Cry, Nike! (The Judas Curse)

by Angella Graff

  Chapter Two

  Despite no movement from the others, every time Jude slipped out of his sight, Mark panicked. Even though logic told him that Jude was likely sitting in silence, curled up on the porch swing watching the sun move across the sky, Mark was terrified that he was gone again.

  He was frustrated now, trapped in the house with Stella --or Persephone, as she really was-- Andrew who was still not completely adjusted to romping around inside of a mortal form, and the occasional visits from Alex, who was just a little too charismatic for Mark’s liking.

  He didn’t even think of Ben, as the sullen detective’s newfound determination should have been a comfort to Mark, but instead had turned into one more thing to get under Mark’s skin. Ben was a natural born leader, so it seemed logical to him that he run the show. Mark, however, being centuries old, wasn’t dealing well with taking orders.

  The last thing he thought they should be doing was laying low in San Francisco. Now that they had some idea of what the others were after, and now that they’d destroyed all evidence of Mark’s writing, he felt they should be as far away from the starting point of this madness as possible.

  But that was another issue—the writing. Mark had watched the papers burn to black ash in the fireplace the night Ben had finished reading the pages, but something felt…off. For days after they’d left he wracked his brain to figure out the source of his unease. Had he forgotten a page at the building Nike had trapped them in? Had he missed something? Anything?

  That just wasn’t possible. When it came to his writing, Mark knew the devastation one single word could cause, and was too-careful about letting the pages out of his sight. Even the smallest scrap of paper could take down a nation. He’d watched carefully as Nike had shoved the first pile of sheets into the briefcase, and Mark had taken every loose bit of paper with him when they escaped.

  But there was something in the air, a subtle power shift in the universe. He could feel it. He felt it the day after they’d left the safe house, and it hadn’t stopped haunting him since. Walking to the kitchen window, Mark looked out over the porch, off to the rocky shores of the bay.

  The place they were at was nice, a place where he could see himself settling down if there wasn’t the pressing need to stop a mad goddess in her plans to take over humanity. The air rolling off the water was almost always cool, heavy with fog, but soothing in a way. Their view was priceless, and the fact that there were no neighbors for miles around was solitary and the quiet was something Mark was craving.

  He rested his forearms against the metal sink and let his head hang down. The breeze was filtering through the open window, bringing the scent of the sea, and he took a deep breath. Far off in the other room he could hear Stella talking loudly to Andrew, likely arguing over something Andrew was saying or doing, and Mark let out a groan.

  All he truly wanted was to be away from these people. He peered out the window again and saw Jude on the swing. His head was resting on the chain, his eyes closed, and he was rocking himself very gently back and forth.

  Mark took that moment to wonder what might happen if he just took Jude and ran. What damage could they cause if they stole away in the middle of the night, leaving the gods and one remaining human to clean up after the insane Greeks? It wasn’t his fight, after all. Not really. He hadn’t asked for these abilities and powers, and he had most certainly never offered them to the other gods. Why did he have to stay and fight a war that wasn’t his?

  The front door slammed, startling Mark out of his thoughts, and after a moment, Ben walked into the kitchen. Mark nodded to him, and Ben returned the gesture, saying nothing as he grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and drank half the contents in one go.

  They stood there, an awkward silence between the two of them before Mark finally tired of it and spoke. “How did it go?”

  “Oh well, I thought it couldn’t be worse than me getting accused of murder and arrested, but it was,” Ben said, the frustration evident in his tense words. He put the bottle of water down and hopped up on the counter next to the stove. “Apparently the security cameras on the street caught video of Nike running around in my sister’s body. They dumped that dead guy into one of the renovation bins. Oh and the best part? Apparently right after we dumped that poor girl on her porch, those freaks picked her back up and now Nike has her.” Ben let out a peal of harsh, stressed laughter and shook his head.

  Mark blinked a couple of times in surprise. “They what? Nike has what girl?”

  “Olivia,” Ben said impatiently. “The girl Alex had borrowed. Right after we dropped her off on her porch, the Greeks came and picked her up. It was plain as day on the video that my boss made me watch. Who, by the way, is still my boss because apart from telling me that my sister is alive and a murder and kidnapping suspect, he also refused to accept my letter of resignation. And despite half the department thinking I’m in on it, he forced them to drop me from the suspect list and put me on a leave of absence.”

  Mark nodded, taking all of that in, thoroughly confused and not sure what it all meant. “Is that…standard procedure?”

  Ben laughed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “No. That’s… I don’t know what it was. It was insane. It was… “ he trailed off and gave a helpless shrug. “He should have hauled my ass off into an interrogation room, refused me food and water, and locked me up for as long as the state would allow it. Truthfully, Mark, with the evidence they have documented against me, they had plenty of reason to detain me and charge me if they wanted to.”

  Mark let out a puff of breath. “Do you think they'd let you go to see if you’ll lead them to your sister?” It was the only thing he could think of. The behavior of the police in this situation certainly was confusing, but Mark had a feeling if the department wasn’t using Ben, then the Norse gods likely had something to do with it. It had their influence written all over it.

  “I don’t know,” Ben said miserably. “Apparently none of us noticed that we were being tailed by the Greeks, so I can’t trust myself to tell if I’m being followed now.”

  Mark didn’t really know what to say to him, so he chose to remain silent. A few moments later, Stella came into the kitchen and Mark took that time to step out onto the back porch where Jude still sat. He didn’t bother requesting an invite as he settled himself beside his immortal companion, and he ignored the irritated glare Jude shot his way.

  “What’s happened?” Jude asked.

  “Couldn’t read his mind?” Mark asked a little bitterly. The truth was, Mark hadn’t known Jude was capable of reading minds, or as Jude described it, ‘hearing the desperate, uncontrolled prayers of the weak.’ Knowing his companion could do that for two-thousand years without ever having said anything about it made Mark feel somewhat sour. Mark hadn’t wanted the abilities in the first place, but while Jude was given the ability to heal, raise the dead and read minds, Mark was gifted with hyper-rationality, slightly elevated strength and speed, and the ability to transform perfectly rational humans into a blood thirsty cult. If there was any real explanation for his curse, Mark was certain it would never make sense.

  With a sigh, Mark continued as it became clear Jude had no answer for his sarcastic remark. “The police found a surveillance video of Nike. They’ve linked her now to the murder of that man in the basement room, and from what I gathered, Nike managed to kidnap the girl Alex had been using as his vessel during the rescue.”

  “I knew about that part,” Jude said and stifled a yawn with his hand.

  Mark looked over at Jude, his eyes wide with surprise. Jude had never mentioned it before, and Mark felt anger flare up in his stomach. “What? What do you mean you knew?”

  “They were behind us when we dropped the girl off,” Jude said, not meeting Mark’s gaze. He brushed a lock of curly hair out of his eyes and gave a little shrug. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t conscious at the time. After we’d escaped Nike I just didn’t find it very relevant.”

  “Do
you know why they took her?”

  Jude gave a little snort and rolled his eyes. “If I did, don’t you think I might have mentioned it at that point? It’s likely Nike took her for revenge on Ben. I didn’t feel it was necessary to upset him any further, as he’s the one taking charge of this little group.”

  Mark clenched his jaw at the last statement and looked off into the distance. The afternoon sun was dipping low into the sky now, and the foggy wind was becoming colder. He hugged his arms across his body and leaned his head back against the rough wood of the swing. “What if we just…left? Just packed our things and got the hell out of here. Would you come?”

  Jude gave a little smile and shook his head. “No.”

  “Why not,” Mark asked, letting his anger flare up in his voice just a little. “Don’t tell me you’re enjoying your time with these people!”

  Jude gave a little laugh at that and reached over, closing his warm fingers around Mark’s wrist. It was a soothing gesture for Mark, who instantly calmed. It was something Jude had always been able to do, since the curse had fallen upon them both. Mark had sought comfort and peace in the arms of many as the years rolled by, but no one could give him the instant comfort Jude could.

  “You and I have both chosen to stay. You and I have both decided that the humans are worth saving. Just yesterday you were saying that saving the humans from whatever this danger is might actually be the thing to break our curse.”

  Mark groaned and pushed Jude’s hand away. It was true, he had been saying that. In fact, he still thought it might be true. They’d spent two thousand years desperately searching for their purpose in this life, and for the first time, they seemed close to it. However, that didn’t make what they had to endure any easier. “I’ve been subjected to old English torture that was easier to bear than these people,” Mark eventually grumbled.

  Jude gave an honest belly laugh at that and rose from the swing. “As have I, but we’re here together for a reason, and no one said our path was going to be easy.”

  “Oh I’ve never laid claim to that expectation,” Mark spat. He watched as Jude shuffled to the railing and looked down at the gentle slope that led to the rocky shore. The house wasn’t in the best location. The weather, the wash of the sea, and the rocky terrain all meant the house wasn’t long for this world. The foundation would eventually crack, and one day the water would consume the land it stood on, but for now, it was nice.

  After a few minutes, Jude walked away, his bare feet making the gentlest tapping on the scrubbed wood. The screen door slammed and Mark was alone. He kicked his feet against the floor, sending the swing rocking back and forth hard. The cold rush of air on his face felt good as the rocking motion seemed to calm him.

  He was angry, yes. He was tired, and despite being closely surrounded by more people now than he had been in centuries, he felt more alone than ever. The sad fact was, Abby had been the only mortal he’d been able to stand in ages, and there was no telling if they were fighting a battle that would cost her her life in the end anyway. Mark let out a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

  Whatever was stirring in the air was getting stronger, and he had a feeling it was related to what Ben’s boss had told him earlier. He didn’t think Nike took Olivia for revenge. Nike was vain, she was reckless at times, and her greatest fault was not being able to see past her own narcissism, but she was also clever and very cruel. Yes, she chose Olivia to hurt Ben, but there had to be more to it. Nike wouldn’t kill an ordinary human to make Ben suffer. Oh no, whatever she had in mind was likely much, much worse.

  Chapter Three

  What he’d really wanted was just quiet. He wanted to lie down on the bed, stare up at the ceiling, and not have to talk about everything had had gone on at the station. Stella, however, had other ideas. As he lay there, giving her answers in his most monotone voice he could manage, she continued to press him for more information. She wanted every detail, every expression Albert made, everything Ben might have seen or might have missed.

  After relaying the conversation well over a dozen times, Ben sat up and threw up his hands. “Enough, Stella. I appreciate you wanting to leave no stone unturned, but you literally have every detail I can remember.”

  “I just want to make sure you haven’t missed anything,” she insisted, looking somewhat put out.

  Ben sighed and rubbed his face. His exhaustion was physically painful now, his muscles aching along with his head, and he just wanted some peace and quiet. Shifting his pillows, Ben leaned back against them, his head resting on the wall, and he looked at her from behind half-lidded eyes. “Even if I did miss something, there’s not a whole hell of a lot I can do about it now.”

  She licked her lips, a sign she was holding something back. She glanced over at him a few times, before staring down at her hands. “And what about this Olivia girl?”

  “What about her?” Ben asked. The subject of Olivia was a particularly sore one right then. Ben blamed himself for anything that had happened to the poor woman. Ben had gotten her into this, and instead of seeing her home safely, they had dumped her on her porch and didn’t bother to check that she made it in alright.

  “Well, don’t you find it odd that Nike took her? Of all people, just some random girl that Alex had borrowed. That doesn’t strike you as odd behavior?” Stella replied with a shrug, daring another quick glance at Ben.

  He frowned, confused where she was going with the question. “Well, considering I don’t understand half of what that crazy bitch does, not really.”

  “I understand why she’d want to hurt you, I just don’t understand why she’d choose Olivia to do it,” Stella said, her voice very slow and careful. “When you explained how you all met her, you were pretty clear that there was nothing between you two.”

  Ben groaned and hung his head forward. Of all things, why was Stella going to be jealous about this woman? Ben had explained to her how she’d met Olivia, including taking her phone number. He had expected Stella to accept his explanation for what it was, and he certainly hadn’t expected her to show a jealous streak. Now, of all times, was rather inconvenient to have a conversation like this.

  “I’m not being unreasonable,” she defended when Ben continued to say nothing. “It just doesn’t seem likely that Nike would take someone who meant nothing to you.”

  “Maybe,” Ben said through clenched teeth, “she wants the poor girl for other reasons. Maybe Olivia was just convenient. Unfortunately for us, Nike is insane, so there’s no way of telling why she took Olivia, or for what purpose.”

  “I just want to know you’re being honest with me,” Stella said, her voice tense.

  This was completely unlike the previously hardened detective woman he’d known. She had been strong, independent, and even when Ben was threatening her, she held her own. He’d seen her cry, but she hadn’t lost control of her emotions once, and it was one of the reasons why Ben was so attracted to her in the first place.

  “I’m going to say this once,” Ben finally said after gathering his wits, “and only once. There was nothing between me and Olivia. Even if there had been, this is neither the time nor the place to hash it out. We’re on the brink of some crazy war with things I can’t even begin to contemplate, so the one thing I’m not going to do is fight with you over some petty, jealous, chick-crap, okay?”

  Stella’s face went red. “This is not petty, jealous, chick-crap, you ass! I’m concerned because I care, and if you’re lying to me, if there is…was…something between you and Olivia, it’s information that Nike can use against us, and it might be something we all need to know.”

  Ben rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath before answering. “Nothing that happened between me and Olivia is information Nike could use to hurt me, or any of us. In truth, the most amount of time I spent with her was actually spent with our good friend Alex, and I already explained that to you. More times than I really cared to. If you can’t let that go, if you can’t drop it in favor of other, more
important things we’ve got going on, than maybe we need to just stop talking for a while.”

  He realized his words were a little harsher than they should have been, but he didn’t protest when she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She needed to cool off and sort out her priorities, and Ben needed some space. He didn’t bother to go looking for her as the night deepened, and he wasn’t about to tell her, but with her gone it was the most rested he’d felt since they hit the road together.

  By morning, however, Ben felt calmer about the situation. He hoped that Stella had worked out her own issues, because despite feeling more centered, he still wasn’t about to hash out some relationship issues right then.

  He showered, still finding no trace of her, but he smelled her perfume lingering in the hallway as he went downstairs to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. Ben flinched as the scalding hot liquid seared off a layer or two from the inside of his mouth. Nearly dropping the mug, Ben sighed in frustration, clenching his fists to keep himself from cursing out loud. He still hadn’t gotten used to everything in the new house, and frankly, nothing seemed to work right.

  The shower’s knobs were so tight the water either came out scalding hot or ice cold. The heater and the air conditioner only kicked on when it felt like it. The fridge froze the liquids, and the washing machine left all of the clothes with strange white, filmy lines on all of their dark clothes.

  On top of that, Ben was stuck under the same roof with people who were all starting to feel the stress. Besides her recent jealousy issues, Stella frequently lost her temper, and when she had to switch to her other personality, she would lock herself in the only empty guest bedroom and blare loud ‘90’s chick-band music at top volume while drinking until she passed out, leaving whoever was still awake to clear up her mess and get her to bed.

  Mark was sullen, refusing to speak to anyone aside from short, clipped sentences, and Jude spent almost all of his time sitting on the porch swing with his eyes shut and an unsettling smile on his face. As for the Norse Twins, as Ben began to call them, Andrew existed, it seemed, to maintain the protection around the house and to make it rain at least six days out of the week. Alex popped by whenever he could, but often it was without a hint of information, and Ben was starting to get antsy.