Zahira was leaving the café at the end of her shift. She stepped out onto the dark street and zipped up her coat as she did so. A terrible crack boomed across the sky and Zahira gasped and looked up. Brilliant colours flashed behind the clouds, like the most amazing firework display. Zahira trembled.
"The war continues to be waged on Olympus." Commented a voice from her left. Zahira squeaked and looked around.
Orion was standing there, looking bored.
"Oh." She murmured. Not sure what to say. Her heart was hammering. Was he talking to her? She looked around, expecting to see Orion's gaggle of admirers. But the Star Immortal was alone.
"Perhaps, when one of the Olympian's dies, it will rain down blood." He mused.
Zahira shivered at the thought.
"I hope not."
"No?" Orion's eyes flashed. He smiled and took a step closer to her. "What if I told you one drop would make you pretty for the rest of your life." He whispered. Zahira pulled a face. She didn't know how to respond. Confused, she looked down at her feet.
"That might be alright." She conceded, still unsure but not prepared to argue.
Orion made to go through the door she'd come out of. "The café's shut now..." Zahira cut in but her voice nervously trailed away before she'd finished.
"I'm here to visit Jasper Bellegrade."
"Oh."
Orion smiled in amusement.
"Are you going to stop me?"
Zahira felt wretched. She quickly shook her head and stepped aside.
"Good girl." He praised. Zahira stiffened slightly as Orion passed. The way he'd said 'good girl' made her feel a little... uncomfortable.
Zahira quickly left, determined to escape from any further conversation.
She made it to the bus stop and dwelled on the encounter as she waited for her bus. Others at the bus stop were all watching the sky and taking videos of the gods fighting. But Zahira was trapped in her own thoughts.
Good girl.
She hadn't liked that he'd said that. But why was she unhappy, she wondered. She supposed that he hadn't actually been rude or mean to her, so her current feelings of hurt didn't entirely make sense. Perhaps she was being overly sensitive? She huddled into her coat, making herself as small as possible. Perhaps she'd been the rude one by walking away?
She was kept up awake that night worrying about it all.
When she went into work the next day, Zahira was nervous that Jaz, her boss, would tell her off about it. Would Orion tell him that she'd met him outside the door? She was so preoccupied with this worry that she barely heard a word of the staff meeting.
"You look knackered, Trouble. Were you out late last night?" Cesar asked as they put their things away in their lockers.
"I didn't sleep very well." She mumbled.
"I bet you go wild when you're not with us." Cesar teased, nudging her arm. "Shooting down shots."
"She's a secret poker champion." Ana concurred, grinning at the idea.
"No, she throws knifes at pedestrians!"
Zahira giggled at Cesar's impression of her and her secret life of crime.
"You look nice when you smile, Zahira." Jaz complimented as he passed them. Zahira immediately felt bashful.
"What about me?" Cesar asked, hopefully.
"Ergh..." Jaz pulled a face.
"What does that mean!?" Cesar whined, making everyone laugh.
**
Sage couldn't sleep. It was the dead of night and she padded barefoot into the café, without turning any of the lights on. Her time of being blind had made her adept at walking this route in the dark. With light steps, she made her way to the kitchen. The fridge hummed invitingly and she followed its call. Opening the door, she bathed bathed in light and she blinked blearily at the fridge's contents, easily finding what she was looking for.
"I knew it." The kitchen lights flicked on and Sage spun around guiltily.
"Jaz?!"
He was glaring angrily, his arms crossed over his chest.
"I knew the stock was dropping too fast." He stormed across the room and slammed the fridge door shut. "You've been stealing the tea."
"It helps – with my visions-" She stammered.
"I told you that the dosage was important! That you had to be careful! You promised that you'd be careful!" Jaz was yelling and Sage trembled.
"I am-"
"LOOK AT YOURSELF, SAGE!"
Sage ducked her head and stared determinedly down at her feet. She knew what he was getting at. "You're skin and bone! You don't eat. You don't sleep. All you do is try to trigger visions!"
Sage's eyes filled with tears. "Why, Sage?!" Jaz demanded crossly. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"
Because I want to see him. I want to see him in a vision.
But Sage remained mute.
Jaz took deep breaths, trying to regain his calm.
"From now on. I will control the dosage. Not you. Understood? Or you can find another place to live and work." As soon as he said the threat, he regretted it. Even when he was this angry, Jaz had no intention of kicking Sage out. But the colour drained from her face and she turned abruptly and stormed from the room. "Sage?" He shouted after her. "Sage!?" Jaz heard the front door slam behind her.
Sage stomped angrily down the pavement. She was barefoot, in her pyjamas with no phone or keys. But just then, she was too angry to care. She came to a low garden wall and sat down on it, trying to ignore how cold the brick felt through her skimpy pj's.
Sage felt like she was hanging on the edge of knife. What would she do, if Ares didn't survive this war?
Ares' voice was clear in her memory.
"Sage, Eros looked in our hearts and he saw that we loved one another."
And the response she'd given was even clearer.
"He was wrong."
Would that be the last thing she ever said to him?
"Sage." Ezekiel called her name, sounding relieved. She looked and frowned.
"How did you know I'd be-"
"Jaz called me," Ezekiel cut in. "He was worried."
Ezekiel shrugged off his battered jacket and quickly put it around Sage's scrawny shoulders. "Come on."
"What?"
"I'm taking you home. You're freezing." He glared at her bare feet. "I'll carry you on my back."
She wanted to protest, but Ezekiel was a big guy. When Sage wouldn't get on his back, he simply hauled her over his shoulder. Pretty soon she gave up struggling, realising it was useless.
"You're a mess, Sage." He spoke gruffly.
"I know." Sage admitted in a small voice. Ezekiel scowled unhappily, his lip twitching.
"You're worried about Ares, aren't you?" He guessed.
Sage stiffened.
"No." She replied, her voice deathly soft. "I don't care about Ares."
It was the lie she had to keep saying. And each time it hurt like hell.
Tears rolled down Sage's cheeks and she hid her face against Ezekiel's warm, leather jacket.