The Broken Curse (13 page)

"But know that if you say yes and agree to support Eurydice and Aristeus and Orpheus, and possibly fight alongside of them, we will be forever grateful. You may all leave, and we'll see you Friday for your decision. Be safe in your travels."
 

The room remains quiet after Professor Onassis's speech. I don't think I've taken a breath since she began, her words enough for me to live on. I fight the urge to cry in appreciation. Professor Onassis may have just sealed our fate with her wise words. If there's anything I'm grateful for, it's her being with me.

Slowly, people trickle out of the room until there are only a handful of us left. We all congregate around Professor Onassis—Kara, Mikey, Ollie, Ari, Lisa, Martin, Shane, Carter, dad, and I. Cristos and Dimitri remain on the outskirts of the training center, but they don't leave. Not yet. Cece's sisters are sitting on the bleachers, watching us.

None of us speak.

"I had to say it, or they would've all went running," Cece says, and I laugh. She's way too modest. She probably just saved our fate with that short speech. She probably just saved the world with her wise words and charming nature.

"I just want to say that I'm definitely down. I'll be right in the front line next to you, girl." Mikey swings his arm around my neck and kisses me right on the forehead.

I glance over to Ollie, who's watching us closely. He's smiling, but I know that smile. He's upset. I can feel the jealously radiate off him in waves. I move over towards him without being too obvious and stand beside him for reassurance. The last thing I want is this to escalate.
 

"So, pizza and drinks at our dorm?" Kara asks us all. A unanimous yes sounds through the room, and the group laughs with nervous energy. We all begin to walk towards the doors when I notice Professor Onassis hanging back, trailing behind the group with her sisters.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, worried that something has gone wrong.

"Of course, dear. Would you mind walking me back to my house?" she asks. I smile down at her and nod, happy to take her home. She takes my arm and holds onto me, most of her weight resting on me.

"We'll stop by Friday," one of Cece's sisters says.

"I'll make sure your rooms are ready," Cece answers, smiling at the two. They both lean forward and hug Cece, their arms loosely around her frame. I nod at them and say goodbye.

"Hold on," I tell her when I see my dad branch off from the group in front of us. I run up to him and hug him from behind. "When are you going to be back?"
 

"Friday. I'll come and see how it's going, bring some food. Professor Onassis has offered to let me use her spare bedroom, so I'll bring my things and stay a while."

"That's great!" I nod, smiling that he'll be close to me. "I'll see you Friday." I push onto my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek.
 

"Love you," he says and then gets into his car just off the lot by the training center.

I return to Cece and take her arm again. I look around and see her two sisters retreating where my dad just left. We turn the other way and move towards her house. We're silent as we walk. When her yellow-lit house comes into view, she breaks the silence.

"You did a great thing in there," she tells me.

"I didn't even do anything. You did."

"No, I mean your final decision."

"It was always going to be yes."

"You still had to make it."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

the river

We all pass out in a heap on the floor of the dorm room. Junior and Kara share her bed, while Lisa and Carter share mine. I'm sandwiched half under my bed and half on the tile with a pillow shoved under my head. It's fine, though, because I've never felt more loved by my friends than I do right now.

Mikey and Shane sleep beside me, but head to foot, because they said it was too weird that they had to be touching one another. Martin's already gone when I reach up to my bedside table to grab my phone, checking the time. It's only six.

I decide that since I'm up, and very uncomfortable, I'm not going to be able to sleep anymore. I quietly grab my gym bag and retreat to the bathroom to change into more appropriate athletic clothes before I take off.

After hanging out with everyone last night, my brain is more confused than ever. I love that they've come to help and support me. But, on the same page, I still want revenge. And I want it in the sweetest way. But
I
want revenge. And nobody will get in my way. Not even my best friends.

I realize that I forgot to do my laundry as I rummage through my closet, which means I have to put on a still wet with sweat sports bra and a pair of leggings that are way too hot for this summer weather. I'm sure I'll break into a heat rash before the day is over, but I can't give up my morning run. I think I'll go crazy.

"Can I come?" Kara asks, her voice still full of sleep. She peeks her head into the bathroom, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder in a tumble of waves. She looks as tired as ever, deep bags sinking under her eyes, so I'm not sure how or why she's up.

"You can. Not sure you want to, though," I tell her, shrugging my shoulders.

"Will you wait for me?"
 

I nod in response and take my time brushing my teeth and my hair. I throw my brown, boring hair into a ponytail on the top of my head. Before I know it, Kara's in the bathroom, ready to go. She's getting good at getting dressed quickly. I grab the handle on the bathroom door when Mikey teleports into the bathroom, knocking me backwards.

"What the hell!" Kara screeches, jumping back when he appears in front of us. She slaps him on the chest while he laughs quietly. My heart is still jumping and I lean against the counter, trying to calm it down. "What if we were changing, you perv!"

"Sorry," he chuckles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Where are you guys going?"

"For a run," I answer.

"Want an escort?" He leans into the sink and sprays some cold water on his face. When he looks back up, his eyes are alert and sparkling. He looks like he's been rejuvenated by an elixir of life.

"If you get downstairs in two minutes, you can come."

"I'll do you one better," he says, before teleporting out of the room. "Ready," he answers when he almost instantly teleports back in. I look him up and down and see that the only change is that he has a pair of sneakers on. That was fast.

"Want to teleport down?" Carter asks, appearing beside me. This time, I'm the one who jumps in fright and almost busts my butt on the rug. My heart catapults into my throat, and I almost scream from the suddenness.
 

"What is wrong with you people?" I yell, throwing my hands up in the air and shaking my head. I lean against the bathroom sink and have to catch my breath again.
 

"Sorry." Carter and Mikey high-five and chest bump each other, nodding their heads with pride. Boys. God, this is starting to get a bit too crazy.
 

"Anyone else?" I ask, peeking around for another teleporter or something. This place is getting crowded. Before you know it, there's going to be a pack of us running down the streets.
 

"Can we go now? I'm losing my interest," Kara says, and I grab her hand as fast as I can. She's the important one here, and I need her to start training. If we only have a month before we need to make a move, I have to have her protected and as ready as possible.
 

"Let's go," I say and let Mikey hug me. I wrap my arms around his torso, rooting me to him. Kara goes into Carter's arms and shuts her eyes tight. The boys look at each other and, in a split second, we're outside of the dorm.
 

"You guys are getting good," I tell them, proud.

"Hell yeah, we are. We're going to kill it in the Underworld." I shake my head as I let go of Mikey.

I lead the run since I'm the only one who knows the area. We run in a group instead of a straight line since there aren't any people around. It's still early enough that there aren't many cars driving by us, so we take up the entire right side of the road.
 

Every couple of feet, I check behind me to make sure I haven't lost anyone. I'm super edgy and paranoid today, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the promise of what's to come. Maybe it's just me being a freak. Either way, I'm on high alert and in no position to lose another friend.

I bring everyone to the rest stop overlooking the canyon and mountains. I'm not sure why I'm revealing my special place, but I think these guys will appreciate it. Plus, it'll still be mine on the days they don't come running with me. I nod for the guys to hop on the bench, and we stop for a break. We pile onto the small bench and all catch our breaths. I look to my left at Carter, who stares out at the landscape in silence, his chest rising and falling fast.

"I need to run more often. This place is gorgeous," Kara says, panting as she looks over the canyon. I look at her and notice her admiration at the rising sun casting its rays from behind us. The way the deep yellow creates shadows in the forest below is mesmerizing. I could sit on this bench all day and just watch the different times come and go.
 

"I want to go in there." Carter points down to the river in the middle of the divot. I've thought the same thing many times. I smile and bump shoulders with him, nodding my agreement.
 

"I come here a lot," I tell them.
 

"What do you think will happen when we get into the Underworld?" Mikey asks.

"It really just depends on Hades's reaction to us. It could escalate to war, or we could successfully trick him and leave him stranded. I'm not sure which will happen."

"As long as we're safe, I'll be happy," Kara says, wrapping her arms around the group.

"Yeah. Me too." I nestle into Mikey and Carter's sides and let their warmth fill me. Before I know it, we've teleported down into the canyon. The river is only five feet away. I rush over to it and dip my fingers in, the chill of the river electrifying.

"Who did this?" I look between Mikey and Carter.

"It seemed like you wanted to come." Carter shrugs and starts to walk through the forest.
 

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Exploring!" Kara sprints towards a tree and kicks off it. I laugh as she experiments with her speed. I do the same thing. I walk back about twenty feet from the river and then sprint straight towards it. I catapult myself over the river and land in a perfect crouch on the other side. It's only about ten feet wide.
 

I find a tree on the other side of the river and sit against the bottom of it. I'm tired, but honestly I just want to revel in how comfortable this moment is. I look out at my three friends as they play around in the forest.

Mikey and Carter connect hands and in the next second appear a hundred feet away. Kara lifts her neon top off her head and jumps into the river. The water is clear and moving fast. I can see the brown dirt and all differently-colored rocks at the bottom.
 

"Come on, Ryder!" she calls to me. I shake my head and smile as she dives under the waist-deep water, dunking her head. When she pops back up, she's completely drenched, water dripping down her face.

I lose track of Mikey and Carter, and then in a second, they're lifting me off the ground.

"No!" I yell through my laughter. "Don't throw me in! It's freezing in there."

"Oh, you're going in!" Mikey laughs back.
 

They don't throw me in. Instead, I feel them disappear with me in their arms, and then we appear just inches above the water's surface. I yelp as we fall straight into the water. I don't have time for my legs to catch me so I sink to my butt, practically dunking myself all the way in.

"You jerks!" I joke as I splash the water. The four of us are all soaking wet. My clothes are wet, but I guess that's good because they were dirty anyway. I float on my back and look up at the sunny day. The heat caresses my face, and the cool water beneath me is like an ice pack.

"Do you think we can swim faster than normal people?" Mikey asks as he floats next to me.

"I'd assume so. Although we can't really test it out here. It's like three feet deep." To prove my point, I straighten myself and stand in the shallow water. It only reaches my waist, just licking at my belly button.
 

"Come on, let's race! Who knows? Maybe there are rivers in the Underworld." Mikey digs his hands into the dirt. He pulls up a bunch of rocks, and they look so smooth in his hand.

"There are rivers. But none you'd want to swim in."

"Why not?" he asks back.

"There are five. And each has a different quality. One is a swamp, and you can only cross it by paying this ferry guy to take you. Then another one is full of hot lava-like liquid, and you'd die if you swam. One made me hallucinate. Trust me, you don't want to swim in them."

"How did you make it across them all?" Kara asks, sitting in the shallower part along the bank. I crab-crawl closer to her and dig into the dirt to hold myself in place against the current.