“I did what I had to do.”

“No. You did what you were told to do.”

He stepped past me, continuing to walk back to the school. “You’re right. I did what I was told to do. For your own good. I had to get you here. To convince you to give up your old life.” He stopped when he realized I wasn’t following him. He stormed back over to me. “How hard would it have been for you to stay away from your mom if you knew she wasn’t far away?” His face was bright red, and his voice was shaking with anger. “It took killing her to get you to come with me. Tell me you wouldn’t have checked on her. Tell me you wouldn’t have made contact with her. Spied on her. Something! Until you did something stupid again and killed her for the second time!”

“You don’t get to be angry!” I shouted back at him. “You don’t get to decide what’s best for me. You lied to me. Even after everything we’ve been through together, you kept this from me. What does that say about us, Alex?”

“It says that I’m willing to do anything to protect you.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. I believed he thought that was true and that made it okay in his mind, but it wasn’t okay with me. I couldn’t be okay with this. With him. Not right now.

“Take me back to the school. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I don’t want think about what happened today.”

“Jodi.” His voice softened, but there was still anger in his eyes.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m done for now.”

He looked at me, but I turned away. I was hurt. Betrayed. Even if he didn’t see it that way, it was how I felt. He led us back to the school, and without a word I went up to my room and locked the door behind me. I heard Leticia in the hallway. She knocked and called my name, but I didn’t answer. I buried my head in my pillow and cried. I didn’t even care that I was bleeding all over the covers. I cried for the hiker who hadn’t deserved to die for trying to help a girl in trouble. Even if the girl was Gorgon. I cried for Melodie who was carless, best-friendless, and stranded at the park. I cried for my mom, who was undoubtedly going out of her mind, not knowing her lost daughter was only one town over. And I cried for Alex and me. Our relationship was deteriorating faster than it had begun.

I skipped dinner to change the sheets on my bed and take a long hot shower. So long, I ran out of hot water. Even the warm water felt good on my aching body. I washed out all my cuts, noticing they weren’t as bad as I’d thought. I wrapped a towel around me and sat on the edge of the tub, letting the steam wash over me. I couldn’t help thinking my life had become a living hell. I had dead bodies stalking me in my sleep. Death was everywhere I turned, mostly because I was causing it. I thought about turning myself over to Hades. I didn’t have any fight left in me. At least in the underworld, I wouldn’t be able to hurt the living anymore.

Finally, the steam evaporated, and I started to shiver in my towel. I got up and went to my room, eager to get dressed and warm up, but the second I stepped into my room, I jumped back in shock. Chase was standing next to my dresser, holding Medusa’s locket, which had been buried in my top drawer since I’d drunk the blood inside the bloodstone.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I stormed over to him, holding my towel up in one hand and reaching for the locket with the other. “And what are you doing going through my stuff?”

He wrapped his fingers around the locket before I could grab it.

“Do you mind? That belongs to me. Medusa made it appear to me when I came to this school.”

“I know. I heard the story. Uncle Mason kept up with everything that went on here. He still does.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You mean, you’re keeping him informed.”

“You should be happy I am. If it wasn’t for me, he and the others from Serpentarius wouldn’t be coming in the morning.”

I held my hand out. “My locket.”

“Turn around.” He held the locket up by the chain. “I’ll put it on you.”

“It’s broken. I broke the clasp when I yanked the locket from Victoria’s neck. That’s why it’s been sitting in my dresser drawer. That, and the locket doesn’t hold Medusa’s blood anymore.”

“No, it doesn’t. You do.” He eyed me like I was the last piece of devil’s food cake in a room of starving people. I had no doubt he wanted my blood. He held the locket out to me, showing me the clasp. “I fixed it.”

“Oh. Well, thanks, I guess.”

“Turn around.”

I didn’t want to let him put the locket on me. I didn’t want him touching me at all. Things always got complicated when Chase touched me. But, he obviously wasn’t going to leave until I let him put the locket on me, so I turned around.

He slipped it over my head and fastened the clasp. “There. I know it doesn’t have Medusa’s blood anymore, but it seems to me you should still wear it.”

I faced him, reaching my fingers up to touch the empty bloodstone. “I guess you’re right.”

“In fact, you should consider putting some of your blood in the stone.”

“What? Why? I’m not Medusa.”

“I know, but you are the most powerful Gorgon, like she once was.”

“Yeah, and then I’d have to worry about some power-crazed Ophi, like Victoria, stealing the locket to tap into my powers. No, thank you. I’ll keep my blood in my veins.”

He shrugged. “That’s fine. It was just a thought.”

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten you somehow broke into my room and went through my stuff. Care to explain?”

“I came looking for you. Leticia said she saw you come home but you wouldn’t let her in here. She said you were pretty banged up. I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to bleed to death.”

“How did you get in? I locked the door.”

He smiled. “I found a set of keys in the bedroom across the hall from yours.”

“Why were you in Abby’s old room?” I knew she had keys to my room. Unfortunately, she’d used them after I moved in.

“I was exploring. Call it boredom. Things weren’t exactly exciting without you around.” He looked down at me, and I realized I was still only in a towel.

I opened a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. “I’ll be right back. Then, you can tell me what made you think you had the right to use those keys to get into my locked room.”

Someone knocked on the door.

“I’ll get that.”

“It’s probably Leticia.” I headed back to the bathroom.

“What the hell?” Alex said when Chase opened the door.

I turned as Alex pushed his way into the room. Chase smirked when Alex’s eyes fell on me.

I looked down at my towel and the clothes in my hand. This didn’t look good at all. Especially after the fight we’d had in the woods.

“Alex, it’s not what you think. I came out of the shower and Chase was in my room. I didn’t know he was here.”

Alex narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on my neck. “You just got out of the shower wearing Medusa’s locket?”

“No, I—I mean, Chase—”

“Yeah, I think I can piece this together myself.” He turned toward the door.

“Alex, wait.”

He paused, and for a split second I thought he was actually going to hear me out. But he pulled his arm back and punched Chase square in the face. Chase stumbled backward. Alex looked at me. There was nothing soft or caring in his expression. He looked like a younger version of Troy. Then he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Chase rubbed his jaw. “I’ve got to hand it to him, I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, I should’ve been, considering I’m in his girlfriend’s bedroom and she’s wearing nothing more than a towel.” He eyed me and raised his eyebrows.

“Get out.” I’d had enough of Chase. I’d had enough of this entire day.

“Until tomorrow then,” he said before he left.

I sighed, long and hard. I dropped my towel and got dressed. I barely had my clothes on when someone knocked on the door.