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“Yes. But Apollo wants to train me in the mortal realm. He detests it there and has yearned to find someone to take his place.”
Ah. It all made sense now. That was why Apollo wanted Sol to take his place as the sun god. The bastard didn’t want to associate with mortals any longer.
“Is that why you’re out here sulking?” Pandora asked.
Sol finally turned to look at her. The heaviness in his eyes seemed to drag her down along with him. Gods above, the pure devastation on his face was almost too much to bear. Her smile vanished, and regret took its place.
She shouldn’t be teasing him. She wasn’t sure why, but he was out here grieving.
“Sol,” she whispered, feeling the insane urge to reach for him.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m here or in the mortal realm,” Sol said quietly. “It follows me wherever I go.”
Pandora’s lips parted, and her throat went dry. She desperately wanted to know what pain he suffered from, but at the same time, a sense of foreboding filled her. Perhaps she didn’t want to know. If she did, it would make her sympathize with him more.
And she couldn’t afford that.
Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “What follows you?”
He offered a sad smile. It was so different from the usual smug satisfaction she witnessed from him that she couldn’t help but stare. The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. His dark eyes were full of potent emotion and anguish. The lines of his face were gentle but weary.
He looked like a completely different person.
“Good night, Trivia.” Sol rose to his feet and walked away, his slow and soft steps retreating as Pandora watched him leave.
When she was alone, she faced the sea once more. The moon hung so low it almost brushed the waves. Even if she didn’t know exactly what Sol had been referring to, she felt a sense of familiarity with his words.
It follows me wherever I go.
Yes, she understood this concept intimately. Her thirst for vengeance. Her memories of another time and another being.
It all followed her, too. Relentless and unforgiving.
Was Sol suffering from something similar? Was it possible his arrogance and casual pleasure-seeking persona were only masks he wore for the world to see?
Pandora could understand that, too.
She turned, looking over her shoulder for Sol’s retreating form, tempted to call him back.
But he had vanished.
CLUES
MONA
Mona still wasn’t sure what to make of Hestia. For now, she would follow her, knowing there were no other options.
But that didn’t mean she trusted her.
“Where is the second portal?” Mona asked as they weaved through the cream-colored buildings.
“The gates,” Hestia said without glancing back at her. “At the edge of the village.”
Mona frowned, hurrying to keep up with Hestia’s brisk pace. The goddess’s legs were much longer than her own. “Do you think it’s possible Evander is still there?”
“Not at all. Being so close to the village, this portal is far more public. If he did come this way, he likely hid immediately, or was captured by the royal guard. Either way, we will find remnants of his magic, and that will give us a clue as to where he went.”
Panic and terror tightened in Mona’s chest at the thought of Evander arriving in a foreign place, surrounded by strangers and possibly enemies.
