Zoe's retches could be heard throughout most of the house, causing her mother, Jane, to come running. "Zoe, what's wrong?" she asked.
"N-nothing..." Zoe said, gasping as she tried to regain her composure. "I guess I just ate something that didn't agree with me."
"Well, maybe you should stay home from school if you're feeling sick." Jane said as she cleaned up the mess on the floor.
"No." Zoe said, looking at Jon warily. "I'm fine now."
"Are you sure?" Jane asked, still looking concerned.
"Yes, mother. I assure you, I'm fine." Zoe said.
Jane started to protest, but stopped. "All right, if you're sure." she said. "But if you get sick at school, don't hesitate to call me at work." she added before leaving the room.
Zoe stood up from the table and walked slowly to Jon. "Shit, the darkness surrounding you is even stronger than before." she said. "Did...he come and see you?"
"Who, Lucy?" Jon asked, the smugness in his voice obvious to Zoe. "Not that I know of. I'm relatively certain he's angry that I was able to outsmart him yesterday. Not that he should have been surprised. I'm obviously better than he is."
Zoe gave Jon a confused look. "Yesterday you were worried about this whole deal, and rightfully so. What happened between then and now to give you this confidence?" she asked.
"I don't know. I just woke up this morning and realized that there's no way he could get the better of me." Jon said, shrugging. He then went to the fridge and opened the door, and that was when Zoe noticed it.
"Hey, where did that ring come from?" she asked, approaching Jon again. She stopped a few steps from him, the nausea returning to her.
Jon looked down at the ring and shrugged again. "I don't really know." he said. "It was on my finger when I woke up this morning. Though, I must say, it compliments my perfection." As he said the last part, Zoe could swear the stone in the ring actually began to glow.
"Did it occur to you that Lucifer put that ring on you?" Zoe asked. "Maybe it's affecting you somehow."
"Zoe, I seriously doubt that this ring is affecting me in any way." Jon said.
"Still, maybe you should take it off..." Zoe said.
"Fine." Jon said, tugging the ring. After a moment of tugging with no result, he shrugged and ceased the effort. "Seems it's stuck."
Zoe, still staring at the ring, began to speak again. "Yeah, probably magically bound to you. Maybe you should stay home today, Jon." she said. "Let my friends and I find out more about that ring."
"Please, I'm not going to let some jewelry keep me from going about my life." Jon said, removing a bottle of water from the fridge and closing the door. "Besides, who am I to deny the people of our school the opportunity to bask in my presence?" he asked, heading out of the kitchen. "I'm going heading out early."
Zoe watched as her brother left the house. She sighed and picked up her cell phone, which had been sitting on the kitchen table. She dialed a number and brought the phone up to her ear. "Hi, Athena. I think we've had some developments in the situation with my brother." she said. She waited for a moment before speaking again. "Yeah, meet me at the usual spot. And, if you have any books on cursed rings, bring that."
Jon stood in the driveway, deep in thought. It was almost a crime that someone as incredible as him should have to walk to school. Especially when, with a simple wish, he could...
Jon shook his head and grinned. "No." he said to himself. "After all, if I were to do that, I'd lose. And I'm going to prove that I'm the best. Besides, I can just create a car for myself in a few days." He then began the walk to school.
Lucifer leaned back in his throne and grimaced. "Damn it. The ring isn't working how I hoped." he said. "Every time he's about to make a wish, the thought of losing the bet makes him stop. I'll need to manipulate things a bit more." He looked over to where his own stone was. "I will not lose." he said. "Not again."
