Fire & Flood (Mythverse #1)

Book 3 Chapter 16

16

That night, I can’t sleep. I feel like I’m being torn in half with conflicting advice.

Themis and Metis want me to get the sword and use it to threaten Mr. Zee.

Mavis wants me to kill him.

And Val just thinks I should leave this place and never look back. I wonder if he wants me to leave him too...or if he’d offer to come along with me.

Not that it matters. I’m not going anywhere.

Not without Mavis at my side.

But I don’t want her in a body bag.

And I don’t want blood on my hands.

Which leaves me...where?

“Stop sighing,” Tina snaps at me on her way to the bathroom in the morning. Even though she doesn’t use the toilet, Tina spends at least an hour in the bathroom. I think it’s time spent primping, applying sunscreen, and just standing around in order to make me wait longer.

Normally, it drives me crazy. But since I’m not yet ready to face the day. As I snuggle deeper into my bed. I can’t help but wish my dad was here. Or mom.

Not my biological parents, but the ones who raised me. They always listened when I had problems. And even when they didn’t have answers, it helped to have them there, knowing they’d back me up.

But they’re both gone now.

Instead I have...Mr. Zee.

I can’t really see him as the heart-to-heart type. Also, it would be awkward having a chat with him about how I should probably kill him, but I really don’t want to.

That leaves Adrianna. I could, I suppose, go to the Hall of the Dead and pour out my sorrows to her portrait. But she wouldn’t answer back.

Flinging my covers off, I jump out of bed, suddenly remembering the letter I got from Metis. I put it in my desk drawer intending to read it when I was ready. Some part of me imagined lit candles and soft classical music playing, as I finally opened the scroll. Like it was a scene in a movie.

But all that is forgotten now as I grab the letter and crawl back beneath my covers to stay warm.

“Okay, Adrianna,” I say while untying the ribbon holding the scroll closed. “I know we never got a chance to have any mother/daughter moments, and I’m kinda putting a lot of pressure on a letter that wasn’t even written to me, but please give me sort of direction here.”

“Stop talking to yourself, weirdo,” Tina yells from the bathroom.

Ignoring her, I slowly unroll the letter and start to read.

Dear Metis,

I am writing to ask for your help. In approximately five months’ time I will be giving birth. As the child’s father is a god, your help will be necessary if I want any chance of surviving the baby’s birthday. I know that I am not the first student to come to you with such a request.

I hope you will not withhold your help on account of my waiting three months before sharing this news with you. I feared you would encourage me to abort the child. In truth, when I first realized my condition, this option was my own preference. However, as you know, I am close friends with a seer of no small talent. She sensed what I had brewing in my belly and after laying hands on me, told me the child would be a girl. A girl with the power to destroy the world as we know it. I’m aware that carrying such a fearsome creature within me should have frightened me. But I actually believe the world could do with a bit of destroying. And why shouldn’t a girl get to try her hand at it?

So I held this secret and the child has grown. The woman in my family carry small, and my magic uniform has adjusted to the few pounds I have put on. I meant her to be my own little seed of rebellion, even if I never lived to see it. You see, I was willing to risk dying in childbirth to bring her into the world. Perhaps I even wished to bring an end to my own existence. It is a foolish mortal who tangles with gods. Though at the start it was exciting, over time it’s become clear I am not special in any way. That this god has an endless thirst and I was but a cup of water pressed into his hand.

He swallowed me up and pissed me out.

Ah, sorry to be crude. The bitterness bubbles up, although less so these days. You see, in the last few weeks something has changed. My little Edie—for that is what I have come to call her—moves within me. I imagine her face and her laugh and...her life.

I no longer wish to bring a destroyer into the world. And I no longer wish to push her out into a cold world without her mother at her side. I want to live, Metis. I need to live. I will teach my little girl that not all gods can be trusted. I will teach her to see the foolishness of this endless unwinnable war. I will teach her that there is a difference between justice and vengeance.

But mostly, I will teach her love. For I love her already, almost more than I can bear. I will endure anything to bring her safely into this world and to keep her in it.

Please help me and my little Edie.

With the greatest of hopes,

Adrianna Aspostolos

Tears course down my cheeks as I press the letter to my chest. I didn’t find the answers I wanted here. Instead I found something better.

My mother loved me. She wanted to live. Tried to live. For me.

Carefully, I roll the letter up once more and place it at the back of my wardrobe. I get dressed for the day and by the time I’m ready, I’ve made up my mind.

I will ask Val to help me get the next piece of the sword. My mother trusted in me, even while knowing the destruction I might be capable of. Maybe I need to trust myself a little more too.

Tina finally comes out of the bathroom and must immediately sense the change in me, because she sighs and says, “Awww, no more gloom and doom face? And I was just about to lend you my black nail polish.”

“You’re all heart, Tina,” I respond, just as there’s a knock on the door.

“That’s probably Val,” she says. “Kevin likes playing with Bowie.” Before reaching to open the door, Tina removes Bowie from the box she keeps him in at night. Popping him on her shoulder, she flings the door open.

My back is turned as I gather my books for the day, but there’s no mistaking Tina’s hiss. I spin around to see her in full fangs out mode as Nico stands in the hallway.

“Go away,” she says, pushing the door closed once more.

With a growl, Nico shoulders his way in. “I’m not here to see you, Moggy.”

Normally Tina lets my friends come and go, but well...Nico isn’t exactly a friend. And there’s so much tension between him and the vamps that I can see why she doesn’t want him in her personal space.

It’s no surprise when she moves in front of him, blocking his way. “You take another step into this room and we’re gonna have a problem.”

Nico puffs up as hair sprouts all over his body. He purposely pushes forward, leading with his shoulder. Tina leans forward too.

Hiss.

Growl.

Thunk.

Somehow poor Bowie gets in the middle and falls to the ground.

We all stare down at him. He looks dead. Very very dead.

“What the…” Nico starts to say as he leans down toward the bird. Before he can get any closer, Vee attaches herself to his face.

It happens so quick that I didn’t even see her growing a long tendril until she was stretched across the room trying to devour Nico’s nose.

“Gah!” He grabs hold of Vee’s “throat” and squeezes. I swear Vee moans.

“Nico, no!” I rush forward just as Tina’s hands close around Nico’s ruined face.

I shove her away with one talon and Nico with the other. Then I reach down toward Vee.

“Don’t!” Tina exclaims, nudging me aside. “You’ll hurt her more, you big clumsy dragon.”

I didn’t even realize I’d shifted. It’s the first time that’s happened. Usually there’s a moment where I give way, but this time—it was seamless. Maybe someday I’ll actually reach a point that most shifters begin at: being at one with my other half. For Nico, Jordan, and Greg—they are their animal and their animal is them. It all fits under the big “me” umbrella. I’m not quite there yet.

With the tip of a wing, I scoop up Vee’s now crushed tendril and drape it over Tina’s shoulder. She glances up at me in surprise, as I shift back, having proven my point. Although, as usual, she doesn’t seem to care.

Tina gathers up Vee and her pot, then stalks toward the door. She pauses in front of Nico and leans in close, “If you ever invade my room again, I will kill you.”

He starts his growling nonsense again, but this time I’ve had enough.

“Nico, we’ve got the whole campus. Do you really need to be here?”

He turns to me wide-eyed and almost hurt. “I can’t come to my girlfriend’s room then?”

“Girlfriend?” Tina laughs. “Okay then.” She glances back at me. “I’m gonna go meet Val. He doesn’t need to start his morning being part of this mess.” With that she sweeps out into the hallway. “Bowie, c’mon,” she calls as an after-thought.

Somewhere in all the chaos Bowie found his feet again, and he totters out the door.

Nico frowns, watching it, then turns to me. “I could’ve sworn that bird was dead.”

I shrug and force a smile. “Tina taught it to play dead. Convincing, right?” Nico doesn’t look convinced, but I’m not really in the mood to appease him right now, so I cut to the chase. “Nico, what are you doing here?”

“Sorry. Next time I want to surprise you with a gift, I guess I’ll schedule it with Tina first.” With angry, jerky movements, Nico takes off his pack and unzips it. Just barely I keep myself from rolling my eyes at this passive aggressive display. “Here,” he says, shoving a bouquet of red roses in my face. “These are for you.”

My eyes widen in surprise. Nico never really struck me as the giving flowers type. “Okay,” I say, taking the crushed roses. “Thank you?”

Nico nods as if whatever this is has gotten back on track. I’m still confused when he takes my hand in both of his and places it over his heart.

“When my father first met my mother, he wanted to prove he could be useful to her. So he killed a satyr, cut it into pieces, and gifted her different parts for five days—ending on the last day with the head.” Nico has a dreamy look in his eyes, like this is what happens in epic romances or something. “My mom always said she was pretty sure she I was conceived on that fifth night.”

“Ew.” I don’t mean to say it out loud, but it’s hard to keep that level of disgust bottled inside.

“I know,” Nico says, nodding like we’re on the same wavelength. “Parents having s*x is gross, but it’s important because it’s where my life began and...it’s where I want to begin with you.”

Releasing my hand, Nico gets down on one knee. The way a person does when they’re getting ready to propose marriage.

Since I’m at the point where I don’t even want to share a turkey sandwich with Nico, I really hope he’s not gonna suggest we pledge to share the rest of our lives together.

He pulls something out of his pocket. I breathe a sigh of relief when it’s only a piece of paper and not a ring box.

“Edie, I’ve noticed you’ve been a little distant lately. And I realized it’s because I haven’t proven myself to you the way my father did with my mom. So I want you to have this.” He stretches his arm up to me.

After a moment of hesitation, I take it from his hand.

“Read it,” he urges.

Slowly, I unfold the piece of paper and then read the words written upon it.

Leviathan. Bay of Biscay.

Nico stands, a grin on his face. “I’ve got a portal key, so we can leave right away. Mr. Zee gave us permission to miss classes.”

My head is pounding and my mouth has gone dry. Leviathan killed my father. I came to Mount Olympus Academy with the goal of killing him. But that seems like a million years ago.

“I…” No words come to me, until finally, “How did you even know about Levi and what he did?”

“Your sister told me.”

“What?” My hands clench, crushing that paper. “Is this when you were torturing her?”

“No, of course not!” I’m slightly mollified when he seems offended by the very thought. But then he adds, “It was when I was threatening to t*****e her. She told me you loved red roses and then when I told her that I needed more than that, she gave me the whole ugly story of your parents’ love triangle with Levi.”

“It wasn’t a love triangle!” I respond angrily. “Levi fell for my mom and she wanted nothing to do with him.”

Nico shakes his head, “That’s not what Hermes told me. I went to him for the key and he said your mom was a bit of a tease. Hermes says she flirted with Levi, encouraged him—”

I am so mad that I can’t see straight. “What does Hermes know about it?”

Nico responds with something about my mom coming on to Hermes too...but it’s lost behind a buzzing in my ears as the pieces fall into place.

“Is Hermes the one who gave you Leviathan’s current location?” I ask, interrupting Nico mid-sentence.

“Yes. As a personal favor to me,” Nico says, as if making sure he gets the credit instead of Hermes is the important thing here.

But that really couldn’t matter less to me, because suddenly I’m seeing the big picture.

Hermes killed my grandma. He was there that day at the same time as Leviathan—almost like he knew the monster was coming. Hermes is the one who first focused my attention on Levi too. Using him as proof that the monsters are bad. And that I needed to come with him to Mount Olympus Academy.

But I have a strong suspicion that Levi was just as much a pawn as I was.

I can easily imagine Hermes, pushing him to go after my mom, encouraging him, even. Telling Levi she was a sure thing. And then after mom rejected him, Hermes would be in his ear again, this time with an idea for revenge.

Of course, that’s no excuse for Levi killing my dad.

“How would we kill Leviathan?” I ask Nico. My voice is soft and seems to come from a long distance away.

Nico grins. “Don’t worry, it’ll be easy. He’s big and strong, but also kind of an i***t. Between the two of us, we should be able to take him down with no problems.” Nico hesitates, concern clouding his face, “Unless you want to do it alone and just have me there as backup. But you know I like to be there in the middle of the action.”

“And you don’t mind getting blood on your hands,” I add.

Nico nods, although less enthusiastically. It’s possible he’s finally understanding that I’m not feeling the same way as he is about this.

“Look, Edie—” he starts to say.

I cut him off. “Why would I kill someone if he only acted because my mother was toying with his affections?”

“Well, that doesn’t excuse what he—”

“So did she flirt with him? Or was it more?” I demand. “Did Hermes say she and Levi were having an affair?”

Nico frowns. “He might’ve implied it... But, Edie, that’s all in the past. And we both know that sometimes our parents—”

“It doesn't matter if my mother slept with a thousand guys, that doesn't excuse what Levi did,” I break in again as my anger reaches a boiling point. “And did you ever think that Hermes might be lying to you?”

Both my biological mother and adopted mom were used by the gods. I’m starting to understand why Adrianna was excited at the idea of giving birth to a daughter who could destroy everything. The gods see all humans as lesser, but women are especially vulnerable. Gods messed with both of my mothers’ lives.

Nico isn’t a god, of course. But he certainly seems to share their philosophy of see it, want it, take it.

He’s not having me, though. Not today. And not ever.

“Do you ever think at all? ’Cause if you did, maybe you’d realize that I will never marry you or even date you. You imprisoned and tortured my sister.”

Confusion sparks in Nico’s eyes too. “I told you before, we’d have to work past that.”

“No, we don’t. Because that’s only one problem. The other is that I. Don’t. Like. You. Maybe you could’ve been a decent guy, but your mother twisted you, she wanted so bad to make you into her little mini me.”

“Don’t you bring my mother into his,” he growls, angry now.

“So you can s**t-shame my mom, but you can’t hear the truth about your own mother? She was a monster, Nico. Worse than any monster she ever hunted. I think it’s terrible the vampires killed her the way they did, but honestly, I’m glad she’s dead. The world is better without her in it. And if you keep on going with the idea that you’re gonna be just like her, then maybe it would be better off without you too.”

Nico gapes at me. Shock, hurt, and rage are all evident on his face.

Normally this is the point where I’d feel bad for him.

But not anymore. I pick up the roses and shove them into his arms.

“Get out, Nico. We’re not killing Levi or anyone else. Because, thank the gods, I am not a blood-thirsty alphahole who wants to hurt everyone to cover up my own hurt.”

I push his chest and he stumbles backward out into the hallway.

Right before I slam the door, I watch as Nico’s face contorts, fangs pushing his lips grotesquely outwards. “You’ll regret this.”

“No, I won’t.” I sit on my bed and let out a shaky laugh.

For the first time in a long time, I am absolutely sure that I have done the right thing.