?Apollo made a deal with the Three Fates,? she said, half distracted
by some darker thought. ?He offered them something they
couldn?t have without him. A baby girl. He swore on the River Styx
to give them offspring, and in return they swore never to cut his
string of life. From that day on, Apollo got his immortality, and
every generation one girl who is descended from him belongs to
the Fates. She?s their spiritual daughter, and occasionally she can
see what her mothers have in store for the world.?
Cassandra was stalling, Helen realized. Whatever she was planning
to do unsettled her, but even though she seemed uncertain,
she continued to close in. As she did, light started to dance backward
into her skin, and her eyes and teeth glowed with the vaguely
purple hue of black light. Helen knew that she was older, larger,
and stronger than Cassandra, but she also knew she was still the
one in danger. Cassandra was not the only being inside that tiny
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body. She was being visited and maybe even partially controlled by
the Three Fates.
Helen watched as Cassandra cut off her exit. Helen could always
fly away, now that she knew how to get airborne, but she wasn?t
sure if she could control her flight once she was aloft. She also
didn?t know how to land without Lucas holding her hand. But right
now she was more afraid of the Oracle with the sword than she was
of falling out of the sky. Helen was about to take her chances with
flight when Cassandra?s demeanor suddenly changed. She went
from being the dark, fiery messenger of the Fates to being a very
vulnerable young girl.
?I saw something, Helen,? she said desperately. ?Then I saw it
again, and again. I?ve been so ashamed and frightened that I
haven?t told anyone else what I saw. And I am so sorry if I?m