Page 28 of Eris

Enzo was saved as a dirty taxi pulled up. "Maybe later when we aren't on an epic quest."

"Sure," Eris said, ignoring the door he opened for her and going around the other side of the car. With a sigh, Enzo got in beside her. Eris was already giving the driver instructions in Arabic and seemed willing to drop the conversation entirely.

It was for the best. Enzo didn't want to think about his past when he was actually doing something that felt worthwhile. Bianca had told him that he was stagnating, and he hadn't believed her. Being on a boat again and feeling like he had a purpose proved just how right she was. He wanted Eris too, after almost two years of not wanting anyone. So what if she was a primordial goddess who could smite him whenever she pleased? He smiled because he kind of liked that about her too.

"What is that grin about?" she asked him.

"Just thinking about if you're going to smite me anytime soon," he said.

Eris lowered her sunglasses and looked at him over the top. "Are you sure you're okay? You are in the strangest mood today."

"And you aren't? You're closed up tighter than a fish's asshole," he replied.

Eris pushed her glasses back up her nose. "It's called self-preservation."

And before Enzo could unpack that statement, the taxi pulled up in front of the archaeological park. Eris paid the man, and they stepped out into the heat.

"This conversation isn't over, goddess," Enzo said. "When we return to the boat, I want to know what you meant by self-preservation."

Eris made a small huffing sound. "Sure thing, Enzo. I'll tell you right after you tell me what's up with you and blood, or why you would kiss me one minute and then back off like I had slapped you the next."

Enzo opened and closed his mouth several times, but no words would come out.

"Exactly," Eris said before turning on her heel and marching off to the entrance.

"If you really are listening, Aphrodite, help me figure out what to say to this woman," he muttered under his breath. Instead of Aphrodite, the palladium on his back hummed. Enzo reached behind him and patted it. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going."

The park was emptier than Enzo expected. He supposed the heat would have driven most of the tourists into airconditioned bars and restaurants. It was better for their purpose that hardly anyone was around.

He tried not to be nervous about whatever the palladium would do to him next. Eris would watch over him if he went into another trance. It didn't matter if she was annoyed with him. Enzo knew Eris would protect him. That thought made his insides turn to mush and want to pull her into the shade and kiss her again. He was always the responsible one. The one in charge. To know that someone as powerful and capable as Eris had his back made him weak at the knees.

Enzo followed Eris through the admission gates, and they began to wind their way through the ruins. Broken columns, large stone floors, and fenced areas of a necropolis were all that remained. Enzo tried and failed to imagine what it would have been like in Aeneas's day. The way Rome and Carthage had fought had seen the city destroyed more than once. He hoped that the palladium could sense whatever it was he could not.

"Anything?" Eris asked, falling into step beside him.

Enzo shook his head. "Not since the gates."

"We keep walking then. We have a few hours before they shut down," she said. She reached into her bag and took out a bottle of water. She had a mouthful before offering it to him. Enzo took it for the small peace offering it was. He had a swig before passing it back.

"Thanks," Enzo replied.

They continued their walk, Enzo stopping to read the small signs about Byrsa Hill where they were standing and the history of the piles of stone they were looking at. They were almost at the top of the hill when the palladium started to buzz against his back. "We need to go this way," Enzo said, pointing to a path that led around the sides of a building structure.

Eris cocked her head at him but then nodded. "I'll follow you. I don't think we are in danger of being attacked by any naiads this time."

Enzo's lips twitched. "This time it will probably be snake monsters or a cyclops."

"Save the cyclops for Mount Etna," Eris quipped back.

Enzo grinned and followed the path the palladium was leading them down. They moved further up the hill and had to jump a small gate as they neared the top.

Enzo really hoped they didn't get busted because, unlike the caves, they only had the trees to hide them. They kept going until they reached the side that overlooked the port and the sea.

"This is quite the view," Eris said, taking off her hat and fanning her face with it.

"We can't go any further, so this must be the spot," Enzo replied. He took off the bag and unzipped the palladium. "Here we go, Athena. Let's enjoy the view together."

As soon as Enzo placed the wood to the earth, his world melted away to another. He saw palaces and ships and hunts out in forests that no longer existed. He saw passionate embraces and whispered promises. He saw ships leaving and a pyre burning. The sea crashed all around him, and a mighty temple of Athena rose in its place. A sign of where he must go next. And then all the burning horror of Dido's death came roaring back.

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