CHAPTER 15

Strobe lights illuminate the venue, and a thousand shadowy shadows dance on the stone walls. The rhythmic notes of techno are so powerful that I can feel the vibration in my chest. A woman in snakeskin wraps herself around a pole, swaying sinuously. On the other side of the dance floor, a man with bat wings twirls and dives into the crowd at breakneck speed. Meanwhile, a group of dancers who seem to have grown extra limbs move in a fluid, inhuman way. I feel like I'm witnessing a carnivalesque and frightening celebration.

“My God…” I mutter, holding on to the metal balcony.

I feel as if I have been transported to another dimension, where time and space are blurred. The place itself seems to pulsate with energy, with a diverse mix of cultures, styles, and personalities blending together in an out-of-this-world environment.

“Here are my people.” Calypso laughs and steps onto a pedestal where a blinding light explodes.

He opens his arms and his presence makes hearts explode in exultation and devotion.

I look for Emanuele's hand. "But what is... this?"

His answer doesn’t come right away, and I look up at him. His face seems carved from stone. His lips are a sharp line, crossed by countless luminous arrows. He keeps his eyes fixed on the tide that is stirring a dozen meters below us.

They tug on his arm. “Hey, are you okay?”

He shakes himself and leans closer to my ear. “You want to know what this is? A prison.”

I frown. “What?”

“All these people are the Sphinx’s rejects,” he replies. “People with mutations that are useless, harmful, or too obvious to hide.”

"And they keep them here? Locked up?"

He nods, his face pale and tense. “I’ve heard of them, but seeing them is something else. Sometimes they’re used for extreme tasks, where their death doesn’t cause financial or reputational losses.”

A terrible connection makes my heart rate skyrocket. “So Calypso works for the Sphinx? The same company as my father?”

"She works for the highest bidder. All these Veiled are probably already on Truesight's books, thanks to her. Which makes them even more useless. I'd be surprised to see any of them come back alive from an assignment."

“At least in here they don’t bother anyone,” I comment, without thinking too much.

His gaze pierces me and he raises his voice more than is necessary to be heard in that cauldron. “Sure, just throw them in this hole and throw away the key, right? That way the facade is safe, the company can sleep soundly.”

“That’s not what I meant!” I retort, unnerved by his outburst.

He lifts his lips in a grimace. “Oh, at least have the courage to admit it.”

I clench my fists and lean toward him. “What’s wrong with you? And anyway, if they ran around unsupervised it would be worse. Try proving me otherwise.”

"You have no idea. You don't know what it's like to be locked in a damned hell."

I part my lips and my irritation instantly vanishes. “Sorry, I had no idea this had happened to you.”

“Would that change your judgment?” He laughs bitterly. “I could be any one of these wretches. And yes, do you want to know? I have been. I don’t even know for how long. So long that I can’t even count it anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Emanuele, I don’t…” I go to put a hand on his neck, but his appearance has changed and I pull away.

He is now a young man with curly hair and a face dotted with freckles. His appearance would be pleasant if he did not have that light of madness in his eyes.

“Quod,” he hisses, making me take a step back. “Don’t you remember my name?”

“You’re scaring me, please. Stop.”

His expression changes, as if he were coming out of some kind of trance . His eyes widen and he puts a hand on his chest. He whispers something I can't hear, maybe a curse. He turns back into Emanuele and grabs the metal handrail.

“Lilia, sorry.” She moistens her lips and closes her eyes for a moment. “Give me a moment.”

I can't move a muscle. I've seen him mutate into monstrous creatures, but I haven't felt that cold detachment. Not recognizing him was a blow that is not easily cushioned.

Inhale and lift one hand. “Sometimes my emotions control my form.”

"I didn't mean to hurt you or... make you angry. Sometimes I forget what... who you are."

I don't know if I made the situation worse, maybe I did, because he looks away and takes a step back.

"I need to be alone, sorry."

He raises a hand as if to chase those words away, then turns his back on me and walks away.

***

“It looks like your new friends are having some relationship problems, Calypso.”

The boy brushes his black curls away from his forehead. His dark eyebrows emphasize his emerald eyes, highlighted by his pale skin. His straight nose, defined jaw, and full lips give him a rare beauty. He wears a white shirt over a pair of black leather pants in a contrast that enhances his complexion.

I run my fingers up his smooth arm. “They’ve got worse.”

Not that it makes me particularly worried, but the girl can give me a lot of satisfaction. I would have liked to discover her myself, so I wouldn't have found the shapeshifter underfoot. There's a remedy for everything, though.

The young man sinks his eyes into mine. “You know I can’t resist curiosity, my goddess.”

«Curiosities have to be paid for...»

He quirks the corner of his mouth and tilts his head. “I suppose you didn’t summon me to offer me only pleasure.”

I lift my chin, bringing my lips to his. “Instead…”

The boy lowers his dark lashes like a feline. “You’re making me suffer, but I know that pity is not your best quality.”

I burst out laughing. “Oh, dear, you know me. You know, if I could, I’d put you through hell.”

I swear it's true, I would kill him. Our past has been too horrible to forget.

He brushes my cheek with the back of his fingers. “But unfortunately you need...”

«Like everyone.»

The young man gives me a sharp smile and lowers his hand, then turns back to Lilia.

"So, Calypso. Is the little girl your current obsession?"

“Much more, she is the source of my freedom.”

He raises his eyebrows. “That’s very interesting.”

I place two fingers under his chin, making him look me in the eye.

“But I have something better for you.”

She moistens her beautiful, defined lips. “Please don’t make me kneel down to find out.”

"I'm tempted, but it would be a poor satisfaction."

"So what else do you want?"

"You will know in due time."

He frowns. “I won't tell you anything about Zeus.”

Just hearing that name makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It embodies all my hatred, every fiber of my being yearns for its end, but I cannot even dare compete with the lord of the gods. Not yet.

"I know. After all, you remain a servant, but I remain a generous person..."

“I'm waiting, Calypso.”

I lean closer to his ear. “The boy… Demetrius.”

Hermes snaps his neck back, opens his lips, and stands still. He really does look like a statue, right now.

"Him? You're kidding."

"Would you like it if I joked?"

"Calypso, I'm serious. If this is part of your revenge for the story of Odysseus..."

This conversation gives me a tingling sensation just above my navel. Very pleasant.

“That’ll come in a moment, when I tell you he’s in love with the girl.”

Hermes stands still, but I can see all the emotions crossing his eyes. Surprise, resentment, desire.

"How can you say that? That he's in love, I mean."

"Only a blind man wouldn't see it."

I'd be lying to myself if I was surprised by the reaction, after all that's what I wanted to provoke.

He looks away and presses his hands to the metal bar in front of him. His gaze remains on the dancing crowd for so long that I am tempted to leave him to waste away in jealousy.

Then he speaks again. “I don’t believe a word you say.”

I thought I had reached the heights of pleasure and instead I still have some left. I can taste it on my tongue even before I reply.

"No? Check it out for yourself, then."

He narrows his eyes as if he wants to incinerate me and, a moment later, vanishes leaving a light breeze behind him. I'm sure he'll go looking for it and I'd give anything to enjoy the scene. But I'll have to settle for another kind of cruelty, unfortunately.

I take a deep breath and let my girls come closer to me. Like butterflies on a flower they touch me with the movements of their scented bodies, I follow that sensual flight, in a dance that enhances the pleasure I have just felt. I give myself to their delicate touches, to their warm lips, to the shivers of their hair that brush my shoulders. I knew it would be a wonderful evening, but why not make it perfect?

"Do we want to see some blood?"

The butterflies clap their hands, giggle, and I revel in the evil light that appears in their eyes. In unison, they begin to invoke the Nexus, and little by little, the entire audience does the same. The crowd gathers on the sides of the room, and many climb onto the steps and begin to invoke the name of their favorite champions. One above all emerges from their thirsty throats, from the greed that sets their faces ablaze.

Yaku, Yaku, Yaku.

I throw my hands up and the crowd instantly falls silent. “We have our first challenger.”

Not that I expected a different name, I admit. I caress the gaze of the chosen one who advances towards me. The young Peruvian is of medium height, slender and athletic. The lights reflect on his warm and olive complexion, the exotic features that betray the mixed origin of his roots. His face is symmetrical and well-defined. His strong, square jaw gives him a determined and virile look. His black and raven hair, thick and slightly wavy, falls elegantly around his face. His eyes, a deep brown, remain fixed on mine, as he bows.

I love how regal he is, who would have thought he was found in the forest defending himself after a jaguar killed his family? Even though he was only eight years old, he had hunted alone, surviving where others would have died.

So, even though he was no longer an infant, the Sphinx had decided to irradiate him. The risk was that he would die, which would not be a problem for an orphan who would never be claimed. They could not imagine that he would be completely immune to mental conditioning. Which made him useless at best, harmful at worst.

All to my advantage, since he is one of the most lethal assassins I can count on. A bringer of death without remorse, without ethics, nor ties.

Yaku grasps the weapon on his back. The pukah , a spear with a crescent-shaped blade, glows with a deadly glow. With his other arm, he peels off his colorful poncho , revealing the taut muscles beneath his amber skin.

I nod at him and the warrior advances toward the center of the track. He stands still for a moment, then raises his spear and the silence is broken by an explosion of ecstatic screams.

Tonight my people do not want a duel, they want a massacre. And the choice of who will challenge them only confirms that.