Текст книги "Face of Death"

Автор книги: Kelly Hashway

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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

Chapter 25

I wasn’t in any condition to deal with Chase right now, so as I stared at Alex, I let myself slip out of my Ophi soul and back into my human one. Back into Liz’s body.

“Jodi?” Matt shook my shoulders. “Can you hear me?”

I opened my eyes and sat up. The sun was lower in the sky. How long had I been gone? “What time is it?”

“Six-thirty. I was getting really worried. You haven’t moved in hours. Were you back there…with him?”

“Six-thirty?” I jumped to my feet. “We have to go. We’re late. Mason is waiting for me, and I have to figure this all out tonight.”

“Slow down.” Matt was on his feet now. He grabbed my hand, holding me back. “Tell me what happened.”

“I’ll explain in the car. Come on. We need to go!” I ran for the car, willing my legs to move faster than they wanted to. Luckily, Liz was in good shape. I flung the door open the second I heard the car unlock. I was in my seat with my seatbelt on before Matt even got his door open. “Seriously, step on it!”

I started the car and peeled out of the parking lot. We raced to Serpentarius and I prayed we didn’t run into any cops along the way. For once, luck was on my side.

“Now tell me what happened.” Matt flashed me a stern look.

“Hades took Melodie, and he’s going after my mom if I don’t agree to his latest deal by tomorrow night.”

“Melodie?” Matt choked out.

“I know. It was awful. I brought her to the Fields of Asphodel, and I told her the truth about me. She blames me for everything, and she should. She died because of me.”

“Don’t do that. This isn’t your fault.”

I really wished people would stop sticking up for me. This was my fault. “Please, don’t defend me.”

He shook his head, not happy that I wasn’t taking his word for it. “What was the new deal?”

God, I really didn’t want to tell him. “He wants me to give him my Ophi powers and go back to being human for good.”

Matt’s eyes widened, and a hint of a smile crossed his lips.

“Don’t.” I turned away from him. “I’m not discussing it. I can’t let Hades take all those Ophi just to save myself. I won’t do it. And if you ask me to, I’ll only end up resenting you for it. Besides, I still have to go back to get Amber out of Tartarus.” I knew he wouldn’t argue with that last part.

He stayed quiet for the rest of the drive. I pulled into the club’s designated lot around the back, and I jumped out of the car as soon as it was parked. I ran for the back door and knocked, hoping that was where I’d find Mason. The door had to be outside his office.

I pounded on the door, yelling, “Mason, it’s Jodi! Open up!”

Matt had caught up when Mason opened the door. “You’re late. I thought…never mind. You’re here now.” He stepped aside and ushered us in.

We headed straight to his office so we could talk without a bunch of Ophi ears listening in on the conversation. Mason had recruited a new group of Ophi after the others came to the school with me. I didn’t even sit. I stood at his desk with my arms crossed.

“What did you find out? I’m on a serious time crunch.”

Mason’s eyes flew to mine. “Did he threaten Carol? Is she hurt?”

“She’s okay. Hades killed my best friend—my human best friend, and he’s going after my mom if I don’t end this by tomorrow night.”

Relief washed over Mason’s face. He sat down and formed a triangle with his hands. “The only way out of this war is to make another deal with Hades. But you need to come up with something so huge and airtight that he can’t get out of it. There can’t be loopholes.”

“What could I possibly offer him that he’d want badly enough to give up the other Ophi souls and promise to stop coming after me?” It seemed impossible. I needed something solid, not more cryptic Ophi garbage.

“I don’t know. No one’s been able to come up with anything big enough. But we all did come to the same conclusion.”

“What’s that?”

“You have to connect to the Medusa statue.”

I had to suppress the urge to scream at Mason. Why had I given him a day, when he hadn’t come up with anything I didn’t already know?

“I’m going to Medusa right after we’re finished, which I guess we are because you haven’t told me anything I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry, Jodi. I did the best I could.” He held up a finger. “I did find something that will help you, though.”

“What?” Was he holding out on me? I didn’t have time for this.

“Medusa will recognize your soul, even in human form.” There was more. I could tell.

“But?”

“She will attack you until that recognition is made.” He looked down at me. “You may not survive the initial contact.”

“May not? You’re not sure?”

“No. You are a direct descendent of hers, which means you have a better chance of her sensing your soul, even in human form.”

“What about in someone else’s human form?” I motioned to Liz’s body.

“Yes, that does add to the complication.”

“Still, I don’t have a choice. I have to go see her.”

“No way,” Matt said. “You can’t be serious. You might die, and then everyone is screwed. You’re the last hope your people have—that I have—and you’re willing to throw that all away?” His eyes pleaded with me, but I held strong.

“If I don’t try this, everyone will die. There’s no ‘if’ about it.” I looked back and forth between Matt and Mason. “I’m the Chosen One. Even if it kills me, I have to do this. I’m the only one who can.”

Mason nodded. He understood, but Matt was a different story.

“I’m not letting you. I’m sorry, Jodi. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself.”

“You don’t have a choice, son.” Mason was out of his seat and standing next to Matt, threatening him with his poisonous blood.

“Mason, no!” I stared at him in horror. The Ophi from Serpentarius didn’t believe in actively using their powers. They even worked with humans, keeping their distance of course, but still. And yet, here was Mason, ready to kill Matt to save our kind. More specifically, to save Carol.

“Don’t hurt him, please.” I reached toward Mason. “He doesn’t understand. That’s all. But I’ll make him see this is necessary.”

“No, you won’t,” Mason and Matt both said.

Matt crossed his arms. “You may as well let him kill me because I’m not letting you do this.”

Mason held his hand out over Matt’s shoulder, and his other hand reached for the letter opener on his desk. He was ready to shed his blood and end Matt’s life.

“Matt, please. I don’t want you to die. I brought you back to give you the shot at life you were supposed to have. Don’t make all that be for nothing.”

“I don’t want all that. I don’t want to be here. I’m not supposed to be. I died kissing you. Yeah, it sucked that we couldn’t be together and that I missed out on college and finding out who or what I’d become. But this,” he patted his chest, “isn’t me. I wasn’t meant to be immortal. It’s obvious you love Alex. You’re willing to do anything to save him. The few moments we’ve had together have been amazing, but they aren’t who you really are. I’ve felt that.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I mean, you went back to Alex while we were kissing. If that doesn’t say it all, then I don’t know what does. You’ve made your choice, and if you’re going to go through with it, then you’re going to have to end my life now.”

My body shook, and since I didn’t have Gorgon blood running through Liz’s veins, I knew it was from the pain of knowing Matt was right. I’d basically turned him into a monster. I couldn’t blame him for not wanting this life.

“I’m so sorry.” I stepped closer to him and took his hands in mine. “I thought I was doing the right thing bringing you back. I wanted to make up for—”

He pressed his finger to my lips. “You don’t have to apologize or try to explain. I know you, Jodi. You have a good heart, and I’ve always loved you for it. I don’t blame you for any of this.”

“Is this really what you want?”

“I want you to be happy.”

I choked back the tears that burned my throat. He really was perfect.

I met Mason’s eyes, and we silently agreed that Matt deserved better than this existence.

I squeezed Matt’s hands. “I want you to know that I do love you. The human in me will always love you.” I didn’t let him respond. I pressed my lips to his, and when I did, Mason cut his hand and gently touched Matt’s shoulder.

His body slumped forward, and I held him up for a second before crumpling to the floor with him. He was dead. For good this time. I cried on his shoulder for several minutes, and Mason stepped out of the office to give me some privacy. This wasn’t just goodbye to Matt. It was goodbye to my human life. I knew now that I couldn’t go back home to see Mom. I didn’t trust Hades enough to believe he wouldn’t take her early if he found me with her.

I let my tears speak for me as I cried for everything I’d lost. The people I loved and would never see again. I could’ve cried all night, but I somehow managed to find the strength to stand, and when I did, Mason was there to help me up.

He held me by the shoulders and stared deep into my eyes. I couldn’t help noticing his hand was already bandaged. “I’ll take care of the body. You go to Medusa and end this thing once and for all.”

“I’ll bring Carol back to you. I won’t let you feel like I feel now. I won’t let you lose someone you love.”

He nodded and let go of me. I turned for the door, but he called my name. “Jodi, don’t forget that, once you stop being human, you have someone who loves you more than anything.”

“I know. Alex is a huge part of why I’m doing this.”

Mason gave me a weak smile, and I left. I had been in such a hurry that I’d left the keys in the ignition. Good thing, too, because I wouldn’t have been able to go back in there and see Matt’s body on the floor of Mason’s office. I drove out of the parking lot and across town.

Finding the school was going to be a little tough. I’d only driven directly to it once with Alex. When I stole Melodie’s car, I’d tried to find the dirt road leading to the school, but it turned out it wasn’t a road at all, and I’d crashed the car into a tree.

When I knew I was close, I slowed down, peering through every opening in the woods, looking for the road. I passed several trails and almost turned onto one, but at the last second, I straightened out the wheel and kept driving. I was going on instinct, which felt more than a little odd since I wasn’t an Ophi right now. Still, I waited until I got a feeling. It happened about half a mile down the road. I felt a tightness in my chest. When I looked toward the trees, there was a road, barely visible. I slowed even more and turned down it.

The bumpiness was familiar. This had to be it. My poor mom’s car bounced and protested against the rough terrain. I hoped I wasn’t doing any major damage to it. Finally, I saw the cemetery. This was it. I pulled up behind the row of cars. The first two belonged to Ethan and Carson. The third was Chase’s red sports car. As I got out of Mom’s car and sprinted past the others, I resisted the urge to stop and key Chase’s hot little number. I didn’t have time.

I ran up the steps to the front doors and yanked them open. Since Hades had taken us all while we were here, the doors were still unlocked. I stopped when I saw the golden statue. Even though I knew it well, I was still in awe of it. If it wasn’t for the serpents on Medusa’s head, the statue would’ve been gorgeous. Every time I’d been near the statue in the past, I’d felt drawn to it. My blood recognized Medusa’s soul inside, and I felt a pull. Now, I felt nothing, and it made my heart ache.

If I couldn’t feel Medusa, maybe it meant she couldn’t feel me now, either. And what would she do when I touched the statue? She’d killed Abby when Abby insulted her by joining both hands with her. If she thought a human was touching her sacred statue…I couldn’t even think about how she might end my life. For a moment, I wondered if I should try holding just one of the statue’s hands first. Kind of test the waters. Her right hand had life-restoring power. But Medusa knew me by the special connection we had. The way I could hold both her hands instead of one at a time.

I had to do everything exactly as I had when I was an Ophi. That was my only hope of her recognizing my soul. No, wait! There was something else I could do. I ran past the statue and up the stairs, straight to my bedroom. I’d left the locket here. Medusa’s locket. I’d been so angry about everything that happened between Chase and me, and I’d blamed the locket—or at least the moment when I let Chase put it on me. I searched my dresser drawers, not remembering where I’d put it. How had I lost track of something so important?

Chase had done a number on me. He’d made me question everything about myself. The only good part about this situation now was that I wasn’t around him. I hated him for making me hurt Alex, for making me become so consumed by power that I’d lost sight of Medusa for a while.

I ransacked my bed next, remembering that, in my state of sobbing, I’d taken it off there. I flung the sheets and blankets to the floor and even checked in between the mattress and box spring. Nothing. Where was it? I picked up each blanket, shaking them in case the locket was tangled up inside. When I reached the bedspread, something fell to the floor with a small tinkling sound.

I looked down to see my locket. The beautiful bloodstone, which no longer had blood in it, was now mostly green. If only Medusa’s blood was still inside. Maybe I could’ve drunk it and made her recognize me before she stopped my heart. But then again, I didn’t have Gorgon blood in my veins right now, and that meant the locket wouldn’t open for me, no matter how hard I tried. I had to hope wearing the locket would be enough. I put it on, making sure the clasp was tight. I couldn’t take any chances. My life would depend on Medusa sensing her own power lingering in this necklace.

I looked down at the bloodstone, wishing I felt something, anything, now that it was around my neck. But I didn’t.

I walked back downstairs very slowly, gathering my courage. The stairs seemed to go on forever, and the statue looked bigger than ever as I approached it. My heart raced, and my hands shook. It was surreal that I was nervous about talking to Medusa. She was my ancestor, my family.

I stood in front of her and spoke aloud, clutching the locket in my right hand. “Medusa, if you can hear me, it’s Jodi. I know I look a little different right now, but this was the only way I could come see you. I need your help to save the others. I need to connect to your statue so we can talk and figure out how to defeat Hades once and for all. If you could avoid…killing me, I’d really appreciate it. I’m sort of counting on you recognizing my soul quickly, which is why I’m wearing your locket. Our locket. We are one and the same now. Even in this body, you must be able to see me.”

I let go of the locket and inched my hands toward the statue. This was it. I might die. “Please, Medusa,” I pleaded as my hands slipped into hers.

At first, nothing happened. I thought maybe Medusa’s soul had no effect on humans. I opened my mouth to talk to her, but an intense pain shot through my hands, up my arms, and into my chest. My lungs and heart clenched as if they were being shocked. The pain traveled up my neck and to my brain.

My eyes rolled back into my head, and I blacked out.

Chapter 26

Silence. That’s all there was. The air around me was completely still. I couldn’t feel my body, and all I saw was darkness. Was I dead? Had Medusa killed me? I couldn’t move, so I spoke with my mind. It was how Medusa and I had always communicated when we were connected by the statue.

“Medusa?”

No answer.

“Hades?” I wondered if I was back in the underworld. If Medusa had killed me, that was where I’d end up.

“No, child.” Medusa’s voice filled my mind. Peace washed over me. She was here. Even if I was dead, it was okay because Medusa was with me. She’d make sure I moved on safely.

“You aren’t dead, Jodi.”

“You know who I am. You recognized me.”

“Yes, but not before I hurt you very badly. This body will no longer be able to serve as a host to you.”

What? Where was I if I wasn’t in Liz’s body?

Through the connection, Medusa read my mind. “You are still inside your host body, but you won’t be able to remain there. You need to reach out to another body nearby and put your human soul into it.”

Oh, God. She’d destroyed Liz’s body, made it so I couldn’t use it anymore. And now that I was human, I couldn’t raise my own soul. “I can’t. I don’t have any powers.”

“I know you are weak, but I can help you.”

“Help me? I won’t be able to do anything at all. You’ll have to do it for me. My Ophi soul is in the underworld. I can’t access it without going back there.”

“No, you can’t do that. I’m keeping your soul in this shell. If you return your focus to the underworld, I won’t be able to hold your human soul here. It will move on.” She shook her head, making the snakes hiss. “I can’t raise a body for you, either. Not from inside this statue.”

What else was there?

“You are tethered to the statue right now.”

Tethered to the statue. Trapped like she was.

“Yes. In a way, that is true.”

“If my human soul passes on, I’ll be forced back into the underworld.”

“Yes.”

“I can’t go yet. I don’t know how to defeat Hades. That’s why I’m here. Mason said I’d have to make a deal with him. One big enough to end all of this for good.”

“I agree.” Medusa lowered her head, giving me a good view of the snakes wriggling around.

The question was, what did Hades want?

“Me,” Medusa answered my unspoken question.

“What do you mean you?”

“You know the deal the Ophi made with Hades for my soul.”

I nodded. “Yes, they freed you from him. He can’t touch you.”

“Not while I’m locked in this statue.” She held our hands out to the sides, and I could feel an unseen force keeping our arms from extending any further.

“Medusa, I don’t understand. What are you saying?” She spoke in riddles most of the time. I needed answers, real answers, and fast.

“You must free me. Break the statue.”

She couldn’t be serious. The second I did, Hades would take her.

“Not if I’m inside another.”

All this mind-reading was really making it difficult to think. “Inside another. How?”

“Think about it, Jodi. It’s what you do, right?”

She wanted me to free her soul and then place it inside another body.

“Not just any body.” She stared into my eyes, looking into my soul. “Your body, Jodi.”

“I’m not even in my own body.”

“But you could be.” She gave me a brave smile. “You’d have to say goodbye to your human soul forever.”

“Won’t Hades torture it for all eternity? I’ll have this double vision thing forever. I can’t. It will drive me insane. You have no idea the torture I’ve gone through living in both souls.”

“We can bury your human soul under your Ophi one, but for good this time. Deeper than before. You won’t be able to access it ever again. It won’t be easy.”

Nothing I ever did was easy. “Okay, let’s say I can do that, get my human soul back in my body and bury it there. How do you expect me to get you free?”

“I can give this body—”

“Her name was Liz.” I didn’t want to treat Liz’s body like an empty shell or an old coat I was borrowing. Liz had helped me get to Medusa. Her body deserved to be taken care of and treated fairly. I hadn’t done a good job of protecting it. The least I could do now was speak properly, respectfully, about it.

Medusa nodded. “I can give Liz’s body enough power for you to remain inside it long enough to break the statue. Once my soul escapes, you’ll need to let go. That’s all. Liz’s body doesn’t want to hold you inside, and my power will wear off from the exertion. We’ll go to the underworld together.”

And Hades would sense Medusa’s soul like a big, blinking, red light flashing the words “Come and get me!”

“You’ll need to act quickly. Rebury your human soul and then find me. Call me to your own body. Force me inside. I will try not to resist you, no matter how unpleasant the experience is for me.”

I knew what it felt like to be forced into the wrong body. It was painful and…well, I didn’t want to think about putting Medusa through that.

“Don’t worry about me. It won’t be pleasant for you, either. You’ll have both our souls fighting for control of your body.”

“Fighting? Why would we fight?”

“Perhaps fighting isn’t the right word. We’ll be at odds with one another. You’ll have to unite us.”

My head wanted to explode. How was I supposed to unite two souls inside my body?

“Think about how you split your soul. This will be the exact opposite.”

Great. That cleared things up…not at all.

“What will all of this do? Why put your soul inside my body?” She was leaving me out of half the plan, maybe more.

“Hades will recognize my soul inside you. He’ll also know you are too powerful for him to threaten. You’ll have the upper hand.”

“To make another deal?”

“Yes. And this is where you need to be very clear. The deal must be my soul for the safety of all Ophi for all time. You must make him understand that, if he should break his end of the deal in any way—as deemed by you—that you will regain control of my soul once again, and we’d be more powerful than he wants to deal with.”

Could I do that? Could I make demands of a god? I was only one Ophi—well, two with Medusa sharing my body.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do this if it wasn’t possible.”

Okay, maybe it was possible. Difficult but possible. There was still one major problem, though. “Medusa, I can’t let you sacrifice yourself for us. The Ophi need you. They wouldn’t have made that deal with Hades ages ago if you weren’t important to our survival.”

“That was before you came along, Jodi. My blood is in your veins. You can be what I used to be to the Ophi. I’m no longer needed.”

“No. I can’t let you do this. You’re like a mother to me.” I was already losing my mom again. Now that Liz’s body was destroyed—or would be after Medusa’s power wore off it—I couldn’t even say goodbye to her. How could I give up Medusa, too?

Medusa smiled warmly. “Your loyalty and affection are much appreciated, my child. But you will come to learn that, when you lead, you must make sacrifices. I believe you’ve already had to make sacrifices of your own.”

Definitely. I’d sacrificed Matt, Melodie, and my entire former life, including Mom.

“See, you know why I have to do this, and you must also know that I want to do this. You are the future, Jodi. I see that. I’m grateful for the time I was given with you and the other Ophi, but that time has come to an end. My power lies in your veins. You can provide the connection my statue once did.”

Have the Ophi connect powers with me? Become the next Medusa? This was crazy. I was nowhere near what Medusa was.

“Yes, you are, Jodi. Why do you think everyone around you wants to protect you? Why do you think Matt, Alex, and Chase all fell in love with you?”

“Chase?” My voice squeaked. “He hates me. He tortured me.”

“Because Hades made him. You saw glimpses of the way he used to be. Against my advice, you held on to those rare moments. He showed them to you, alone, because he loved you. My guess is he still does, whether he is showing it or not.”

Now I really felt sick. I couldn’t forgive Chase for what he’d done to me, Alex, and the others.

“Sometimes punishment is necessary. Hades is not wrong about that.”

“Why would you say that? You make him seem like he’s justified for torturing souls.”

“It’s about consequences. Every action has a consequence. Hades used to make those consequences become a reality. If you make this deal with him, he will do that once again.”

“You think he’s a fair god?” He was anything but in my mind.

“I think he once was, before he became threatened by the Ophi. Much of that was my fault. By keeping my soul here, the Ophi were disrupting the power balance. Hades felt threatened. His reaction may not have been fair, but it was a consequence we brought forth.”

“What will he do with your soul if I agree to this?”

Medusa was quiet, which meant I wasn’t going to be happy with her answer. Hades hated the Ophi. He wouldn’t go easy on Medusa.

“He’s wanted my soul for a very long time. It will give him a lot of power.”

“What if that power is enough to undo the deal I make with him?”

“You’ll have to make sure that’s not possible. The deal must be solid. No loopholes.”

This was too risky. I could lose Medusa in addition to losing everyone else I loved. “I can’t. Hades would want us to do this. He wants to get his hands on you.”

“That may be true, but we are out of options. We must join forces. If we don’t, Hades will kill your mother and then all your friends.”

She was right. I couldn’t let everyone die—even if it meant giving up the one person who had given me my powers.

Medusa tilted her head to the side and looked at me the same way Mom did when she was proud of me. “You said goodbye to your mother. You found the strength to stay away from her to keep her safe. You can do this, too.”

“How do you have so much faith in me?”

“Because you are one of mine. I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I thought you’d fail.”

Failure wasn’t an option. Hades would get all our souls if that happened.

I took a deep breath, which isn’t at all necessary when you’re just a soul stuck inside a reanimated body. “Tell me what to do.”

Medusa smiled. “You make me proud, Jodi Marshall.”

“Before we do this, I just want you to know that I’ll never forget all you’ve done for me. I can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t need to. You are saving my people. Even after Hades claims me, I will live on in each and every one of you. Mostly in you.”

If souls could cry, I’d have been bawling by that point.

“Now.” She squeezed my hands, sending a burst of life-restoring power to Liz’s body. “This should give your host body enough strength to break the statue.”

“Which brings me to the big question. How do I break solid gold?”

“The statue isn’t solid. If it was, my soul wouldn’t be able to exist inside it.”

Well, that helped, but I was still confused as to how to do it.

“You only need to make a crack in the statue, and I’ll do the rest of the work. Find some pliers, and break one of the fingers off the statue. I should be able to squeeze out of the opening.”

I nodded, but my insides twisted at the thought of destroying any part of the statue I’d grown to love.

“Be quick about it, Jodi. My power won’t sustain Liz’s body for long. If your soul releases before you free me, I won’t be able to help you.”

“Got it.”

She sent one more wave of power to Liz’s body before smiling and saying, “Good luck.”

This felt too much like a goodbye. There was an enormous chance that I’d fail miserably. Still, I had to try.

“Thanks,” I said, as her grip released from mine. Liz’s body slumped to the floor, and for a moment, I thought Medusa’s power hadn’t been enough to sustain her. I looked at the statue and forced myself to my feet. I wasn’t giving up. I’d drag the body if I had to. I used the walls to make my way to the closet in the hallway. Arianna kept tools in there. I found the pliers in the toolbox on the bottom shelf.

I hobbled—the quickest pace I could manage—back to the statue. The mirror on the wall caught my eye, and I gasped. Liz’s hair was fried, hanging off her scalp in huge chunks. Her skin was spotted with black, charred from Medusa’s touch. I tore my eyes away from the mirror and moved toward the statue.

I held the pliers up to Medusa’s right hand, opening them up and positioning her index finger between the pinchers. “Hurry, Medusa,” I said, but then I choked. The power was draining from Liz’s body. I used both hands to squeeze the pliers, but I couldn’t hold on. My soul was trying to escape the decaying body.

My soul released, and I saw Liz’s body slump forward onto the statue. As I spiraled through the air and to the underworld, I heard the pliers clatter to the floor.