Adrastia (The God Chronicles Book 4) (3 page)

"As long as you don't have any issues with a witch hunt," I answered, moving to the door and opening it to the hallway.

"When do we leave?" he asked, a business like tone to his voice.

"I'll talk to you about it later," I stated, stepping out of the room and heading down the long corridor.

"I'll meet you at dinner," he replied, coming out behind me. "I have to change."

"All right," I said, nodding to him over my shoulder.

He went his own way, leaving me in the silence I so often enjoyed. Arsenio liked to talk, but he'd always known when I needed the quiet. Besides being my cousin and accomplice, he was my best friend. We'd trained together for most of our lives, after he'd been abandoned by his mother and brought to live at Olympus. She'd been seduced by Poseidon before he met his current wife, Audrey. The end result was Arsenio, who was a good three years older than me. The age difference had never bothered us, though. I thought of him as my brother in every way.

As I made my way through the elegant palace, I was met with little company. It appeared everyone had already made their way to my mother's birthday feast. I didn't particularly like making a grand entrance, but it looked like that might be my only option now.

The closer I got to the dining hall, the louder the muffled sounds of the party got, sliding over the top of the marble floors and pillars to reach me. Finally, I stood in front of the great double doors, nodding to the guards who stood there in mutual respect.

They opened the entrance for me, closing it quickly once I'd entered. The ballroom was decorated in black and white, the many sets of double doors on the far side of the room open to the garden, where I could see a few gods walking the well tread paths. Lights danced through the vaulted ceiling, twinkling down on all in attendance. Thankfully, the meal hadn't begun yet and everyone was still milling around, visiting with each other. That didn't stop my parents from immediately noticing my arrival, though.

"Cristos!" my mother called out, hurrying across the room to me, her arms open wide, ready for an embrace. The skirt of her fitted, gold dress brushed across the floor as she tucked a strand of light brown hair back into her elegant bun.

"Happy birthday, Mom," I laughed, meeting her halfway and wrapping my arms around her in a big bear hug.

She was still as beautiful as I remembered, her goddess state having kept her from aging. Anyone who didn't know her would never believe she had a twenty three year old son, barely looking twenty herself.

"I'm so happy you're here," she beamed, pulling back from me some so she could look at my face. "Are you well?"

"I am," I said, nodding. "The same as ever."

"Good," she laughed. "I've missed you so much."

She hugged me again, her arms wrapped tightly around me as if she were afraid I would disappear right in front of her.

"Son."

I looked up, smiling at my father as he walked over to us. He was clad in the same comfortable clothes many of the gods wore, his silver shirt etched with a golden lightning bolt like always. The source of my dark, black hair was cut short on his frame that looked no older than thirty years, his smile infectious to all who were watching. When he reached the two of us, he wrapped his arms around our shoulders as well.

"You return victorious again," he chuckled. "If you catch any more of the beasts, you'll have ended the war all on your own."

"That's the plan," I smiled back.

"I'm surprised you returned at all before it was finished."

"I wouldn't miss Mom's birthday," I said, untangling myself from them.

"You better not. I'd come hunt you down myself," she teased, wrapping her arms around Zeus's waist and leaning her head on his chest.

"You think she's joking," Zeus said seriously, giving me a pointed stare I'd come to recognize as a look of humor.

"Friends and family," he announced, turning from me to address the rest of the room.

Everyone fell silent as they looked at their king. As I watched them all, I felt many looked happier than I'd seen them in a long while. It wasn't often we had parties any more.

"Tonight, we come together to celebrate my beautiful wife, Karly. During one of my darkest times, she came to me as a brilliant light. When I would have cursed my exile and time in the mortal realm before, I have never been more grateful for it now. It brought me the love of my life."

He smiled down at her, his arms wrapped around her, and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"And boy, did she make me work for it," he laughed, the other gods joining in. "Happy birthday, Karly!"

An echoing chorus filled the room, some raising glasses and toasting her.

"Thank you," she answered warmly, a tiny laugh breaking from her lips. "Now let's eat!"

As everyone moved to the long table in the middle of the room, the doors opened once more behind me and Arsenio entered.

"What did I miss?" he asked, stopping by my side.

I glanced over at him, taking in his dressy white shirt, green vest, and black pants.

"You weren't joking about needing to change," I said with a grin. "I'm guessing Aphrodite is here tonight."

"Maybe," he replied with a shrug and a grin. "Really, what did I miss?"

"Just the birthday toast," I answered, motioning for him to move ahead.

"Did you tell your parents you'd be leaving again soon?"

"Not yet."

"So we're leaving in the morning," he confirmed.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, the two of us taking seats at the lavishly decorated table.

"You never have a problem telling them you're leaving unless it's going to be in a few hours. Are you even going to tell them this time?"

"Of course I am," I answered quietly, returning my mother's smile from across the table. "Just not right now, at her party."

"I'll make sure everything is ready for us as soon as this is done," he replied.

I could tell from the tone of his voice he was switching over to work mode, making lists in his head and calculating what exactly we would need to take with us.

"And I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow morning after we've gone," I added.

The food started getting passed around, everyone taking what suited their fancy and filling the room with the buzz of conversation again.

"I will totally slay that beast," Arsenio said loudly as a woman in a red dress, Aphrodite, looked our way momentarily.

"I don't think she was actually looking at you," I laughed, picking up my wine goblet to take a sip.

"She was," he insisted, breathing in deeply. "She just doesn't know it yet."

"What happens when you fall in love for real?" I teased. "What will you do when a woman captures your heart more securely than a goddess's charm can?"

"You shoot me," he said seriously. "Because that is the day I will do absolutely anything for love, no matter the price."

"Deal," I chuckled, setting the glass down and picking up a chicken leg.

"And what about you?" he asked, tossing his bangs out of his face and tucking them behind his ear with the rest of his chin length, black hair.

"What about me?"

"What do I do when you fall in love?"

"You let me know," I laughed. "Because I don't see a day anytime soon when that will happen."

"Well, you do have the whole immortal thing working for you on that end," he snickered. "Maybe she's not even born yet."

"I don't plan on falling in love until this war is over," I answered seriously. "I'm needed here now. I can't imagine dragging someone into this mess either."

"That's a good point," he agreed thoughtfully. "Be careful what you say, though. The fates might hear you and send her your way before you're ready."

"Then it's a good thing the fates are on our side, isn't it?"

I smiled at him and then turned my attention to the food, happy to have a good meal to eat before we headed out on what was surely going to be one of our harder missions.

Chapter Three

Early the next morning, Arsenio met me at the portal door to the human realm, as he did with every mission we embarked on together. Since the Titan's escape, all of the doors into Olympus had been sealed but two—this one and the one to the Underworld. They were both always under a constant guard, no chances taken. We didn't know how often the portal system was used by our enemies and preferred to be on our guard instead of caught off it.

"Where are we off to this time?" he asked, yawning as he adjusted the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder.

"The Arabian Desert," I said grimly.

"Whoa," he exclaimed, suddenly waking right up. "When you said it was going to be a witch hunt, I didn't know you mean
those
witches. Are you sure you want to do that?"

"The Graeae have been hiding in the sand there for long enough. They're the only ones who could have made the enchantment I broke during my last mission, which means they're helping our enemies. I want them stopped before they agree to help a Titan."

As I spoke, I shouldered my own ratty bag, sliding my sword into it. I'd added a few extra small weapons to my stash before leaving my room, not knowing for sure what the desert would hold for us. Arsenio's bag was enchanted as well, no doubt holding his own weapons and supplies for our journey.

"Still," he gulped. "Messing with those who can see the future? I'm not too keen on finding out if I'm going to die a horrible, painful death. Besides, the whole one eye shared between them thing creeps me out."

"You don't have to come," I replied simply, nodding to the guard in a signal to open the door.

"Yeah right," Arsenio snorted. "Like I'd miss this."

I grinned, my back turned to him as I walked through the door and into the bright sunlight of the mortal realm.

He followed close behind, the other side of the portal opening up in a small shop located in a village market on the edge of the desert.

"Should have packed lighter clothes," he said, fanning himself as we stepped out onto the dirt street.

"The heavier clothes will hold sweat better, which will help keep you cool," I stated, looking around for the stand I wished to stop at.

"That's not gross at all," he mumbled.

We made our way through the market, ignoring the cries of vendors to stop and see what their tables and booths held. I had complete confidence Arsenio had packed everything we would need, even though he'd not known where we were going until moments ago. Finally, as we reached the end of the street, the open desert laid out in front of us, I found what I was looking for.

There weren't a whole lot of camels to choose from, but enough to accommodate us. It only took a few minutes of conversation in the owner's native tongue and the trading of money before we were the proud owners of two of the animals.

"I said no camels! That's five camels; can't you count?"

Arsenio laughed as I brought our rides over, each chuckle getting further and further apart as I didn't join in with him.

"No? Never seen that one?" he asked awkwardly. "Of course you haven't. Okay then."

He took the reins of one from me and started out of the town gates without saying another word, probably frowning at my lack of movie watching over the years. I'd been quoted many lines I didn't recognize. It was beginning to get funny, watching him try to find something I'd actually seen. The joke was on him—I'd seen maybe three pictures my entire life and they were ones my mom had insisted I watch. There wasn't really time to become a movie aficionado when you were training for war. 

I followed after him, smiling to myself as I led my own ride into the barren heat of what waited before us.

"So," Arsenio started, motioning to his camel and telling it to lay down so he could get in the saddle. "Are we exactly sure where these witches are out here?"

"Unfortunately, no," I answered grimly, following his suit with the camel. "Rumor has it they live in a mirage, enchanted to vanish as soon as someone comes upon it."

"So we have virtually no chance of ever getting there," he sighed, pulling a piece of cloth from his bag and tying it around his head, letting it hang down over his neck. "Why am I not surprised?"

"You make it sound like our missions are usually impossible," I chuckled, mounting up.

"That's because they are," he laughed.

The conversation ended then, as I surveyed the sands, deciding the best direction to start in. The Arabian Desert was home to the Empty Quarter, the largest sand desert on this world. No doubt, our prey would be located somewhere in there, hiding away from all those except the truly vigilant who sought them. The mirage had been spotted multiple times, if the claims of others held true. Anyone who approached found that it quickly faded away. I had a hunch there must be a secret to getting in.

Soon, the town fell behind us and faded from view, the first leg of our journey silent as the space around us. I'd never been to this part of the world before and was finding it very interesting to behold. The rest of the earth was cold and usually covered in varying amounts of snow, due to Demeter’s mourning over the death of her daughter, Persephone. Before, she had regulated the seasons evenly. Now, this was probably one of the only places left that it actually got hot.

Our pace wasn't fast since we didn't have a specific location to shoot for. Instead, we would slowly make our way across the space and hope that the fates would smile on us.

When we stopped for the first night, Arsenio's extreme packing skills proved themselves once more. In no time at all we had set up a tent, a water station, a bathroom, and an area for the camels to stay comfortable in.

"How is it you always manage to pack exactly what we need?" I laughed.

We had chosen to eat our dinner outside, under the stars. The rabbit Arsenio had killed with his bow was roasting over a small fire in front of us, its delectable smell making my mouth water.

"Luck, I guess," he smiled. "Then again, I also packed for the tundra, so maybe I'm just over paranoid about having something for every situation."