through her head and spurred Helen to run faster. She skipped
over massive swaths of landscape, bounding recklessly over hillocks
and cranberry bogs, unable to think of anything but catching
him.
She noticed that she was having a hard time finding him in the
strange shadowy light, but as she got closer, the darkness that
seemed to swath itself around him abated a little and she was able
to pinpoint his location. It looked like he was sucking light out of
the air. There was something creepy about the way the dark shadows
radiated out from him like a sinister halo?he was definitely
controlling the light. That meant he was another descendant of
Apollo?one of the Hundred Cousins from the House of Thebes,
and therefore a threat.
From what she could see, the shadowy man was a few years older
than she was, but still barely out of his teens. When she was only a
few paces behind him she could see that he had fair hair and skin.
With a fresh burst of speed she reached out, trying to grab on to
him, and ripped off his shirt. Finally, he allowed the last of the
darkness clinging to him to be swept away by the sun glowing on
his huge, bare shoulders. Up close, he looked so similar to Hector
in both coloring and build that they could have been twins.
Before she could digest that fact, a horrendous cramp crumpled
up her torso like origami, and Helen tumbled to the ground with a
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scream. She curled up on the ground in fetal position, unable move
or even take a breath. Through the long blades of grass that partially
obscured her vision she could see the blond, shirtless Cousin
trot back toward her with an inquisitive look on his face.
?Interesting,? he said with cocky smile. Something behind Helen
caught his eye and he started to back away. ?I?ll see you sooner