Vampire Affliction (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Summons

At midnight, Gertie and Hector walked the streets of downtown Athens near Omonoia Square, searching for Jeno’s contacts.

“I really hope he’s okay,” Gertie said again.

“Let’s just stick with the plan.”

The plan was that as soon as they had fed, they would look for Jeno at the vampire camps—first at Mt. Kithairon, then at Alexander, and, finally, at the labyrinth in Knossos. They didn’t think he had betrayed them, but they did fear he’d been captured and taken prisoner.

Gertie led Hector into one of her and Jeno’s regular stops—the very first bar Jeno had ever taken her to. She scanned the smoky room for Aggie, a bubbly woman in her thirties who was addicted to the vampire virus, but was disappointed not to see her among the patrons. Then she picked her way through the crowd toward the bar, looking for Old Man Mikos, another addict. She and Jeno had fed on him recently—too recently—but she could sense Hector’s feelings of panic as his need for blood escalated. Maybe the old man could afford to lose more than a pint that month.

When she reached the bar, she found his usual stool occupied by someone else. Two strikes.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Hector. “Let’s get out of here.”

“I feel like I could easily suck the blood of the next human who bumps into me,” he murmured as he followed her toward the door.

Just then, a woman did bump into Hector, and his mouth opened and exposed his fangs in an automatic gesture that mortified him. The woman winced and gasped in terror as he rushed past Gertie from the bar and out onto the sidewalk.

Gertie quickly caught up to him. “Are you okay?”

“No. I won’t be okay until Vladimir is destroyed.”

She read his thoughts of helplessness. He’d never felt so out of control and couldn’t wait to be human again.

“It’s hard being a victim,” she said.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, Gertie.”

She rubbed her hand across his back and said, “I know another place. Come on.”

A few blocks down, they entered a café that was about to close up for the night. There were no customers, only a clerk behind the counter wiping down his machines.

“Good evening, Pedro,” Gertie said. “Is this a good time for you?”

The man—young, in his twenties—turned to face her, glanced at Hector, and asked, “Where’s Jeno?”

“I’m not sure. I’m actually a little worried about him. This is my friend, Hector. He’s Jeno’s friend, too.”

Pedro nodded, but the look of suspicion did not leave his face. “I serve only Jeno.”

“Hector is new and just needs something to hold him over until he can really feed.”

“I serve only Jeno.” Pedro draped his rag across the sink, and wiped his hands on his apron. “I need to close up. Excuse me.”

Pedro disappeared into the back room.

Strike three.

“Now what?” Hector asked.

She could tell he was at the point when it hurts, when the pain begins to drive you mad. She knew that feeling all too well.

“Come on,” she said, leading him from the café.

Out on the street, she spotted the three older women who had first accosted her when she was new to Athens. They were leading some students into an alley. As Gertie looked more closely at the students, she recognized them from four weeks ago. They were the same five who had lost their friend, Alyssa.

Gertie realized that the power to mesmerize a victim increased once you’d bit them. This explained how Jeno was able to mesmerize the boy from the barn without making eye contact.

Just as they had that tragic night four weeks ago, the three boys and two girls stood with their backs against the building, waiting for their supposed elixir. The three vampires stepped in front of the three boys, leaving the two girls on the end for last.

“This way,” Gertie said.

As the older vampires sank their fangs into the three boys, Gertie and Hector pranced on the two waiting girls.

The vampire closest to them hissed and cried, “Get away!”

Gertie and Hector kept drinking and had nearly consumed a pint each when the three women attacked, scratching and biting and kicking. Gertie and Hector broke away and flew off toward Mt. Kithairon, but not without feeling utterly ashamed.

Hector was silent during the flight away from Athens. His mind, however, was at war with itself. He couldn’t believe what he’d just done, and yet his body was rejoicing at the new blood pumping through his veins. He couldn’t wait to kill Vladimir. The sooner, the better.

Gertie wished she could think of something to say.

There was no bonfire glowing from Mt. Kithairon, nor was there any sign of a dance. Except for animals and insects, the mountainside was quiet.

When they landed at the clearing where Hector’s mother had been killed, Hector fell to his knees.

“I don’t know what I expected to find,” he murmured.

Gertie landed beside him. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why didn’t Apollo help her? She was his daughter. Didn’t he care about her?”

“Parents can suck sometimes.”

He shook his head. “I wonder what they did with her body.”

Gertie shielded her mind, because it was more than likely that the Maenads had consumed Dori. If they hadn’t, then the animals that lived in this area probably had. It was better that Hector hadn’t drawn the same conclusions. He was imaging a funeral pyre. She hoped, for his sake, he was right.

She squeezed his shoulder. “Do you need a few minutes?”

“No. I want vengeance.”

“Then let’s go.”

As they were about to take off, they saw someone flying toward them—someone small, whose mind was heavily guarded.

It was Phoebe!

They lifted up and met her in the sky.

Gertie embraced her. “Phoebe! I’m so happy to see you!”

Hector was next. “Thank the gods you’re safe.”

“What are you doing here?” Gertie asked.

“Lord Vladimir ordered me to bring you to the labyrinth,” she said.

“What makes him think we’ll follow his orders?” Hector asked.

“Because he’s got Jeno,” she said. “And if you don’t show up, Vladimir will kill him.”

Gertie and Hector exchanged glances.

“Okay,” Gertie said. “We’ll go with you.”

“Hold on,” Hector said. “I have an idea.”

“If we don’t hurry, more vampires will come,” Phoebe warned.

Hector jumped into the air. “Then let’s go. But I need to make a stop along the way.”

As Gertie flew beside Hector, she was able to read his plan from his thoughts. He wanted to return Phoebe to the Angelis family before continuing on to the labyrinth.

They can’t see her like this
, Gertie said to him telepathically, unsure if Phoebe was capable of reading Gertie’s thought. Perhaps the strong wall around her mind worked both ways. It must, or the little girl would be reacting to Hector’s thoughts.

We’ll put her in Damien’s tomb, where she’ll be safe
, Hector explained.

The tomb? That will scare the crap out of her.

That way she won’t have to be there when we kill Damien
, Hector said telepathically.

So Hector
had
worked it out that Damien had to be killed.

That way she’ll be safe,
Hector added.

Maybe he was right.

As they neared Athens, Hector took out his phone and sent a text. By checking his mind, Gertie discovered that he was alerting demigods in the area that Phoebe would need protection at the Angelis apartment building, just in case the other vampires learned of their plan.

When Phoebe realized the new direction they had taken, she looked at Gertie with wide eyes. “Lord Vladimir said he would kill my family if I went anywhere near my home.”

Hector grabbed Phoebe, pinning her arms to her sides as they continued to descend toward the city. “Listen to me. This is for your own protection. I’m going to save you, make you human again.”

“But that means…”

“Your parents have already lost Damien,” Hector said. “They won’t be able to handle losing you, too. Let me do this for them.”

“And for Klaus and Nikita,” Gertie added. “They all miss you so much.”

“But they’ll be killed!” Phoebe cried, as she squirmed against Hector’s grip.

“My council of demigods is already on its way to guard them,” Hector said, just before they flew into an open window and headed for the basement stairs.

“Where are you taking me?” Phoebe asked.

“Shh,” Gertie said. “We can’t let your parents see you in this condition. It will traumatize them.”

“We want you to hide in here,” Hector said as he sat her down in Damien’s tomb.

The tomb was small, but it was large enough for Phoebe.

Tears fell from the little girl’s round brown eyes. “I’m scared. Please take me with you.”

“Do this for your parents,” Gertie begged.

At last, Phoebe nodded and lay down in the tomb willingly.

“I’m going to lock you in so no one can get to you,” Hector said. “Don’t be frightened. Just go to sleep.”

Gertie knew that no amount of words could prevent Phoebe from being scared out of her mind. Being locked in a tomb had to be one of the worst things a person could ever experience, but it really was the surest way they could keep her safe without horrifying her family.

Before they shut the lid, Gertie leaned in and kissed Phoebe’s cheek. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

Chapter Twenty-Five: Prison Shock

It was almost dawn when they reached Knossos. Gertie quickly led Hector down into the caves. Two vampires were standing guard.

“Where’s the little one?” one of them asked.

Hector was an open book, so lying would do no good.

“She went home,” Gertie said. “And she’s heavily guarded by a council of demigods.”

“Where’s Jeno?” Hector asked.

“Inside,” the guard replied. “Follow me.”

On the floor of the cave was a red wire, which the guard followed into the labyrinth. The tunnels twisted and turned and split away from another, and the wire seemed to be leading them deeper and deeper underground. They passed a few rooms along the way, and, even though they had wooden doors, Gertie could see through them to the prisoners inside. She recognized the demigod she had once mistaken for Hector. There were other prisoners, too, and a quick check of their minds confirmed they were all demigods. Jeno must be in one of these rooms, too.

Poor Jeno.

She wondered how long he’d been a prisoner here and how he’d been captured, especially since he had the invisibility of the helm. He must have taken it off before he was discovered. But why would he do that?

At last the vampire guard stopped in front of a door where another vampire stood watch.

“In there,” he said, unlocking the door.

Gertie and Hector stepped inside.

As soon as they’d entered, the vampire slammed the door behind them and secured the lock. They had walked directly into a trap. Jeno was nowhere in sight.

They rushed the door and pounded their fists against it.

“Wait a minute!” Hector shouted.

“Where’s Jeno?” Gertie hollered out. “Please!”

When a few minutes passed, and they got no reply, Gertie said to Hector, “I can’t get a read on Jeno. Can you?”

“I get nothing. What do you think they’re planning to do?”

“I can’t get inside anyone’s mind—not anyone who seems to know why we’re here or what’s going on with Jeno.”

Hector took her in his arms. “I’m so sorry that your first trip to Athens has been such a bummer.”

Gertie laughed, and so did Hector. They were both feeling so helpless and frightened, and laughter was all they had left.

“My life already sucked before,” she said. “At least here I found a real family and true best friends.”

“And met your future husband,” he said with a wink.

“There’s that.” She smiled back. Then she murmured, “God, I hope Jeno’s okay. What if they’ve already killed him?”

“I’ve been praying to Hera and Hephaestus,” Hector said, holding her more tightly. “We can’t give up hope.”

“I’m not holding my breath for their help,” she said. “No disrespect to your father, but parents suck. Most of them care for themselves more than anything and don’t mind throwing their own kids under the bus.”

“My mom wasn’t like that.”

“I know.” She kissed him. “I’m sorry. And neither are Nikita’s parents. I miss them both so much.”

He turned away to pace. “My mom
was
gone a lot. She was always at the hospital. And I guess I resented that, even though she was there helping others. Sometimes it seemed like she cared more about her duties than she did me.”

“I’m sorry. I know she loved you. That day you went missing, she found me under the guestroom bed. I could read her thoughts. She was terrified. If she didn’t find you, she was going to go see Apollo’s oracle.”

“Really?”

“Really. And while I was reading her thoughts, I saw her inner conflict.”

“What do you mean?”

“She felt guilty. She justified it by telling herself that she’d been there for you when you were little, when no one else was.”

“That’s true. She was.”

“But once you became independent, she didn’t think you needed her as much.”

“I didn’t need her as much. But I still needed her
some
.”

“She didn’t know how you felt.”

He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m not exaggerating when I say she was rarely there. She’d have dinner with me maybe once a week. Three or four times a week, she’d leave me breakfast on the stove in the morning.” Tears formed in his eyes but didn’t fall. “I miss her so much. I missed her when she was alive. And I miss her even more now.”

Gertie wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. She didn’t say anything. She just held him and wept.

Sometime later, they heard a noise at the door. Vladimir stood on the other side with Damien still clinging to his back. Gertie and Hector wiped their eyes and waited.

Without opening the door, Vladimir said, “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Jeno told me everything. He told me about your plan to destroy me. He told me that you never intended to help with our uprising.”

“What?” Gertie cried, rushing to the door. “That’s not true.”

“Are you calling my son a liar?”

Damien gave her a maniacal smile.

“No,” Gertie said angrily. “I’m calling
you
a liar. Jeno would never say that. And you can read my mind, if you don’t believe me.”

“Your thoughts prove your intent to harm me.”

“True. After what you did to Hector and his mom, I want you dead. But I support the vampires. I’m no traitor to
them
.
You’re
the traitor, for turning your back on your own son!”

“My son has been forgiven for his crimes against me and our people,” Vladimir said. “We’ve been reconciled.”

“Then let us see him,” Hector said. “Prove to us he’s still alive.”

“You think you have the power to make demands of me, young demigod? I don’t take orders from you.”

“You think you’re in charge?” Gertie taunted. “Apparently, my daddy’s running things. You better watch out how you treat me. We want to see Jeno now!”

“You’re daddy?” Vladimir arched a brow.

“Why do you think Dionysus protected me from you? He’s my father.”

“That’s a good joke,” Vladimir said. “Very funny.”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Hector challenged.

“It doesn’t matter. The gods don’t care about their children. If they did, I would have no prisoners, and as you saw on your way through, I have at least a dozen. I made a mistake when I thought I could use them as leverage. The helm is much better. Thank you for that.”

That statement caught Gertie off guard, because, unfortunately, it was true.

“I’m glad to hear you support the uprising,” Vladimir continued. “But I can’t afford to keep you alive, now that I know about your vendetta against me. I’ll execute you tonight, when the others are able to return. They won’t want to miss it.”

“We want to see Jeno!” Gertie said. “If you’re going to kill us anyway, what does it matter if we see him?”

“Fine. But don’t be too hard on him for selling you out. He was only doing his duty.”

Vladimir turned and walked away with Damien clinging to his back.

Gertie turned to Hector. “I don’t believe him.”

“Neither do I. He’s toying with us, for some reason. Maybe he’s trying to pit us against one another.”

“Jeno would never sell us out.”

“I agree.”

“You’re wrong,” Jeno said from beyond the door.

“Jeno? Are you okay?” Gertie asked.

“I’m fine.”

“How did they capture you?” Hector said. “How could they when you had the helm?”

“I wasn’t captured,” Jeno said.

Gertie’s throat tightened as all the air left her body. “What did you say?”

“I said I wasn’t captured,” he repeated. “I came willingly to warn my father and to deliver the helm.”

“You did what?” Hector asked.

“I lied to you,” Jeno said.

Gertie dropped to her knees, completely shocked. She never saw this coming.

Hector seemed equally speechless, but after several surreal seconds, he asked, “How could you? You gave us your word!”

“This is war,” Jeno said. “I grew to care for you, but my devotion to my father is greater.”

Gertie felt the blood leave her face. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t breathe.

“So you were lying to us?” Hector asked.

“Yes.”

“Wait,” Hector shook his head. “From the very beginning? Or did you change your mind later?”

“What does it matter?”

Hector raked his hand through his hair. “It matters.”

“From the very beginning.”

Gertie burst into tears—ugly sobs that caused her whole body to convulse. She wailed, too. She didn’t care. Her heart was utterly broken, and she didn’t care. What was there left to care about? If your own parents and your own friends can turn on you, why go on?

She wished she had never come to Athens. Her life may have sucked, but at least
back then
she could get lost in a book. There was no recovering from this. Jeno’s betrayal was the final straw. She no longer cared to live.

Hector looked down at her, horrified. “No, Gertie. You still have
me
.”

I’m sorry, Hector, but I’m done. How can I ever trust anyone again after this?

“You bastard!” Hector growled at Jeno. “Here I thought you were making a noble sacrifice. But you knew all along, didn’t you? You meant to crush us both!”

“Please, Hector,” Gertie murmured near the ground. “Just stop.”

He knelt beside her. “And what about Phoebe, hmm? Do we just leave her there, locked inside that tomb?”

Gertie had been so shocked by Jeno’s betrayal that she had forgotten about Phoebe. Would the other demigods kill her after she and Hector were destroyed?

Vladimir came up behind Jeno and said, “Don’t worry. We know where she is. We’ll bring her back where she belongs.”