Destined for a Deity (Mark of Mars)

by Juliet Anderson

  Sifting through the mail, there was nothing of particular interest. Her solicitor took care of almost all the estate issues in her absence and her finances were healthy. The place really did run itself. Staring at the side table that contained numerous family photographs, her mind started to wander. It was the picture of her mother holding her as a baby that got her thinking. The attic was jammed full of old trunks and boxes that she could never bring herself to get rid of.

  She dashed upstairs to the top floor and climbed the rickety stairs to the attic. No-one had been up there for a while. The trunks were all neatly stacked, some were even labelled. The joys of having such an organised mother. She eventually found the one she was looking for. Opening the lid cautiously, she peeked in at the contents. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she realised the basket inside although it had only been around for eighteen years, was in fact made two thousand years ago. Likewise her baby sheets and gown were all still perfect. They were of the best cotton naturally, she was after all noble born. They were the only items that linked her to her past.

  Jenna felt a surge of guilt run through her. Her father. Trajan would be upset by her departure, in fact she should have warned Cassandra. But then she wasn’t really thinking clearly when she left. And no-one connected to McVale knew Trajan was her father. She had run out on her natural parents, her temple, Julius and her new friends. And Senator Aurelius and family; better known as the Gods of Olympus. She let out a frustrated groan. Life was just too complicated at times.

  Back in her bedroom, Jenna turned on her tablet to send a quick message to Amelia. Staring at her from the screen was a photo of Marcus. She almost dropped the tablet in shock, she’d completely forgotten she’d taken it when he was at McVale that one time. The photo held her captive for a long time as she recalled every inch of his face, in fact if she closed her eyes she could imagine him holding her. Those blasted tears started again.

  “You cannot be serious, Mars,” Juno pleaded with her son. “You want to go through the gateway as an immortal?”

  “Yes, mother. I have to find Jenna.”

  “What if you cannot?”

  “Then I will stay until I do.”

  “Rome needs its founder.”

  “Not as much as I need Jenna. She is the missing part of my life, without her I am just a shell.”

  Juno threw her hands up and looked at Minerva. “Can you not dissuade him?”

  “No. I’m going with him.”

  “Not you too?” Juno wailed. “Will I have any children left?”

  “At last count Mercury, Apollo, Vulcan, Diana and Venus will remain.”

  “I shall have to ask your father to put an end to this madness,” Juno refused to be beaten.

  “You are forgetting that Jenna holds the key to our future,” Minerva responded. “We are not going for idle curiosity, we have to secure our longevity.”

  “If she is not at the Institute, where will you know to look?”

  “Her home is in Acquae Sulis,” Mars spoke up. He had already considered her options. He was pretty sure she would have left McVale, not just for her own protection but for theirs as well.

  “You are both forgetting you have duties as Gods and should not be throwing away your existence on some wild chase.”

  “We will be fine, mother,” Mars kissed her forehead. “The only problem I might have is bringing Minerva back. Once she sees the opportunities available in Jenna’s time zone, we might lose her permanently. Although that is not an altogether bad thing.” He winced as his sister punched his arm.

  Behind his joke lay one worried man. Getting through the gateway would be no problem, he could compel Gaius if necessary. It was getting Professor Daniels to take him to Jenna if she was off the island which could prove tricky. He had absolutely no idea about their methods of travel and how long it would take them.

  He had just the once slim chance of persuading her to forgive him and return to Rome. It was torture waiting one more day, Minerva had insisted on it. If they rushed over there too soon, Jenna may not be ready to meet with them. On this occasion, he agreed to bow to his sister’s knowledge of the workings of the female mind.

  Professor Daniels headed back to the Medical Wing, he had been summoned by Dr Poulssen.

  “You have something for me?” he asked the doctor.

  “Yes. I’ve completed my analysis on the blood on Jenna’s dress.”

  “Is it human?”

  “Sort of.”

  Daniels looked at him curiously. “What do you mean sort of? Either it is or it isn’t.”

  Dr Poulssen removed his glasses. “It has come from a living being, but not a regular human like us.”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  “You are aware that Jenna’s blood has some sort of mutation that means it continually repairs itself.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I think we found the source. This blood is incredible, its cell structures are so complex, the regeneration is almost instant, it is truly a miracle to see under a microscope.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Whoever this came from is no ordinary mortal. Please don’t quote me on this, but I would hazard a guess the owner is immortal.”

  “Immortals do not exist,” Professor Daniels responded slowly.

  “I know. But you asked me who the blood could have come from. If you prefer, I can confirm the blood is not human or animal. Is that better?”

  Professor Daniels returned to his study. Something was not right. Jenna had returned ranting about immortals, the blood on her dress was not strictly human. What the hell had happened in Rome?

  Trajan looked up as Augustus entered his study. The young Captain appeared even more subdued than before. “Is something worrying you, Augustus?”

  “I have just heard about Jenna from my brother,” he said miserably.

  “What about her?” Trajan responded with caution.

  “That she left the city for good two days ago. Amelia too.”

  Trajan stood up slowly. “Are you telling me Jenna has left Rome and no-one has seen fit to tell me until now?”

  “I have only just heard about it,” Augustus mumbled. With both of them gone, it was unlikely Amelia would return

  “Order out the guard. I ride for Apollo’s temple immediately,” Trajan snapped. He could not believe Jenna would leave without saying a word. She was involved with his projects. And Marcus. “And send word for Marshall Vilnus that I want to see him too.”

  Trajan was striding into Apollo’s temple a very short while later, giving Cassandra an almighty shock.

  “Emperor Trajan,” she dropped into a courtesy.

  “Where is Jenna?” he barked.

  “She has left,” Cassandra kept her eyes downcast.

  “For where? Arula?”

  “I think she and Amelia might have been headed for Athens before returning to Arula.” Cassandra had to think on her feet. The last thing she needed was the Emperor asking for a detailed location of where Arula actually was.

  “Had she been planning this trip?”

  “No. Amelia was leaving and after Jenna had rather a strong falling out with Marshall Vilnus, she just up and left as well.”

  Augustus headed into the temple, ignoring the warning that no weapons were allowed inside. He was there after all to protect the Emperor. Although the most dangerous thing in the temple was probably the damn cat.

  “Ares,” Augustus spotted the kitten running around.

  Trajan looked at him bemused. “What about Ares?”

  “That is the name of Jenna’s cat.” He pointed to the black ball of fur. “She dotes on that animal. There is no way she would abandon it permanently. She’ll arrange to have him transferred to wherever she is.”

  “Has anyone tracked down the Marshall yet?” Trajan’s temper was starting to get stretched.

  “He has not been seen in the city for a few days either.” Augustus took a step back out of self-preserva
tion.

  “I think he might have gone after Jenna,” Cassandra waded in. Not that she knew what had fully gone on, just that not everything was as it seemed.

  “I want a group of our best soldiers sent out immediately to try and intercept Jenna. If she has a few days head start, then they need to ride day and night,” Trajan ordered.

  “What do you want them to do when they find her?”

  “I want my daughter brought back to Rome,” Trajan roared. “Her place is here and not some foreign land.”

  Augustus and Cassandra stared after Trajan as he stalked back out the temple.

  “Did he just say Jenna was his daughter?” Augustus needed to check he had heard right.

  “Yes,” Cassandra replied. “I knew Jenna had recently discovered she was adopted, that she was Roman born, but she only ever mentioned her birth mother. Now I understand why.”

  “This would explain a great deal,” Augustus ran his hand through his hair nervously. Amongst other things, he knew it was Jenna who had asked for his father to be recalled from Britannia. “But for Jenna’s sake, this information has to be kept secret.”

  “I understand. A revelation like that could get her killed,” Cassandra was in a daze. At least now she know why Trajan was always wanting to see her. It was paternal interest only.

  Back at the Palace, Augustus spoke to General Dexter to arrange a group of elite soldiers to track down Jenna. Hopefully they would do a better job than the Marshall.

  CHAPTER 19

  Mars hurried into his temple, with Minerva by his side. He was both nervous and eager to get through the gateway.

  “Marshall Vilnus,” Gaius came out to meet him.

  “I need you to open the gateway, Gaius. I want to see Jenna.”

  “That is not possible. Jenna is no longer with the Institute.”

  “Then I will see Professor Daniels.”

  “It is not a good idea for you to go through. Each time you do, you could be affecting history.”

  “We will be affecting history if I do not. Jenna needs to return to her correct time.”

  “I cannot take that risk.”

  Mars was expecting some obstruction from Gaius, the guy had a student and institute to protect. “You are a servant of Mars, are you not?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you are honour bound to obey his command.”

  “I am.” Gaius wondered where the Marshall was going with this. What he never expected to see was for the Marshall to turn gold.

  “Then as your God, I am ordering you to open the gateway,” Mars said coolly.

  Gaius was quiet dumbstruck. Was this what Jenna had seen? A shimmering golden being was standing right in front of him, yet still his mind was trying to dispute the fact.

  “The gateway, Gaius,” Mars barked.

  “I…I cannot let the lady through,” Gaius responded nervously.

  Minerva turned into her immortal form. “Goddess not lady,” she smiled.

  Gaius punched in some codes and led them through the gateway. “I will take you down to Daniels’ office,” Gaius mumbled. He was pleased they had both turned back to their mortal form, it was far less frightening.

  Knocking on the door, he entered the Professor’s office. “You have visitors,” he announced before making a hasty exit.

  Professor Daniels stood up. “Marshall Vilnus, I was half expecting this visit.” He looked enquiringly at the woman.

  “This is my sister,” Mars responded. “We are here obviously to see Jenna.”

  “Regrettably she is no longer at the Institute.”

  “Has she returned to Acquae Sulis?” Mars tried to recall the name it was now called. “Bath is it not?”

  “Yes. But I am sure you must be aware, I cannot let you off this island.”

  “May I ask why?”

  “Civilisation has advanced a great deal in the last two thousand years. Your mind may not be able to cope with the changes.”

  Mars gave a smug grin. “Actually, Professor, I have a feeling it is you who may not be able to cope.” Both he and his sister transformed to their immortal selves. “I do believe you once asked Jenna for proof of the Gods’ existence. I hope this satisfies your curiosity.”

  Professor Daniels’ mouth opened and shut several times without any sound coming out. It was not possible, yet the proof was standing right in front of him. Two bone-fide Gods. Well a God and Goddess to be accurate. No wonder poor Jenna freaked out. “Fascinating,” the Professor finally spoke. He looked at Mars’ sister. “Minerva I’m guessing?”

  “You are correct,” she smiled. “Now before we get too side-tracked. We need to find Jenna.”

  “Marshall…sorry, Mars is quite correct in that she has returned to her family home.”

  “Then let us leave right away,” Mars insisted.

  “Firstly, I need to check with Jenna that she is happy to see you. If she is, then I need to decide how best to get you there with as little interaction with our citizens as possible.” He glanced at their clothing. “We will source some clothes for you as you do stand out rather at the moment.”

  Amelia bounded into the office a few minutes later. “You wanted to see me, Prof….” she stopped in her tracks when she saw his visitors.

  “I believe you already know our guests,” Professor Daniels smiled.

  Mars was beside Amelia in a flash. “You have seen Jenna?”

  “Yeah. After you terrified her half to death.” Amelia took a step back. “She was hallucinating big time, what did you give…..” Amelia’s eyes almost popped out her head as she saw the Marshall change before her eyes. “Oh shit, you really are one.”

  “A God? Yes.”

  “That doesn’t excuse your behaviour. Jenna has no intention of going back to Rome, so you should leave her well alone.”

  “Sadly that is not possible. Our lives have been linked from the day she was born. But rest assured, I mean her no harm.”

  “I was wondering, Amelia,” Professor Daniels took hold of the conversation before it went the wrong way. “If you could lend Minerva some of Jenna’s clothing that she has left. We are paying her a visit and I think it would be best if our guests tried to blend in as much as possible.”

  “Sure,” she glowered at Mars before speaking to the Professor in English. “I’m sure I could find a nice sequinned dress for the Marshall to wear.”

  Daniels laughed and wagged his finger at her. “We will meet you back in the main hall.”

  Jenna heard the helicopter and headed to the front door as it landed on the south lawn. Her heart was pounding like crazy, she was more than a little apprehensive at meeting Marcus again. Or Mars. Both actually. A wave of relief swept over her as she saw Arianna get out first. A least someone was around to try and keep Marcus in line.

  As they approached, she noticed the clothes they were wearing. Marcus definitely suited twenty-first century outfits.

  “Jenna,” Arianna leant in and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”

  “You are always welcome,” she smiled back.

  “Your home is quite stunning,” Arianna appraised it from a distance.

  “Thank you.” Jenna glanced at the helicopter, from which Professor Daniels was getting out. “How did you enjoy your trip?”

  “Very interesting, albeit rather noisy.”

  “We do have quieter methods of travel, although not so fast.” She waited until Professor Daniels had joined them. “Come on inside.”

  Mrs Grainger was hovering in the entrance hall. “Could you rustle up some tea for us in the living room?” Jenna smiled sweetly.

  “Of course,” the housekeeper swept off. It was so rare to have visitors these days.

  Jenna turned to Professor Daniels. “Why don’t you and Arianna take a seat in the living room. I believe Marcus and I have a few issues to settle.”

  He nodded and took Arianna into the room opposite. Jenna ushered a rather silent Marcus into the study. He sto
od staring out the French windows onto the gardens for the longest time, as though searching for the right words.