Chapter 10: Emaj
“You have to be kidding me,” the solidly built man said. His words were low, almost quiet, yet they carried a different weight. Each syllable seemed to evoke a feeling in me, one tinged with violence. His words grabbed at my emotions, choking them into submission. Without moving or making any gesture, his energy felt like it was beating down on mine, making it difficult to even breathe in his presence. Unlike Athena’s cool, cold, and sharp energy, he felt raw and primal. I could bet he preferred fighting with his bare hands rather than wielding a weapon. He smelled of cigars, assaulting my sensitive nose and overpowering my sense of taste.
The seven of us stood with Athena as she talked to Ares. They told us they needed to interview us, and we went along, thinking they were FBI or something. After all, Athena did save our lives. Paige and Waldo still didn’t trust her, and I wasn’t sure I did either, especially since she kept calling us mortals. That was over five hours ago, before we arrived at their headquarters located near the battleship in Camden. Each part of Camden felt like a person—tough and guarded.
“Their lives were in danger!” Athena shot back at her brother, Ares.
“They don’t even know what you did to them, do they?” he questioned. We all knew she changed us. She called it a favor, but I could still feel that change. No, feel isn’t the word. I could “hear” the change. Almost like talking to yourself, a certain rhythm beat within me. I could still hear my own heartbeat, steady and strong, but this noise seemed internal, like a subtle jazz tune. Whatever she did, though, made Arachen leave us alone. So for now, I was thankful, but that didn’t extend to the others.
“Sounds like she gave us the means to survive the attack,” Grant spoke, and usually his words were warm. Now they seemed different, almost grasping at something, touching skin. Whatever it was, it felt like it wanted to take something from me. Greed? I don’t know why that popped into my mind. Grant was one of the most charitable people I knew; he wasn’t greedy. I felt like I could also hear a beat of sound.
“And if she’s trying to catch Teresa’s killer, then we want to help,” Paige stressed each word, a sense of pride and overconfidence flowing from them. She had calmed down during the ride. Luke did his best to lighten her up, and it seemed to work. Paige was always a little high-strung when it came to equality or when she thought something was messed up.
“Well, I’ll tell you one thing: either they’re your new team…” his words trailed off, ignoring Paige and Grant. “…or we have to erase their memories.”
I almost spoke, but felt it was better to observe and listen. You can learn a lot by doing both. Athena turned her head away from Ares. He walked past her, smoking his cigar. I didn’t need to be psychic to know that they had some issues with each other. If they were Greek Gods, then I bet their beef goes back centuries.
The energy between them sparked; I could almost feel it. I noticed that my own energy seemed to be competing with the others in the air. Nothing visible, just a feeling.
The night sky didn’t help. Dusk settled in earlier than normal as we transitioned into the winter months. I’m glad I wore a suit; I felt sorry for our female friends and their skirts.
Athena walked in front of Ares, cutting him off. She pointed a finger and dug it into his shoulder blade. Her gray eyes met his dark black ones. He threw out his cigar and moved ever so slightly into her finger. No one was going to be intimidated here. The god of war and the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. Their energies continued to clash, each word striking like a sword fight.
“You heard them. They want to help find the killer of their friend,” Athena said.
“No,” Ares cut her off. “I heard those two. What do the other five have to say for themselves?” My heart jumped, realizing he was talking about us. “You want to help find a paranormal killer?” He asked all of us without giving us eye contact, staring directly at Athena.
“You all found out the spiritual is real and now you’re ready to help? You’re better off letting us erase your memories.” His words punched me like a sucker punch to the solar plexus, each one hitting harder than the last. Rage started to build in me, but I tried to keep it under control.
“Of course, we want to help. Teresa is our friend,” Gertrude spoke up. It wasn’t like her to be so confrontational. “If Paige and Grant are going to help Athena, then so are we. We’re like family.” She pointed at the rest of us. I’ve never seen her so determined outside of the volleyball court.
I couldn’t hold in the rage any longer. “I don’t think this is a good idea. But if I was with Teresa, she wouldn’t be dead. I’m in.” The guilt also came out with the rage. I wanted to fight someone, anyone. I realized that Ares’s presence was messing with my own mind.
“This proves that ghosts exist. I feel like GOD would want me to help. So I’m in,” Salem lowered her head, almost as if she was giving a silent prayer. I was actually amazed that she wanted to keep going. The three of us are the most Christian of the group, but Salem has me and Gertrude beat. I’m not sure if she believes them to be Gods, but she is seeing this as a godly mission. For some reason, I was happy she wanted to be part of the team going forward. I still have strong feelings for her and wanted to protect her.
With that, five of us wanted to go with Athena. We wanted revenge.
