elevator. There isn’t a thought in my brain except for escape.
Milo is doing ball drills a few feet away.
“Grace?” he asks, blinking as he lets the ball hit the ground.
Shoot, shoot,
“M-Milo—” Looking around, I’m relieved—beyond relieved—to see no other soccer players on the field. This is bad, but it could have been
He gives me a look that implies that’s not the most relevant question at the moment. But he answers it anyway.
“Coach wants me to improve my footwork.” He crosses the short distance between us. “What the heck just happened?”
Yep, there’s the relevant question. The one I don’t want to answer.
I shake my head. The reality of the situation rushes in. I don’t have time for this. I can’t afford to have this discussion with Milo right now. I have to get back to the apartment to help Nick.
He just saved my life, and I have to return the favor.
I’ll have to use my hypno-eyes on Milo. It won’t wipe his memory altogether, but it’ll give me a chance to get out of here without answering questions. It’ll give me time to go save Nick.
Maybe when the gorgons are back, one of them can make him forget he ever saw me today. Either that or he’ll act like he never saw me
“Did you just materialize on the field?” he asks.
“Milo, I—” This is so hard. “I can’t explain right now. My friend is in danger, and I have to find him fast.”
He studies me for a second.
“Okay,” he says, grabbing the soccer ball off the ground and tucking it under his arm. “I’ll help. I have my dad’s car.”
“You—you’ll what?”
“I’ll help.” He nods toward the street. “Whatever you need.”
I can’t help grinning. “Seriously?”
“Just promise me answers later,” he says.
I can’t believe he’s being so understanding. Maybe he’s in shock. He did just see his—what am I exactly? A girlfriend? A friend? A friend’s sister? Whatever I am—appear out of thin air on a soccer field. He’s entitled to some post-traumatic recovery time.
I follow him to his dad’s car, a little brown thing covered in dirt and rust. He walks around to the passenger side, unlocks the door, and holds it open for me. As I start to move past him to get in, he blocks my path with his forearm.
“But I will want answers, Grace,” he says. “Eventually.”
His dark curls are damp with sweat and his cheeks are flushed pink from his workout. He’s cute and tall and he smells good, even now. He almost makes me wish I were still a normal, ordinary girl.
I duck under his arm and climb into the car without replying.
Either I’ll be able to give him answers or I won’t. As I sink into the ripped plastic seat, I wonder what he would do if I blurted out the truth, right here, right now, every last detail. Probably run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He’s an amazing athlete—he can run pretty fast. He’d dismiss me as the crazy girl who believes in ancient mythology, and he’d be out of my life. Forever.
That thought makes me ridiculously sad. We barely know each other, but I’ve learned enough to really like him. He’s sweet and kind and—apparently—not entirely freaked out by something completely insane. Maybe there’s hope. Maybe I won’t have to get someone with stronger powers to wash the memory right out of his brain.
Maybe I can have the best of both worlds—for once.
He drops into the driver’s seat next to me, jams the key in the ignition, and asks, “Where to?”
Right. Girl on a mission, not girl on a date.
“My apartment,” I say, refocusing my thoughts on Nick and my biological mother. Time is precious. “As fast as you can.”
He shifts into gear, pulls out of his parking spot, and floors the accelerator. I wonder what I’ll find when we get there.
“Can I borrow your phone?” I ask.
He grabs it from the dash console and hands it to me.
I left mine at home when we went into the abyss—no signal in the monster realm—but I need to check on Mom and Dad. I try home first, and I’m not sure if I should be relieved or afraid when there’s no answer.
I hang up and dial my mom’s cell. She picks up on the first ring.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Grace?” she gasps. “Gracie, are you okay?”
“Are you with Dad?” I ask.
“Yes, he’s right here.”
My entire body sighs in relief. They’re safe. For now.
There are sounds, and then my dad is asking, “Grace, where are you?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” I say.
“Are you—” He hesitates, trying to find the words. “Are you back?”
“No, it’s not over yet,” I say, avoiding the direct question.
Silence. “But you’re okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, Dad,” I say. “I’m okay.”
“And your brother?”
I glance at Milo, as if he’d have the answer. “He’s fine, too.” As far as I know. Nick, on the other hand . . . “Look, Dad, you guys can’t go home.”
“What happened?”
How can I tell them without freaking them out? I can’t tell them the truth. “They know where we live,” I say simply, hoping they won’t ask too many questions. “Just find a hotel and wait for my call.”
“Gracie, this is—”
“Dad, please!” I shout, my fear making me more assertive than usual. “Please,” I say again, softer. “I need to know you’re safe. Promise me you won’t go home until I call.”
He hesitates, and I can practically hear him thinking. In the end, though, he trusts me.
“Okay,” he says. “We promise.”
“Promise what?” Mom asks in the background, and I can hear the worry in her voice. I don’t have time to reassure them.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“You take care of yourselves,” he says.
“I love you, Grace,” Mom shouts, almost desperate. “Come home soon.”
I bite my lip as I hang up.
They’re safe, and I feel some of the fear leave my body. With a sigh, I drop Milo’s phone back into place. He doesn’t say a word. His hand is on the gearshift between the seats, and I have the almost irresistible urge to lay my hand over his. Almost irresistible.
Until Nick and my biological mother are safe, my sisters are back with the gorgons, and the looming war is over, I have to stay focused on the mission. Lives are at stake. My love life can come later.
CHAPTER 9
GRETCHEN
