45. The Stormy One

Two months later...

Many things were stressful for Zahira. MANY things. They were stressful because other people didn't realise how flustered she was. Working out where to sit on a bus was stressful. She always worried about what people were thinking. If more seats became free and she was sat next to someone, was it ruder to move to a double seat on her own or was it ruder to stay sat there? What if they wanted her to move?

When her colleagues invited her out for drinks, did they want her to say yes or were they just being polite?

When she was washing dishes next to Markus at the Cafe, and they were working in silence, was he happy in the silence. Or was he angry at her and not speaking with her?

The question Zahira ended up asking herself everyday was, are they mad at me?

It was her constant biggest fear, people being angry with her.

The café, Eros and Psyche, was chaotically busy that day. Zahira weaved between customers, her head bowed down, smiling shyly and apologising in a small squeaky voice.

"Sorry. Sorry. Excuse me, sorry. Here's your drink, sorry." She wasn't even sure why she apologised as she handed the drinks over, she just did out of fear. The customers thanked her without looking up, and Zahira breathed more easily, happy with the interaction.

"Trouble, can you help me with this table." Cesar called, headed for a table that was laden with a previous customer's rubbish and where fresh people already wanted to sit.

"Yep!" Zahira responded eagerly.

"Here, you take this and this." He filled a tray for her, so that he had space to wipe the table clean. Zahira carried the rubbish into the kitchen and smiled softly as she did so. Cesar had given her the nickname Trouble when she'd first started. It was an ironic name. Zahira liked it. She liked Cesar; he was less scary than the others.

There was a stir in the café, signalling that one of the cafes' 'attractions' had walked in. Zahira was slicing a cake but she glanced up to watch the Star Immortal's entrance. Orion walked in as if he owned place and girls cooed excitedly.

He was beautiful. As beautiful as the stars in the sky.

"You keep coming back." Jaz, the café's manager, commented – not sounding particularly thrilled.

"I find myself missing your coffee cake." Orion replied, in a deliciously smooth voice. Orion smiled cheekily and Zahira wondered how Jaz's knees didn't go weak.

Zahira thought that the city's new top celebrity was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. He stopped in front of her and waited for her to serve him.

"Errr..." Zahira's mind had gone blank for words.

"A slice of coffee cake, please." He requested. Zahira blushed.

"Sorry."

He frowned.

"You don't have coffee cake?"

"No, we do."

"So, you're sorry because...?"

"Nothing, sorry." She apologised again.

She awkwardly manoeuvred a large slice of coffee cake onto a plate and handed it to him. Their eyes met as she passed over the plate.

Zahira's heart skipped a beat.

Orion's eyes were pitch black, larger and darker than any she's seen before. They had a fathomless, eternal quality to them and she felt alarmingly like she might be drowning at them. Her blush worsening, she quickly ducked her head to stare determinedly down at her feet.

Zahira stumbled her way through her shift, quite literally in places. Occasionally, she had to walk past Orion's table. He was surrounded. His fan girls were flocking around him, wanting him to tell them about the stars and eternity.

"Absolute rubbish." Markus snorted scathingly.

"You don't believe him, then?" Cesar asked, referring to Orion's public claim of not being human at all – but in fact being a star immortal.

"But the Orion constellation has disappeared from the sky since he appeared in the city." Ana, a fellow server pointed out. Markus scowled but made no further comment.

"What do you think, Trouble?" Cesar asked Zahira. She shrank a little, intimidated to have three sets of eyes suddenly on her.

"I don't think he's lying." She finally managed to murmur. Markus rolled his eyes.

"Hardly convincing. Zahira believes everyone."

Zahira hung her head in embarrassment. It was true, she was a little gullible. But she really did think that Orion was telling the truth. He didn't seem at all human in her eyes.

Public opinion was very divided. It was the raging question, were the gods real?

Judging from the long queues for an audience with Sage, the cafe's oracle, opinion was steadily being swayed.

The ancient gods were back.

And Zahira felt a tingling thrill at the thought of it.

**

The snow-capped slopes leading up to Mount Olympus were treacherous, with continuous blizzards and lethal nights. Ares cursed under his breath. Thetis had called in the help of a strong ally, Aegaeon, the Stormy One. A giant who had become a legend in the long ago Titan wars. Ares gazed up at the armoured giant who was blocking the mountain pass. The howling wind whipped at Ares' face, biting at him.

Ares made his move, approaching Aegaeon head-on. But the giant wasn't alone. He was flanked by two hippocampi – monsters born from the sea. Ares noticed the scars on the hippocampi. These creatures had been lashed into obedience, after being dragged from the ocean. Their eyes glowed blood-red and Ares guessed that they were deranged from the giant's enslavement. Deranged – and very, very dangerous.

Hot air escaped Aegaeon's colossal mouth with every rumbling breath. He nodded his head and the hippocampi moved menacingly forward, closing in on the war god. Their long, serpentine bodies slivered across the fort's stone courtyard- able to move fast. Ares groaned, kicked in the chest by the hippocamp's powerful front legs. He was flung back and rolled across the ice.

The hippocamp reared it's head. But Ares was quick to his feet and managed to avoid being trampled by the monster's hooves. The clink of chains warned him that the second hippocamp was on the move. Growling, Ares swung his sword and hacked into it's meaty torso. Blood splattered out and showered the war god's face.

One hippocamp was injured, but not out of the fight completely. Ares also noted the position of Aegaeon – still blocking the mountain pass. He needed to coax the giant into joining the fray...

A hippocamp lashed out with its tail and Ares jumped a second too late, allowing the stroke to knock him from his feet. Ares' chin smacked against the ground, making his teeth rattle. Come on, Aegaeon – Ares thought desperately. Come and deliver the killing blow!

The hippocampi reared, ready to crush Ares' skull. He rolled out of the way and used his sword to push himself upright. Ares changed his grip on the swords hilt and aimed it like a javelin. He launched it at the hippocamps head. The sword shattered the creature's eye socket and embedded in the leaking cranium.

Aegaeon growled excitedly, seeing the war god now unarmed. The giant launched at Ares and the impact from the giant's tackle made Ares' bones tremble and gold blood leaked from between his teeth. But Ares had achieved his objective.

This had never been about killing the giant. This had been about getting him to step away from mountain pass – allowing Hades, wearing his helmet of invisibility, to slip through the pass undetected.

Aegaeon howled gleefully as the War God fled, thinking he'd bettered him.

But Ares nursed his wounds, content with the knowledge that Death had successfully slipped into the enemy camp.