It must have been strange for Derek not to consider Kala human, but he was the kind of soldier that took everything in and went with it. Derek’s period of adjustment on the stranger than fiction table was over and he was on board with anything that came his way. Derek was also practical. As much as he wanted to help Kala’s cause, his future safety was at stake. “This is my only way into the Compound and if it’s compromised, I’m screwed.”
Kala wasn’t about to let her friend be in the lurch like that. “Let’s go. Now.”
All of sudden Penny decided she wanted to be a part of the conversation. “No. We take care of this now.” She turned to Rotoph. “You promised!”
Kala could hear Derek groan. He always hated hysterics. Kala had to agree. It was annoying.
Owen was the calm one, though. “Promised what, Pandora?”
Even Owen knew who she truly was. It didn’t surprise Kala, but it made her wonder how small a circle this whole gods/angel/demon thing was.
“Tell them!” Penny ordered Rotoph.
Rotoph looked directly at Kala when he said, “I can take you to Zeus. I’m the one who freed him.” When Penny continued to stare him down, he added, “And Hephaestus.”
Hephaestus was definitely for Penny’s sake, but Zeus? Kala could feel the stirrings of hope rise up in her. Her guess had been correct: Rotoph had freed Zeus from the 5th Level of Hell. And now Kala would have a chance to confront him and make him take away her curse.
“When do we leave?” Kala was in full mission-mode.
Rotoph had an apologetic expression on his face. “I’d love to, but someone took away my powers.”
Kala wanted to punch something, but she knew there was nothing anyone could do. Only Rotoph knew the location and only he could teleport them there. They’d have to wait out the effects of the Grigori blade.
But not there.
“To your place?” Kala asked Talan.
Talan nodded and motioned for the small group to gather around him. “Everyone, grab on.”
At the same time, Kala and the others touched Talan’s shoulders.
A disorienting moment later, they all stood in Talan’s small apartment.
Derek’s face showed little of the discomfort Kala was certain he was in.
It was crowded in the tiny space and the situation struck Kala as funny somehow. Three Grigori, Pandora (as in the actual Pandora), a Titan, and Derek all in a Washington D.C. apartment overlooking the Washington Monument. It felt like the beginning of some awful joke.
“How long before we leave?” Kala asked Rotoph.
“An hour, maybe two.” Rotoph plopped on the couch before anyone else could.
Kala looked at the time: 2d 01h 20m 12s
3:40 AM.
An hour and twenty minutes until Day Three.
Kala’s life was all about time now. Always a race. She hoped Zeus was the key.
Since everyone stood around awkwardly, Kala took Rotoph’s cue and sat down beside him. She needed to be off her feet even if it was for just a few seconds. Being a Titan didn’t mean she couldn’t get tired.
Rotoph looked surprised by Kala’s presence right next to him, but seemed pleased at the same time. “I’ve heard about you,” he confided.
“Good for you.” Kala didn’t feel like talking about herself, least of all to a Grigori traitor. He was a means to an end. Kala’s way to Zeus. Being pals wasn’t on the agenda.
“Your attitude being the most prominent.” Rotoph sounded amused. “I had the same reputation amongst the other Grigori.”
“Please don’t compare yourself to me.” Kala started to feel like she’d made a bad decision sitting next to him.
“No? I had a destiny I didn’t want to fulfill so I banished my own people. You have a destiny to fulfill, and you’re running to Zeus to get out of it. We’re not that different.” Rotoph leaned his head back against the couch.
“The difference is I have to do it every four days,” Kala complained. She couldn’t be mad at Rotoph. He saw things the way he saw things; nothing she said would change his mind. Rotoph needed to connect with someone from this little posse and apparently, he had chosen Kala as his willing victim. “What was your destiny that you felt the need to imprison your entire family?” Kala was curious.
“That’s a story for another time. I’m surprised Owen or Talan hasn’t told you,” Rotoph sighed.
“To be honest, I didn’t ask.” Kala suddenly felt guilty for not trying to know more about Owen and Talan’s history, Owen especially. Owen and Linda were the closest people in the world to her. Granted, Kala had no idea Owen was an angel before three days ago, but she chastised herself for being so self-centered. She already felt like a horrible human being for killing Jack, this just added salt to the wound.
Rotoph smiled widely. “We are more alike than you’d think.”
Kala didn’t argue. A part of her figured he was probably right.
“Look, I’m going to close my eyes for a few minutes. Wake me up when it’s time to go.” Kala didn’t wait for a response. She closed her eyes and nodded off.
Rotoph gently shook her awake in what felt like a second later. “It’s time,” he announced.
Owen and Talan stood next to her by the couch. Holding his hand out for Kala to accept, Owen helped her to her feet.
“Where’s Derek?” She suddenly noticed his absence.
It was Rotoph who spoke. “No human can go where we’re going, and you seemed rather attached to the fellow.”
Talan reassured her, “I sent him to his safe house. We’ll contact him when we get back.”
Kala was tired of her supernatural buddies moving Derek around like he was Kala’s teddy bear that she couldn’t live without. Derek was a formidable opponent against anyone, supernatural or not, and an asset to any team. It bothered her that it seemed as though they thought Derek was an anchor rather than a strength.
But if he really couldn’t go where Zeus was located then she was happy he was safe.
“Let’s do it.” Kala eyed Rotoph, knowing he was the man in charge of this mission.
Penny positively beamed and even Kala cracked a small smile. Being without her father for thousands of years obviously had taken its toll. Now that Penny was about to see him again, she was radiant. Kala secretly hoped it would improve her personality, but she didn’t hold her breath.
Talan and Owen acted as her pillars while Rotoph stood in the middle.
“Everyone grab hold,” Rotoph instructed.
As soon as Kala touched Rotoph’s arm the room disappeared.
They all stood in a small cavern. It was lit by a red/yellow glow from a few rotating orb-like devices above them. Most of the rock was smooth, but there were a few stalagmites draping from the ceiling here and there.
A gasp from Penny made Kala’s head turn.
Behind them, two men were near a stone table.
Kala recognized Hephaestus from Atlas’s vision. He looked over parchments and maps, his muscular form obvious even through his heavy armor. The second was Zeus. He had his head in his hands as if he were sleeping. He sat on the floor with his back propped up against the wall.
When Hephaestus saw Penny, his eyes lit up.
In seconds the two were reunited, Penny’s small cries of happiness were muffled in his enormous chest.
Kala didn’t want to intrude. Seeing Zeus so close, she inched her way around the happy reunion and approached the most powerful Olympian alive. “Zeus?” She felt ridiculous asking.
Zeus peered up at Kala through parted fingers.
And that was when she knew…
He was completely out of his mind.
“Pretty girl stands before me. About to die. About to die,” Zeus cackled.
Kala didn’t like the sound of that. But part of her didn’t feel quite right since they had arrived. Kind of like she had eaten one too many burritos.
“Zeus,” Kala tried to reason with the god. “You have to break the curse on Atlas. I’m Atlas.”
Zeus laughed hysterically. “Atlas would survive this place, but you won’t!” He randomly picked up rocks and mashed them in his hair.
“What does he mean?” Kala turned to ask anyone who’d answer. Then a sharp pain stabbed her in the gut. Kala clasped it with her hand.
Talan was immediately by her side. “Are you okay?”
Kala felt like barfing. “I’m fine.” She pushed him away and turned back to Zeus. She couldn’t lose this opportunity. “Break the curse! You’re the only one who can!” she pleaded desperately.
“Die. Die. Die. Die,” Zeus kept repeating creepily.
Kala puked. And it wasn’t her last meal that came up.
It was blood.
“Is he killing me?” Kala asked Talan.
Hephaestus stepped forward, pulling himself away from Penny. “A part of you is still human. You have to leave here.”
“Not without him!” Kala pointed at the mad god. Then she vomited blood again. The pain was like nothing she’d ever experienced, but her stubbornness wouldn’t let her go without an answer from Zeus.
“Kala, I promise you, I will find out everything Zeus knows, but you’ll die if you stay. You have to get out of here. Owen will take you,” Talan begged.
Kala knew she had to go, but she wanted to grill Zeus more. “I’ll leave. Just find me.” Kala could barely get the words out as she puked out a piece of her intestines.
Closing her eyes, she couldn’t think clearly as she activated her teleportation. She had no idea where she was going to end up, but she needed to get out of there.
When she opened her eyes, Kala was staring at Roberta Turner.
“This is a nice surprise.” Roberta smiled warmly.
DAY THREE
Chapter Seventeen
Kala was taken aback that her delirious mind took her directly to Roberta. Her body felt better, as if the torture she had just experienced never happened.
“You have blood all over your mouth and clothes.” Roberta stood up from where she sat and headed to the bathroom.
Kala was in Roberta and Turner’s bedroom. It was decadent and luxurious with lots of maroons and golds. She felt as if she had walked into a home design magazine, everything in its perfect place. Aside from the four-poster bed that she currently sat on, there was a chaise, a two-seater couch and a recliner. It was so far from any reality Kala had experienced in a long time that she wanted to crawl up in the blankets and never leave.
Instead, she sat waiting for Roberta to return.
Kala didn’t have to wait long. Roberta brought in a small tray full of medical supplies.
“I just need the towel and some new clothes. I’m not injured,” Kala reassured her. She must have looked like a mess with the amount of blood she chucked up.
Roberta handed her a wet white towel. It was warm against Kala’s face. By the time she was done with it though, it was completely red.
“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.” Roberta sat down in the recliner across from Kala.
“Apparently, I was in a non-human zone.” Kala debated what to do with the soiled towel. It felt rude to throw it away.
Roberta picked up on her dilemma and gently took the towel out of Kala’s hand and tossed it in the trash. “Blood never comes out anyway.”
“Thanks.” Kala attempted a smile.
“I thought you weren’t human now?” Roberta was puzzled.
“It looks like there’s still a part of me that is. I’m not sure what happened to me,” Kala vented.
Roberta tossed Kala a pair of jeans and a light v-neck sweater.
Kala accepted the clothes gratefully. “Do you mind if I shower?”
“Of course.” Roberta motioned to the bathroom.
Kala stood up and walked inside. It was just as decadent as the bedroom: all white marble and gold trimmings. Since her clothes were covered in blood, Kala made sure none of it touched the pristine counter.
Stepping into the steaming hot shower was quite possibly the best feeling Kala had experienced in a really long time. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she had actually taken a shower, which was scary all to itself. The water was hot on her skin, relaxing her muscles instantly. Titan or not, Kala still felt stress and so did her body. Her brain didn’t even want to comprehend what was happening to her physically. She was never one to have health problems, and panicking wasn’t her either, but Kala was a Titan now. That was enough to send anyone around the bend. But part of her was human, too. Now that she wasn’t puking up her intestines, Kala was slightly relieved that there was still enough human in her to react to the Grigori hideout.
Kala wasn’t a worrier by nature. She was more of a problem solver: find the conundrum, figure out a way to resolve it, and execute. This Atlas business wasn’t helping since so much of it was entirely out of her control. That was why she didn’t want to leave Zeus. He was a tiny shred of the control that she needed and now she had to rely on others to find out what he knew. Or, more importantly, what he could do.
As much as the shower comforted her, Kala reached her ten-minute tolerance. She never understood Jack’s ability to stay in a shower for almost an hour. Sometimes she would join him…
Kala turned off the water and her memories at the same time.
Jack was gone.
There was nothing she could do about it.
Kala shrugged off surging emotions and quickly dressed herself. The clothes fit perfectly. Giving her hair a good towel dry, Kala walked out of the bathroom and sat down on the small couch next to Roberta.
Roberta had been on her laptop and closed it when Kala walked in. “Better?”
“Much, thanks.” So much so, Kala didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay in Roberta and Turner’s house and forget about everything. She had a weight on her chest that wouldn’t go away. It twisted and turned and made her feel as if she was gasping for air, but she was breathing just fine.
“What brought you here?” Roberta was calm and patient. Curiosity gleamed in her eyes, but she seemed content to let Kala share what she wanted, when she wanted.
“It must have been our whole head connection. I just got out of there and showed up here.” Now that Kala thought about it, she was surprised that she didn’t show up at her old apartment or Jack’s…
Roberta thankfully interrupted her thoughts. “Makes sense. I’m sure teleportation works similarly to astral projection. Our connection is the closest reference your brain has to the process, so you came to the source.” Roberta was excited by the prospect.
“Sure. That’s probably it.” Kala wasn’t that interested in the science of it. “I’m just glad I’m here. I really don’t want to do my mission.”
“I can’t imagine it being worse than your last one.” Roberta looked genuinely sympathetic.
“It isn’t. But it’s all relative. You’re not going to like it, and neither is your husband.” Kala felt the need to confess to someone. Telling Talan or Owen was like telling the parent that was going to make you do your chores no matter what. No excuses. Sympathy, yes. But the answer would always be to complete the task at hand. But Roberta and Turner were more shades of grey kind of people. And Kala really needed to hear something besides an obligation and duty speech, especially since she still hoped to get rid of the stupid curse before her time was up.
“Tell me,” Roberta urged.
Seeing the curiosity and fascination in Roberta’s expression, made Kala not want to tell her.
Roberta was not going to be happy.
“I’m supposed to destroy Fortski’s cure for cancer,” Kala blurted. She would have covered her eyes and peeked through her fingers if she had the choice, but Kala stared at Roberta straight on.
To Kala’s surprise, Roberta’s response was a simple raise of an eyebrow.
“That’s it? You’re not going to try and detain me or something?” Kala was a bit taken aback by the utter lack of angry-I’m-going-to-stop-you-if-it’s-the-last-thing-I-do rea
ction.
“Cancer, huh?” Roberta repeated aloud. “He was told to drop that.” Her voice was laced with annoyance.
Then Kala noticed something she hadn’t noticed before: Roberta looked pissed. And not at the prospect of destroying a cure for the disease: she was mad at the fact that Fortski was working on it in the first place.
“You know a cure is a good thing, right?” Kala felt out of her element. Normally, she thought that any human being would be considerably upset that she planned to destroy the antidote to the most deadly killer on earth.
But Roberta appeared as if she would tear Fortski’s head off. She stood up, furious. “If he releases this cure, all his other work will be put on hold!”
This whole conversation wasn’t at all what she had expected. “What’s more important than saving millions of lives?”
Roberta didn’t even pause in her answer, “Saving billions.”
Kala was confused. “So this other work he’s doing will save more people?”
Roberta nodded. “Oh yes. It’ll change the world. I know Fortski. If he releases the cure, he won’t continue his other research.” Then she paused, upset. “Not in time, anyway.”
“What is he working on?” Kala wondered what could be so much more important. She had thought curing cancer was pretty darn big.
Roberta sat down next to Kala again, eyes filled with determination. “I can’t tell you that. But Kala, you must do this mission. You must. I see how this curse of yours works. Destroying Fortski’s research is for the greater good. I want you to trust me on this.”
“Not you, too,” Kala complained.
“It may not be what you want to hear, but I believe in your work. This will restore the balance.” Roberta seemed desperate in her plea.
Kala couldn’t take anymore. “I should go.”
Roberta’s face softened. “You don’t have to. I won’t push, but just think about what I’ve said.”
“Oh, I will.” Kala didn’t want to think at all. She wanted to run out of this place, find a nice cardboard box and live there for the rest of her life. Maybe if she didn’t complete the cycle, Cronus’s little spell of protection-loss would never kick in and she truly would be safe.
Grigori Returned (The Atlas Series Book 2) Page 11
