Daughter of Zeus ✔

16.2

The lie hung on Ada's tongue. Kressick probably would defend his son, as he had already shown. He wouldn't go back to Colorado with Ada. But Gemina wouldn't understand that.

She hung up with her mother and strode quickly to the underground garage. On the way, she witnessed a seemingly innocent scene: Moretz speaking with Darcy. Although, through her eyes, the interaction appeared anything but innocent. For one thing, he stood very close, and Darcy noticeably made an effort to move away. He reached out to caress her face, and an explosion occurred behind Ada's eyes. It took all of her self-control to hold back from frying his heart.

She imagined several scenarios: focusing energy directly through his eyes, melting away his brain until empty sockets glared back at her. Or, slashing a sharp and hot beam across his neck, a look of surprise twisting his face as his head tumbled to her feet. Or, shooting crackling bits of lightning at his chest again, and again, and again until the screaming stopped.

Ada suppressed her dark thoughts and waited for Darcy to leave the garage. Her sister waved on the way to the door, looking her over as though she wanted to ask her something, but didn't. When she was gone, Ada stared intensely at Moretz. He greeted her, asked her how she was doing, seemingly oblivious to the danger.

His amicable nature infuriated her. She had to force out the real Moretz, the one her mother told her about. The one who she knew as a small child.

As she had with Dorrie, Ada drew out a line of focused energy, aiming it for Moretz's chest. He gasped in pain. Like a puppet on a string, she pulled him closer to her, using the energy as a tether. With her other hand, she drew out a ball of light, teasing it outward until it expanded to surround them. Kressick had never taught her his trick, but she had watched enough times to mimic it. With the small dome covering them from sound and sight, Ada held Moretz a few inches away as he writhed and yelled.

"Kressick!"

"No one can hear you," she said through clenched teeth.

His arms flailed ineffectually. Moretz snarled at her, hurling threats. Though he wore the same clothes and had the same name, he seemed worlds away from the person he'd been only five seconds before. His features had twisted into something ugly. Threatening. 

This one encounter was a lot more telling than their chaperoned ones. Ada was learning more about her father now than she ever had.

A prickling sensation built up on her scalp. It was the same type of quiet awareness when she was alone in the room, but didn't need to turn around to know someone else had just walked in. The air was no longer still, and her mind was no longer fully hers. A lock inside of her was turning, turning, and she was suddenly tired.

The light beam faded.

Kressick smiled, and the smile pushed her rage back to the forefront. She shrugged off the alien sensation, which she now recognized as Moretz attempting to block her powers off.

"Nice try," she said, refocusing the light beam at his chest once again.

He grabbed at it, perhaps in an attempt to physically disconnect it, but it only burned his hand. Panic wiped  the triumphant smile from his face.

"Get Kressick! He can help you."

 "You need him to block me. 'Cause you couldn't block me like you'd hoped, right?" When Moretz wouldn't answer at first, she knew she was right. 

Then he managed to say, "You don't know what you're doing."

"I think, for the first time, I do."

For a blessed second, she further increased the intensity of the beam of energy. Moretz shrieked, his protests subsiding as she eased the intensity back down again.

You don't want to do this.

A voice inside her urged against the torture. It wasn't August's voice. It was her own. Yet, she didn't recognize the impulse. She knew what she wanted, but at the same time, she didn't want to hurt Moretz. The indecision within her was enough to knock off her concentration. Instantly, the dome evaporated, followed by the energy tether to Moretz's chest.

Ada doubled over. Nausea washed over her.

You don't want to do this.

"Yes, I do."

She pushed the voice aside and lifted her hand. Without much thought, she shot a bolt of energy at Moretz's head. He crumpled to the ground. 

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