“We should tour,” Lucas agreed as he took her hand and led her into school.
They were getting stares, but Helen didn’t care. She didn’t feel stomach pains anymore. She could relax now that she knew the Curse Cramps would only come as a result of her using her powers in front of normals and not from any other kind of attention. She began to wonder how many of her past episodes had been real, and how many had been brought on by the fear of them. It was a relief to know that she had some control over the curse, and for the first time in her life, Helen felt like it might actually be okay to be a little bit different.
“Aren’t we old news yet?” she asked him with a sly glint in her eye.
“I don’t know. Let me check CNN,” Lucas said, pulling out his phone and pretending to open a browser. Helen gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth.
“Oh no, my phone! I forgot to tell my dad it’s broken again!” She stopped dead in the hall as she remembered how Hector had made her take a little swim with it.
“Hector will buy you another phone. A better one,” was all he’d say as he kissed her forehead. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“That sounds really bad,” Helen groaned, but the bell rang and she had to run or suffer Hergie’s wrath.
The rest of the day was as near to perfect as a day spent in high school can get. Helen felt hugely energetic, Claire was a ninety-pound ray of sunshine, and Ariadne, too, seemed in fantastic spirits as Matt helped her with her golf swing in the auditorium at lunch. Matt was the captain of the golf team, and Ariadne was thinking about joining, although first she had to learn how to play.
“No, you’re still gripping the club too tight,” Matt directed her gently. “Think of it as a rapier, not an ax,” he said, unwittingly hitting the metaphoric nail on the head for her. Her swing instantly improved.
“Cassie, why don’t you put that book down and come learn how to golf?” Ariadne called to her cousin.
In response, Cassandra opened another book.
“What are you looking for, anyway?” Matt called.
“Charms or spells in ancient Greek myth that protect against wounds,” she said as she wiped a hand over her face. The gesture reminded Helen of Lucas. If Matt found Cassandra’s response strange, he let it go easily enough and focused on Ariadne and her “stance” instead.
“How much longer do you think we have before we get caught in here?” Claire asked.
“Who cares? This is one of the best ideas Lennie’s ever had. We should enjoy it while we have it and not ruin the moment worrying about losing it,” Matt answered serenely.
Claire looked at Helen and they both nodded, surprised by Matt’s wise answer.
“To Matt Millis. Friend. Philosopher. Golf Pro,” Helen called back, saluting him with her thermos.
“Here, here,” called Claire. She raised her soy milk in a lazy toast. Matt took a dignified bow and blushed when Ariadne smiled at him.
“Hey, Len? Did you get a new necklace?” Claire asked, reaching out to touch the charm that Helen always wore.
“No, it’s the same old same old. Are you going crazy again, Gig?” Helen responded, trying to eye her heart charm.
“It looks like a strawberry, not a heart. Or maybe it’s just shinier. Probably I’m crazy.”
The next few days were blissful, and Helen felt a peace she hadn’t experienced since the Deloses had arrived on the island. It was as if someone had put a combination of Spanish fly and Prozac in the water. Helen kept up her training in the afternoons, but as the days passed with no sign that Creon had returned to the island, Helen found herself forgetting about the danger. The only person who seemed immune to the good cheer in the air was Zach. He kept trying to talk to Helen alone but she was avoiding him, which was easy enough when she was being guarded by a family of demigods. Still, each time she dodged him she could tell that he got more and more resentful.
She was hoping that if she put the whole situation off for long enough no one would even remember how she had collapsed as she chased some shirtless stranger. Hoping that if she stalled him long enough, Zach would let it go. But instead his attitude was becoming more and more urgent. The last thing