by Lucy Roy
“Hey, will I be able to do what you’re doing?” I lifted my head to face her. “This dream walk thing?
She gave me a quick smile.
“Only gods and goddesses are able to do dream walks, dear.”
“Oh. Bummer.”
Hestia went silent, and when I opened my eyes, I saw that she was fidgeting with the fabric of her skirt, folding it and unfolding it repeatedly.
Gods fidget?
I sat up and leaned back on my hands.
“You know, it’s been my experience that when someone is fidgeting, it’s usually because they’re avoiding saying something.” Or flat out lying, but what do I know?
“You are incredibly perceptive, aren’t you?
“I try.” I gave her a weak smile. “So? Are my perceptions accurate?”
“I wanted to speak with you because I wanted to ease your concerns after today. I can see you have some uncertainty regarding Nathaniel’s visit, but I assure you, that meeting was perfectly normal.” She dropped the pretty blue fabric she’d been playing with and mimicked my position, extending her legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles. “Since the creation of the Ischyra, the council of Elders has sent liaisons to meet with new recruits. Zeus has no hidden agenda; he wouldn’t send a liaison to meet a new recruit for nefarious purposes, I promise. He may have earned himself a formidable reputation, but his ways have calmed since the end of the war with the Titans.”
The thought that the ruler of Olympus had sent Nathaniel to speak to me left me speechless. I would’ve thought he’d be too busy for something like that.
"Not too busy at all," Hestia said.
Had I said that out loud? "Huh?"
Then it hit me.
“Ohh. That's right. You guys can read minds, right?”
“Yes, we can, although most of us don't make a habit of it unless we’re given cause. It gets quite noisy up here, otherwise,” she said, tapping a long, thin finger to her temple.
Remembering that I’d basically called her a liar in my head a few moments ago, I cringed.
“Not to worry, Tessa. I’ve been called worse things than a liar in my time.”
“Geez, I’m sorry, that was—”
“It’s already forgotten.” Her smile made me think she actually meant what she said.
“How come you’re reading my mind, then, if you don’t normally keep yours open?”
A frown flickered across her face, so fast I barely saw it. “Sometimes it can be difficult to convert our thoughts to words, that’s all. I thought it might be helpful to see your thoughts in this instance.”
I stared at the light reflecting off the pathway stones. I wanted to ask more questions, but my dizziness was quickly turning to nausea.
“Please let me wake up,” I said, rubbing my temples. “My stomach hurts.”
“Of course. I am sorry about the ambrosia.”
She reached out to touch my face, then paused. just before making contact
“And Tessa?”
“Hmm?”
“It was very nice to meet you.” Her smile was warm as she reached a hand toward me.
“Hey, wait!" I jerked backed quickly. "What about my dreams? What are they all about?”
She opened her mouth as if to speak, then immediately closed it. After a moment, she smiled at me. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you with those, although I wish I could. Dreams are outside my area of expertise.”
Of course. The one thing I needed her to answer, and she can’t.
Her expression softened a bit. “I’ll see you soon.” With a small smile, she touched my cheek. “Sweet dreams, Tessa.”
When I jerked awake, I was back in my room. Disoriented and still dizzy, I closed my eyes and counted to ten before sitting up. Slowly, the ambrosia haze began to fade.
Something about my conversation with Hestia niggled at my mind, but I couldn’t place my finger on it.
The clock on my phone showed it was three in the morning.
“So much for a power nap,” I grumbled.
How in all the realms was I supposed to sleep now?
5
Nathaniel
As I sat before Hestia in her private quarters, several hours after I’d returned to Olympus, I noted her troubled expression. Wanting to get a report on my visit with Tessa, she had summoned me long after I’d gone to bed for the night, which was unlike her.
“Is everything alright?” I asked.
“I’ve just come from a meeting with Tessa, and I would like to know your thoughts on her.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“No need to look so surprised, Nathaniel.” She smiled softly, resting a pale hand on the mantle. The fire she’d set in the hearth flickered across her soft furnishings, giving the cream-colored walls an orange glow.
I cleared my throat. “Alright. She was quite outspoken, and based on what I overheard, those who were with her struck me as similar. She seemed to have no qualms with voicing her opinions on certain aspects of our world, and it appeared that at least two of her close acquaintances were human.”
“Hmm.” She tapped her fingers on the mantle. “This generation seems interesting, don’t they?”
“They do.”
“I suspect this round will surprise us. Was there anything else of note?”
“Just one thing. Tessa mentioned some dreams that have been causing her trouble.”
Hestia faced me, a stormy look in her eyes. “Yes, she mentioned those. Did she tell you what was in these dreams?”
“No, and her memory of them was quite muddled.”
“Did you see any latent memories when you examined her mind?”
“No, there was nothing more than a few flashes of light.”
She nodded slowly, then turned to stare out a large, gold curtained window that overlooked her courtyard garden. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to meet with her tomorrow and report back with anything you feel worth discussing. I have a feeling she may have some questions.”
“Consider it done.”
As per Hestia’s request, I was waiting when Tessa stepped off the school bus the next morning. She was immediately greeted by the friends I’d seen her with the day before. When she saw me, her human friend—Leila, I recalled—nudged her, and all four stopped walking. The hulking male hovering behind Leila eyed me curiously.
Tessa turned and muttered something to them that sounded like “It’s cool, I need to talk with him” before walking over to me.
The others stared after her for a few seconds, then began walking toward the building’s entrance, quickly lost in the crowd of students.
“Morning,” she said, sounding apprehensive.
I smiled. “Good morning. Come on, let’s walk.”
I began heading away from the students crowding the sidewalk. We made our way down the block and stopped in front of a house that bore a short concrete wall in front.
“So, I hear Hestia came to you,” I said, taking a seat on the wall and motioning for her to sit beside me.
“Right to it, then.” She let out a breath and nodded. “Yes, she paid a visit. In my dreams, which was super weird,” she added with a frown as she sat down.
“Dream walks are often easier than using the portal systems or teleporting, especially if you’re looking for privacy,” I explained. “What did you think of her?”
She cocked her head and smiled. “You’re a Coercer. Can’t you just read my mind and find out?” Her tone rested somewhere between resentful and amused.
“I can, but I try to avoid doing so. Truth be told, I find it fairly rude.”
“Well, yes, I would agree. And somewhat intrusive.”
“So?”
She sighed, then stretched her legs out in front of her. Her denim shorts showed off the tan that seemed requisite for those living near the water.
“So... Hestia. She seemed pretty nice, I guess. But she’s the first goddess I’ve met, so I don’t really know. She could be tot
ally faking it, right?”
“She could be, certainly, but she’s not. Hestia is one of the most benevolent of the goddesses on Olympus. It would be nearly impossible to speak poorly of her.”
Tessa let out a derisive snort that belied the prettiness of her face. “Okay, I have to know. How old are you? Sometimes the way you speak… it sounds so formal, but other times it seems totally normal.”
I sighed. I’d been wondering when she’d get around to asking. “Old enough. I apologize if my twenty-first century vocabulary isn’t quite up to par.”
Her eyebrows shot up and she gave me an amused smile. “Sarcasm, huh? I think you’ve been spending too much time around us humans. How long have you been working in the US, anyway?”
“I was assigned to North America not long after settlers arrived in the sixteenth century. This has been my ‘territory,’ so to speak, since 1595.”
She smirked. “So you’re pretty old, huh?”
“We’re immortal, Tessa. Four hundred and fifty years isn’t a terribly long stretch of time.”
“I suppose. Why do you need a territory, anyway?”
“All liaisons are assigned one.” I shook my head. “Weren’t civics part of your lessons?”
“I’ve got a decent knowledge of our history, but the civic aspect didn’t stick terribly well. I know the basics, like Ischyra get assigned to certain areas or for certain tasks, but I didn’t know liaisons got specific territories. No offense, but I kind of thought you all were basically errand boys.”
“I see.” I rubbed my brow, a bit frustrated at her lack of understanding. “You know that liaisons are the go-between for Olympus and humans, correct? The main conduit for all inter-realm interactions with the Elders?” The relations with humans were one of the main reasons all Ischyra had a normal human upbringing prior to their transformations.
“Yep.”
“Well, when the gods sent a group of Ischyra over to the New World to help manage the immortal creatures involved in the early conflicts, I was assigned as their liaison to ensure the Elders were kept up to speed on all that was happening. More conflicts on this continent were influenced by the surplus of immortal beings created by Pandora’s magic than humans in the centuries prior to the arrival of Europeans. That meant more Ischyra were assigned, which in turn meant additional liaisons. I was the first.”
She smiled wryly. “You guys didn’t do a very good job keeping things under control over here, did you?”
I bristled at her insinuation. “Actually, we did. Most of what played out here was the work of humans. It would have been far worse had Ischyra not been involved in keeping the malevolent beings at bay.”
“Huh. Interesting.”
I didn’t know why she was so surprised. In all my years, I found humans to be nearly as horrible as the creatures the Ischyra helped protect them from.
“It’s unfortunate you didn’t take more of an interest in your history lessons. A lot of it is quite fascinating.”
She slid a sideward glance at me. “Uh huh. So anyway. Back to Hestia. Are any of the other gods and goddesses as nice as her?”
I paused before answering, considering the most diplomatic way to phrase my response.
“Since the war with the Titans ended, most of the older gods and goddesses have mellowed out a bit, for lack of a better phrase. Even still, all gods and goddesses have their own way about them. In that sense, they’re quite like humans.”
“In other words, not so much?”
The corner of my mouth twitched involuntarily. “Not so much.”
“So why are you here, anyway? I’m assuming it’s not for a history lesson.”
I laughed. “No, that’s not the reason. I’m just checking in. Hestia thought you might need to talk.”
She began tapping her fingers on the concrete wall. “I see.”
“Are you alright? I know dream walks can be a bit unnerving.”
She kicked a small stone toward the curb and sighed. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just weird. I mean, how would you feel if three days before your transition, a liaison showed up to chat and a goddess—an Elder, no less—decided to dream walk into your head?”
“Yes, I suppose I would feel a bit uneasy, as well.”
“But your transition was about a million years ago, so you don’t really know if you’d be ‘a bit uneasy’ or weirded the fuck out, right?”
I turned to face her directly and placed a hand on her arm. “Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I don’t understand—” My words halted as my eyes met hers. An image flashed in my head, too quickly to make out. I frowned, then closed my eyes as I tried to recall it. When I opened them, Tessa’s eyebrows were raised expectantly. Another image flashed, this time clearer, along with a feeling of sheer panic.
Then I felt a slight tug from her mind.
“You don’t understand what?” she asked.
“Tessa—” I frowned, staring into her eyes.
“What?” She reached up and touched her nose, then her chin. “Is there something on my face? What?”
“Tessa, what exactly did you and Hestia discuss?” I tried to control the hardness in my voice.
“Are you reading my mind right now? I thought you said you didn’t do that unless—”
“Unless circumstances necessitate me doing so, I know. And I’m not reading it, you’re projecting. Forcefully.”
Without hesitating or breaking eye contact, I pushed myself into her mind, responding to the sudden sense of urgency that was rippling off her.
“What the—I’m not ‘projecting’ anything!”
Reflexively, she tried to pull away. As she did, I felt another mental tug, more insistent. This time it didn’t let go.
“Just wait,” I snapped, gripping her arm to keep her in place. No longer waiting for permission, I quickly flipped through the memories of her conversation with Hestia. When nothing immediately came forth, I pulled back, considering my next option.
She glared at me, rubbing her arm as though I’d burned her.
“I need to look into your mind,” I finally said.
“Didn’t you just do that? Without my permission?”
“Yes, but—” I struggled with my words. “There’s something... else. I need to look deeper. Please.”
I cringed at the thought of digging into her subconscious, knowing how uncomfortable it could be. Getting a feel for someone’s thoughts was one thing—digging into the recesses of their mind, even when I had permission, was something I despised doing.
It was the most hated of my abilities.
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” She stood as if to leave, and the pull from her mind grew even stronger, almost desperate.
Before I could think twice, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. The fury coming off of her was palpable, like nothing I’d ever felt before.
“Hey!”
“Just wait.” Trying to ignore the fear and anger in her eyes, I gripped her arms tightly, using my coercive powers to hold her in place. Then, crossing my own boundaries, I dove into her mind.
6
Tessa
Feeling someone else in my head was one of the most disorienting and infuriating things I’d ever experienced. Nathaniel had told me he’d read my thoughts before, but I hadn’t actually felt anything then.
But this?
This was downright intrusive. A violation.
I tried to pull away, but it appeared Nathaniel had me in some kind of mental straight jacket.
‘What the—Nathaniel, let me go! Is this really necessary?’
I assumed he could hear the words I directed at him. I tried again to push back against his presence but there was no budging him.
‘Yes, this is necessary, I’m sorry. Something isn’t right. Now please, be quiet. And stop trying to kick me out, it isn’t going to happen.’
Well there was something to add to my to-do list.
Then a third voice, quiet and female, entered my mind.
&n
bsp; ‘Watch.’
My entire body stiffened, and Nathaniel’s hands tightened on my shoulders.
He was watching my conversation with Hestia, and just as he reached the part where Hestia touched me, sending me back to sleep, it all changed.
The dream I’d had so many times was back, but this time I was finally given permission to see what was behind the darkness and the heat I’d been experiencing.
There was fire everywhere. Lightning surrounded me, close enough to touch. Amidst the sounds of destruction, I heard shouting, but I couldn’t see where it was coming from. A woman screamed, then blinding white light flashed in front of my eyes and suddenly, I felt weightless.
There was a movement in my periphery. Turning my head, I screamed. A massive shape, blurry but human in form, was running toward me. I tried to move, but my body was frozen.
“Take her,” a cold voice said from behind me.
I tried drawing on whatever power was hidden inside me to force my body to move, but it felt as though the entire void of Chaos itself had infiltrated my being. There was nothing there but emptiness.
‘Nathaniel, get me out of here!’
But I no longer felt his presence in my mind.
There was no help for me here.
Just as I was about to be overtaken, there was a burst of light. I heard one last scream and felt a hard pull, like I was being stretched in all directions. The pain was absolute, burning me from the inside out. My entire body was at its breaking point, my bones reduced to nothing but splinters.
Then, when I felt as though I couldn’t take anymore, it went quiet.
The sights and sounds of apocalyptic destruction had vanished; the silence that remained, deafening. There was nothing. And in the dark, terrifying void of nothingness I was suspended in, a voice spoke very quietly.
“This is not the end.”
The female voice was as soft as a warm breeze, but all I heard in those five words was fear. All I felt was fear. I reached out with my mind, searching in vain for Nathaniel’s presence. Now that I wanted him there, he was nowhere to be found.
