““Power you will have, if you seize it. Only then will you be crowned king of the heavens. But the end will come and you will be unseated. Only your halfling offspring will prevail. A beast of nature who speaks your name will free you. And the crown will finally rest on the mighty head.””
Maldenis scratched at his head. “Wow, that is pretty vague. How are you even sure that’s the reason Zeus’s children are in danger?”
Liora rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you been listening to us all this time? Perseus almost got killed, even though he wasn’t the one mentioned in the prophecy. The hunters tracked him down and forced him to say Zeus was his father, to ‘speak his name’.”
“That’s it? That’s all I have to say? Zeus is my father?”
“Wait—” she slapped her hand on her forehead. “You could be in danger now. Or Zeus could be freed as we speak.”
He stared at her. She stared back.
And nothing.
He shrugged. “Not me, I guess.”
Not that he even thought he was that special, being a disappointment all his life. Why the hell did he expect that to change just because he said those three words?
“You could still be in danger,” Liora pointed out. “When Perseus said the words, the hunters waited for something to happen. And when it didn’t, they tried to kill him anyway so he doesn’t warn the others.”
“Then I was in danger the moment you guys did that magic thing on me.”
And the moment he was born. To a father he never knew about. Melora did, but never told him.
The room seemed to have shrunk, the air thinning and growing hot.Hard to breathe.
He needed to get out of here. “I think I?—”
A ringing sound interrupted him. Melora’s phone, which she had placed on the table before she sat down, danced across the glass as it continued to ring.
“What now?” Melora clucked her tongue as she picked up her phone. “Hello…what do you mean?” She blew out a breath. “Alright, I’ll take care of it.” Tapping the call off, she turned to them. “I’m afraid I have to go. But there are a few more things I need to discuss with you.”
“Sounds like you have more important things to attend to.” Relief poured through him. “Just text or call me with whatever.” Snapping upright, he slithered out of the room like his tail was on fire.
“Maldenis! Maldenis, wait up!” Liora called.
He was reaching out to push the door open when he heard her. “C’mon, I’ll drive you back to your hotel.”
“But where are you going after?”
“What’s it to you?” He stopped short. “You never cared where I went before.”
She swallowed audibly. “I mean, I’m just curious what you do all day. Is everything okay?”
“Me? Yeah, I’m fine.”
“That was intense back there, huh?”
Intense didn’t even begin to describe it. Maldenis pushed down the mini-maelstrom of emotions building inside him. Who cares if Zeus was his father? Or that he was nothing special. It didn’t matter anyway.
“Look, I have places to be, okay? I promised Makron and Charlie I’d go and do inventory for them. Now, do you want a ride or not?”
“I just want to know if you’re feeling?—”
“Drop it.”
“But—”
“I said drop it, Liora,” he hissed.
