Pandora (Book 3) (The Omega Group) (11 page)

The chopper landed in a small clearing just outside the
ruins at Delphi. The darkness was complete, with no moon visible through the
thick layer of clouds. The electrical storm that had been ravaging the skies
for the last twenty-four hours had dissipated, but the winds were robust.

As the group wound their way up to the ruins, Mirissa
couldn’t help but wish they’d been able to make this trip during daylight
hours. Being built on the southern slopes of Parnassos Mountain, the site was
packed with imposing ruins and surrounded by what would have been an incredible
view.

An enormous stone amphitheater descended to the plateau that
held the remains of Apollo’s temple. The temple’s foundation, nothing more than
a large rectangle of stones with a few pillars still intact, edged another
drop-off that held dozens of ruins. Mirissa assumed they had all once been
statues. The entire area, spread throughout several plateaus, was filled with
the remains of a multitude of buildings.

“Do you feel that, too?” she asked Greco. “My ring’s
vibrating again.” Her Amazon ring had always tingled when she neared something
dangerous of the preternatural variety but, for the last few months, it seemed
to be picking up on more than that. She’d get strange feelings when something
bad was about to happen and somehow knew her ring was sending the warning. That
newfound intuition had already saved her life on several occasions.

Greco looked down at his ring, then back to her. “No. Mine’s
still dormant. Maybe yours is picking up on Daedric’s presence.”

She nodded, continuing toward the Temple of Apollo.
According to the tracker they’d placed under his collar, Daedric was there. If
they were lucky, the box would be there, too.

When are we ever
lucky?
Mirissa thought.

As they neared the edge of the massive amphitheater carved
into the rock above the ruins, Mirissa signaled for the team to stop. “We’re
here to get the box, not Daedric. So let’s not start an unnecessary fight.
We’ll just watch him until he leads us to the box, then grab it. Okay?”

Her three teammates sent each other questioning looks before
nodding their agreement. True, they were always ready for a battle, but Mirissa
didn’t want to risk their lives if she didn’t have to.

“Can I have a quick word?” Greco whispered in her ear.

Mirissa took a deep breath and led him a few feet away.
“Look, I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. Not starting an all-out
war right now is the smart thing to do. We need the box way more than we need
Daedric, and I want to make sure we get it. If we go in all guns-a-blazing, we
risk our lives and might lose our only lead to find it. This has nothing to do
with some deep-seated fear you think I have about not being strong enough. It’s
the right thing to do. Period. You said yourself that this isn’t a democracy.
I’m in charge. So, those are my orders. Deal with it.”

Greco gave her a lopsided grin, raising his eyebrow as
though he found her funny. “I was just going to give you a bit of a pep talk,
that’s all.”

Mirissa felt her cheeks flush as she dropped her gaze. “Oh,
sorry. I thought …” She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Let’s
just find that box and get this nightmare over with.”

********

Daedric leaned his back against one of the six remaining
columns of Apollo’s temple. He’d been there for over an hour already and still
had no idea where to begin looking for the scythe. The compass led him to the
temple, but that was as narrow a target as it had given him. He’d tried using
his telekinesis to move the massive stone floor of the ruins, but the weight
proved too much for him. He was no closer to finding the damn scythe than he’d
been when he got there. And now he had company.

He’d heard the telltale whump-whump of the helicopter and
knew he was no longer alone. There was little doubt in his mind who would be
coming at that late hour, and his assumption proved true when Mirissa and her
friends came strolling onto the plateau.
How
did they find me?

Placing the compass Eris had given him in his pocket,
Daedric readied himself for the inevitable attack. Everything was riding on him
retrieving the scythe—his place amongst the gods after the humans were
destroyed would be decided that night. He would not allow that little girl and
her friends to thwart him again.

A minute passed, then another, and another. Why weren’t they
attacking? What were they waiting for? Although Daedric reveled in toying with
his victims—keeping them guessing as to exactly when and how he would kill
them—being on the receiving end of that torment was excruciating.

“What are you waiting for, Mirissa? An invitation?” Daedric
taunted, yelling over his shoulder. When he received no response, he added,
“I’m a little disappointed. I thought you had more fight in you. But, there’s
no electrical storm for you to syphon from tonight.”

Still no response.

“I can stand here as long you want, little girl. I’ve got
nothing but time, but I don’t think you can say the same thing.” A cold smile
curled his lips as he spoke. “And I
know
your father can’t.”

********

“You son of a bitch!” Mirissa yelled as she bolted from her
hiding place near the amphitheater.

Greco grabbed Mirissa’s arm, stopping her from charging Daedric
head-on, and pulled her back behind the stones.

“Let me go,” she spat out through clenched teeth.

“He’s trying to goad you. Don’t let him,” Greco said, his fingers
digging painfully into her bicep.

Mirissa let her anger wash over her. “If he’s the reason my
dad’s in the hospital, I’m going to make him pay.”

Greco held her gaze. “This is exactly what he wants: you to
lose your cool and make a mistake. Don’t let that happen.”

She took a deep breath, pushed aside her emotions, and
nodded. He was right. Her first time in charge of a mission and she was already
failing miserably. “I’m okay. You can stop cutting off the circulation in my
arm now.”

Greco smiled as he gently rubbed the area he’d been
gripping. “How do you want to proceed? He knows we’re here, so there’s no
chance of him leading us to the box.”

“Maybe he already has.” Mirissa raised her eyebrows. “What
other reason could there be for him to come here?” She reached into her shirt
and pulled out the key she’d worn on a chain around her neck for months, tugging
it over her head. “You take this while I keep Daedric busy. It glowed red-hot
when the box was opened, so it stands to reason it’ll do
something
when the box is close by. Find it for me.”

Greco looped the chain around his neck and gently tucked the
key inside his shirt. “I’ll take Orano. You take Beck.” He leaned in and
pressed his lips hard against hers in a scorching kiss. “Be safe.”

Mirissa strolled out into the open, ready to get her snark
on. “Hey, half-breed,” she called out. “You hiding from little old me? I guess
I shouldn’t be surprised considering how badly I’ve kicked your ass lately.”
She walked along the bottom row of the amphitheater’s carved stone benches,
hoping to draw the demi-god’s attention away from Greco and Orano as they
sprinted in the other direction.

The closer she got to the temple ruins, the more
her ring
vibrated. Ignoring the discomfort, she continued.
“We can end this right here and now, Daedric. Just tell me where it is and I
might not embarrass you again.”

“Not likely,” came his response, whispered in her ear.

Startled, Mirissa teleported to the other side of the
temple. “Ooh, aren’t you sneaky. Maybe you forgot, but I can teleport now,
too.” She could see Greco crouched low to her left but dared not glance in his
direction. Instead, she
jumped
once
more, this time to a spot four rows up from the demi-god.

As soon as she materialized, she flung her arm straight out,
using the energy of her telekinesis to lift Daedric off his feet and slam him
to the rock. Her next blast shattered the two thousand-year-old stone he’d
stood upon a second before.

Her eyes darted left and right, trying to find where he’d
materialized, until a slight stirring in the air directly behind her made her
spin around. Just in time to see a small boulder crash against an invisible
barrier not twelve inches from her face.

“Thanks Beck,” she said to the teammate who’d saved her
life.

“All this jumping around is making it a little difficult to
keep you covered. Any chance you could stay in one spot?” Beck asked.

“I will if he will. Can you see him anywhere?” Mirissa
asked.

Beck scanned the area. “My night vision isn’t perfect, but I
got nothing. Do you think he left?”

As though answering her question, an angry wail filled the
air from the edge of the temple floor. Orano, the biggest man Mirissa had ever
known, had fallen to his knees, clawing at his throat.

Beck threw up a shield around him just as he collapsed,
unmoving, to the stone floor. “Son of a—”

“Greco!” Mirissa yelled as they sprinted to intervene. He
was nowhere to be found.

As she neared the edge of the temple, she could see the
steady rise and fall of Orano’s chest. He was alive.
 
“Beck, keep him covered.”

In every fight she’d ever been in—from sparring in her
childhood martial arts classes to battling demons with the Omega Group—Mirissa
had always relied on her instincts. Her brain and body seemed to know the
correct move to make before her conscious mind had time to catch up. At that
moment, however, her instincts were driving her in two different directions.
Either find and protect Greco, or find and destroy Daedric.

She chose the latter. Neutralizing Daedric, although not her
mission, would ensure everyone’s safety. Plus, she really needed to take her
frustrations out on someone, and she couldn’t think of anyone more deserving.

Greco, wherever you
are, I hope you understand.

Flip walked lazily through the mostly deserted streets of
Thessaloniki with Jill’s hand grasping his. He felt lighter, as though with
each step his feet barely brushed the sidewalk. The feeling was unlike anything
he’d ever experienced. For the first time in his very long life, he didn’t feel
the need to look over his shoulder so as not to be taken by surprise when one
of his many tormentors chose to abuse him.

I could get used to
this,
he thought. Then the knot in his stomach that had become his
permanent companion, wrenched itself even tighter. In less than three days,
Jill Gulick would be dead or dying, along with every other human on Earth.
Although the thought of Orano being wiped off the planet by Eris didn’t really
bother him, he’d grown fond of Mirissa and the others. Even the annoyingly
attractive one.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Jill gazed into his eyes
with what could only be described as worry etched across her face.

“Talk about what?” Flip’s palms turned instantly sweaty. Had
she figured out he was an imposter? Or did she just finally realize he wasn’t
worth her time?

“We’ve been walking these streets since they left and you’ve
barely spoken a word. I wasn’t going to say anything, but …” Jill dropped her
gaze to the ground and pulled her hand out of his. “You don’t have to be nice
to me, you know. I mean, I really appreciate you keeping me entertained, but I
don’t want you to feel coerced into hanging out with me.” She guffawed while
absently pulling an errant lock of hair out of her eye. “I’m hardly the type of
woman a man like you would be interested in.”

Flip’s jaw felt as though it would bounce off the cement at
his feet. Did she really just say that? “You think
I’m
too good for
you
?” As
soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He’d been set up like this
many times, by gods who would use his reaction as fodder for their
entertainment. He’d just opened himself up to ridicule from the one person he
knew he couldn’t bear to hear it from.

“You’re an acclaimed archeologist and I’m a lowly civil
servant,” she said.

Flip’s eyes widened in horror. “You’re a servant? Bring me
to your master and I will have you released immediately.”

Her giggle succeeded in calming him down, at least a little.

“No, Phillip. Civil servant is another way of saying
government employee.”

 
Relief washed over
him as he tried to think of a way to explain his stupidity. “Oh, sorry.
Sometimes I get words mixed up.”

“Well, of course you do, silly. English is a difficult
language to learn. I’m so impressed that you’re as fluent as you are. I can’t
speak a word of Greek.”

Flip stared into the eyes of the first woman to ever be
impressed by him. Unlike his now dripping palms, his mouth felt as dry as the
sidewalk. Every instinct he had screamed at him to run away before he made even
more of a fool of himself but, for some reason he couldn’t explain, he did the
opposite. As she tilted her chin upward, Flip swooped in and gently brushed his
lips against hers. His very first kiss.

When he pulled back and opened his eyes, he found her
peering at him, a single tear trickling down her beautiful cheek. “I’m so sorry.
I had no right to—”

Before he could finish his apology, she wrapped her arms
around his neck and pressed her lips on his. This kiss was anything but gentle,
and Flip silently thanked the gods for sending him this incredible woman.

When Jill untangled herself from him, she once again grabbed
his hand—sweaty palm and all—and led him down the street. “So, if it wasn’t
being with me that had you so torn up, what was it?”

Flip knew he should respond to her question, but when she
moved her mouth to speak, all he could think of was kissing those lips again.
It felt as though his entire existence before meeting Jill had been simply to
ready himself for when he finally found her. Now that he had, he couldn’t
imagine going back to being alone.

“There it is again,” she said. “That look of angst you’ve
had all night. Are you worried about your friends?”

“My what?” Flip’s brow furrowed as he tried to understand
whom she was referencing.

“Your friends. Mirissa, Beck, Orano, and Greco. Are you
worried about them? Is that why you’re feeling such pain?”

Flip stopped moving, mid-stride. Could it be true? Had
Mirissa and the others somehow become his friends?

Realization crashed so violently upon him that he couldn’t
take in a breath. He liked them, even the behemoth. They were good people doing
good things, even when their lives were threatened. They were nice to him.
They’d protected him. They cared about him.

And he’d been plotting their deaths with Ares—a god who
would sooner spit on him than utter one word not filled with disdain.

Flip doubled over, hands on his knees, trying desperately to
breathe.
What have I done?

“Phillip, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me.” Jill wrapped her
arm around his shoulders.

Flip’s immediate reaction to her kindness was to heave. How
could he have ever wanted to rid the world of humans? When the warmth of her
embrace broke through his horror, he slowly straightened his spine and took in
the beauty all around him, as though seeing it for the first time.

The faint music escaping through a window far above them. The
smell of fresh pastries wafting through the air. Laughter from a group of late
night revelers exiting the bar down the street.

And the serene beauty of the woman at his side.

“There’s something I need to do. Can I take you back to the
hotel? I won’t be gone long,” Flip said, filled with a determination he’d not
felt in a very long time.

Jill scrunched her forehead in the most adorable way, as
though she couldn’t decide whether or not he was crazy. “Phillip, you go do
whatever it is you need to. I can get back to the hotel by myself.”

Flip stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. She must
have had more to say. No one could possibly be that kind and understanding, at
least not to him. When she did nothing more than smile, he asked, “You’re not
mad?”

Her hand grazed his arm as she spoke. “No. I can see that
whatever is going on is important to you. If, at some point, you want to talk about
it, I’m here for you.” She placed a gentle kiss on his lips, gave him one last
smile, and headed back toward the hotel.

Flip wanted nothing more at that moment than to sweep her up
in his arms and confess everything: what he really was and what plan he’d been
a part of. But he couldn’t. Not yet. If he had any chance of saving his
friends—oh, how he liked the sound of that word—he needed them to trust him.
For that, he would need to lie a little while longer.

As soon as Jill turned the corner,
Flip
teleported. He only hoped he wasn’t too late.