“Archer?” Callie asked in a worried voice, her eyes darting to him and then to a man standing between our cars and us.
It was Hermes, his arms crossed, looking, as always, arrogantly pleased with himself. He always felt privileged at being Zeus’s go-to man, servant of sorts, but in all honesty, I didn’t find honor in constantly following through on Zeus’s every whim. Everyone knew, except for the knave himself, that Zeus kept him occupied so he’d stay out of trouble. His service was a punishment.
Hermes eyed us all, barely acknowledging Callie, and then said, “We should have a talk…Archer.” I thought for a moment he’d call him Eros, but he was simply toying with us.
“Now?” Archer challenged, gripping onto Callie’s hand, reminding Hermes we were in mixed company.
Hermes examined Callie like a specimen and shot her an obviously fake smile. “It’ll just take a sec,” he said pleasantly back. His gallantry was unnerving. He was never nice.
“Callie, get in the car. I’ll be there in a minute,” Archer told her softly.
“No,” she said worriedly, eyeing Hermes as one would Tartarus himself, a primordial god who named a part of the Underworld after himself, the place no being would ever want to end up.
“He’s my grandfather’s servant. Grandpa’s private about things,” Archer explained craftily, not lying to her.
It was clear Callie didn’t believe him.
“I swear.” He put his hand up. He shot a silent but commanding look to Belle.
Archer’s driver watched from the car with an anxious expression. My car was parked behind Archer’s. I handed my keys to Ada.
“Come on, Callie, we’ll talk about them while we wait,” Belle said in a bubbly tone and opened the door to the car. The two girls climbed into his car, while Ada and Thalia climbed into my car.
Hermes raised his brow, questioning my presence.
“Witnessing,” I answered his unspoken question as we walked away from the cars.
“Oh, I don’t think there will be a need for that.” Hermes laughed in his haughty way.
“Oh, I think there will be,” I countered. “Only half the time do your messages make it back verbatim, and even then, there are high exaggerations to one’s tone. I can’t lie, and so I make the best witness.”
“Have it your way.” Hermes turned to Archer. “Zeus says stop meddling with the mortal. He wishes you to give her up.”
Archer’s fists clenched, and his face went deathly pale. I wasn’t sure what he would do, but Hermes awaited an answer.
“Did he say why?” I ventured, trying to buy time.
“Does he need to?” Hermes challenged.
“Might help Archer’s decision if there’s a grounded reason behind it, that’s all.”
“No, it won’t.” Archer glared at me stubbornly, his eyes an eerie blue with the ephemeral light that shimmers when he feels any intense emotion. Archer was going to go wild. His anger was building and seething. I was afraid he’d expose his powers in front of Callie.
“It would still be nice to know why,” I said slowly to Archer, hoping to put the point across in my tone for him to stay in control.
“It can’t be hard to let a toy go, no matter how appealing it may be,” said Hermes.
“She’s not a toy.” Archer’s glare shifted to Hermes.
Hermes backed up a step. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“I will shoot you, throttle you, strangle you. I’ll do whatever I want to you,” Archer growled through clenched teeth, stepping closer to him.
“The mortal is watching,” Hermes said smugly.
Archer peered into the car, then turned quickly away. He focused on the ground and, struggling to be calm, said, “Tell Zeus that I regret I cannot acquiesce to his wishes at the present moment.”
“He’s not going to like that,” Hermes said in a singsong voice.
“That’s your problem,” Archer hissed and stormed toward the car.
I looked at Hermes sheepishly and shrugged.
“You’d tell him to ditch her if you wanted what’s best for him,” Hermes warned as I walked away.
“And you’d tell me why he should if you wanted me to help Zeus,” I countered back as I knocked on the window for Thalia to lower it. “But I’m sure you have no clue, just always blindly following orders without knowing why.”
Hermes glared at me, his jaw set, and I turned my attention back to the girls. “Ladies, I better keep an eye on Archer.”
I let them take my car, and I squeezed into Archer’s. Belle made room by sitting on my lap. Out the window, I saw Hermes walk away toward the nearby alley so he could inconspicuously disappear.
“What was that about?” Callie asked me.
Archer stared out the window away from her. She must have tried him and Belle and received no answer. Belle stared at Archer, frightened and astounded. I really wanted to figure out what she knew about the situation. The Charities had come from Fiji. Had Zeus ordered them here for some specific reason besides spying?
I shook my head at Callie to warn her not to press him at the moment, and she sighed in frustration.
“Rupert, home,” Archer commanded.
The car lurched forward. We were all silent.
Callie suddenly turned to Archer, grabbed his chin, and pulled him to face her. She searched his face for something. “What is it?”
His eyes were still alight. “Nothing,” he said, trying to put on a smile.
“Your eyes don’t lie,” she said quietly. She met his gaze shakily but determined.
They stared at one another for a while, neither breaking the stare or blinking. The internal fire in his eyes dimmed down and simmered out. Her gaze appeared strong and probing, making me fear for her own sake how much she could perceive. It was eerie that she could behold our gaze. Usually, people could only glimpse at us, unconsciously overwhelmed by our intensity. And she was so perceptive, her comment exposing that she could see the light in his eyes most mortals couldn’t.
Archer took her face gently in his hands. “Stay in the dark, Callie. Please?” Archer begged her. I couldn’t comprehend what it meant on a personal level. What had he told her? It seemed painfully similar to Psyche, who had failed to remain literally and figuratively in the dark when Archer visited her.
“What is going on?” Callie pressed. “That man upset you.”
Archer tried to smile, but the effort was futile. He was feigning his upbeat and positive attitude for her. His rage and fright were seething beneath the surface. Belle shifted uncomfortably on my lap. She turned to me for answers. I shrugged.
“Callie, please. Stay in the dark. You don’t want to know anything about my grandfather. You agreed not to pry,” he warned her. His tone was no longer soft or joking. He was dead serious, and from Callie’s reaction, he had never reproached her like that before.
I didn’t understand what he meant exactly or how much he had told her about his life, but Callie nodded solemnly, seemingly understanding him. Somehow, they had encoded silences already. He kissed her passionately to appease her, which forced me to look away, so I turned my attention back to Belle, who bit her lip trying not to laugh at the awkwardness of the situation. I squeezed her hand, happy to not feel alone in that moment. She thought they were adorable, but she might change her mind if she found out Zeus’s order.
Belle’s eyes searched mine for an answer, and I couldn’t ignore her forever. I pulled her closer, her ear to my lips, and whispered in immortal speed so that if Callie somehow overheard, she could not discern my words. “Zeus ordered him to quit her. He refused. I don’t understand why the demand was made in the first place, do you? Obviously, you were all sent here for a reason.”
Belle shook her head to suggest otherwise. Then, taking the same precaution not to be overheard as I had, she said, “We were told to simply watch him, observe him and the mortal, and report. I have no idea what is going on, I swear. I don’t know what to do if he won’t give her up.”
I sighed in frustration. She did as well.
“I won’t do it, Lucien,” Archer said, his attention still on Callie, smoothing her hair. He must have been listening to us as he kissed Callie. “I won’t,” he repeated, glancing at me over her shoulder with conviction. They were the last words he said to me before I left for Nice early the next morning.
I was beginning to see how the “everything as we know it will change forever” prophecy would unfold. If Zeus did anything to Callie, I could imagine Archer lashing out against him. His mother would defend him and, by default, his father. No one messed with Ares. He, if anyone, was a match for Zeus’s power. I could imagine this going horribly wrong. I needed to discover who Callie was in order to understand Zeus’s command. The question was, could I find the answers in time before the prophecy occurred, before Zeus would cause irrevocable damage?
Chapter 12Callie
I hardly wanted to get up. There was something I had to do that I was dreading (well, a few things that I dreaded). First on my agenda was to go over to Emily’s and make whatever amends I could. I had known she liked Archer, but she never bothered to notice (or cared) that I did as well. It wouldn’t be a pretty situation.
Second, my schoolbooks were staring me down. I hadn’t finished any of my homework, and I was still behind since I’d missed the first six weeks of the school year. Every time I made a good attempt to catch up, I’d slip behind again because Archer was sucking up all my time (don’t get me wrong; I enjoyed the distraction). I had at least three hours straight of homework due tomorrow and a lab report due on Wednesday, and one of our lab partners was AWOL, having fun in France.
On top of this, I had been neglecting my dad. I needed to spend more time with him, so we were going to dinner. I felt childish and selfish because all I wanted to do was be with Archer. As much as it pained me, I needed balance in my life. I couldn’t fight with or dismiss friends and family for a boy.
I got up. Better to get the day over with so I could enjoy dinner with Dad.
I dialed Linda’s cell. “Hey, it’s Callie.”
“Oh.” She was surprised to hear from me.
“Are you still at Emily’s?”
“Ye-ah,” she hesitated. This was not good. They must have been trash-talking me all night. I could tell from her tone (great, just great).
“I need to talk to her.”
“Uh…hang on.” Linda covered the phone. I heard muffled voices (so childish).
“Callie?” Emily’s voice came on the phone.
“I was calling to see if you needed help, you know, cleaning up and all.” I felt so awkward. I was afraid she’d start yelling at me.
“Uh, sure. Come over if you want,” she said just as awkwardly. Maybe I was lucky, and she forgot everything that happened last night. The phone was silent for a moment, and then she sighed deeply. “Look, I’m sorry, Callie. I was ridiculous last night. I drank way too much and said some terrible things, but I am a little upset. I’ve had a crush on Archer since the first time I saw him in ninth grade. Then you show up, and he’s with you right away.”
“I’m sorry,” was all I could say.
Emily sighed again. “Just come on over.” Then she hung up.
Great, now I felt guilty for my attraction to Archer when it was natural and just. Emily couldn’t have claims on him when Archer wasn’t interested. She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would understand that, though.
I nervously headed over to Emily’s house, but the anxiety was pointless. She was nice to me, almost too nice, as if last night had never happened. My intuition told me she was being fake. She was keeping me close, perhaps to get closer to Archer, and then she’d try to steal him. Her mind was like an open book—her thoughts so apparent and so loud that I wondered why Linda did not question her behavior. I would keep her close as well to make sure she wouldn’t try to break us up.
The house was a mess, and we chatted about nonsense while we cleaned up. Emily’s parents had gone away for the weekend, so it was vital that all party evidence be removed. I could never dare to defy my dad like that, but I wasn’t really like Emily at all. Our differences were becoming obvious, and while I wasn’t sure I really wanted to be her friend anymore, I didn’t have many close friends yet. I had many acquaintances but still felt a bit like an outsider. Even with Archer’s friends, I felt like I was kept out of their secret, weird society.
At one point, I found myself alone with Emily while Linda was out on a dumpster run. Emily lost no time and got right to the point: “Did you know I liked him?”
“No. I mean, I thought you might have a little crush on him, but a bunch of girls do.” I told her the truth. “You never said anything to me about it.”
“Did he tell you I asked him out last year?”
“No,” was all I could say. Obviously, he must have refused her.
“He said he didn’t date. And he never has until now.” She wasn’t mad, but hurt, which was even worse. There was nothing I could possibly do to make her feel better. But what did she expect? It wasn’t as if they were together before I came along.
“I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.” I focused on picking up plastic cups.
“Do you really like him, like a lot?”
“Yes,” I told her firmly. Better to play it straight.
Emily smiled then. It was a forced smile but a smile nevertheless. “Good. You are nice and so very pretty. He deserves someone like you.”
“Um…thanks,” I muttered awkwardly as I got her unnecessary permission. My uncanny intuition told me I wouldn’t want to know her private thoughts, so I didn’t try to further read her.
“In other words, let’s forget about last night,” she added.
“Yes, please!” I sighed and then attempted to be kinder. “You should come sit with us at lunch, you and Linda.”
“Aroha doesn’t like us.”
“She doesn’t like anyone. Girls at least,” Linda said flatly, joining us again.
“And she’s visiting her dad overseas. You should usurp her little throne while she’s out of town.” I grinned wickedly at them.
They loved it, laughing.
“And if she throws a fit, we’ll start a new table without her.”
“Deal!” Emily smiled, shaking my hand. All seemed repaired between us, for now.
My homework took me ages that night, so long that I had to cancel dinner with Dad, and we had pizza delivered instead. I had to listen to a lecture about budgeting my time and not spending all my time improving my social life. He wasn’t mad, though, which was good. Dad hardly ever got mad. As of late, he didn’t have the energy to waste on anger.
The next day, I found myself alone with Archer in chemistry class since Lucien was away. We’d even become accustomed to riding to school together since Aroha was still visiting their father, who was stationed overseas. When questioned why he didn’t go as well, Archer was a little too curt, telling me that he didn’t get along with his father but using a string of curse words instead of “father.” I was forced to let it drop for the time being. I hated to admit that I was glad Lucien and Aroha were both gone. I enjoyed being alone with Archer, even though we were going over the periodic table and not working together on a lab. If we were working on a lab, it would be a glorious uninterrupted tête-à-tête, something I never got enough of at school.
“Go out with me tonight,” Archer said as soon as I was seated and the late bell chimed.
“Is that a request or a demand?”
“Demand.” His eyes narrowed into a very intimidating scowl.
“Where are we going?” I tried to suppress the smile that threatened to expose my deep-rooted weaknesses when it came to him.
“Not the movies,” he sighed, his cheeks blushing red and making him adorably school-boyish.
“No,” I said too quickly, “not the movies.”
Mr. Montgomery pulled down the periodic table chart with a loud bang, most likely to stop us chatterboxes
who refused to quiet down after the bell. The room grew silent in obedience.
Archer wasn’t paying attention to the front of the room, but staring at me, which I found extremely distracting. I dared to peer at him from the corner of my eyes, but he refused to look away, even after I shot him a glare.
“Stop it,” I whispered, trying not to be heard by Mr. Montgomery.
“Stop what?”
“Staring at me.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” I gave him another defiant glare, warning him he would be in trouble if he continued. “It’s very distracting.”
“So are you,” he shot back smugly. “You shouldn’t be allowed in public places. You could cause all sorts of mischief, distracting us guys.”
“Archer,” I scolded.
“What?” He played dumb.
“Shush, we’ll get in trouble.”
“Who cares?” He shrugged. Then he said, not as quietly as our previous conversation, “Let’s do something different tonight. No cafes, pool halls, movie theaters, homework in front of your ever-watchful dad—I dunno—like ice skating at Rockefeller Center, go to a club, or a museum—”
“A museum?” I asked, my curiosity sparked by the idea.
“Art, I dunno.” Self-consciousness crept in his voice and mannerisms. He was worried that I thought he was weird, almost ashamed at such a suggestion.
“I do like art,” I answered to alleviate his anxious ego.
“And I like you,” he mused in an odd tone, like an actor reading lines.
“And that was cheesy.” I laughed.
“It was from that atrocious film you tried to put me through.”
“I tried to put you through? You suggested it.”
“It really was awful, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” I affirmed, trying to figure out where I had left off in my notes, only to find I was now lost. “I never want to see that film again.”
Archer looked away, his posture going rigid and his brow wrinkled. He shifted silently in his seat twice, and then his eyes shot to me. I couldn’t read his mood swing, so I was expecting another joke from the movie we had seen when he said, “Callie, what do you want?”
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