Chapter 8
Her phone was going crazy as she walked back to school. She fished it out of her back pocket and looked down. Abe. Sixteen messages. Two missed calls. As she went to call her phone stared to ring. She answered.
“Abe, what’s wrong?”
“My god, what happened?” He demanded. “I couldn’t sense you at all. Even in the Underworld I can sense you. It was like you just…”
Died. No, not died. Had that been the case he still would’ve sensed her. Whatever Shadow Prison Medea had locked her in had severed all links – and Fay had survived. More unnervingly, though, she hadn’t felt it but Abe had. It was like she simply ceased to exist…
“I’m fine. Look, I’ll explain everything, I promise,” she assured him. “Can you call your friend in Athens? What’s his name? Lukas, Lucivius?”
“Leon,” corrected Abe. “What do you need?”
“See if he can find any references on the Immortality Elixir that Zeus uses to give immortality to humans. An ingredient list would be great but I’ll take what I can,” she said and stepped into the school yard. Lunch had finished and students were filtering back to class. She glanced down but her clothes were in order, despite the ordeal. “We’ll go over notes when I get home.”
“No, I’m coming to pick you up-“
“Abe, I’ve missed enough school. Look, there’s still stuff I need to do here. Also, I’m going to a party this weekend.”
He fell silent for a moment; then: “Are you sure?”
“It’s at Lake Elysium, right where a sighting was made and it’s on the edge of Ryan’s personal property. I want to see if I can sniff out anything with Amanda. A long shot but one I’d like to try,” she said reasonably but, when no immediate reply came, she dropped her voice. “I’m okay, Abe. I just had a little shock that’s all. I’ll tell you everything. I’ll swear on the River St-“
“Don’t,” he cut in. “I…I believe you. Just, don’t scare me like that.”
“Sounds almost affectionate,” she teased, immediately regretting what she said.
On the other end of the line there was dead silence. There had always been a feint awareness of something more but neither had voiced it. Maybe before the incident there had been times when they got close. After it, however, it was something thoroughly avoided…and she just threw it carelessly in his face.
“Abe-“
He hung up.
She stared down at her phone. Nice one, Fay.
Tash saved her a seat in the next class, winking conspiratorially as she beckoned Fay over. In the hours since they’d last seen each other Tash had donned a leather jacket and black sunglasses which sat atop her head. Her books were sprawled messily across her desk and she had her feet up on the chair which she beckoned Fay too. A few other students shot her greasy looks but they seemed to slide off Tash. In fact, Fay swore that Tash preened and thrived off the attention. She had an ego and Fay had worked with people with egos like hers. Wild, flamboyant, loudly arrogant.
She lifted her feet dramatically and let Fay sit down. “Ready for the best class ever?”
History had never really interested Fay. She spent most of her time trying to escape her own messy past, so she always tried to look forward. Keep moving. Bury what she could. So, she zoned in and out, drifting in whenever Tash spoke, and floating in her own world when she didn’t. She kept thinking about Medea, how okay she’d been to go to Tartarus of all places. That sheer weariness in her eyes left Fay uneasy. Then, there was Nebiru, who she still hadn’t figured out. She’d imagined that voice in the Underworld, a girl giggling about avoiding Nebiru – and the man’s response. Not Nebiru’s voice, of course but not one she knew, either. At least, it had been with such a thick accent she’d scarcely heard it clearly.
“So, your assignment will be to research one of the historical figures I assign you. Be thorough and don’t copy and paste straight off the internet,” said the teacher, whatever her name was – Miss Carmichael? Carrington?
Tash snorted. “Every time we do this someone gets done for that, yet she has to say it every time to cover her ass.”
Fay glanced at Tash’s gleaming eyes. “You?”
“Never. I actually like History,” she said confidently. “It’s about the closest thing for an escape here, without being as high as a kite.”
“Spoken from an experience?”
Tash merely smiled and gathered up her books as the bell rang. “So, you still keen for the party?”
“I’ll come. See how long it takes for everyone to bring out their pitchforks,” Fay laughed.
“I’ll fight them off with you. They’re all determined to burn me at the stake as a witch, anyway,” she said breezily, though for one moment, Fay sensed she may have been serious.
Tash and Fay parted ways after class. Once she grabbed all her stuff from the locker she headed out the main entrance. She looked around to Abe’s car when she caught sight of Daphne standing by one of the trees. She was with Jackson and Lilian, Amanda’s old friends and the musicians from the music room. They seemed to be having a pretty tense conversation, which ended as Daphne seemed to practically spit something before stalking off to the car park. Jackson glanced up at that moment, as if sensing Fay, and met her gaze. He stared for a moment, wary, then ushered Lilian away.
Fay felt as though she’d witnessed something deeply private and she wondered if they’d once been friends. Years ago, when Daphne and Fay were friends, they hadn’t hung out with Amanda or Jackson, whom had been in the year below. They ran in different circles and Daphne had always been rather scornful of them, though Fay never asked why. Back then, she’d simply been happy that someone as popular as Daphne had willingly been her friend, and actually pretty nice to her.
It felt like an entire life time ago.
When she found Abe parked nearby that feeling was compounded. She really was living another life. She wasn’t at school for the same reasons. She, as an eighteen-year-old, was an undercover paranormal agent. A hellhound, too. She was set apart from everyone, except maybe Abe, who bore immortality, too. Though he’d never disclosed how he’d gotten it, given his main talents were, of course, magic, which never inherently granted immortality. Unfortunately, given how they were, prying was out of the question. It was a two-way street and neither of them were willing to lay bare their own skeletons.
“Ready to go home?” He asked calmly, as in we’re going to discuss what the hell happened today.
Fay nodded and reclined back in the seat, closing her eyes. This should be so much fun.
Fay sat in the living room, her hands curled around a steaming cup of coffee, silent, having finished relaying the events. Before her, Abe was quiet, leant forward with his elbows resting on his knees, his chin in his hands. His eyes fell shut. She practically heard the gears grinding over in his mind. It seemed like an eternity he was quiet. Only the occasional creak and groan that stuttered through the house as wind rattled in some distant room filled the void. Somewhere out on the street someone was mowing their lawn, the rhythmic sound skittering on the edge of Fay’s fraying nerves. She felt edgy, using a great deal of effort not to drum her foot, to keep still. To not disturb whatever place Abe had entered.
When his eyes opened they found her. “I don’t get why he told you that the dust was an ingredient. My assumption was the reasoning to completely destroy the poltergeists if they were caught in spells was to stop them talking.”
“Could be a secondary effect,” she supplied. “Normally it requires a great deal of energy to break down a soul to the point it can explode on a simple binding spell. Normally, the spirit can withstand the rather low energy binding them. If you summon spirits and then weaken them, then all you’d have to do is let them loose, let them grow restless, their soul mangled, and them trap them again. They wouldn’t last so long. It usually takes a month or so for a spirit to become confused to the point of violence, their mind splintered.”
Abe frowned. “It’s been a month already.”
“So, if I’m right, we should see an increase in violent paranormal activity. Perks is we can still trap them, though I fear we may have some resistance on that.”
“Hades,” Abe murmured grimly. “He’ll want them.”
Fay leant back in the couch and stared up at the soft white ceiling. The last time she’d had a proper ‘chat’ with Hades had resulted with her spitting at his feet. Had he not been amused by her ‘spunk and guts’ she probably would’ve been thrown in Tartarus – or some other horrid place. She didn’t tell Abe that, though. There were some stories he didn’t need to know. Hell, if he did know, he’d never let her travel down to the Underworld again.
She remembered the God of the Underworld, how cool and unassuming he’d been – right up until the point Thanatos had barged in and went on a tirade at her, proclaiming that she ought to be bound to Hades, as his rightful creation. Strangely, Hades had risen from his throne and coldly told Thanatos to leave the throne room, his eyes flashing with blue fire. That had been her first visit to the palace, a memorable visit, really.
“He is probably the only one who could get them to talk without a binding spell,” said Fay grudgingly. “Unfortunately, his time to walk Earth is limited and by my count he can’t come up for another year, maybe two. I doubt Zeus will make an exception.”
“He may if knows about the elixir-“
Fay shot straight up. “No way!”
Abe arched a brow at her outburst. “Oh?”
“It’s Zeus. He’s harder to trust than Hades, which is saying something.”
His eyes filled with questions that must’ve danced his mouth. That watchful, considering look made her sit down, feel small beneath it. She shifted restlessly.
“That sounds…almost like you care what happens to this town.”
“I hate the werewolves,” she said scornfully. “However, there are innocent humans here and I’d like to think I’m not a complete monster. Well, I mean, I quite literally am, but you know what I mean.”
“So, we may be dealing with the God of the Underworld, plus Thanatos, all whilst ensuring Zeus doesn’t know about this place. Out of curiosity, how does the God on high not know about this?”
“Given the town is still here? He either doesn’t know or, as I suspect, he knows something we don’t. An ingredient that can’t be found on this realm, maybe. I don’t know. I just don’t want to go ask for his help. Hades can be trapped with bargains but Zeus hasn’t got a reputation for no reason.”
“Okay, fair deal. I don’t think the Bureau wants us playing ball with them anyway. Which reminds me I’ll have to report in them.”
Fay stilled. “Don’t mention what happened today.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Oh.”
“I know how it would look. Your position hinges on you maintaining your distance from them because if they think you’ve strayed, if you’re one of them…” He stayed, his eyes growing unfocused, his voice soft, a cold whisper through the room.
Because I’ll have to be the one to send you to Tartarus, he seemed to say, and it would destroy me.
Fay rose and went to the side of his chair. She put her hand on his shoulder, snapping his train of thought. When he looked up at her, his eyes were dizzyingly intense. She gave a reassuring squeeze.
“We are partners, remember?”
It felt heavy on her tongue, like uncertainty threaded through it – the same feeling that followed them wherever they went anymore. Still, his hand rose up and squeezed hers, thankful. He must’ve felt her feelings but, regardless, appreciated her effort – conflicted though it was. In that moment, they seemed to make a step forward to each other, instead of six steps apart.
“Yes, we are.”
Up in her room, after a long shower, she sat before her desk, her school books sprawled out beside her. Her mind felt like it was being pulled in a hundred different directions, so she tried to do a bit of school work. Anything to help her focus. She flicked on the computer and, when it loaded, she opened up her book where she’d stuffed the assignment sheet. At the top of it was a name of some general, plus a birth and death date.
General Alexandros
A couple hours passed but all she found was records on his military conquests; battles won, positions he attained, and his swift rise to power. Though he heralded from a general himself he’d started fairly low and earnt his way up. However, there was nothing, absolutely nothing aside from that. No personal records about if he had a family; a wife and children, a mysterious lover, a scandalous affair. There had been one site that suggested he had a family, though official records couldn’t conclusively state anything.
She stared at her report she’d made, half-finished, deciding she’d clarify tomorrow with the teacher if a personal history was required. With a sigh, she got up and wandered over to the bed, crawling beneath the pillowy duvet. Sleep claimed her, a song whispering through her mind, drawing her under. A soft, gentle voice singing it, like a lullaby. Then, a voice that threaded through it.
Why can’t Nebiru be here? It was child-like, as though from a young girl.
Your brother is away with your father and brothers, training to be a great warrior, replied an older woman kindly.
Will I be a great warrior, too?
You are a girl; my daughter and you shall be a Queen. No, a Goddess!
A child giggled. What kind of Goddess?
Well, my darling Andromeda, that is for you to decide. Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow we must go to visit Apollonia. She speaks of a band of Hebrews she has visiting. Quite enchanting.
Night mama.
The profound silence of the house swallowed the child’s voice, and that of her mother. Fay rolled over and stared at the wall, a picture of a white horse staring back at her.
Who are you Andromeda?
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