Book 3 Chapter 10
1607 Words
10
I put the Seer Stone in my pocket and rush to the dining hall. I need to talk to Cassie, who looks weirdly perky. I sidle up to her and Greg on the green.
“Hey, aren’t you hung over?” I whisper.
Greg sticks his head in. “I’m not hungover at all. You know why? Because I wasn’t invited.”
I shove his head out. “It was girls only.”
“I heard Val was there and you were all ogling him.”
I stare at Cassie. “How does he already know all this?”
Cassie blushes red. “He, uh, stopped by my room so we could have breakfast together, but I felt too sick, so he brought in some toast and then we…talked…just talked, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh,” I say.
“Yeah, and then Fern interrupted our talking,” Greg adds with a wink, “when she came by with her hangover cure.”
“Ha, yes, wasn’t that nice of her? Fern made this wonderful potion to help with being over hung.” She rustles around in her bag. “I mean, no one wants to be hung, right?”
“It’s not all bad,” Jordan says, slipping past us.
Greg sighs. “Cassie, we discussed this. Being hung means something totally different. Remember?”
“Ohhh, that’s right. Well, anyway, I’ve got a vial of the hangover cure for you too, Edie…” Cassie rummages in her purse. I take the vial she gives me and slip it into my pocket, even though I don’t need it. Having an instant hangover cure on hand seems like a good idea, at the rate that ambrosia flows around this place.
“I’m actually okay, I had some human medicine leftover from home that I took.”
Cassie’s eyes widen. “Wow. Human medicine. That’s amazing.”
“Yeah, magic medicine. Super lame.” My sarcasm goes right over Cassie’s head.
We enter the dining hall and Greg sniffs the air. “Smells like sloppy joe day.” He looks to Cassie. “Hey, remember when you used to predict lunch? I kinda miss that. I mean, I know it wasn’t some amazing magical reveal, but it was more like common sense, every day, useful information.”
“Those were the good old days,” Cassie agrees. “Before I touched that awful Seer Stone.”
The stone that Metis gave me is burning a hole in my pocket. I have to get Cassie alone to talk to her, but she and Greg are joined at the hip.
“Is it really that bad?” I ask. “Having more important visions? I mean, when I first met you in the swamp, you were bummed out about no one ever taking you seriously.”
She looks at me. “I don’t know, really.” We sit at the table and she holds up her cup. “It’s like before I was handing out grape juice. Nobody ever got hurt by drinking grape juice, you know? And now, there’s stuff coming out of me that could get someone killed.” She shudders. “I feel like I might accidentally hand out poison every time I open my mouth.”
Fern, Marguerite, and Hepa slide in beside us, Jordan trailing Hepa like a puppy. She takes the cup from Cassie’s hand and guzzles the liquid. “Those potions you made are a lifesaver, Fern, but I still feel super dehydrated. I’m gonna have to see if I can tweak it for better hydration. I am parched.”
“I’ll get you a refill!” Jordan jumps up and jogs away.
“So, instead of being your boyfriend, he’s basically your servant now?” Marguerite asks.
Hepa shrugs. “It seems to make him happy. And I’m not complaining.”
I look around the room and realize something. “Where are all the birds?” Not one Stymphalian bird is in the dining hall.
“You didn’t hear?” Fern says, lowering her voice. “Moggies aren’t allowed in the dining hall anymore. It’s unsanitary.”
“That’s horrible,” Greg says. “Can’t Artemis just order the birds to wait outside while the Moggies eat?”
“Of course she could,” Hepa rolls her eyes at Greg. “But the point is obviously to humiliate the Moggies and make their lives miserable.”
“That’s not right!” Cassie says, slamming her fork down.
“Yeah, that’s pretty messed up,” Greg says and I completely agree.
“Zee made a proclamation,” Marguerite says. I feel guilty. I’m a Moggy. I should be suffering with Val and Tina. And Mavis.
“Jordan, I can feed myself,” Hepa snaps, bringing me back to the present. The two of them are wrestling over her fork.
“But I like doing it for you,” he protests. Leaning closer to Hepa, he adds in a low voice, “It feels intimate.”
Hepa goes red and the rest of us can’t hold back our giggles.
Jordan gives the rest of us an outraged look. “Not cool, guys. I’m making myself vulnerable here.”
That only makes us laugh harder, but Jordan ignores us. He picks up Hepa’s sloppy joe and brings it to her lips. “Take a big bite, baby, so you’ll have lots of energy for your afternoon classes.”
From between clenched teeth, Hepa answers, “I am not a baby.”
“Right. Sorry.” He waggles the sandwich a bit. “You’re a big strong girl and you need a big strong lunch. Now how about you—” The sandwich, true to its name, falls apart, covering Hepa in sop.
“Oh, shit.” Jordan says, looking stunned by this outcome. But he quickly recovers. Grabbing a pile of napkins he reaches for Hepa’s chest. “Don’t worry, I’ll clean it up.”
Hepa shoves him away with two hands. “I think you’ve done enough.”
Fern, ever the peacemaker, takes the napkins from Jordan. “Let me help her.”
“You don’t need me?” Jordan asks, crestfallen.
“I can honestly say I don’t,” Hepa tells him as she takes a handful of meat from her lap and dumps it back on the tray.
“Ouch,” Jordan grabs his chest and falls out of his chair onto his knees beside her. “A mortal wound!” He lurches forward. “My heart has broken!”
“I doubt that,” Hepa’s words drip sarcasm but there’s a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Get up, you idiot.”
Marguerite looks at Fern. “I’m so glad we’re past the courting stage.”
After lunch, I grab Cassie’s arm and steer her towards the shade of a tree.
“The vision you had last night, it’s about a weapon—a sword—that is capable of killing a god. Of killing Zeus.”
“Woah…Edie.” The light is gone from Cassie’s eyes. They’re dark now, apprehensive. “You’re not seriously—”
“No,” I shake my head. “No, of course not. But if someone had the weapon, it might be enough of a threat. If he just knows it exists, and has been re-forged—”
“Right,” Cassie says. “Okay, so…no killing?”
“No,” I repeat emphatically. “I’m just going to convince Mr. Zee to step down.”
“And then Themis takes over, and of course she’ll free Mavis,” Cassie says, nodding along. “Okay, I’m in.”
“Great!” I say, hoping she means it. Because there’s a big ask coming up next. “I need you to help me find the first piece of the sword. According to the prophecy, it should be hidden here, at the Academy.”
“Three places of learning…” Cassie muses aloud. “Right. But that’s all I’ve got. The prophecy wasn’t specific, and this campus is huge.”
“I know,” I say, taking a deep breath. “That’s why I need you to use a Seer Stone to locate it.”
“Oh…” Cassie’s face falls, her enthusiasm fading.
“Listen,” I say, leaning in. “I know what I’m asking is huge. I know the last time you used one it…changed you. But wasn’t it for the better? Aren’t you glad that you see important things now?”
“Glad!” Cassie pulls away from me, her face twisting. “No, Edie! I’m not glad I get to see things like Darcy’s head being cleaved from his body!”
She starts crying, and I immediately feel terrible. My wings burst from my back, a deep, dove gray to match my mood. I wrap one around Cassie, and she leans into it, hiding her tears from students passing by.
“I’m sorry I asked,” I whisper. “Truly. Never mind. I’ll figure something else out. I’ll—”
“No,” Cassie pulls away, holds her hand out. “I’m being selfish. I’m the only seer you know, and I can help you save your sister. Not doing it would be cruel.”
I hesitate, but Cassie’s head is thrown back, her shoulders squared. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she says, and I try to slip the stone into her hand. But she shakes her head. “Tonight,” she says firmly, then walks away to her next class.
She doesn’t look back.
- Writer
