Page 21 of Eris

"Stop mentioning the ropes. I need to be able to concentrate," Enzo replied, shooting her a roguish wink and kissing her hand before letting it go.

Eris didn't know if she should be alarmed that such a move worked on her shriveled, cold heart.

Enzo seemed to be relaxed wherever he was. He bought them toasted panini from a cafe on the promenade before flagging down a taxi. It was a thirty-minute drive to the archaeological park where the remains of the Oracles caves were located.

"From what I read last night, Aeneas went to see the temple of Apollo and the oracle. She told him how to get to the underworld," Enzo said between bites. "I really hope we don't have to take the palladium to the underworld as well."

"Why? Elysium is beautiful," Eris replied and grinned at his expression. "Hades lets me keep a villa there. Until I met you and discovered your forcefield, it was the only place I could get some peace and quiet."

"You might be able to come and go as you please, but I'm still mortal, and I doubt it's so easy for me."

Eris shrugged. "If you want to see it, I can ask Hades. I suppose we will find out what the palladium wants us to do when we get there. The Fates can be vague, but they wouldn't have told us to go if we couldn't figure this out together."

Her tongue tripped a little overtogether. She had never been part of a team before. Never had a partner in her adventures.

Enzo picked up her uneasiness all too easily. He placed a hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Don't worry. We won't stop until it's figured out, Eris. You deserve your freedom," Enzo said sincerely.

"It didn't take you too long to come around. So much for having to stay in Rome and have no adventures," she couldn't resist teasing.

"I just stopped trying to fight it. Besides, once I got over the shock of it, I realized how fun it would be to have adventures with you."

"Fun and I aren't words anyone would generally put together," Eris said.

Enzo tangled his fingers with hers, the warmth of them reassuring her more than words could.

"Their loss, gorgeous," he said simply, and she left her hand where it was for the rest of the drive.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The archaeological park was open with groups of excited tourists taking photos and guides talking ecstatically with their hands dancing. It was the kind of place Eris would avoid. Fragile monuments and lots of people were a recipe for disaster.

"You are looking a little nervous all of a sudden. Are you sensing something?" Enzo asked curiously.

Eris wanted to lie and say she did. She didn't ever admit to a weakness. She didn't want to lie to him, and as he had said, he had heard it multiple times in his previous career.

"I get anxious around people. I never mingled much before the curse, and afterward, it made it nearly impossible," she said, shielding the sun from her eyes and looking about at the ruins of Apollo's temple.

It had been so beautiful once. The smell of incense and sacrifices had hung like sacred smog in the air. Had he died too? Or wasted away at the lack of worship to him?

"That's totally understandable, Eris," Enzo said and, with a gentle touch of his hands, led her out of the main lines of people and to the stone walls that looked out over the sea. "Take a fewbreaths, and when you are steady, we can keep looking. The palladium isn't humming, and we aren't in a rush."

Enzo made it seem so easy, so natural to reassure her and make her comfortable. A hot, horrible feeling began to burn in her throat, and she swallowed it down.

"Thank you, Enzo. I don't want to be a bother. I don't want to be broken like this..." she said, her fists clenching at her sides. "I was once so powerful. Nothing could touch me. I hate being this way."

Enzo's hazel eyes fixed on hers. "Eris, it really isn't a bother. You have been hurt in ways I can't imagine and for such a long period of time, I have no concept of it. I can tell you that all trauma manifests in different ways. This isn't something about you that's broken. It's a coping mechanism. You didn't want your curse to hurt people, and that's why you kept yourself away from them. Not many people would be that considerate." He didn't try to hug or crowd her, just...gave her space. She didn't know what to say.

Enzo looked back out over the ocean. "It's a beautiful day. I'm with a lovely woman. What more could a man ask for? Seriously. Take as much time as you need. I'm just happy to be here."

"You really are a good person, you know that?" she replied.

Enzo's happiness dimmed, his eyes losing some shine. "Not as good as you would think. Please don't put me on that pedestal."

Eris knew when someone didn't want to talk about things, so she didn't press him. Something horrible had happened to him, and she wanted him to feel comfortable enough to talk to her.

Eris wasn't great with words, so she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You don't need to worry about that. We all have ghosts, Enzo."

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