She would have to stay out of trouble, and hopefully, remain unbitten so she could keep her strength up. She needed to look for anything that could be used as a weapon. She needed a means of communicating with the outside world. And she needed to assess the other prisoners here to see if any of them could become allies. The guards were out of the question. They looked completely brainwashed, and they were armed.
"Guards," Athena spoke. "You will fetch two maidens."
"Yes, All Wise Athena," they answered in unison.
Lara tilted her head a little so she could see. The guards opened the door and left. The sandals on the taller one made a high-pitched squeaky noise with every other step.
She heard different footsteps approaching.
"Athena." It was Apollo.
Lara swallowed hard. She hoped he wasn't hungry.
Athena glanced back at her. "Stay."
"Yes, All Wise Athena." You're so wise and awesome.
Athena walked outside the room. "Yes, My Lord Apollo?"
Lara strained to hear their conversation. They didn't bother to lower their voices very much. She guessed they didn't consider her much of a threat.
"Those two vampires nearly caught me," Apollo grumbled. "They looked really angry."
"They're probably some of those stupid, bottle-drinking Vamps," Athena hissed. "I swear I hate them and their self-righteous attitude, like they're so much better than us. We have every right to a fresh meal."
Lara grimaced. They made her feel like a whole meat patty minus the sesame-seed bun.
"I think they were expecting me," Apollo said. "We're going to have to find new hunting grounds."
"No problem," Athena answered. "There are colleges all over the Northeast."
Now that was interesting. They must be somewhere in the Northeast.
"At least this location is still secret," Apollo said. "They didn't follow us here, so they obviously don't know where we are. What about the new girl? Do you think she could be working with them?"
Athena laughed. "No way. She's even more foolish than the usual ones."
Lara rolled her eyes. Great. Well, she would continue to act clueless until she was ready to escape.
"Good," Apollo said. "Get her ready. I'm going to do the Selecting Ceremony in five minutes." He strode away.
Lara heard two female voices in the distance. "Greetings, My Lord Apollo."
"Come, maidens," Athena called to them. She returned to the room. "Rise, maiden."
Lara figured that was her. She rose stiffly to her feet and looked around. There was an electric light overhead. Fancy that. The Elysian Fields had electricity. These other girls were totally messed up with vampire control if they didn't realize they were still on Earth.
The room was bare except for a large wooden trunk and a bookcase filled with folded gowns. No books. Well, who needed books with All Wise Athena around?
Two redheaded young women rushed into the room. They bowed. "Greetings, All Wise Athena."
"We have returned early tonight with a new maiden," Athena said. "You will prepare her for the Selecting Ceremony, which will begin in five minutes." She strode from the room.
Lara recognized the two girls from the case photos. One was Vanessa Carlton, who had disappeared from Columbia University in May. The other was Kristy Robinson, who had vanished from NYU in April. What a relief to see them both alive. "Hi, I'm Lara."
They winced and glanced toward the open door.
Vanessa quickly closed it. "You'll get in trouble if you use a name," she whispered. "We're maidens. We only get a name when we become a Chosen One."
Kristy clasped her hands together, grinning. "And one of us will be chosen tonight!"
"Oh boy." Lara attempted a smile.
"Hurry." Kristy dashed to the bookcase. "Take off everything but your underwear. We have to get you dressed." She plucked a folded white gown off the shelf and shook it out.
Lara inspected the two girls as she kicked off her shoes. They were both dressed in long white tunics that were clasped on the left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder bare. Two long strips of white linen were attached to the tunics beneath the arms. These strips were wrapped around, crossing the midriff in front and back, then tied off in front at the waist.
Lara pulled her T-shirt off, then removed her jeans. "Do you guys know where we are?"
"We're maidens," Kristy repeated. "Didn't All Wise Athena explain it to you?"
"She said something about the Elysian Fields." Lara pulled off her socks. "I don't suppose she means the Champs Elysées in Paris?"
The girls gave her blank looks.
"You know. France? You don't want to die without seeing Paris."
Vanessa's shoulders slumped. "It's too late for us. We can never go back." Her eyes filled with tears. "I miss my family and my friends."
"Don't cry," Kristy hissed at her. "If you look bad, you'll never be chosen. Besides, you'll get to see your family again someday."
"Yeah." Vanessa frowned. "After they die."
"Why would you have to wait?" Lara asked. "We could just leave here and go home."
"We can't go home," Vanessa wailed. "We're dead!"
"Shhh." Kristy poked her. "They'll hear you. You know the gods have super hearing." She looked at Lara. "Whatever you do, don't make the gods angry."
"Why?" Lara asked. "What can they do to us?"
"They're gods," Vanessa whispered. "They can vanish and reappear. And they have super strength. I've seen them rip trees from the ground find throw boulders like they were pebbles. They can take over our minds and make us do whatever they want."
"That's true." Kristy nodded. "One time, a guard made Athena angry, and she made him slice himself with his own sword. And then, Apollo used his holy blood to heal him."
Vanessa shuddered. "If you make them really angry, they could send you to Hades forever."
"But we don't mean to frighten you," Kristy said. "You must be really nice, since they brought you here."
Vanessa smiled. "Only special people like us get to live here and serve the gods."
"And if you please them, you can become a Chosen One, and they'll make you a goddess," Kristy added with a grin. "Hurry up! The Selecting Ceremony will begin soon."
Lara slipped off her bra, and Vanessa tossed the white tunic over her head. As Lara smoothed it down, Kristy used the bronze pin to fasten it on her left shoulder. Vanessa grabbed the linen strips, and with Kristy's help, they wrapped them around Lara and tied them at her waist.
A loud gong sounded in the distance.
"Oh no! They're starting." Vanessa ran to the bookcase and grabbed some white leather sandals. "Here. Put these on."
Lara slid her feet inside while Vanessa helped to fasten the sandals. Kristy gathered up all of Lara's discarded clothes and tossed them into the wooden trunk.
"What's going to happen at this ceremony?" Lara asked.
"Apollo will select a new Chosen One," Vanessa explained. "It's usually a maiden who's been here for a while, so we're not likely to be picked."
Kristy fluffed up her long auburn hair. "I can't wait until it's my turn."
Lara winced. The Chosen One was probably dinner.
The gong sounded again.
"Let's go." Kristy grabbed a red gown from the bookcase and opened the door.
"Are you sure we're dead?" Lara whispered. "I feel awfully excited for a dead person."
Kristy grinned. "It is exciting, isn't it? We're on a whole different plane of existence. And we get to live among the gods. How cool is that? We are truly blessed."
Truly brainwashed was more like it. They walked across a foyer to some ornate double doors. Kristy and Vanessa each opened a door, and Lara gasped.
It was like the Parthenon, but all shiny and new.
Vanessa smiled. "I gasped, too, the first time I saw it. It's really awesome, isn't it?"
"Hurry." Kristy shooed them in. "The other maidens are already in place."
Lara gaped at her surroundings as she walked into the temple. On each side of the rectangular room, a series of six marble columns soared to the high ceiling. In between the Corinthian-style columns, bronze braziers rested on tripods. A fire blazed in each brazier, tinting the white marble in shades of gold.
At the end of the temple, three golden thrones sat on a dais. Above them, hanging from the ceiling and surrounded by torches, a large bronze sun glimmered in the firelight. To the side, a guard in a short white toga struck the gong once more. The deep, metallic sound echoed across the large room.
In the center of the temple, nine red cushions lay on the floor in three rows of three. Six maidens dressed in white stood behind the first six cushions.
Vanessa came to a stop behind a cushion in the last row and motioned for Lara to stand next to her. Kristy dashed over to the gong and laid the red gown on the floor next to the guard. Then she hurried back to the last row of cushions.
"Behold, the Chosen One Calliope." The guard struck the gong again.
From behind the thrones, four guards marched forward, carrying a golden litter on their shoulders. As they circled to the front of the thrones, Lara could see the young woman who lounged on the golden pillows. She was dressed all in red. Her gown was similar to the white ones of the maidens, except for the red scarf around her neck. Lara winced. That had to be hiding bite marks.
The four guards lowered the litter to the floor, then two of them helped Calliope stand. Was she that weak? Lara watched with increasing alarm as the guards assisted her up the stairs to the dais. Calliope sat on the smaller throne on the left.
Lara could see her face now, and she recognized her from the case file. The Chosen One Calliope was Brittney Beckford, the girl who had disappeared from Columbia University last July.
The four guards carried the litter away, taking it somewhere behind the thrones. Lara suspected there must be rooms back there.
The gong sounded again. "Behold, the gods are among us," the guard announced. "All Wise Athena, daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom."
"All Wise Athena," the maidens repeated in unison, then knelt on their red cushions.
Lara followed suit, grateful there was a cushion this time. She peeked up as Athena marched in. The vampire had traded in her jeans and T-shirt for a long toga of purple silk. A wreath of golden leaves adorned her head. She ascended to the dais and sat on the throne on the right.
"My lord Apollo, son of Zeus and god of the Sun," the guard announced.
Apollo strode into view, wearing a long toga of shimmering gold. He was followed by the four guards, each carrying a sword. That made a total of five guards, Lara figured. They all appeared completely under control.
The maidens all sighed as Apollo passed by. Lara supposed he was a good-looking man, but with all the cold air swirling about them, she knew he was exuding vampire power to make himself irresistible.
Apollo stepped onto the dais and turned to face with them with an imperial sneer.
"My Lord Apollo." The maidens leaned forward in a deep bow.
Lara copied their movements.
"It is time once again for me to select a new Chosen One," Apollo announced. "It is the greatest honor a mortal can ever hope to achieve. If you serve me well, I will make you a goddess."
Lara heard several maidens whispering, "Please, pick me," under their breaths. She hated the thought of one of them getting bitten, but it was for the best if it gave Brittney the night off. That poor girl needed to regain her strength.
Apollo motioned to the guard by the gong. "Bring the red robe."
"Yes, My Lord Apollo." The guard picked it up and moved toward the nine maidens.
Apollo stepped down from the dais and walked slowly around the maidens. "Sit up, so I may see your faces."
They straightened, still kneeling on the cushions. Lara tried to hunch over and look unattractive, while the others were thrusting their chests out and flipping their hair behind their shoulders.
"First row, stand up," Apollo ordered.
The first three girls rose to their feet.
Apollo eyed them carefully, then stopped in front of the middle girl. "Bare yourself."
"Yes, My Lord Apollo," the girl whispered, and unhooked the bronze pin on her shoulder. Her white shift fell down to where the linen straps circled her rib cage, leaving her breasts exposed.
Lara fought to keep her disgust from showing on her face. Pervert. Lying bastard. Promising to turn these girls into goddesses when he only intended to bite them.
Or maybe he did give them eternal life. Her gaze wandered to Athena. She looked like a redheaded college student. Could she have been one before she became a vampire?
Apollo stepped back, his blue eyes starting to gleam. "Behold, the new Chosen One. She will be known as Aquila."
The guard marched forward with the robe in his arms. The two maidens in her row helped Aquila put it on. They looked bummed out, but Aquila was beaming with happiness.
Lara swallowed hard. The poor girl had been chosen for dinner. Apollo took her hand and led her around the thrones to the rooms in back. Damn. There was nothing Lara could do about it.
Athena followed with two guards. Lara wondered if they were her supper. Two more guards assisted the Chosen One Calliope from the dais and led her around the thrones.
The gong sounded.
"That's it." Vanessa stood. "We go to our room now."