Fallen gods, p.12
Fallen Gods, page 12
“Come on, Miller, you can do better than that,” said Luca.
He smiled, but his partner’s comments weren’t exactly helpful. This was a long way from their training hall. Arius swung toward his leg, and Aaron quickly responded by drawing back his leg and cracking his opponent on the head with the stick. He was stunned by the shot, but recovered with a smile, and then came right back with a barrage of accurate shots. Aaron parried and traversed off from each of the blows as his opponent tried to close with him. He felt one blow wrap his knuckles, but he grit his teeth and carried on. Another straight strike came for his head. He parried it with his hand high and blade hanging low, quickly following it with a strike to the man’s ribs. He hurt him, but he came back with a return blow. Aaron parried that, too, but it was followed by another to his ribs. The impact took the wind out of him, and it was enough for Arius to rush him.
They came to the clinch and grappling immediately, and Aaron felt the base of his opponent’s stick smack into his head. He was rocked slightly. His opponent was a lot stronger than he was. But his muscle memory kicked in, and he lowered his body, reached past Arius’ legs, and pulled them out from under him. He crashed to the floor with Aaron on top, and his stick touching his opponent’s chest. They were frozen for a moment. He thought he’d won, but Arius pushed the stick aside and struck him with an elbow, using a hip thrust to throw him aside. In no time he was back on his feet, and Aaron’s stick was lost. He staggered back a little stunned as his opponent’s stick came for him with one strike after another, as he looked about for some means to defend him.
Finally, he spotted an iPad at the edge of a table. He grabbed it and parried one of the blows of the stick. With the device in two hands, he smashed it across Arius’ face with such force he landed on his back, almost knocked out.
Arius was shaken, but Aaron put down the device and paced over to stand over his vanquished foe. He offered him his hand, and Arius took it. But as he got the man half up, he felt something jab lightly into his stomach, and he looked down to see the stick resting there.
“Don’t be so kind when you face a real enemy. They won’t be to you.”
Aaron nodded in agreement. It was a lesson he didn’t think he needed, but he still thought of many of these fights as sport. He’d always worked hard to make a distinction between what he did as a cop, and what he did in weapon-based combat for fun. But increasingly those lines were blurred, and it was a lesson he appreciated. Arius patted him on the back out of respect and admiration for another skilled fighter.
“That was quite impressive. More than we’ve seen from any other people from your world. We can use you, if you’re willing to help,” said Theodosia.
“Tell me, what is it we would really be helping with?”
“To save your world, for us, and for you. Hades, he is like the devil for you and your scriptures. I don’t think I need to explain how bad things would be if he were to gain absolute power.”
“Absolute?” Thanatos asked, “What about Poseidon?”
“He’s not been seen since the crown was broken. We have to assume he’s lost.”
“Then Hades could rule absolutely?” Luca asked.
“You see, you thought you were leading a rebellion, but you were only supporting a monster,” said Theodosia.
Thanatos bowed his head in shame. He didn’t regret thinking the way he did, but certainly the way it all went down. He would give anything to go back and change it, and everyone could see that. It was one of the few reasons they let him stay among them. A call came in over Luca’s radio, and he was quick to respond.
“Sorry, but we’ve got to get back to work.”
“And the weapons you promised?” Theodosia asked.
“I can arrange a meet for tomorrow night, after our shift ends. This guy, he works around the clock. He barely sleeps.”
“Set it up, the sooner the better.”
Luca nodded in agreement as he climbed back into their cruiser. Thanatos leaned down to the window to say a last few words.
“You were asking how I can summon my armor.”
“Yeah.”
“I can do it at will, but it sure does cost me a lot in suits. You know I only just bought that one.”
Aaron couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re a god, but you still destroy your suits when appearing in your true form?”
“Gods aren’t all powerful, not like your bible says. There were once beings like that, or so we believe. But they are long gone from this place.”
That was fascinating to Aaron, but they had too little time to discuss it further. He had one much larger concern.
“You said before you think you chose the wrong side; how do you know this is the right one?”
Thanatos looked back to the others and spotted Theodosia.
“Because of her. She’s always been steadfast. Always been the clearheaded one. I can see that now. Listen to what she has to say, and you’ll go far. Maybe if I had listened before we would not be in this mess.”
“You can’t be to blame for all of this?” Luca asked.
He shrugged. “Some would say yes. I certainly played my part. But there has to be some redemption for us all, doesn’t there? And anyway, if it hadn’t been for poor life decisions, I would never have ended up here.”
“In New York? Really? You like it that much?”
“You kidding me? It’s a riot. I’d have stayed away from all this and just kept on living if it had ever been a choice.” He pointed to the boards and people about the room.
“See you later.” Aaron smiled as the shutters reached the top, and he backed the cruiser out, pulling away with a squeal from the tires.
There was silence for a few moments. The call wasn’t urgent, so they weren’t in any rush, but it was a lot for both of them to take in.
“What did we just get ourselves into?”
“Honestly, Luca? I’m not even sure. If you’d told me about this a couple of weeks ago I’d have said you were crazy. That’s why we have to keep this between us.”
“But we could get the help of the whole department. This isn’t just about that crime scene anymore. This is a real struggle, and a battle that’s already spilled out onto the streets. It’s going to get a lot worse, and you know it.”
Aaron agreed, but he didn’t know how to respond.
“You think it’s still too early to involve anyone else?”
“Damn right, I do. We wouldn’t have believed any of this crap if we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes. The NYPD must experience this for themselves. We come forward with this too early, and we’ll be behind bars before the day is through.”
“Then how sure are we that this is all legit? That we aren’t going crazy or being reeled in to some deep level criminal crap that could be the end of us?”
“Because we didn’t imagine the things we’ve seen. We experienced things that just aren’t possible. They can’t have been illusions. We’ve seen our own bullets bounce right off people. Superhuman strength, wounds that heal before your eyes, armor and weapons that appear out of thin air. Whatever is going down it’s not like anything we’ve ever seen. I wish we could call out for help on this, and we will when the time is right.”
“How are we going to explain any of this when the Captain finds out what we’ve been involved in?”
“She needs to see the things we’ve seen, and then she’ll understand.”
* * *
It had been a long day, and Aaron sighed as got in the elevator to head up to his apartment. He was looking forward to a good night’s sleep, but he doubted he would get it with so many thoughts swirling around in his head. He stopped as he noticed a figure lurking in the shadows beside his door. His pulse raced, and he reached for his weapon, but the shadowy figure stepped out into the light.
“You look a little jumpy, Officer Miller.”
A woman stepped out into the light. To his amazement it was Grace, and she no longer looked angry or suspicious of him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Curiosity, if you like. Can I get that drink?”
He breathed a sigh of relief as he let go of his weapon and went to the door. More stress was the last thing he needed after the day he’d been through. He went in and headed straight for the whiskey, poured two glasses, and slid one over.
“You shouldn’t be out alone at this time of night.”
“Why, are you dangerous?”
“There are a lot nastier things out there than me,” he said, holding his glass up as if to say cheers before knocking it back and pouring another.
“I was wrong about you, wasn’t I?”
He rolled his eyes as if astonished it had taken her that long to realize that.
“I thought you’d faked all that and set it all up, so you could get a date with me, and wow me with fantastical stories, but that wasn’t it at all, was it?”
“I wish it were.”
“So be straight with me. Why did you really want to get close to me? What is it that you think I can do to help with whatever it is you’re looking into?”
He took another deep breath and finally sat down. He was exhausted, but it felt good to finally be able to explain things, but something still bothered him.
“Why the change of heart? The last time you saw me you called me all kinds of things.”
“I’m sorry, but you have to understand. Some guys, they’ll say or do anything to get what they want. I thought you were just like them.”
“But not anymore? Why?”
“The NYPD called the curator in to give an expert opinion on the weapons found at the scene. I was assisting him. The type, the details, they were exactly like the one you have. Too close and too precise that you could merely have copied it. That blade you have, it’s no copy. You really were telling the truth.”
He nodded in agreement and took another sip.
“Yes, I was.”
“Then what are you saying? You clearly know a lot more than you’re telling me. You want my help, but I need something in return.”
He waited for the tagline.
“I want honesty. I want to know what the hell is going on here, because none of it makes any sense. You were there, a cop in the NYPD. I’ve asked around about you, and people say you’re a great cop and an honest guy. But you walked away from that scene, and took evidence from it. Why?”
“The things I told you, they were all true. They were just not the whole truth.”
“Why not?”
“Because you didn’t give me a chance to explain, and I’m still trying to figure it out myself.”
“You really think that it’s a sword of the ancient gods?”
“Of Olympus, yes, I do.”
“And you mentioned Thanatos. How does he fit into all of this?”
He poured a much larger measure and slid the bottle over to her, so she could do the same. He tried to put all the pieces together in his head and find some way for it to make sense. It was still difficult for him to understand.
“Far as I can tell, a war led to the fall of Zeus, and he shattered his crown. His loyalists and the rebel faction are now trying to find all the shards of that crown, so they can get back to Olympus, and someone can reassume power.”
“But that’s all just myth, you get that, right? Or most of it, the shattering of the crown and what not, that isn’t right.”
“Is this myth or history to you?”
“Myth, none of this actually happened. The Greek gods, they didn’t actually exist. They are a story, an embellished version of events at best.”
“And if they’re not? What if they really were real?”
“I’d love them to be, but how can that be?”
“Love them to be?” He gasped, “I don’t think you would, not if you had to see it for real.”
“So, explain it to me, because I really want to understand what went on here.”
“I met Thanatos again today, and others he’s working with.”
“Really? And you still think it really is him?”
“I don’t know. You know the myths better than me. He’s working with a woman called Theodosia. She seems to be leading the loyalists here.”
“Fascinating.”
“You still don’t believe any of this?” He poured another drink.
“You have to understand. I’ve spent my life studying stories like this. The history side of things, I’m good with that. But the myths and the legends, they’re fairytales, nothing more. You’re asking me to believe some of these stories are real. Ultimately, I’m a scientist, a researcher. I work in fact. The fiction is fascinating, but we don’t take it as fact like it is a religion.”
“I was the same. I always have been. I go to church, but I believe what I can see and feel and touch. I see the reality of life every day, but the things I’ve seen since I met Thanatos and the whole crazy shit that went down at your museum.”
“It’s not exactly mine,” she blushed.
“It’s yours, just as my station is my department. I’ve seen the most incredible things. The kind of things I would never believe were real.”
“Okay, and what are you doing with that? You haven’t talked to your superiors, or you wouldn’t be reaching out to me for help.”
“I can’t. They wouldn’t believe any of it. We’re in the dark on this one. Dealing with things we never thought possible.”
“Okay, but you kept the sword, why?”
“Because it’s Olympian, the only thing that can really hurt them, whatever they are. Guns do almost nothing. I wanted a means to defend myself the next time I had to face something like that.”
“Like what? What are these people?”
“Gods, and their immortal and mortal followers.”
She slumped back as she threw back a drink. She couldn’t believe it, and yet she’d expected to hear some difficult things.
“Look, Grace, we barely know each other, and we don’t have much reason to trust one another. I don’t really know how we can change that unless you see the kind of things I’ve seen since all this began.”
“Then show me.”
“Show you what?”
“Take me to Thanatos, or something else that you have seen. When will you see him again?”
“Tomorrow, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
He was hesitant to answer, but she looked at him with an accusatory expression until he gave in.
“We’re going to meet some people that are of dubious character. It’s dangerous.”
“And so what, I can’t come because I’m a woman?”
“No, because you’re a research assistant at the Met. We’re meeting with an illegal gun dealer to procure weapons for a war.”
He stopped himself, realizing he’d said too much.
“Fuck me, I didn’t mean to…” he said and downed another glass.
“You’ve joined this fight, with Thanatos and Theodosia? You’ve joined them?”
He shrugged, knowing he couldn’t hide it any further. The truth was it felt great to get it off his chest to someone other than his partner. She reached across the counter and laid her hand on his. It was the most physical contact he’d experienced outside of martial arts in a long time. It made him jump a little, but it was comforting.
“You’re in deep here with something you don’t understand. I’m not saying I do, but you understand fighting and policing, and I get the rest of this stuff. Let me help. Let me fill in the gaps for you.”
“I don’t think you understand the dangers involved here.”
“And I don’t think you understand how exciting an opportunity like this is. The myths I’ve grown up with might just be real, and I have a chance to be a part of them. You can’t undo that now. I know the truth, and I’m in this, whether you like it or not.”
Chapter 10
Luca nodded to Thanatos as he pulled his truck over. Aaron was in the front seat. Thanatos opened the back door but stopped in surprise to find someone already in the back.
“This is Dr. Grace Harris.”
“Pleased to meet you.” She smiled and offered her hand as a greeting.
Thanatos looked confused. He could tell she was no fighter, and this was the first he’d heard of her. Luca was shaking his head angrily and clearly didn’t agree with her inclusion.
“What is this?” Thanatos asked.
“I’m an expert from the Met. The museum you half destroyed,” she said, still smiling.
“I didn’t destroy anything. I was just unlucky enough to have landed there.”
He’d sounded defensive and looked to Aaron. He climbed in and put a large bag down between them. Thanatos sighed.
“You brought a museum clerk to an arms deal?”
“If you really are Thanatos, from the Greek myths, then I know more about what’s going on than anyone else around here. I know the stories well. But if you don’t want my help…well…”
“Well, what?”
“Tough, because I’m coming along anyway.”
He smiled, climbed in, and slammed the door shut.
“I like this one, Aaron.”
“She’s a persistent one,” he replied as they pulled away.
“All right, everyone leave the talking to me. This guy knows me, but he’s naturally suspicious of everything and everyone.”
“Is he gonna be trouble?” Aaron asked.
“No, he’s just a little jumpy, you know what I mean? Just be cool, no sudden movements. You don’t want to threaten him, or even make him feel threatened, you get me?”
“Yeah, all right.”
