I do not own the Wardstone Chronicles. I'm not Joseph Delaney.
Lamia followed the satyr, who seemed to be unable to take his eyes of her. He had been nervous when he had asked her to come with him , but now he was talking. He was talking without even stopping the breathe, while staring at her like she had grown a second head. And Lamia was pretty sure she hadn't.
Lamia knew the reputation of satyrs and knew he was staring at her because she was pretty. Lamia had no doubts about her being beautiful, especially now she looked young again. One of the reasons she had killed so many men, was because she had used her appearence. To lure them to their deaths.
She remembered their faces, full of admiration and lust, when they had seen her. And fear when they had realized what exactly she was. Lamia sighed when she remembered that part of her past. The time before she had met John, had been dark. She had taken so many lives. Innocent people had died because of her. She couldn't remember all the faces, but their terrified screams seemed to follow her. Even when the past was blurry and it seemed that it was another person than her who had done all those things, she still felt horrible about it. It had been her, after all.
What she had told Tom was true; she had changed. She was another person and had little in common with the monster she once was. But that didn't mean she wasn't guilty. That those memories haunted her and embaressed her. And now she would have to face her past, talk to the persons who had ruined her life. Who had turned her into a monster. Maybe they won't even recognize me. I'm insignificant to them, after all. Just one of the countless women who was stupid enough to fall in love with the king of gods. Lamia thought. She sighed again. She knew that wasn't true. After all, Dionysos had recognized her immediately. And Hera would have no trouble recognizing one of her husband misstresses. Not that I am that. I was, but that was a long time ago. Not that Hera cares about that. Knowing her, she will probably want to punish me again. Like thousands of years living like a monster and the horrible guilt that comes with it, isn't enough. Lamia thought.
She was really nervous. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this. She was so nervous she actually considered running away. I would run if that would mean I didn't have to see them again. But they will know where I am. No escape. I better- oof! What? Lamia's thoughts were interrupted when the satyr before her suddenly stopped, causing her to walk against him. She let out a soft sound of suprise.
The satyr immediately turned, looking at her with wide eyes. " Are you all right? I'm sorry" he said. Lamia took a step back and smiled. " I'm fine. It's not like you're made of rock or anything. I just hadn't expected you to stop. That's all. Why did you stop?" Lamia asked.
The satyr smiled at her, looking relieved she wasn't mad. He turned and gestured at a tree. Lamia didn't understand what was so special about it, but then she saw it. There was not one thing, but two things that caught her attention. The first one was a fleece, that was positioned on one of the branches. It was gold and she could feel the magic coming from it. The second thing was a very , very big lizard-like creature. " Great. We have to get past an enormous drakon" Lamia muttered, cursing her rotting luck in her head. The satyr smiled and shook his head. " It won't be a problem. He guards the camp for us. He will just let us past" he said.
Lamia frowned, still looking at the drakon. She didn't really trust it. She turned towards the satyr, who was looking at her with a dreamy expression. " Are you sure"? The satyr nodded. " I'm really sure. You're so beautiful" he said, smiling. Lamia rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, so she would get the satyr's attention. She didn't like him staring at her like that.
He looked at her, looking nervous again. " What?" he asked. Lamia sighed and motioned towards the drakon. " Are you sure that drakon won't attack us?" she repeated her question. The satyr nodded, running an hand through his hair. " Oh, t-that. Y-yeah, I'm sure" he stammered.
Lamia looked at the drakon another time. He didn't look that ominous from this distance, but Lamia had no illusions what would happen if she got too close. That drakon would attack her and it would be very hard, if not impossible, to survive. Then again, she was very powerful. She hadn't told Tom all her abilities and she could always stop time if that creature got too close. She was just afraid it wouldn't work, here in this strange place. Well, no use worrying about things that might never happen. Lamia thought to herself and focused on the satyr again. He was still staring at her, like he had done all this time.
He had tried to start a conversation, but Lamia hadn't really heard what he had said. She had been too nervous to really pay attention to his words. She had been slightly aware he had been staring all the time at her though. She didn't like it, but figured he couldn't help it. She was suprised he dared to, because he knew who she was. For all he know, she still drunk blood. Which she didn't. She had stopped that a long time ago. It wasn't like she needed it. It strengthented her, but it wasn't something she couldn't live without.
Lamia hesitated. What should she do now? She didn't really know where the gods lived and the satyr was still staring at her. He wasn't moving or trying to explain anything. Like where she needed to go. And how she could get there.
She cleared her throat. " So.. thank you for bringing me here. I will just go, then?" she said. She started to walk, imagining she had to go down the hill, but the satyr stopped her. " No! I mean- I need to bring you. I just stopped here, so you could see the hill and the drakon and everything". Lamia raised her eyebrows. " So you stopped here, because there is a great scenery"? she asked him. The satyr swallowed and avoided her eyes for a second, now looking at her legs. After a uncomfortable silence, he looked up. " Uh.. Y-yes"? he stammered.
Lamia stared at him. He looked really nervous. " Why" she asked him. The satyr looked at her. " Why what"? he asked. Lamia sighed. " Why would you stop to show me the scenery? That wasn't what you were told to do, was it?" she asked him. The satyr seemed to shrink under her glance. He shook his head. " No, not exactly. But I thought you might like it. Some time to relax before you have to talk with them. I'm sorry" he said, tears in his eyes.
Lamia smiled. It was actually really sweet of him. Even if he had some ulterior motives. He turned, shoulders hanging, and tried to walk away. Lamia grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Don't be sorry, it's really sweet. But next time, you can better just bring me to them, all right"? she said with a smile. The satyr smiled back, his brown eyes sparkling. " Really? That's great, because you're really beautiful and I thought, once this all over, we could do something together. Maybe go for a drink or walk in the forest or-" he said. Lamia raised her hands. " Wait a minute! That's not what I meant. Believe me, the last thing I want is that" she said and immediately regretted it when the satyr's eyes filled with tears again. He looked at the ground, swallowing. " I understand. Someone like you would never like me, of course" he whispered.
Lamia could see tears falling and sighed. " I didn't mean it like that, I-" she tried to say, but the satyr cut her of.. " I understand, really. I mean, you're too beautiful, and after the king of the gods, you will certainly not be satisfied with someone like me" he said, his voice trembling. Lamia sighed. She put a finger under his chin and lifted his head, forcing him to look at her. " No, you don't understand" she said softly. His eyes were filled with tears and his lip was trembling. She brushed his tears away and smiled. " Firstly, what happened between me and Zeus was a big mistake. Secondly, it's not that I don't like you or anything. I was married and my husband died a few years ago. I'm not really ready to start another relationship. And of course, there is the age difference. I'm a lot older than you" she told him.
The satyr smiled. " You don't look old" he said, examining her. The emotion in his eyes while he took in her appearence, was one Lamia was all too familiar with. Lust. He looked at her like he wanted to devour her. Lamia had seen that look often. When she had been queen, some of her visitors had had it. Zeus definetely had had it. John, no matter how kind and patient he had been, had had it. Almost every man Lamia had encountered had looked at her that way. Even the spook had been staring at her, with something that held a ressemblance to that hungry look, when she had left the Ord. She had been young again and for a moment, John gregory had just stared at her. Even he had been impressed when he saw her. And he had guessed she wasn't human. That they were supposed to be enemies. Still, lust had clouded his judgement for a moment. It was so powerful that it had let him forget for a moment. So she knew what she was dealing with. Something really powerful.
She took a step back, not scared but wary, and readied herself. She didn't want to hurt the poor boy. He couldn't help he was feeling that way, after all. But she would if she needed to. She smiled at him, silently hoping he wouldn't do anything stupid. "That's really kind of you to say. Shall we go?" she asked. If she was lucky, he would leave it to that. But she wasn't lucky, because he took a step forward, determination in his eyes. He had a plan, so much was clear. And Lamia was convinced she wouldn't like it.
Lamia wanted to avoid trouble, so she started walking, only to be stopped by his unexpected words. " I'm sorry to hear your husband died" he said softly, his tone mismatching the raw lust in his eyes. Lamia opened her mouth, but couldn't find any words. She felt a lump in her throat at the thought of her husband. She still couldn't understand how it could hurt so much. " Thanks. I know I'm too. " she finally managed, her voice harsh. The satyr smiled. " No need to thank me. It must be horrible to lose someone you love so much" he said.
Lamia didn't even notice he came closer. She was too lost in thoughts about her husband, the all-too-familiar hurt threatening to overwhelm her. Even after two years, it still hurt her. She managed to push back her tears and smiled at the satyr, forgeting his intentions for a moment. And that she needed to focus instead of chat with him. " It certainly was. But you have to go on, don't you think-". Lamia hesitated. " What is your name actually? You haven't told me". The satyr smiled. " I have actually. You just didn't hear me". Lamia was a little embaressed that she hadn't. " My name is Foan" the satyr suddenly said, taking another step towards her. Lamia thought about that. Foan... She looked at Foan again. " It suits you" she said.
Foan smiled and suddenly, Lamia realized how close he was. He was so close she could the little green in his eyes. So close she could feel his breath, warm and moist. " I can help you get over the pain, beautiful. Just let me" he whispered, his voice different somehow. Lamia chuckled nervously and shook her head. " No thank you. I'm fine. All I need you to do, is bring me to the gods. Really". Foan smiled. " I don't think you realize what a big help I can be. Just let me" he said, stroking her neck. Lamia pushed his hand away and took a step back. " No. I do not intent do harm you, but I already made it clear I don't want it. So stop touching me or I will have to harm you" she said, trying to sound strict and a little ominous.
Foam stopped for a moment. He seemed to ponder about this. After some time, Lamia just thought he would leave her alone, he come forward again. Apparently, he had decided it would be worth it. " You won't hurt me" he said, coming even closer. Lamia rolled her eyes. " That's to me, not you" she said. Foan chuckled. " Oh, but you don't want to harm me. You just told me. Besides, we could have so much fun together, why would you ruin that by harming me?" he said, taking another step towards him.
Lamia cursed in her mind. He really isn't thinking anymore. The kind, shy person is gone. Reasoning won't help, so I have to hurt him she thought when she took a look at him. She knew she was was right; the kind, shy person was gone. Foan's eyes were filled with lust and if Lamia was right, he wasn't really thinking anymore. She sighed. " I'm sorry" she said.
Foan was really close by now, only a few more metres and he could kiss her, but before he could do so Lamia used her magic. She summoned some plants from the soil, which wrapped around him. In no time, until he was trapped. The next moment, she concentrated on the vapor in the air and made water in her hand. She walked towards Foan, who was struggling and looked more like a beast than something else, and threw it in his face. It immediately worked; his eyes brightened, the lust disappearing or at least lessening.
She smiled at him. " Better?" she asked. Foan looked around in confusion. When he looked at her, he let out a little cry. " I- I'm so sorry. I-I didn't- I mean" he tried, blushing. Lamia smiled and let the plants disappear. Foan fell to the ground, whimpering. He seemed really embaressed and guilty. He looked at her, his brown eyes pleading. " I'm so sorry. It's just, you're so pretty and-". Lamia shrugged. " It doesn't matter. Let's just forget it and go to the gods, all right" she said, offering him her hand to help him get up.
Foan took it with a relieved expression. " Sure. Thank you, you aren't mad and- I will bring you. Yeah. Follow me". He got up and started walking. Lamia followed him. He wasn't talking that much anymore, probably still embaressed, but Lamia didn't mind. She had enough to look at. Especially when they stopped in front of a yellow vehicle. It had four wheels, made of something black, and a big sign with taxi on it. She blinked a few times. " What exactly is this?" she asked Foan. Foan smiled. " It's a taxi. It will bring us to the Empire State building, the home of the gods". Lamia nodded. " Annabeth said something about it. Something about a.. elevator? I don't even know what it is, but it is supposed to bring you to the gods".
Foan nodded. " Yeah. Mortals, well most of them, don't know the gods are still here, so only demi-gods and some others come there". Lamia stared at the so-called taxi. " Aha. I see. So this.. taxi.. will bring us there?" Foan nodded. " Yep". He opened the door and made a small curtsy. " Step in, my fair lady" he said. Lamia raised her eyebrows. " My fair lady?". Foan looked at her, blushing. " Attempt at humor. Please step in".
Lamia understood he was still nervous and embaressed, so she didn't say anything. She got in and looked around. She was really suprised when she saw the inside. There were chairs, or things that looked like it, and at the front there was a wheel. Why is there a wheel? where do you need it for? Lamia pondered. She really didn't comprehend why she was in this taxi-thing. Suddenly, a door opened and Foan came inside.
Foan sat down next to her and smiled sheepishly. She smiled back. In the past hours, she actually started to like him. As a friend, of course. She wasn't even mad he had planned to kiss , and who-knows-what, her. He seemed to relax a little when he saw her smile. " So now what? We're just going to sit here and end up before the god somehow? I- AAAAAAAAAAAA" her nervous babbling changed into a suprised scream when the taxi suddenly started moving.
They moved really fast and Lamia didn't see any horses or something. She turned to Foan. " WHY ON EARTH ARE WE MOVING? IS IT SUPPOSED TO MOVE"? she screamed, her eyes wide. She wasn't the person to panic easily, but this freaked her out. Foan smiled. " It is. Calm down, it's perfectly safe". Lamia looked at him, convinced he was crazy. " No, it's not safe! This thing is moving and we have absolutely no control of it" she said, not screaming anymore but still a little panicked. " The drives has" Foan said calmly, pointing to some man behind the wheel.
Lamia gaped at him. She hadn't noticed the man man turned his head slightly. " Everything all right, miss?" Lamia nodded. " Sure" she said, leaning back and relaxing a little. Someone knew how to control this thing. She wasn't in danger. Her enemies had nothing to do with this. It is very unlikely they have managed to follow me anyway. Which doesn't mean I'm safe. Any place with the gods alive, is highly dangerous. Especially for me. Lamia thought.
She sighed and looked out of the window, deciding to enjoy this ride. She saw the man glancing at her, and sighed. Not again.. Why did people ever say beauty was a good thing? Lamia thought, annoyed. She really didn't need more of that. She ignored the driver and looked out of the window, taking in all the new sights. She saw so many unknown things. Building reaching the sky, other vehicles that looked like the taxi, people with little, square things they were talking at ( Lamia started to suspect, those people were crazy) and so much more. She tried to take everything in, stunned by all the new things she saw.
She hadn't even realized they had stopped until the drived turned and spoke to her. " Excuse me"? she said. The man smiled at her. " Your destination, miss". He gestured at something outside. She couldn't rememember she had told him their destination, so she figured Foan had done so. He was alredy outside, waiting for her. She opened the door, ready to get out, when tha man called her. She looked at him. " Is there anything wrong?" she asked him. The man shook his head, smiling at her. She guessed he was 28, maybe 29. He had black hair and green eyes and was quite handsome, she saw. Not that she was really interested, she just noticed it.
The man smiled and gave her a piece of paper. " My number. If you ever want a date, just call me" he said, winking at her. Lamia had no idea where he was talking about, but decided it was best to just get out. She smiled at him. " Sure. I have to go now. Bye". Hastily, she got out and closed the door. She walked towards Foan and smiled at him. " Hello. Have you any idea what this is"? she asked him, showing him the paper. Foan turned to look at it and shrugged. " It's a phone number". Lamia frowned. " What is that? I have never heard of it". Foan smiled at her. " There are these devices, called cellphones, and you can use them to contact someone. They all have their own number and he gave you his, so you could contact him". Lamia nodded. " I understand. Do those phones use magic?". Foan snorted. " No. They are invented by some human. I don't know exactly how they work, but there is no magic involved" he explained.
Lamia shrugged and put the paper in her pocket. She didn't just want to throw it on the ground, but had no intention to 'call' that man either. She turned and immediately froze. She hadn't realized where Foan was looking at. It was an immense building, unlike anything Lamia had seen before. She didn't know what to say. Foan smiled. " Welcome to the Empire State building, new home of the gods" he said.
Lamia snickered. " They live here?". Foan nodded and started walking. " Yes. Well, not exactly here. They live sort of above it, but mortals can't see it. We will have to take the elevator to reach it. You will see" he said. Lamia didn't respond; she was too busy with staring at her surrounding. Foan walked inside, looking for something.
He walked towards a man and talked with him. Soon, he was back. " Got it. Let's go" he said to Lamia. Lamia looked at him, startled. " Got what. Go where?" she asked Foan, following him. " The key. Olympus" foan responded. They stood for two doors. Foan gestured at them. " The elevator" he explained, walking inside when the doors opened. Lamia followed him and inspected the 'elevator'. " It looks like a little room with no furniture to me. How will it brings us to Olympus?" she asked. Foan smiled. " Just wait".
Before Lamia could ask what he meant, she felt the elevator move. She realized it was rising. It wasn't as bad as the taxi, but Lamia didn't like it. She had no idea how it worked and if it was safe.
In a few minutes, they had reached Olympus and the doors opened. Lamia stepped outside and was again flabbergasted. Olympus was really beautiful. She saw the golden buildings, the flowers and the beautiful statues. " It's beautiful.." she whispered. Foan stood next to her, nodding. " It certainly is" he spoke softly.
After some time, Foan sighed and looked at her. " We better go. The gods are waiting and they don't like that". Lamia nodded and followed him when he started to walk, but didn't say anything. She was too busy with the surrounding. So beautiful.. It's not fair they get to live here. Lamia thought. She felt actually jealous. It must be amazing to live here. Well, I suppose , after some centuries, it does get boring. If you see this everyday, it will be normal eventually. Lamia thought to herself.
They walked through gardens and along beautiful houses until they reached a massive throne room. Lamia counted fourteen seats, all occupied. And she recognized the bearded man in the centre all too well. " Zeus" she said, clencing her fists.