Temis broke the surface. The water here was thicker than she
was used to, and it tasted strange compared to her last trip to this world. The
air was heavier, too, making breathing difficult. It must be from the portal;
its instability causing changes in the water and air around it. She was at
least twenty
kilometers off the shore the
only thing she could see was a buoy
several kilometers to her
left.
She treaded water while her eyes adjusted to the dim light.
After a few minutes she felt something nudge her under the water. She turned to
find several sharks circling her; their fins the only thing sticking out of the
water. Temis narrowed her eyes. She had no weapons so she hoped she could swim
fast enough to escape them.
A challenge, she thought. I love a good challenge.
She dipped her head under water and made fast work of getting
to the shore. Her speed was unmatched, even for a shark. When she could touch
ground she stood and walked the rest of the way.
The beach was deserted but for one figure under the pier. It stood
unmoving and Temis wondered if it was the cheiristi or just a statue.
How did he even know to come, she thought, then
questioned if they were there for her or not. As she approached she thought she
saw his shoulders slump slightly.
“Well, hurry it up already,” he shouted at her. “I’m missing
the game.”
Temis shook the remaining droplets of water off her pale
blue, skin-tight bodysuit and made her way to the man. He stood just over six
feet and sported a round belly. His long, wavy hair blew gently in the breeze
and his chest length beard mingled with his chest hair that peeked over the top
of his shirt.
“You could have warned me there would be sharks.”
“How the hell did you expect me to do that? You all know this
portal is unstable, dangerous. You chose to come through, it’s your issue if
you get eaten by a shark.” His voice was a deep baritone that boomed with every
word.
Temis decided it wasn’t worth further discussion. “I’m—”
“I don’t care. Here, cover yourself with these.” He tossed
several articles of clothes at her.
“Why can’t I wear what I’ve got on?” Temis looked down at
herself; the bodysuit left
nothing to the imagination. Although not transparent it still hugged her body,
showing all her curves.
“I don’t have time to be bailing you out of jail for indecent
exposure. Now let’s get a move on. Like I said, I’m missing the game.” He
started up the sandy beach with long, steady strides.
Temis ran to catch up.
“I’m assuming your name is Hephaestus,” she said.
“Why would you assume that?” he asked.
“Well, I was told Hephaestus is the cheiristi in this
district. I can only assume that would be you since you’re the only one here and
you didn’t seem to find it odd that I showed up.”
The large man stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her.
“All sorts of weird shit
happens on this beach. In this world, never assume anything. I thought you’d
been here before. They didn’t tell me they were sending a damn rookie. Shit
they didn’t tell me they were sending anybody.” He made to take a step when he
turned to her again, “They call me Pike here.”
“Pike?”
“Yes, Pike. You have a problem with that?” He hovered over
her forcing her to take several steps back.
“No, of course not. I’ll call you whatever you want. But I’m
no rookie, and how did you know to meet me here if you weren’t told I was
coming?”
“You tripped my sensors.”
“Sensors?”
“Yes, sensors. I put them in place for just such an occasion.
You damn hunters never give me any warning when you decide to come to my
district. A little disrespectful if you ask me. You give all the other cheiristis
notice, but no”—he turned and headed back up the hill—“God forbid you send me
notification. Instead I have to come out here in the middle of the fuckin’
night and find out if I have to clean up what the sharks left behind, all
because you’re either too stupid or have some death wish and decided to come
through this portal despite all my warnings.”
Temis rolled her eyes and did her best to sound sincere. “I’m
truly sorry to put you out, I didn’t have time to send word ahead. Unfortunately,
my bounty also came through this portal.”
He grunted and continued up the hill and onto the sidewalk.
Temis struggled to get into the clothes—shorts at least three
sizes too big and a T-shirt of multiple bright colors. Her bodysuit had wicked
away most of the water, but her feet were covered in sand by the time she put
on the thin, foam-soled shoes. She crinkled her nose at the odd feeling the
piece of rubber between her toes gave her. They caused her walking to be clumsy
as she tried to keep up with the cheiristi.
Pike merely glanced over his shoulder. “What’s the hold up?
Let’s go.”
She had heard about his demeanor, but hadn’t expected him to be
so daunting. Perhaps spending over a century in this world was beginning to
cause him mental issues.
i love imagining what struggles the gods might have!
ReplyDeleteAmazing cover! It sets the tone for the book.
ReplyDelete