from Lucas? She didnt think she could make herself do that any
sooner than she could make one of her hands shrivel up and fall
off.
Castor and I tried to choose differently, Noel said sadly. We
tried to run away just before Lucas was born. We wanted a fresh
start so badly that we didnt even give him a traditional name.
So what happened? Helen asked, desperate to keep Noel talking
and maybe learn something that might give her a reason to
hope.
What always happens, Noel said with a knowing smile.
Family.
Helen sat still for a moment, unwilling to stand up for fear that it
would end the interview and therefore end her welcome in this
house. She knew from witnessing everyone elses obedient reaction
that what Noel said in her kitchen was law for the entire family.
Helen had always thought that Noel was the weak one, the one who
needed protecting, but she was beginning to realize that Noel had a
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power all her own. When it came down to the matter of who was to
be accepted into the family and who was denied hospitality, Noel
had the final say for everyone that lived under her roof. Not even
Lucas would be able to break away from that without being forced
to leave his entire family behind. Helen had been denied Noels
blessing, and that was the end of it.
Helen managed to stand up and make her way to the door but
when she got there she paused. May I ask you one more question?
Helen said, following an impulse. She waited politely for
Noel to nod before continuing. What would you have named
Lucas?
Tradition would have led us to name him after Castors father.
Noels face was closed.
And what was that? Helen asked, already half knowing what
Lucass name would have been, what it should have been if his
mother and father had followed the rules.
Paris, Noel replied, unable to look Helen in the eye.
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UNCORRECTED E-PROOFNOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
.....................................................................
Chapter Fifteen
The meadow went on and on and onendlessly. There
was only one type of flower that grew herea small
blossom so pale it was nearly transparent. No bees
buzzed around these flowers and none of them altered
from their precise alignment unless Helen brushed
against them. They were infertile things that had no scent, sustained
no life with their nectar. They were never going to bear
fruit.
The terrain she plodded through was no longer hilly nor toilsome,
the temperature was neither hot nor cold, and no sharp
stones or thorny bushes cut her feet, but still, the place was intolerable.
Helen may as well have stood in one spot for weeks, staring
at the same uninspiring flower and breathing the same stale
air, as walk. The land she had entered was unchanging, repetitive,
pointless, and the longer she stayed there the more numb she
became.
It was a meadow of misery.
Helen woke up and couldnt remember what day it was. Did it matter?
she wondered, but then she remembered that if it was
Saturday she wouldnt have to go to school. That meant she
wouldnt have to put up with any more of the random awkward
questions she kept getting from eager girls trying to determine
whether she and Lucas were still dating. The vultures were circling,
painting their lips or flexing their muscles, all of them hoping to be
the first to land on one or the other of the carcasses.
If it was Saturday, Helen wouldnt run the risk of seeing Lucas
from afar as he went from class to class. She wouldnt have to recognize
the graceful curve of his shoulder or the curious tilt of his
head rising over the throngs of nondescript shapes that made up
the rest of the population. If it was Saturday, she could go to the
Delos house knowing that he wouldnt be there while she trained.
But if it was Saturday, that only left her with a different pile of crap
to shovel for the next sixteen or seventeen hoursall day shed
have to be where he wasnt.
Helen rolled over on the air mattress, looked at the clock, and
saw that it was indeed Saturday. Nine and a half days had passed
since Noel had banned her from Lucass presence, and Helen was
still waiting to feel somethingbut all she felt was numb. She
heard Ariadne stir and then scoot over to the edge of the bed to
look down at her where she lay on the air mattress.
Morning, Ariadne said with a wan smile. Howd you sleep?
Helen answered by throwing the covers off to reveal the untouched
jingle bells still wrapped around her ankles. They were exactly
as theyd been when the two girls went to bed, but under the
bells, Helens feet were dirty, swollen, and red from what looked
like weeks of walking.
Again? Ariadne asked, dismayed. You have to be floating out
of the window, because I swear I didnt hear a thing, and I barely
shut my eyes last night!
Its not your fault, Helen said, shaking her head and unstrapping
the useless bells. For a moment, Helen considered telling Ariadne
about her vivid nightmares. They all knew she had them, but
Helen hadnt shared what her dreams were about with anyone
since shed told them to Kate. Helen took a breath, intending to
confide in Ariadne, and then stopped herself. Would Ari think she
was going crazy like Cassandra? Helen decided she should keep
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her mouth shut. You know, I really dont see the point in you
spending every night here if Im wafting out the window as soon as
you nod off.
Dont even start with that, because it isnt going to happen, Ariadne
said peevishly. She threw her covers off and stood. Lucas is
probably gonna kill me dead enough as it is, she mumbled nonsensically
as she headed to the bathroom.
Oh, hey! Sorry! Jerry said with surprise as he ran into a scantily
clad Ariadne in the hallway.
Hi, Ariadne growled at Jerry as she slammed the bathroom
door.
Helen tossed the silly bells under the bed and looked up at her
dad who was peeking timidly around her door.
I didnt know Ariadne was here. Again, he said.
Yup, Helen replied, like it was obvious.
Okay, he said wavering in and out of the doorway. And youll
be at her house all day, I suppose? Working on that project for
school still?
Yup.
Okay, he said, confusion scrunching his brow. Uh . . . Happy
birthday?
Thanks, Helen replied with a nod. Then she stared at him until
he went away.
Did I hear your dad say it was your birthday? Ariadne asked
with wide eyes as she came back into the room.
Uh-huh, Helen said. Not a word to anyone. I just want to practice
and then come home and go to back to bed.
No!
We should do something! Ariadne protested. We should
take the day off and go shopping, then maybe go out for dinner!
Im sorry, Ari, but I cant. I just woke up and Im already exhausted,
Helen replied, hearing her voice sound low. Practice,
then back to bed. Thats all I want for my birthday.
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Ariadne shook her head sadly and stared at Helen while she
made up the inflatable bed she insisted on sleeping in every night.
Helen could see that Ariadne wanted to argue, wanted to insist that
Helen at least try to enjoy herself on her birthday, but thankfully,
she gave in.
Helen could barely keep her eyes open, and she was starving. She
wondered again if she actually had walked for days, like she did in
her dream, or if there was something wrong with her mentally.
Noels words about love being able to drive a person mad came
back to haunt Helen. Were her all-too-vivid nightmares what Noel
had meant? And then she had to consider if, at that point, it might
not be a comfort to go stark, raving mad.
Creon stepped onto the dock from the private yacht his father had
supplied for him and his team. The trip across the Atlantic from
Spain to Nantucket had been long and tedious, but necessary. They
required tools that would never make it through customs, even on
a privately owned plane, and what was more, they could never fly
their quarry back, anyway. That would be foolish. She needed to be
properly secured no matter how much the preparation inconvenienced
Creon and his team.
His father had explained it all to himhow years ago hed had
the chance to kill her, but that he had fallen under the spell of her
facethe Face. Creon was surprised that his father had been weaker
than him, but that, too, was a sign of the coming of Atlantis. The
Scion generations were fated to get stronger and stronger, to be
born with more and more talents until finally, a generation was to
come that could defeat the gods. His fathers moment of weakness,
as unfortunate as it was, had its benefits. In that moment, Tantalus
had learned of her phobia for the water. Creons quarry feared and
hated the ocean, and that was an advantage for the Hundred Cousins.
By using a boat to transport her, she would be virtually imprisoned
by an element she could not control, and considering how
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powerful she was, they needed to give her prison as many layers of
walls as they could find.
As he disembarked, Creon turned to tell his crew to stay on the
yacht and wait for his return. He wanted to make that it clear to
them that he was in charge by keeping them as far away from the
action as possible. Any one of his dear cousins might be tempted to
take whatever opportunity they could to insert themselves into the
annals of Scion history by stealing his Triumph. Creon couldnt allow
that to happen, not even by accident. After all of the risks hed
taken, after all of his patience, he would finally be the one to bring
his House the glory that it deserved. He was destined to be equal to
the heroes of old, like Hercules or Perseus. Maybe even better, because
Creon would do more than kill a hydra or a gorgon. Much
more. He would be the giver of immortality to his family, and to his
father.
Only one life stood in his way, and that life would be delivered to
Tantalus, Head of the House of Thebes and future ruler of Atlantis,
by Creon, his son and Heir, who would receive the honor for the
capture. And maybe he would also be given the hauntingly beautiful
prize that he deservedhis quarrys daughter.
Ariadne and Helen drove to the compound in total silence. When
they stopped behind Matt at a light in town Ariadne waved. They
could both see his eyes and forehead pinched up with worry as he
stared at Helen in his rearview mirror.
I know youre sad, but you shouldnt ignore Matt like that, Ariadne
said with a little heat. Hes one of the best people Ive ever
met, and youre hurting him.
Youre right. Im being selfish, Helen said. She felt blank inside.
Empty. I know it, and I hate it, but I just cant seem to stop.
Thats not what I meant, Ariadne stammered apologetically,
her eyes on the road. I know what youre sacrificing, and I know
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why. But you know what? I think you need to cry, even just once.
Maybe then you could let it out and feel a little better.
Helen had tried to cry, but no tears came. Instead, all that she felt
was this creeping nothing inside her. She knew she should care
about how Matt felt, but she didnt even care how she felt, not even
when she was fighting for her life against Hector on the mat. Their
workouts had become brief and brutal. Now that Helen no longer
had an emotional block against using her bolts she was learning
how to control them and let them out bit by bit. Only someone who
didnt mind getting fried could fight her hand to hand. Now,
coupled with the power of the cestus, which made her impervious
to any weapon, Helen had become nearly undefeatable.
Toward the end of their session that day Hector tried to put her
in a Kimura and she electrocuted him for the third time. He
dropped unconscious to the mat. After a moment, she approached
him and nudged him with her toe.
Are we done here? she asked him with raised eyebrows when
he came around.
You still dont know how to fight, he mumbled as he wiped
You bit through your tongue, Helen said flatly. You should
probably take a break.
Helen went to her corner to drink some water. She saw Claire,
Jason, Cassandra, and Ariadne all staring at her from outside the
fight cage. Jason was the first to move. He took two long strides,
jumped fluidly over the metal fence, and landed next to his shaking
brother.
I think thats enough, Hector, Jason said. She doesnt need any
more training.
She cant even throw a punch! Hector protested, slurring his
words.
She doesnt need to, Cassandra said with finality. She doesnt
need to learn to punch or hold a sword or shoot an arrow to defend
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herself. Shes already ten times more lethal than you are, Hector,
and if you keep trying to find a way to beat her youre going to end
up brain dead. These sessions are over.
Cassandra stood up and walked out of the dojo.
Shes still vulnerable! Hector shouted after Cassandras retreating
figure. There are a million ways to subdue her once you find a
way to get around her bolts!
Enough, Hector, Jason said gently. Cassandras right. Figure
out her vulnerabilities and train her to deal with them, but the dojo
work is done. Hand-to-hand combat is not something she ever has
to fear.
So no more chaperone? Helen asked, raising her eyes from her
empty water bottle. The Delos kids looked at each oth
er,
shrugging.
I guess not, Hector finally concluded. At least not until Cassandra
foresees a threat. Then, I dont care how lethal you are, one
of us will be with you at all times again.
May I go until then? Helen asked, looking at Hector and waiting
politely for permission. He nodded. She bowed to him and then
jumped into the air.
Wait, Lennie! Claire shouted up at her. We were going to
throw you a party. Kate made you a cake!
Helen saw Claire, saw how worried she was, but she couldnt do
what Claire wanted. She couldnt pretend to be cheerful. Not for a
few hours while everyone threw her a party, not for half an hour to
let them at least sing Happy Birthday and scarf down some cake,
and not even for the five minutes it would take to explain to Claire
why she couldnt do any of those things.
Love you, she called out to her best friend before she flew away.
She thought she heard Jason say something like Lucas is the
same while she pulled open the door and soared out, but she
might have imagined it.
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She didnt have a destination or a time limitshe only knew that
she wasnt allowed off island. Shed given Lucas her word, and she
wasnt about to break it now. Helen needed so desperately for their
promises to be true, she wasnt willing to break any of themnot
even the one that might bring her some comfort. She might never
get to go to Patagonia with Lucas, but the least she could do to
keep faith between them was to not fly over the ocean until he told
her it was okay.
She could, however, go right to the edge. Shed avoided Great
Point for the past weeknot because she was worried shed break
down and cry if she went there, but because she was worried she
wouldnt. She was starting to get frightened that she would never
going to feel anything again. That she would become as sterile and
lifeless as one of those pale flowers she saw in her nighttime wandering.
She had enough sense to ask herself why she was reacting
the way she was, but not enough clarity to discover the answer.
Until she saw Lucas sitting on top of the lighthouse.
He was perched right on the edge of the catwalk that wrapped
around the glass dome at the top of the lighthouse, watching the
last bit of the day drag itself down behind the horizon. A storm was
gathering over the water, and the fruit-punch colors of the sunset