We had gone to get dressed and I was waiting outside Zoey's dorm, trying to convince myself that this ritual was going to be a snap. Zoey would just cast a quick circle, offer up prayers for Professor Nolan, announce that Aphrodite was rejoining the Dark Daughters (which I would hope would go well because of Aphrodite's new affinity for Earth), and then say that because of the stress that the school has been dealing with she decided not to Tap any new Prefect Council members till the end of the school year. It really should be an easy ritual. I told myself over and over again. Nothing like last month when Stevie Rae died. Nothing that bad could happen tonight.
"Take a breath, will ya?" Aphrodite suddenly said looking at me. She was wearing a simple black dress clearly ready for the ritual. "They have to wait for Zoey."
"Aphrodite, has no one ever told you that it's rude to keep people waiting?" Zoey said as she stepped out of her dorm completely dressed. The three of us hurried down the hall, practically skipped down the stairs two at a time. Aphrodite scrambling to keep up with us- I felt kinda bad for her as she clearly was trying to be on her best behavior. Zoey nodded at Darius, who had taken up his position outside, and he saluted Zoey.
"You know, those warriors really are some totally hot-looking vamps," Aphrodite said in a low voice, craning her neck around to get a last view of Darius. Then she then looked over at Zoey in a defensive voice and answered Zoey's question, "And no, no one has ever told me it's rude to keep people waiting. I was raised to keep people waiting. As far as my mother's concerned, the sun waits for her before it rises and sets." I wondered if Aphrodite knew that her godly mother felt the same way.
"So how did Neferet's ritual go?" Zoey asked us to slow down a bit.
"Fabulous. She set a protective curtain around the school. No one gets in or out without her knowing about it. Couldn't be better. Oh, that is, unless you're us." Aphrodite said relaxing in her tone of voice. Then even though there was no one around us, Aphrodite lowered her voice. "She's still gulping down the bags of blood?"
"She's barely hanging on. We gotta do something soon." I answered her with my voice just as low.
"I don't know what the hell you think we're gonna do," Aphrodite said. "You're the one with the mega-powers. I'm just along for the ride." She paused and lowered her voice even more. "Do you think your family will help her?"
"First- they are your family now too- your half-sister is literally staying with SR, they all are." I said and looked up at the sky. "They will help her, but I don't know how they can."
"What about getting her blood through some weird godly blood service?" Aphrodite asked and I chuckled a bit.
"I don't think there is a godly blood delivering service, but maybe I could ask Thalia if Artemis could help us with that part." I said then looked at Zoey. "But I think the best course of action would be to heal SR as quickly as possible."
"Alright then, then we'll heal her." Aphrodite said simply.
"It's not that simple." Zoey said, kinda annoyed.
"How do you know, have you tried?" Aphrodite asked and Zoey stopped in her tracks.
"What did you just say?" Aphrodite raised an eyebrow at Zoey then shrugged.
"Something like, have you tried?" She answered looking at Zoey.
"Holy crap! Could it be that easy? I mean, I've been spending all this time looking for a spell or a ritual or a ... a ... something specific and amazing and totally magical, and maybe all I needed to do is just ask Nyx to heal her." And as I stood there basking in Zoey's epiphany, I heard Nyx's voice echo through my mind, repeating what the goddess had told us a month ago: I wish to remind you that the elements can restore as well as destroy.
"Holy crap? You said holy crap? You know, that's another almost cuss. I'm starting to worry about your terrible potty mouth." Aphrodite said amused to mask her confusion.
Zoey laughed excited and a big smile on her face. "Come on! Worry about my mouth later." We took off again, almost jogging down the sidewalk. There was another of the warriors standing outside the rec hall. We all quickly went inside Aphrodite ignoring the fact that he was kinda hot.
"Z! Percy! There you are." Jack came scampering over to me with Damien close behind him.
"Sorry. We hurried as fast as we could," I said.
Damien smiled. "Not a problem. Everything's ready for you." He then looked at Aphrodite and gave her a nod. "Did you guys finish the dirty work?"
"We did, but I need to talk to you guys after the ritual. So, go ahead and take your place." Damien nodded with a smile. He went back to the circle and Jack moved over to the audio equipment area.
"Whenever you're ready, just let me know," Jack called.
Zoey smiled at him, then looked back at the circle as I went to join the crowd of fledglings and Annabeth grabbed my hand and leaned against me. The Twins winked at me from their places in the south and west. Erik was standing near the empty spot behind the earth candle looking over a paper, which I concluded was the poem he was resighting. Aphrodite then moved to her place but hesitated, and thought her face went kinda pale as she looked over at the circle of waiting Dark Daughters and Sons. Then she lifted her chin and tossed back her blond mane, and ignoring everyone, she strutted straight over to the northernmost part of the circle to stand behind the green candle. As kids caught sight of her, the easy talking was cut off like someone had pressed a mute button. No one said anything for a couple seconds, and then low whispering started. Aphrodite just stood there behind the candle, looking calm and beautiful and very stuck-up.
Suddenly the music started and I saw that Erik moved closer to Jack and all eyes were on Zoey. I didn't recognize the song, but the beat was steady, rhythmic, sonorous, reminding me of a pulse. Zoey began to move around the outside of the circle, and Erik's voice complemented the music perfectly.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain-and back in rain...
The words of the old poem set the mood perfectly, somehow conjuring images of the otherworldliness that reminded me of how it felt being in Olympus in front of the Gods.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his heat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I closed my eyes listening to the poem relaxing holding onto Annabeth's hand. I felt this sense of comforting darkness. I only opened my eyes when I heard Damien gasp and saw how Zoey shimmered with the mist she had used to cover us to meet with Stevie Rea.
And further still at an unearthly height,
A luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.
Erik's voice faded away and Zoey twirled around one last time, now fully visible. She picked up the ritual lighter from the riches-laden table in the center of the circle and walked lightly over to stand in front of Damien. He smiled and whispered to Zoey who just smiled in response. She lifted the lighter and spoke words that sounded poetic. "Soft and whispering winds from afar, greetings be unto thee. In the name of Nyx I call you to blow clear and fresh and free, and call you here to me!" As she touched the flame to wic air circled around the two of them.
She hurried to Shaunee and her red candle beginning the invocation without lifting the lighter. "Warming and quickening fire from afar, with the warmth that brings forth life, and in the name of Nyx, I send greetings unto thee, and call you here to me!" She flicked her fingers at the candlewick, and it burst into a beautiful flame.
With a smile Zoey made her way to Erin and lifted the lighter- Erin looking completely excited. "Cool waters of lake and of stream from afar, I offer greetings to thee. Flow clear and pure and swift in magical presence here. In the name of Nyx manifest so that we shall see, as I call you here to me!" She touched the lighter to Erin's blue candle and the kids standing closest to her gasped and laughed as water that was visible, but that didn't actually touch them, lapped all around Erin's feet.
"Easy-peasy," Erin whispered and I chuckled.
Zoey grinned and moved clockwise to stand in front of Aphrodite and her green candle. The gentle laughter and happy whispering that had been traveling through the group with me quieted. Aphrodite's face was an emotionless mask. It was only in her eyes that I could see her nervous fear, and I wondered for a second how long she'd been hiding her emotions. Knowing her nightmare parents, I figured it had been a long time.
"It's going to be okay," Zoey whispered almost without moving her lips at all.
"I may puke," Aphrodite whispered back.
"Nah!" Zoey grinned and then lifted her voice and spoke beautiful words that I couldn't help but think about STevie Rae listening to them.
"Lands afar and wild places of the earth, greetings I say unto thee. Awaken from your mossy sleep to bring forth bounty and beauty and stability. In Nyx's name I call earth here to me!" Zoey lit Aphrodite's candle and the fresh, rich scent of a newly mown hay field completely filled the rec hall. Zoey met Aphrodite's shining eyes, and then turned to glance around the rest of the circle. Everyone was staring at Aphrodite, shocked into absolute silence.
"Yes," Zoey said simply, cutting through all the questions I knew were milling around in their heads, and (hopefully) putting an end to their doubts. They might not like her-they might not trust her-but they had to accept the fact that Nyx had blessed her. "Aphrodite has been blessed with an affinity for the element earth." Then she went to the center of the circle and picked up her purple candle. "Spirit filled with magic and night, whispering the soul of the Goddess, friend and stranger, mystery and knowledge, in Nyx's name I call thee here to me!" Her candle lit, and she stood very still while the familiar cacophony of all five elements filled her, body and soul.
She then moved to lit the braided rope of dried eucalyptus and sage, and then blew them out, and once the smoke s was whirling around her, She faced outward and began speaking, as conscious of all the eyes on me as I was of the glistening silver thread that so visibly tied together my circle. "Merry meet!" She cried.
Then we responded with, "Merry meet!"
I could feel my tension start to relax as she addressed them. "You all know by now that yesterday Professor Nolan was killed. It was as horrible and true as the rumors have made it out to be. Right now I'd like to ask you to join me in asking Nyx to soothe her spirit and also to soothe us." She paused and met her gaze with Erik's "I haven't been here very long, but I know a lot of you were really close to Professor Nolan." Erik tried to smile, but his lips didn't turn up, and he blinked hard to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks. I put my hand on Nico's shoulder once I heard him suck in his breath. "She was a good teacher, and a nice person. We're going to miss her. Let's send her spirit a final blessed be."
We all responded with a heartfelt shout of "Blessed be!"
Zoey paused waiting for everyone to quiet down before she addressed us again. "I know I was supposed to announce who has been chosen to be Tapped for the Prefect Council, but because of everything that has happened in the past month I've decided to wait until the end of this school year, and then the Council and I will get together and have several names to pass along to you for your vote. Until then I have decided to automatically add one more fledgling to our Council." She was speaking matter-of-factly, as if she wasn't saying anything that most of them would think was a completely insane idea. "As you've already seen, Aphrodite has been given an affinity for earth. Like Stevie Rae, that gives her a position on our Council. Also like Stevie Rae, she has agreed to abide by my new rules for the Dark Daughters." She turned then so that she could meet Aphrodite's eyes, and Aphrodite gave her a tight, nervous smile, and then nodded her head once. Then, not giving them time to start to babble among themselves, Zoey took the goblet of sweet red wine from Nyx's table and began the official invocation of the Full Moon Prayer.
"Again this month we find that with the full moon we have to face many new beginnings. Last month it was a new order of the Dark Daughters and Sons. This month it is a new member of the Prefect Council, and the sadness of a professor's death. I've only been your leader for one month, but already I know that I-" She paused and then corrected herself. "I mean that we can trust Nyx to love us and be with us, even when really awful things happen." She lifted the goblet and worked my way around the circle, reciting the beautiful old poem she'd memorized the month before.
Airy light of the moon
Mystery of the deep earth
Power of the flowing water
Warmth of the burning flame
In Nyx's name we call to thee!
She offered each fledgling a taste of wine, nodding as they smiled at her. When she got to me I gave her an encouraging look which she smiled at.
Healing of ills
Righting of wrongs
Cleansing of impurity
Desiring of truths
In Nyx's name we call to thee!
Everyone murmured blessed be after we drank and I watched as Zoey moved confidently around the circle offering them a drink.
Sight of the cat
Hearing of the dolphin
Speed of the snake
Mystery of the phoenix
In Nyx's name we call to thee
and ask that with us you will blessed be!
She then offered Aphrodite a drink and I swear I saw her mutter something to Zoey. Zoey smiled and drank the last of the wine and put the goblet back on the table. In reverse order, Zoey thanked each element and sent them away in turn, as Aphrodite, Erin, Shaunee, and Damien blew out their candles. Then she completed the ritual by saying, "This Full Moon Rite has ended. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again!"
Then we echoed, "Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again!"
I remember smiling and getting ready to go off with the circle to tell them about Zoey's idea to heal Stevie Rae when suddenly I heard Erik cry out in pain.