“Okay,” Carter told him, gently, in a rare show of empathy. “We’re doing this, Tony. Me, Jordan, and maybe Luca.”
“What do you mean, maybe?” Luca grumbled under his breath.
“No,” Tony said. “It’ll never work. Me, and someone else. Only one someone else.” Silence, again. Tony really didn’t think there was another way, if he’d volunteered himself.
“Tony.” Luca made eye contact with him, a sincere graveness flashing through his countenance. “You don’t have to do this. I’m ready to go instead.”
Tony’s lips curled up slightly, forming a melancholy smile. “I know you’re trying to help me. Like you were when you took the wheel of the pick-up so I could escape the chimera before you. And I appreciate it, but you can’t save me from this. They won’t believe it if I’m not there. I’m the one always pushing for interviews with legends. Too many people, and that’ll be suspicious too. I have to go. It’s safest for me to go alone, but I can’t. I need someone there with me.”
“I’ll go,” Luca said, insistently. Too insistently. He probably already knew by then how it was going to turn out.
I shook my head. “We all know I’m the one who’s going,” I said, not bothering to put any challenge in my voice. I didn’t even need to justify why. Everyone knew, even Luca, judging from the defeated look in his eyes.
And that settled the matter. If Tony was advocating this, there wasn’t really anything left to say. And if he was taking backup, it was me. I wasn’t happy that Tony would get dragged into this, since I was willing to go in by myself. But I couldn’t deny a part of me was relieved that I wouldn’t be alone. Even if ‘not alone’ meant ‘with Tony.’
Maybe we were all coming apart from the stress, for it to come to this. Or maybe we were just tired, and wanted something, anything, to do. But here we were, and this was how we would move forward. The road back to normal seemed longer than ever.
Chapter Eleven
A WEEK LATER, DR. BERTI arranged for an interview with the Hercules, for me and Tony. He’d agreed to meet us near the Aventine, while representatives from the Houses were still in the area. Which was good, because pretty much no one would consent to us heading into the Hercules’ territory.
The Hercules had been provided quarters around the base of the Aventine, near an old temple dedicated to the original Hercules. Pradip told us that there were still some hard feelings about the House of Remus claiming the Aventine after the Boom, as the Hercules had wanted to claim the nearby temple and the Forum Boarium—where the original Hercules had his cattle stolen, before killing the responsible party. The current Hercules offered to meet with us right in front of that temple. It may or may not have been some kind of statement, but I didn’t care either way. If it was, it had nothing to do with us.
The location actually pleased the Remus. He said it would be easy to hide people nearby, still out of sight. Just in case anything happened. You know, since we were confronting a cold-blooded killer about his recent attempts to assassinate us.
A doorway in the wall at the end of the park opened onto a small flight of stones stairs, leading to a cobblestone road. That was where the others saw us off, all the while providing unnecessary, last-minute advice.
“Lead into it, instead of getting straight to what you want to know,” Jessie instructed. She had enough clout to be here if she wanted to—turned out, she was the Remus’ niece. “He might give something away while he doesn’t suspect how much you know. You guys are going to be awesome at this, I can tell.” At least we had one vote of confidence.
The Remus fumbled with my bag, trying to get a mike in place—we chose the bag so I could position it more easily, to pick up the Hercules’ speech. “Try to be relaxed and confident,” he added. “Then he will be less likely to think he has any advantage over you. If you appear unsure, he will be more likely to try to scare or even hurt you, so this is important.”
“No need to frighten them,” Dr. Berti commented, a tightness to her voice. She’d opted for her wheelchair instead of a cane today, so I had to look down to meet her eyes as she regarded us. “This isn’t a particularly risky mission, not when compared to facing a chimera. You will both be fine.” She sounded almost too insistent.
“Perhaps,” the Remus replied, addressing her with an extra hint of gentleness. “But I would prefer they be too careful rather than not careful enough. They are still dealing with the Hercules, and this should not be treated so lightly.”
“Jordan and Tony are both very capable. This is a well thought-out plan.”
“I know.” As he met her gaze, it was like some hidden message passed between them. Some of the tension in my advisor drained away in response. Out of embarrassment at witnessing something that personal, I pulled out my phone out of my pocket and toyed with it. The more I saw the two of together, the more I started to believe that they actually were friends. How had I missed it before?
The world doesn’t begin when you start noticing it, Tommy had once told me. My memory called up the glint in his eyes as he’d said it, like he’d had a secret. And he did, because I’d had no idea what he was talking about—except, I realized with horror, that this bit of philosophical gibberish was actually starting to make sense to me now.
Obviously, my little brother could never be allowed to know that.
The Remus handed the bag to me. “The place for this interview is just down the hill...” he went into the specifics of the directions again. For the fifth time, even though I was sure all of us could recite them by heart at this point. Still, no one interrupted him.
Aside from the suggestions, there wasn’t much for anyone to say. Certainly no goodbyes, though a few good lucks were warranted. We were hoping to be back in an hour at the most. But I could tell the team was worried, even as they smiled and told us to hurry back before lunch got cold.
There was no more stalling to be had then, so Tony and I started our way down the hill. Old, moss-covered walls surrounded us on all sides, obscuring the bend in the road up ahead, slanting downward along with the decline. Off in the distance, between the tips of the trees growing behind the walls and the skyline, a distinct white building with a green statue on top of it stood out. That was Old Rome, though the building itself was a later addition. Something about the sight soothed me, made me feel like I wasn’t on my own.
I caught Tony glancing at me. “How come you’re never scared?” he asked.
The question threw me off, because I felt like I was always scared these days. I shrugged. “I guess I just don’t show it.”
His eyebrows rose, casting a dubious countenance on his face. It made sense that Tony would be the least likely to see through my act, since I was always trying to keep calm precisely so that he wouldn’t panic.
Oh. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him anything.
“You’re telling me you can push through and get stuff done anyway?” he asked, skeptical.
“Tony, you do the same thing.” Now he just looked at me with derision. Oh good, the snarky, moody Tony we all knew and didn’t love was back. “No, really. How many times have you gotten us out of dangerous situations? You’re behind the wheel because we know we can count on you.”
He shook his head, unconvinced. “That’s just—that’s survival, okay? I’m not thinking clearly. Not the way you always come up with plans, or whatever.”
“We all play to our strengths. If I let myself think about how dangerous the situation is, I’ll panic and be completely worthless. So I focus on whatever task I need to get done and don’t think beyond that. You, on the other hand, are at your best when you’re under a lot of pressure.”
He scowled at me. Some people just couldn’t take a compliment.
Maybe I should try again. “You’ve got good instincts, and you don’t need to be calm to make good decisions.”
“That’s not going to help us now,” he said.
We approached the bend. As we turned, the road transformed into a flight of st
airs right in front of us. Which, what the hell. Why on earth would a road wide enough for a car suddenly turn into stairs?
“I’m going to be interviewing this person,” Tony continued. “I don’t need good instincts. I need to think.”
Fair enough. “So forget about what might happen, and just interview him the way you’ve been interviewing the other legends this past week.” It’d be the best way to get the Hercules to let down his guard. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
After a thoughtful pause, Tony nodded, a bit of determination reaching his eyes. I couldn’t believe that actually helped, but I was glad he wasn’t pushing me to say anything else to reassure him. That was all I had. Seriously, I was out.
Past the stairs, and we turned onto a boulevard-like road. From there it was only a few minutes until a small, round structure surrounded by columns—the Temple of Hercules Victor—became visible from across the street. In front of it, nearly as tall as the temple, stood a fountain with a sculpture at its center.
A figure in a light-colored tunic sat on one of the benches nearby, facing towards the fountain. No doubt, this was the Hercules. Already waiting for us.
I took a deep breath. Here went nothing.
HIS FRAME WAS LARGE and muscular, almost stereotypical for a man claiming the mantle of the Hercules. It made it easy to remember the things his House was known for—raw strength, often uncontrolled. Aggression and perseverance. For a moment, I regretted that he’d arrived before we did, that we might have kept him waiting.
Yet he didn’t look impatient in the least, leaning back with his eyes closed. His posture was relaxed, his demeanor tranquil. It was only as our footsteps crunched against the pebbles on the ground that he opened his eyes.
“You must be Antonio and Jordan. A pleasure,” he spoke in a soft, melodious voice.
“Likewise,” I replied, channeling my mother as best I could. The echo of her voice whispered in my ear, reminding me that above all, I had to keep from showing any fear.
I leaned against the railing surrounding the fountain, while Tony took out his electronic notebook.
The Hercules eyed it with curiosity. “What is that?”
It was nice to know that at least some legends met my expectations, unlike the House of Remus and their smartphones. “Just somewhere to write down your responses,” I assured him. Then I turned to Tony, knowing it was his move.
Tony cleared his throat. “Thank you so much for agreeing to see us,” he began.
Oh, right. Manners. I’d completely forgotten about that, assuming we’d get right to the point. Good thing I had Tony to remember those things.
The Hercules inclined his head. “Of course. And thank you for distracting me from this diplomatic necessity. The members of my House generally find this quite tedious.”
That was not the opening I was expecting. Actually, none of this was what I’d expected. He was a large, physically imposing man, but he hadn’t tried to use that to intimidate us—in fact, he remained seated the entire time. He hadn’t raised his voice, he’d observed all the pleasantries. At no point did he make any kind of opening power play to establish his authority.
And now he was confiding his personal emotions to us. Why? Why tell us that?
Tony gave a small smile, seemingly genuine. Despite his earlier freakout, he was doing fine. “It’s an honor. I wanted to ask about the values of your House in particular, which it does not share with other legends.”
“A wide topic of conversation,” the Hercules commented. “Our values are largely based on the stories of our founders, as are our powers. As a whole, the House represents the personality of the original hero. You have heard the theory that our powers depend on how closely we adhere to our founder’s personality?”
Tony nodded.
“Nonsense, of course. Nonetheless, it is traditional. Our House believes in great deeds, strength, and resilience. We are extravagant in both rewards and punishments—we hold that we should be very good to our friends, and very bad to our enemies.”
There was nothing ominous or threatening in his tone, but there didn’t need to be. My mind still took it that way. “Who would you define as your friends and enemies?” I cut in. Time to start hinting.
“As a House, we think in terms of allies and enemies. As individuals, we make sure to take things personally.” That was almost a non-answer, at least in terms of what I was looking for.
Tony continued, “Your House is known for having flying horses.” Oh, that was a good one. Tony was getting the hang of this.
“Yes,” the Hercules perked up, evidently not needing any more prompting on that subject. “Named after the legendary Pegasus, their ancestor.” That was a heavily debated topic, but I certainly wasn’t going to say that to him. “Very even-tempered animals, and a great symbol to our House, tying us to our founder’s ancestor.”
Tony had already told us that Hercules was descended from Perseus, making it easy to figure out who that ancestor was. Perseus, who slew the Medusa, causing the birth of Pegasus. Perseus who wore the helmet of Hades to make himself invisible.
Although personally, I would have thought that the Pegasus had a stronger connection to the Greek hero Bellerophon, who actually rode him, but whatever. Clearly the Hercules believed in this connection to his founder’s ancestor. But it was Bellerophon who fought with the Pegasus. It was the two of them together, that slew the...slew the...
Oh, shit.
That slew the legendary chimera.
The Hercules believed his flying horses were descended from Pegasus, and Pegasus was connected with the chimera in the legends. Why hadn’t we seen it sooner? The House of Hercules using a chimera against us remained one of the biggest open questions in our theory. My heart pounded as this new piece of the puzzle slipped into place, another connection between the attack on us and the House of Hercules.
I hesitated half a breath, enough to keep my voice even when I spoke. “Given the legends about the Pegasus, how do you feel about the recent chimera sighting in the area?”
Tony threw me a sideways glance, but the Hercules smiled broadly. “Yes, my grandnephew recently underwent a great trial to prove himself,” the legend said, practically glowing with pride. “He was the one to drive the chimera here, all the way from Anatolia. Truly, he demonstrated not only his determination and ambition, but also a touch of subtlety in how he wielded his power.”
This could not be real. He was going to sit there and admit that his House brought the chimera here deliberately? I almost stopped breathing in shock, and my peripheral vision caught a sudden stillness in Tony’s form. Yet the Hercules fell into the telling the story of his grandnephew, the beast herder, with an urgency to make us understand just how remarkable this exploit was.
“He did not slay a beast,” the Hercules continued, “but moved it at his will, held it at his mercy. He did not destroy, but rearranged the world to his liking. When the creature recovers from the journey, hunting it will be great sport for our youths, great entertainment for our House. It is a testament to his commitment to Herculean values. Though,” he added with a glint in his eyes that invited us to share a joke, “I believe he also wished to show off to his girlfriend. Not that she should be difficult to impress, as a member of the House of Remus.”
How could this be happening? Not only was he handing over this information like it was nothing, but he peppered it with these hints of friendliness. I had to say something, had to return his friendly gesture with one of my own. But instead, I stood staring at him, with a confused Tony at my side who couldn’t find a way to save the conversation either.
While I spent a few heartbeats too long racking my brain for an appropriately neutral response, the Hercules’ expression turned serious. “It hasn’t been causing any trouble, has it?” he asked with a curious detachment.
It was too late to cover up our reaction. I didn’t know how to handle this.
The Hercules’ eyes traveled from Tony’s expression to m
ine, drawing his own conclusions. “I see. It seems my children have been causing mischief. How bad is it?” Our stunned silence must have spoken for itself. “Ah. In that case, I am very sorry.”
And then I heard the sound of a horse’s neigh, coming from...above? Lifting my gaze, I saw three winged horses, their white coats gleaming in the sun, swing down from the sky. One was rider-less, but the two that weren’t plummeted straight towards me. Before I could react, someone grabbed me and threw me over a horse. The force of the impact left me dazed, a sharp pain spreading across my abdomen.
Then the ground was flying away, alarmingly fast. Vague shouts sounded from below, barely heard over the flapping of wings and the rush of the wind. It was a tossup whether the sudden chill came from the air whipping around my skin or the sheer terror at how little was keeping me from toppling off the horse. My hands scrambled for something to hold onto, but all I felt was the hairy flesh of the animal beneath me.
I barely dared to breathe, as the modern red-orange roofs underneath us gave way to ruins—and I knew that we were getting too far away, beyond where the House of Remus would be able to intervene. Then we flew over a large section of old, pre-Boom buildings, mostly intact but empty of anyone who could help me. Not that it’d have done much, if they had been occupied.
Nonetheless, it was only as the buildings gave way to fields and greenery that I accepted the reality. This was going to happen. I was in the hands of the House of Hercules, and it was too late to do anything about it.
Chapter Twelve
THE ENTIRE RIDE WAS a blur of nerves and panic. The pegasus would sway with the wind, or shift altitude, and I’d tense all of my muscles, trying to keep a grip through friction if nothing else. The first time I worked up enough courage to try to change my position—heart in my throat, my imagination conjuring images of how I might slip—a blow to the back of my head set my ears ringing. So my captor obviously wasn’t cool with that.
Terrestrial Magic (Jordan Sanders, #1) Page 15