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

18

WHY DID PEOPLE keep ruining my meals?
First they served me food. Then they explained how I was likely to die in the
near future. I longed to be back on Mount Olympus, where I could worry about
more interesting things, like hot trends in techno-pop, bumper-car poetry slams,
and laying waste to naughty communities with my arrows of vengeance. One thing
I'd learned from being mortal: contemplating death is much more fun when you're
contemplating someone else's.
Before Britomartis would give us our "reward," she insisted on a briefing
from Josephine and Emmie, who had spent all day, with Leo's help, preparing the
Waystation for a siege.
"This guy's good." Josephine punched Leo's arm affectionately. "The things he
knows about Archimedes spheres...really impressive."
"Spheres?" Meg asked.
"Yeah," Leo said. "They're these round things."
"Shut up." Meg went back to inhaling carbohydrates.
"We reset all the crossbow turrets," Jo continued. "Primed the catapults.
Closed all exits and put Waystation on twenty-four-hour-surveillance mode. If
anyone tries to get in, we'll know."
"They will try," Britomartis promised. "It's only a matter of time."
I raised my hand. "And, uh, Festus?"
I hoped the wistfulness in my voice was not too obvious. I didn't want the
others to think I was ready to fly off on our bronze dragon and leave the
Waystation to sort out its own problems. (Though I was ready to do exactly that.)
Emmie shook her head. "I scouted the statehouse grounds late last night, and
again this morning. Nothing. The blemmyae must have taken your bronze suitcase
to the palace."
Leo clicked his tongue. "I bet Lityerses has it. When I get my hands on that
crust-sucking Cornhusker—"
"Which brings us to the point," I said. "How does Leo—I mean, how do we
find the palace?"
Britomartis slid her feet off the table. She sat forward. "The main gates to the
emperor's palace are under the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument."
Josephine grunted. "Should've known."
"Why?" I asked. "What is that?"
Josephine rolled her eyes. "A huge decorated column thing in the middle of a
plaza, a few blocks north of here. Just the kind of ostentatious, over-the-top
edifice you'd expect the emperor to have for his entrance."
"It's the biggest monument in the city," Emmie added.
I tried to contain my bitterness. Soldiers and sailors were all very well, but if
your city's biggest monument is not to Apollo, I'm sorry, you're doing something
wrong. "I suppose the palace is heavily guarded?"
Britomartis laughed. "Even by my standards, the monument is a death trap.
Machine gun turrets. Lasers. Monsters. Attempting the front door without an
invitation would have dire consequences."
Meg swallowed a chunk of bread, somehow managing not to choke. "The
emperor would let us in."
"Well, true," Britomartis agreed. "He'd love for you and Apollo to knock on
his front door and give yourselves up. But I only mention the main entrance
because you should avoid it at all costs. If you want to get inside the palace
without being apprehended and tortured to death, there's another possibility."
Leo bit a cheese slice into the shape of a smile. He held it up to his mouth.
"Leo is happy when he's not being tortured to death."
Meg snorted. A gob of bread shot out of her right nostril, but she didn't have
the decency to look embarrassed. I could tell Leo and Meg were not going to be
healthy influences on each other.
"Then, to get inside," said the goddess, "you must use the waterworks."
"The plumbing system," I guessed. "In my vision of the emperor's throne
room, I saw open trenches of flowing water. You know how to access them?"
Britomartis winked at me. "You're not still afraid of water, I hope?"
"I have never been afraid of water!" My voice came out shriller than I
intended.
"Hmm," Britomartis mused. "Then why did the Greeks always pray to you for
a safe landing whenever they were in dangerous waters?"
"B-because my mother was stuck in a boat when she was trying to give birth to
me and Artemis! I can appreciate wanting to be on solid ground!"
"And those rumors you can't swim? I remember at Triton's pool party—"
"I can totally swim! Just because I didn't want to play Marco Polo with you in
the deep end with contact mines—"
"Hey, goddy people," Meg interrupted. "The waterworks?"
"Right!" For once I was relieved at Meg's lack of patience. "Britomartis, how
do we access the throne room?"
Britomartis narrowed her eyes at Meg. "Goddy people?" She seemed to be
pondering how McCaffrey would look wrapped in a lead-weighted hook net and
dropped into the Mariana Trench. "Well, Miss McCaffrey, to access the emperor's
water system, you'll need to search the city's Canal Walk."
"What's that?" Meg asked.
Emmie patted her hand. "I can show you. It's an old canal that runs through
downtown. They refurbished the area, built a bunch of new apartments and
restaurants and whatnot."
Leo popped his cheese smile into his mouth. "I love whatnot."
Britomartis smiled. "That's fortunate, Leo Valdez. Because your skills will be
required to find the entrance, disarm the traps, and whatnot."
"Hold up. Find the entrance? I thought you'd tell us where it was."
"I just did," said the goddess. "Somewhere along the canal. Look for a grate.
You'll know it when you see it."
"Uh-huh. And it'll be booby-trapped."
"Of course! But not nearly as much as the fortress's main entrance. And
Apollo will have to overcome his fear of water."
"I don't have a fear—"
"Shut up," Meg told me, causing my vocal cords to solidify like cold cement.
She pointed a carrot at Leo. "If we find the grate, can you get us in?"
Leo's expression made him look as serious and dangerous as it was possible
for a small elfin demigod to look in a little girl's coveralls (a clean pair, mind
you, which he'd intentionally found and put on). "I'm a son of Hephaestus, chica.
I can problem-solve. This guy Lityerses tried to kill me and my friends once
before. Yeah, I'll get us inside that palace. Then I'm going to find Lit and..."
"Light him up?" I suggested, surprised but pleased to find I could speak again
so soon after being told to shut up. "So he's literally lit?"
Leo frowned. "I wasn't going to say that. Seemed too corny."
"When I say it," I assured him, "it's poetry."
"Well." Britomartis rose, fishhooks and weights clinking in her dress. "When
Apollo starts talking poetry, that's my cue to leave."

"I wish I'd known that sooner," I said.
She blew me an air-kiss. "Lady Emma should remain here. Josephine,
see if you can help her as she heals. She'll need her strength for the coming battle."
Josephine drummed her fingers on the table. "I'll do my best."
"Emmie," the goddess continued, "you watch after my griffins. Heloise could
lay her egg at any moment."
Emmie's scalp turned crimson along her silver hairline. "What about
Georgina? You've given us a way into the emperor's palace. Now you expect us
to stay here rather than go free our girl?"
Britomartis raised a hand in caution, as if to say, You're very close to the
Burmese tiger pit, my dear. "Trust Meg, Leo, and Apollo. This is their task: to
find and free the captives, to retrieve the Throne of Mnemosyne—"
"And get Festus," Leo added.
"And especially Georgina," Jo added.
"We can pick up some groceries, too," Leo offered. "I noticed you're low on
hot sauce."
Britomartis chose not to destroy him, though from her expression I could tell
she came close. "You also have free Mnemosyne Daughter."
"She has a daughter?"
"Yes, Lady Emma told you of her. Vanellope, Demititan Daughter of Mnemosyne, Granddaughter of Hecate, and a legacy of you, Apollo. Tomorrow at first light, search for the entrance."
"Why not earlier?" Meg asked.
The goddess smirked. "You're fearless. I respect that. But you must be rested
and prepared to meet the emperor's forces. You need that leg wound tended to. I
also suspect it's been many nights since you've had a proper sleep. Besides, the
incident at the zoo has the emperor's security on high alert. Best to let the dust
settle. If he catches you, Meg McCaffrey—"
"I know." She did not sound afraid. Her tone was that of a child who'd been
reminded for the fifth time to clean her room. The only sign of Meg's anxiety: in
her hand, her last piece of bread had begun to sprout green tendrils of wheat.
"In the meantime," Britomartis said, "I will try to locate the Hunters of
Artemis. They were in the area on a quest not long ago. Perhaps they are still
close enough to come help defend this place."
A hysterical giggle escaped my mouth. The idea of twenty or thirty other
competent archers at my side, even if they were sworn maidens with no sense of
humor, made me feel much safer. "That would be good."
"But if not," said the goddess, "you must be prepared to fight on your own."
"That would be typical." I sighed.
"And remember, the emperor's naming ceremony is the day after tomorrow."
"Thank you so much," I said. "I needed the reminder."

"Oh, don't look so glum, Apollo!" Britomartis gave me one last flirtatious,
irritatingly cute smile. "If you come out alive, we'll catch a movie together. I
Promise."
"No thanks!"
Her gauzy black dress swirled around her in a tornado of netting. Then she
was gone.
Meg turned to me. "Naming ceremony?"
"Yes." I stared at her furry green piece of bread, wondering if it was still
edible. "The emperor is quite the megalomaniac. As he did in ancient times, he
plans to rename this capital city after himself. Probably he'll rename the state, the
inhabitants, and the months of the year too."
Meg snorted. "Commode City?"
Leo gave her a tentative smile. "What now?"
"His name is—"
"Don't, Meg," Josephine warned.
"—Commodus," Meg continued, then frowned. "Why am I not supposed to say
his name?"
"He pays attention to such things," I explained. "There's no point in letting him
know we are talking about—"
Meg took a deep breath and yelled, "COMMODUS, COMMODUS,
COMMODUS! COMMODE CITY, COMMODIANA. COMMODE DAY,
MONTH OF COMMODES! COMMODE MAN!"
The great hall shook as if the Waystation itself had taken offense. Emmie
blanched. Up in their roost, the griffins clucked nervously.
Josephine grumbled, "You shouldn't have done that, hon."
Leo just shrugged. "Well, if Commode Man wasn't watching this channel
before, I think he is now."
"That's dumb," Meg said. "Don't treat him like he's so powerful. My
stepfather—" Her voice caught. "He—he said Commodus is the weakest of the
three. We can take him."
Her words struck me in the gut like one of Artemis's blunted arrows. (And I
can assure you, those hurt.)
We can take him.
The name of my old friend, shouted over and over.
I staggered to my feet, gagging, my tongue trying to dislodge itself from my
throat.
"Whoa, Apollo." Leo rushed to my side. "You okay?"
"I—" Another dry retch. I staggered toward the nearest bathroom as a vision
engulfed me...bringing me back to the day I committed murder.