeus smirked, then gestured at Orion casually.

“Go ahead, Eros. You may now claim your prize.”

I turned to Orion. A smile stretched across his handsome face. We stumbled into each other, our lips meeting messily, hungrily, ecstatically as my hands traveled his arms, his shoulders, his waist, his hair. He was back. My love had been returned to me. It had been so long since I’d touched him—the real him—I couldn’t get enough.

Hephaestus was right all along. Those kisses with the other Orion had been amazing, but this . . . this was the real thing.

In the corner of my vision, Artemis fell to her knees, still clutching her throat as tears poured from her eyes.

“What about your deal with Artemis?” Apollo demanded, shoving himself unsteadily to his feet and advancing on the queen. “What happened to that?”

“The king and I discovered that our desires were in conflict,” the queen said. “I wanted to do away with both of you,” she said, casting a cool eye at me and Artemis. “But he claims that we gods and goddesses need a stronger presence, not a lesser one.”

“My queen acted rashly,” the king put in with a teasing smile. “Losing two young and dedicated goddesses would not only upset the balance of the universe, but it would weaken our power as a whole. Therefore, we’ve decided to let you both live.”

I looked at my father. He barely contained an eye roll. Games. The king and queen loved to play games—with us, with each other, with the mortals of Earth. But at least this time, I had won. My hand was clutched inside Orion’s and made me the victor.

“Where would the two lovebirds like to go?” Zeus asked me and Orion, plucking my leaden arrow from the air and twirling it in one hand. “Would you return to the Mount? Or to your love nest in Maine?”

I grasped Orion’s hand even tighter, about to say yes. That cabin in Maine was where I’d been happier than anywhere else. But then I remembered how restless Orion had grown, being separated from human contact. My gaze traveled over the many familiar faces in the crowd—Peter and Claudia, Katrina and Charlie, and Wallace, Darla, Lauren, Mia, Josh, Gavin, even the awful Veronica. I’d begun to feel at home among these people. I enjoyed getting to know them and understand them. Did I really want to leave them now?

I looked into Orion’s eyes, and he smiled. He knew exactly what I was thinking.

“What if we . . . wanted to stay here?” I asked. “For just a little while longer. I feel like I was just getting good at this.”

“But what of the rest of the world?” Hera asked. “Lake Carmody, New Jersey, is not the only community deserving of your attentions.”

“Of course not, my queen,” I said. “But I do love this new depth of understanding that comes from really knowing the people I’m matching. What if I came home to Mount Olympus a few hours each day to breed love from my earthen window? Would that appease you?”

She tilted her head in acquiescence, her attitude toward me still cool.

“What say you, Orion? Do you like it here?” Zeus asked.

Orion’s jaw dropped slightly, probably unable to believe the king had bothered asking what he wanted. Harmonia and Hephaestus approached our conference from behind the king and queen, holding hands.

“I’ll happily go wherever Eros goes,” Orion said, lifting my hand to kiss it. “As long as there is good hunting nearby.”

Zeus stepped up to me and put out his hands, palm up. I released Orion and allowed the king to hold my hands in his.

“I’m proud of you, Eros. You showed true dedication, true understanding, and true heart in all this. You’ve set an example for everyone else on Mount Olympus to follow,” he added, casting a wry glance at Apollo and Artemis. “But I need you to do me one favor.”

“Anything, Your Highness,” I said.

“Would you promise my wife that you won’t use your growing powers in an attempt to usurp her throne?” he said, turning sideways to see Hera. “She’s become quite paranoid about you girls.”

Hera sniffed and looked to the left, as if this line of conversation offended her. My gaze shifted past her, to where Hephaestus sat, kissing the back of Harmonia’s hand, holding it like he would never let her go.

“Of course I will. On three conditions,” I said.

Zeus raised his eyebrows, intrigued. “Let’s not forget who you’re talking to.”

“I won’t,” I replied. “These are small requests.”

He lifted his chin and drew back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Have at it, then.”

“I want you to return Aphrodite to the Mount where she belongs,” I said. “I want Artemis and Apollo to be banned from Orion’s presence, and I want Hephaestus’s powers to be returned and for him to be welcomed back home with open arms, so that he may be with my sister, Harmonia.”

Zeus’s eyes narrowed, and he nodded. “Done.”

“What? Really?” Hephaestus raised his head, his whole face brightening with joy. Harmonia laughed, a musical, tinkling sound that lightened the entire room.

“I’d quit while you’re ahead if I were you,” my father said gruffly.

Hephaestus’s mouth snapped shut, and he had the intelligence to look unnerved. I couldn’t imagine how my new family was going to work with my mother’s former husband now in love with her daughter, but they would figure it out somehow. Hopefully there would be no tossed lightning bolts or sojourns to Etna involved.