Page 4 of Eris

Clotho grabbed her hand and swung it in excitement. "No, silly! We have come to help you break your curse!"

Eris froze. "You…You have? Why? Why now?"

"Because the time is my time. It is now," Lachesis said with a shrug. She lit a cigarette and stared up at Eris. "If you want the curse to be lifted, you must undo that which you broke."

"I don't understand. I can't bring back Troy," Eris replied, her hand still being yanked on by Clotho.

Lachesis swayed in a light rocking motion. "The man is ready, for his destiny is tied to yours as his bloodline always has been."

"You're speaking in fucking riddles. Just tell me what I need to do," Eris demanded and then bit her tongue. "Please. Speak plain. What man?"

"The child of Aeneas!" Clotho shouted, her mad hopping continuing. "He must help you take the palladium back to Troy!"

Atropos clicked her tongue, and Clotho settled. "The child speaks true. You must find the palladium and return it, following Aeneas's path with his blood, stopping where he stopped. Only then will you be free of your torments."

"Find the palladiumanda child of Aeneas before returning them to Troy?" Eris asked. Her freedom was hanging in front of her, and she felt like a starving dog staring at a steak.

"Yes. It is not only your curse that you will be lifting, child, so do not waste any time," Lachesis said.

"Okay, so how can I find this man? Is he in the city? Where is he?" Eris asked. There were millions of men in Rome.

Clotho giggled and covered her mouth. "Oh! Oh! Can I please show her, Atropos?"

The old woman nodded. Eris didn't like the identical smiles they were suddenly all wearing.

Clotho let go of Eris's hand and pulled out a looped string from the pocket of her dress. With fierce concentration, thechild-like creature started threading the string over her fingers like a highly complex cat's cradle. "Ta-da!" she said at last and held up a small tapestry. "And the best thing is you have already met!"

Eris looked at the face, and her heart stopped. The unmistakable image of Enzo stared back at her. "This… This has to be a mistake."

The thread in her fingers unraveled, and when she looked up, the Fates were already gone.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Eris stared up at the heavens in despair.

Enzo wasn't just a bartender, after all.

CHAPTER THREE

By the time Eris got back to her car, the sun was setting, and she was trying to formulate a plan. She was embarrassed about the not date she had with Enzo, but nothing would stop her from trying to break her curse, even if she had to throw him in a boat and row him back to Troy herself. Enzo wasn't going anywhere, so she needed to focus on the part she didn't have—the palladium.

No one had seen or heard from Athena for centuries. Like many of the gods, when worship of her shifted to newer gods, she had lost purpose and gone into hiding. At least, that was the prevailing theory. If Eris's recent time in Egypt had taught her anything, it was that more gods and goddesses had survived than anyone had expected. Athena was nothing if not a survivor. No, Eris would have better luck trying to find the palladium without first trying to find the goddess it honored.

What Eris needed was help. She pulled out her phone and rang Laverna.

"I was just thinking about you. Are you still in the area? We need to have drinks again," Laverna answered in a happy chatter.

"About our usual watering hole… We might have a problem going back there again," Eris replied and picked at her thumbnail.

Laverna must have sensed something because her tone instantly went on alert. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"The Fates just paid me a visit, and I need your help," Eris blurted out in a rush. She didn't ask for help often, and it almost hurt to do so.

"You have it. Come to Rom's villa. He's cooking on the grill outside and can throw an extra piece of lamb on for you. You sound like you need a drink before we talk about the Fates, hmm?" Laverna said softly.

Eris let out a tight breath. "Better make it a big one."

"Don't I always? I'll let Rom know you are on your way."

Eris hung up and smiled at the idea of Rom cooking Laverna dinner. If they could finally get over their bullshit and come together, then Eris was sure she could figure out a way to find a lost relic and break her curse.

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