Jimena followed after her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
BY THE TIME JIMENA had finished showering and blow-drying her hair at Serena’s house, Catty and Vanessa had arrived. They looked up when she entered the kitchen, then ran to her and hugged her.
Even Wally, Serena’s pet raccoon, seemed happy to see her. He climbed off the table and scuttled flat-footed over to her and stood in a begging posture.
“Don’t ever do that again,” Catty warned. “You can’t go off without us.”
“That’s right,” Vanessa added and offered Jimena a cup of hot cocoa. “We’re a team.”
Jimena sipped the sweet chocolate. It tasted like the best she had ever had.
“Well,” Catty asked impatiently. “Did you go down to Tartarus?”
Jimena nodded.
Serena sat down next to her, holding Wally on her lap.
After Jimena told them what had happened, she carefully explained her plan to take her gift back from Cassandra. When she finished she looked around the table.
Catty nervously pulled at a strand of hair. “It’s risky, especially if Cassandra is anticipating your plan.”
“How could she be?” Jimena asked.
“She stole your gift. Maybe the two of you have some kind of intuitive connection now.”
Jimena nodded. She had already considered this. “If we did, then I think she would have been waiting for me in the park when Veto and I escaped.”
“All right then.” Catty seemed satisfied.
Vanessa bit her lip. “I don’t know if I have enough power to keep both Serena and Catty invisible for so much time. I’ve only made Catty invisible before, and I didn’t have much luck with that.”
“You’ll have to try,” Serena said. “That’s the best any of us can do.”
Serena set Wally on the floor. “We really don’t have a choice. It’s the only plan we have.”
Jimena studied her friends and hoped that her plan didn’t fail. She remembered Cassandra’s words. Cassandra had told Karyl that she had seen Jimena bringing all of the Daughters to the edge of Tartarus.
Jimena shuddered. She had to make sure that they met Cassandra as far away from the park as possible.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE NEXT DAY Jimena cut classes again and spent the afternoon looking for Morgan in Hollywood. Low-hanging clouds misted over the Hollywood sign and the day grew steadily colder. She knew Morgan didn’t have enough power yet to be able to read her mind and discover her plan, but she was confident that Morgan could set up a meeting for her with Cassandra.
Finally, she found Morgan strutting past the Egyptian Theatre, holding an umbrella, her shiny black boots splashing in the puddles.
“Morgan!” Jimena called.
Morgan turned sharply. Jimena wasn’t sure if it was a look of fear or disgust that crossed her face.
“I need your help.” Jimena walked toward her.
Morgan took a step backward, unsure. “What do you want from me?”
Jimena tried to act humble. “I want you to persuade Cassandra to meet me tonight in front of the Pantages Theatre.”
“Why?” Morgan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously and her fingers touched the gold hoop pinched through the skin around her eyebrow as if it still felt tender.
“I want to talk to her about getting my power back.” Jimena tried to make her voice as sincere as possible.
“Your power? It belongs to Cassandra now.” Morgan smiled shrewdly. “But if you really want to see her, she’ll meet you tonight in MacArthur Park.”
Jimena felt her heart race. She didn’t want the meeting to take place anywhere near the entrance to Tartarus. “Let’s meet here in Hollywood,” she suggested.
Morgan twirled her umbrella nervously. “You only live a few blocks from the park.” She tilted her head coyly. “Why would you want to meet here?”
Jimena didn’t have an answer. “All right. The park, then.”
Morgan seemed too happy with her response. “Tonight in the park,” she repeated. “Be there.”
As Jimena watched Morgan walk away, a new worry took hold. Instead of trapping Cassandra in her plan, she wondered if Cassandra had now trapped Jimena in a plan of her own.
Back at the apartment, Jimena called each of her friends and told them to meet in the park tonight.
Then she went to her grandmother’s bedroom and unlocked the trunk that sat at the foot of the bed. She lifted the lid, and the smell of mothballs filled the air around her. She dug through the clothes packed in the trunk until she found the blue halter top and black jeans she had been wearing the night Veto died. She wasn’t sure why she had saved them, but she was glad she had, now. She was going to wear them tonight in honor of Veto.
She carried them back to her room, stood in front of the mirror over her dresser, and slipped on the gold earrings that had been a gift from Veto. Then she started to dress. She rubbed glitter lotion over her arms and painted black lines on her eyelids. She rolled on mascara, then stood back.
She studied her reflection. There was one last thing she needed. She wasn’t sure there was enough time, but she knew she wasn’t going to the park until it was done. She couldn’t do it by herself, but she was sure Catty could help her.
She started to leave her grandmother’s apartment but stopped at the door, remembering the smaller of the two guns she had stolen from Wilshire 5. She hesitated. She knew it was wrong, but it might also be the only way she could save Serena, Catty, and Vanessa. She hadn’t told them about Cassandra’s premonition, and she was worried that they were meeting Cassandra in the park.
Finally, she ran back to her room, took the gun, and slipped it into her jeans pocket, then left.
The rain had stopped, but clouds still covered the sky and reflected the city lights, giving the night a peculiar illumination. Jimena walked along the curb until she found a taxi. She took it over to Catty’s house. The driver kept glancing suspiciously at her in the rearview mirror. She wondered if he saw the determination and fearlessness in her eyes. When he finally pulled the cab to the curb in front of Catty’s house, he seemed relieved.
Jimena paid the driver, then hurried up the walk and rang the doorbell.
Catty opened the door, looking surprised, then quickly cautioned her to be quiet. “I thought we were meeting in the park,” Catty whispered, glancing back over her shoulder as if she were afraid the doorbell might have awakened Kendra.
Jimena stepped inside. “I want you to tattoo me.”
“Tattoo? I don’t know how.”
“You draw,” Jimena explained. “That’s all you need to know to do a jailhouse tattoo. I’ll tell you the rest.”
An hour later the tattoo of a crescent moon and star was bleeding on Jimena’s arm.
“It looks good,” Catty said with pride.
“Yeah.” Jimena stood in front of the mirror and admired Catty’s work. Excitement ran through her when she looked at herself. She glanced at Catty and knew she was feeling the same. They stared at each other’s reflections.
“You look . . . like a goddess,” Catty said, smiling.
Jimena remembered she no longer had her gift. Could she even call herself a goddess now? With rising self-assurance, she knew it was her rightful title. The power was inside her.
“Ready?” Jimena asked.
Catty nodded.
They tiptoed down the hallway, past Kendra sleeping in her bedroom, and out into the cloud-covered night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JIMENA PACED BACK and forth in the park near the lake, holding the moon amulet in her palm, anticipating its warning. She wondered why Cassandra hadn’t arrived yet. Maybe Morgan had been unable to convince her to come.
Then she caught glimpses of someone moving in the shadows, and her amulet began to pulse.
“Jimena.” The word hit her as Cassandra, Karyl, and Morgan suddenly appeared, walking toward her.
A breeze flapped open Morgan’s long coat. It see
med to float behind her. Karyl was dressed in his usual black, his eyes glowing and ready.
Cassandra wore her cape and impossibly high-heeled boots. Under the eerie reflection of city lights from the clouds, her pale skin and hard, black eye makeup made her look more nightmarish than pretty, but, Jimena thought, that was probably the look she wanted. When her ice-blue eyes locked onto Jimena’s, a huge force pressed Jimena down. Even at this distance she could feel herself start to fall into the depths of Cassandra’s endless blue eyes.
Jimena winced and pulled back.
Morgan laughed, but her laughter no longer sounded human. It was edgy and evil. She smiled derisively. “Hello, Jimena, we’re here for your meeting.”
Karyl’s eyes widened in anticipation, then wandered slowly over Jimena’s body before returning to her face.
Cassandra pushed into her mind again, and Jimena felt her will draining from her. She flinched at the feel of anger, hate, and fear that Cassandra twisted into her thoughts, but in the same moment she was overwhelmed with pity that such ugly feelings were Cassandra’s constant emotions.
She knew from Cassandra’s sudden grimace that she had read Jimena’s thoughts and that her pity had sent Cassandra into a violent rage.
You’ll suffer, Cassandra promised. The words echoed painfully around Jimena’s mind.
The awful pressure remained, coming at her in waves. Jimena let Cassandra slide completely into her mind. It was the only way to distract her so that Serena would be able to sneak into Cassandra’s mind, and steal Jimena’s gift back. It was also the most dangerous thing Jimena could do, because Cassandra could gain complete control over her, discover the plan, and destroy Jimena. What can harm you, can also help you.
A current of air flowed over her. She hoped that it wasn’t just the wind, but Vanessa, Catty, and Serena nearby and invisible.
From someplace deep inside her Jimena fought to keep her plan hidden. She kept repeating the words the goddess had spoken, “Quae tibi nocere possunt, etiam te adiuvare possunt. What can harm you, can also help you.”
“Failed goddess,” Karyl smirked. “A prayer won’t help you now.”
Suddenly Cassandra’s head wrenched backward in shock. A distressed scream came from her twisted mouth as she fled from Jimena’s mind.
Jimena took three stumbling steps backward, then looked around. She hoped Serena had been successful.
Vanessa, Catty, and Serena suddenly became visible.
Morgan seemed surprised, but Karyl and Cassandra smiled.
“I told you they would come,” Cassandra said smugly.
Serena quickly entered Jimena’s mind and Jimena could sense her gift of premonition returning.
“Thank you,” Jimena said, as the power inside her grew, feeling stronger than it ever had.
It pulsed through every cell, gathering energy. “Now let’s get out of here.”
“Don’t you want us to stop them?” Morgan asked.
Cassandra shook her head. “No need to.”
A booming noise came roaring from the earth and the ground trembled.
Jimena fell to her knees as the earth ripped open in front of her. She tried to stand again and stagger backward, but she lost her balance and sprawled inches from the edge of the bottomless abyss. The sulfurous air from the land of the dead seeped into the night air around her.
Vanessa tumbled precariously close to the edge. Catty fell next to her.
Serena keeled over the edge. Jimena leaped forward and caught her. She clasped Serena’s hand and held tight.
Jimena squirmed farther over the ledge, reached down, and grabbed Serena’s other hand, straining, muscles pulling tight across her back as she tried to haul Serena back.
Immediately Cassandra’s words flowed into Jimena’s mind. You wanted a meeting to talk about getting your gift back? Do you think I’m that stupid? You fell right into my plan. I knew your friends wouldn’t let you come alone.
Too late Jimena knew she had been overly eager to face Cassandra in the park. As Cassandra sensed victory, her sapphire eyes flashed with hellish triumph.
“Hang on,” Jimena said to Serena. “I won’t let you fall.”
Morgan peeked over the edge. “You can’t hold on forever,” she jeered.
One of Serena’s shoes slipped off and fell into darkness.
“We’ll save her,” Catty cried. She and Vanessa scrambled backward and latched on to Jimena.
Cassandra whooped behind them. “My premonition,” she yelled with glee. “Coming true exactly as I saw it.”
Jimena could feel the earth giving way beneath her.
“You’ve never been able to stop any of your premonitions from coming true,” Vanessa said with urgency. “Is it the same for Cassandra’s premonitions?”
“I don’t know,” Jimena answered helplessly, as a mound of dirt beneath her crumbled and tumbled into the pit.
Rain started to fall. Three large drops fell on Jimena’s hand and rolled down to her fingers. Serena’s hand started to slide away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
THE RAIN MADE IT impossible to hold on to Serena’s hands. Jimena had to do something and quickly.
“I’m going to let go of your right hand,” Jimena warned her, “so I can grab your left wrist. Ready?”
Serena nodded.
Jimena released Serena’s right hand and grabbed her left wrist. Her hold felt firm again, but she knew it couldn’t last for long. She strained and tugged hard.
At the same time Vanessa and Catty pulled her farther away from the edge.
Serena dug her toes into the sides of the cavern.
Cassandra whispered across Jimena’s mind, urging her to let go of Serena’s hand. Then another voice pushed Cassandra’s aside and scraped around Jimena’s mind, the tone taunting and so different that she turned and glanced back at Karyl.
“Don’t look at him,” Vanessa yelled.
Karyl walked to the edge of the chasm and looked down at her.
“Ignore him,” Catty urged and tugged hard on her legs.
Listen to him, Cassandra breathed the words softly into Jimena’s mind. He has something important to tell you.
Jimena ignored them and glanced back at Serena. “Brace your feet against the side and try to walk up.”
Serena did and was able to take one faltering step.
Jimena wiggled backward.
Karyl leaned down, closer to Jimena and spoke contemptuously in her ear. “I’m the vato. I’m the one who came to Veto the night he got shot. I lied to him and told him you needed his help. I led him into enemy land. He thought he was going to rescue you.”
Jimena could feel anger rising inside her.
“Don’t listen to him,” Catty said.
“They’re trying to get you to attack so you’ll forget about Serena,” Vanessa warned.
“Like I don’t know that?” Jimena yelled back at them.
Jimena strained and pulled hard. Serena took another small step, digging her toes into the fissure wall.
Large clumps of dirt fell over the side.
Jimena had to worm backward to keep from falling. Her hands were on fire but she managed to smile reassuringly to Serena. “You’re almost safe now.”
She yanked again and moved backward as Serena took another small step. Catty leaned forward and grabbed Serena’s other hand.
More dirt and grass gave way, but this time they pulled Serena up and over the edge.
“Hurry,” Vanessa warned behind them.
They fell back as the ground slumped and large pieces of earth gave way.
Karyl smiled at Jimena with his strange, hungry eyes, and Jimena knew intuitively that she didn’t want to hear his next words. She turned to face him, her moon amulet casting an extraordinary white glow over his face. He didn’t seem intimidated by the power building inside her.
“Cassandra gave me the power,” he bragged, his eyes burning. “The power from the Inner Circle to go back in time and change one event.?
??
Jimena stood and stepped closer to him.
“But a big one,” Cassandra added with a derisive grin as she stepped next to Karyl to face Jimena.
Karyl started to speak and Jimena interrupted him, her voice low and rasping, her anger complete, “You went back in the past to lure Veto into enemy territory?”
“To his death,” Karyl said.
The air trembled with Jimena’s power. She pulled the small gun from her pocket and pointed the muzzle at Karyl.
Morgan screamed and took quick steps back, but Cassandra didn’t flinch.
Vanessa let out a long hiss of air and grabbed Jimena’s arm. “Don’t, Jimena. Remember what Maggie told us. Evil only feeds evil. We never use the tools of the Atrox.”
Jimena jerked her arm away and cocked the hammer on the small gun. She kept Karyl in its sights. “Maggie doesn’t know anything about fighting evil.”
She let an indolent smile cross her face and then spoke to Karyl. “You’re not Immortal yet, are you, Karyl? Too bad. A bullet can kill a Follower, right? You ever see what a bullet does to flesh?” She could feel the jaguar awakening and padding through her veins.
But Karyl didn’t seem afraid, he seemed elated. So did Cassandra.
“Stop,” Serena yelled, and then she was half-running, half-limping to Jimena’s side. “The Followers grow stronger when people use violence to fight them. You’re only going to put us all in jeopardy.”
Karyl sneered. “Veto thought he was going to rescue you, Jimena. His concern for you killed him.”
“They’ll be invincible if you use the gun,” Catty cried.
Jimena gripped the gun with both hands. “He can’t survive a gunshot.”
“You’re a force of good.” Vanessa tried to convince her.
“Too late.” Jimena smiled and pulled at the trigger.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
JIMENA FIRED THE GUN into the ground beside Karyl. At the same time she concentrated and sent all her mental power twisting at him. The night filled with a strange, pure whiteness. Sparks burst into the air and continued to glow as they dropped slowly to the ground. Jimena felt lost in her power. Her nerves thrummed with excitement while her body felt exhausted from the effort.