Page 29 of The Stars

“You look… better,” he said, scanning her face, trying to gauge how she was really feeling.

Amy gave him a small, tired smile as she sat down beside him. “I may look better, but I still need food and rest.” She glanced at the food on the table and reached for a piece of bread. “It feels strange,” she admitted after a moment, “to be here… thousands of years in the past.”

Dante nodded, chewing slowly as he watched her. “I know what you mean.”

“Does this place even exist anymore? I mean, in our time?” she asked after a bite of meat.

He shrugged. “It’s really a shame if it doesn’t.” He glanced around.

Amy took another bite of food, her eyes drifting around the room. He could tell her thoughts were elsewhere. He didn’t push her to talk. They both needed this moment of peace, even if it was fleeting.

He wasn’t naive enough to think this calm would last. There was too much ahead of them—too many dangers, too many unknowns. But for now, in this quiet room with Amy beside him, the world outside seemed distant. And for the first time in a long while, Dante allowed himself to feel the slightest bit of relief.

He was no longer alone.

Once they were both stuffed with food, they sat in some chairs with thick, soft cushions on them that surrounded a small round table.

“Prometheus said that if Pandora wakes, the world could end. I don’t know if I believe him, but…”

“But what?” Amy asked, leaning back further into the cushions.

“If Prometheus doesn’t want Pandora to wake, and Moros does,” Dante finished, his voice barely above a whisper, “that means we have to stop him.”

“He doesn’t. Moros doesn’t want Pandora around. From what I saw when I faced him, he was afraid of me. Her.” She shook her head. “Pandora. He feared that she was already awake. Then, when I wavered, he…” She closed her eyes. “He shot me with a bolt of power, and I woke up just outside of town.”

The weight of her words settled over him like a heavy cloak.

Pandora, Moros, the end of the world—it was all too much. And what was that bit about Pandora’s box?

“Do you remember the myths? The Greek gods?” he asked her.

“Some of it. I wasn’t that into history like you were. Names and some details. Like, I know about Pandora. How she was given a box and told to guard it.” She yawned. “You? What do you remember?”

“Not much,” he said, knowing she was too tired to continue the conversation. “There’s a bed through there.” He motioned towards the sheer curtains, beyond which sat a large bed.

“We can’t just take over someone’s home.” She yawned again.

He chuckled. “Trust me, they think we’re gods. Whoever lived here before has been relocated. At least for the night. It was the same in Thessalia.”

“You were in Thessalia?” she asked, sitting up slightly.

He nodded. “Yeah, Brea sent me there. I was there for a few days before I came here. I just got here about two hours before you arrived.”

She frowned. “Okay, so, where is here?”

“Delos Island. The best I can tell is around 600 to 800 BC.”

“How can you tell?” She leaned her head back again. “It’s not like they have a calendar or the internet to sync your clock to.”

He chuckled. “No, but the boats in which they brought me to the island were a good clue. I remember seeing drawings of them in our history books. Like you said, I was somewhat of a history buff.”

She smiled. “Did you ever think we’d end up here?” She motioned with her hands. “You look like a freaking gladiator. I look like…”

“A goddess,” he finished for her, and he saw her smile waver. “No, if I’d believed for a moment we’d be in this position, I would have spent more time learning history than flirting with Lilly Thomas.”

Amy laughed. “Lilly broke your heart.”

“No.” He frowned. “Just… bruised it. What about you and your latest…”