"But-" Zee exclaimed.
Mr. Metos held up his hand. "I am going to go down to the Underworld and stop Philonecron. I believe I can free the shadows, and then they will naturally go back to their owners. With no shadows, he has no army."
"How?" Charlotte asked. "How do you get down there? How are you going to free the shadows? How-"
"That is not your concern," he said sternly. "Ms. Mielswetzski, your concern is staying safe and keeping Zachary safe. I am counting on you."
Charlotte nodded. On any normal occasion she would have resented being condescended to-she was perfectly capable of doing things on her own-but in the case of going into the Underworld and taking on some evil Greek god named Phil, she'd let the adults take care of that one.
Mr. Metos drove them home, and they rode in the car in utter silence. Zee was off in his own Zee world again, and Charlotte was lost in images of the Underworld, drawn in gray and shadow
When they arrived in front of the Mielswetzskis', Charlotte asked quietly, "How… how do we know when it's safe?"
"I'll come by," Mr. Metos said. "It won't be long. A day or two. I will be back."
Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment and an image of the Footmen appeared in her mind- they were there, behind her, reaching for her, ready to suck her into Death.
Her eyes popped open. "And.. she didn't know she was going to say the words until they were out of her mouth -"will you be okay?"
Mr. Metos almost smiled. But not quite. "I will," he said firmly "I will."
As they hurried up the path to her house, Mr. Metos watching carefully from the street, Charlotte found herself unconsciously wanting to take Zee's hand, but she didn't. Instead she clutched her arms around her chest and made her way quickly to the door.
CHAPTER 15
BARTHOLOMEW, FOR ONE, WAS GLAD TO SEE THEM home. When Charlotte opened the door, the kitten came bounding down the stairs and leaped toward Charlotte and Zee, landing just at their feet. She proceeded to rub herself against their legs, purring madly.
"She, for one, is glad to see us," Charlotte remarked under her breath, reaching down to pet her kitten.
Her mother, on the other hand, was not as glad. Or rather, she was delighted to see them safe and sound, but she had been worried because they were late and Charlotte had sounded so strange on the phone, and who was this Mr. Metos anyway, and what did Charlotte think keeping her cousin out with his massive head injury, and did anyone think of the turkey burgers?
Lecture received and apologies given, Charlotte led Zee into the kitchen, where Mr. Mielswetzski was cleaning up from dinner. He was not delighted, per se, to see them, but he was much less emphatic, and that was all right with Charlotte.
"What's with Mom?" she whispered. Zee hung back, looking uncomfortable.
"Oh, Char, she's worried," Mr. Mielswetzski said. "This flu thing has got her shaken, and she wants to keep an eye on you. She can't help it. We can't help it. You'll understand when you have kids."
Charlotte raised her eyebrows.
"Be patient with your old parents, my girl. We worry about you. That's all. If we act a little hysterical at times, it's just because we love you so much."
Charlotte's eyebrows sank. She looked at the ground. "Okay, Dad," she said quietly. Once upon a time there was a girl named Charlotte who suddenly felt a great attachment to her home.
"Now, can I get you anything?"
She and Zee exchanged a look. They had so much to discuss, but it suddenly occurred to Charlotte that there was a great beast gnawing its way through her stomach, and it would eat her and then Zee and then the whole house if she didn't get it some other sustenance quickly. From the way Zee looked at her-a sort of pleading wooziness – she guessed he felt the same way and simply didn't have it in him to say so.
"How about some of those great turkey burgers, Dad?" Charlotte asked.
"Coming right up," he said, flipping his spatula.
They ate quickly and quietly, the only sound the flatulent squeaking of the ketchup bottle. Charlotte tried to keep her mind off everything that had happened that day, otherwise she might vomit up the very delicious burger, and then she would be scared and hungry and vomity. Better just to try to focus on the dinner at hand.
But the quiet ended when the kitchen door opened and Mrs. Mielswetzski came through. She took one look at Charlotte and Zee and their ketchup-dripping turkey burgers. "What are you doing?" she exclaimed. "I thought your English teacher made you dinner? For"-and here she began to articulate very carefully - "extra credit?"
Charlotte's eyes popped. "He did!" she said quickly. "But… we're still hungry. There wasn't a lot of food. He's a vegan."
"Oh, is he, now?" Mrs. Mielswetzski squinted at Charlotte. Was she finally, after all these years, beginning to catch on?
It was time to change the subject. Charlotte put down her burger and gazed at both of her parents earnestly "Listen, Mom? Dad? I'm really sorry for worrying you. And I know things are scary right now And Zee and I have talked about it"- she glanced at her cousin, who was staring at her with apprehension-"and we've decided we'll stay close to home the next few days. Until they figure out this flu. Okay?"
The faces of both senior Mielswetzskis softened at Charlotte's words, enough so she felt a little guilty for not being entirely truthful. But what was she supposed to say to them? There's a guy named Phil, and he wants Zee to enchant a shadow army to overthrow Hades, who really is King of the Dead, it's not just made up, and he's got some evil Footmen who are going to steal my shadow or kidnap me to get Zee down there, or something, we're not quite sure, but we know it's bad, so we're just going to stick around the house, okay? Home is, after all, where the heart is. And it's where the scary men aren't.
Meanwhile, Zee had that look on his face, the one that read, I really want to protest but I can't because I'm British, but she would have expected that. Zee wasn't a stay-put kind of guy. He was a talk softly (or not at all), run-out-and-solve-everything-himself-because-it-was-all-his-fault kind of guy. Well, not anymore, if Charlotte had anything to say about it. It was her job to watch him; Mr. Metos had said so. There was trouble, serious, apocalyptic trouble, and she was going to stay as far away as possible. Once upon a time there was a girl named Charlotte and she couldn't do anything right and she was a coward, and she was perfectly fine with that, frankly, because sometimes things are bigger than you. Going to France and living on her own and taking photography classes was one thing; going to the Underworld was something entirely different.
After dinner Charlotte and Zee sneaked upstairs, with Bartholomew sneaking right behind them. Charlotte led Zee (and the kitten) into her room and shut the door behind them-this was one conversation she did not want overheard; she couldn't very well look after her cousin if she was in a loony bin, could she?
Before sitting down, Charlotte turned on all the lights in her room, including the lamps, then she perched on her bed, picking up a bright pink, furry pillow and wrapping her arms around it. Zee sat on the foot of the bed, and Charlotte tossed him a pillow too, just in case. Bartholomew hopped up between them. The cat sat up, looking attentively at Charlotte.
The room felt so heavy, and Charlotte's lungs did not seem quite up to the task of taking in the air. Zee looked to be having trouble too; he kept inhaling loudly and forcefully, almost as if to demonstrate that he still could. They sat for a time, trying to relearn the art of breathing.
After a while Zee picked up the purple pillow and began to play with the fur. He sighed heavily "All I do is hide in the house," he said quietly.