Eris (The Lost Goddesses #4)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

E nzo didn't think he would ever tire of seeing the look of surprise on Eris's face whenever he gave her a compliment. It also made him mad. Had no one ever cared for her? Given her any type of comfort? It just made him more determined to give her all the things she had never had. He was naturally affectionate and genuinely liked women. He hated that she had been so mistreated.

The palladium began to buzz, and Enzo snapped his attention back to the task at hand. He followed the magical instructions it was giving him until they reached a fence and a gate. There was no security as such, but archaeologists were walking about the site with tools and notebooks.

"She wants to go in," Enzo said to Eris. A week ago, he would have laughed if someone had told him he would be referring to an inanimate object's advice and instructions. That sort of thing was his grandmother's territory, not his. He had met delusional people before, and he knew he was sane. Sidonius had tried to warn him that life got weird when you hung about with immortals. Enzo was having too much fun to care if he was losing his mind.

"I'm going to cast an illusion over us like I did at Cuma, so stay close. We can hide ourselves but not our shadows, so we need to get in and out of there as quickly as possible," Eris said, and the air went cool with her magic.

"I'm ready," Enzo reassured her. "I trust you."

Eris's cheeks went pink, but she nodded and stroked her fingers over his face. The spell felt like he had stepped from the sun into the shade. He held onto Eris's hand, and when the gate to the site was clear, they slipped inside. It was disorientating to look down and not see his own body, so Enzo focused on not tripping on the large, uneven stone blocks.

The palladium was humming against his back, and a vision flashed through his mind. The temple was built up around them. It was night, and heavy perfumed incense filled the air. He stumbled, and Eris grabbed him to keep him from falling over.

"What the fuck was that?" she whispered.

"I saw the temple how it used to be," he whispered back.

Eris's grip tightened on him. "But you weren't touching the palladium."

"I know. I don't know why it happened. I know where she needs to be placed. Make sure I don't trip over anything."

Enzo took the palladium out of its bag and cradled it gently to him. The sun-scorched ruins disappeared, and he was in the nighttime temple once more. He walked past carved and painted wooden pillars. The walls were decorated with images of Athena wearing a Phrygian helmet and carrying a spear and shield.

At the far end of the temple was a massive statue with offerings laid at her feet. She wore a chiton of blue silk and had bronze weapons.

Enzo's vision blurred, and he saw the ocean stretching out before him. He was standing on the dais where the central statue was. Eris's hands were on his shoulders, ensuring he didn't tumble straight off the side.

"She used to have a statue here," Enzo said, his voice sounding small and far away. He placed the palladium down where Athena's other likeness used to stand. The wood shuddered under his hands, the tremor running through the stone and making the other workers on the site exclaim in fear.

Enzo held onto the palladium as a new vision rocked him. It was of another seaside town. The land was dryer, with rocky hills and dark, damp caves. Carved into a rock face was a double-bladed ax, a statue of a minotaur, a palace in ruins, and a hill with a twisting stone labyrinth.

Enzo returned to himself with Eris's arms around him, holding him close. "I have you, love. I have you. Take a breath. You're okay," she murmured against his hair. It took him a moment to realize she wasn't speaking Italian or English, but he still could understand her.

"I'm here. I'm back," Enzo stammered. "What happened?"

"You were talking in Mycenaean again," she replied, kissing his brow. "The same as before, a chant to honor Athena. Can you stand?"

"Kiss me first. I still feel like I'm not fully in my body," he said.

Eris tilted his face up, and her lips found his. He kept his eyes closed so he wouldn't get disorientated and kissed her back hungrily until his whole body was pulled into the present moment. Her tongue brushed against his, and he forced himself to pull back.

"You keep doing that, and I will have another problem to deal with. I really can't walk around hard all day. There are families about."

Eris laughed softly. "Lucky you're invisible, so no one can see the bulge in your pants. It's a shame. It's such a pretty bulge."

"Remember what I said about you not teasing me?" Enzo said and laughed with her. The shaky feeling had left him, and he stored the palladium in its bag before getting to his feet.

Eris looped her arm around his. "Easy. You were out for a while there."

"Felt like only a few seconds. What's happening to me, Eris?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's the magic stored in the palladium leaking out or the Fates fucking with us. Let's get out of here so we can talk about it properly. We might need to talk to Hermes or Thoth. They are the magic experts," Eris said as they wove back through the ruins.

Enzo held her arm tighter. "I think I need to call my nonna."

Eris left Enzo at the ship and went to go and buy some fresh groceries. He didn't like them being separated, but she assured him that she could keep her curse in check for an hour. That wasn't so much of his concern. He just didn't like not being with her.

You've never been a clingy lover before, and now isn't the time to start . Giving himself a lecture didn't work. He had never been falling in love with a goddess before, so all bets were off.

Enzo used the time apart to refuel, check, and service all the instruments. He didn't want whatever was happening with his brain and heart to affect his safety measures. He placed the palladium back into his cabin and unzipped it. He didn't like the idea of her being covered up more than what was necessary. He rubbed at his chest, worried that he was starting to obsess. It was time to talk to an expert. He rang his nonna.

"Now he calls me after days and days," Bianca answered. There was a clinking sound and voices in the background.

"Don't act like you're missing me at all," Enzo replied with a laugh. "What mischief are you up to, nonna? Or shouldn't I ask?"

"Claudius has taken me out to the bar. I needed an outing, and I'm perfectly fine. I'm catching up with a few regulars, and I met with Rom and Laverna. I'm keeping them, and you can't stop me. Don't worry, Claudius, you are still my favorite," Bianca said, and Enzo heard the flick of a lighter. She sounded too happy for him to want to admonish her for smoking. "How are you and your goddess doing?"

Enzo's neck went hot. "Good. We are in Castro."

"Why do you sound funny? What happened?"

Enzo struggled to decide where to start. "Something is happening to me, nonna."

"Something like having a spiritual awakening or something like you're dealing with Eris daily?" Bianca asked.

"Both, and it's both I need advice on." Enzo told her about the palladium and his growing connection to it. How even that had changed with him no longer needing to touch it. He told her about speaking dead languages in trances, having visions, and now wanting to make sure a statue was comfortable in his cabin.

"Am I losing my mind? Or do you think this is normal? I don't understand what's happening to me, nonna," Enzo finished. He was sitting on the bed beside the palladium, his head in his hands. He missed Eris.

"You are not crazy, nipote . This is who we are. You have spent your whole life trying to deny this part of you, and now you have no choice but to do it hard and fast. We were the original keepers of the palladium. Our family was of the royal house of Troy. The palladium was Athena's gift, so of course you feel you must honor it," Bianca explained. It made the sense he needed to hear.

"Maybe it's all instinct, and it's in the blood. It's just so strange to be having these visions. Eris is making sure I don't get hurt when they hit." Enzo tugged at the curls at the back of his neck and squeezed his eyes closed. "Nonna, I think I'm falling in love with her." Enzo expected her to crow with victory or at least giggle. Bianca was only silent for a long moment.

"You always had a hopeless romantic streak. You get it from your grandmother," she said finally.

"That's it? No gloating? No smutty jokes? You always had something to say about all my girls before."

"They weren't serious."

"I married Katarina!"

Bianca made a huffing sound. "But you didn't love her the same way. You don't fall for an immortal on a whim or for a good time. You fall for an immortal, and you walk into it knowing that you're probably going to suffer for it, and you do it anyway. That's how you know it's true, Enzo. You love a god; you accept whatever the Fates have installed for you. Do you think you could let her go?"

Enzo lay back on his bed, the feeling in his chest growing tighter. "No. I won't let her go. I can't. I want her. I just don't know how I can keep her. She is a goddess, and I'm… I'm just a bartender."

"You are so much more than that. Otherwise, you wouldn't be on this quest. It's about time to set yourself free, nipote . Find out who you really are. Show Eris who you really are. That's all you can do when you love someone," Bianca replied. She lit another cigarette. "Tell me where you are going next?"

"Crete. I am sure of it. We might be out of reception for a few days," Enzo said.

"Text or call when you get there. Enjoy this time, Enzo. Don't worry about me. Claudius and the others are good company. We aren't alone anymore." They said their goodbyes, leaving Enzo lying beside the palladium and wondering who he would be by the time he got back to Rome.