DA : Chapter 70: Doubts of the Heart I
Several Days Later
The words of the priest fell over the gathered, their heads tucked down in solemn silence. Some were on their knees and hands clasped together, others standing close together, the men in darker clothes and most of the women in shawls.
The large church was light with hundreds of small candles while the upper rafters remained bathed in shadows. Outside the ornate windows the pale light of the moon could be seen, a silent observer to this night service of mourning after tragedy.
Amongst the attendants was a woman standing near the back pews, her hands at her sides as she quietly observed the church goers. Her silvery-blue eyes looked over the fractured families in sadness, her platinum blonde, near silvery hair hidden under a black shawl like the rest. Her dress, a dark grey reaching past her knees, was immaculate and without the sign of even the slightest wrinkle.
The woman just looked on, never moving or so much as saying a word but there seemed to be this aura about her that gently soothed those within the church. It was like the cool and gentle light of the moon in a clear night and though none attending were aware, they left feeling lighter than when they arrived.
It took another hour before most of the congregation left with the priest taking a few members off to the side to speak. This pair, a mother and young son by the looks of it, had been crying harder than most during the service and seemed to be mostly alone compared to the larger groups.
She sighed as she watched but then she noticed shuffling to her side and glanced to see what it was. She noticed it was a young man, likely in his twenties with near white hair slightly combed to the side, sharp and clean chin, intense blue eyes that she almost believed looked to have white electricity in them.
He was dressed in a simple black suit and tie, looking similar to some of the men that had been in attendance but his presence clearly distinguished him. The woman immediately knew he was no mere mortal, the strength of his stance and aura around him clearly said as much, but she wasn't too sure what he was.
Not a monster as far as she could tell, perhaps a demigod? But one being this old and in the open, especially in the Old World would be next to suicide. She was so entrenched in her thoughts she hadn't realized she'd been staring for some time. The stranger turned his face to her as he cleared his throat, breaking her out of her musings. They locked eyes for some time until he finally spoke.
"You weren't easy to find … Selene."
She did her best to hide any outward reaction but internally she was starting to panic. How had she been found and by whom? She'd known that titans were disappearing and rumors of several gods as well, with the disappearance of Hestia being most notable.
Thinking that a possibly hostile entity was after them, she'd been rather relieved that she'd been mostly to ground and almost no one knew where she was staying.
She'd even avoided flashing, instead using mortal means of travel and yet, someone did in fact find her. And now she was wondering if this meant a fight was imminent but then the man slowly raised his hands in a placating gesture.
"Easy there, I'm not looking for any trouble … only an offer," he said but she still kept her wits about her, a silver dagger having discreetly formed in her right hand and out of his view.
"Who are you?" she asked with narrowed eyes and a low voice, still glancing around to the mortals but it seemed that the Mist had intensified enough to make them practically invisible to them. "… and how did you find me?"
"My furry friends have good noses," he answered in a more relaxed voice. "And you weren't as discreet with your movements as you thought."
"What do you want?" Selene asked with an edge to her voice, her grip on her dagger tightening.
"Like I said, I just wanted to give you an offer," he continued while even going so far as to tucking his hands in his pockets.
"And that would be …?"
"I belong to a certain … group," he began, his tone measured, "This group is offering sanctuary from the impending war coming. We already have a safe home established and has an open offer for gods, titans, and more." He then paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing for a moment in thought before he added, "Your mother and sister are already there."
"Theia and Eos?" Selene asked in surprise. She hadn't been the only titan to try to disappear after their 'release' thanks to the Jackson boy but still, to think they'd been found as well.
"Yep. They're there as well as plenty of other titans and gods as I'm sure you've heard thanks to all the recent disappearances."
"Yes …" Selene said softly she glanced down for a moment. "… But if you belong to the group that's been taking gods, with the one that took Hestia." Her grip on her dagger tightened to the point the leather of the handle was starting to tear.
Memories of other wars, from before the time of the Olympians and after, memories of why enemy forces tended to want the women of their opponents … and this man said they had her mother and sister already. The thought of such a fate having befallen them made her blood boil. "How do I know this isn't a trick!" she hissed harshly before her hand moved.
In a silvery blur her hand came around, the point of her dagger screaming for blood. However, faster than she could see, his hand moved and caught her wrist.
The stop was so sudden that the dagger tip wavered for a moment … less than an inch from the man's unfazed eyes. She openly gaped at him for a full ten seconds before she tried to pull her hand back but found that she couldn't. His grip was solid and he didn't seem to be straining at all.
"You're more … aggressive than I would have thought," the man commented while slowly forcing her daggered hand away from his face. "… Is that a moon goddess thing?"
"What?" Selene asked, the comment throwing her off completely.
It didn't seem to be what the man was expecting either as he just quirked an eyebrow before sighing and releasing her hand. Before she could do or say anything else he raised a hand to silence her. Once he was sure she would remain quiet he continued.
"Look, I know this is sudden but I'm giving you a genuine offer. You could really live and be with your family instead of hiding out in the dark corners of Europe."
He then brought a pure white marble out of his pocket and held it out to her. "Just … think on it for a few days. If you end up deciding that you'll take my group up on the offer, crush the marble. Otherwise, throw it away and never look back.
Hell, you could turn down the offer now and seek us out later if you want. We just thought giving you the offer now would be nicer than an Olympian tracking you down to draft you into their dwindling forces."
"How are you so sure they'll come looking for me?" she asked after some silence, now holding the marble in her palm and eyeing it warily.
"Because you are strong and the current moon goddess has to know you're out here somewhere. She might come look for you once she figures out her allies…" He ignored her scoff at the term 'allies' and continued on.
"… are being taken and with reason. Besides, the Olympians are proud but if desperate enough they'll use unsavory methods to force services, especially now that there isn't a prophecy for them to fall back on and their strongest heroes are falling off the map.
So either hang around on the off-chance that the Olympians come knocking or leave early and join your family."
He then turned and started to walk away but then paused and glanced back at her. "Tell me, do you by chance know where your brother is?"
Selene looked at him in the eyes for a tense minute, still wondering if his offer was genuine before replying, "I don't really trust to giving him away … but give me your name, I'll pass your message along."
That got a small smirk off the man before he said, "The name is Grace," and he kept walking.
"Grace?" she muttered to herself, wondering why the name seemed eerily familiar. It took her a second to get it as her eyes widened but by the time she looked again he was gone without a trace.
She scanned around but couldn't detect anything or anyone watching her. Only when she was sure did she allow herself to relax, finally allowing the dagger she'd had in her hand to disappear. 'One of the heroes … to think they'd be looking for me but what does it mean. A new war … with them? Just what is going on?' she wondered before looking at the marble in her hand again.
"I need to speak with Helios …"
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