Barcode: Legend of Apollo (34 page)

As I cautiously walk in, my eyes search the room, expecting to find Hannah spinning rotisserie-style over an open fire. If Eve attacks me, the ending of the Hansel and Gretel folktale will have a different spin.

In spite of my depressingly morbid thoughts, I find Hannah safe and sound. She’s quietly sitting in a chair and clicking through a photo album.

Hannah looks up as though she expected me and simply says, “Hey.”

Eve’s massive hand pushes against my back. “Come take a seat. Your beautiful girlfriend’s just looking at some of our pictures I brought from Louisiana while I get dinner ready.”

Before I know it, I’m sitting on a couch next to Hannah, our legs dangling. This room was built for larger guests. Anyone under six and a half feet won’t fit this furniture comfortably.

For some reason, Hannah restarts the album and begins swiping through as though I care to see pictures of this family. Hannah awkwardly places her hand on my leg, “Look.”

She clicks through the pages a bit too quickly for me to really notice anything. I wonder if Eve’s poisoned my “girlfriend” and she’s calling out for help. Hannah removes her hand and points out a few pictures.

The first one is Monte and Eve in front of a spherical mansion. Hannah says roughly, “That one’s nice, right?” Then, she points to another of Blake and Monte. Monte’s smiling and Blake may have done the same, but it’s difficult to tell. “That one’s nice as well.”

Great. I’m admiring pictures of a family that probably wants to kill me. What now?

Finally, Hannah points out a picture of all three. The photo was likely taken ten years ago. Though Hannah has her finger on the picture, she points at a small dot in the background. I can hardly make out the image. She double taps the tablet and zooms in to reveal the mask of Tartarus, sitting on a bench and staring out into the distance.

Hannah quickly zooms out and begins flipping through more pictures. No other photos even have a glimpse of Kode. Most were taken by a spherical camera known as Flick 6D. The ball takes a 3D image of the user’s surroundings after being thrown into the air. Even when zooming around the entire area of the picture, there is still no sign of Kode.

“You have a beautiful family,” Hannah says, staring intensely into my eyes. I get the hint she’s trying to send me a message, so I activate my barcodes. Once Hannah senses they’re on, she grips my leg tightly.

“Thank you, but there’s no need to lie,” Eve replies with a laugh and stirs a pot. “I know Blake’s an ugly brute. Monte’s quite the handsome one though, but you probably shouldn’t compliment him in front of his rival.” Eve tries to make a joke and we laugh forcefully. I watch as Blake continues leaning against the open door, as though he were trying to supply us with an exit route.

I attempt to read Hannah’s thoughts, but I can’t. Maybe I can only understand emotions that are connected with the universe, like mine.

As her nails dig deeper, I can sense her aura. But it’s too faint. Plus, understanding the colorful flames surrounding her body and the way the spiritual smoke dances from her skin feels like I’m learning a new language. At most I’ll say it’s very warm and loving. I can also sense that she doesn’t want me fighting. Fighting what? Who?

Eve brings us over two bowls of stew before grabbing one for herself and Blake. Blake raises his hand to decline. She argues with him for a moment over not scaring the guest, but he doesn’t budge or say a word.

After clearing her throat and looking guilty of some crime, she says, “I apologize for my husband’s rudeness. We don’t have many people over back home.”

I place the bowl on the table and say, “If you don’t mind, I’ll let it cool down.”

But I don’t set the bowl on the table because of the heat. As previously proven, I’ll burn a hole in my mouth for anything that smells like my mother’s potatoes, and this does. I place the bowl down because Hannah used her nail to draw blood from my neck while Eve argued with Blake. Though only for a second, I saw a very dark aura around the bowl. Not the soup. The bowl.

“Of course. It’ll give us time to talk.”

Eve yammers on about Dennis. I realize that her affection for him is similar to the one Gi Young has towards me. She asks tons of questions. Then, she rambles endlessly about Monte.

I find myself compelled to piss her off and say, “How’s Kode? Is he a pain in your side?”

“I don’t look at that boy. I still can’t believe
my husband
put the mask of Tartarus on something that came out of me.” Something? Eve avoids calling Kode her son, and I notice she’s not even saying his name. It’s my relationship with Dennis on a macro level.

Blake quickly intervenes, “He rejected the other masks. Kamau says the child should choose his power.”

“He was an infant, Blake. All you needed to do was leave the most powerful mask on until it bonded with him. My family’s done it for generations.” Eve contends while dipping her finger in her soup. Still too hot, but I’m sure we only have a few more minutes. “You’re such an idiot.”

“You weren’t there. I placed each mask on the boy twice before even showing him Tartarus. He consciously chose it.”

“A baby consciously chose the most painful mask known to men? It wasn’t even made by Kamau’s people.”

“It was his decision to not be a slave. I’m not proud of it, but it’s what he chose.”

After she huffs, her eyes glance at the stew once more. Trying to keep her away from mentioning it, I ask, “You didn’t want that mask?”

“Not at all. Just because they’re twins doesn’t mean he needed to have one. That’s a myth. I planned on giving the boy away to Apes. Monte didn’t need a slave. He’s Ares after all, and Ares doesn’t need protection or someone to do work for him. He’s ten times more capable than the Ape.”

“He is not an Ape,” Blake mumbles. I could barely make out his words, but Eve shoots him a devilish glare.

As the vibe between the husband and wife worsens, I deactivate my codes. I sense things that I’m not mature enough to read without laughing. Eve’s not done. She wants us to know exactly how much she hates Kode’s existence.

“You’ve probably never heard any stories about that cursed child, but let me tell you. No one spoke to him all his life to avoid being drawn into Tartarus, but he still had friends at our rival arena. They fed him and mended his measly wounds.”

“Eve,” Blake says strongly, but she ignores him.

“One day, he angered the strongest goddess in New Orleans. Rhea, I think was her power. The girl was just turning twenty and the boy was no older than eleven. Anyway, he was in love with her. Watched everything she did in the creepiest way.” Eve mumbles to herself, confusing the facts, until she finally says, “They were forced to fight, and I told him he wasn’t allowed to lose at any cost, so he beat her easily. Rhea was too emotional and she blurted some unsanitary things. She called him a momma’s boy and teased how he’s ignored. Said he only wanted to be loved, but never would because everyone hates the mask.”

Eve dips her finger in the soup without taking it out quickly. It’s ready.

Hannah asks, “What happened?” Initially, I assumed she wanted to buy us more time, but as she leans forward I see she desperately wants to learn more. Seeing her this upset over the tale seems odd.

“He murdered the entire arena, of course. No one knew he had that much power, but he destroyed an army in Louisiana, including the love of his life. All because of her mouth. That girl, no class.”

Though I hear her words, I don’t believe it. Kode couldn’t murder gods and demigods at the age of eleven. When I was that age, my back was being torn to shreds by one creature. I don’t believe her story from the beginning, so I try analyzing her thoughts. It’s difficult, but I’m able to read through a few of her fabrications. Someone else caused him to turn against Rhea, but who killed the men and women in the arena?

Hannah doesn’t seem taken back by the story. She listens as though she believes every line. Her eyes accidentally glance at the bowl, and Eve capitalizes on the moment, saying, “Go ahead and eat. It’s ready.”

Neither of us budge. Blake walks away from the door, giving us a clean shot out of the room. I consider running, but only if Hannah goes first. She wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me. If we have to fight, I want her out clean.

“You’re both making me nervous. Does it smell bad?” Eve says with a menacing voice suitable for witches in fairy tales. We shake our heads and she adds, “Well eat it, please.” Then, she lifts her bowl and scoops a spoonful in her mouth.
We’re not stupid. We know your bowl’s different than ours.
“It’s my best batch, I promise. I made it especially good for Apollo and Athena.” Sounds comforting coming from Medusa.

Hannah sluggishly reaches for the bowl. The glance she throws my way says she’s ready to run. I lean back to give her space. We both freeze as Blake rests against the wall. He watches the door as Kode stumbles in the room. He looks sick to his stomach as he approaches us wildly. Then, he grabs the table and throws it against a wall without saying a word. My hero.

Kode struggled to simply lift the table. When he tries to grab my neck, I can tell he hardly has any strength. Still, I rise to my feet to assist him.

“What the hell?” I shout as I grip his slipping arm. Kode’s weaker than a human right now and can hardly hold on.

“I can’t believe you’re dumb enough to come here,” he says stumbling over his own words. “You’ve got time to sit and talk, but Helios could be here at any time.” Kode’s strength increases and he squeezes my throat just tightly enough to make it seem real.

Hannah stands up, but doesn’t say a word. In fact, she won’t look at us.

“Let him go,” Eve shouts with her hand on her cheek. She seemed upset since he broke the bowls, but hasn’t even risen to her feet.

Kode’s grip begins causing me some pain, “If I could kill you right now, I would.”

I mouth, “What can I do to get strong enough to kill Helios?” Looking away, I add, “And you.”

Kode is so shocked that he loses his grip, but I hold his arm in place, pretending to struggle against him. “Now you’re asking the right questions.” With an iron leg, Kode kicks me out of the room into the hallway. Hannah follows swiftly.

She checks on me, grabs my hand, and runs full force. As we sprint down the hall, I hear Kode shouting, “You have to get the professors to train you, or you’re dead! That is, if you can survive the holidays.”

Hannah and I turn around at the sound of the door slamming to hear Eve’s fist crushing eruptively against Kode’s mask. I can hear his screams and moans. Hannah nearly turns back to save him, but I pull her away with me.

Thirty Six

As we exit onto the first floor, I grip my chest tightly and the entire room turns black. Something other than Hannah stands next to me. A foul perfume makes me press my nose into my elbow. The disgusting fragrance eases onto the roof of my mouth, causing me to choke. This fungus procreates on my tongue and oozes its slime into my throat. Everything smells and feels rich and authentic.

Thoughts of death swarm my mind. If Hannah hadn’t been there to show me the bowl, would I have eaten the food? For the first time in six months, I understand what Kode’s tried to tell me. Helios wants to kill me. After meeting with Eve, I feel as though I know him for some strange reason. It’s like I’ve met a man that I haven’t even seen in pictures.

Kode’s taken the steps to get his attention. The death of Arnold means that I no longer have protection. I must protect myself.

“Spencer?” I hear a voice echoing all around me. Though I know it’s Hannah, it sounds deep and dark. I don’t feel her data, her
soul
. This is the innermost demonic part of her. I feel evil around me, closing in. Even the blood spilled on the floors from gladiators and students murdered in this very hall leap from the walls to attack. Am I being chased by death?

The name calls out to me again, but I can’t move. “What’s happening to your face?”

I try reaching for my head, but I lose sight of my own existence. I can only feel one arm because something’s holding onto it. Otherwise, my limbs feel detached, and spread across the entire room. A cold chill surges through my body and heat rushes from my face.

A hand drags my arm around corners and down stairs. I sense a weight lift from my leg, though it’s far away. I try reaching for it, but another force pulls my hand down.

“It’s okay Spencer. I just need your phone. Give me a few more minutes.” Her dark voice causes me to tremor. Can I really trust her? “What floor do you stay on?”

I try saying
fourteen
, but I’m not sure it comes out.
Can you hear me?

“Yes. Just hold on a bit longer.”

I feel myself riding an elevator.

I’ve stopped moving completely before a sensational heat rushes to my lips. This isn’t Michelle’s touch. As I awaken from what feels like decades of loneliness, an eternity of rest, I see Hannah crying with her lips pressed firmly against mine.

Wrapping my arms around her body, I sense her concern and return her feelings by entangling our tongues until I’m overwhelmed by her affection. Heat returns to my body, but the supplying source comes from her. I haven’t escaped the darkness; Hannah’s entered it.

“Spencer,” she says as she pulls away, “Don’t let go of me or I may lose you, okay?” I nod accordingly. I’ve been swallowed into some dark force, and Hannah’s trying to rescue me. If I don’t find a way to return, I know I’ll trap her here as well.

My armor leaves the dimension and my bandages vanish. Hannah’s removed my armor, but how did she manage to take off the ceremonial wraps? I find my hands tracing her body. She moans softly as I kiss her neck.

I remove every piece of her armor with some part of my body connected to her at all times. Then, we stare at each other in amazement and bliss. I notice a large scar over her abdomen. It spans across her midsection wildly as though a beast attempted to tear through her. Hannah holds my face and kisses me gently enough that I lose myself again.

The golden glow of my tattoo vanishes. Now, they’re shining with two hues I never knew they could. The horizontal pieces are orange, and the vertical parts are pink.