From Gods (19 page)

Chapter 23

Skylar was surprised to see an undersized sofa, bed, and table set for two. Upon the fireplace was a huge pot; it seemed she was cooking soup. A delicious scent filled the air and tickled her nostrils. Having not eaten lunch, her stomach gurgled with hunger pangs. She had imagined walking into a dark tunnel, but that was obviously not the case. It wasn’t cold, but the fire crackling and the coziness of the place, shaped like a dome, gave the warm feeling of home.

“Sit down.” The Oracle patted the rug next to the fireplace. Then she picked up a long wooden stick and stirred the pot. “Would you like some soup?”

Skylar was about to say yes, but Mason beat her to it. “No, thanks. We’re not here to socialize. Let’s get this over with so we can get back home.”

Skylar could sense Mason’s uneasiness by his tone. She also noted the lack of trust he had for the Oracle. Must be his personality, recalling when he told her he didn’t know if he could trust her at one point.

“Very well.” She hobbled to her cabinet and pulled out a silver bowl. Inside the bowl, she pinched clear droplets of liquid from the bottles she pulled out from the cabinets below. After she stirred, she placed it by the side of the fire, watching it carefully, making sure the bowl was warm but not too hot to touch.

“There. This part is ready. Now, let me look into your soul,” she muttered, standing in front of Skylar.

“Look into my soul?” Skylar couldn’t fathom how she would do such a thing. The Oracle couldn’t even see. Well at least, she thought she couldn’t, but she seemed to get around just fine.

“Come closer, my dear.” She gripped Skylar’s shirt, tugging her closer to her, meeting face to face.

Mason moved cautiously closer, looking like he was ready to pull Skylar away.

“Look into my eyes.”

Look at what eyes? Is she for real?

Without warning, the old woman’s eyes shot open. Had the Oracle not gripped Skylar’s shirt tightly in her fist, Skylar would have fallen backward. Mason jerked back as well, almost stumbling. Her eyes were turquoise blue, but glassy and marble like. They looked fake, yet they were real, and they pulsated like a thumping heart. Staring back at her, Skylar was pulled into a trance and couldn’t look away.

Suddenly, the Oracle gasped a deep breath, like she had come up for air from being under the water too long. With a frightened expression on her face, she pulled back. “It’s you!” the Oracle yelled at Skylar, pointing at her. “You are the unknown factor…the keeper of death!”

Skylar looked bewildered, wanting to run. Her mouth dropped in shock from this astounding news and her eyes were wide as she shifted them from Mason, then to the Oracle. She couldn’t be the unknown factor. She didn’t even know what that was. “I’m nothing. I didn’t do anything,” she cried, wondering what Mason was thinking.

Mason didn’t move a muscle. He stood there staring at Skylar, most likely stunned, too. Breaking out of his state, he gripped Skylar’s wrist and led her toward the door. “We’re leaving.”

“She has evil in her. You must kill her,” the Oracle urged.

When Mason turned, the Oracle was already standing in front of Skylar. It happened so fast, he didn’t have time to react. The Oracle snatched Skylar’s hand and sliced one of her swathes diagonally, wounding her, but not deeply. The swathe had prevented the knife from penetrating deeper. Drops of scarlet liquid dripped into the silver bowl the Oracle was holding before Skylar could snatch her hand away.

To their surprise, the liquid inside the bowl sizzled. The bowl dropped from the Oracle’s hand, seemingly too hot to touch. It rattled while spinning endlessly. Finally it stopped and turned into stone. Then with a puff of black smoke, it turned into ashes. All eyes were glued to what was once a silver bowl.

“Now you see. I have proof!” she exclaimed with certainty, backing away, looking horrified. “Her blood is evil,” she shrieked. “Did Hades create you? What are you not telling us?”

With this newfound discovery, Skylar had no words. All she could think about at that moment was how similar Remus’s death was. Did she truly kill Remus? She reverted back to Mason’s room. Remus slapped her so hard, the impact cut her lip. In order to escape from Remus’s hold, she bit down on his lip, causing him to bleed, too. He swallowed her blood. This was the only explanation.

The room started to spin as she focused on the small pool of blood on her palm. Being told she was evil tore at her heart, and her chest tightened, feeling like air was being sucked out of her. Turning pale, she fought for breath frantically. As if Earth had tilted at that very moment, her knees buckled under her weight. She was about to fall flat on her face, but instead of collapsing, she felt two strong arms, the arms she had felt many times before, protectively around her.

“Stop it!” Mason snapped. “She isn’t evil.”

The Oracle finally calmed down. “She may not be evil, but she will bring evil wherever she goes. They bind together, just like your half brothers. There are more of her out there. You must kill every one of them before they destroy us all,” the Oracle warned. “Get out. Don’t come back. You will bring evil to Olympus. Olympus is all we have left to remind us of what we once were.”

Still in his hold, Mason lightly shook Skylar to get her attention. “Listen. Don’t tell anyone what just happened. Do you understand? Everett will kill you, and I don’t know what Amanda will do. You must keep a straight face when we’re out.”

When Skylar nodded to confirm, he turned to the Oracle. “The bridge is gone. How do we get out of here?”

The Oracle didn’t respond. She kept on staring at Skylar with piercing hatred in her eyes.

Mason gripped Skylar’s wounded hand and extended her arm toward the Oracle. “Tell me now before I splash her blood on you.”

“Don’t touch me,” she jerked back. “Go back to the waterfall and follow the stream, or you can go back to where the bridge was and find the path that leads to the same stream. It will lead you back to where you were before the bridge.”

“Back to the camp site,” Mason mumbled. “Hurry…open the door.”

The door flew open. Holding onto Skylar, he led them out. The door shut behind them, disappearing, but the tree remained.

Mason released Skylar from his hold and waited for her to stand steady. He ripped a strip of his shirt and wrapped it tightly around her wounded hand, trying not to touch the blood. “There. That should stop the bleeding for now. You owe me a T-shirt.”

“Okay…,” she replied, losing her words, looking at his torn T-shirt, revealing his muscular stomach. “Umm…Mason. I’m sorry. I’m not….”

Skylar started to speak, but her words were lacking. She wanted to cry. She wanted to apologize for killing Remus even though it was an accident, but she couldn’t. There were no words. The fact remained—she was poison. Knowing she could kill Mason, she had to let him go. Whatever hope she had they would be together disappeared when they walked out that door.

Somehow managing to hold back her tears, she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she spotted Amanda and Everett. Her muscles tensed, and she couldn’t control the rate of her rapidly beating heart.

“What happened to you?” Amanda asked Skylar.

Before Skylar could speak, Mason broke in. “She’s fine. I accidentally slit her with a knife she was holding.”

“Why was she holding a knife?” Amanda’s gaze went to Mason’s ripped T-shirt.

“Never mind. It’s too long to explain. Everything is fine.”

Amanda furrowed her brows, most likely not accepting his lack of an explanation, but she didn’t ask any more questions. Skylar was more than happy Mason took over their conversation. She didn’t know what she was going to say anyway.

“What happened in there? What did the Oracle say?” Everett jumped in.

“Not much. I knew this was a waste of time,” Mason huffed. “She looked into Skylar’s eyes and—”

“She what? She can’t see…I think. Can she?” Amanda looked confused.

“She’s strange. I don’t know if we can trust her.”

“So what did she say after she looked into Skylar’s eyes?” Everett seemed very impatient, spitting out his words the first chance he got.

“First of all, her eyes were spooky when she opened them. Then she mumbled a few words. She said she didn’t see any reasons why Skylar would be a threat. She does have god’s blood…from which family line remains unclear. The Oracle also told me how we can get out without retracing our steps. Follow me.”

Mason was cool and collected. Not an ounce of fear was displayed through his gestures. His words were smooth and convincing. But one question continued to replay in Skylar’s mind. What were Mason’s real thoughts?

Chapter 24

Standing on the boulders at the waterfall, they waited for Mason’s instructions. Watching the soft stream of water falling from above, Skylar wanted to submerge herself under it to wash away her poison blood. Thinking she was a half blood was bad enough, but to find out her blood could kill them was even worse…a nightmare from which she couldn’t wake up.

As they continued to follow the path, the stream became narrower until there was no water.

“Now what?” Amanda huffed.

Mason didn’t say a word. He gripped Skylar’s arm and stepped over to disappear out of their sight. Soon after, Amanda and Everett materialized in front of them. They were near the bridge.

“That was easy. Why couldn’t we’ve done this instead of going through what we’ve been through?” Amanda said through her gritted teeth.

“What would be the fun in that?” Mason twitched his brows.

“True.” Amanda shrugged her shoulders. “Still…it would’ve….” Her voice dissipated, as she kept moving ahead away from them.

“Where are you going?” Everett asked Amanda.

“Where are you going?” Amanda asked Everett, ignoring his questions, looking confused.

“Backpacks,” Mason spoke with his hands held up as if she should’ve known.

“Right.”

After they retrieved their camping backpacks, they headed to their cars. Since Nick’s car was gone, they assumed he’d found the path by the bridge to the stream. Skylar was elated Kayla was safe at home…hopefully. Though the ride back home was silent, it was soothing for Skylar. She gazed out the window, holding on to the clear blue summer sky; holding on to the warmth from the sun; holding on to the bumpy, sometimes unpaved roads; holding on to her reality. Having slept restlessly and drained from all that she had been through, she fell deeply asleep.

When she blinked her eyes open, it took her a second to realize where she was…inside Mason’s car, parked in front of Kayla’s house. She twisted her neck to the left and saw his small smile and a shirt he wore that wasn’t torn.

Sitting up straight, she noted the time and date. It was Sunday, 6 p.m. Though it felt like a second ago she had closed her eyes, more than two hours had passed. Looking to the empty back seat, Skylar assumed Mason had dropped off Amanda and Everett.

Since Mason didn’t say a word, she figured it was time for her to get out of the car. “Um…thank you.” She reached for the handle.

Mason rested his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from going out the door, then moved his hand down to his side when she turned. “We’re not safe. The Oracle is right. They will come after you.”

For some unknown reason, whether it was his tone or his lack of reassurance, Skylar was disappointed. “Then I better get myself a revolver.”

He chuckled lightly. “Like you know how to use one.”

I didn’t mean to be funny.
“Then what do you propose?”

“I don’t know. I don’t understand…you…who you are. I don’t know—”

If words could slap her in the face, they just did. “I don’t need your help,” she snapped before he could finish his sentence. “And you should stay away from me because I can kill you.” Skylar had had enough. Feeling dirty and ashamed, she rushed out of the car.

On her way to the front door, she tripped and stumbled to the grass. Embarrassed, she didn’t look to see if Mason was watching, hoping he didn’t see what she had just done.

It was too late. In the blink of an eye, he reached for her, and effortlessly pulled her up by her shoulders. In his hold, locked to his eyes, she was speechless.

“You didn’t let me finish. You’re always too busy assuming the worst of me. I will be there for you and do whatever I have to do to protect you. The Oracle was wrong about one thing. You are not evil. I can feel only good from you. Your blood may be damned, but you’re not. There is a difference.”

Skylar’s already teary eyes flooded even more and she couldn’t keep the tears from falling. “Why…why would you want to help me when your life would be in danger? You heard the Oracle; the danger and evil will follow me wherever I go. Why would you risk your own life knowing death may be in your path when you’re with me?”

Mason pulled Skylar closer, tighter, and then let go to run his fingers through her hair. “I don’t know…I…I just want to.”

Tingling sensations fluttered through her body. She wanted to hear him say that he cared for her as much as his eyes showed. How badly she wanted to pull him in and taste his lips. Snapping out of his alluring eyes, she spoke wearily. “It’s okay, Mason. You don’t need to protect me out of obligation, or because you feel sorry for me. You’re safer without me.”

“You don’t understand,” he said quickly.

“You’re right. I don’t understand why you would risk your life for me.” Skylar raised her voice, feeling frustrated. What was it that she didn’t understand? If only he would speak his mind instead of going around whatever he wanted to say.

To Skylar’s surprise, he bent lower to rest his head on hers, and tenderly cupped her face in his hands. At that moment, she was in a bubble of bliss, and nobody else existed in the world except for the two of them. Consumed by his tender embrace, she was utterly lost in Mason’s world.

“I…I…because…,” he started to say.

“Why?” she whispered.

“You’re trouble, you know that?” He gripped her tighter. “Because…just because….”

Skylar would take “because,” but not so much the “being trouble” part. With Mason, “because” had a deeper meaning. She understood. He was beginning to care for her in ways she wanted, but it was not how she imagined things would have turned out.

“Are you sure?”

He pulled away, looking bashful, shuffling his feet. “I’m sure.”

His actions were adorable. “I’m sorry about Remus. I didn’t mean to—”

“We’ve already talked about this. The past is the past. You need to let it go.”

“What does Everett know about Remus?”

“He thinks what he thinks. Eventually, he’ll find out the truth. He’ll get over him soon enough. Remus deserved his punishment. Gods were not perfect as the humans think they were. Being half bloods, we are further from being perfect. He was cruel. As far as I’m concerned, he was the one with evil blood. I don’t want to discuss him anymore. He’s not worth our time.”

After that, there was nothing to say. His tone said it all. It was a done deal. “So Sky...,” he started to say, and paused when he saw the bewildered look on her face. Skylar’s face was pale and long, as if life had been drained out of her. “What is it?”

“You just called me….” She paused and blinked her eyes. “Sky.” 

“Isn’t Sky short for Skylar? I’m sorry. Should I not call you by that name?”

“No…I mean…it’s just that my dad was the only one that ever called me by that name. He said that I was his heaven. That’s why he named me Skylar.”

Mason inhaled a deep breath. “I’m so sorry. I won’t call you that anymore.”

“No…it’s okay. I’ve always loved to be called Sky. I hated him for leaving us, but now I don’t know what happened anymore. I don’t even know who I am. I’m so confused.”

Mason embraced Skylar with all of him. In his hold, she let go of the pain. Maybe someday soon she would find out the truth about why her dad left, if he was still alive. Though she wanted to be in Mason’s arms as long as she could, she knew he would hold her till she was ready to let go.

“I’m fine now.” She pulled away.

Worriedly, he cupped her wounded hand and untied the knot. “Your wound has healed quickly like the last time.” He caressed the area in a slow circular motion.

Seeing dried blood on the fabric Mason was holding, Skylar pulled it away from him, afraid he would accidentally touch it. Not knowing if dried blood had any effect, at this point, knowing what she knew, she had to be extra careful. “I’ll hold onto it.” She shoved it inside her jeans back pocket.

Mason smiled warmly. “Are you hungry?”

“Little bit,” she fibbed. She was beyond starving, though her hunger pangs had subsided.

“So…where would you like to go?”

Skylar giggled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Do you always start your sentences with the word ‘so’?”

Mason chuckled lightly. “Yes, I do.”

Suddenly, he started poking and tickling her. Mason opening up to her and his humor brightened Skylar’s spirits. She wanted to squeeze him and get lost in his embrace again, where she felt safe. Her laughter got louder when the sprinklers turned on.

“Let’s go before you get all wet and I have to take off my shirt again.”

I wouldn’t mind seeing you shirtless
.

He interweaved his fingers through hers, guiding her to his car. And for the third time, he held her hand as if it had always belonged there.