Ree sniffed. “I don't suppose that helped them any, did it?”

Sophie chuckled. “No, not really. Though they did take a while to process everything and perhaps that allowed them to deal with it fully.”

It had been a really long day. Things had chased her, tried to kill her and her friends, and she found out that she was gifted with magic, of all things. Oh, and she had to fight for the survival of mankind. Now she was being called slow. “You know what? It’s been a hell of a day and I’m still tired. Yes, it is a lot to take in and process. But I think I have the main points. Now I need you to answer my questions before I go get something to eat and take another nap.” She walked over and sat on the chaise lounge with Weylin. He tore off a bit of his sandwich and handed it to her. She took a bite and chewed carefully.

“So, why don't we start with how you fit into this equation.” She knew her attitude was rude, but she was angry. She could work with angry, it was better than floundering around in despair or fear. The fact that the model-perfect woman was looking at her in amusement only added to her irritation. She narrowed her eyes at Sophie.

“I am an immortal Guardian. Long ago I was given the task of protecting my step-sister, as you would call her today. My father remarried after a plague killed many in our village. At the time, Tria was simply my sister by marriage. After our fight was over, I was left to help pass down the knowledge to the next Alastriana, to tutor you and your protector, or protectors in your case, in how to use all of your gifts.” Sophie spoke as if she had rehearsed it many times. Despite the amusement she had just shown, her eyes now looked distant and impersonal. Ree noticed she left out a lot of information and sensed there was a lot of hurt and pain in the missing parts. Nor did any of that explain how Sophie was able to use the same magic only a human was supposed to wield. But she wasn't so cruel to fixate on something that was obviously still painful.

Instead she asked, “Speaking of protectors, why on earth do I have so many? Everyone before only had one?”

She heard the others shift in their seats, interested, but she did not take her eyes from the woman that could give her answers. “It was initially intended for you to only have one Guardian. Paden was sent to protect you, but some of the gods and goddesses noticed the Dark Ones were spreading more than had been agreed upon. The dark gods were testing the rules, killing people that should have been off-limits. They were sneakily trying to tip the scales in their favor because they thrive on the hateful emotions that grow in the Dark Ones. Things were maneuvered so you would come into contact with several different immortal lines. To be honest, after tonight’s attack I feel their decision is for the best.”

Paden spoke up from his spot near the fireplace. “Do you know what lines we are descendants of?”

Sophie nodded her head. “You each bear the mark of your patron in one form or the other. Paden, you and Weylin each have matching tattoos on your wrist. Do you know what they stand for?”

Paden pushed up his sleeve and looked at his arm. Ree knew there was a small black trident on the inside of his wrist. “Every man on my fathers’ side of the family has this mark on their wrist. It’s a family tradition to get the tattoo when you turn eighteen.”

Weylin spoke up from next to Ree. “Our grandfather told us that our family used to guard Poseidon's temple.” He looked at Sophie, a little smirk playing on his lips. “Are you trying to say that Poseidon is our great, great, great, great, grandfather?”

Sophie laughed. “Something along those lines.”

Paden looked thoughtful. Bryce was the next to ask about his patron god. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the descendant of a Greek god. Wrong skin color.”

“No, Bryce your family originates with a very wise and ancient African god. Horus of the Egyptian gods is one of the few that foresaw the need for extra protection. You wear his mark on the ring on your left hand. The Eye of Horus is said to give the wearer protection, royal power and good health.”

Bryce looked at the ring on his left hand and gave a thoughtful smile. “It was my grandmother’s ring. She said it would watch after me. The ring has been in my family for a very long time.”

Juliette looked at the ring and smiled. “Well, I don't have a ring or a tattoo, but I do have a necklace from the Japanese goddess, Amaterasu. I wear it all the time. My mother gave it to me when we moved to the States. The Sun goddess is supposed to be the patron of my family. She rules with the Emperor.”

“And that would be your patron goddess. She has long taken an interest in your family.”

“Jules, are you saying that you are related to the ruling family of Japan?” Ree raised an eyebrow in question.

Juliette shrugged her shoulders delicately. “It’s a distant relation on my mother’s side.”

“Not so distant, it would seem.” Paden looked at his friend with a smile. Juliette gave another little shrug.

Everyone turned and looked at Melanie. She looked back at them and shrugged her shoulders. She sat there for a moment while they waited and finally sighed before turning her back to them and pulling the neck of her sweater down so they could see her shoulder. There, tattooed on her right shoulder blade was a triple moon symbol- two crescents, backs touching a full circle.

She turned back and looked at them. “I just had it done last month. The symbol had been showing up everywhere. I would wake up thinking about it as if it had haunted my dreams. Plus, it reminded me of my grandmother, she’s a hedge witch you know. When I asked Grammy what it meant, she said it stood for Hecate, the crone, and that I should embrace my heritage.”

“Yes, you are the daughter of a wise, spiritual people.” Sophie turned and looked at Paden. “You, O'Reilly, are different, though. You have more than one patron god. Do you not wear the symbol of another god? Something from your mother’s side of the family?”

He looked at her for a moment and the reached into his shirt and lifted a gold chain. Dangling from the center was Brigid's cross, a Celtic symbol from his Irish heritage. “I’ve had this charm since my first birthday. My mother used to insist I wear it every day. Now I feel odd if I don’t have it with me.”

“Paden, because of Brigid’s insight, you are the first Guardian to be of mixed immortal blood. She planned long ago to have someone that would be unbelievably strong in every way possible. She wanted an ace up our sleeve.”

No one said anything at first. Instead, they all turned to look at Paden. He was leaning against the wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets. If you were able to ignore his mouth hanging open, he seemed completely composed.

Chapter 9

“Er,” was all Paden managed to say before crossing his arms across his chest and clamping his lips shut. Ree raised a hand to her lips to hide her smile, but Weylin was not so discreet. He pointed at Paden and gave a loud whoop of laughter, making Paden shift his feet and grumble under his breath.

“Can you imagine? Paden, the super immortal?” Weylin chuckled. Everyone else was grinning, but they were all looking at Paden with interest, while he was obviously trying to ignore the stares. Ree felt a little relieved at not being the only one that was different from the others. So far she felt like everything was based on her, dependent on her, and yet she was the one that was human. The only one that could not heal quickly, that was still fragile like a human. She looked down at her hands lying in her lap. They seemed just like hands to her. Not delicate, but certainly no super powers either. Just like the hands millions of other people used every day: farmers, artisans, lawyers, doctors, and grocery clerks. Yet her hands had been surrounded by green power. They had shot light at monsters and changed the lives of her friends forever.

Her stomach began to churn, and she tried to redirect her thoughts. She stood up and stretched. Her shoulders were tense, and she had a slight headache building behind her eyes. She needed to move and to think about anything other than immortals. Otherwise she was going to be sick in front of everyone.

Sophie seemed to understand. “Why don't I give you the tour, Ree? Let you see the house and get some food. It should be daybreak in a few hours. Then you will all be able to go back to the mainland and get your things. I’ve readied rooms for everyone.”

“Whoa, readied rooms? Are you saying we have to stay here?” Weylin asked, incredulous.

“If you want to learn how to control your powers, then yes.” Diakos walked to the door and motioned for them to follow her.

“We have lives. Family, school, and friends. We can't just disappear,” Paden said irritably.

“I can help with the parents and the school, to some extent. Tell your friends you have a job, tell them you're sick. Tell them whatever you have to, but make sure you are back here on this island before nightfall. You may be immortal, but if you are injured too severely you can die. You have much to learn if you want to survive – if you want the planet to survive.” She said nothing else on the matter, just led the others to large, well-appointed rooms. Ree was hard-pressed to not be amazed at the opulence of the home. It seemed to go on forever. Dark wood floors ran through the house. Arches and pillars formed the entryway into every room. There was even a servants’ wing. Though she didn't see any servants, she knew someone must take care of this large estate.

Finally, Sophie led her into a huge kitchen. Along the back wall, there was an eight-burner stove and stainless steel appliances. All of the woodwork, including the large center island, was beautiful dark wood that seemed to almost glow. Sophie walked over to a large double cabinet and opened the door to reveal an industrial-sized refrigerator and freezer. She grabbed a pint of ice cream and smiled at Ree sheepishly.

“My guilty pleasure.” She motioned for Ree to take a closer peek into the fridge. “What would you like?”

There were a lot of things to choose from, but she went for the basic sandwich. She grabbed some turkey and cheese, then dug around for some mayonnaise. Sophie pointed at some bread on a rack in the corner and Ree grabbed the pumpernickel. After throwing the ingredients together, she sat down on a stool across from her boss and took a large bite. She ate for a few minutes in silence. Glad to be filling her stomach, which had become almost unbearably empty as she had toured the house, she finally started to feel a hesitant sense of calm. Sophie got up and went to the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of water. She slid one over to Ree, who smiled in thanks.

“So. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions.” Sophie scooped more chunky chocolate ice cream onto her spoon.

“Yeah. That may be the understatement of the year.” Ree spoke around a mouthful of turkey and cheese. “More like a million questions. So many questions you may not ever be able to answer all of them.”

Sophie sighed. “Shoot.”

Something in her expression triggered a different set of questions in Ree. Unsure of where to even begin, she went with the one at the front of her mind. “How many times have you done this?” She gestured between them. “Sat across from someone and explained the most unlikely, unrealistic story to ever be told?”

The older woman raised an eyebrow in amusement. “That’s where you want to start? If that is what you want, then . . . four times. Four times, including you.”

Ree pursed her lips. “And how many battles have been fought? How many have we won?”

Sophie’s expression became a little more serious. “From what I am led to believe, there have been exactly one hundred battles. One hundred Alastrianas before you.” She set her spoon down and looked Ree directly in the eyes. “And out of those one hundred battles, we have won exactly half.”

The turkey sandwich seemed to stick in her throat, so Ree took a gulp of water. “And what was the set number of battles agreed upon?”

“One hundred and one.” Her voice was completely deadpan, and Sophie sat very still, waiting for Ree’s reaction.

The room spun for a moment as Ree considered exactly what that meant for her friends and herself. She shoved the plate away from her as her stomach lurched. Sweat broke out on her forehead as she tried to keep it together. Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, she told herself. It didn’t work. She ran to the sink and lost everything she had just eaten. Once the dry heaves stopped, she ran the water to clean up and splashed her face. She stood there bracing herself over the sink and took several deep, unsteady breaths.

Sophie said nothing as Ree reined in her emotions, she simply watched her patiently and ate her ice cream. Once Ree was certain she wouldn't be sick anymore, she went back to her stool and took a sip of water.

“So.” Her voice was hoarse and wavered a little. Ree took another sip of water before continuing. “We're the tie-breaker. It's been this close all along. We're balanced on the edge of becoming the slaves of monsters, and we're the team the gods send to tip the scales. Okay, no pressure.” Ree rubbed her palms against the cool granite and decided to plow through. “Moving on. What makes this group so special? Other than the extra Guardians?”

“That is something that will become apparent as you progress. You will all learn from each other. Grow together.”

“That’s pretty evasive,” Ree pointed out. But Sophie merely shrugged and motioned for her to keep going. “Okay. We’ll come back to that later. How about me? Why me?” She tried a different angle.

Sophie swallowed her ice cream before answering. “You, because of your gifts. Because of your family. Because you have it in you to win.”

“Shouldn't all Alastrianas have it in them to win? And couldn't it just as easily have been someone else in my family? I have a cousin my age. Or my aunt? She’s always been gifted with something extra.”

“Each Alastriana was picked to counter what the gods thought the Dark Ones were planning. It had to be you, not your aunt or cousin. And for this, it was obvious to the gods it was to be you. In a way, the Dark Ones picked you themselves.”

Ree grimaced and said, “Picked me? How is that?”

Sophie stood and went to put her spoon in the sink and throw the empty ice cream container away. “I think that’s enough for tonight. I will take you back to your room so that you can get a few more hours of sleep before going back to the mainland.”

“But…” Ree protested.

“You said you had too many questions for me to answer. In that case, we certainly will not be able to answer them in a single night. So why don't you get some sleep and we will talk again after you get back.”