Eris (The Lost Goddesses #4)

Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

T heir first stop was going to be Cuma, near Napoli. It was a short sail from Ostia, so they set out after they were packed. They had everything they could possibly need, but Eris's anxiety was still erratic. Traveling conventionally was always hazardous when you generated chaos. She had to keep reminding herself as long as Enzo was around, they should be fine.

"You okay? You don't get seasick, do you?" Enzo asked from his place at the ship's wheel.

Eris had thought that navigating the ship with the two of them was going to be tricky, but if anything, Enzo's mood improved by the moment. He bustled around, working like he had grown up on the vessel. Eris found herself unable to look away as he went about his tasks, turned on by his efficiency.

"I don't get seasick. I'm just…never mind, it's going to sound stupid," Eris said, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

"You forget I was a therapist. I've quite literally heard it all," Enzo replied. He patted the place beside him. "Come over here and tell me all about it."

Eris hesitated, and unable to resist, she joined him at the wheel. "I'm nervous because I have always found traveling hard. Cars are the easiest because I can take back roads where I won't cause as much damage with my curse."

"What if you have to cross water?" he asked, staring at the horizon.

"There are magical means for me to travel if I have to use them. Even those paths lead me to strange places at times." Eris couldn't resist teasing him, so she added, "The last time I tried to sail on a boat, my curse attracted a kraken."

"Isn't kraken a kind of squid? I hear they are good eating," Enzo replied, making her laugh.

"You're not even a little bit worried?"

Enzo shook his head, sending his dark curls bouncing. "No. I'm with you now, so your curse shouldn't be attracting any nasties, right?"

"I hope so, but I really don't know," Eris said honestly.

They were quiet for a time, both of them watching the waves and the sunlight dancing on them.

Enzo said, "It must have been so hard for you. To live in fear of what could happen around you all of the time."

Eris wrapped an arm around her waist. "I'd like to say I adjusted, but it would be a lie. I was never welcome company before I was cursed, and I became even less so after."

"You seem to have some good friends now," Enzo said, glancing sideways at her. "Laverna and Rom are fond of you."

"Laverna and I reconnected some years ago after a really long time. Hades and Persephone welcomed me at their baby shower, and the gods there kind of took me in whether I wanted it or not," Eris said with an uneasy laugh. "Only the misfits seemed to have survived over the centuries, and we look out for each other."

"That's kind of lovely. It's good to have people you can trust."

"Do you have any?"

Enzo let out a long sigh. "I used to. Now, not so much. I lost a lot of people because of the divorce and then again when I left psychology. I've been too hurt to try and create a friend group again. But I can't complain. I have Nonna Bianca, though, no matter what I put her through."

"Don't worry. Rom knows who you are now, which means you will be a part of the misfit family going forward," Eris replied.

"I think I might like that," he said.

Her heart may have skipped a beat or three when he smiled widely at her before turning his attention back to the water, but she did her best not to notice it.

Eris didn't remember falling asleep the previous afternoon, but when she woke again, she had been placed into her cabin. She remembered sitting on the soft mattresses on deck, watching the water and stealing covert glances at the captain before there was nothing. She didn't understand why she was suddenly so tired.

Maybe because, for the first time, your curse isn't going to hurt anyone or yourself, a voice needled her. She trusted Enzo enough to fall asleep around him too. Another miracle.

Eris used the small bathroom before changing her clothes and taking a peek into the other cabin. No Enzo.

Eris braided back her long hair and went back up on deck. They were docked, the bay of Naples a haze of aqua and cobalt.

Enzo was striding down the wood docks toward her, balancing coffees on a tray. He seemed oblivious to the nearby women on other boats leering at him with greedy eyes, not that Eris could blame them. He was wearing a dark blue T-shirt that showed just how solid he was. His curls were wild from the wind, and the aviator sunglasses he wore suited him. Enzo spotted her on deck, and his smile was a flash of stunning white.

There was no doubt about him being Aphrodite's blood. Unlike others she had known, Enzo seemed to have no idea about his effect on people's heartbeats.

"Did you sleep at all?" she asked when he drew near, a touch of guilt worming its way through her.

"Black, two sugars." Enzo took a coffee from the cardboard holder and passed it to her. "And yes, I slept fine. We got in about midnight, and I got up an hour ago. Are you feeling okay? I was a little worried when you didn't wake up."

"Just tired, I think," Eris said and sipped her coffee. "You remembered my order?"

"It's a part of my profession," Enzo replied with a smile. "Also, I wanted to ask you out for weeks before I blundered my way through it. It seemed like a good idea to know what drinks you preferred."

"You never turn it off, do you?" Eris said, the back of her neck warming.

Enzo looked confused. "Turn what off?"

"Never mind. Let's get the palladium, and we will see if we can figure out what it wants."

Sidonius had brought them a long bag, favored by hikers and backpackers the world over, and with a minimal amount of wriggling, they managed to fit the palladium into it.

Eris was careful to make sure only she touched it, and both of them breathed easier once it was covered again. Enzo finished his coffee and hefted the bag onto his broad back.

"Okay, bella , where do you want to start? I checked my copy of the Aeneid last night, and he went to see the oracle or the Sybil, if you prefer, when he was here."

Eris's brows shot up. "You brought a copy of it with you?"

"Seemed like a good idea if we need to stop where he did. You didn't think of that?"

Eris rubbed at her forehead. "I didn't. I was so caught up in the idea of breaking my curse and getting you on a ship before you changed your mind, I didn't consider it."

"A good thing I decided to tag along," Enzo teased and stepped up onto the jetty. He held a hand out for her, and she let him help her off the boat.

"It was that or ropes. You didn't decide anything," Eris said.

"Stop mentioning the ropes. I need to be able to concentrate," Enzo replied, shooting her a roguish wink and kissing her hand before letting it go.

Eris didn't know if she should be alarmed that such a move worked on her shriveled, cold heart.

Enzo seemed to be relaxed wherever he was. He bought them toasted panini from a cafe on the promenade before flagging down a taxi. It was a thirty-minute drive to the archaeological park where the remains of the Oracles caves were located.

"From what I read last night, Aeneas went to see the temple of Apollo and the oracle. She told him how to get to the underworld," Enzo said between bites. "I really hope we don't have to take the palladium to the underworld as well."

"Why? Elysium is beautiful," Eris replied and grinned at his expression. "Hades lets me keep a villa there. Until I met you and discovered your forcefield, it was the only place I could get some peace and quiet."

"You might be able to come and go as you please, but I'm still mortal, and I doubt it's so easy for me."

Eris shrugged. "If you want to see it, I can ask Hades. I suppose we will find out what the palladium wants us to do when we get there. The Fates can be vague, but they wouldn't have told us to go if we couldn't figure this out together."

Her tongue tripped a little over together . She had never been part of a team before. Never had a partner in her adventures.

Enzo picked up her uneasiness all too easily. He placed a hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't worry. We won't stop until it's figured out, Eris. You deserve your freedom," Enzo said sincerely.

"It didn't take you too long to come around. So much for having to stay in Rome and have no adventures," she couldn't resist teasing.

"I just stopped trying to fight it. Besides, once I got over the shock of it, I realized how fun it would be to have adventures with you."

"Fun and I aren't words anyone would generally put together," Eris said.

Enzo tangled his fingers with hers, the warmth of them reassuring her more than words could.

"Their loss, gorgeous," he said simply, and she left her hand where it was for the rest of the drive.