Dreamless (Starcrossed 2)

“Actually, I think it looks kind of awesome. Not too happy about how you got it, though,” he said in a falling tone.

“Me neither.” With or without a scar, Helen knew she would think about this night for the rest of her life. She just hoped Morpheus would be kind and not send her any nightmares about it.

“We’ll have to call a summit,” Daphne said to Castor. “Of all the Houses. Atreus, Thebes, Athens, and Rome.”

“I know,” Castor said, nodding. He looked over at Orion and shrugged. “When’s good for you?”

Helen, Lucas, and Orion all laughed at that, but the moment of levity died fast when they considered why they had to have a meeting of the Houses to begin with. They needed to tell all the Scions that the war had started and come up with a plan to deal with it.

“In the meantime, I think we should call everyone we can. Tell them to watch their backs,” Hector advised.

“Do you think the gods would really try to pick us off one at a time?” Lucas asked dubiously.

“No,” Matt said, rejoining the group. “I think they want a real war. Something big and heroic.”

“More fun that way,” Helen said remotely, thinking of Ares and his twisted idea of playtime.

“This isn’t a game,” Hector reminded Helen and Matt gently. “The gods have seen what Helen can do, and what they face is worse than dying. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend eternity in the Elysian Fields than in Tartarus. If I were Zeus, I’d make Helen my first target, but I don’t think Orion and Lucas are much farther down on the gods’ hit list. Like it or not, the Houses are united. We stick together from now on. No one wanders away from the fold.”

Everyone nodded at Hector’s decree. He was, and always would be, their hero.

For a moment Helen saw Hector wearing a breastplate and holding a spear as he addressed the troops. Jason stood behind him, holding Hector’s plumed helmet with pride. At the base of the castle walls, wave after wave of brave soldiers screamed Hector’s name, bathing it in glory.

“Getting the right conditions to lock Ares in Tartarus was a lucky break,” Helen said, blinking until the vision of Hector, glowing red and gold in the sunshine, went away. “It’s not something that happens all the time.”

“But it did happen,” Daphne said, turning toward Hector with a touch of excitement. “And now all the gods must know that if it could happen to Ares, it could happen to them. They should fear us. For a change.”

Helen watched her mother worrying her lower lip between her fingers as she paced, deep in thought. It was almost as if Daphne wanted this war, but why? Daphne was a lot of things, but suicidal was not one of them. Helen banished the notion, convincing herself that Daphne was happy only because there was a chance that the gods might try to avoid a war now that they were threatened with Tartarus. That had to be it. Pinching her swollen eyes shut as she tried to clear her throbbing head, Helen felt Lucas take her hand and squeeze it briefly to get her attention.

“My dad said Jerry and the twins are awake now,” he said softly. His forehead creased when he saw Helen’s eyes swim. “Are you okay?”

Helen smiled at him and shook her head. She wasn’t okay. None of them was. She held out her other hand and took Orion’s.

“Want to meet my dad?” she asked him.

“Yeah. I guess you should meet mine, too,” he said, but he didn’t look too excited about it. He looked sad. Orion’s head bobbed forward and he blinked a few times, trying to stay conscious.

“Okay. Time to go,” Castor said, his face furrowed with worry. “The three of you are in really bad shape. We need to get you back to ’Sconset. Daphne? Hector? Let’s go.”

Helen, Lucas, and Orion were still too weak to stand, and needed to be carried back to Nantucket. Helen fought it at first, but then moments after Daphne picked her up, Helen was overcome with exhaustion. She hadn’t expected it, but Daphne’s arms were much more familiar than she could have imagined.

Glancing first at Orion and then letting her eyes land on Lucas, Helen let her head rest against Daphne’s shoulder and fell asleep to the soothing rhythm of her mother’s heart.