Dreamless

suddenly.”
    “It’s always so cold in here.” She pouted, brushing at the ice crystals forming on her blanket. “Why don’t you get under the covers and keep me warm?”
    “Okay,” he said, and although he frowned like something about getting into bed with Helen bothered him, he did it, anyway. He spooned against her back, and Helen sighed as he pulled her tightly against his chest. She tried to turn around and kiss him, but he stopped her, his teeth chattering as he spoke. “You’re tired. Go to sleep, Helen.”
    She was tired—really tired. She was already half asleep. As much as she wanted to stay with Lucas while he held her, Helen’s eyes began to droop under the soothing pressure of his arms. The world melted away, and she stumbled headfirst into the Underworld.
    Wasn’t I supposed to meet someone? she thought. Oh, yeah! Orion . . .

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
    A utomedon crawled up from the ocean floor, skittering spiderlike on hands and feet as fast as he could to keep up with the third Heir. Underwater, the big Scion was fast, the fastest Automedon had ever seen, and it was all he could do to not lose him. He had his scent, and now Automedon could track him anywhere over land, but underwater his scent washed away in an instant. He couldn’t let Orion escape.
    Automedon needed to find the portal he used to fulfill his master’s order—no matter how whimsical it seemed to Automedon. His master had a thing for situations that struck him as “poetic.” From what Automedon overheard at the store while the Heirs were so valiantly pledging themselves to complete their mission or die (about time, in Automedon’s opinion), the young prince was on his way there now.
    They were so young, so trusting, that they’d had their entire conversation about their partial success with the Furies out in the open. They hadn’t even checked to see if anyone was listening. The Face was so open and unaccustomed to guile, very unlike her wily mother. That one changed her appearance, her scent, everything, at the first hint of danger. She was impossible to track—doubly so now that she had the new Hector to train. It was as if having a cub heightened her tiger instincts.
    The new Hector was formidable, and for the first time in three and a half thousand years, Automedon did not scoff at the Scion who bore the great warrior’s name. He was the first to deserve it, although he still had a lot to learn.
    The prince was not to be taken lightly, either. And the lover. Well. Like the dead lord, he had the hand of Nyx on him, and as such he wielded magic older than the gods, older than the titans, even. He was dangerous, that one. The more Automedon watched this crop of heroes, the more he became convinced that his master was right. This entire generation had to be dealt with before they came into their full potential. They were like none that had come before them, especially the Face.
    She was far more talented than the others. The tiny fraction of power this new Helen had used on him just minutes before had been a marvel of agony—truly a moment of awakening for Automedon. He hoped to return the sensation shortly.
    Sprinting up onto the sandy beach of mainland Massachusetts, on nearly the exact spot where the Europeans built their settlement and began their invasion, Automedon found Orion’s scent and then immediately lost it again. The trail simply ended. Automedon tried to stay calm as he searched.
    This one couldn’t fly, could he? Automedon leapt into the air, and after a disconcertingly long time, finally tasted traces of the young prince on the breeze. Extending his leap for as long as he could, Automedon found that the trail sketched a wide arc that eventually led back to the ground.
    Orion had jumped into the air as soon as he came up from the beach. The only reason he would have done that was because he knew he was being followed. Very clever , Automedon thought, impressed. He’s obviously been chased before. But never by me.
    Once on land again, Automedon found himself having to struggle to keep up, but at least the trail was easier to follow than it had been underwater. The young prince made many attempts to double back and confuse whoever might be behind him. A bloodhound might have fallen for any one of Orion’s tricks, but Myrmidons were not bloodhounds. They were far better at tracking than any dog ever could be.
    The young prince led Automedon down into a dark cave, letting the water guide him, and