Maelstrom

Eighteen

[culpa]

The sky above Nectar & Ambrosia was azure, the beams of sunlight bounced off the metal of opposing buildings, and despite the war beginning to brew in the heart of it, New York City was as charming as ever.

Dale's stomach turned at the thought, her golden irises following the movements of the city-goers down the sidewalks and streets outside her café-turned-military-base. It was as if the plumes of smoke from Midtown had never arced into the sky at all, as if the streets hadn't been filled with gunfire just hours earlier. Even after years of fighting battles mortals could not see, Dale still found it incredible how selective people could be when it came to their thresholds of attention. People truly did see what they wanted to see.

Inhaling as if to clear her mind of the cynical thoughts, Dale turned her attention back to the strategy meeting unfolding before her. Maps of the city and other documents were strewn across the countertop, flanked on other side by her friends.

"—We need surveillance now that Rainier has exposed himself. He could strike anywhere, at any time, and we need to be ready when he does." Tessa was saying, her turquoise eyes locked on one of the maps before her. Her fingertips brushed the street they were on, following it to the Empire State Building a few blocks north. "Have we been able to make contact with Olympus?"

"No," Kaden responded, his hands folded across his broad chest. "The gods are still...incapacitated."

Tessa looked up from her examination of the map, an eyebrow arched in question. "Why?"

Mark cleared his throat. "We think it might have something to do with the split between the Romans and Greeks.

Dale furrowed her eyebrows together, snagging her best friend's gaze. "They're split between their Greek and Roman forms?"

Mark shrugged. "That's the leading theory, at least."

"According to whom?" Tessa asked.

"Reese."

"Speaking of Hale, where is he?" Tessa straightened up, her attention aimed towards the front door of the café. "It's been like twenty minutes."

Dale took a breath, setting down the mug of coffee she'd gotten for herself. She needed a break from all the strategizing, and it appeared that this was it. "I'll grab him. Try not to miss me too much."

And with that, she glided towards the front door. She slipped out onto the street and glanced either way, nearly jolting in shock at what she saw. Standing at the end of the block was Reese, sure enough, but he was hunched over, pale, and talking frantically. Before him stood a woman much shorter than Reese, with blonde hair and blue eyes, listening intently to what Reese was saying.

Dale's eyes widened as she registered the woman's expression, matching up with every expression Reese made in critical moments. This was Reese's mother.

Suddenly, Dale felt very out of place, and she couldn't bring herself to move. It felt like her feet had been rooted into the cement beneath her, holding her there. A shiver spider-walked down Dale's spine, and she wasn't watching Reese and his mother, but herself and her father, from years ago...

Dale dragged herself out of the memory, rolling her shoulders to shake off the numbness. Once she did, she marched towards Reese and his mother, snagging their attention.