Hello all, hope you're doing well today. Here's the next update!
If you're wondering why I took so long, it's because I barely touched this story in the past few weeks. It's a little discouraging to see no reviews for an update I worked so hard on. I know this fic is awesome (this entire series is, that's not the issue). It's alright if you're shy, I don't mind if all you put is a smiley face.
No worries, readers! Enjoy the fic!
Listening to: Not Again from What If...? OST
James examined the cuffs closely.
They functioned on regular wand magic, impervious to most unlocking charms. He supposed he could blast out of the cuffs, but that would leave a hole in the wall. And maybe scare Sally.
The main door opened and a man strode in. He wore a coat over a sharp white shirt with khaki pants and shiny shoes. His hair was dark brown, with straight locks. He looked to be in his late thirties with dark brown skin and deeper brown eyes.
The man was tall and very regular. James wondered if he was a muggle before rescinding that. No muggle could just wander into an Auror station.
Sally's mouth was open, staring up at this man. James didn't think he was all that good looking that required anyone to gawk at him. There was something very ordinary about him.
"Mr. Potter," the man greeted him. "I'm your lawyer from the UK Embassy. We were informed of your undesired presence here an hour ago."
James finally took stock of his bag.
"You… wait, who are you?"
"Officer Santos," he explained, reaching into his satchel. "I have your papers for extradition. Where is your wife?"
"The Deputy Chief's interrogating her," James said, very suspicious.
The officer looked up and smiled. He turned to an Auror and spoke something in Arabic. The Auror huffed and reached forward to unlock Sally's cell.
James couldn't comprehend how the embassy had sent someone over so fast. This felt off.
In less than a minute, he and Sally were being escorted out of the cells and into an office. The Auror Chief was half asleep seeing as how it was past ten at night but he hummed and hawed at the officer's documents and signed on the paper.
While Sally was gobsmacked at the floating quills and memos zipping around the place, James observed Officer Santos closely.
The man looked a little too normal. He had one of those faces that could disappear within a crowd in seconds. If James was a betting man, he'd say this was a disguise.
Polyjuice potion, James guessed.
But was Santos here to help them or not? They shouldn't take chances. The moment Lily got out, James had to apparate her and Sally out and away from the station.
"Stay close to me," James whispered to Sally. She nodded, pressing her shoulder into his arm.
"Everything seems to be in order," the Chief finally spoke, mentioning this in English. He looked over to James with a glare before casting a Gemini charm to make a copy of the document.
"Thank you," the mysterious officer said pleasantly. "Have a good evening."
The room was silent until Lily sighed loudly.
She was still stuck in her thoughts, sinking lower every time she recalled Arwa's words.
What point is such power if you squander it fleetingly?
Not everything is about you.
Lily hadn't liked that. But Arwa wasn't being unreasonable. Lily's actions had been quite reminiscent of an overpowered spoiled child showing off.
She needed to do better.
Interrupting her thoughts, the door opened and a short, curly-haired woman stepped in.
Lily frowned at the newcomer. She seemed… familiar. But for the life of her, she couldn't place the woman in her memories.
"Time to head out, Potter," the unknown woman said, her large eyes glimmering.
"Do I know you?" Lily blurted. She leaned away as much as she could with one hand cuffed to the table. The woman strode over and produced a slim skeleton key, easily unlocking the magically locked handcuffs.
"We've never met," she says. "I'd hoped you wouldn't come here. You would have been safer in England."
Lily bristled. "Excuse me?
The woman just shook her head. "No matter. We have your papers to leave Cairo. Take this and please follow me."
She handed over two long slim boxes. Wand boxes. Lily opened one and recognized James's wand.
Lily peered at her curiously. This woman seemed normal for all she stared, but… she seemed a little informal? Lily couldn't pinpoint it.
"Deputy Chief Omar needs to sign our release papers," Lily says, narrowing her eyes.
The woman gestured her out of the room, smirking. "Actually, for international persons, the Chief Auror oversees the formalities. This way, Mrs. Potter."
That was true.
Lily figured that if this woman was trying to trick her, she was doing a great job of it.
She pocketed James's wand, holding her own up, relishing the feel of her magic celebrating the reunion. Warm sparks burst out and the woman smiled slyly, enjoying the sight.
"If you know protocol so well," Lily hedged. "You'd also know not to give me my wand until the papers are signed."
"The Chief's attesting to them now," the woman assured her.
"Are you going to tell me your name?" Lily asked, keeping her voice level.
"Cassandra," was all she said.
"Is that fake?"
"No."
Lily doubted it, but also wondered why the woman would choose a non-Arabic name if she really was lying.
The building was quiet.
It was nearly eleven at night, but the empty corridors were warm and cosy, making her feel a little sleepy. Lily snapped herself out of it, walking beside her.
Cassandra owned the corridors, sweeping into the hall, her long green coat fluttering behind her. She looked regal, that's the word Lily was searching for. Regal like a queen.
Also, she had a lovely name. Maybe named after the original Cassandra who was also from the ancient kingdom of Troy?
Her thoughts were interrupted when they ran into a batch of Aurors. Deputy Chief Diab was leading them.
"Potter!" he glowered, before catching sight of Cassandra. "Who are you? Why are you out—"
"Stand down, Deputy Chief," Cassandra spoke before continuing in Arabic. The Aurors looked a little surprised and Lily wondered what she was saying.
Omar didn't look happy, but he backed away and let them continue walking.
Lily spared a last glance at him, trying to convey her apology silently. He didn't seem so pleased. Lily swallowed. She didn't want to leave him on bad terms, Arwa was already disappointed in her.
They were heading straight for the elevators when James, Sally, and a tall man appeared on the other side of the long corridor. Lily breathed out in relief at the sight of them. They looked unharmed.
But the elevators dinged, iron rungs opened with rough force.
Lily and Cassandra paused, staring at the gang of men who marched out. They wore Auror robes but Lily didn't like the mean looks in their eyes.
Cassandra obviously was thinking along the same lines. She held her arm out to stop Lily.
"Merrick," Cassandra said, voice pleasant but face sharp. "What are you doing here?"
The well-built man with an old scar running down his neck, Merrick, shrugged. "Just picking up a few stragglers. You?"
"We're leaving," Cassandra said, tight.
"Not with our stragglers," Merrick said, his sharp blue eyes trained on Lily. He was shockingly Caucasian amidst the rest of the people on the floor, skin even paler than Lily's. He stood out alarmingly, especially when she felt the corridor pulse with his aura.
He was threatening them.
On the other side, James held Sally's arm. The tall man beside him whispered something.
"Cover your ears," Cassandra said out of the side of her mouth, so quickly, Lily almost missed it.
She quickly shielded her ears, just as Cassandra took out a small bronze orb, the size of a snitch. She pressed her thumb into a built-in button and it glowed white.
A high-pitched noise screeched out from the device. Lily cringed, jerking away, but the not-Aurors who stood in front of her were very unfortunate. They received the brunt of the wailing noise which slammed into their hearing, incapacitating them instantly.
Merrick tried to put up a shield to defend his gang, but many went down immediately. He snarled, swiping his wand through the air to disengage the bronze metal sphere.
But Cassandra darted forward to jam the base of her palm up into her nose. She aimed a kick at his gut, quickly slamming the same leg down on his knee, effectively bringing him down.
It took barely a couple of seconds. Lily gaped at her.
Somehow, Cassandra wasn't bothered by the noise. Lily couldn't understand it. It sounded like a banshee screaming loud enough to kill them all, except the voice was modulated to just knock them out.
Twenty yards from them, James and Sally winced against the noise, but were far away enough to not be hurt by it. The man accompanying them didn't look affected at all, instead turning around to check the path ahead.
Behind Lily, three men apparated into existence. They were not wearing Auror robes.
"Uh," she called out loud. "Cassandra?"
The woman spun around and made a face. "Alright, now we run."
"Now we ru—?"
She grabbed onto Lily's hand and broke into a sprint.
Spells flew over them. A sharp stinger hit Cassandra in the back, slicing the top of her coat and the skin beneath, but the woman didn't even stumble, shaking the pain away. Lily gawked, barely managing to keep up the pace. She aimed a blasting curse at the wall to take the strange men off their guard.
"Go!" Cassandra shouted at James, Sally, and the tall man.
"This wasn't the plan!" the man yelled, turning around to grab at Sally's arm and yanking her away with incredible strength.
"We've got company, Iphy, thanks to our celebrities," Cassandra shouted.
"Hey!" Lily snapped. "We wouldn't be running if it weren't for you!"
"You'd be locked up and taken in the dead of night if it weren't for us!" Cassandra retorted. "They're here for you!"
"Iphy?" James said. "Your name is Iphy Santos?"
"Oh," the man mumbled. "Santos is just a disguise. Call me Iphy."
The five of them were running, dodging curses that burned the very air around them. Lily tossed James' wand to him and they kept trying to put up shields, but whoever it was chasing them, knew their magic very well.
Neither the mysterious man nor Cassandra had wands. That was disturbing. Were they not magic wielders?
"Eeep!" Sally shrieked as a curse hit her in the arm. It was a rope-tying jinx, bringing both arms together and binding them.
"Keep going!" Cassandra yelled. She brought out a knife hidden from the air it seemed and sliced through the rope with ease.
Ahead of them, large and strong glass walls started coming down from the ceiling. Each glass wall separated sections of the long hallway.
"No!" Lily screamed as one fell right behind James, separating the group into two. James and the man came to a screeching stop.
"Shit, I have the portkey!" Cassandra hissed.
Iphy grabbed James. "Apparate!"
"What? Where?!"
"What's going on?" Sally cried, getting to her feet. "Who are all these goons?"
"The original plan was for them to take sister and son," Cassandra growled, eyes flashing at the intruders. "Iphy and I had to get to you before they did."
Lily came to a stop in front of the glass, trying to break it, but none of her spells worked.
"James, bring this down!"
James raised his wand, but a disarming spell hit him, his wand slipping from his grasp and flying away.
"Screw it!" Iphy shouted. He reached back, caught the wand in mid-air before it could even touch the ground, and turned to face the horde of people who'd descended on the other side, cornering him and James.
They were not Aurors either.
It was a trap, Lily realised in horror. Cassandra was right. Someone had sent people to the station to catch Sally. Or they came here because they were pissed off by Cassandra and Iphy.
Either way, it took her only a second to understand what Iphy was about to do.
He took James's wand in both hands, faced the incoming crowd of at least ten wizards, and snapped the wand in half.
For the blissful and unaware, please note: you do not break a wand.
Wands do not like being broken. They will retaliate.
James swore, throwing his hands up to shield his face, just as the two pieces exploded.
The blast rocked the entire building. The floor quaked and Sally fell, bits of rope still clinging to her hands. Debris fell from the ceiling, tremors shaking the ground. Smoke from the blast filled the corridor behind the glass.
"James!" Lily shrieked, pounding on the glass.
But Cassandra grabbed her by the arm and brought up an old toothbrush. Lily's fingers brushed it and the world spun away, the tips of her fingers glued to the toothbrush as she, Sally, and Cassandra were whisked away from the infiltrated Auror station.
Sally hit the grass, rolling to a stop by a wall.
Her heart was still racing. Too many things had happened. She wasn't prepared for this.
Lily landed on her feet, grabbing the wall as she panted. Cassandra was the only one who regained balance almost immediately. The toothbrush fell to the ground in between the three women and Sally sat up, kicking herself away from it.
"That was…" Sally stammered, pointing at the dirty old toothbrush. It looked like it had been used to clean the grooves between bathroom tiles.
"That was a portkey," she said.
Cassandra spoke in Greek. Atleast, Sally assumed it was Greek. It sounded similar to what Poseidon used to say to her.
Lily snarled, her bright green eyes blazing under the moonlight. She had her wand out in seconds, red light bursting from the tip. It slammed into Cassandra who staggered back, wincing.
"None of that, now," Cassandra warned. "Iphy would have gotten James somewhere safe, I assure you. She had a spare portkey."
"You—" Lily began, absolutely incensed, but Cassandra continued. "I give you my word he'll be safe with her."
"She broke his wand!" the words burst out of Lily. "That's cruel! That's taboo! He's unarmed now!"
There was a sharp bone-crunching sound. Cassandra flinched for a mere second, squeezing her eyes shut and rolling her back.
Sally looked at the sliced open coat. Something had torn open Cassandra's back and had broken the bones protecting her spine. The wound was raw and red, exposed to the cold air of the night. But it wasn't bleeding much.
And then, to Sally's shock, there were more bone-related sounds. The vertebrae were being pieced back together, broken bone pieces disappearing in a hazy mist while new bone sections grew shielding the spinal column and all the vital nerves running down her back.
Sally had never seen someone's insides.
But now she watched vertebrates heal completely, while the open shoulder blades were knitting together. Tiny pieces of bone disappeared as the larger shards reattached themselves, moving harmoniously and completing the full bone plates before the muscles began to heal.
Even Lily fell silent.
Cassandra let out a quiet moan, suppressing any other sound. Her fists were clenched as the tendons were fixed, the nerves were healed and the skin grew back, covering the gaping six-inch wound until the whole thing looked several months old.
Lily dropped her wandarm, stepping away until her back hit the wall.
Sally swallowed before whispering to the witch, "I'm guessing that's not normal for you too?"
"What… what spell was that?" Lily whispered. Her voice shook. "What spell can heal the spine like that?"
Cassandra's shoulders slumped. She looked tired.
"No spell," she managed to say. "It's an older form of magic."
"But you're not a witch," Lily surmised.
"No."
"You're not a demigod either," Sally guessed.
Cassandra smiled. "No, no. I'm no hero. Just someone who… moves the tides."
Sally thought she looked beyond exhausted. Not physically, but in the way she moved, in the tenseness of her body, in the weariness of her eyes. Was she even human?
"You're not a god," Sally whispered.
"No," Cassandra sighed, walking towards the building they were standing beside. The large wooden door didn't seem anything special until Cassandra placed her palm flat against it.
Unreadable symbols lit up in the dark and the door opened.
"You'll be safe in here for the night," she said, holding it wide for Lily and Sally.
The pair stared at it dubiously before relenting. Lily didn't pocket her wand but headed in and Sally got to her feet. She brushed the ropes off her arms.
"Wait," she said suddenly. "My bag! It had my gun, all my stuff—"
Cassandra reached into her satchel and brought out Sally's backpack. It didn't make any sense. The backpack was larger than the satchel, yet fit in it comfortably.
Sally snatched it from her and pointed a finger at the mysterious being. "You owe me ice-cream."
Cassandra blinked, quite surprised. "Okay?"
James was nearly knocked out by the blast.
He'd broken his wand. This man, Iphy, had snapped his wand clean in half. If he wanted to kill James, why didn't he just rip his heart out?
Officer Santos, or Iphy, or whatever his name was, had a back-up portkey in place. As the explosion rocked the building, James felt him shove a hairbrush into his hand.
Give him a break, he was caught in a bloody explosion, his hair would obviously be messy!
When he felt a tug, he realised, oh, it's a portkey.
Cairo's Auror station dissolved away in a tornado, wind slamming into him in every direction. His arm was stuck to the hairbrush, as was Iphy. But there seemed to be something different about him—
They landed on the terrace of an old brick house.
James sat on the roof, heaving slightly. Things had gone so fast.
Iphy fell on the ground with a groan. He sounded like he was in pain.
Good, James thought, angrily. He'd broken his wand, he deserves to be—
"Holy shit!" James cried.
He scrambled away from the pool of blood surrounding Iphy's arm. Or rather his shoulder, because his right arm had been sliced clean off, right below the joint.
"Ouch," Iphy groaned, staring up at the night sky.
Bugger! James couldn't heal him without his wand. He wasn't too great with wandless magic. And this required a lot of concentration to lessen the bleeding or atleast cauterize the wound for now.
Could he use normal fire?
"Sorry about your wand," Iphy said, his voice rattling dangerously.
"Portkeys shouldn't splinch people!" James said, wrestling his jacket free. He unfurled it and tried to stem the blood flow. Iphy flinched.
"I probably got hit with a curse," Iphy sighed. "It's fine, give me twenty minutes."
"It's not fine!" James said, almost snapping. He honed in all his Order training to remain cool and collected, but it wasn't easy. Maybe if he had his wand…
"Potter, I need you to step back and breathe," Iphy said, sounding far more at peace than him.
"You can bleed out! Look, I have an idea. I can build a fire and… and burn the open side—"
"Potter—"
"At least, you'll be alive! And we'll regrow your arm once we get you to a hospital."
"James!" Iphy snapped. "Get the jacket away!"
He sounded in real pain now. James snatched the bloodied fabric and pushed it away, trying to think past the heavy smell of blood but then he saw the bones shifting.
What-the-hell?
Her humerus was being reconstructed. James stared, as though hypnotized. The bone grew from a stub at her shoulder, extending out. Biceps, tissues, and even skin regrew slowly, following the path laid out by her bone. It ended at the elbow where two thinner bones appeared, cell by cell, growing at an incredible rate. The tissue and tendons followed.
It took less than twenty minutes, though.
Before long, James was gobsmacked at the sight of Iphy's new arm, completely regrown.
There was an intricate armband around his upper arm. It was gold and shone dully under the moonlight. It appeared out of the air as her arm reformed.
Iphy relaxed when his arm was fully reconstructed.
"Short but brutal," he said, testing it out. His fingers moved, in and out. He made a fist and threw out a punch, exercising the new muscles and bones.
"You…" James said, finally finding his voice. "You have regeneration powers? That was an entire limb! Merlin's beard, that was the most gruesome and awesome thing I've ever seen!"
Iphy sat up, rolling his shoulders and craning his neck side to side. "Thank you. Are you hurt anywhere?"
James inhaled the cold, sandy air. He examined his body, feeling no pain. But the day's tiredness was settling in.
"No injuries. But my wand!"
"I apologize for that," Iphy said, very seriously. "If there was another way, I wouldn't have done that, but trust me when I tell you, getting caught by the Locrians is a far worse option."
James sat back down, stunned. Who the hell were Locrians?
"But who are you?" he asked. "And where are we? Is Lily here?!"
Iphy grimaced. "My apologies, again. Lily would be closer to Cairo. We're far out in the middle of the desert. And I'm Iphigenia?"
James stared up at her. "You brought us to an abandoned building in the middle of the Sahara?!"
"Again, I was getting us away from the Locrians," Iphy repeated. He stood up and stretched his back. "Also, this house isn't abandoned. My daughter lives here."
Too many things happening, too many things.
"Iphigenia? Is that Greek?"
Iphy smirked. "Yes, it is. And so am I."
"We're in Greece?" James panicked.
"No… still in Egypt."
James ran a frantic hand through his hair. "Your name… I've heard that before?"
Iphy looked down at him, curious. "What have you heard?"
"Um… not much… I think there was a Greek queen with the same name," James said, trying to recall the story. Hogwarts library had a fun myth section that the Marauders loved to read and giggle in school. Greek gods were crazier than witches and wizards.
"Princess."
James blinked. "Huh?"
"I was a Greek princess, daughter of Agamemnon," Iphy corrected him.
It took a few moments for James to process that.
"Huh?" he said again.
Iphy chuckled. "Sorry for the confusion. But Santos is just a persona. A disguise I chose for the heist. I actually am Iphigenia."
She's a woman.
From Ancient Greece?
James made a face. "Time travel?"
"No," Iphigenia said. "Immortal."
Say what now?
James crouched low, dropping his head into his hands. He felt dizzy.
Her arm. It had rebuilt itself. Limb regeneration. Vampires couldn't do that, neither can werewolves. Immortal humans. Was that a thing?
James couldn't think about that. She had to be lying. How could she be immortal? The disguise, he understood. Iphy could have used Polyjuice potion to disguise herself as someone called Santos. But immortality? That wasn't real.
She had to be lying.
He shook his head and cast his thoughts over something else.
"Your daughter," he finally said. "Is she a witch? Does she have a floo network? Does she have a wand?"
"She has food and water," Iphy said, picking up her bag. "Maybe a bike."
James wanted to lie down and die. Maybe sleep. "Is she a squib?"
"She's muggle. But I'm no witch or demigod."
He looked up and made an odd face. "Demigod? Sally used that word. What does it mean?"
Iphy brushed back some of her hair. "Half god. Yes, gods exist. I'm sure Cass is explaining this to Lily as we speak. It probably shouldn't hurt to tell you—"
Her phone rang.
James leaned back, very surprised. Iphy's bag sat by her feet on the terrace. It vibrated along with the sound.
"Probably Cass," she explained, leaning down to take the call. Iphy took out a black shiny brick. She extended a long thin, bendy rod on the top and opened the lid, speaking into it, "Hello?"
A telephone, James recalled, excited. Wow, he hadn't known muggles (even immortal human/muggles) had a wireless way of communication. This was like his two-way mirrors.
Iphy's look of hope vanished as the other person on the line spoke. James had a feeling it wasn't Cass.
Desert nights were cold.
Sally looked out the window and saw the city lights of Cairo more than a hundred kilometers away. They were far away from urban land, hidden in a small hotel with very few guests.
Their room had one bed, but enough cosy mats. Sally figured she'd be given a mat and immediately claimed a pretty blue one by the wall, adjacent to the window.
Lily had the same idea, despite her previous distrust. She told Cassandra, "You can take the bed."
The woman chuckled. "Kind of you. But you can just duplicate it so we can all get beds."
Lily stared. "I haven't had dinner, so excuse me. The day has been very trying!"
She flicked her wand, mumbling under her breath. Sally's jaw dropped as the lone bed shook for a moment before an exact copy of it emerged from its body, sliding to the side. Another copy was created the same way.
There were three identical beds now. Lily sat on one of the new ones, back slump and breathing hard.
Sally rubbed the sides of her head. This was too much magic for her in the span of one day.
"Are you hurt?" Cassandra asked, running her fingers through her dust-ridden curls.
"I'm digesting," Sally admitted. "Can you guys just do at least one normal thing?"
Lily frowned over at Cassandra for a moment before pocketing her wand.
"Rice will help," the not-exactly-human said, "The proprietor's still awake. You did miss dinner after all."
That didn't soothe the witch. Lily said, "We deserve an explanation for the shit that happened today. And where the hell is James?"
"Food first," Cassandra said, irritatingly calm. "And then answers."
Their bowls of rice were indeed soothing. Sally dug in with relish, feeling her weak stomach appreciate the low flavour. There was some lemon pickle to mix in, giving the whole thing a salty and tangy taste.
She sat cross legged on the original bed, still wary about the magically created ones disappearing overnight.
"You said you're Cassandra of Troy," Lily began, once she finished her bowl. A few grains of rice remained and she picked them off one at a time.
"Yep," she answered. "You can call me Cass. Or Sandy."
"Troy?" Sally mumbled. "Like, Troy from Greece?"
Cass exhaled. "Troy is modern-day Turkey now."
"Sparta was in Greece," Sally recalled the old myths. "They went to war, Greece tricked Troy, burned it to the ground, people of Troy moved to Rome and became Romans. Cool."
Cass's face made an odd expression. "Succinctly covered the great war that lasted a long time and changed the course of history."
"Thanks."
Lily set her bowl on a table. "You're not Cassandra of Ancient Troy, right? You're from current Troy."
"Cassandra of Turkey?" Sally asked.
"No. I'm from Troy."
"But Troy doesn't exist anymore."
"Yes," Cass said, still calm. "But that's where I was born."
"In Turkey?"
"No," Cass muttered. "I was born in a time when the kingdom of Troy stood tall and proud."
Lily frowned. "But that was more than two thousand years ago."
"Closer to three thousand two hundred years," Cass explained. "Iphy's from the same era."
The witch sat quietly. The confusion turned to disbelief which transformed into shock.
On the other hand, Sally was numb.
"Did a god give you immortality?" she asked.
Lily spun around to gawk at her. "You believe this?! That she's… she and that Iphy woman are immortals?!"
"Her name is Iphigenia," Cass added. "Originally of Sparta."
Sally frowned. "Wait a sec. She's Greek, you're… like proto-Roman. Aren't you supposed to hate each other?"
"That's what you got from this?" Lily blurted. "You… she… she just said she's an immortal! Like… you're not a vampire, but still? Wait, werewolf?"
"Werewolves do age and die," Cass pointed out. "I don't age."
"And you don't die," Sally asked, faint. "But you got injured from that curse."
Cass's forehead wrinkled in thought. "That was a powerful one. It would have definitely killed either of you. They were trying to knock me out."
Lily raised her hand as though she was in class. "Are you telling us that you can't be killed?"
"Yes."
"At all?"
"Yes."
Sally gulped. "But you said you weren't a god… are you a Titan?"
Cass scoffed. "Oh jeez, no. No, just a human who happens to be immortal."
Lily shook her head. She stood up and walked to the window, back to her bed, paced to the door and back again.
"There's no magic like that," she whispered.
It was a quiet moment when Sally and Cass shared a look.
"What do you know about the Greek gods, Lily?" Cass finally said.
Sally laid back on the bed. Immortal humans. Those were a thing? Strange, none of the stories she'd read on gods and monsters ever mentioned that.
What was it that Cassandra had said? She was no hero.
Sally breathed out, staring up at the hay thatched ceiling. It was pretty. She fell asleep to the sound of Cass explaining about modern day demigods to a stunned Lily.
If Iphigenia had ever been regretful about choosing immortality, this was it.
Here she was, separated from Cass after a plan gone wrong because bloody Ajax had sent his army of Locrians to mess up the whole thing. They were supposed to be in and out quietly, without alerting anyone. They were supposed to keep the Jacksons and Potters safe until both families returned to New York and London respectively.
Ajax had the knack to ruin things even when he wasn't in the scene.
"Iphy!" Ajax crowed over the phone.
"What the hell?" she snapped, already feeling a headache form at the sound of his voice. "Why are your goons involved in our operations?"
"Goons?" he said. "That's rude, Iphy. I'll have you know, they're some of the best I've got. Not all the best. Just some. Like three. Promise. Three of them would have been my best."
"Be glad we didn't kill them," Iphy said darkly. "Mother gave us this sector. You needn't be here."
"Oh, would you stop worrying!" Ajax said, far too cavalier. "I'm not even in Egypt."
Iphy rubbed the bridge of her nose. The fact that Ajax sent three of his best men to pick up the Potters and Jackson was very unsettling. Gaia had been adamant the job had to be done so Cass had volunteered herself and Iphy first, easily sidelining Ajax who had been out of Greece for several decades.
How the hell did he even get to know about this?
Beside her, James watched warily.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Busan!" Ajax chirped. "I'm searching for a babysitter. You will not believe what I'm holding in my hand."
Iphy stared at the night sky in disbelief. Did he just say…?
"Please, tell me you don't have a baby."
Ajax hummed. "That would be lying. I was raised to believe lying is a no-no, Iphy. So, I will tell you that yes, I am holding a baby."
Iphy cursed. James blinked at her.
"Relax!" Ajax admonished her. "This one's mine! I don't steal babies anymore."
This was terrible, Iphy thought. Incredibly so.
It was bad enough that Iphigenia, Cassandra, and Ajax were immortal, but add the fact that they were able to have kids… this new baby would not have a peaceful life, not with a father like Ajax.
Iphy's resolve hardened. For the sake of this child, for the sake of many, more lives, Ajax needed to be taken out of the picture.
How do you kill an immortal? Million-drachma question.
"Ajax," Iphy said, summoning all her patience. "Call off the Locrians."
"Why?" he wondered. "Just because I'm not there to do the job, doesn't mean I can't get it done."
"Cass and I can handle it."
"Hmm… lemme guess, you'll let the prisoners go once they help?" Ajax laughed. "It's not good to leave loose ends, darling."
"There are several ways to clean things up," Iphy answered, holding back a growl. "We're not having this conversation again."
"Sure, sure," he whistled. "But… what if I told you I know who Kimberly Jackson dreamed about?"
Iphy exhaled, trying to calm herself. It did no good to rail at Ajax.
"We'll find out."
"I can also tell you why Cass can't have the same dreams."
"Good bye, Ajax. Please heed my warning," Iphy said, hoping to appeal to whatever sense he had left.
"Uhuh…" he whispered. "Don't tell me what to do, Iphy… just because I'm a new dad, does not make me a chump."
"Nobody will ever confuse you for a chump."
"You have such a way with words, my dear. Give Cass my love!"
He let out a laugh, chilling her to the bone. Ajax was sometimes very inscrutable with his intentions. Even after having known him for thousands of years, he had secrets that could still surprise them.
She closed the telephone, retracting the antenna.
"Is he…" James said slowly. "Is he mad?"
Iphy turned to him. "Who? Ajax?"
"Yeah," he said, frowning. "He sounded… I didn't mean angry. I mean, is he insane? Like, in the head?"
She understood where James was coming from. Ajax had that quality to make you think there was something very wrong with him.
That was just your gut telling you that he was dangerous.
"No," she said, dropping the phone into her satchel. "He's very sane."
James nodded slowly.
"Back then, you said you were immortal."
"Yes."
"And you said this house is your daughter's?"
"Yes."
James made a face. "So you're not a vampire?"
"Oh, no," Iphy assured him. She walked over to the door to unlock it and access the stairs. "We're far worse. But I won't hurt you, if that's what you're worried about."
He grimaced. "You broke my wand. Portrayed me to some unknown place. Spoke to a man who honestly sounded like he needed psychiatric help… why should I believe you?"
Iphigenia rolled her shoulders and turned her neck to relieve the pressure. She focused on him, meeting him in the eye and answered. "I vow on the River Styx to not harm you, James."
The dark sky lit up, a flash of lightning booming in the distance. The crack of thunder followed, bursting in their ears and shaking the land.
James stared out, following the path of lightning burned into the air. The desert stretched out as far as the eye could see.
"You did that…" he whispered, stunned. "That wasn't a bunch of sticks you were talking about, were you?
Iphy sighed. "It's not a promise to be made or taken lightly. Just as I will keep you safe, Cassandra will look out for Lily and Sally. All we need to do is make sure Ajax can't intervene."
James nodded slowly, following her down the stairs.
"One thing. Why did he call you?" he asked, suddenly.
Iphy thought it over. "Good question. He's definitely planning something. The only reason he isn't here already is because of his kid."
"Is the baby also immortal?" James blurted.
"No. Thank the gods, it doesn't work that way," Iphy shook her head.
Then she raised the sleeve of her smudged formal shirt, as high as it would go. There, on her right upper arm was a solid gold band, encircling her bicep.
James paused to stare at it.
"That bracelet makes you immortal? But your arm got cut when we portkeyed here. How does it work?"
"I'll tell you all about it after I've had some food in me. Tomorrow's going to be a long day," Iphy promised, reaching behind him to lock the terrace door.
The Jacksons didn't know how to stay quiet. Even in her sleep, Kimberly was mumbling under her breath. Sciron conked out after a couple of hours.
This dream was different.
The Earth Goddess was firmly asleep, not even stirring a little. And yet, her influence stretched out from Delphi, the center of her original kingdom, extending several square miles in all directions.
Sciron stood at the edge of a yawning pit, looking into what was very clearly the highest point of Tartarus. It rose up into a flat area that alternated between dry and marshy land. The mesa was surrounded by two rivers both originating from the north, a central point from where all five rivers of the Underworld began.
He was looking at the source of the Styx and the Lethe, also called the Styx. Even in his dream, the rivers gurgled aiming splatters of acid that hissing where the liquid flowed over the shores. The dry spots beside the marsh were the only safe place to stand if one had to be here.
Above the mesa, dividing the rest of Tartarus from the unholiness of the conglomerate Styx, was an immense dam wall, built of Stygian Iron and possibly Olympian strength concrete. It was divided into five parts, completely surrounding the river source. Each part regulated the flow of their river. The sections for the River Styx and Lethe were interconnected since their waters flowed so close before diverging completely.
"Enjoying the view?" a soft voice rumbled in his ears. Sciron flinched, ducking his head.
"It's… something."
"Cassandra tells me you've been preparing for the bracelet."
Sciron exhaled. "Yes. I'm ready. She says any day now."
"Hmm," Terra muttered. "Ajax has been one of my best soldiers. Replacing him will bring many weak points in the army."
"And eliminate the issues he's brought to you and your cause," Sciron whispered. "I believe he has extended his stay in this world. It's time for a demigod to take on those powers."
Terra smiled. "Olympian blood with immortality. How many gods will you bring down, Sciron, son of Iphimedia?"
Sciron closed his eyes and lifted his chin. "I do not mix business with pleasure, My Lady. I will find no joy bringing them down, but your will is my command for the riches you promised me is sufficient."
"No… you do not crave ambition the way many warlords do. I expect great things from you, my new champion."
Sciron bowed. "Of course."
"And what of the mortal?"
Sciron tensed, his face not betraying any emotion. "Mere dreams, scattered all over the place. Cassandra could have interrogated Jackson in New York. I do not see why—"
"That boy is a child of the sea, as you can tell," Terra interrupted, her words cutting him to the bone. "There is more to him than just his father's blood. I want them away from the Olympian playground, to ensure no influence of her dreams and his abilities. What have you observed?"
Sciron nearly turned around as though he'd be able to see Kimberly asleep with little Perseus on the mat.
"She dreams about me," he admitted. "My past. Only things that have happened, so the dream with the woman and the pithos is an anomaly."
"Curious," Terra hummed. "I suppose you know who the woman is."
Sciron swallows, now openly dreading it. "It cannot be Pandora. She's still in Tartarus. She can't get to the pithos."
The earth laughed. His dream shook and Sciron stepped back from the edge, terrified he could fall in the rivers.
"What if it is her?" Terra said with jubilation. "When Pandora opens the pithos, the world will succumb as Elpis flees and they will look to the ancients to save them. The Olympians will crumble. My champions will survive, I assure you. Any children you may have will also be under my protection if I choose it. But the gods and their camps will fall and there will not be a single battle to fight."
Sciron nodded, his body locked up. Pandora opening the jar had always been a threat to little children to make sure they eat all their vegetables. But this was a true nightmare. The fact that Sciron would be spared was reassuring, but he thought of Kimberly humming to baby Perseus, and his heart stung a little.
"We have no proof aside from the dream," Sciron pointed out.
"Hmm… don't be so sure," Terra hinted. "Just because Cassandra has seen nothing of this, does not mean the world is completely unaware. The clock is ticking. When Jupiter falls, I will rise. And when Elpis leaves the world, I will take over."
Sciron looked up at the gigantic cavern as his dream began to dissolve.
"And I will be by you to watch the Olympians raze," Sciron lied so boldly that his mother might turn in her grave.
Terra was already going back into deep slumber. She said nothing more but he felt her exhilaration.
Sciron woke up to a cold sweat building. Kimberly was still asleep, shuddering under her threadbare sheet. Perseus was on her chest, eyes blinking slowly.
As Sciron watched, the baby tried to raise his heavy head to look around. It took a few seconds, but Percy fell asleep almost instantly, soothed by the soft breathing of his aunt.
A world without hope.
What was the point of being rich, surrounded by precious stones, enticing jewels, and all the gold he could imagine, if the gods and mortals were just going to waste away?
Terra might have wanted the planet to herself. But with no life, it was no planet at all. She might as well move through the Solar System and take over one of the cold planets.
Hi there. This chapter was a doozy. Not to worry, I've condensed it down to points here. There are seven sections to the chapter.
1. Mysterious man gets James and Sally out of their jailcells.
2. Unknown woman gets Lily out of her interrogation room. They run into Locrians who try to capture them.
3. Group gets separated. Sally, Lily, and unknown woman portkey to a hotel.
4. James and mysterious man portkey to desert safe house. Mysterious man turns out to be mysterious woman.
5. Unknown woman is Cass. She explains stuff.
6. Mysterious woman is Iphy. She explains stuff. Ajax calls.
7. Sciron talks to Terra|Gaia.
Stay tuned for more!
Cabba.