declared Kates sea salt, rosemary, and créme fraîche croissants to
be a work of crazy genius. Jerry beamed with pride, as if Kate was
the buried treasure that he had been lucky enough to dig up. Helen
elbowed him.
I see you blushing, she whispered to her dad.
Yeah, and youre not. Why is that? he asked back.
No reason to, she said, a traitorous glow starting to grow on her
cheeks.
Uh-huh, he said, not buying it. Is this the part where Im supposed
to be the concerned parent and demand that you tell me exactly
whats going on between you and Mr. Superfantastic over
there?
No. This is the part where you mind your own business and eat
your dinner, Helen said, sounding exactly like a mom.
Good! Another bullet dodged, he said with a smile, and asked
for seconds of Noels potatoes au gratin.
The rest of the evening went along as well as Helen could have
hoped, until the end. Helen chatted with Jason, joked around with
Ariadne, and even spoke briefly with Pallas about his job as a museum
curator. Up to that point, Pallas had seemed cold, even hostile
toward her, but as soon as they started discussing painting, he
seemed to open up a bit. Helen was no expert, but she knew
enough about art to keep the conversation interesting. They were
both surprised to find that they shared similar tastes, and they had
a moment of mutual admiration while they discussed one of their
favorite painters. Helen was beginning to think that she and Pallas
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could get along, but after their exchange ended she saw him turn
away from her with a deep, distrusting frown.
Helen heard a merry jingling and turned when she felt a touch on
her arm.
You cant take it to heart, Pandora said consolingly. Look, I
love all my brothers, but they can be huge jackasses sometimes.
Especially Pallas.
I just wish I knew what I did, Helen said, frustrated.
No, its not you! You didnt do anything. All of this Scion crap
has been going on for a lot longer than you know.
Since the dawn of time, right? Helen asked, trying to be humorous
even though she was still hurt by Pallass reaction.
Yeah, right. In a literal sense thats true, but in this family
theres something more specific that Im referring to. Something
that goes back to just before you were bornthats when
everything started going to hell.
To Helens surprise, Pandora took her hand and led her to a
corner where they could sit down next to each other and avoid the
jumble of the rest of the room. Apparently, whatever Pandora had
to tell her was something she wanted to keep between them.
The Delos family was large enough to have cliques, and if Helen
had to put their family into high school terms, Pandora was the
artsy, mysterious girl that everyone wanted to hang out with, but
only a few did on a regular basis.
Let me start by saying that its hardest for Pallas because hes
lost more than most of us, Pandora said sadly, before she sat up
straighter and smiled apologetically. Dont get me wrong, my
brother is still an ass for treating you like he did, but it might help
you understand him a little better if you can flip it, and try to see
that your arrival in our lives is just as big a bombshell for us as it is
for you. Do you know about the way our looks are handed down?
Helen felt her face twitch in confusion at what seemed like a one
eighty in the conversation.
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Sort of, she said. Castor said something about archetypes, and
then Cassandra said that we all look like the people who fought in
the Trojan War, or something.
So weve all got these recycled faces, right? And we dont always
look like our parents, or even Scions from our own Houses, but
rather like the people from history that we are supposed to
reincarnate.
Yeah, I get that.
And since Scions usually tend to fall madly in love with one person
they are destined to be with, and then they go and have about
a billion kids really young, the older generation sometimes has the
dubious honor of seeing the faces of people they once knewand
heres the real bitchthe faces of people they once fought against,
in the younger generation. Sometimes, even in their own children
or in someone who their children love.
Oh. That doesnt sound good, Helen said, a strange dread growing
in her. Pallas hated me the first time he saw me. So who do I
look like?
Pandora sighed. The spangles on her wrist shook as she took
Helens hand.
This totally sucks, she said apologetically. But you look exactly
like Daphne Atreusthe woman who killed our brother Ajax
twenty-one years ago.
Helen noticed that Pandora stumbled over his name. For a moment,
Helen thought the usually happy Pandora would cry.
But I didnt do it! I didnt kill your brother, Helen said, shaken
to a whisper by the depth of emotion she was seeing. Hearing
Helens urgency, Pandora snapped out of her sad thoughts and
squeezed Helens hand.
I know that! she exclaimed kindly. Its insane to blame you,
and most of us dont. I certainly dont. We have no way of knowing
if youre even from her House.
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But Pallas does, Helen said, finally getting Pallass instant dislike
of her. Pandora nodded reluctantly.
When we lost Ajax its like we lost the best of us, Pandora said,
her eyes downcast and her lower lip momentarily catching between
her teeth. Ajax was . . . the best. You should have seen him. Actually,
you can see him.
Pandora shook her right wrist out from under the piles of
bangles. At the very bottom, clipped tightly to her skin, was a cuff.
Pandora opened the oval face to reveal that the cuff was actually a
wrist-locket, something Helen had never seen before. Inside was a
picture of what Helen first thought was Hector, tickling the daylights
out of a little girl with short dark hair.
My brother Ajax, Pandora said wistfully. He always had time
for me, which is a big deal when youre in a family as large as ours.
Its easy to get lost in the shuffle, especially when youre the littlest.
I used to follow him around everywhere he went, begging him to
give me jobs to do. He started calling me Squire and I loved it.
Helen looked at the joyful little girl squirming under the giant
hand of her big brother, and then up at Pandoras glistening eyes.
Even just looking at this picture I can tell he loved you very
much.
He did, and I loved him. I used to pretend he was a glorious
knight and I was his only trusted sidekick, and he played along. He
was so patient. He used to send me on dangerous quests to find his
car keys or summon the elevator. I was seven when he died. I
wasnt supposed to be following him that night, but I was. I was
there when he was murdered.
Helen was about to speak, to say something comforting if she
could, but Pandora changed abruptly, and continued. He was like
Apollo himself, she said with a bright, although slightly forced,
smile. Like Hector in a lot of ways . . . only sweet, and not a cranky
wiseass. Dont get me wrong, I love my nephew, but damn! He can
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be a such a grouch. They both broke into a much-needed laugh at
Hectors expense.
I wish Id met him. Your brother, I mean, Helen said, and was
surprised to realize that she meant it. Ajax must have been truly
special to inspire such enduring love in his younger sister.
In a lot of ways none of us have gotten over losing him, Pandora
said, shrugging as though she had run out of explanations for
Helen. But my brother Pallas is the only one who cant look at you
and accept that youre a different person, even though he knows
its got nothing to do with you.
I get it, Helen conceded. Its not fair, and I still think hes
mean, but I get why Pallas hates me.
Dont worry, eventually hell get over it. Deep down he knows
you didnt choose your face. The Fates did, she said. She gave
Helen a cheeky smile. And damn, girl! But you got a nice one!
So did you! Helen insisted, and she meant the compliment she
gave.
Whatever, Pandora said, rolling her eyes and shaking her tinkling
wrists. Im probably one in a hundred who gets some stupid
handmaidens face, or a vestal virgins from Troy, considering my
luck with men!
Even while she laughed, Helen couldnt quite shake a strange
doubt. Finally, she gave into it and asked, So who from Troy do I
look like?
Hell, no! Pandora said, standing up. I promisedwe all did.
You need to talk to Lucas about that one, Helen. Sorry, but Ive
already given you enough to think about for one night.
And with a considerable amount of jangling and sparkling, Pandora
announced that she needed a glass of wine and disappeared
in the mix of her family. Helen grimaced after her. She knew that
Pandora had really opened up and entrusted her with an emotionally
dense bit of information, but Helen still felt dissatisfied. She
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wanted to know what role the Fates intended for her to play. She
was going to ask Lucas the second she got him alone.
She looked over at him. All night she had felt him watching her,
and the weight of his eyes had been like an encouraging hand on
the small of her back. She didnt have to slouch or pretend to be
weak or less of a geek than she was. She simply fit in. She realized
that this new ease with herself was partly due to the fact that for
the first time in her life she was around people who were just as
odd as she was . . . but it was mostly because of Lucas. He never
stood next to her, but she could feel they were still tied to each other
by the trust they had built during their flight. His gaze had such
a positive impact on her that she felt unbalanced as soon as his
eyes abandoned her. She looked around to see what had caught his
attention and spotted him talking privately with Pallas.
Helen did not approve of using Scion hearing to violate another
persons privacyshe and Hector had already had an argument
about just that when she accused him of eavesdropping on her and
Jerry from the widows walk, but now she couldnt seem to stop
herself. When she heard Pallas say her name, she had to know
what they were saying about her.
Im not going to lie to you. Helen caught my eye, Lucas was saying
in a low voice. But nothings going on.
So everyone keeps telling me, Pallas replied. Helen saw him rub
his lower lip in thought before continuing. Im not so worried
about that right now, but what I am worried about is a month or
two down the road when the two of you are flying off every direction
together. Alone. It cant happen, Luke.
It wont, Lucas replied coldly. Im teaching her to fly and Im
making sure she doesnt get killed, but theres no way Id ever
touch her. Give me some credit.
They continued talking, but Helen had stopped listening. She felt
sick. Stumbling in her borrowed shoes, she went over to her dad.
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She stood right next to him as he talked to Pandora, and stared at
his profile until he took the hint and looked at her.
Whats the matter with you? he asked sarcastically at first, until
he took a good look at her and became concerned. You okay,
Len?
Can we go? I have so much stuff to do. Homework and chores.
And Im so tired, she said, making up random excuses until he responded.
She was causing a bit of a scene, which she hated, but she
simply couldnt stand there and suck it up for one second longer.
Jerry glanced down at his watch. Sure, yeah. I guess its getting
kind of late. Was that supposed to be my line? he asked with a
guilty grimace.
No, youre good. Its still early. Im just . . . Ive got stuff, Helen
said before she launched immediately into the thank you, goodbye,
and see-you-tomorrow crap that she wished she could just
skip.
Ariadne shot Helen a worried look, but Helen didnt care about
anything anymore, not anyones feelings or whether or not they all
thought she was rude or crazy or both. None of it mattered. She
just needed to get out of that house before she saw Lucas again or
she was going to lose her mind. It was rude and awkward, but
Helen managed to drag her dad out the front door before Lucas
and Pallas had even looked up from their conversation in the
corner.
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UNCORRECTED E-PROOFNOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
.....................................................................
Chapter Eleven
Helen rode her bike to school the next morning, giving
her dad instructions to tell Lucas that she had a few
things to do before homeroom. Jerry was a little put
out that Helen refused to call Lucas to explain it herself,
but she honestly couldnt make herself listen to his