We share a smile of success. For the first time in my life, a success off the cross-country course feels almost as good as winning a race. Almost. But, like Stella said, it's a start.

Chapter 9

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TELEKINESIS


SOURCE: ARES


The ability to move objects through nonphysical means. Ability varies depending on size and weight of object and distance moved. May be combined with Aerokinesis to magnify strength of ability. Generally the first power to manifestin young hematheos.


DYNAMOTHEOS STUDY GUIDE * Stella Petrolas

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MONDAY MORNING I show up on the Academy steps early. Not that I'm eager for camp or anything, but after spending all last night-and the three previous nights-trying to get to sleep, I just couldn't stare at my ceiling a minute longer. At first I thought the Internet could be my diversion. But I finally disconnected Saturday afternoon after another unprintable blocked message and after moving the fifth e-mail from Griffin, unread, into the "Liars" folder. Even running myself to the point of exhaustion three days in a row hadn't helped.

At least camp will be a welcome distraction.

"Never thought I'd see you here early."

I turn at the sound of Xander's voice.

"Yeah. I could say the same about you," I say, leaning my head back against the cold marble column.

I hear his footsteps approach and then the sounds of him sitting next to me, but don't open my eyes. With exactly zero hours of sleep and coming down from a weekend-long emotional roller coaster, I'm not in the mood.

Apparently, though, he's not sensing my go-away vibes.

"Trouble in paradise?" he asks. Despite the cliche, he sounds serious.

"What do you care?"

"I don't."

I feel him lean back next to me against the column.

"Good," I say.

For a minute I think he's not going to say anything else. "Unless it's affecting your powers training."

Prying an eye open, I ask, "I beg your pardon?"

"If your problems with Blake are going to get in the way of your development, then we need to deal with this."

"My problems with Blake-" I shake my head, "with Griffinhave nothing to do with my powers."

"You don't think so?" He sounds all superior. Maybe he and Stella have more in common than I thought. "Let me tell you from experience that everythingthat affects your emotions affects your powers."

Right, I almost forgot about his experience.

My spine stiffens as I turn my full attention on him. "Which reminds me," I snap. "You could explain a little more about the test- and the consequences of failing it-since you've, you know, donethat."

His lavender eyes burn brighter for a second, but he doesn't betray any other reaction.

"My experience has nothing to do with yours," he says, his voice sincere. "The gods play their games as they see fit, and what happened to me is completely removed from whatever will happen to you. It is intensely personal."

"It could still be useful," I insist, "if I had some hint of what to expect."

I mean, seriously. The solstice is just days away. And even though I earned a handful of merit badges last week-mostly by accident-I feel completely unprepared. My minor success with Stella's pen isn't exactly a guarantee of success. After Xander's cryptic I-hope-you-never-find-out-about-the-consequences comment, getting smoted for accidental powers usage is losing ground on the fear scale in the face of suffering some unknown punishment for failing the test.

"Fine," he says with a sigh. "But it won't help you."

"We'll see."

"It was anunimportant Thursday in Level 10." His eyes get a faraway look, and it's like he's not here anymore. "The girl I'd been dating for three years walked up to me in the cafeteria and, in front of the entire school, announced she was dumping me for some descendant of Zeus because he was better-looking."

I blink at him a few times. When he doesn't continue. I say, "And… "

"And thirty seconds later, she and the new guy were deep in the heart of King Minus' labyrinth."

That seems like a bit of an overreaction.

"As I said, the test is intensely personal." He rubs a hand over his face, like he's suddenly very tired. "For anyone else, that wouldn't have been a big deal. For me… well, let's just say my family history makes me kind of sensitive about superficial stuff."

"Oh-kay…-

"My emotions got the better of me that day," he says. "And I spent the next ten months paying for the lapse. Without Stella's help, I'd probably still be there. If Blake is messing with your emotions, we need to take care of it."

There is something ominous in his tone.

"I don't need your-or anybody else's-help when it comes to Griffin."

"I'm not trying to provoke you, Phoebe," he says, leveling his hypnotic lavender gaze on me. "Just keep in mind that sometimes when you tell yourself things are fine, you're really just driving the tough stuff even deeper."

"Good morning, Xander," Stella's extra-cheerful voice calls out, breaking the spell of his mesmerizing eyes. As she reaches our spot at the base of the column, she looks at me. "Phoebe."

"Stella," Xander says as he climbs to his feet. After a quick nod, he strides off through the Academy's golden doors.

She watches him walk away with a sad, puppy-dog look in her eyes.

I must be feeling generous or something, because I say, "You should ask him out already.''

"What do you mean?" Startled, she looks at me. "What makes you think I'm interested in Xander?"

"Puh-lease," I say, pushing up from the cold marble. "Don't play innocent with me. I learned your tricks months ago."

She purses out her lips, like she wants to refute my claim. Then her gray eyes flick to the door Xander just walked through and her whole face softens.

"Do you-" Stella has never looked this vulnerable before. "Do you really think he might…"

"You never know until you try."

For several long seconds she watches me, evaluating me. Then she turns on her heel and hurries after him.

As soon as she's gone, I'm thinking about what Xander said. And wondering if he's right. Either way, I need to sort out my feelings.

What if I am just making assumptions about Griffin? What if I'm making a big huge deal out of what he's doing with Adara, when there's really a totally innocent explanation? But if there were, he would have told me. When he told me there was nothing romantic going on between him and Adara, he would have told me what was going on. Wouldn't he?

An image of Cesca flashes in my mind. A memory of last year, when I had a secret of my own that I couldn't tell my best friends.

What if it's something like that?

My head is going to spin off my neck if I keep going in circles like this.

"Hi, Phoebe!" Tansy bounds up the steps.

"Hey, Tansy," I reply, still a little distracted by my thoughts, but relieved to have someone nonconfusing to talk to. "What's up?"

"Ready for camp," she says. "Actually, I wanted to ask you a question."

Shaking off my thoughts of secrets, I say, "Shoot."

"How do you become a runner?"

I look at her and smile. "I don't think a person becomesa runner," I say. "You either run or you don't."

She bites her lower lip, like she's worried about what to say next.

"Do you run?" I ask.

Green eyes wide, she looks up at me and nods. Even though she's only twelve-not fully developed physically or anything- I can tell she's got the body of a runner. Long proportions, a little gawky. If she's got the drive, she could be an excellent runner.

I smile big. "Then you're a runner."

As soon as I say that, she positively beams. "I want to be just like you."

"No you don't," I reply. No one wants to be like me. Not on this island, anyway. At first it was because I wasn't one of them. Now it's because I am, but I'm still different. Higher up on the family tree. Closer to Olympus. Life was so much easier when I was nothing more exciting than a distance runner. "I'm not that great."

"I think you are."

Her voice is quiet and serious, like she just said the most important thing ever.

I study her, looking at me with a little hero worship in her eyes. It's been so long since someone-anyone-looked up to me that I almost don't know how to react. Back at Pacific Park, I'd been kind of amentor to a couple of the younger girls on the team. They looked to me for advice and encouragement. That feels like alifetime ago.

As I look into Tansy's serious eyes, my long-lost big sister instinct kicks in.

"I'm kinda looking for a training partner," I say as we head into the building. "You interested?"

"Really?" she says, her voice full of awe.

Since the position of my current training partner seems to be in question, then yeah. I wouldn't mind having someone else to run with. She might keep my mind off all the times Griffin and I ran together.

"Yeah," I say, trying to play it cool so she doesn't think I'm desperate. "I'm training for the Pythian Games trials and could use a buddy."

We head through the halls of the Academy, toward the courtyard, with her staring wide-eyed and mouth gaping. It's a miracle she doesn't walk into a trash can.

"Is that a yes?"

"Omigods, yes!" she squeals. "When do we start.?"

"I've been training in the morning." I push through the door leading to the courtyard. "Why don't you meet me at eight tomorrow on the cross-country course."

Tansy gasps, "Great!"

"Welcome, campers," Adara calls across the courtyard. She spears me with a vicious glance. "We'll be partnering for today's first exercise. Phoebe, you'll be pairing up with me."

Yeah, great.

* * *

"You're not even trying."

I glare at Adara. "Of course I'm trying."

I'm just not succeeding.

"I know how hard it is for you to accept that other people might know something more than you." she snaps, and if I could see her face I know she'd be sneering. "But believe me when I tell you, you're nottrying."

We've been standing back-to-back for the last half hour, with me trying to materialize a hazelnut latte into her hands. So far I've come up with a coconut, a jar of peanut butter, and-on my most successful attempt-a glass of milk.

I've trained my whole life. Physical training-running, weight lifting, nutritional planning-that's all second nature to me. But this mental training is totally different. I'm not used to consciously exercising my mind and my emotions. Is it any wonder this isn't going well?