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“Jason! Enough!” Ariadne exclaimed. Shocked tears sprang to her eyes.
But Jason was already done. In one quick motion, he whirled around, shied away from Claire’s reaching hands, and headed straight for the darkening beach. Claire backpedaled after him, giving Helen a pleading look. Helen mouthed the word “sorry” and in response, Claire sighed and shrugged, like there was nothing either of them could do. Then she left to chase Jason, who was rapidly retreating into the gathering shadows of the beach.
“This is my mom, Aileen, and Aunt Noel when they were in college together in New York City,” Ariadne said. She removed a picture that was sandwiched between the pages of a book on a shelf over her bed, and jumped down to hand it to Helen.
The photo showed two stunning young women behind a packed bar, pouring drinks. They had a sassy way about them that Helen admired right away, and they were laughing together uproariously as they served multicolored cocktails to the smeared waves of people in front of them.
“Look at Noel!” Helen burst out in surprise. “Is she wearing leather pants?”
“She sure is,” Ariadne said with a painful grimace. “I guess she and my mom were a little on the wild side when they were younger. They used to work in nightclubs and trendy restaurants all over the city to pay their tuition. That’s actually how they met my dad and Uncle Castor. In a nightclub.”
“Your mom was very beautiful,” Helen said, and she meant it. Aileen was slender, but still curvy and ultrafeminine. She had the black hair and the deep golden-brown skin of a Latin American. “But she doesn’t . . .”
“Look anything like us? No. Scions look like other Scions from history. We inherit nothing from our mortal parents,” Ariadne said sadly. “I think it would have been easier on my dad if he could look at us and see something of her living on. He loved her very much—still does to this day.”
“Yeah, I know,” Helen mumbled, and she was surprised to realize that she did know. Somehow she could sense how deeply this stranger in the photo had been loved. Looking at the way Aileen and Noel were cracking each other up, Helen couldn’t help but think of herself and Claire. “They were really close, huh?”
“Best friends since they were babies,” Ariadne said pointedly. “There’s a pattern, a cycle, to everything in our lives, Helen. Certain themes pop up over and over for Scions. Two brothers, or cousins who were raised like brothers, falling in love with two sisters, or almost sisters, is one of those cycles.”
“And only one of these women is still alive,” Helen said quietly, finally understanding Jason’s overprotectiveness. “Well, Jason has nothing to worry about. I’d die before I’d let anything happen to Claire.”
“Unfortunately, Scions don’t get to choose things like that,” Ariadne said with narrowed eyes. “My father would have died for my mother, but it doesn’t always end up in some heroic battle to save the person you love, you know. Sometimes, people just get killed. Especially around our kind.”
“What happened to your mom?” All this time, and Helen had never asked any of the Delos kids this question. Maybe Jason was right, Helen thought. Maybe she was selfish.
“Wrong place, wrong time,” Ariadne replied as she reclaimed the photo of her laughing mother and tucked it tenderly back between the pages of Anne of Green Gables. “Most Scions would do just about anything to avoid killing a full mortal. But more often than not, a full mortal will get killed completely by accident just because he or she is near a Scion. That’s why my fa
ther and my brother think we should stay away from anyone who could get hurt.”
“But you’re training Matt.”
“I never knew my mother. Everyone tells me she had a big mouth and a fiery Latina temper.” Ariadne shook her head with remorse. “But being tough isn’t enough. My father never taught my mother anything about how Scions fight, and I think that must have had something to do with why she died. I’m not delusional. I know Matt could never beat a Scion, but that’s not what this is about. If I don’t at least give him a skill set, then I’d never be able to forgive myself if he gets hurt. Does this make any sense?”
Helen nodded and took Ariadne’s shaking hands between her own. “Yeah, it does. I had no idea things were that serious between you and Matt.”
“It’s not like that,” Ariadne said quickly, but then she tossed her head back in exasperation and sighed at the ceiling. It was a gesture Helen had seen from Jason many times when he fought with Claire. “Honestly? I don’t know what’s between us. I can’t decide if I’m insulted he hasn’t tried anything or if I should be happy he hasn’t tempted me.”
It was obvious how torn Ariadne was. Helen didn’t know what to say, and eventually decided that maybe Ariadne didn’t need anyone else telling her what to do. Instead of trying to give advice, Helen just sat there, holding her hand while she thought it through for herself.
“Ari, do you know where . . .” Lucas said as he opened the bedroom door. He froze when he saw Helen. “Sorry. I should have knocked.”
“Who are you looking for?” Ariadne said, almost like she was testing him.
Lucas dropped his eyes and closed the door without answering her question. Helen told herself to breathe and forced herself to move her body in some way so she wouldn’t seem so dumbstruck, but Ariadne noticed, anyway.
“You too? Still?” she asked in a slightly disgusted way. “Helen. He’s your cousin.”
“I know that,” Helen said in a strained voice, holding out her hands in a pleading gesture. “You think I want to feel this? Do you know that I actually prefer being in the Underworld now because at least there I know I’m away from this sickness? How wrong is that!”
“All of this is really, really wrong,” Ariadne said compassionately, but almost begging Helen. “I’m so sorry for you both, but you have to stop this. Incest, even if it is unintentional incest where the two Scions don’t know they’re related, is another theme that gets repeated again and again. It always ends in the worst possible way. You know that, right?”
“Yes. I read Oedipus Rex—I know how this story ends—but what are my options? Do you have any ancient home remedies that will make me fall out of love with him?” Helen asked, being only partly sarcastic.
“Stay away from each other!” Ariadne snapped.
“You were right there when he lost his mind and told me I wasn’t even allowed to look at him,” Helen shouted back. “And that lasted for what? Nine days? We can’t stay away from each other. Circumstances always bring us back together, no matter what we do to each other.”
A big bubble of desperation was rising and swelling in Helen’s chest, and Ariadne’s pitying look was enough to make it burst. She stood up and started pacing. “I’ve literally gone to hell and back looking for a place to dump these feelings that I have for him, but I haven’t found a hole wide enough or deep enough. So, please, tell me you have an idea, because I’m out of theories, and if what Cassandra says is true, I’m out of time, too.”
