Zeus, they who are beloved by Aphrodite, and give them shelter in
the Royal House of Thebes. Oh! Caution! Betrayal . . .? She broke
off uncertainly. The light left her, and she began to shake. She
looked frightened, but not even Lucas wanted to go near her.
?Are you okay?? Lucas asked her quietly from across the room,
breaking the unnatural silence. She nodded and rubbed her hands
over her shoulders and upper arms, suddenly looking much smaller
than she was.
?You?re going to need to take Hector and the twins with you,? she
warned. ?I think there?s going to be a fight.?
?I?ll go, too,? Castor said, but Cassandra shook her head.
?If Daphne sees you or Pallas, she?ll run,? she said with an apologetic
shrug.
?So our children are to go face her alone? No. Daphne is too dangerous.
We can?t let them anywhere near her,? Pallas objected as
his anger gave way to fear. ?She seduced Ajax and murdered him!?
?We don?t know that!? Castor yelled out in frustration.
For a moment it looked like Castor was going to hit his brother,
but Hector insinuated himself in between them. Lucas nearly
screamed with frustration, wondering how Scions had ever survived
this long. They were always at each other?s throats, and none
of this infighting got him any closer to Helen.
?Everyone calm down! Uncle. Father,? Hector said, turning from
one to the other, and assuring both of them. ?We can handle this.?
There was a gasping laugh, a bitter sound that caught everyone?s
attention. When Lucas looked over, Pandora had a hand over her
328/395
mouth and her eyes were filling up with tears. She looked tenderly
at Hector, and spoke to him from behind her hand.
?You look just like him, you know,? she said with an odd smile.