The Secret Fire by Whitaker Ringwald Page B

Hope had been destroyed. But in truth, I took it home and left it with my mother. The urns cannot be destroyed individually. They were created together, and so they must be destroyed together.”
    â€œWait . . .” I shuffled in place. “You lied to us?”
    â€œI did not want to burden you with the details.”
    I’d have to remember that excuse the next time my mom caught me in a lie. Sorry, Mom, but I didn’t want to burden you with the details.
    â€œThe urns will be destroyed, Jax, that is no lie. I took the urn of Hope to my home for safekeeping.Once I have all three, I will ask Hephaestus to destroy them. And then I will beg Zeus, once again, to forgive my father.”
    I couldn’t remember who this Hephaestus guy was, but I didn’t care. None of these Greek names were easy to pronounce and I was super worried about my situation. Ricardo would be pissed when he found out that my cousins had nothing to trade. And he would probably turn that anger on me. “Okay, so the urn of Hope and the urn of Love are at your mom’s house. All we have to do is get the last urn.” It sounded easy but I knew it would be the most dangerous and difficult thing I’d ever done.
    â€œYes.” She furrowed her brow, as if she had a headache. “Jax, there is something else. I am afraid I made a terrible mistake.”
    â€œI’m listening,” I said, dreading whatever was about to come out of her mouth.
    â€œI gave Tyler the key to the portal but I was in such a hurry I forgot to warn him.” She began chewing on her lower lip.
    â€œWarn him about what?”
    â€œMortals are not allowed in my world. If Zeus finds out . . .” Tears filled her eyes. “Oh, Jax, myfather hurt your family by sending your father to prison. And now I have sent your cousin into a dangerous situation. I am so very ashamed.” She began to cry.
    I didn’t know what to say. I felt real hot all of a sudden. Anger filled my entire body. Those stupid gods and their stupid magic! If Zeus hurt my cousin, I’d volunteer to help Ricardo destroy all the Zeus statues! I’d be the first in line to help wipe Zeus off our planet! But then I took a deep breath and listened to Pyrrha as she tried to explain.
    â€œMy . . .” She choked on the word. “My father was changed by the urns but once they are destroyed, the power they have over him will also be destroyed. He will be my father again. And I will have my family back. We will be together. It’s what I’ve wanted for such a long time. But in wanting this, I may have gone too far.”
    It was an honest explanation. She wanted her fairy-tale ending. What would I do to have my family back? How far would I go to have my mother and father still married, living happily ever after? It was a nice image, even though I’d never lived it. “Look, here’s what I think,” I said. “Tyler is super smart. He can take care of himself. Even if you’dwarned him about Zeus’s laws, I think he still would have gone through that portal. He takes the whole hero-on-a-quest thing very seriously.” Was Tyler okay? We didn’t know, so it was best to focus on what we did know. I was in deep trouble. Without Hope and Love, Ricardo would not be setting me free. He had other plans for me. And whether I ran away, at that moment, back to Chatham, he’d still find me. This had to end! “We need to find the last urn. Where is it?”
    She wiped away her tears. “It is nearby,” she said. “I can sense it.” Then she hugged me. “I was so scared when I saw you dressed like the others. I am so glad you are not changed. I will make this right, Jax. I will. I promise.”
    â€œ We will make this right,” I told her. “Together.”

16
Ethan
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  FACT: In our world, there is a genus of copepods (small crustaceans) that live and function with