Chapter 6
The tension inside the tent was taut, wounded beasts licking their wounds, their hurt feelings. Something else had happened in that forest, a disaster they weren’t talking about. Every so often the twins pinned Diana with scornful glances, then exchanged heated looks between each other. It wasn’t just them, Fay realised, as she eyed the rest of the squad individually, their names having been supplied by Nadia on the walk back.
Nadia, at first, had seemed shocked that no one had properly introduced themselves, despite their apparent curiosity of Fay; that expression passed, buried, and she went on to name the rest of the squad. The squad totalled twelve with Fay, including Remus, Diana, Nadia and Arcus.
The twins were originally born in Japan, which was all Nadia knew, and that their names were Mariko and Mei. She said they were the quietest of the group, the most secretive, and were absent if not required for training or ‘squad work’. Then there as the ‘Nubian’, whom went only by Motep. He was tall, dark as night, with intense, intelligent eyes and was apparently the only one in the squad good with a bow. Not just good, lethal, I swear he’s part hawk, Nadia had said with warmth, making Fay wonder if there was something there. With Nadia it was hard to tell, her heart was a puzzle. Apparently Motep was closest with Arcus, rumoured to have known him in their human lives too. They were brothers in arms, seeming to know each other’s actions in a fight.
The remainder were, in Nadia’s words, the oldest members in the squads, apparently serving under the captain before Remus. Fay didn’t ask what happened to him. Her tone indicated it was a messy story.
It explained, Nadia detailed, the bond between them, as if they were harbouring a secret.
Tiberius, the man who was short and looked just like what Fay imagined a Roman looked like; hard, unyielding, a cynical mouth on a naturally aggressive looking face. Then there was his shadow, Lucilla, whom was his height, just as stocky but with a round, almost kind face – if she smiled, anyway, which she didn’t. Her round, soft features were fastened into a stern expression, blonde hair cut short and emerald eyes that darted constantly to Tiberius. Which left Marcus and Alexander, twin brothers who looked as different as twins could look; like night and day, quite literally. Alexander was tall, lean, with pale dark hair and jewel-blue eyes – a classically handsome face; whereas Marcus was of average height, blonde, strong-looking with a cunning, sneaky face – narrow green eyes, a thin mouth twisted into a smirk, a sharp face.
Fay tried to absorb it all, file away the information neatly but knew she’d have to talk to them, get to know them, for anything to stick. The moment was then, not as Tiberius, Lucilla, Marcus and Alexander were off in the corner, huddled, playing a silent game with dice and drachma. They were off in their own little word, just like Motep whom stood by the entrance, arms folded, as if he’d rather be somewhere else. Everyone seemed distracted, on edge with a violent intensity. One wrong word or move and they’d snap.
So, she’d studied them without looking; sly glances in the corner of her eye, lingering. Any wounds they’d suffered had healed and no one was stealing looks at her, not that she saw anyway. A shadow of doubt snaked through her mind. What if it wasn’t someone from the squad but someone else? Disturbed by the idea the pool of suspects had grown exponentially she drew her legs up to her chin, rested her head there, and fell into her own mind. She reached out into the darkness that edged her thoughts where Andromeda sometimes stirred and found her gone. Given no one in the squad was talking she hoped Andromeda might say something, anything really.
To some cruel satisfaction Diana, like Fay, stood apart in the room. She was on her bed, trying to seem focused on a scroll but her eyes kept darting away, flickering about the room as if hoping to catch someone in the act of staring at her. She was like a caged animal, ready to lash out. In two days she’d failed the one person she seemed determined to prove herself too and it had left her defensive, angry.
A hand was suddenly thrust between the folds of the entrance, yanking one half to the side. The whole room froze, looked up, cautious but expectant. Remus strode in, stony-faced, and looking about as happy as anyone expected. As in, not thrilled. The only relief was that it seemed he was finally ready to talk to the squad. The moment had come and everyone seemed to even lean forward a little as Remus stopped.
“Today’s test was about adapting. In Tartarus the land is everchanging, full of demons and banished Gods, and even – yes – the mysterious human known as Andromeda. As a squad we need to be able to adapt, to learn and survive. I was aware of that forest’s growing nature – it is of concern to Hades, also. I had hoped in your hunt you would learn something, anything that I might report. As it happened the squad fell apart as soon as the forest shifted,” said Remus coolly, his gaze flickering to Fay. “I understand you sensed something.”
All eyes flashed to Fay, accusing. She drew a deep breath but wasn’t afraid, merely arranging her words into order. “I did sense a presence and had mentioned this to Arcus. As we went to inform Diana the forest changed. Shortly after the forest changed again just as I passed through a narrow point and turned around to wait for Arcus to follow.”
He stared at her. “Did you see anything?”
“A child-like demon I hadn’t seen before. Looked like a harpy but without a lot of the feathering and her eyes looked like snake eyes. She studied me for a moment, then hissed and ran off. I saw what also may have been the creator,” she said carefully.
The room seemed to grow even quieter around her. Even Remus seemed to still, study her even closer.
“Oh?”
“It didn’t feel like a demon. She seemed almost like a divine being, had that glow about her.”
Diana eyed her critically. “So, she’s a Goddess?”
Fay met her gaze, shook her head. “Not quite. She had the glow, sure, yet there was something else. I’ve never met anyone else like her.”
“And you’ve met a lot of Gods and Goddesses?” She asked with heat.
“I have actually; Hades, Zeus, Athena, Hestia, Thanatos, Hermes once – oh, and I briefly met Persephone when I was meeting with Hades in the palace. That was about a year and a half ago.”
The Zeus bit was a lie, really. Andromeda had met him several times but the visions told Fay enough. She held off mentioning Eris whom she also saw in visions, given she was in Tartarus and that was probably a bit hard to explain.
A couple jaws dropped. Someone whistled, maybe Marcus or Alexander. It was hard to tell. She tried not to preen a little.
Remus, sensing Diana’s rising temper, raised a hand and she shrank away, flickering scornful glances at Fay. He lowered his hand and nodded at Fay, almost approvingly. A rare thing, she felt but she took it anyway, clung to it.
“She didn’t speak?”
“Some ramblings. I think she called herself Ona but I can’t be sure. It was hard to even hear what she said clearly,” said Fay easily, the lie spilling from her mouth without any effort at all.
She told them about Ona in the hopes of maybe drawing out someone that might’ve heard of her – rumours, sightings. It was hard to think that she had been the first one to have seen her. There was so many hounds in the Underworld. One of them had to have heard or seen something that might be useful. Ona might be tied to Andromeda, which Fay had to figure out. She wanted to understand the plan that Andromeda had set in motion, figure out what her end game was and what it meant for everyone. Then, and only then, would she have any idea where she’d stand herself – whether with the Gods or against them. Her options remained open, her loyalty up for grabs, though only to the right cause – well, one she could get behind. It wasn’t like she had much of a reason to side with Zeus or Hades, though only if their side offered a better chance for humanity if war erupted.
“Helpful information. Any other sightings?”
“No. Not long after that the forest pretty much led me out. I just kept walking where it let me and then I was free,” she said calmly, aware of the others staring at her – they’d clearly tried a more aggressive method and it had backfired, badly. What would they make of her calm decision to trust the forest?
Remus, however, seemed curious. “Why would you trust the forest?”
“I didn’t know anything about it – what it’s motives were. The forest felt alive, sentient and I was right. If Ona was in control and she didn’t immediately hurt me I wasn’t inclined to go slashing my way about, not when the trees parted for me. If it got to the point I felt threatened and I was attacked, then fine but I wanted to understand the situation better before I did anything rash,” she said reasonably.
Her choice to not hack everything hadn’t been a deep conscious decision. It had simply happened when the trees started to move before her. Deep down, though, she didn’t sense hostility towards her and she’d heard Ona talk about how the others were hurting the forest. It was perhaps at that moment they’d been attacked.
“Right,” Remus began, having decided on what was to happen next. “Tomorrow we’ll return to the forest. I’ll lead with Fay at the front. Everyone in close proximity. We’ll claim one demon as peacefully as we can, then exit. Understand?”
A chorus of mumbled ‘yes’s’ chimed through the room and Remus left, having stated he had a meeting to attend. When the curtain fell, enclosing the squad once more, all eyes trained back on Fay. Silence drew on for several seconds before Marcus, in the corner of the room, stood and strode over to her. He shoved out his hand towards her.
“I haven’t introduced myself but I’m Marcus. The dark haired one over there, looking like Adonis himself is my brother, Alexander,” he said with a charmed, practised smile.
She shook his head, smiled. “Nadia told me your names.”
Marcus flashed Nadia a look, as if to say, what else have you said? Nadia responded with a sweet, cat-like smile, as if enjoying him squirm. When he glanced down at Fay he withdrew his hand, still smiling. After that, the others came up, lastly the twins who didn’t hold her hand but bowed, murmuring hello in English, their accent thick. Fay replied a soft greeting back in Japanese, which startled the girls, briefly, but earnt shy smiles back before they made their retreat. Only Diana held back, sullen in the corner.
Most seemed openly genuine to say hi. A couple, like Lucilla and Motep, seemed to do it more out of the fact everyone else had done it, and assumed it was required.
When dinner came around the squad crammed into the tables and the tension of the day was gone; or, if it was still there at all, seemed buried beneath lively chatter and teasing. Even Lucilla cracked a rare smile that lit her face, earning a straying but adoring glance from Tiberius, as if he was savouring the rare moment. Something that Marcus with his sly smile saw.
“Look at that, the married two smiling at each other!” Marcus teased.
Lucilla’s smile fell, hardened immediately. “Do you want me to gut you?”
Marcus’s smile turned indulgent. “You can try.” He glanced lazily at Tiberius, his emerald green eyes glittering with a challenge.
Tiberius, the corner of his mouth twitching, crossed his thick arms across his chest. “I shall enjoy my wife carving you up.”
So, Tiberius and Lucilla were married. Fay wondered if it was in this life or in their first, and if it was common amongst the hounds.
Nadia chortled from beside Fay with a smile. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’re meant to go out tomorrow and I’m not explaining how one of us is respawning. I’ll just let you do it, Marcus, when you spin back up and I’ll enjoy myself as Remus tears you apart, making you respawn again.”
Marcus shrank back in his chair, scowling like a scolded child. He turned and spoke to his brother, who shared Nadia’s smile, as if he enjoyed his brother being knocked down a peg. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Lucilla’s mouth relaxed a little, not quite a smile but her face was softer again. Fay wondered what Tiberius and she had been in their past lives, then Fay wondered what everyone else had been. She felt so young around them, an outsider.
Later, Nadia and Fay went for a walk around the camp. There seemed to be no destination in mind, no second agenda. In fact, Fay pretty much led, turning when the whim took her, lingering as she pleased.
“You saw something else in that forest, didn’t you?” Nadia said in a low voice.
Fay glanced at Nadia in the corner of her eye, calm. “I told Remus what I saw.”
“You left something out,” she persisted.
With a sigh Fay stopped, turned. “You showed how much you like it when I speak the truth.”
“That’s different…” Nadia’s voice trailed off, a frown furrowed deep on her brow. Her gaze flickered up, studied. “You’re unlike any hellhound I’ve met. You’re different and, I’ll be honest, it’s a little scary.”
“You don’t strike me as someone easily afraid,” countered Fay.
“What scares me is I’ll have to be the one to put you down, if you stray or betray your oath,” said Nadia with a raw voice, an old pain laid bare, exposed. “Remus saw us, thinks we’re friends, so he asked me to be the one.”
“That’s…cruel,” remarked Fay quietly.
Nadia shrugged, having come to terms with the request already. “It’s about honour. You’ll understand soon enough.”
She’d been in the Underworld for scarcely any time at all and she’d been noticed, her rebellious nature seen. Not exactly the low profile she wanted. The conversation, dark as it was, seemed at least honest, open. Nadia didn’t have to tell her. Maybe she did it only to keep Fay in line, to remind her of the risks. See this sword? It’s for your neck if you don’t behave, she seemed to be saying. Don’t make me do it. I’m your friend. We’re friends, so you wouldn’t be that cruel, would you?
As much as she wanted to promise the world that she’d behave, be a dutiful hellhound, she knew deep down it wasn’t her. Her nature, her very soul, even Andromeda, warred against it. Whatever that meant was left up for debate.
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