Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) (10 page)

Daedric sipped his wine on the waterfront patio of the
Thessaloniki restaurant. It appeared that even bad weather couldn’t keep the
Greek people from enjoying a night out, as more than half of the other tables
were occupied. The brisk winds held a chill, or perhaps that originated with
his unexpected companion. “Why are we here?” he asked.

Eris had toned down her goddess appearance, wearing an
understated black dress with matching shoes. Nevertheless, her powerful essence
radiated from her, attracting the attention of every man—and most of the
women—in her vicinity. Daedric couldn’t help but wonder what those passersby
would think if they knew who it was they were admiring.

“I need your help,” she said with a coy grin. “I need you to
find something for me.”

Suspicion mounted as Daedric took in the devilish sparkle in
her eyes. “You haven’t answered my question. We could have had this
conversation on Mount Olympus, so I’ll ask again. Why are we here?”

The goddess’s grin grew into a smile. “You are far more
intelligent than Ares has led me to believe. This conversation must remain
private. My brother can’t know what you are doing for me.”

“Why, exactly, would I go behind his back? He is my father,
after all.” Although Ares had shown little interest in him as anything other
than a means to an end, Daedric owed his life to him. Not only was he his
father, but he’d also saved him from imprisonment after the stunning loss on
Ortega. If it weren’t for the god’s intervention, Daedric would be spending the
rest of his days in a supernaturally powered cell in Finley’s Basement, the
prison built to house the threats taken down by the Omega Group.

“Tell me, nephew. What has Ares promised you in return for
your loyalty?” When he didn’t immediately answer, she continued. “That’s what I
thought. You are helping him under the assumption it will earn you a place of
honor. Am I correct?”

Daedric was unaccustomed to being made to feel foolish, yet
he couldn’t disagree with her. He
had
been doing all of this for that exact reason. “You are correct,” he said
flatly.

Eris placed her elbows on the small table, resting her chin
on her clasped hands. “When this is all over, and I have eradicated the humans,
where will your place be? With no one but the gods left, a half-human will be
ranked as low as an insect.”

With incredible speed, Eris reached out and grasped a black
fly that had been hovering around their table. She held it gently between her
thumb and forefinger as it struggled to escape. When it finally calmed, she
slowly crushed it, driving her point home.

For the first seventeen years of his life, Daedric had felt
much like that fly. He’d been below average in every way. Physically weak and
uncoordinated, while intellectually inferior, as well. When his god-half
manifested, all of that began to change, until he became the most powerful man
on Earth. He couldn’t imagine once again being the low man on the totem pole.

Eris raised one eyebrow as though challenging him to argue.
“Would it surprise you to know that Ares has promised to make
Flip
a higher god in return for his loyalty?”

Daedric’s jaw clenched in anger at the thought of that
little troll being considered his superior.

“I thought so,” Eris continued. “Say what you will about the
horse companion, but at least he had the foresight to negotiate his payment.”

Every muscle in Daedric’s body went rigid as the realization
of his blind obedience sunk in. He’d been such a fool to trust his father. Even
Flip was probably laughing at his expense.

Eris grasped his hand. “Don’t worry, nephew. I have other
plans for you. Unlike my brother, I see
your
potential. Align with me and we will rule both the heavens and Earth.
Together.”

His choice became obvious. “What do you need me to do?”
Daedric asked.

Eris leaned back and took a long sip of her wine before
answering. “There is a weapon hidden here long ago by Zeus. I need you to
retrieve it for me.”

Not wanting to agree too quickly, making the same mistake
he’d already made with Ares, Daedric pressed for more information. “What is
this weapon, and why do you need it?”

Eris smiled proudly at his question. “It is the scythe Zeus
used to kill the Titan, Kronos. His father. It is the only weapon still in
existence that can defeat him.”

Daedric’s eyes widened. “You want to kill Zeus?” He couldn’t
believe her audacity but at the same time was thoroughly impressed by it.

“He put me in a box for five thousand years.”

She didn’t need to elaborate, as Daedric could imagine the
hatred she must have felt. “How will I find it?”

“It is hidden at Delphi,” Eris said.

“The Oracle of Delphi,” Daedric repeated. “I’ve heard the
stories of her prophecies. Gases released from the earth caused her to have
hallucinations that everyone thought were divine messages.”

“Is that what people now believe?” Eris looked amused. “How
easily humans create stories to negate the power of the gods. When Zeus buried
the scythe, it was covered in the Titan’s blood. One drop carried more power
than you can imagine. If your oracle somehow tapped into that energy, she would
indeed have been prophetic, at the very least.”

Daedric, knowing his next words would incur the goddess’s
wrath, braced himself. “Eris, Delphi is the site of the ruins from something
like six temples going back more than two thousand years. They were built and
then rebuilt by everyone from the ancient Greeks to the Romans. Any artifact
buried there would have been found centuries ago and would be long gone by
now.”

Eris shook her head and chuckled, a reaction that surprised
Daedric. “It is still there, nephew. That weapon is something every god who has
ever coveted the power wielded by Zeus has searched for—and never found. If a
mere human had uncovered it, the world would be a very different place.”

“How can I be expected to find something that’s eluded the
gods?” Daedric had an exceptionally healthy ego but wasn’t delusional.

“Zeus is a tricky one, but he’s not all that bright. He
shielded the scythe from the gods, but created humans much later. In his
arrogance, he never considered them a threat.” Eris held out her hand. In it
sat a silver compass. “This will guide you to the power of the Titan’s blood.”

“And Zeus just lets you carry this thing around? The one item
that can get you the scythe?” Daedric raised his eyebrow to show his disbelief.

“Do not forget to whom you are speaking, nephew.” The table
vibrated, his wine glass almost toppling over, as her eyes turned cold.

“I’m sorry, Eris.” Daedric hoped the sincerity in his voice
would be enough to calm her down. He most certainly didn’t want to get on the
bad side of that one.

“Very well,” she said. In the blink of an eye, she’d once
again become calm. “To answer your question, Zeus doesn’t know this compass
exists. It was forged for me by Hephaestus, who may actually hate Zeus more
than I do. I was locked in the box, still holding it in my hand, before I had
the chance to find someone like you to use it.”

Daedric took the compass, unconsciously glancing down the
street it pointed to. “And this will lead me to the scythe.”

“It will lead you to the Titan’s blood. From there, it will
be up to you to find the scythe. Bring it to me.”

The drive back from Litochoro was a blur for Mirissa. Her
scattered thoughts shifted from her father, to Daedric, to her destiny, and
then circled back to her father again. Her world had been tipped on its side,
shuffling everything around until nothing made any sense.

When they were almost to the hotel, Greco squeezed her hand.
“You doing all right?”

She turned to look at him, drawing her strength from his.
“Yeah. I’ll be okay as long as Dad is.” Mirissa leaned close to keep her next
words from reaching Orano in the driver’s seat. “Thank you. I know you’re still
upset with me, but thanks for being here.”

Greco placed his hand tenderly on her knee. “I’ll always be
here for you, Mirissa. You should know that by now. But that doesn’t mean I’m
going to let you hide things from me. Before the day is out, I want you to tell
me everything.”

That statement still echoed through her mind when they
entered her mother’s hotel room. She did her best to put on her game face and
deal with the immediate issue.
One
problem at a time,
she thought. “Where’s Daedric?” she asked Beck after
receiving an unexpected hug.

“He was in Thessaloniki, but now he’s in Delphi.” Beck
pulled up an online map of the area. “It’s more than two hundred miles from
here, so I had Julian scare us up a chopper. We’re ready to go when you are.”

“Give her a few minutes, Beck. She’s had a tough day,” Greco
said.

“No.” Mirissa took a deep breath. “We need to move now,
before Daedric disappears again. This might be our only chance to find the
box.” It took her a moment to realize someone was missing. “Where’s Flip?”

“I told him to take Jill for a walk. They were driving me
crazy with their lovesick teenager crap.” Beck stuck her finger down her throat
to emphasize her distaste for their behavior. “On the bright side, he did
distract her enough to keep her from asking too many questions.”

Mirissa sprouted a small smile despite the pain she felt.
The thought of Flip making googly eyes at their government liaison succeeded in
lightening her mood—a little, at least. “Do we leave them here while we go to
Delphi?” she asked.

“I vote yes,” Beck immediately replied.

“Me, too,” said Orano.

Mirissa looked to Greco. “What do you think?”

“This isn’t a democracy, Mirissa. This is your show for the
time being. Your mom is still our leader, but she’s not here. You’re the one
with the key. You’re the one ultimately responsible for closing the box. So, whether
you like it or not, you’re the one in charge right now.” Greco wiped away the
errant tear that fell down her cheek. “That doesn’t mean you’re on your own.”

Mirissa squeezed her eyes shut, trying to tamp down the
emotions erupting inside of her. It didn’t work. The fear of losing her father,
compounded by her worry that she wasn’t strong enough to stand against a
goddess, overcame her. Her chest tightened until every heartbeat threatened to burst
through her ribcage. Her breaths came in short, shallow bursts until she was
dizzy from the effect.

I can’t do this. I’m
not ready,
she thought. Images of every failure she’d endured flashed
through her mind, intermingled with those of her father lying broken in his
hospital bed. Her inadequacies always caused horrific pain, but this time,
every human being on earth would suffer and die because she wasn’t strong
enough to save them. Held in the grip of terror, the images racing through her
mind became
all-consuming
.

Noises assailed her—crashing, yelling, and loud thumping—but
she couldn’t focus on any of them. Her Amazon ring heated to the point of pain.
The small green snake that was once a simple inlaid emerald design, came to life
and spiraled up Mirissa’s forearm, getting thicker and longer as it went, its head
eventually settling on a spot just under her shoulder. The tiny hairs on her
arms rose as energy pulsed through her, increasing in strength until Mirissa
felt like she would explode with the pressure, then—

Silence.

The feel of Greco’s warm hands on her cheeks.

“Look at me,” he said calmly.

When she opened her eyes, Greco’s face was inches from hers.
She felt her heart rate slowly drop while the energy drained out of her.

“That’s good. Let it all go. You’re doing fine, Mirissa.
Just breathe,” he said.

This wasn’t the first time Greco had talked her down from a
power overload. Before she even knew she had special abilities, a fit of anger had
triggered them, and she’d almost destroyed the Omega Group’s safe house back in
Jacksonville.

“I’m okay,” Mirissa said as she regained some of her senses.
She took a step back and hit a wall—a wall that hadn’t been behind her before.

“Beck put a shield around us to keep you from tearing apart
the room.” Greco smiled warmly.

The shield dissipated, and Mirissa surveyed the damage she’d
caused. The mirror that once hung above the dressing table was shattered with
the pieces strewn across the floor. The bed, no longer neatly made, lay several
feet from where it had been, its broken leg visible through the torn bed skirt.
A crack in the drywall next to the door spread from the floor to the ceiling.

“I’m really sorry,” Mirissa said to Beck and Orano. “I
should be better at controlling my emotions than that. Did I hurt you guys?”

Beck shook her head and smiled. “We’re fine. Don’t worry
about us.”

Orano made a point of taking in every inch of the room.
“I’ve done worse, and to better hotel rooms than this.”

“Mirissa! Are you okay?” Flip came charging through the
door, eyes wide, dragging Jill behind him. “What happened?”

“I had a bit of a meltdown, but I’m all right now.” Mirissa
tried to reassure the little man. The last thing she wanted was to make him
scared of her. He’d already had enough of that with Daedric.

Flip stood in front of her, his head tilted back so he could
see her eyes. She thought he was going to speak, but instead, he wrapped his
arms around her and squeezed, pinning her arms to her sides.

Another unexpected smile crept its way onto her face as she
waited for him to release her. “Thank you, Flip.”

When he finally pulled back, his eyes glistened.

Jill placed her hand on his cheek and asked, “Do you need a
tissue, Philip?”

Flip scrunched up his forehead and raised an eyebrow. “For
what?” A single tear chose that moment to make its way down his cheek. Instead
of wiping it away, Flip slapped at it as though he didn’t know what it was.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“There’s definitely
nothing
wrong with you, Phillip. Nothing at all.” Jill smiled at him with
admiration, and Flip’s cheeks flushed a bright red.

Mirissa could see what Beck had been talking about earlier.
They were lovesick puppies. But she found it adorable. “Listen, Flip. We need
to go run down a lead. We’ll be gone for most of the night. Are you going to be
okay here with Jill on your own?”

The looks they gave each other made Mirissa feel like a
parent leaving her son alone with a girl for the first time. “On second
thought, maybe you should come with us.”

“We’ll be fine,” Flip said. “Besides, wouldn’t we be in the
way if we came? You know, we might cause a problem?”

Mirissa was well aware of the difficulties that would arise
if their liaison came with them. They’d be going up against Daedric without the
benefit of using their special abilities. Yet she still didn’t feel comfortable
leaving them alone—unprotected and unchaperoned.

“Just go. We’ll call you if we need you. Right, Jill?” Flip
looked expectantly at the woman.

“Of course. I’m here to report your progress to the White
House, not hinder it,” Jill said. “Do what you need to do.”