Touch of Death(46)

When we reached the trees, Alex grabbed a branch from the ground and started swinging at the zombies. "Drink the blood! Hurry! I don't know how long I can hold them off."

I opened my fist and stared at the locket. Medusa had told me the locket opened. When I needed to use the blood inside the stone, I would know what to do. But I didn't. I thought about the way my power worked. It was all about concentration, commanding blood to do what I wanted. I held the locket and told it to reveal its power to me. As if by instinct, I turned the bloodstone in my fingers. It clicked and released from the rest of the locket. Inside, the blood bubbled at my touch, and the top of the stone disintegrated like magic. The blood was so concentrated that I was worried what it would do to me. Would I look like my dad with purple blotches under my skin? Would the Gorgon blood fight with the human blood in my veins? I couldn't fight the Ophi if my own blood was fighting itself.

"Jodi!" Alex was on the ground. The zombies had the upper hand, and the group was at the edge of the woods. There was no time to worry. Alex and I would be dead if I didn't try this. I threw back my head and tipped the contents of the stone into my mouth.

I choked and fell to my knees. My insides twisted, making me double over in pain. My fingers clawed at the dirt as I cried out in agony. I heard Alex call my name. I lifted my head and saw the zombies had him pinned to the ground. They were waiting for the kill command, only Troy and Victoria were too busy watching my suffering to give it. At least I could be thankful for that.

Another wave of pain came over me, even more intense than the first. I screamed and scratched at my skin. It was bubbling. Not just my blood, but my skin. I felt like I was on fire, burning from the inside out. Scalding, hot blood dripped from my ears, nose, and mouth. Red, blood-soaked tears poured from my eyes. The metallic scent and taste of the blood filled my senses.

Then, everything went black.





Chapter 30

Medusa's face appeared in my mind. She wiped the blood from my eyes. "My blood is truly in your veins now, my child. The transformation is complete. But I must warn you, Hades has his eye on you. He senses your power, especially now. He will come for you. If you look inside yourself, you will find there is a way to make amends with him." She kissed my forehead. "Open your eyes, and face your enemies head on."

My eyelids fluttered open. I was facing away from the group, but their cheers and celebrations at my death rang in my ears. I hesitated for a moment, gathering my strength. Medusa had said Hades would come after me. I was his next target. She also said there was a way to get him off my back. I had to figure out what that meant. Fast.

Abby's foot was in front of my face, so I lay motionless, letting her believe I was dead. "Who's the powerful one now?"

Faster than I'd thought it possible to move, I reached out and grabbed both her legs, knocking her backward. I sprang to my feet. "I am."

She scrambled away from me. "No. You were dead! We all saw you die from drinking Medusa's blood."

"Jodi, do you have the power to bring yourself back to life?" Alex had tears in his eyes as he finally got free from the zombies.

"I was never dead. I went through a transformation." Somehow, it all made sense now. "The Gorgon blood had to overtake the human blood in me."

"So, you're not human at all anymore?" Alex asked.

That hit me harder than I'd thought it would. If there was no human blood left in me, what connection did I have left with Mom? "I'm fully Gorgon now."

Victoria started to laugh. "You killed the human in you, and yet there is no soul for Hades to claim. I think we know who he'll come for next."

That was what Medusa had meant. I had angered Hades by taking my own human life without sending him my soul. I had to find a way to even things out with him before he came to claim my soul.

"I almost want to wait and see how Hades will kill you," Victoria said, "but I've kind of had my heart set on doing it myself." She held her arms out to her sides. "Zombies, kill her." She brought both hands forward, pointing at me.

The zombies started toward me, and my blood responded. It mixed, letting me know I was in control. "Stop!" They froze in their places.

"No!" Victoria screamed. "I summoned you. I am your master. Do as I say and kill her!"

The zombies wavered slightly. "Ignore her commands. Feel my power, and obey only me." I hated the way they bent to my will, but I knew I was the one who could set them free. And I would, as soon as they helped me with Hades.

Victoria cried out in frustration, but I ignored her.

"Seize them. All but Alex. Do not harm them. I only want them trapped."

Alex shook his head. "Jodi, you can't let them go. They're monsters, like you said. We have to kill them." I could see the words pained him, and I couldn't let him have a part in his parents' deaths. Sure, Troy had killed Alex, and both Troy and Victoria were evil. But Alex wasn't. I didn't know what killing his own parents would do to him. Evil apparently ran in his genes. I wasn't taking any chances by tapping into it.

"No, I can't kill them, Alex. I'm not a murderer, and I won't let you be one either. There's another way."

The Ophi huddled together, trying not to allow the zombies to touch them. "I will kill you for this, Jodi Marshall. I promise you that," Victoria yelled.                       
       
           



       

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Victoria." I walked over to her, staring through the two zombies blocking her from me. "Your problem is that you're always jealous of everyone else. Afraid someone might have more power. Might find out you are no better than any other Ophi. In fact, you're probably the weakest. You couldn't even see what a great son you have. You treat him like he means nothing to you. Like you're disappointed in his abilities. But he didn't need to steal my locket to become powerful. I've seen him raise the dead, and I'm not talking about making zombies. He brought my mom back to life before Hades could claim her soul. I bet you've never saved a person's life."

"Why would I? Humans are vile, worthless creatures. They're beneath us. I brought Ophi back to life."

I nodded. "Yes, you did. Should we ask Leticia how well you performed that task? One out of twelve isn't the best ratio, and just looking at the one you claim you brought back successfully, you can see he's not a hundred percent right." I looked back at Alex. He was definitely still himself. "I'm one for one. Well, two for two, if you count Abby."

The sky turned dark, and wind blew all around us. Alex rushed to my side. "What's happening?" I asked him.

"It's Hades. He's coming."

I'd been so busy going back and forth with Victoria that I'd forgotten about Hades. I had to do something. "Dad?" I called out, searching the zombies. "I need you. Please, come here."

He stepped out from behind the group and walked over to me. "I need you to do me a favor. I need you to go to Hades. Tell him I have an offer for him." He stared back at me, completely expressionless. All my life, I thought about meeting my dad. What he'd look like. What he'd say to me. This wasn't at all how it was supposed to be. Finding out he was dead was one thing. Seeing him like this, it was torture. "I know you came to see me in the hospital." I hoped his soul would understand, even if it couldn't respond to me on its own. "I know you left Mom and me because you were trying to protect us. I'm not mad at you. I love you, Dad." I wrapped my arms around him and cried on his shoulder. "I release your soul. Go to Hades, and ask him to come here."

His body went limp in my arms, and I crumbled under the weight of it. Alex bent down and hugged me from behind. I sobbed until the earth started shaking. The ground cracked and opened a few feet from me. Screams filled the air, as the Ophi scrambled to avoid falling into the earth. The zombies stumbled after them, trying to keep them surrounded as per my orders. Black smoke rose from the crack and settled before me, taking shape.

Hades was younger than I thought he'd be-or at least he looked younger. I figured the gods could appear in any form they wanted to.

"It was very foolish for you to send your father with such a message, Jodi Marshall. I'm sure you heard I was already looking for you, and you went ahead and made it all too easy for me to find you." His voice was low and, dare I say, kind of sexy?

"I-I have an offer for you," I stammered. It was cliché as all hell, but this guy was seriously hot. I wondered if he had chosen this form on purpose to lure me to the underworld with him. I mean, if I didn't know he was Hades-and if I wasn't already crushing on Alex-I'd have followed this guy just about anywhere.

"I do not work in offers. I get what I want and that's all."

"Hear me out," I said. "These are the Ophi who have been stealing your dead. I know you've been looking for them, too. I'm proposing that you take them to the underworld with you. Have them help you control the dead. Who better to control all those souls than necromancers?"

He raised an eyebrow, amused by my comment. "All I ask is that you leave the rest of the Ophi alone. The ones who don't use their powers for evil. The ones who release the souls they summon." I motioned to the zombies Victoria had created. "I can release all their souls back to you, and I can teach other Ophi how to do the same. Let Alex and me stay here and use this place as a real school. One that will teach Ophi how to use their powers the way they were meant to be used."