Hey guys, I'm back with the newest instalment. This is one of the longest stories I've ever written, so I'm hoping that you guys are enjoying it!
I am definitely not an expert on Greek mythology and have made up a whole bunch of stuff to suit the story :) Still don't own the Librarians *sadface*...on with the chapter!
After Jacob had managed to subdue Baird, they decided it was better for everyone's wellbeing that she be kept isolated in one of the many rooms of the Library. A room preferably with a lock. Cassandra sat nervously tapping her fingers against the solid oak of the oversized table. The voices of her fellow librarians started to drift along the hallway as they returned from the main library. She stood quickly from her chair and moved to open the glass doors.
"How is she? What happened? Did she wake up? Where's Flynn? Should we phone him? Guys?"
"Slow down Cassandra, she's still unconscious." Jake touched her arm in an effort to comfort her.
Ezekiel turned to Jacob throwing his hands into the air, "What the hell actually happened, eh?" He swivelled round to Jenkins after Jacob opened and closed his mouth several times without saying a word.
"I think we can definitely conclude that Colonel Baird has been possessed by some ancient entity." Jenkins moved swiftly over to his own desk and began to search for something within the masses of paper that lay there.
"Possessed?" squealed Cassandra, sheepishly shrugging off the arm wrapped around her shoulders.
Jacob moved away from Cassandra slightly, "Posses-…wait what? We were all standin' here when she started freakin' out! Why were we not affected?"
Jenkins pulled out a small grey pocket book from beneath the mess, "That's exactly what we need to find out Mr. Stone."
He moved to stand beside the chalkboard before opening his pocketbook and dragging his finger down several of the pages. He picked up a piece of chalk and pointed it to one of the librarians, "Jacob start from the beginning, what were you all discussing right before Eve's behaviour changed?"
Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, "I was describin' a book that I had misplaced."
Cassandra nodded her head energetically, "Jacob was asking if we had seen it because it wasn't where he left it the night before."
"What book did you lose?" Jenkins tapped the chalk against his chin spinning around to face the disappointingly blank chalkboard.
"Sounded like something from a cult…" Ezekiel piped up from his seated position at Eve's desk where he had been looking for clues.
"It didn't have a title on the cover or any writin' inside it either."
"But you said that the markings were very distinct," remembered Cassandra.
"Yeah, it was covered in black leather with deep red welts down the spine."
Jenkins immediately straightened his back and swiftly turned to face Jacob, "…and you said there was no writing inside the book?"
"Yeah…" said Jacob slowly while nodding. Ezekiel had moved to stand beside Cassandra and shared a look of confusion with his friends.
Jenkins started flicking through his little pocketbook and without looking up asked, "Where did you find this book?"
"The library showed it to me."
The older gentleman stopped on one of the pages and began to shake his head, he moved the book so that the others could see what had caused the colour to drain from his face. On the page was a sketch of the book that Jacob had brought into the annex the previous night. The heading 'Phobos: God of Fear' was inscribed above the small drawing.
"I don't think it was the library who brought it to your attention…"
Eve was engulfed in darkness. There was just nothing. She could feel something unsettling wrapping around her neck, wrists and ankles.
A loud stoic voice boomed above her.
"You brought this on yourself…so driven by fear."
A smoky figure appeared in front of her. She recognised it from her nightmare the night before. She then noticed the restraints on her body were extending out from the figure like the tendrils that had beckoned her toward the annex previously.
"Fear of yourself. Fear of loneliness. Fear of loss."
Eve started to struggle against the restraints.
"You know this to be true. You can't escape from fear. It cripples you, makes you weak."
The figure circled around her. She stopped struggling to glare at it.
"My fear does not make me weak, it strengthens me, makes me fight harder for the ones I love."
The figure lunged towards her, tightening the smoke around her neck. She looked into the two red orbs she assumed to be eyes.
"You fight harder because you are afraid of losing them. Your fear dictates your actions."
It was at this point that Eve swore she could see an insidious smile spread across the figure's 'face'.
"Why bother fighting when you know you will never succeed?"
Eve's eye cast downwards as the figure's words washed over her.
"You know that you will always let them down. You can never be what they need you to be."
One of the tendrils tipped Eve's head to look into the eyes of the unknown entity.
"Where are they now Eve? They've already left you."
It was at this moment Eve's eyes shot open and she found herself in a dark, damp cell. She brought her knees up to her chest and began to sob quietly.
"So the little pocketbook is full of dangerous artefacts that are still hidden out there in the world?" asked Cassandra.
"Precisely Miss. Cillian," Jenkins sat the little grey book down in the middle of the table and had turned to a book on Greek mythology, "I've sent Flynn to Bolivia to retrieve one of them. He'll be practically unreachable." Jenkins sighed, "Obviously I didn't think anything like this would happen when I asked him to leave."
Cassandra squeezed his arm and smiled her famous thousand-watt smile, "It's okay Jenkins, we're gonna fix her before he gets back!"
He was grateful for her enthusiasm, but he pitied her ignorance regarding the severity of the situation.
He began to explain to the librarians where the book originated, "Phobos was the Greek god of fear. His twin brother Deimos was the god of terror. Surprisingly they were born from love and beauty…"
Jacob cut in, "Aphrodite?"
"Indeed Mr. Stone. But their father was the god of war, Ares." He turned to the book splayed on the table, "Before Phobos could wreak any more havoc on Greece he was condemned to continue his immortality inside a book very similar to the one you described beforehand."
Jacob pointed his finger as he remembered some research he had done on an article a few years back, "He wasn't depicted in any Greek legend because he made people acknowledge their deepest darkest fears from within their heads, he was never seen. The people were so aware of their fears that it would eventually drive them insane."
Ezekiel's eyes widened, "So you're trying to tell me that this Phobob guy hasn't possessed Baird, but has made her scared?" He shook his head incredulously, "Baird isn't scared that easily, why target her?"
Cassandra nodded along with Ezekiel considering her own mortality, "I agree, Eve doesn't seem like the logical target."
"Ah Cassandra, that's the worst thing about fear," Jenkins anxiously fiddled with his tie, "The ones who appear the strongest are often the easiest to break."
The young librarians shared a look of dismay before they were cut off by a gut-wrenching wail.
