Page 35 of Eris

"Experience dictates that yes, you will," Eris said, hating the hitch in her voice and pain in her chest.

Enzo's lips brushed against hers. "Then it's time for a new experience."

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Enzo didn't think he would ever tire of seeing the look of surprise on Eris's face whenever he gave her a compliment. It also made him mad. Had no one ever cared for her? Given her any type of comfort? It just made him more determined to give her all the things she had never had. He was naturally affectionate and genuinely liked women. He hated that she had been so mistreated.

The palladium began to buzz, and Enzo snapped his attention back to the task at hand. He followed the magical instructions it was giving him until they reached a fence and a gate. There was no security as such, but archaeologists were walking about the site with tools and notebooks.

"She wants to go in," Enzo said to Eris. A week ago, he would have laughed if someone had told him he would be referring to an inanimate object's advice and instructions. That sort of thing was his grandmother's territory, not his. He had met delusional people before, and he knew he was sane. Sidonius had tried to warn him that life got weird when you hung about with immortals. Enzo was having too much fun to care if he was losing his mind.

"I'm going to cast an illusion over us like I did at Cuma, so stay close. We can hide ourselves but not our shadows, so we need to get in and out of there as quickly as possible," Eris said, and the air went cool with her magic.

"I'm ready," Enzo reassured her. "I trust you."

Eris's cheeks went pink, but she nodded and stroked her fingers over his face. The spell felt like he had stepped from the sun into the shade. He held onto Eris's hand, and when the gate to the site was clear, they slipped inside. It was disorientating to look down and not see his own body, so Enzo focused on not tripping on the large, uneven stone blocks.

The palladium was humming against his back, and a vision flashed through his mind. The temple was built up around them. It was night, and heavy perfumed incense filled the air. He stumbled, and Eris grabbed him to keep him from falling over.

"What the fuck was that?" she whispered.

"I saw the temple how it used to be," he whispered back.

Eris's grip tightened on him. "But you weren't touching the palladium."

"I know. I don't know why it happened. I know where she needs to be placed. Make sure I don't trip over anything."

Enzo took the palladium out of its bag and cradled it gently to him. The sun-scorched ruins disappeared, and he was in the nighttime temple once more. He walked past carved and painted wooden pillars. The walls were decorated with images of Athena wearing a Phrygian helmet and carrying a spear and shield.

At the far end of the temple was a massive statue with offerings laid at her feet. She wore a chiton of blue silk and had bronze weapons.

Enzo's vision blurred, and he saw the ocean stretching out before him. He was standing on the dais where the central statue was. Eris's hands were on his shoulders, ensuring he didn't tumble straight off the side.

"She used to have a statue here," Enzo said, his voice sounding small and far away. He placed the palladium down where Athena's other likeness used to stand. The wood shuddered under his hands, the tremor running through the stone and making the other workers on the site exclaim in fear.

Enzo held onto the palladium as a new vision rocked him. It was of another seaside town. The land was dryer, with rocky hills and dark, damp caves. Carved into a rock face was a double-bladed ax, a statue of a minotaur, a palace in ruins, and a hill with a twisting stone labyrinth.

Enzo returned to himself with Eris's arms around him, holding him close. "I have you, love. I have you. Take a breath. You're okay," she murmured against his hair. It took him a moment to realize she wasn't speaking Italian or English, but he still could understand her.

"I'm here. I'm back," Enzo stammered. "What happened?"

"You were talking in Mycenaean again," she replied, kissing his brow. "The same as before, a chant to honor Athena. Can you stand?"

"Kiss me first. I still feel like I'm not fully in my body," he said.

Eris tilted his face up, and her lips found his. He kept his eyes closed so he wouldn't get disorientated and kissed her back hungrily until his whole body was pulled into the present moment. Her tongue brushed against his, and he forced himself to pull back.

"You keep doing that, and I will have another problem to deal with. I really can't walk around hard all day. There are families about."

Eris laughed softly. "Lucky you're invisible, so no one can see the bulge in your pants. It's a shame. It's such a pretty bulge."

"Remember what I said about you not teasing me?" Enzo said and laughed with her. The shaky feeling had left him, and he stored the palladium in its bag before getting to his feet.

Eris looped her arm around his. "Easy. You were out for a while there."

"Felt like only a few seconds. What's happening to me, Eris?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's the magic stored in the palladium leaking out or the Fates fucking with us. Let's get out of here so we can talk about it properly. We might need to talk to Hermes or Thoth. They are the magic experts," Eris said as they wove back through the ruins.

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