Sweet Legacy (Sweet Venom) (13 page)

“Lay them down,” he says, walking over to a stereo sitting on the counter and punching off the music. “What happened?”

“Euryale is but weakened,” Sthenno exclaims. “She autoported us from Olympus while her energy stores were still quite low.”

The healer pumps liquid sanitizer onto his hands and then walks over to Ursula. He runs his hands around her, not touching her—his palms hover just above the surface of her body. When he gets to her wrists, he swirls his hands in small circles. She groans and tries to sit up.

“Hold still, gorgon,” he says to her in the gentle voice of a therapist or kindergarten teacher.

He crosses to the cabinet, pulls open one of the bottom drawers, and takes out a small brown vial with a black top. Unscrewing the cap, he squeezes the bulb, drawing up a dropper full of orange liquid. Returning to Ursula’s wrists, he squeezes one drop on first her left and then her right. He replaces the cap and then proceeds to rhythmically rub the stuff into her wrists.

“This nectar of Iaso will restore her,” he says. “She will need to rest for a few hours. When she wakes, she will be healed.”

“Thank you, friend,” Sthenno says. She sounds relieved.

“What about Greer?” Thane asks.

Sthenno studies him. Maybe she sees the same thing I saw in his eyes when he told me he could carry my sister here. He cares about Greer. They may not have known each other for long, but he has feelings for her.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much time. I haven’t known Nick for long, but I still dived into the abyss to save him.

Sthenno turns to the healer. “These are my . . .” She glances at me, like she’s trying to figure out how to define our relationship. “Nieces.”

There are too many “greats” in there to keep track of, so I suppose “niece” is simpler.

“Your nie—” The healer’s eyes widen. “Oh, wonder of wonders. They are of the Key Generation?”

Sthenno only stares at him.

The healer turns his attention to me. “Are you?” When I nod, his old face cracks into the widest grin. “Such miraculous news. The rumors are true.”

“Yeah, it’s great,” I say. “But right now my sister could use your help.”

He glances at Greer and then back at me. “Of course, of course.”

He turns to stand over Greer’s table, muttering to himself.

For several minutes, he pokes and prods at Greer. She doesn’t stir, doesn’t react, doesn’t even wince in pain. That she’s not hurting is good, I guess, but my heart is racing. She’s so . . . still. The longer he evaluates her, the higher my blood pressure goes.

But it’s when he finally places his hands over her scalp that I really panic.

“Oh dear,” he says with a heavy dose of worry in his voice.

“What?” I ask. “What’s wrong?”

“Am I correct that she has the second sight?” he asks.

Sthenno answers, “Yes. She has Medusa’s power.”

“That is what I was afraid of.” He turns to face me, frowning. “Your sister is in an astral lock.”

Now it’s my turn to frown. “What does that mean?”

“It means her consciousness is anchored in a vision,” he explains. “When beings with second sight seek a piece of the future, they journey to the astral plane. In ordinary circumstances, the visit is short and uneventful—there and back without incident. With the power of a god magnifying her access, her mind can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, not unlike a computer trying to process more data than it has the capacity to handle.”

“What can we do?” Thane asks.

“Very little,” the healer says. “With adequate rest, however, she will return to her body.”

I sigh with relief. “Good,” I say. “That’s good.”

“Why is this happening?” Thane asks. “Is it a normal side effect of her powers?”

The healer shakes his head. “I’m afraid not.”

“Then what?” I demand.

“She has become a beacon of Apollo,” Sthenno answers for him.

Sillus gasps.

Thane curses, multiple times.

“A beacon of Apollo?” I echo. “What does that—”

Oh, no. Now I remember. When Nick and I found the pendant of Apollo in the oracle’s storefront, he explained what would happen if Greer came in contact with it. Because of her psychic ability, it would forge a direct connection between her and the god of prophecy. It would give Apollo a direct connection with her brain.

“She touched the pendant?” I guess.

“Yes,” Sthenno answers.

“Why would she do that?” I demand. “She knew it was dangerous.”

“She did it to save you,” Sthenno replies. “She sought the knowledge necessary to rescue you from the abyss.”

To save me? And all because I had to dive in after Nick. If I had known the cost . . .

I look around at the faces in the room, all studying me with varying degrees of sympathy—except for Thane, who just looks furious.

“Then we undo it,” I say, matter-of-fact. Seems like an easy answer to me. “We disconnect her. Unplug her like a computer in a thunderstorm.”

Sthenno and the healer exchange looks.

“It is not that easy,” the healer says.

“There is no magical undo,” Sthenno adds.

“Why not?” I argue. “The oracle did it. She left the pendant and abandoned her powers.”

“The relationship between Apollo and his oracles is governed by ancient law and precise ritual,” Sthenno explains. “Greer’s connection with the god of prophecy was created outside the bonds of ritual. That is what makes her situation so dangerous.”

“Apollo can do whatever he wants.” Thane flexes his fingers, like he wants to strangle someone. Maybe Apollo. Maybe me.

Sthenno nods sadly. “He has unrestricted power in his connection to Greer.”

That sounds bad. That sounds really bad.

“I don’t accept this.” I start pacing. “There must be a way.”

“There is only one way to break this connection,” the healer whispers.

“How’s that?”

Sthenno shakes her head, and the healer drops his gaze.

“How?” I repeat.

Thane looks me straight in the eyes. “The human has to die.”

CHAPTER 15
G
REER

E
verything around me is gray—hazy and misty and unclear. I feel like I’m jogging on the beach at Crissy Field when the fog rolls in off the Bay.

Only when I’m on Crissy Field, my head doesn’t usually feel like it wants to explode into a supernova.

“Oh god,” I moan.

“Greer,” someone shouts.

“She’s waking up!”

“Shhhhh,” I complain, trying to lift a hand to my aching head, but my arm is tied down. Both of them are. “Stop yelling.”

“We’re not yelling,” a voice says, not quite as loud as before.

“Where am I?” I ask. “Why are my hands tied down?”

“You’re in the healer’s room,” the voice, which is starting to sound more and more like Gretchen, says. “And your hands aren’t tied down. See?”

I feel something wrap around my wrist, and then one of my arms lifts up.

I try to pull it away, to guide it to my throbbing head, but it remains frozen as before.

“Don’t try to move,” Gretchen says, her voice getting softer. “The healer says your brain needs time to restart.”

“Restart?” I try to remember . . . something, anything. The last thing I can recall is a beautiful white hall, more glorious than anything I’d seen before. It feels like a long time has passed since then. “Why?”

“That’s not important right now,” Gretchen says. “Just relax. Close your eyes, and everything will be back to normal when you wake up.”

She sounds like she’s trying to convince herself.

I don’t always choose to do what Gretchen tells me to do—I hate following orders—but just this once . . .

The next time I wake up, my head still hurts like someone is crushing it in a vise, but my arms seem to work. I lift one to my forehead, expecting to find a bloody gash or pieces of skull sticking out. The way I hurt, I wouldn’t be surprised if half my brain was missing. I’m disappointed when I only feel my normal, unmarred skin.

“Obviously we can’t kill her,” a hushed voice says. “What’s plan B?”

My ears perk up.

“There is no plan B,” another voice replies. “If she were stronger, had more training, perhaps she could withstand him for a time.”

“We have to do something,” a third voice whispers. “Anyone with Apollonian blood or one of his amulets can track her wherever she goes.”

Squinting against the blinding light, I force one eyelid open just a fraction. I’m in what looks like a spa room—I’ve been in enough to recognize one on sight. There is soothing sage green paint on the walls, a stack of fluffy white towels on a rack by the door, and a collection of massage oils and lotions on the counter. I’m also completely alone.

“We need to get to the safe house,” the second voice says. “It is only a matter of time before they show up here.”

“We stay here as long as we can,” the first voice insists. “She needs the recovery time.”

“Huntress recover.”

The voices are coming from the other side of the dark wood door.

The conversation sounds important. I need to be out there with them.

I push my palm against the surface I’m lying on, trying to get myself into a sitting position. Fierce pain sparks from my wrist, up my arm and down my spine.

I cry out.

Wave after wave of pain washes through my body, and I scrunch up my face as my stomach coils in knots. I can’t remember ever feeling this kind of pain. Of course, right now I can’t remember much of anything. I force my brain to work. I remember the loft exploding, the mythological armies showing up at my tea, going into the abyss and then Mount Olympus beyond that. The brilliant white hall.

“Sthenno,” I whisper, my voice dry and cracked.

Memory slides into focus, and I remember.

I’d been searching for Sthenno, had just found her in some invisible cell and blown on the whistle to call Gretchen and Thane back to my side, when I blacked out—got pulled away. By Apollo.

As the god of prophecy’s warning echoes in my mind, I can’t stop the shiver that chases down my spine. How can someone so beautiful be so malicious?

A warm hand slips beneath my palm and gives me a squeeze.

I smile. I hadn’t even heard the door open. “Thane?”

“How do you feel?”

“Like someone threw me off the top of the Transamerica building.” His soft laugh is like a balm to my pain. “Where am I?”

“At a healer’s,” he says. “Sthenno brought you and Euryale here.”

“We did it?” I ask. “We got them both out?”

“We did.”

“And they’re all right?” I ask.

“Yes. They’re outside with Gretchen,” he says. “Are you?”

“Yeah, I—” I shake my head, not sure how to explain the vision with Apollo. “When I blacked out,” I say, “I saw Apollo.”

Thane scowls. “Like in a vision?”

“Yes,” I explain, “but not like any vision I’ve had before. We were . . . talking.”

“About what?”

This is the part I don’t want to think about. “About—”

The door to the room flies open and Gretchen bursts in.

“We need to go,” she says, rushing to my side and grabbing me by the ankles. “Now.”

With one rough thrust, she spins me around, yanking my legs to the side, letting them dangle off the table. Pain shoots up my spine, but I ignore it.

“Can you walk?” she demands.

“What’s happening?”

“Can you walk?”
she repeats.

She reaches for me. Before she can manhandle me off the table altogether, I slide down to the floor and test out the stability of my legs. There is some pain, but only a little wobble. I pronounce myself able to stand.

“Yes,” I say, pushing away from the table to balance on my own two feet. “Now, care to tell me what’s going on?”

“No time.” Gretchen grabs our backpacks from the chair next to the door. She shoves one at Thane, pulls one onto her back, and threads her arms through the third so it rests on her chest. “First we move, then we talk. Sillus and the gorgons are waiting at the back door.”

She’s gone from the room before I can ask again.

I look at Thane, but he’s stone-faced.

“Walk,” he instructs. “If you need help, I’ll carry you.”

“I can walk.” The first few steps from the table to the door are a little unsteady, but I make it. “When we get where we’re going, I want answers.”

“You’ll get them,” he says, guiding me out into the hall in front of him. “Even if you don’t like them.”

Gretchen leads us into a back alley strewn with garbage cans, loose trash, and abandoned furniture.

“I shall delay them as long as I can,” the healer whispers as we exit into the daylight. “May the gods be with you.”

I hear Sthenno mutter, “Only the ones on our side.”

Then Gretchen is running down the alley, keeping to the side and dodging behind whatever obstacles can provide us some protection. We follow as closely as possible—the gorgons first, then the furry little monkey, and finally me with Thane right at my back. When Gretchen gets to the end, she holds up a fist that I interpret to mean “stop here.” She waves us behind a Dumpster, and as much as I don’t relish the idea of hiding behind a container of garbage, I dislike the idea of being found by whoever is after us even more.

She steps around the corner to investigate.

Thane leans close from behind. “Are you okay?”

My head is killing me, but that’s becoming a standard state of being.

I nod, wishing we weren’t in this life-or-death situation so I could enjoy the sensation of his breath on my neck. I may not understand this connection between us, but I cannot deny that I like it, a lot.

Gretchen runs back to join us.

“There aren’t many,” she whispers. “Half a dozen soldiers, maybe. And they’re entering through the front.”

Sthenno asks, “Arms of Olympus?”

Gretchen nods.

“We could fight them,” Thane suggests.

“That would be unwise,” Euryale replies.

Gretchen shakes her head. “They’re heavily armed.” She skims her gaze over me and Euryale. “And our forces are not full strength.”

I want to argue, but I know she’s right. Just staying upright requires too much effort.

“Getting to the safe house is our only chance,” Sthenno says. “It will buy us time to find a solution.”

“Right. We’re going to walk out of the alley, single file,” Gretchen explains. “Head right and don’t look back.”

“I’m not leaving Greer’s side,” Thane insists.

Gretchen studies him for a second and then concedes. “Fine—in pairs. We’ll regroup at the bookstore four blocks south and then make for the safe house.”

We all agree.

“On my mark,” she says.

She moves back to the head of the alley, leaning up against the wall and peering around onto the street beyond. She raises her arm and waves us forward.

We’ll make quite the parade.

Thane grabs me by the forearm and pulls me out from behind our hiding spot. “You’re going first.”

We walk past Gretchen, stepping out onto the sidewalk and trying to look like normal people. Thane releases his grip on my arm, dropping his hand to clasp mine. He threads our fingers together, securing our hands palm to palm. To anyone else on the street, we must look like an ordinary couple out for a walk on a gray afternoon, happily enjoying each other—except for the tension in every muscle of our bodies.

I start to look back over my shoulder, but Thane tugs at my arm.

“Don’t,” he says. “Eyes forward.”

I scowl at him. “What is your problem?”

He flicks a glance at me. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”

“If you hadn’t noticed,” I argue, “I’m not incapable.”

His mouth quirks into a half smile. “No, you’re not. But you are a beacon of Apollo. You are in the greatest danger of all.”

“What does that mean?”

“When you touched the oracle’s pendant,” he explains, “you created a direct connection between your mind and the god of prophecy.”

I give him a blank look.

“Apollo has unlimited access to your brain.” Thane scowls. “He can track you, communicate with you, and see your visions.”

Sugar. Well, that explains the conversation with Apollo in my vision, and why Sthenno seemed so upset that I had touched the pendant. At the time I didn’t think we had another choice, otherwise I would be upset with myself as well.

As it stands, I did what I had to do, and I will live with the consequences. I will figure out a way to fix the situation.

Seconds later, the sound of footsteps smacking on the pavement clatters around me.

“They’re coming!” Gretchen shouts, rushing past us with the monkey on her shoulders. “Let’s go!”

Thane doesn’t wait for me to respond. He breaks into a sprint, dragging me along with him. My weakened legs struggle to keep up, but every time I start to lag behind, Thane pulls harder. He keeps me upright and moving. It feels like we run forever, even though it’s only a few blocks.

Inside the bookstore, Gretchen is standing by the front door, watching, while Sillus hugs her calf. She waves us inside, gesturing us deeper into the shop. Thane and I move between the wooden shelves of local travel guides and books by Bay Area authors, heading for a side room with a big window facing the sidewalk.

He leads me up the few steps and into a place behind a short bookshelf where we can watch the street. The gorgons hurry by, heading for the front door. Moments later, they all join us.

“Get down,” Gretchen whispers urgently.

I bend my knees but keep my eyes glued on the window. I see the half dozen men run by, sporting golden armor and carrying vicious-looking weapons. They must not have seen us duck inside, because they don’t stop or alter their course.

No one says a word for several minutes.

“They will return,” Sthenno warns, “as soon as they recalculate our position.”

A sharp pain pierces the dull ache in my brain.

The bookshop goes blurry around me as my mind drifts into a vision.

Apollo stands before a full-length mirror in his all-white chamber. As I watch, his reflection in the glass fades, and instead the mirror reveals the interior of a bookshop—the interior of
this
bookshop, with all of us inside.

“You cannot hide,” he says. “I thought I made that clear.”

The vision ends, and I gasp.

“They already have.” I look around at my companions, at the very image I just saw in the mirror. “Apollo knows we’re here.”

Sthenno huffs out a tight breath.

“It’s uncanny,” Euryale says, tears glistening in her soft gray eyes.

“What?” I ask. I glance at Gretchen and Thane. “What?”