Chapter 51 Don’t Book On It
IT’S STILL RAINING FOUR DAYS later as Fifi and I get ready for the festival. The weather hasn’t broken once, and a more superstitious person than me would think it really is a sign from the gods.
But I’m not superstitious and it is just weather. Nothing I’ve done or haven’t done since getting back from the Underworld could possibly have provoked this. Or at least, that’s the story I keep telling myself.
After four long, nerve-racking days, I almost believe it. Especially since “Death” is marked off on the Pandora’s box chest in the lobby, meaning Dr. Dione has given us credit for finding the book even though the muses confiscated it. And even though I haven’t been able to heed Calliope’s warning.
I’ve spent every spare minute I have over the last four days—which isn’t that many, but still—at the library, trying to find some mention of this Hera person from the book.
I haven’t found anything about her yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m quitting.
The muses had such a strong reaction to that book, and her, for a reason.
Now I just need to figure out why. Especially since she’s been in my dreams three of the last four nights.
But for now, I have to finish getting ready for the most important part of Panathenaea, which is the most important festival of the year.
It’s part feast, part super-fun party, part ancient ritual for the gods, and everyone says it’s the highlight of the year at Anaximander’s.
And it’s also a chance to get in your patron god’s good graces, since you bring them presents to show how much you appreciate them.
Fifi’s put together a really beautiful necklace for Aphrodite, strung with uncut beads of all different kinds of stones, while Arjun is gifting her a sketchbook full of pictures he’s made in her honor.
My gift is a little simpler—earrings made out of the seashells I found at the beach when I was young—but I hope she likes them.
And unlike my two besties, I’ve got a gift for Athena as well—a crown made of white flowers with a tiny lapis lazuli owl resting right at the front center of it. I found the owl at a farmers’ market this past summer and bought it just for this occasion.
Even if I never get into her hall, even if we don’t win the hall competition this year and I never impress her, I still want her to have it, and putting it on a crown seemed like the perfect way to gift it to her.
Or at least it did the other day when I was weaving the flowers into the crown. Now I’m not so sure.
Arjun told me it’s probably just my nerves talking, and he may be right, especially since my stomach has been jumpy all day. Whatever it is, hopefully it will go away after I give her the crown and things can go back to normal. Or at least as normal as they ever are at Anaximander’s.
I finish putting on my dress uniform—including a tie with multicolored flowers on it—then swipe on a quick coat of mascara and lip gloss.
Fifi, on the other hand, is doing up her entire face, complete with little heart-shaped jewels on the outside corners of her eyes, while she blasts some of her favorite songs.
I know this is the fun part for her, and she looks great, but I feel like I’m going to jump out of my skin if I have to sit around this room waiting for the next half hour. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, but I am, and right now it feels like the only way to combat that is to do something.
“I’m going to go downstairs,” I tell her, raising my voice to be heard over the music. “Text me when you’re ready.”
She gives me a thumbs-up because she’s currently belting out lyrics as she brushes blush over her impossibly high cheekbones.
I grab my phone and my gifts before heading down to get something to drink from the kitchen. But I’ve barely made it to the lobby before I run into Dr. Dione, who is dressed in an elaborate red gown for the occasion, complete with a tiny little fascinator on the top of her fancifully arranged hair.
“Penelope!” she says warmly. “I’m so glad I caught you. How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” I tell her as wariness churns in my belly. Even though she’s smiling, there’s a look in her eye that makes me very, very nervous. Maybe I’m overreacting because of what Calliope told us. Or seeing things that aren’t there. “Excited for the festival tonight.”
“As you should be! There’s something special about a girl’s first Panathenaea at Anaximander’s. You look lovely, by the way.”
“Thanks. You look amazing. I love that dress.”
She pats her hair. “Every once in a while, it’s nice to make an effort, don’t you think?”
My wariness increases. I don’t know why, but something tells me she’s not talking about her dress anymore.
When I don’t say anything else, her smile dims a little, her eyes growing serious. “Would you mind coming into the lounge with me? I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes before the festival begins.”
I nod, because what else can I do? When your hall director asks to speak with you, you speak with her.
Dr. Dione doesn’t say anything else until we’re settled on the red velvet sofas in the downstairs gaming lounge. The room is empty for once, as everyone’s getting ready for Panathenaea tonight.
“Do you know why I wanted to talk to you?” she asks me once we’re both settled.
I shake my head, because I don’t want to bring up the book unless she does. “I don’t know.”
Her eyes sharpen. “Really? Not knowing something doesn’t seem like you, Penelope.”
I swallow audibly, but I still don’t say anything. How can I? There’s no appropriate answer to being called a know-it-all. Or if there is, I haven’t run across it yet.
“Okay, then, I guess I’ll jump right in.” She smiles warmly. “I wanted to start by thanking you for encouraging our students to participate in the scavenger hunt. It’s been a long time since we’ve been this close to winning, and I know we owe a lot of that to you.”
“I don’t think that’s true. I’ve only found a couple of objects.” My voice breaks on the last word and I clear my throat, trying to also clear my nerves away.
It doesn’t work.
“Two objects out of the six found seems pretty impressive to me,” she says. “Though I have to admit, it surprised me when Calliope brought me the Hades tome.”
Even though her voice is perfectly pleasant as she says it, a full chill runs down my spine. “But it’s on the list,” I say, which is technically true.
“Actually, we made it clear that we’d made a fake version for the list. It never occurred to us that one of our students would brave the Underworld to find the real one.” She leans forward. “How did you do that, by the way? Most people who find themselves down there don’t find their way back.”
I start to tell her that Kyrian is the one who got me back, but stop myself. He helped me when he didn’t have to, and the last thing I want is for him to get into trouble for it.
“I didn’t mean to go down there,” I tell her instead, because it’s the truth.
“I was out in the storm the other day and tripped on something in the forest. The next thing I knew, I was falling down some kind of hole, and I ended up there. Thankfully, there was a train running at the time and it got me back here.”
I skip over the room-with-the-books part—and the snakes. If one book has her this concerned, I can only imagine what she’ll think of me knowing where to find a room filled with thousands of ancient books.
“Thank goodness for that!” she agrees. “I’m so glad we didn’t lose you.”
I give her the best smile I can manage, which I’m pretty sure isn’t great. “Me too. It was really scary.”
“I can imagine.” She studies my face, her eyes running over every inch of it, looking for something, though I don’t know what.
“Can I go now? I’m supposed to meet my friends out front,” I fib.
“Of course. I don’t want to hold you up from the night’s festivities.” She stands up and gestures to the door. But just as I start walking, she asks, “And the book? Was that on the train with you?”
“I don’t know.” On this part I have no problem being completely honest. “It just showed up in my backpack. I didn’t even know it was there until I was back in my room.”
“Ah, so it’s a case of the randomly appearing book,” she jokes.
“Something like that, yeah.”
“Good to know. How fortuitous that it just happened to be the book you’d been looking for.”
Forget shivers, a full-on icicle slides down my spine, though I can’t quite pinpoint why. Her questions are exceedingly cordial.
Then again, maybe that’s the problem. She’s so cordial that it’s making me nervous. Very, very nervous.
“It really was,” I tell her. “I totally didn’t expect it. Especially not after what I had to go through in class to get the key.”
“I guess you’re just lucky?”
Now I really do laugh, because lucky isn’t the word I would use to describe all the things that have happened to me since I got to Anaximander’s.
But when I say as much to Dr. Dione, she simply tilts her head and responds, “You’ve made it through all of them, though. I’d consider that pretty lucky.”
She has a point. “Thanks!” I tell her. “I’ve never thought of it quite like that before.”
“I’m glad to help change your perspective a little.” We’re at the door now and she gestures for me to precede her through it. But once I do, she says, “Oh, Penelope. One more thing. Did you read the book?”
My whole body turns into a block of ice as I struggle to find a truthful response that won’t also get me into major trouble. I finally settle on “It’s in ancient Attic Greek” and leave it at that.
“And you don’t read ancient Greek?” She’s watching me even more closely now, which isn’t nerve-racking at all.
“Nope. Not a word.”
“Good. I believe it’s in your best interest to keep it that way.”
Just because she’s smiling again doesn’t mean that doesn’t feel like a threat. “I’m sorry?” I ask. “I thought Anaximander’s was all about learning as much as you can.”
“Of course we are. But ancient Greek isn’t exactly a skill you can take out into the world with you, is it? You’re so bright, I just think you should be concentrating on things that will help your future, not drag you down.”
Wow. How many ways can she find to warn me off this book in a ten-minute conversation? And what is so dangerous about it—and about a woman named Hera—that three people have felt the need to warn me off as strongly as they can?
But all I say is, “I’ll remember that.”
“See that you do. For your own sake and for the sake of your friends.” Then she pats my shoulder and walks away as quickly—and quietly—as she appeared.
Which leaves me staring after her and wondering what it is I don’t know. And why everyone I run into in this place seems so determined to keep it that way.