4 - QUAID
Istand still for a moment, wondering if Star’s anger is a source of power that has thus far been left untapped and she’s teleported us back to Olympus somehow, but no. It’s not. Because the emergency lights flash on and a voice comes on the loudspeaker. “This is a test. Lights will be back on momentarily, lady and gentlemen. So don’t get excited.”
“Test?” Declan asks, looking at me. “Bullshit. Something’s happening.”
He’s right. But I don’t admit it. The insides of my sunglasses are lit up with data, and it’s all I can do to keep up and make sense of it. Once the analysis is over, I withdraw inward so I can compile the information into something meaningful.
And then there it is. Meaning.
“Star,” I say. My voice a little bit panicked. “We need to go.” Immediately, Declan and Aric are protesting, each of them trying to get her to pay attention to them.
It’s funny, in a way, how they think they are so powerful and us mortals are so weak. But they’re standing inside mortal jail cells, desperately trying to siphon off Star’s latent magic to find a way forward.
And me—Mr. Nobody, a pathetic mortal—can pop open these cells with my mind. I’ve already hacked into the sheriff's station security network. Thatcouldbe why the lights went out. But if it is, it’s a mistake. And I simply do not make mistakes.
So that’s not the reason the lights went out.
The reason is Helix Order—a group of Titan worshipers who think Star is the key to unlocking the gates of Tartarus, where the Titans have been imprisoned for thousands of years. And while I have never studied their cult documents, nor do I understand their motives—anything that opens the door between the mortal realm and Tartarus is bad news. The Helix Order will do anything to get their claws on this key she has. And if they’re close enough to be messing with the lights, they’re moments away from obtaining their goal.
I need a plan.
The problem was never the jail cells. As soon as I took over the station network, I could’ve opened them up. That’s no big deal.
But what Ican’t dois get us out of this building.
If Helix is outside, we can’t get past them.
What we can do is…
Well, I hate to admit this, but Declan might be our only hope. As the demigod son of Hermes, he’s got traveling gifts. And while I don’t know for sure, I’m betting that means he could teleport us somewhere.
‘Could’ is the optimal word here. Because if it was that simple, he’d have done it already. And obviously, he’s still here.
I turn to him. “Declan, can you get us out of here?”
His side-eye comes with a sneer. “Us?” Then a scoff. “Who the hell made you part of my crew?”
“Listen to me. We don’t have much time. There’s a mortal Titan cult called the Helix Order coming to get Star.” I nod my head at her.
“What are you talking about?” Aric asks.
“None of your concern.” I turn back to Declan. “They’re here, Declan. And if we don’t get out of here right now, they’re gonna take Star. And I get it. We’re all here to take Star. But they’re different. What they do with her will be unconscionable. They’ll torture her?—”
“What?” Star is standing up, her hands wrapped around the bars of her cell, staring at us. “What did you just say?”
I ignore her and keep talking to Declan. “If you can get us out of here, you need to do it now!”
Declan laughs. “Like I said, Mr. Nobody. You’re not one of us.”
“Maybe not. But I’m betting the whole reason you haven’t gotten yourself out of this jail in the first place is because you can’t take Star with you. And the reason you can’t take her with you is because you need to be touching her to do that and, obviously, we’re in separate cells.”
“So?” he says. “It’s not like you’ve got any powers at all.”
“Right,” I laugh. “Well, what if I told you that I can open the cells?”
“Then do it, mortal.” Aric hisses this at me.
I put up a hand. “You’ve got nothing to do with this, so—” But before I can finish my sentence, I hear gunshots from the other side of the jail door. “They’re here! If you can get us out of the building, Declan, I’ll open the cells.”
“Open them!” Aric yells. “Open them and let me out!”
“Not you,” I say again.
Just as Declan says, “OK. I’ll do it.”
I pop open our cell as well as Star’s, and we all rush out, reaching for each other.
But the moment I touch Declan, and Declan touches Star—she touches Aric.
And we all disappear together.
