Lore

Lore blocks the arrow, and Castor shoves her behind him right before Artemis (goddess of the hunt and Apollo’s twin sister) drops through the skylight. She has come to kill Castor for destroying her brother and looks as if Apollo’s death “had shredded the last bit of her sanity” (126). Castor backs Lore toward the door, retrieving Artemis’s arrow from where it stuck in the wall and using it to point to a dagger concealed in his belt. Lore hurls the weapon at Artemis but misses.

Artemis attacks, and Castor lets loose a blast of energy, ripping a whole in the wall. Artemis retreats, and Van arrives, drawn by the explosion. Castor explains Lore seeks information on the origin poem. Van doesn’t know anything but suggests checking the Odysseide records. Knowing Castor isn’t safe, Van tells him to run. Castor refuses. He feels a responsibility to the House of Achilles and a desire to prove himself. The Achillides bloodline has always thought him useless, and he’s “not about to prove them right” (132). Finally, Castor agrees to go to keep Lore safe. Van sees them off with a promise to look into the poem and report anything he finds.

Lore goes to the hole in the wall to assess escaping the building and finds an army of Kadmides waiting below. Castor picks her up and jumps, landing them safely, if roughly. They make a run for it through an old escape route they used as kids. The path reminds Lore of how life used to be when it was just her and Castor against everyone, “the way it should have been forever” (136).