Hector laughed with her as she dialed Cassandra’s number and listened to the phone ring. She reached out and laid her hand over Hector’s, giving him a sympathetic smile. She noticed that he had avoided saying Cassandra’s name, and opted instead to call her by her title. He missed them all so much. Hector smiled back at Helen ruefully and dropped his eyes.
“It won’t be much longer,” Helen promised him softly, listening to the phone ring and ring. “You’ll be back with your family soon.”
“You found something, didn’t you?” he said, perking up. “Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“Orion and I are pretty sure we know what we need. The only problem is I still don’t know how to find the Furies once we get it,” she replied as she hung up and dialed Matt’s number instead. “I didn’t want to say anything, just in case this all falls through, but we’re going to make our first try for it tonight.”
Matt’s phone went directly to voice mail. She tried Claire, Jason, Ariadne, and finally Lucas, but in every case she either got shunted directly to voice mail or the call was dropped entirely.
“No one’s answering?” Hector asked with growing alarm as call after call failed to connect.
“It’s the weirdest thing!” Helen huffed, and began typing an email. Hector reached out and prevented her, taking the phone and deleting the email.
“Helen, go home,” he said in a low, tense voice. He gave her back her phone, stood up, and began looking around in alarm. “Go home right now and descend.”
A lab table from the science department at Nantucket High came soaring through the front window of the store, shattering the glass and sending the displays tumbling across the floor. The rancid smell of Eris came wafting in after it. Helen fought off the urge to light something on fire, knowing that her emotions weren’t real and that she was being manipulated by a malevolent goddess. She heard customers scream in the back room and that snapped her out of her dangerous mood. She vaulted over the counter, but Hector held out an arm and stopped her from sprinting into the back.
“I’ll protect Kate and Jerry—from themselves if necessary. You descend,” he said in a firm but blessedly calm voice. Helen gave him a level look and nodded once to show she understood his orders.
“Don’t be a hero,” she ordered him back. “If the Hundred or your family comes, you run.”
“Hurry, Princess,” Hector said, and kissed her on the forehead. “We’re counting on you.”
Helen ran out of the News Store. Behind her, she heard Hector explaining to her father that she was going for the police. Avoiding the raucous mob, she darted down a dark alley where she couldn’t be seen and soared into the air. Flying under the blue tarp that still covered her window, Helen landed directly in bed, hoping she would eventually calm down enough to fall asleep.
Her feet slammed down hard between row after row of sterile, white flowers. It was the first time Helen could recall ever having a hard landing in the Underworld, and it was most likely because she had been so desperate to get there. Helen spun around in a circle and discovered that she was in the dreadful Fields of Asphodel. Thankfully, she was not alone. She hadn’t realized it until she saw Orion’s solid shape a few feet away, but she had been worried about him.
“Orion!” Helen said with relief. She ran the last few steps toward him through the tombstone blooms. He turned and caught her up in his arms with a worried frown.
“What’s the matter?” he said into her neck as he hugged her. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” she said, laughing a little at her overly emotional reaction but still clinging to him tightly. Finally, when she felt calm enough, she eased away and looked Orion in the eyes. “I have a lot to tell you.”
“And I want to hear it, but can you do something first? Say out loud that you don’t ever want anything to attack us again while we’re down here?” he asked expectantly.
“I don’t ever want anything to attack us again while we are down here!” Helen repeated emphatically. “Good thinking.”
“Thanks. I like your dress. But, you know what? I actually think you’d be warmer in those little shorts with the hissing cats. They covered more.”
Helen whirled on him with a shocked look on her face. She couldn’t believe he remembered seeing her in her pumpkin pajamas.
“You have no idea what happened to me this morning! I had to wear this,” she said defensively, trying not to blush.
“You look beautiful. Not that that’s anything new,” he said softly.
Helen stared at him, completely thrown, and then pulled her eyes away and stared at a boring asphodel flower like it was really interesting. She felt Orion move closer to her and told herself to relax. She hadn’t kissed Orion last night, she reminded herself. That was Morpheus as Orion. Big difference. And the real Orion didn’t even know anything about it, so there was no reason for her to feel shy around him. Except that she did. In her head, Helen heard Hector say that she could have a lot of fun with Orion if she wanted, and she lost her train of thought.
“Now, tell me what happened to you this morning,” he said, concern creasing his forehead.
Helen snapped back to reality and quickly recounted her accident, the student revolt that Eris had caused at school, Thanatos walking the streets of Manhattan, and the bedlam that erupted in the News Store right before she descended. Orion listened silently, clenching his jaw more and more tightly as Helen went on.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a controlled voice.
“Yeah, but I feel awful!” Helen blurted out. “I left Kate and my dad in the middle of a riot! How could I do that?”
“Hector won’t let anything happen to them,” Orion said with certainty. “He’ll guard them with his life.”
“I know he will, but in a way that’s even worse,” Helen said, almost pleadingly. “Orion, what if the Delos family comes to check up on me at the store and they find Hector?”