“Alright, Bert. I’ve seen enough. Both you and Bethany have done an excellent job in finding and identifying the aura.”
Suddenly, the ground started to shake and rumble. Everyone stared down at their feet and then at each other.
“We’re not alone.” I said, anxiously.
“We have company.” Nikolas said transforming into a centaur.
All of a sudden, there was a loud cracking sound. Victor let out a painful yelp after he dropped to the ground with a thud. With a loud neigh, he rose up on four legs and stood across from Nikolas. We all stared at him with only one notion running through our minds. Victor had the power to Chameleon anyone.
“That’s a nice sword and shield. Centaur?” Nikolas said with a questioning brow at Victor who held an ornate gilded shield and a glimmering sword as if ready to battle.
“If you can’t beat ‘em, you best join ‘em.”
“Just keep your hands off my wine,” Niko said, chuckling.
“I’m more of a bourbon kind of guy.” Victor chortled lightly.
“Let’s ride!” They rode off in the opposite direction on the cemetery’s entrance.
The ground continued to rumble and the rest of us raced at an accelerated speed behind the two centaurs. We darted large statues and tombstones until we reached another entrance at the other end of the cemetery. The opening led into the Central Park.
The park was populated with various trees and the fog swept through them like an above ground lake. The pounding and booming sounds grew louder and louder, but we kept up with the fast pace of the centaurs.
“Look out!” Victor yelled, over his shoulder. He skirted two trees to the right and Nikolas galloped to the left. All of a sudden, my head hit the ground as my disciples and I were nearly trampled by a very large herd of deer. They leapt over us as fast as they could and the expression in their bulging eyes couldn’t be confused with anything other than fear.
They were running from something.
Twenty-One - Cordelia
Goliath at the Park
The thundering hooves of the endless stream of frightened deer weaved over us in a frantic pattern. We had to get out from beneath them and out of their path or be stomped and crushed. The healing process of broken bones lasted a couple hours. We couldn’t face whatever was chasing them with broken limbs.
“Roll out from under them!” I yelled to my disciples who lay still on the vibrating ground.
I waited for the half a second break between each passing deer and rolled to my right. My disciples did the same. After a few chaotic moments, we were either to the left or to the right of the herd. Just as I was about to instruct my disciples on what to do next, the huge shadows blocked the moonlight that filtered through the trees. Thundering footsteps resounded closer and the deer continued to run for their lives.
Suddenly, the trees around us began to bend and snap from the highest branch on down. What swept through the trees was gigantic and towered just as tall. My disciples and I stood by and watched large fleshy hands and arms grab the leafy limbs of the surrounding trees. One hand swooped down and snatched a few deer that kicked and yelped in fear. The giant’s face was illuminated by the pale moonlight. He popped several deer into his mouth and bit into their velvety coats as if they were pieces of chicken breast.
The giant wasn’t alone. There were two more and they scooped up several deer at a time and shoved the animals into their mouths. The sound of broken bones being grinded beneath the giant’s large gray teeth added to the pounding hooves of the deer that were able to escape.
The giants couldn’t see us as they chomped on their meal. We stood hidden to the right and left of the three giants that had no peripheral vision. I wondered just how many deer it would take to feed this small group of Cyclops.
Unexpectedly, Nikolas galloped out from behind a severed tree stump.
“Niko, no!” Bethany hissed from behind another tree opposite where Nikolas stood.
“Stay back,” he instructed.
Nikolas neighed several times and forced the giants to look down at him. He was much larger than their last meal, but still staggeringly smaller than the giants.
“Arges, don’t you recognize me?” Nikolas asked as he raised his two front hooves into the air.
The giant belched loudly and the leaves in the trees wavered from the air he released. The giant bent down and lowered his head in order to get a better look at who it was that was speaking to him. The one sole blue eye that sat in the middle of his creased forehead peered at Nikolas and blinked. Suddenly, he snatched Nikolas in his huge hand. His jaws spread and opened wide just as the heat within me burst. Nikolas kicked like a prize stallion, but Arges dangled him just inches from his mouth, taunting Niko with his enormous tongue.
“Come on Arges, there are far tastier beasts in this forest, than I.” Nikolas said and shot an arrow into Arges’ forehead. The monster winced, but licked his fleshy lips.
Brontes and Steropes, Arges’ brothers, looked on in amusement, keeping their eye trained on their brother. The white lightning ignited and brightened the dim forest. It forged its way from my hands to the giant’s head. Arges’ brothers grunted loudly as they watched their brother’s head became encased in a helmet of lightning bolts. Each of the giant’s mouths dropped and their eyes bulged out in shock as they stepped away from Arges. The goliath let go of Nikolas and he began to fall more than thirty feet to the ground. The giant attacked the lightning with his hands, but instead of freeing himself, he ended up getting them coated with the burning bolt. Arges stomped the ground with his bare feet, lost his footing, and stumbled backwards.
I sent another bolt and seized Nikolas in midair. His body froze as I brought him down to the ground, unscathed just as Arges slammed into the earth with a resounding boom. All the birds flew out of the trees in desperation as the earth shook. After a few seconds, Arges rolled his head to the left and then to the right, disoriented. His eye blinked uncontrollably as he tried to come to.
Suddenly, the hungry giant grunted in a broken language that we all seemed to understand. “I created the lightning bolt. You can’t use it on me.”
“I know,” I said grabbing hold of my medallion and tried to stay calm.
I walked up to Arges’ head. It was like a huge boulder that I’d have to climb in order to be seen by his eye. Arges turned his head all the way to the right and I gazed into his big, beautiful, blue eye. The eye was so large that it gave the appearance of elevator doors opening and closing when he blinked.
Suddenly, Brontes or Steropes, I didn’t know which was which, bent all the way down and stared at me with his one green eye.
“Who are you? How did you take Zeus’ bolt?” The giant asked, quizzically.
“I’m Zeus’ daughter. He… uh gave it to me.” It sounded so strange actually stating that fact. Here I was claiming a father that wouldn’t have anything to do with me.
The last giant took one sizable step closer to me, causing the ground to shake, and my disciples nearly lost their footing. Both brothers stared at us.
“Demigods?” The last giant asked, astounded.
“We are Ischero. I am the empress of our empire.” I explained.
“Ischero – the powerful descendants of the Olympians.” Arges’ declared.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” I said, somberly, to Arges. “But you were preparing to eat my cousin.”
“No apologies necessary, although he has very good aim with his arrow.” Arges chuckled and coughed and his putrid breath, which reeked of blood and raw meat, blew my hair back.
“Thank you.” Nikolas said, trotting up next to where I stood. “But I was aiming for your eye.” Nikolas smirked.
“I know that, Centaur. Welcome to our forest. We won’t cause you any harm,” Arges promised.
“We appreciate your hospitality.” Nikolas smiled.
Arges rose into a sitting position before his brother’s pulled him up. The ground shook, as he stood up
right.
“Are you the only of your kind here?” I asked as I glanced around the Central Park. The moonlight streamed in from between the trees, but you couldn’t make out more than fifteen or so feet in front of you.
“Yes, but we are not the only creatures in this forest. Do you like the bolt I created, it agrees with you, little goddess?” Arges asked blinking at me as he scooped me up with his large hand.
“I do, but the bolt isn’t mine yet.” I informed.
“That explains it because if it were, I would be dead right now.” Arges said, and chuckled so loudly that my disciples and I covered our ears with our hands in resistance. “I’m two for two.”
“Never abuse it and never forget how strong it can be.” One of the brothers said.
“I promise to never abuse it, but my power has its limits.” I said and turned back to Arges. “What you felt was all the power I have.”
“Your inner power is strong, little goddess. It took courage to use the lightning bolt on its maker.” Arges chortled again, and we all winced.
“What other creatures are there in this forest?” Evan asked.
Arges placed me down on the ground, remained bent over, turned his head completely to the right, and stared down at Evan.
“And you are?” Arges asked.
“I’m a son of Poseidon.” Evan said, confidently.
“The god of the wild waters.” Arges said and paused. “The other creatures do not live in this forest but they pass though, mostly at nightfall. They are ravenous and eat our food. We were lucky to get a few of the herd that got away when you came.”
“What are they?” Evan prodded.
“Savage beasts.” Arges snapped and turned away. It was obvious that he was done with this line of questioning, although I had an inkling as to what beasts he spoke of, but I couldn’t be one hundred percent sure.
Arges turned to Nikolas and said, “I have a lot of respect for sons of Dionysus. Only his wine can quench my thirst.” His gnarled teeth broke through his mouth and we braced ourselves for his laughter.
“Would you like a taste?” Nikolas asked.
“I would love a taste,” Arges said.
“Brontes? Steropes?” The giants nodded.
Nikolas rubbed his hands together for a moment as if he was trying to warm his palms. Out of the darkness and in a matter of seconds, three enormous glass jugs of wine appeared in Nikolas’ hands. They looked more like baby bottles in the giant’s hands and I expected each would equal about a sips worth. The giants pulled the corks off the bottles, tilted their heads back, and chugged Niko’s wine.
After one sip, Brontes’ lips spread open and he grinned from ear to ear. “Ahh…you are a true child of Dionysus.” Then he tilted his head back again, as his brothers did the same. They gulped from the jugs that proved to be indeed magical, as their contents never ran out.
“Good night children of the gods. Don’t be strangers. Visit us often.” Arges said.
We all grabbed a tree trunk as the Cyclops stomped away to finish their hunt.
“Werewolves?” Bethany asked long after the giants were gone, although you could still hear and feel their footsteps.
“That would be my guess.” Victor answered.
Twenty-Two - Cordelia
Nightlife
It was never too late for Niko and Beth. After we all went home, they decided to go to a speakeasy. Somehow, they dragged Bertrand and his betrothed, Hedea, Julius and his betrothed, Ophelia, and Sebastian and his betrothed, Olympia, along tonight. Everyone seemed excited to see what this era’s nightlife had to offer. After much prompting from Bethany, Evan decided to join them, so I agreed to go along, somewhat reluctantly. Victor couldn’t accept the idea of me being out with Evan therefore he decided to go as well. It seems his sister felt the same way he did, to my dismay.
Our destination for jazz music was a lively uptown location in an area called Harlem. The name alone sounded enticing. According to Beth, who seemed suddenly in the know about all New York City had to offer after catching a few broadcasts on the radio, the Cotton Club was the swankiest juice joint in all of Manhattan.
We were all dressed to the nines. The boys in dark hued, three-piece suits and the girls in shimmering dresses and accessories. I wore a scarlet red, beaded and fringed, chemise dress, a rhinestone choker as well as my medallion, and T-bar heels. My hair was pulled back in a chignon and I wore a satin ribbon as a headband.
Once we were uptown, the speakeasies were scattered along every street and catered to all types, from the elite to the not so elite. The night was in full swing and the atmosphere was intoxicating and gay on the street. The mortals were falling out of speakeasies and pouring into neighboring clubs. The lights of the Cotton Club’s marquee stood out amongst the rest of the speakeasies and lit up the avenue as a trail of limousines pulled up to the curb.
We all arrived at about the same time and were making our way into the club when Julius, Hedea, and Ophelia were stopped at the door and told they weren’t permitted into the ritzy club. After a bit of Glamour, the beefy, olive-skinned bouncer, dressed in a tuxedo and top hat, understood that everyone, including those of color, were invited patrons and the highest clientele in the all-white ‘Cotton Club’, at least for tonight.
Once inside, the colorful sounds of the trombone’s wah-wah growls and the high squealing trumpets and saxophones blew us all away. The tuxedoed band stood at the head of the large horseshoe-shaped room that was sprinkled liberally with large palms, which inspired a jungle motif. Small tables were wrapped around the stage and grouped on two tiers. At first, we sat quietly at two small round tables topped with crisp white linen. After a few moments, a waiter approached us. He took our orders for fried chicken and tapped his breast pocket, indicating the supply of liquor.
I glanced around the room, as Evan did and watched, as his expression grew dark. We all began noticing the similarities of the patrons without actually voicing it to each other. I had to admit, they had evolved in the most eloquent of way – dressed impeccably in dance frocks and tuxedoes. They appeared civilized, the keyword being ‘appeared’, but my members and I weren’t naïve. I wondered why they weren’t out hunting at this hour.
The paleness of their faces, even those who wore cosmetics, couldn’t camouflage their dead eyes. We’d know the Apolluon anywhere even dressed up as flappers and gentlemen. I almost laughed out loud at how they were sprinkled in amongst the mortals would more than likely bleed for them tonight.
It had only taken a day for us to find them.
The Apolluon had to age past two thousand years old to leave the Underworld, if they were ever allowed to. Could all these undead souls really be that old?
I sent a message, telepathically, to my disciples, “We anticipated that they would be here. They don’t seem to notice divinity amongst them, but I know that you’re all wearing your silver medallions. Let’s just enjoy our evening.”
“With this many mortals within their reach, they’re probably too busy setting up meal plans to notice us.” Nikolas said, and I couldn’t withhold my laughter. I redirected his message, telepathically, to the rest of my disciples and they all chuckled.
“I wonder if they’re the savage beasts the giants spoke of,” Victor whispered in my ear, and the warmth of his sweet breath caressed my neck and sent a tingling down to my toes.
“That’s a possibility.” I whispered back, nearly out of breath.
It was now time for the entertainment. The chorus line of gyrating dancers were fair- skinned black girls. Strangely, they were all taller than five foot six in height and probably as young as we were.
All throughout the show, which lasted about two hours, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Evan and Evangelia. He sat next to me on my right and she sat on his right. Victor was on my left and he knew that I was observing their body language. Oddly enough, Evan didn’t seem to care if Victor and I shared any moments of heightened aura or chemistry.
Evan held
conversations with her as well as everyone else at our table and successfully blocked his thoughts from me. Evan was being careful and I couldn’t forgive him for it. It only meant that he was hiding something monumental. All I heard was Victor’s thoughts and they were pretty much of the same context – making love to me. In Evan’s defense, he did ask me, several times, if I was enjoying myself, but not once did he really wait to hear my entire answer or did I feel that he really heard me.
I tried to distract myself by watching the vampires mingle and by blocking Victor’s torrid thoughts. Finally, the extravagant and well-choreographed act was ending and I prayed to the gods that the torture I was being put through would end along with it.
“Now for the real show!” Bethany squealed as we all stepped out of the Cotton Club, which I silently dubbed the unrealistic maelstrom of whites and blacks.
“Where to, doll?” Nikolas asked his beloved as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Just a few blocks down on Fifth Avenue.”
“What’s to see there?” Evan prodded with a raised brow.
“Well, while the pretty girls danced and danced, I had a vision, but we’ll have to see just how accurate it is. It’s something I think we all should see.”
“Lead the way.” Victor said and grabbed my hand.
His hand was warm and I allowed myself to be comforted by how stifling his heat grew with my touch. Evan stared at us as his lips formed a thin line across his beautiful face. His sky blue eyes darkened to a deep turquoise. He finally noticed me for the first time since coming out tonight. Good, I thought.
What felt even better than his painful gaze, was that as we all walked to our vehicles he left Evangelia behind. She pretended to be in deep conversation with Hedea and Bertrand, but all the while, her crystalline eyes were glued to his face.
Victor held the door for me. I was about to step into the motorcar when I caught the wide-eyed expression of a young flapper. She sat alongside her escort in the back seat of a Rolls Royce limousine. Terror spread across her face and my heart raced, but it was too late. The gentleman looked directly in my direction as he jabbed his sharp fangs ferociously into her neck. I looked up at Victor, just as their car sped away, and new that he had seen the attack.
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