Changing Fate (Book 2: We're The Same But Different)

17

HELOISE AND ABELARD knew where to go. They circled the Waystation roof
until a section of shingles slid open, allowing the griffins to spiral into the great
hall.
They landed on the ledge, side by side in their nest, as Josephine and Leo
scrambled up the ladders to join us.
Josephine threw her arms first around Heloise's neck, then Abelard's. "Oh, my
sweethearts! You're alive!"
The griffins cooed and leaned against her in greeting.
Josephine beamed at Meg McCaffrey. "Welcome! I'm Jo."
Meg blinked, apparently not used to such an enthusiastic greeting.
Emma half land, half tumbled from Heloise's leg. She would have
toppled off the ledge if I hadn't caught her.
I asked. "You okay?"
She blinked sleepily. "I'm fine. Don't fuss. And I just us—"
She crumpled against me, as I struggled to keep her upright.
Leo glared at me. "What happen to her, did you do?"
"Not a thing!" I protested. "I believe Emma used too much of her powers."
I explained what had happened at the zoo: our encounter with Lityerses, our
escape, and how the arena's netting had suddenly disappear and that it looked like time slowed down.
Meg added unhelpfully, "It was crazy."
"Lityerses," Leo muttered. "I hate that guy."
"Is Emma going to be alright?" I asked.
Josephine checked Emma's pulse, then pressed a hand against her forehead.
"She's blown a circuit," Josephine announced.

"Blown a circuit?" Leo yelped. "I don't like blown circuits!"
"Just an expression, bud," said Josephine. "She's overextended herself
power wise. We should get her to Emmie in the infirmary. Here."
Josephine scooped up Emma. Ignoring the ladder, she jumped off the ledge
and landed easily on the floor twenty feet below.
I scowled. "I could have done that."
Leo turned to Meg. No doubt he recognized her from my many tales of woe.
After all, young girls in stoplight-colored clothing and rhinestone cat-eye glasses
were not common.
"You're Meg McCaffrey," he decided.
"Yep."
"Cool. I'm Leo. And, uh..." He pointed at me. "I understand you can, like,
control this guy?"
I cleared my throat. "We merely cooperate! I'm not controlled by anyone.
Right, Meg?"
"Slap yourself," Meg commanded.
I slapped myself.
Leo grinned. "Oh, this is too good. I'm going to check on Emma, but later we
need to talk." He slid down the ladder railings, leaving me with a deep sense of
Foreboding. He and Emma had become good friends since they met.
The griffins settled into their nest, clucking contentedly to each other. I was no
griffin midwife, but Heloise, thank the gods, seemed no worse for wear after her
flight.
I faced Meg. My cheek stung where I'd slapped myself. My pride had been
trampled like Lityerses under a herd of combat ostriches. Nevertheless, I felt
remarkably happy to see my young friend.
"You rescued us, me." Then I added two words that never come easily to a god:
"Thank you."
Meg gripped her elbows. On her middle fingers, her gold rings glinted with
the crescent symbol of her mother, Demeter. I had bandaged her cut thigh as best I
could while we were in flight, but she still looked shaky on her feet.
I thought she might cry again, but when she met my eyes, she wore her usual
willful expression, as if she were about to call me Poop Face, or order me to play
princess versus dragon with her. (I never got to be the princess.)
"I didn't do it for you," she said.
I tried to process that meaningless phrase. "Then why—"
"That guy." She waved her fingers over her face, indicating Lityerses's scars.
"He was bad."
"Well, I can't argue with that."

"And the ones who drove me from New York." She made her icky expression.
"Marcus. Vortigern. They said things, what they would do in Indianapolis." She
shook her head. "Bad things."
I wondered if Meg knew that Marcus and Vortigern had been beheaded for
letting her escape. I decided not to mention it. If Meg was really curious, she
could check their Facebook status updates.
Next to us, the griffins snuggled in for a well-deserved rest. They tucked their
heads under their wings and purred, which would have been cute if they didn't
sound like chainsaws.
"Meg..." I faltered.
I felt as if a Plexiglas wall divided us, though I wasn't sure whom it was
protecting from whom. I wanted to say so many things to her, but I wasn't sure
how.
I summoned my courage. "I am going to try."
Meg studied me warily. "Try what?"
"To tell you...how I feel. To clear the air. Stop me if I say something wrong,
but I think it's obvious we still need each other."
She didn't respond.
"I don't blame you for anything," I continued. "The fact that you left Emma and I alone
in the Grove of Dodona, that you lied about your stepfather—"
"Stop."
I waited for her faithful servant Peaches the karpos to fall from the heavens
and tear my scalp off. It didn't happen.
"What I mean," I tried again, "is that I am sorry for everything you have been
through. None of it was your fault. You should not blame yourself. That fiend Nero
played with your emotions, twisted your thoughts—"
"Stop."
"Perhaps I could put my feelings into a song."
"Stop."
"Or I could tell you a story about a similar thing that once happened to me."
"Stop."
"A short riff on my ukulele?"
"Stop." This time, though, I detected the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the
corner of Meg's mouth.
"Can we at least agree to work together?" I asked. "The emperor in this city is
searching for us both. If we don't stop him, he will do many more bad things."
Meg raised her left shoulder to her ear. "Okay."
A gentle crackling sound came from the griffin's nest. Green shoots were sprouting from the dry hay, perhaps a sign of Meg's improving mood. I remembered Cleander's words in my nightmare: You should have realized how powerful she is becoming. Meg had somehow tracked Emma and I to the zoo. She'd caused ivy to grow until it collapsed a roof. She'd made bamboo plants swallow a squad of Germani. She'd even teleported away from her escorts in Dayton using a clump of dandelions. Few children of Demeter had ever had such abilities. Still, I was under no illusions that Emma, Meg and I could skip away from here arm in arm, our problems forgotten. Sooner or later, Meg would have to confront Nero again. Her loyalties would be tested, her fears played upon. I could not free her of her past, even with the best song or ukulele riff.
Meg rubbed her nose. "Is there any food?"
I hadn't realized how tense I'd been until I relaxed. If Meg was thinking of food, we were back on the path to normalcy.
"There is food." I lowered my voice. "Mind you, it's not as good as Sally Jackson's seven-layer dip, but Emmie's fresh-baked bread and homemade cheese are quite acceptable."
Behind me, a voice said drily, "So glad you approve." I turned.
At the top of the ladder, Emmie was glaring griffin claws at me. "Lady Britomartis is downstairs. She wants to talk to you."
The goddess did not say thank you. She did not shower me with praise, offer me a kiss, or even give me a free magic net.
Britomartis simply waved to seats across the dinner table and said, "Sit."
She was dressed in a gauzy black dress over a fishnet bodysuit, a look that reminded me of Stevie Nicks, circa 1981. (We did a fabulous duet on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." I got zero credit on the album, though.) She propped her leather boots on the dining table as if she owned the place, which I guess she did, and twirled her auburn braid between her fingers. I checked my seat, then Meg's, for any spring-activated explosive devices, but without Leo's expert eye, I couldn't be sure. My only hope: Britomartis looked distracted, perhaps too distracted for her usual fun and games. I sat. Happily, my
gloutos did not explode. A simple meal had been laid out: more salad, bread, and cheese. I hadn't realized it was lunchtime, but when I saw the food, my stomach growled. I reached for the loaf of bread. Emmie pulled it away and gave it to Meg.
Emmie smiled sweetly. "Apollo, I wouldn't want you to eat anything that's only acceptable. There's plenty of salad, though."
I stared miserably at the bowl of lettuce and cucumbers. Meg grabbed the entire bread loaf and ripped off a chunk, chewing it with gusto. Well...I say chewing. Meg stuffed so much into her mouth it was difficult to know if her teeth ever connected. Britomartis laced her fingers in front of her. Even that simple gesture looked like an elaborate snare. "Emmie," she said, "how is Lady Emma?"
"Lady Emma?" Meg question. I just shugged.
"Resting comfortably, my lady," said Emmie. "Leo and Josephine are looking in on her—Ah, here they are now."
Josephine and Leo strode toward the dining table, Leo's arms spread like the Rio de Janeiro Christ statue. "You can all relax!" he announced. "Emma is okay!"
The net goddess grunted as if disappointed.
A thought struck me. I frowned at Britomartis. "The net over the arena. Nets are your department. You helped it disappear, didn't you? Emma couldn't have done that by herself."
Britomartis smirked. "No, I didn't was gonna test her, but she did it herself. If Zeus finds out about her existence. Oh, It won't end well for her."
I looked her eyes. "Test her, what do you mean by test her? I'm begging you Britomartis don't tell Zeus about Emma, you know he'll kill her!"
'Did I just beg for safely of titan?' I thought.
The goddess shrugged. "Don't worry, Apollo. I won't tell Zues about your girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?!" Meg yelled, but was ignored.
"Besides, I might need her and her powers later. I can't do that if she's dead." She spoke with distaste.
I felt angry as stepped toward the goddess.
Josephine grabbed his arm. "Let it go, bud. Between Emmie and me, we can take care of Lady Emma."
Britomartis pressed her hands against the table. "But enough about Lady Emma. Apollo, I must admit you did moderately well retrieving my griffins."
"Moderately well?" I bit back a few nasty comments. I wondered if demigods and demititans ever felt the need to restrain themselves when facing ungrateful gods like this. No. Surely not. I was special and different. And I deserved better treatment.
"So glad you approve," I muttered.
Britomartis's smile was thin and cruel. I imagined nets wrapping around my feet, constricting the flow of blood in my ankles. "As promised, I will now reward you. I'll give you information that will lead you directly to the palace of the emperor, where you'll either make us proud...or be executed in some horrible but creative fashion."