Yeah, I don’t know what either.
Kneeling down, I reach for the objects Gretchen left on the ground. Before I can wrap my fingers around them, Grace drops down and snatches them up.
“No you don’t,” she says, quickly stuffing the oracle’s note and pendant into her pocket. “That thing is too dangerous for you.”
I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t going for the pendant,” I insist, although I’m not entirely certain I wouldn’t have. The object has a strange pull on me, and I might have grabbed it without thinking. “I was checking to see if there was anything else here.”
Grace scowls at me, like she knows I’m lying.
I turn away, studying the space where Gretchen disappeared. Moments ago, it was a mystical portal to another realm. Now it looks just like any other piece of air in the city. No magical sparkles or lingering shadows.
“Greer,” Grace says, sounding a little lost, “what are we going to do? We can’t just let her go. Who knows what might happen to her in there? What if she can’t get back out? We have to do something.”
“And how do you expect us to get her back?” I ask. When did I become the one with the answers, anyway? I’m newer to this world than even Grace. “Last time I checked, we have no idea how to find a portal, no idea how to open one, and no idea how to find out how to do either of those things.”
“I know that,” she says, with more hostility in her voice than I expect. “But she is our sister. We don’t just let her vanish into the abyss. We can’t. I can’t.”
I sigh. She’s scared and she’s right. But that doesn’t change the circumstances.
“I don’t know what to do,” I answer honestly. “We’re facing the same situation as Sthenno being taken—”
“Only this is Gretchen,” she exclaims. “This is so much more important!”
“I know,” I say, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “But the problem is the same. And if the problem is the same, then the solution is the same.”
“What solution?” she asks. Then, apparently getting my meaning, “You mean what we’ve already been doing. Searching for the oracle.”
“We have no one left to ask for help.” I shrug, adjusting my purse on my shoulder. I tick the names off on my fingers. “Euryale, gone. Sthenno, gone. Gretchen and Nick, gone. The oracle is our only hope. Can you think of another idea?”
Grace is silent for several long moments. “No, no yet,” she says. “But I’ll keep thinking. I’ll dig deeper into my online hunt for resources. Maybe there’s a library somewhere in the world with something that can help.”
“Maybe there is.” I can tell that feeling useful and productive makes Grace feel better. “Why don’t we go home for tonight, like we were already planning to do? We can get a good night’s sleep, you can start your research, and we’ll resume in the morning.”
She looks up at the sky. “But there are still a couple of hours of daylight left,” she says. “Maybe we should keep looking.”
“We’ll only exhaust ourselves,” I insist. “We won’t do any good if we’re too drained to concentrate. A fresh perspective will make a big difference.”
Her silver eyes scan the street, like she’ll find an answer there. Or maybe someone who can help. But the people of San Francisco are ignorant of that world, and it’s our job to keep it that way. I have to believe the best thing we can do is continue our search in the morning, refreshed.
“I guess you’re right,” she finally says. “I’ll get started on my research. Maybe I can design a program to explore all the special archives in the world libraries. It can search online while we search for the oracle.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan.” A fresh start, a fresh chance to solve this puzzle. “Can I give you a ride home? Last chance before my car goes into the shop tomorrow.”
“No thanks,” she says. “I’m not far. I feel like walking.”
“Okay, then I’ll see you in the morning.”
She starts down the sidewalk, heading toward her neighborhood. I have to go in the opposite direction to get to my car, but I stand there and watch her walk away.
“Hey, Grace,” I call out before she gets too far. She turns around, a question on her face. “Be careful.”
She gives me a small smile. “You too.”
I smile back and we both turn and head our separate ways. I’m more worried than I let Grace see. Not specifically about Gretchen—if anyone can take care of herself in the monster abyss, it’s her—but about us. About our chances.
I wasn’t wrong when I said there was no one left to answer our questions. With the Gorgons and now Nick and Gretchen out of this realm and the oracle on the run, we have no one to turn to. We’re completely on our own, with no resources and only limited experience with the world of mythology.
My optimism was mostly a show for Grace. We’re two girls with minimal powers, alone in the city. I don’t hold out a lot of hope for our success.
But that doesn’t mean I won’t try.
“Of course I want to find her,” I say, pressing the phone to my ear. Does Grace think I’m completely unfeeling? Gretchen is my sister too. But that doesn’t change my responsibilities. Normal life continues, even if the world of myth is spiraling out of control. “I can’t possibly get out of the alumnae tea planning meeting Monday afternoon, however.”