揗arie Morris.?Lachesis eyed the string. 揑 continue to add threads to your unnaturally long life.?
Atropos swept over and held up her shears. She positioned the string between the blades and closed them. A cry escaped me, and Marie flinched away, but the string would not be severed.
揑抎 like to cut it,?Atropos said. 揗aybe someday soon I抣l get the chance.?
Marie tilted her chin up. 揧ou been swimming around in that sewage water too long.?The darkness in her eyes had bled into the skin of her eyelids and down onto the high planes of her cheeks. Atropos looked genuinely stunned.
揥hy are you showing us these??Circe asked.
揧ou said you wanted to know if you抎 come out of your situation unscathed,?Dr. Kent said. 揑抦 showing you what you asked to see.?Her tone was cold, almost angry.
Atropos huffed. 揅lotho, you are obsessed.?
Dr. Kent lowered her eyes. 揑抦 fascinated. There is a difference.?
揘ot from where I抦 standing, there isn抰，？said Lachesis as she stared at her sister. 揥hat is it about them that enraptures you so??
Dr. Kent抯 expression grew tight, and she clasped her hands together in front of her. 揂 great many things.?She locked eyes with me. 揟hat Hecate抯 line still exists. That Jason抯 line does as well. That even after all this time the blood of the gods is still powerful enough to give you these ?gifts.?She glanced down at my feet where a slick of green algae had spread out all around me.
揓ealousy, then??Marie asked. 揟hat抯 what it is??
The three sisters whipped their heads in Marie抯 direction. She didn抰 look away, but instead stared Dr. Kent right in the face.
揟hat抯 exactly what it is, huh??Marie tilted her head like she was thinking very hard about something. 揧ou had a family once? Or maybe you never did, but you wanted one? It抯 gotta be something like that. And then Hecate has this family that has managed to last for so long, and all you have are these Ninja Turtles over here.?She shot Atropos and Lachesis a wicked grin, and even though I was pretty sure any one of them could have killed me right then and there, I had to hold back a smile. 揧抋ll live in this sewer, and I抦 not gonna lie, it smells like ass. I抎 be bitter if I was you, too.?
Circe put her hand on Marie抯 shoulder. 揑抎 really like to not die down here, so please just hush for right now.?
Marie shot Dr. Kent one more dagger of a glance before moving back to my side, and I could tell by the mask of absolute rage on Dr. Kent抯 face that Marie had angered her. She reached into her box again, and instead of watching her pluck out the lives of the people I loved most and talk about them like they were nothing more than threads, I turned away. I couldn抰 stand it.
揚ersephone Colchis, Circe Colchis, Angie Greene, Briseis Greene,?Dr. Kent said. 揂nd you, Marie棓 The sound of the blades moving together echoed across the space. 揑s this what you wanted to see??
Circe gasped, and in a rush I was suddenly being pushed toward the grotto opening. Marie was at one elbow, Circe on the other, steering me toward the exit. The Fates cackled like hyenas in the dark behind us.
揥ait!?I dug my feet into the ground, but Marie lifted me up and pushed me forward. 揅irce! What is happening??
揟his was a mistake,?Circe said, her eyes brimming with tears. 揥e shouldn抰 have come here.?
揘ot a mistake, dear Circe,?Dr. Kent called after us. 揙nly the truth. The River Styx is high and wide. Do you think you can survive the swim??Her laugh reverberated through the cavern.
The elevator doors slid open, and we all but fell in. As they closed again, Circe let go of my arm and slid down against the wall.
揑抦 sorry, Briseis,?Circe said breathlessly. 揑 thought she抎 have something to tell us, something we could act on, but this was a waste.?
揃ut you saw what happened to our strings??I asked. 揂tropos桰 heard the scissors棓
揝he抯 fucking with us,?Marie said. She grabbed Circe抯 arms and pulled her to her feet. 揅irce, these old bitches don抰 get to determine what happens to us. You saw her桝tropos couldn抰 even cut my string.?
揃ecause you have the power of the Absyrtus Heart running in your veins,?Circe said. 揝ome of us don抰 have that.?
揧ou think I don抰 know that??Marie asked.
揇o you??Circe said, her tone sharp. 揧ou can抰 just pop off at the mouth like that. Not when we抮e dealing with people梘ods條ike those three. You ever stop to think about the danger you put Briseis in??
揑抦 not trying to put her in danger,?Marie snapped. 揑f anybody put her in danger it抯 you.?
They glared at each other, and I stepped between them. 揘o. We抮e not fighting. I抦 not doing anything I don抰 want to do, and I don抰 care how much danger I抦 in if it means getting my mom back. Please. We have other stuff to worry about. We gotta get home and tell everybody what happened.?I turned to Circe. 揥hat did you see? What did Dr. Kent show you??