10. Voodoo

Not long after Lexie finished the granola I'd given her, she leaned her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. She must've been exhausted. With the cold temperature in the tomb and her empty stomach, she probably hadn't slept much since she'd been locked up. My own eyes were growing heavy, and before long, I'd fallen asleep, too.

I didn't dream, but it was a restless sleep. I was uncomfortable. Leaning against the stone wall and sitting on the hard stone floor was not an ideal position for a good nap. Lexie kept waking me up, too. She must've been dreaming. She'd twitch and jerk and mumble in her sleep, saying "no" over and over. It was probably a nightmare.

I'd been expecting to wake to the sound of Echo's howls, but hours had gone by and there was still no sign of Noah and Lily. Eventually, I gave up on falling into a deep sleep, so I just sat there with my arm wrapped around Lexie, trying to keep her warm as she slept.

I checked the watch on her wrist, and it read: 12:04 a.m. I knew that wasn't right. It was later than that. Her watch was still set to west coast time. It was actually 2:04 a.m. here in New Orleans.

Lexie woke up about half an hour later. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Thanks for letting me crash on your shoulder. I didn't drool on you, did I?" she asked.

I smiled. "I don't think you did, but you were talking in your sleep."

"Oh, gods, what was I saying?"

"Something about being abducted by aliens."

She rolled her eyes. "You lie."

I laughed. "Yeah."

"You know, this kinda reminds me of the time we pretended that our pillow fort was a dungeon we were trapped in and trying to escape. Do you remember that?"

We were only eight when we built forts out of bed sheets and pillows and imagined them to be dungeons or castles or bunkers, but I remembered. "Yeah, I remember. But back then I never expected to actually be locked in a real dungeon one day. Funny how things change."

"We're together, though," she said. "That hasn't changed."

"Not yet, anyway," I muttered.

"What's that supposed to—" she began, but was cut off by the sound of the mausoleum door opening.

We jumped to our feet as a figure stepped into the doorway. "Come with me," a female voice said, and it wasn't Lily's voice. It was Abigail Mason, mortal granddaughter of Hephaestus and officer in the Rebellion. I'd had a few run-ins with her in the past.

Lexie and I followed Mason out into the cold night air. When we stepped out onto the wide path in front of the tomb, it took a second for my eyes to adjust to the increased light. It wasn't a well-lit cemetery, but the lampposts gave off enough light to see. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw that we weren't alone. Half a dozen members of the Rebellion were there waiting, including Finn and Barka.

Barka took a few steps toward me. "You tried to deceive me, Jackson," he said.

"What are you talking about?" I asked him.

He whistled and shouted over his shoulder, "Bring them out!"

Four figures stepped around the corner of a mausoleum and approached. Two of them were armed and were escorting the other two. When they got closer, I saw what was happening. Noah and Lily had been captured by the Rebellion.

"You know, I figured you'd try to pull a stunt like this," Barka said to me. "It wouldn't be the first time. I've underestimated you before, and you've always just barely slipped through my fingers…but not this time. This time, I have the upper hand."

I cut my eyes over at Noah who was being held at gunpoint. I looked from him to the ground and back again. I was trying to signal for him to do some dirt work with his powers. He understood what I meant, but he just sighed and shook his head, and I knew what that meant. Dammit, this whole cemetery was under the spell. His powers were inhibited.

"Let us go," Lily ordered Barka. "Or I'll be forced to kill you."

He laughed at the little girl threatening his life. He walked over to her and took a good look at her. "I don't believe we've met, Hunter," he said to her. "I'm Collin Barka, leader of the Rebellion."

"I know who you are," she scowled. "I watched you kill my lieutenant four years ago."

"Ah, yes," he nodded. "She was a tough warrior, I'll give her that, but she was too arrogant for her own good."

"The same could be said about you," Lexie grumbled.

He ignored Lexie and continued talking to Lily. "And you took her place as lieutenant, isn't that right, Lily Valdez?"

"How do you know my name?" she asked.

"Oh, I know all about you: Hunter of Artemis since age twelve, mortal daughter of Leo and Hazel Valdez, older sister to mortal Hailey Valdez—who we are very interested in as a potential recruit, by the way."

"You stay the hell away from my sister!" Lily snapped then let out a high-pitched whistle.

Echo stepped out of the shadows, growling and barking as she approached. Everyone took a step back at the sight of the two hundred pound, vicious timber wolf. She was ready to attack, and I knew those razor sharp teeth of hers could easily rip someone's throat out.

"Call off your wolf," Finn ordered.

Lily didn't respond, and Echo kept inching her way toward Barka.

"Beautiful animal," Barka said. "Shame I'll have to put it down."

At those words, Echo leaped at Barka, but he was ready for it. He raised his pistol and pulled the trigger. The gunshot was loud, and the sound bounced off all the stone structures making it even louder. I barely heard Echo yelp over the blast. The wolf hit the ground, unmoving, and there was blood everywhere. Barka had killed her.

"You son of a bitch!" Lily screamed and lunged at Barka, but Noah grabbed her.

"Don't, Lily," Noah said. "He'll only kill you, too."

"He can try," she said as she tried to pull away from Noah.

"Oh, I'm not interested in killing the lieutenant. She's not a demigod," Barka said, raising his gun and pointing it at Lexie. "But I'd be more than happy to kill this bitch who electrocuted me two summers ago. So, let's all calm down before anyone else has to die."

Lexie took a step toward Barka and the gun he was aiming at her. My heart stopped cold in my chest. What was she doing? "I'm not afraid of you," she scowled. "And that gun doesn't scare me, either."

He grabbed her by the arm and shoved her over near Lily and Noah. Finn had his gun aimed at her and a smirk on his face. He definitely wanted to kill her.

"You may not be scared of my gun," Barka said to Lexie as he holstered his weapon. "But there are scarier things than bullets. Like seeing your friends in pain." He pulled what looked like a paper doll from his jacket pocket. It fit in the palm of his hand and was fashioned to look like a person. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

No one answered. I knew what it looked like, but it couldn't be, could it?

"It's a voodoo doll," he said, confirming my theory. "Voodoo magic is a fascinating practice. Did you know that all it takes to make a voodoo doll work is a simple spell and single drop of blood or strand of hair?" Barka pulled a small blade from his pocket. "The doll works as a proxy. See, if I stab the doll, the person it represents will feel the pain. He or she won't actually be harmed, but the pain is very real."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "You expect us to believe in that hoax hoodoo bullshit?"

"Hoax? No, this is the real deal. How about a demonstration?" he smiled then stabbed the doll in the chest with the knife.

Searing pain. Pain like I'd never felt before burst through my chest like a bomb. I think I screamed. Someone was definitely screaming, and I'm pretty sure it was me. I clutched my chest and fell to my knees. I couldn't catch my breath. I gasped and gasped, but it just made the pain worse.

I was on my hands and knees, trying not to fall over when I heard someone screaming my name. It might've been Lexie or Noah. I looked up to see who it was, but I couldn't see anything. My vision was blurry. Why was my vision blurry? I rubbed my right eye, and it was wet. I was crying.

The pain raging through my body was debilitating. Because of the curse of Achilles, I wasn't used to any kind of pain at all, much less the blinding pain I was in now, and I was totally overwhelmed by it. I couldn't push through it, I couldn't ignore it, I couldn't do anything at all. I felt so helpless. I was on my hands and knees, screaming and crying, and there was nothing I could do about it. It was not my finest moment. I didn't want my friends to see me like this, and I didn't want the Rebellion to see it either. I was weak. Everyone was seeing me weak and failing. I was at an all time low.

The pain eased for a brief minute, and I was able to catch my breath. I could hear people shouting, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. It was like the whole world had faded into the background; it was just an echo that surrounded me.

Then the crippling pain struck again, but this time it was in my back. I screamed again and begged for it to stop. Oh, gods, please, make it stop. I'd do anything to make it stop.

Then, like a miracle, it stopped. I was still on my knees, gasping for breath and tears rolling down my face. After a minute of taking deep breaths, I'd recovered enough to look up and take in my surroundings.

Lily had Lexie by the arms, holding her back as she struggled to get free of the Hunter's grip. Finn was standing next to them with a gun pointed directly at Lexie. Mason was standing beside a stone-faced Noah with the barrel of her gun pressing against his head. Barka and a few other members of the Rebellion were hovering over me. It was a standoff.

"What'll it be, Jackson?" Barka asked. "Come with us, and we'll let your friends go or fight, and we'll kill them…and torture you some more. It's your call."

"I'll do whatever you want," I panted. "Just don't hurt them. Let them go."

"CJ!" Lexie yelled. "Don't!"

I didn't acknowledge her. Instead, I looked straight at the Hunter. "Lily, get her out of here. Go!"

"No!" Lexie screamed. "CJ, no! Don't do this!"

I shook my head and sighed. "I'm sorry, Lexie, but it's the only way."

Lexie was struggling against Lily and Noah who were dragging her away. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Chase Jackson, don't you leave me! Please!"

I couldn't see them in danger anymore. I couldn't listen to Lexie's pleads anymore. I couldn't watch her cry anymore. "Go!" I shouted at them. "Do it, now!"

They turned and ran. Lexie and Noah looked over their shoulders back at me then disappeared in the maze of tombs.

I breathed a sigh of relief that Barka let my friends go unharmed. I was still on my knees and had no desire to stand, so I plopped down on my ass, drew up my knees, and rested my arms and head on them.

"You made the right choice," Barka said to me.

I looked up at him. "There was no choice," I spat. "I didn't have a choice."

"Fair enough," he said then knelt beside me. "I truly hoped that you'd set aside this absurd loyalty you have to demigods and see that what we're doing is for the greater good, but I've come to realize you won't do that."

"Greater good?" I gaped. "Killing demigods isn't the answer to your problems. It's just your sadistic way of getting back at the world for being born with clear sight. But you're right about one thing, I'll never agree with your mission, and I'll never join you."

"And that's why I no longer feel that you should join. I have no use for you, save for one."

"And what's that?" I asked.

"You have something I want, and I'm going to take it." He stood and waved for me to get up. "Let's go," he ordered.

I didn't want to go with him. I wanted to run, but like he said, he had the upper hand this time. He still had that evil doll in his hand, and I knew what he'd do with it if I tried to run. I couldn't go through that pain again, so I cooperated.

I was put in the back of the same van I was transported in earlier, and we were off to a different location. During the drive, I wondered what I had that Barka could possibly want. Did he want money, information, my awesome video game collection? I had no clue what he wanted from me, but I had a feeling it was something I wouldn't be willing to give up freely.

After a thirty-minute drive, I was taken out of the van and escorted to a small warehouse. There were many warehouses on the block, but because it was the middle of the night, the area was void of people other than us.

The warehouse was dark green in color, stood about two stories tall, and had two loading bays. Barka and Finn walked me to a door that led into the warehouse. Before we entered, Barka turned to Finn. "No interruptions unless it's life or death, understand?" Barka said to him.

Finn nodded. "I'll get a few more guys out here to guard the warehouse, too."

"Good idea. She should be here any minute. Just send her in."

"Got it," Finn said, then pulled out his cell phone to make a call.

Barka opened the door, and we walked into the warehouse. This was not the first time I'd been in a warehouse with Barka. The first time I met him and learned of the Rebellion was in a shipping container storage warehouse in Sparta, Georgia over three years ago. That warehouse burned to the ground, and I saved Barka's life that day—a decision I'd come to regret.

This warehouse was much smaller than the last and was filled with rows of shelving that stored what looked like car parts. I followed Barka through the warehouse, mapping the place in my head as we walked. In the right rear corner of the warehouse was an office. There was a large picture window to the left of the office door, but it was blacked out with spray paint, so I couldn't see into the office.

Barka pulled a set of keys from his jacket pocket and unlocked the door. The office looked nothing like an office; it looked like a cubicle in an infirmary, which made me nervous. There were two cots in the center of the small room and between the cots was a folding metal chair and a small table with bowls, towels, and sharp pointed instruments sitting on it. Plugged into a wall outlet was a small space heater, and that was the extent of the room's furnishings. What was this place? And what was he planning to do in here?

"Go ahead and take a seat on one of the cots," Barka said to me. "Make yourself comfortable."

"I'd rather stand, thanks," I grumbled.

"It wasn't a request, Jackson."

I didn't like it, but I did as he said. I knew he still had that voodoo doll in his pocket, and I really didn't want him to feel the need to use it again. I probably sound like a wimp, but godsbedamned, it hurt when he used it.

Hurt, now there's a word I didn't use often. Pain was never an issue for me, unless of course, I got hit in the gut, which I tried to avoid. I didn't avoid stubbing my toe on the stairs, getting a shin knock by a baseball or bumping into the dining room table, things like that. Dad always laughed at me and called me a clumsy kid, but Mom, with her infinite wisdom and logic, said I wasn't clumsy, I just didn't actively avoid those things, because I didn't suffer a consequence.

Knowing what Barka could do to me, what kind of pain he could put me through, made me actively avoid what would cause it. I felt vulnerable and violated and scared. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"What exactly is it that you want from me?" I asked him.

"What if I told you everything could be different for you? Would you believe me if I told you I could make your life easier? That you could go back to the way things were when you didn't go to camp, before you learned that you were the one spoken of in the prophecy. Would you want that?"

Would I want to be a normal kid again? That was something to think about. I might. "I've been chosen by the Fates, and nobody can change that," I said.

He shrugged. "We'll see."

Before I could ask what he meant, the office door opened and a young woman walked in.

"Ah'm here, beb," she said to Barka in a thick Louisiana Cajun dialect that I didn't quite understand. "Dis de moodee boa?"

The woman looked to be in her early twenties—around Barka's age—and was thin as a rail. Her long black hair was in dreads with colorful ribbons woven in, and her dark chocolate skin was dotted with tattoos and brands. Charms and amulets hung from her neck and wrists and a backpack was slung over her shoulder. She was wearing rags like you'd expect to see a homeless person wearing, but I think that was just her fashion—a kinda gypsy look.

Barka nodded to the woman. "This is him."

She walked a circle around me, studying me and licking her lips, showing a few gold teeth as she did. This chick was creeping me out.

"Don luk lak mucha nuttin," she said as she observed me. "Bud ah smell da gree gree own em."

"Uh, what did she just say?" I asked.

Barka rolled his eyes. Apparently I was supposed understand the Cajun dialect. "She said you don't look like much of anything, but she can smell the curse on you," he translated.

She could smell the curse of Achilles? I didn't know it had a smell. "I guess I should get some better deodorant," I said.

"Dat don matta," she said to me. "Nuttin gonna ranch off dat stink."

Who was this woman? "Who is she?" I asked Barka.

"Ruby Boundreaux," he said, pronouncing her surname Bondrow. "A very talented voodoo priestess who is well on her way to becoming the next voodoo Queen of New Orleans."

The priestess smiled, gold teeth shining. "Aw, beb, ya flatta me."

"I only speak the truth, ma fran," Barka said to her, saying my friend in the Cajun dialect. "Now, should we get started?"

"Ya gat ma monies?" she asked him.

He pulled two bricks of hundred dollar bills from an inside pocket of his jacket. "Ten thousand," he said as he handed the woman the money.

She took the cash giddily. "Gah lee, use a good anast man, beb. Ah'll get dat gree gree outta da boa an own ya dubba time."

Listening to her talk and trying to decipher what she was actually saying was turning my brain to mush, but I'm fairly certain that last sentence meant she was going to take my curse away and give it to Barka.

I blinked. "Did she just say what I think she said?"

Barka grinned. "If you think she said she's going to transfer the curse of Achilles from you to me, then you heard right."

Oh, crap.