“That would be unwise,” Euryale replies.
Gretchen shakes her head. “They’re heavily armed.” She skims her gaze over me and Euryale. “And our forces are not full strength.”
I want to argue, but I know she’s right. Just staying upright requires too much effort.
“Getting to the safe house is our only chance,” Sthenno says. “It will buy us time to find a solution.”
“Right. We’re going to walk out of the alley, single file,” Gretchen explains. “Head right and don’t look back.”
“I’m not leaving Greer’s side,” Thane insists.
Gretchen studies him for a second and then concedes. “Fine—in pairs. We’ll regroup at the bookstore four blocks south and then make for the safe house.”
We all agree.
“On my mark,” she says.
She moves back to the head of the alley, leaning up against the wall and peering around onto the street beyond. She raises her arm and waves us forward.
We’ll make quite the parade.
Thane grabs me by the forearm and pulls me out from behind our hiding spot. “You’re going first.”
We walk past Gretchen, stepping out onto the sidewalk and trying to look like normal people. Thane releases his grip on my arm, dropping his hand to clasp mine. He threads our fingers together, securing our hands palm to palm. To anyone else on the street, we must look like an ordinary couple out for a walk on a gray afternoon, happily enjoying each other—except for the tension in every muscle of our bodies.
I start to look back over my shoulder, but Thane tugs at my arm.
“Don’t,” he says. “Eyes forward.”
I scowl at him. “What is your problem?”
He flicks a glance at me. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”
“If you hadn’t noticed,” I argue, “I’m not incapable.”
His mouth quirks into a half smile. “No, you’re not. But you are a beacon of Apollo. You are in the greatest danger of all.”
“What does that mean?”
“When you touched the oracle’s pendant,” he explains, “you created a direct connection between your mind and the god of prophecy.”
I give him a blank look.
“Apollo has unlimited access to your brain.” Thane scowls. “He can track you, communicate with you, and see your visions.”
Sugar. Well, that explains the conversation with Apollo in my vision, and why Sthenno seemed so upset that I had touched the pendant. At the time I didn’t think we had another choice, otherwise I would be upset with myself as well.
As it stands, I did what I had to do, and I will live with the consequences. I will figure out a way to fix the situation.
Seconds later, the sound of footsteps smacking on the pavement clatters around me.
“They’re coming!” Gretchen shouts, rushing past us with the monkey on her shoulders. “Let’s go!”
Thane doesn’t wait for me to respond. He breaks into a sprint, dragging me along with him. My weakened legs struggle to keep up, but every time I start to lag behind, Thane pulls harder. He keeps me upright and moving. It feels like we run forever, even though it’s only a few blocks.
Inside the bookstore, Gretchen is standing by the front door, watching, while Sillus hugs her calf. She waves us inside, gesturing us deeper into the shop. Thane and I move between the wooden shelves of local travel guides and books by Bay Area authors, heading for a side room with a big window facing the sidewalk.
He leads me up the few steps and into a place behind a short bookshelf where we can watch the street. The gorgons hurry by, heading for the front door. Moments later, they all join us.
“Get down,” Gretchen whispers urgently.
I bend my knees but keep my eyes glued on the window. I see the half dozen men run by, sporting golden armor and carrying vicious-looking weapons. They must not have seen us duck inside, because they don’t stop or alter their course.
No one says a word for several minutes.
“They will return,” Sthenno warns, “as soon as they recalculate our position.”
A sharp pain pierces the dull ache in my brain.
The bookshop goes blurry around me as my mind drifts into a vision.
Apollo stands before a full-length mirror in his all-white chamber. As I watch, his reflection in the glass fades, and instead the mirror reveals the interior of a bookshop—the interior of
“You cannot hide,” he says. “I thought I made that clear.”
The vision ends, and I gasp.
“They already have.” I look around at my companions, at the very image I just saw in the mirror. “Apollo knows we’re here.”
Sthenno huffs out a tight breath.
“It’s uncanny,” Euryale says, tears glistening in her soft gray eyes.
“What?” I ask. I glance at Gretchen and Thane. “What?”
Euryale beams. “You are exactly like her.”
“Exactly like who?”
“Our sister,” Sthenno says. “The late gorgon queen Medusa.”
Now that I did not expect. They have just compared me to a legendary woman, a woman whose legacy has been distorted by myth and history, a maiden turned monster by those who would end our line. What am I supposed to say?
That I carry her power, her gift, is an honor and a burden. I am no stranger to pressure—it’s almost as if Mother was grooming me for this all these years. I have to believe I can live up to the responsibility.
“It should not be surprising,” Euryale says. “You have her power, her gift. And it manifests itself in but one way.”
They both stare at me for a long time. I can imagine what they’re feeling—pain over the long-ago loss of their sister, pride to see her power within me, and probably a slew of other emotions that I couldn’t even begin to put into words.
It’s touching, and I hate to interrupt the moment we’re having, but—
“We need to go,” Gretchen says, doing the interrupting for me.
“Yes,” Euryale says. “Let us get to the safe house before Apollo has time to redirect his soldiers.”
I am a bit overwhelmed by the situation—by the knowledge that a Greek god is reading my mind and tracking me through our mental connection, that this connection might be having an adverse effect on my brain, that I have visions in the same way as my ancient ancestor. If I thought therapy would help, I might sign myself up for a few sessions.
But what therapist would ever believe a word of this?
Gretchen is at my side as we walk out of the bookshop.
Thane walks silently on my other side.
Both of them are strong and silent, determined to protect me. Between them, I feel completely safe. Neither of them will let anything happen to me. If only their protection didn’t put
CHAPTER 16
GRACE
You should go home,” I tell Milo after the twelfth Cassandra Gregory in the city turns out
