Goddess Boot Camp

'Stomach.'

Nothing.

'Heart.'

Nothing.

'Mind.'

Noth-

'Oh my gods!' Stella squeals. 'That's it, that's it!'

I open my eyes, ready to ask her how she knows, but then I see it. The glow. It's everywhere. It's like my head is a giant lamp and the entire room is glowing in my light. (That sounds gross, but it is breathtaking.)

'Wow, that's amaz-'

Knock, knock.

We both jump at the loud knock on the front door. Instantly, the glow is gone. I lost my focus.

'Who could that be?' Stella asks, climbing to her feet and headingto the door. When she yanks it open. no one's there. The porch is empty.

I join her at the door, confirming that we just got ding-dong-ditched. I bet it was a ten-year-old from boot camp. That's just the sort of juvenile prank they would pull.

'Weird.' Stella leans out the door, glancing around, then looks down. 'Oh, here's something.'

She bends down to pick up an envelope sitting on the welcome mat. Reading the front as she closes the door, she says, 'It's for you.'

'For me?' I echo. Who would leave me a note on the front porch in such a mysterious way? Actually, who would leave me a note period? Everyone knows I live on e-mail and IM.

But my name is penned neatly on the envelope in a thin, elegant script.

I rip it open and pull out the note inside. My jaw drops.

Want to learn what really happened to your father?

'Holy Hades,' I gasp. Then my everything goes black.

The next thing I remember is Stella shaking me and screaming. 'For the love of Zeus, Phoebe,stop thinking!'

Everything in the room is swirling around me-except for Stella, who has me in a total death grip. The living room is a whirl of furniture and plaster. It feels like I woke up in the Gravitron-that carnival ride where the floor drops out from under you as you spin against the outside wall-only it's the room that's spinning, not me.

I blink away all the crazy thoughts of what that note might mean. As my mind shakes off the dizzy sensation, the room slowly returns to normal.

I focus on not throwing up.

'We have got to get you under control,' she says, smoothing her twinset into place, like we weren't just spinning in a whirlpool vortex in the living room.

Better not tell her what her hair looks like.

'What set you off?' she asks. 'What does the note say?'

I'm not sure why I don't tell her the truth. Maybe I'm not comfortable talking about my dad with her, since her dad stepped into his place. Maybe I don't want to suffer her inquisition over what the note might mean. Or maybe I'm just so shocked by the suggestion that there might be more to Dad's death than I already know that I want to savor that idea without intrusion. Whatever the reason, I shrug it off with a lie.

'It's just a joke from Nicole,' I say, forcing a little laugh. 'She's a jokester.'

From the way her perfectly tweezed brows drop, I get the feeling she's not buying my story. When her gray eyes glance briefly at the white card clutched in my fist, I know she's not buying my story. Darn psychospection.But, for whatever reason, she doesn't call me out. I can see the instant she decides not to argue; she looks back into my eyes and exhales.

'Whatever,' she says dismissively. 'Now that we know your powers come from the mind, I can tailor some camp exercises to meet your needs.'

Before she clumps out of the room, she tosses another look at the note. A little reminder that she knows I lied.

'Oh, and Phoebe?' she calls out over her shoulder as she disappears into the hall. 'Try to control your thoughts until we get you straightened out.'

That's going to be a problem. Now that the seeds of doubt are planted, how am I ever going to stop thinking about Dad, and what I don'tknow about his untimely smoting? And worrying whether I'm destined for a smoting of my own?

Chapter 5

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AEROK1NES1S

SOURCE: ARTEMIS

The ability to control and move air and wind. This can also result in the moving and/or levitating of objects, self, or others. Useful during summer months to reduce air-conditioning costs. Only very powerful hematheos can use this power to effect noticeable changes in weather.

DYNAMQTIIHOS STUDY GUIDE * Stella Petrolas

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'WHAT ELSE DID THE NOTE SAY?' Nicole asks.

After the early-morning training run with Griffin, I'd showered and gotten changed for camp with more than an hour to spare. Since Griffin was on the boat to Serifos with Aunt Lili, I headed to Nicole's dorm room.

'Here,' I say, pulling it out of the back pocket of my jeans. I tried to leave it on my desk when I left home, but couldn't walk away. Like I was compelled to take it with me. 'You can read it.'

Nicole looks at the note and then scowls. 'This is the note?'

'Yeah.' I lean over and read it upside down. 'That's it.'

She looks at me like I'm crazy. 'It's blank.'

'No it's not.' I argue. I point at the words. 'Right there it says, 'Want to learn what really happened to your father?'

Nicole squints at it. Holds it up to her nose. Flips it over and looks at the back. She shakes her head.

'Seriously,' she says, giving it one last look. 'I don't see anything.'