Haunted || Leo Valdez

56 - Angry Dolphins Invade Our Ultra-Powerful Warship

Rebecca wasn't sure what to expect from Hercules when her friends left. If she was lucky, he'd just want to sit down and have a chat. But, knowing the luck she'd had all her life, it was more than likely he would send her off on her own solo quest more dangerous than the one Piper and Jason were going on.

She stood there as Hercules stared her down. A small part of her told her to look at her feet and avoid Hercules' gaze, but she ignored it. She had an ancient spirit on her side. She was powerful enough to face him down in a staring contest. She raised her head and stared back at him defiantly. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Hercules raised his eyebrows and broke eye contact.

"Interesting," was all he said.

"Great explanation," Rebecca muttered.

Hercules frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if I was walking through New York City and a random guy decided to stare at me, I'd expect him to have something to say other than 'interesting.' Otherwise, it's just creepy. It's even creepier coming from a god. How am I supposed to know your intentions if you don't state them?"

Hercules gave a small smile. "Fair enough. I was trying to see if what the other gods told me is true."

"What did they tell you?"

"That you're the Malignant Spirit."

"And how would you be able to tell by staring at me? Just ask."

"Is it true?"

"Yes, it's true."

"I killed you once, many lifetimes ago."

"Oh, so that's what this is about," Rebecca said. "If that's all you're going to talk about, I'd rather catch up with my friends."

"No, no," Hercules said, grinning. He waved his hands and two beach chairs appeared. "Sit down."

Rebecca hesitantly obeyed. Hercules sat opposite her.

"Sorry about that," Hercules told her. "I suppose it's hard to be compared to your past lives."

"Not really," Rebecca said. "I just think it's a waste of time. I'm not Ivan the Terrible or Jezebel or Attila the Hun. I'm Rebecca di Angelo, a completely different person possessed by the same ancient spirit. It's just as stupid to compare me to them as it is to compare you to the Disney version of Hercules."

Hercules' smile grew wider at her matter-of-factly tone. "You remind me of... well, me."

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. Had he been able to tell what she'd been thinking about earlier?

Hercules seemed to think her expression was skeptical. He leaned forward. "It's true. We're very much alike. We're both children of the Big Three; we both have much power thrust upon us; we've both had much more of this world than we were ready for."

Rebecca nodded especially at his last term because wasn't it the truth. "We're similar in that way, true, but the difference between you and me is that you're famous, and I'm notorious."

He nodded. "And sometimes I wonder if you have the better end of the deal."

"I don't," Rebecca said. "If you'd been notorious, you wouldn't have become a god."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"So you would've preferred the Furies arranging an agonizing eternal torture for you in the Fields of Punishment?" Rebecca asked, surprised. "Because that's what would've happened when you died. Death isn't that much better than living when you do things as bad as I've done."