Destined for a Deity (Mark of Mars)

by Juliet Anderson

  Florentina was kept busy with the children, but her gaze often followed Luke. He was unlike anyone she had met before. Occasionally he would look up and catch her watching. His smile said it all. She was disappointed when it was time to leave, her time with him would soon be over.

  “The light will be fading soon, so we should get going,” Luke rested his hand on her arm.

  “Fine,” Florentina smiled. She noticed they walked a little slower on the way back, neither of them apparently keen to get into the city centre.

  Luke stopped in the shadows of a quiet forum a short walk from Florentina’s home. “I want to kiss you goodbye.”

  “I want you to as well,” she wrapped her arms around him.

  Held so tight against him, Florentina could feel his heart beating, it was almost as fast as hers. His body too was very firm, and her imagination was running riot. For a temple priest, he was not as innocent as she thought. Quite wonderful.

  “I should go,” she murmured against his lips.

  “I know, but I don’t want you to,” he kissed her again.

  Her legs were feeling very weak. If she did not stop this now, she would be in trouble. She eventually found the willpower to pull away.

  “When can I see you again?” he asked.

  “I will try and drop by the temple tomorrow, if I can get away.”

  “Does your mother keep a close eye on you?”

  “When she is at home, yes. But luckily for me she spends a great deal of time at the Baths,” Florentina smiled shyly.

  “Do not risk the anger of your parents,” he kissed her cheek. “I am patient.”

  “I am not,” Florentina sighed.

  Luke walked her the rest of the way to her home. “I will see you soon,” he smiled as she crossed the courtyard to the front door. Life in Rome has suddenly taken a dramatic turn for the good. But he was living dangerously. He had survived the glare and threat of Marshall Vilnus, now to risk the wrath of General Tiberius. But it was Florentina who had sought him out. And it felt good.

  CHAPTER 22

  Jenna pulled up her jeep in front of the house.

  “I thought you’d be driving a Landrover,” Professor Daniels eyed the vehicle.

  “Do you know what the insurance on a Landrover is for an eighteen year old?” Jenna retorted. Marcus and Arianna were staring at the car strangely. “Your chariot,” she grinned.

  She sat Marcus in the front passenger seat and belted him in. Professor Daniels took care of Arianna in the back.

  Marcus stayed remarkably quiet as Jenna drove into the centre of Bath. She had a feeling he was probably in a state of shock. She gave them the scenic tour.

  “On your right is one of my favourite parks. It is gorgeous in summer time.” She then made a small diversion. “This is one of the most famous addresses in the whole of the country. The Royal Crescent.”

  “It has well situated. It is one residence?” Arianna asked.

  “No. It has many.” She continued in through the city centre. There was utterly no point referencing the Assembly Rooms and other Georgian highlights, it would be completely meaningless to them.

  Having parked up, she took Marcus’ hand and led him through the busy streets, Arianna and the Professor followed behind.

  “I thought we’d do the shopping first,” Jenna announced.

  “You lead, we follow,” Arianna responded. Her eyes were everywhere, the city was positively fascinating. “What is it everyone is holding to their ear?”

  “That is our means of communication.”

  “A small tablet?”

  Jenna fished her mobile out. “Wait here with Professor Daniels a moment.” She headed down a side street with Marcus and dialled the Professor’s mobile. “Put Arianna on,” she instructed and passed the phone to Marcus. “Speak to your sister.”

  Watching Marcus’ face was a picture as he heard his sister’s voice. “How does this work?”

  “Science stuff,” Jenna shrugged and took him back to Arianna and the Professor. “We can talk to people on the other side of the world via these. Now shopping.” She led them into her favourite department store, Jollys. “Professor, did you want to take Marcus upstairs to the men’s department?”

  “What did you want him to get?”

  “A couple of pairs of jeans, preferably one black, some skinny tops or shirts and boxers. And perhaps some footwear.”

  Jenna turned around to Arianna, she was already riffling through a rack of dresses. “These clothes are stunning.”

  “Yep.”

  By the time Arianna headed to the changing room, Jenna’s arms were overflowing. Arianna was a woman who clearly liked her clothes. They eventually settled on a pair of white trousers with navy top and a pair of light denims with a light pink shirt. Underwear was also selected as was night clothes. Selecting shoes was hilarious as Arianna had never worn heels and kept overbalancing.

  “I will get the hang of these,” she hissed at Jenna. “I am a Goddess, I can conquer anything.”

  “How about one pair of flats and one with heels?” Jenna opted for a compromise.

  “Fine.”

  She thought she’d never get Arianna away from the cosmetic counters. It wasn’t so much the make-up, but the perfume that had her completely fascinated.

  “You have so much available,” Arianna marvelled. “Is it expensive?”

  “It depends on what you are buying.”

  “This one smells divine,” she sighed dreamily.

  “Chanel No. 5,” Jenna grinned. Romans liked the headier scents for their perfume.

  They finally met up with Marcus and the Professor and headed over to pay for everything. Marcus was watching intently as she produced her bank card.

  “You pay with that?”

  “Yes. Another joy of the modern world.” She handed the shopping bags over to Marcus and Arianna. “Your clothes, you can carry them.”

  Arianna was only too happy, Marcus looked less pleased.

  “Where to now?” Professor Daniels asked.

  “You mentioned the Baths?” Arianna smiled.

  “Oh yes. It is only fair to let you see what remains of Rome in this city.”

  Standing outside the Baths, Marcus attention was drawn to the Abbey. “This is a place of worship?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your God?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would they build it close to a Roman site?”

  “Good question. I think the Roman site was buried at the time, and a place of worship has stood here for centuries. The Abbey itself is very old too.”

  Peering over the wall to the Baths, Marcus and Arianna looked down on the ancient remains. “This is what remains of our Baths?”

  “Yes. If you want to get a closer look, we can go in.” Jenna put a restraining arm on Marcus. “Via the front entrance.”

  She paid the admittance fee. “Did you want audio guides?” the cashier asked.

  “Do you have any in Latin?”

  “Latin?” the cashier gave her a blank look.

  “Yeah. It was the language they used to speak here a couple of millennia ago.”

  “No.”

  Jenna took Marcus’ hand and ushered him straight down to the ruins. There was no point looking at anything else. He was very silent. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine. It is strange to think this is all that remains of Acquae Sulis.”

  “Whilst not many of the buildings remain, Rome shaped this barbaric outland. Had you not invaded, we would probably still be living in mud huts. Besides, we are still digging up Roman artefacts from all over the country.”

  Arianna stopped by a stone carving of Minerva. “Do you see a likeness?” she giggled.

  “You’ll be glad to know that you are nothing like that image.”

  Arianna raced over to Minerva’s wishing well. “People still honour me?” she beamed.

  “Yes, whilst we may not worship the Roman Gods, people still make an offering. I think
just in case.”

  “In case of what?”

  “In case they do exist.”

  Jenna turned to see two well-dressed men staring at them intently. She gave them a polite smile.

  “Please forgive the intrusion,” one spoke in English “but we have never heard Latin spoken as a living language.”

  “My friends here do not speak English. It’s kind of a common language we share.”

  “It is most unusual to find someone who does not speak English. But the Latin is just so fluent. Where are they from?”

  “A rather remote mountain village in Italy.”

  “Although the lady did make one mistake. She asked if people still honour her. Not Minerva.”

  Arianna turned and gave them a beautiful smile before her eyes flashed gold for a moment. It appears she had vaguely followed the man’s query.

  “Behave,” Jenna hissed, moving her on.

  “Should people not know that we exist?”

  “No. Enough people have died in the name of religion. If we were to prove that you still existed, it would cause world-wide chaos.”

  “Why?”

  “Because not only would people start questioning their own religion, Governments would panic. Our deities do not walk among us or have powers that can topple armies. It would cause a major war or two.”

  “An interesting concept. We will talk more on it later.

  Jenna decided it was perhaps time to leave before a major incident occurred at the Baths. She could just see the headlines. Minerva returns to Bath.

  “How about we have lunch in the park down by the river? It’s a glorious day so why waste it,” Jenna suggested. She stopped at a small French bakery and picked up a selection of sandwiches, drinks and patisseries.

  Sitting on the grass by the banks of the River Avon in Parade Gardens with two Roman Gods was a bit surreal. Marcus was stretched out, lying on his side, and looked very much as ease.

  “How are you finding it all?” Jenna asked.

  “Your world certainly does have a lot to offer,” Arianna remarked. “Almost everything is made for you.”

  “I guess it can seem like that.”

  “The variety of stores and what you can buy is staggering.”

  “Sadly though, we have developed technology that means we do not even have to visit stores any more. I can have almost everything delivered to my house without even setting foot outside of it.”

  “And that is bad?”

  “It can be. Whilst it means we can buy things when we do not have time to shop, it also means that smaller, more unique stores are failing because they do not get the custom.”

  “You no longer have markets?”

  “Oh yes, we love markets. But even those are becoming harder to find.”

  “How do you decide what you want to drink?” Arianna picked up one of the bottles. “You have so much to choose from.”

  Jenna opened a bottle of Coke and gave it to Arianna. “Try this. It is one of the most popular drinks around.”

  Marcus laughed as his sister took a huge gulp and virtually snorted Coke out her nose in a very unladylike fashion.

  “Sorry. I forgot to mention it is carbonated.”

  “Which is?”

  “Fizzy.” Jenna passed the bottle to Marcus. “Take a small taste.”

  “Delicious but strange.”

  Jenna passed some iced tea to Arianna. “This one has no bubbles.”

  Marcus was staring up river at Pulteney Bridge. “Do people actually live in those dwellings above the water?”

  “Yes, although the majority are shops of some sort. It is not common though, there is only one other bridge that has housing on it. Strangely enough, it is in Italy.”

  Sitting in the park gave Marcus and Arianna the perfect opportunity to study their surroundings. Arianna’s eyes were fixed on a young toddler who was teetering along the grass, bending every now and then to pick a daisy. The child waddled over and gave a flower to Arianna.

  “Thank…you,” Arianna said haltingly in English.

  Jenna glanced over at her and smiled. Her first English words. “You’ve made a friend, Arianna.”

  The child squealed happily and toddled back to its mother.

  “She is so adorable,” Arianna sighed, stuffing a French apple tart into her mouth. “I really must take one of your cooks back home. These sweet things are to die for.”

  “Even Goddesses can get tubby,” Marcus sniggered.

  “Can they?” Jenna gasped. “What good is immortality if you have to watch your weight continually? I thought you stayed slim and beautiful for ever.”

  “If only,” Marcus snorted. “You’ve not yet met all our family. We have some true howlers amongst us.”

  “Don’t be horrid,” Arianna told her brother off. “I could say the same about some of the male specimens we have.”

  Jenna shook her head, they were no different to a modern family, bickering continually.

  After lunch, they headed up the steps out the park. Just as they reached the top, they heard an ear-splitting scream. The mother of the toddler, who was also leaving the park, had apparently got distracted by her phone and hadn’t seen the child step out into the road into the path of an oncoming bus.

  Jenna’s stomach knotted as she knew the outcome. A flash of golden light said otherwise. Arianna’s maternal instincts would not let that happen. A split second later she was standing on the other side of the road with the toddler in her arms. The toddler was squealing with delight, tugging on Arianna’s blond hair. Jenna gesticulated wildly at her, she was shimmering rather brightly. Arianna changed back crossing over the road and deposited the child with a very grateful, if not rather startled mother.

  “Perhaps we might meet again sometime, little one,” Arianna ran a finger down the toddler’s cheek.

  “Can we go,” Jenna said softly. “We’ve drawn rather a lot of attention.”

  They hurried down the road, luckily the jeep was not far away.

  “I am sorry, Jenna. I could not let that child get hurt,” Arianna looked quite apologetic.

  “I understand,” Jenna looked at Marcus. “I did the same once when a young boy I know fell in the Tiber. Although I didn’t have an immortal form.”

  “Just a rather delicious form,” Marcus whispered in her ear.

  Jenna blushed as she got into the jeep. She remembered that day very well, it was when Marcus found her birthmark.

  Home was a welcome sight, at last she didn’t have to worry too much about keeping Arianna and Marcus out of trouble.

  “Can we spend some time alone,” Marcus asked as they headed inside.

  “Of course. Did you want to go for a walk?”

  “I’d rather we went to my room,” he took hold of her hand. “I need to check if you approve of my new clothes,” his eyes twinkled.

  “If you two plan to ride later, count me in,” Arianna announced sweeping upstairs.

  “I need to contact McVale,” Professor Daniels added. “Am I right in thinking we’re returning tomorrow?”

  “I want at least one more day here,” Arianna’s voice echoed down the stairs.

  “Should Marcus not get back to Rome?” Jenna replied.

  “My family will make sure the city is kept trouble free,” Marcus intervened.

  “I guess we return the day after tomorrow then,” Jenna looked at Professor Daniels. “Are we able to keep you one day more?”

  “I’m in no rush to get back,” he answered. It wasn’t every day he got to spend time in the presence of Roman deities.

  Marcus led her upstairs, his mouth was on hers as soon as his room door shut. “I have been wanting to do this all day,” he groaned and he held her tight.

  “That makes two of us,” she breathed. “Now put on some of your new clothes so I can inspect.”

  Marcus appeared a few minutes later in skin tight black jean and a white shirt. “Does this meet with your approval?”