that…” I observed Tina appreciatively. “I’m afraid to ask about the shoes?”
“You’ll be barefoot,” Tina answered. “Which brings us…to these.” She slid open a small silver box and lifted a pair of sparkling items that resembled bracelets from within.
“Ooh, what are those?” Phoebe whispered in awe.
“They’re called barefoot sandals and they go on like this…” Tina slipped the ankle part over my foot and secured the loop over my second toe; then repeated the process with the other foot. I held my feet out for inspection as she continued, “These are made up of diamonds too.”
“This is all so unbelievable!” I shook my head in amazement.
“I have a feeling you will be a soaring success at the gathering.” Tina’s emerald eyes lit up, but my stomach dropped to the floor. Only if I could avoid puking on one of the Nereid’s feet during the gathering, could I be called a success. Until then, the jury was definitely still out.
“We’re heading to the ancient city of Kourion, which was demolished by a series of earthquakes in the fourth century. The ruins still hint at what used to be, though. It’s on the top of Mount Kourion and overlooks the sea. The sunrise is really pretty there! And it’s near Aphrodite’s Rock…!”
As we rode southeast along the coast of Cyprus, I listened to Tina’s long-winded history lesson and tried to remember as much as I could; but it was difficult with so many other thoughts sprinting around in my head. I constantly pictured Finn’s sunken cheeks, unfocused eyes, and the dried blood that covered his bruised arms and legs. The thought of Nadia torturing him kept the silent rage in my heart churning. It was a miracle that I was able to keep it at bay long enough to function normally. I trusted Natasha and Charon, but having to remain completely in the dark as to what was happening was heart wrenching.
All I knew was that they were leaving for the Underworld soon after my departure, but I wouldn’t know anything until I returned from the Gathering. A couple of hours. I could make it through a couple of hours. Once I was back in Paphos, I would see Finn again. Or seek out Nadia and deliver her a slow, painful death. Whichever came first.
“So you really didn’t know who you were until this year?” Tina asked quietly from the driver’s seat of our tiny car.
“Nope.” I really didn’t have the energy to give Tina and Dorien my life story, so I tried to keep it short. “Not until I got to the House of Lorelei. And even then, I was the last to find out. My whole life has changed.”
“I can only imagine! It’s like a real life Cinderella story!” She grinned and I could see her wheels turning, more than likely picturing me scrubbing the floors of a basement with my wicked stepsisters tormenting me relentlessly. I guess when I really thought about it, she wasn’t too far off from the truth. Laura Beth would definitely fall into the ‘wicked’ category.
“Which Nereids are ya’ll descended from?” I asked. Tina surprised me by erupting into a fit of giggles. She cleared her throat in embarrassment and timidly contemplated my confused face.
“I’m sorry, but your American accent is just so cute!” She chuckled again before continuing, “I’m descended from Panopeia, which means ‘panorama’.”
“Panorama?” I confirmed, “As in panoramic picture?”
“That’s right,” she smiled. “I have a connection to the weather, plus I can see in a 180 degree radius.”
“Really?” My eyebrows raised in disbelief. I took the challenge and moved my hand behind her head, holding up three fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Three,” she answered coolly.
“That’s pretty awesome,” I admitted.
“I’m descended from Ploto,” Dorien announced proudly from the backseat. It was infinitely ridiculous that the tallest person in the car was sitting in the shoebox-sized backseat, but despite my protests, they had both insisted I occupy the front seat.
“He’s an excellent sailor - comes in first in Greece’s sailing race every year,” she bragged for him.
“I just have a knack for reading the wind, that’s all.” He minimized his ability with casual indifference, but I had a feeling that it was more than just a ‘knack for the wind’. He pointed toward a scraggly-looking mountain up ahead. “Right up there is Ancient Kourion.”
We spiraled up the mountain for several more miles before turning right off the main street onto a dirt road. We stopped in front of what looked to be only half of an ancient structure. Several columns remained standing along with a couple of unsteady-looking walls, but the rest had crumbled around its foundation, leaving only a pile of ruins. The piercing sunlight glinted off of the milky white limestone, producing an unearthly feel. The cool sensation of dignity that pulsed from it added to the majestic aura.
“Here we are!” Tina shifted the car into park and faced me. My eyes darted between her and Dorien like they were a few peas short of a casserole.
“Here?”
“We were told to bring you here and wait in the car until you were finished.” Her excitement only succeeded in making me more nervous.
“What am I supposed to do?” I looked out the window again. Besides us, there didn’t appear to be anyone else around. I was all dressed up with nowhere to go.
“We weren’t given that information,” Dorien stated simply. A lot of help he was. I took a deep breath and climbed out of the car.
“Here goes nothing…” I mumbled to myself. The balmy ocean breeze ruffled the layers of my dress as I winded around massive chunks of crumbling limestone. The sunlit stone created a shining oasis of history and nostalgia in every direction. Several feet away, I spotted what looked to be stone steps that led up to what used to be a room or platform. Several fallen pillars lay around its exterior; their former glory erased by the hands of time. As I continued towards the steps, I felt it.
And once I felt it, I could concentrate on nothing else.
It introduced itself as a sizzling energy that danced across my skin; soon penetrating my body and melting me from the inside out. I carefully made my way up the eight stone steps. After several near disasters, I gathered the folds of my dress in both hands. I didn’t think the Nereids would be too impressed with their new sister if I made my grand entrance in a tattered dress shrouded in dust; scrapes and bruises covering my body. Not really the first impression I was going for.
As I scaled the last step, I looked around once more for any sign of life but could see no one.
I gazed over the ruins, and inevitably my eyes drifted to the sparkling water of the Mediterranean. I understood immediately why the ancient people of Cyprus had built a city here; it was magnificent, and the safety provided by the towering mountain was apparent. I proceeded onto a faded mezzanine of what used to be a very large room, when a forceful gust wind blew past me and I was thrown backwards. As gravity took over, my heel missed the top step behind me and I felt myself tumbling backwards. Before I could even cry out or catch myself or pass out (whichever came first), a very large, strong hand gripped my arm.
Chapter 10
“Watch your step,” Dorien warned. Something in his tone unnerved me. “We can’t have you getting hurt.” The fact that I hadn’t noticed his closeness until now enhanced his creepiness factor, but I brushed it off. Creepy or not, he had just saved me from certain tragedy.
“Thank you,” I sighed and rolled my eyes at myself. “Disaster averted.”
“I’ll be right here in case you need my assistance again,” he vowed formally, carefully replacing a piece of stone I had dislodged.
“Okay…” I nodded and twisted back around. My heart skipped at least ten beats, and then it took several more beats for my brain to catch up with what my eyes were seeing. “Are you seeing this?” I asked Dorien slowly.
“Do you mean the ruins?” he asked as his eyes swept across what used to be the dusty mezzanine floor.
“No, the-“ I stopped when his serious face took on a more skeptical tone. “Uh, nevermind,” I stuttered. I’m
