Page 59 of Ares' Shield
“He’s left the academy?” Rebecca asks, sitting forward.
“No, we have him secured.” I thread my fingers through Jayden’s in an attempt to calm myself.
“Secured, how?” Rebecca asks with narrowed eyes.
“We got help from the Hephaestus kids to create something strong enough to hold him.” I run a hand through my hair.
“You’re holding a student against their will?” she says, her voice rising.
“It’s not his will. He’s being controlled. He isn’t himself. He doesn’t want to leave the academy, not really.” I throw up my hands.
This isn’t Dax. He wouldn’t try to leave the academy.
“You have a student locked up,” Rebecca says slowly in a deadly tone.
“It’s for his own protection. We don’t know where the mind-controlled students are going or who’s controlling them.” I flop back on the couch.
Jayden squeezes my hand. “It’s not forever. It’s just until we can figure out how to break the control on him and find the others.”
“And why is it that you think it should be you who does this?” Rebecca asks and I glance at Adrian.
Adrian clears his throat. “I’ve seen it.”
“That’s not the only thing,” I say and peek at Raven. “We had a visit from Hermes today.”
Rebecca clenches her hands into fists and her complexion turns red with her anger.
“What did the messenger god have to say to you?” she asks.
Raven taps her foot and her knee bounces with the motion. “My father needs help finding his shield. He asked for my help.”
Rebecca’s chair scrapes across the ground as she stands abruptly. “This isn’t right. The gods can’t keep asking you for help when you’re practically children.”
“We’re capable of handling this,” I say. “We’re the only ones who really can.”
Rebecca huffs and sits back in her chair. “Adrian saw you all on this mission?”
“Yes,” Adrian confirms. “Us and Draven.”
“No.” Rebecca shakes her head emphatically. “We don’t let more than four demigods leave in a group. It’s too dangerous.”
“We don’t have a choice.” I fidget in my seat. “Trust me, I don’t want him going either, but Adrian said he is the only one who can figure out the mind control.”
“Fine,” Rebecca says, resigned. “I’ll see if I can contact the oracle and get more information.”
“Why wouldn’t you be able to contact the oracle?” I ask.
Is something bigger going on here? Why would the oracle just disappear?
“He has been less helpful recently. I tried to contact him when you noticed the mind control the other day, but he didn’t respond to my efforts.” Rebecca taps a pen on the desk.
“That’s not good. I wonder why he’s ignoring you,” I say.
What the hell is going on? We have serious problems if the oracle won’t help us.
“I don’t know. I’ll try again.”
“Thank you. We can use all the help we can get on this. There isn’t much written in the myths about Ares.” I stand and pull Jayden with me.
