Page 46 of The Shadow Gods

“That's it, exactly,” Leo whispered. “What you just said. That's what I'm trying to find out. What am I made up of? Power? Wishes? Curses?”

“Like the seal,” Hector added. “We pushed our power into it, not knowing how. We dropped it on instinct, trapping the gods without knowing how.”

“First rule of war,” Achilles interrupted. “Know your enemy. Pass a couple books to Paris and Hector. We all need to do some research.”

Leo

Thank goodness I didn't get carsick, because once I started reading, I didn't stop. Anxiety urged me on, with a sense of desperation close on its heels.

I didn't know how long I read, but by the time I paused, my neck was killing me and my eyeballs throbbed. Glancing up from my book, an edition of myths and legends that had a printed date of 1805, I stretched from side to side.

“Take a break.” Pollux placed one long, tan finger between the pages of his book and stared at me from under heavy brows. “Achilles, we should stop.”

“Orestes?” Achilles asked his navigator.

The other man held a notebook on his lap. When I'd been able to tear myself away from my book, I'd caught Orestes constantly referencing his. He had our entire route laid out. We were nearly five hours into the drive, and we'd long since left the mountains behind.

“Bologna isn't far,” Orestes conceded. “We could stop and stretch.”

Next to me, Hector shifted. I was uncomfortable, but for these taller guys, this drive had to be painful. There was no way to stretch unless he shoved his leg over Achilles's shoulder. Even then, his toes would touch the windshield. Still, the look he gave me said he could last much longer and would only stop if I needed to.

“That's fine,” I told Orestes while lifting my eyebrows at Hector. “You okay?”

He nodded and stretched his arm along the back of my seat until his fingers rested on my shoulder. He'd taken the copy ofHerodotusto skim, while Pollux was deep intoTheogony.Neither of them complained, but I knew from experience both of those books were dry. Neither of them had fallen asleep, which was impressive, but none of us had found anything worth sharing, either.

The only thing I knew was that we needed to go to Corfu. Other than that, I didn't know what I was looking for. All I could hope was that something in one of these books jumped out at me.

Closing my book, I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes and sighed. “Where are we?” For the first time in a while, I glanced out the window and stilled. “Oh my god.”

Italy.

I'd had the same feeling when I'd touched down in Turkey so many years ago. The history of the place struck me right in the heart. I stared out at the bright green countryside. Modern white stucco houses were interspersed with older, terracotta buildings.

“What is it?” Achilles slowed the van, head on a swivel as he searched for danger.

“Sorry!” I apologized. “It's just gorgeous. It looks so warm, and the sky is so blue. And I know this is going to sound very American, but it's so old!”

Hector laughed. “Old is relative.”

Fair enough.It would take me a day to simply say the number for how many years old these men were. If I put all Hector's candles on a birthday cake, satellites would see it from space.

“I built time into the route,” Orestes said from the front. “I had planned on us stopping at six hours, then twelve, but we can stop at five and walk around for about forty-five minutes. Have you ever been to Bologna? We're a few kilometers away from some of the older parts.”

With a shake of my head, I folded my hands together and tried to calm my racing heart. I really,reallywanted to see the ancient city. I wanted to see everything. And forty-five minutes? That was plenty of time! I could use a restroom and explore a street or two before having to jump back into the van.

“I've never been here,” I said. “I'd like to stop if everyone agrees.”

Everyone did.

Soon, we were winding the narrow streets of Bologna onto the Via Ugo Bassi as I pressed my face against the window.

Frescos and fountains. Arches and columns.Heaven.

There were even restaurants and tiny store fronts.

When Paris opened the door to the van, dry heat rushed in, and I took a deep breath. This morning, I had dressed in jeans and a sweater and shivered on my walk to the van.

But now, I was overdressed. The guys slid out, but I ripped my sweater over my head before climbing after them. I'd have to be careful. Even thinking about standing in a sunbeam could get me burned. But arches hung over each side of the street, so the odds were in my favor.