“What do we do now?” Rachel whispered to Rob.
“Kill the dragon then its offspring,” he said. Rachel looked shocked.
“They are babies,” she said. “Poor helpless little creatures. You cannot kill them in cold blood.”
“Famine said we had to kill all of the dragons in the cave,” Rob told her.
“But she couldn’t have known that there would be young ones here,” Rachel said. I rolled my eyes. Was Rachel really so naïve that she believed that there could be anything happening in Famine’s part of the realm that my aunt was not fully aware of?
“They may be small and helpless now, but they will grow up to be big, mean and dangerous,” Rob pointed out. By the look on her face, Rachel was not impressed with that comment. He sighed loudly and his shoulders drooped. “Alright then. We just kill the mother and leave the kids alone.”
“They will starve to death without their mother.”
“Well what do you want me to do?” he hissed at her.
“I don’t know. I just know that this feels wrong.”
Rob’s face filled with uncertainty and I was sure he was thinking about his girlfriend, wondering what would happen to her if he failed to do as Famine had asked.
“I’m sorry Rachel, but I have to do it.” Rachel’s face filled with horror as he raised my sword and made to drive it into the dragon’s heart.
But his arm stayed raised. He stood there, looking down at his intended victim, listening to the continual cries of the baby dragons.
Rachel held her breath. So did I. Campe was prepared to move, should Rob make any attempt on her life or that of her children and I was worried that Rachel would get hurt.
Time seemed to stand still as I watched Rob, waiting for him to try to make the kill.
Eventually he lowered his arm, sword still in hand. “I can’t do it,” he said.
“Good,” Campe’s voice rang out, echoing around the cave. Rachel reached out and took Rob’s hand in hers, squeezing it tightly as the colour completely drained from her face.
“You have passed the test,” Campe continued. “Famine wanted you to show your compassion and I am pleased to say you have done just that. Well done.”
“Are you talking?” Rachel asked in disbelief.
“Of course,” the dragon replied.
I had seen enough. I disappeared, going straight to my grandfather’s house to return the helmet.
“They passed the test,” I informed him before disappearing once more and materialising in aunt Fam’s kitchen. Ankou had returned and I was amazed to find him helping with the food preparation.
“Where have you been?” Ankou asked. “Helping out your charges?”
“Spying on them, not helping them.”
“You took a risk. What if they had seen you?”
I shook my head. “They couldn’t. I borrowed grandad’s helmet.”
The look of jealousy that crossed Ankou’s face made me feel a lot better than I have since arriving at Famine’s cottage.
“How come you can use it, but I’m never allowed to?” he asked in a sulky tone.
“That’s easy,” I said, unable to keep the smile from my face. “I’m trustworthy.”
“So where are they?” Famine asked, changing the subject before our banter developed into an argument.
“With Campe. They should be returning soon, as long as she can convince them to allow her to give them a lift back. If not, they are in for a long walk. They passed your test, by the way. I thought at one point Rob was going to actually use the sword, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.”
“Did Rachel talk him out of it?” Famine asked.
“Not exactly, but I think her words helped him make the decision to not kill the dragons.”
It was not long before we could hear the beating of wings as the dragon approached, but none of us went out to greet the ‘conquering heroes’.
“You’re back sooner than expected,” Famine said as Rob and Rachel walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah,” Rob said in a nonchalant tone. “We killed all the dragons, as you requested, then ran back here. No sweat. All in a day’s work.”
“Liar,” Famine said, smiling at him. “I know you couldn’t do it. Please, take a seat. Food is almost ready and you must be starving.”
At the mention of food Rachel’s face turned slightly green. “I’m going to bed,” she said, placed Ankou’s sword on the table and left the room.
Concerned, I made to follow her, but Famine called me back. “Leave her alone for a while.”
“Is she alright?” I asked Rob.
“I don’t think she liked the flight very much,” he replied. “That, on top of meeting a dragon and discovering that it can talk has freaked her out almost as much as finding out that your father is War.”
That stung, but I didn’t react. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, which was broken by Famine pointing out that Rob had had an eventfully day and subtly suggesting that a shower was in order.
I, too, left the room to shower and change clothes. There was no sign of Rachel when I returned and Famine suggested we eat without her. I barely picked at my food. I was worried about Rachel. Very worried.
“She really needs to eat something,” I said when the meal was over.
“Leave it to me,” Ankou said and before I had time to object he had conjured up a tray and moved some of the left-over food onto it. I glared at his back as he left the room. Sensing the tension, Rob thanked his host for the food and made a quick exit.
“Calm down,” Famine said gently to me as soon as we were alone.
“How can I calm down?” I snapped. “Rachel needs taking care of right now and that bastard is going to take advantage of her.”
“Patience. Besides, she may turn him down.”
“Yeah right. You saw the way she looks at him.”
Famine sighed. She wasn’t used to me acting like this. “Just because you like looking at the latest sports car in the show room doesn’t mean you want to own it.”
“No, but you wouldn’t say no if you were given the chance to take a ride in it.”
“Maybe that was a bad analogy. Not all women fall into bed with him just because he flashes a smile at them.”
“Most do.”
Knowing there was no getting through to me she gave up and cleared away the dishes. For once I didn’t offer to help. I sat where I was, brooding and wondering what was taking Ankou so long to deliver the food.
A short while later I heard a door slamming, shortly followed by another one. I left the dining room and almost ran into Famine, who had also heard the commotion.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I have no idea.”
Then Ankou walked out of his room, his bag slung over his shoulder. “There’s somewhere I need to be,” he said. He did not sound angry, more concerned, though what about I had no idea.
“What happened?” I asked, sounding a lot more patient than I felt.
“Nothing,” he replied. He looked about to say something more, but changed his mind. “I need to see someone, that’s all.” Without another word he vanished.
“What is going on?” I asked in puzzlement. I started to walk toward Rachel’s door. If Ankou wouldn’t tell me anything, maybe she would.
Famine called me back. “Don’t,” she said. “Leave it till the morning.” It was advice, not an order, but I decided to follow it.
Family
I woke early, but was too irritable to go back to sleep. The reason for Ankou’s sudden departure was still preying on my mind and I decided that physical activity might help. I went for a long run, building up a good sweat. I thought as I ran, trying to decide what I should say to Rachel when I saw her, but by the time I returned I was still no nearer to making a decision.
I took a long hot shower, dressed, and headed toward the kitchen. I heard voices and mentally prepared myself for a confrontation.
“What did you do
to Ankou last night?” I asked, looking straight at Rachel.
“Nothing,” she replied, a little too quickly.
“You must have done something. One minute he was taking you some food, the next he was packing his bags and leaving.”
“He’s gone?” she asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes.” I scowled at her. “Without any explanation. So I will ask again. What did you do?”
“Nothing,” she said again. “I swear.” I grunted. She was not a very good liar. “Why are you so concerned, anyway,” she continued. “I thought you didn’t like him.” Was she just trying to change the subject or was she being serious?
“What made you think that? He’s family. I love him like a brother.”
“All the dark looks you keep giving him for a start.” How had she spotted that when her eyes never left Ankou?
“I have my reasons for that,” I said quietly. This was not the way I had envisioned this conversation going.
“And they are?”
“None of your business.” I then turned my attention to Rob. “We can leave as soon as you are ready.” With that I left the kitchen. I had to get away before Rachel had chance to push me for an answer. I was supposed to be interrogating her, not the other way round.
Less than half an hour later we were back on the road, having said a warm farewell to Famine. Our next destination was War; I was taking Rob and Rachel to visit my home. I felt nervous and excited at the same time. I was really looking forward to it and I was dreading it.
We travelled all day, passing through some beautiful countryside. There were green fields and natural lakes, all filled with wildlife. Ankou was not mentioned again and the day passed pleasantly.
After the evening meal Rob went to his tent early, leaving me and Rachel alone. I had been expecting Rachel to turn in as well and was pleased when she made no move to do so.
We made conversation about trivial matters for a while, but then it became more personal. There was something I wanted to discuss and now seemed the ideal opportunity, but I was still a little unsure of myself when I started to speak. Did I really want to hear the answer?
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked.
“Of course,” she said. “On the condition I can ask you one.”
I hesitated for a moment before agreeing, unsure if I really wanted to face any more of her questions. “Why does that fact that Hades is my grandfather bother you so much?”
“I don’t really know,” she replied. She sounded sincere, but I still had my doubts. “It may be because you lied to me about who you really are.”
“I never lied,” I interrupted, but she stopped me from saying more.
“But you didn’t tell me the truth.” I reluctantly agreed with this statement. My mind drifted back to our conversation about her friendship with Robert and how she was okay with him using her to dump his girlfriends. What had she said? ‘He didn’t lie. He just didn’t tell me everything. There is a big difference.’ Isn’t that exactly what I had done? I decided now was not the time to bring up her inconsistency.
“Or it might be the fact that you are not human,” she continued. It was the answer I had been dreading.
“Why would that matter?” Rachel opened her mouth, then closed it again. She either didn’t know or didn’t want to tell me.
“I know nothing about you. Every time the topic of conversation is about you, you change the subject.”
“Can you blame me? It’s hard enough living in Hell without being part of The Family.” I pronounced the capital letters as though I was talking about the Mafia. In a way, I was. “Don’t get me wrong, the underworld is a great place to live; some parts of it are truly beautiful and The Family are good, loving people, mostly, but it’s hardly something you can talk about. Can you imagine me going up to someone in the street and saying ‘Hi, Hades is my grandfather and War is my father. Nice to meet you.’ They would probably scream, faint or hit me. Either that or they would assume I was a lunatic and want nothing to do with me. I had the chance to pretend to be something else for a while and took it.” I had opted for complete honesty and held my breath while waiting for Rachel to react, desperately hoping I had done the right thing.
“You could still have told me,” she said quietly. Why did she just say ‘me’ not ‘us’? I had, after all, kept my identity hidden from Rob as well. Did that mean she was taking it personally or was that just wishful thinking on my part? I pretended not to have noticed.
“Really,” I said, making my voice drip with sarcasm. I wanted to keep things as casual as possible. If the conversation turned too serious I would end up revealing more of myself than I really wanted to. “And how would that have gone? ‘Hi. I’m Kris and I will be your guide through my grandfather’s domain and though I’m not human and have powers you can only dream about you will be perfectly safe with me, I promise.’ Yeah. I can really have seen that working out well.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
She shrugged her shoulders, then smiled slyly. I began to worry. What was she up to now? “On one condition,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“You tell me all about yourself.”
I grimaced, then sighed in resignation. It had to happen eventually, so I might as well get it over and done with. At least she was showing an interest in me. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” Now why was I not surprised?
“It’s getting late. Maybe this should wait till tomorrow.” Could I really get out of it that easily?
“No way Buster. Spill.” Apparently not.
“I need a drink,” I said and pulled a bottle of wine out of my bag, along with two glasses. I could have just conjured them out of thin air right in front of her, but I didn’t think she was quite ready to witness that. I poured a glass and handed it to her before pouring my own. I was delaying on purpose, giving myself time to think about what I was going to say. In the end I decided to tell her everything.
I relaxed down by the fire, propping myself up on one elbow, and began. “As you know, my father is War. My mother is Queen Boudica. I have two sisters, both younger than me.” Once I had started, I found it easy to continue. It felt good to be finally admitting the truth to her.
“Hold on,” Rachel interrupted. “Go back a bit. Did you say Boudica? As in Queen of England many hundreds of years ago?”
I smiled. “Yes, and no. Yes, she is the Boudica you are thinking of, but she was never Queen of England. She ruled the Iceni tribe when her husband was killed. She fought the Romans and was a great warrior. You can understand why she caught my father’s eye. This all happened back in the first century AD.”
“I thought she killed herself after her daughters were raped and murdered.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she covered it up in horror at what she had just said. “I’m so sorry, I never meant−”
I held up a placating hand, silencing her. “It’s alright. I know you were talking about some figure from ancient history rather than the woman who gave birth to me. It’s going to take a while to get your head around it. There are many stories about my mother. Most of them are fictitious. Some say she grew sick and died, others that she drank poison. Both of her daughters by the King fought by her side and were killed. She survived and my father convinced her to join him in the underworld. He had disguised himself as one of her seconds in command and they fell for each other long before Boudica’s forces were defeated.”
“You make it sound romantic,” Rachel said.
I chuckled. “It was hardly the time for romance, but they have definitely made up for it since. Now where was I? Oh yes. My sisters. Annoying is a good word for them. They both inherited our father’s blond hair and our mother’s green eyes and consider themselves extremely attractive. They used to say they could easily be mistaken for daughters of Aphrodite until she overheard them. I have no idea what she said to them, but they have nev
er compared themselves to her offspring since. But that hasn’t stopped them going through men like a hot knife through butter whenever they visit the mortal world. Don’t get me wrong; they don’t sleep around, but they do leave a trail of broken hearts behind them wherever they go.”
As it usually does when I talk about my sisters, my voice softened. I looked at the fire as I spoke, but every now and then glanced up at Rachel. Her eyes were glued to me as she took in everything I was saying.
“Despite their lack of modesty, you love them very much,” she said. I nodded my head.
“Next come my father’s siblings. Fam and Len you have already met. Death it is best to experience rather than be told about.” I spoke about my more distant family, all of the other gods of Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythology and their multiple offspring. Of the main gods, only my grandfather has kept his number of children in single digits. I purposely avoided mentioning Ankou and Rachel didn’t ask about him.
“How do you keep track of them all?” she asked in wonder when I finished talking.
“That’s easy. I don’t. Now it is getting very late. It is time we both retired to our tents to get some sleep.” There was something else she wanted to know, but I was hoping she had forgotten.
“One more thing,” she said. “I haven’t asked my question yet.”
“What question?” I asked with fake innocence.
“The one you promised to answer if I told you why I was bothered about you being related to the god of the underworld.”
“Ah, but you didn’t really answer me.”
“I did the best I could. So now it’s your turn.”
The way I was feeling right then, I would have told her anything she wanted to know. Almost. I turned my hand upward and moved my fingers toward my palm in a ‘come on then’ gesture, so she took a deep breath and said, “Why don’t you like Ankou?”
I stared at her in surprise. That was the last thing I had been expecting her to ask and Ankou was a topic I really did not want to discuss. “We’ve already been through that. Why do you still think I dislike him?”
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