Chapter 19
For the rest of the day Clare did not bother coming out of the spare bedroom. She could hear Ares moving around the apartment and mumble under his breath but she couldn't stand to be around him or any of his kind.
Filling up the bathtub, Clare soaked in it for as long as the water stayed warm. It was a thick heavy blanket over her and she never wanted to leave. When the water was just cool enough to emerge her face in, she slid into the deep tub and held herself underwater. The ceiling of the bathroom wavered above the water as little bubbles escaped her nose. Clare kept her eyes wide open as she slowly ran out of oxygen and her lungs began to burn.
By evening, the little confinement of the room had started to suffocate her. Clare walked over to where she had stripped her clothes and picked up her pants to retrieve the riddle from the back pocket. With a sigh, she grabbed a sweater from her bag and pulled it over her shorts.
As soon as Clare opened the door to her bedroom, she was hit with the scent of sizzling meat and wine. Her empty stomach recoiled in disgust and wanted to retrieve back into their room.
"There's some avocado here," Ares' voice called out over the music playing on the loudspeaker. The apartment was so huge and spacious that the notes bounced off the walls in echo. When Ares didn't hear Clare respond, he spoke up again.
"Little rabbit!" he leaned over the counter to peak into the hall. "Come out, I'm not going to hurt you."
Aggravated by the humor in his voice, Clare pulled the door to the bedroom shut with a bang. She bit down on her jaw and almost stomped over to the kitchen.
"That was quite a show you put on," Ares chuckled as he chopped some herbs. The silver knife in his hands glistened under the bright light of the kitchen.
"Don't ever put me in that position again," Clare glared.
"What position do you like then?" Ares laughed.
Ignoring his comment, Clare walked over to the island and pulled out a stool, "Deal with your own mess."
"Like you're dealing with yours?"
"This isn't my mess," Clare said in her defense. "I'm trying to fix your sister's mess. And help your brother."
"How will we ever thank you?"
"My uncle was able to give some insides to the riddle," Clare reached for the avacado and the small knife. Her hand knocked over a spice jar and the knife in Ares' hand paused.
"Relax," Clare said. "Nothing spilled."
He watched her pick up the small glass jar and put it back when it had been. Her eyes scanned all the ingredients laid out in such a strange and detailed manner. Owen would have been impressed.
"What did the thief say?" Ares resumed his chopping.
"My uncle thinks the names are referring to towns in America."
"Why did he think that?"
"New skies," Clare cut into the avocado. "The new world."
"Adonis, Missouri," Ares paused once more and set the knife down. "Athena has a temple there."
"Then that's where we have to go."
"But there's also Adonis, West Virginia," Ares shook his head. He pushed away from the island and walked over to the fridge. His brows were knit together in concentration as he pulled out a salad bowl and slid it over to Clare. "West Virginia had no temple."
"Which one do you think she picked?" Clare raised a brow.
"Athena is obsessed with herself. She wouldn't overlook her temple," Ares said.
"So then that's the o-"
"But she is also the goddess of war strategies," Ares picked up the knife. "Picking Missouri is too obvious."
"Or maybe that's' what she wants us to think."
Ares suddenly laughed. He shook his head and scratched the spot above his brow with his thumb.
"Trying to understand Athena and her games is useless," he said.
"Then what do we do?"
"We go to both towns."
"How will we find the right one?" Clare felt her tummy rumble. She opened the salad bowl and picked out the little dressing container. Carefully she spooned the avocado out and dropped it into her bowl.
"Adonis and Arachne on a tree," Ares picked up the beer bottle and took a drink.
"Tree?" Clare raised a brow. "There are hundreds of trees."
"The sacred oak," Ares explained. "My father's tree. As far as I know both Missouri and West Virginia are home to oaks."
"But only one of them will have a spider," Clare stated.
"Yes."
"And maybe be near Athena's temple."
"Correct."
"What about the rest of the lines?" Clare looked around the island and at Ares' various trinkets for a fork.
"She spins the tale of Daphne," Ares pulled open a drawer and pulled out a fork. He handed it over to Clare and went back to pondering over Pythia's words. "Spiders create webs. They spin webs."
"So we have to find this spider and see what she has to say."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"When do we go?" Clare picked up a fork full of the leafy greens and buries. "Tonight?"
"We could."
"Okay, then let's go," Clare was half way out of her seat already.
"What about all this?" Ares looked around at the meal he was prepping. "All my hard work."
"Are you serious?"
"I can't think on an empty stomach," Ares said. "Eat your grass and let me finish my dinner."
"But Daphne!"
"I am fully aware of Daphne," Ares rolled his eyes. "But I am not going anywhere without having my delicious dinner. I've been thinking about it all day."
Clare stared at the man in utter frustration. How could he be thinking about eating when there was so much to do? Her body could barely stand still with the adrenaline pumping through her system. She felt her hunger disappear from the anticipation.
"Sulk all you want, princess," Ares laughed. "You're not getting in the way of a man and his dinner."
Clare debated on leaving without him. But she had no idea where she had to be. Irritated and feeling highly impatient, she climbed back onto her stool and began to pick at her salad. She wondered if the god was deliberately moving slowly as he plated his food and cleaned up the kitchen. By the time he actually sat down to eat, Clare was half way done with her dinner.
"I saw Athena today," she said to eliminate the long stretch of silence between them.
"How did you get away? I imagine she came to drag you back to her temple."
"I told her I needed time to think about becoming an oracle."
"She agreed to that?" Ares raised a brow. "That doesn't sound like her."
"I told her if she kept pushing then I would give up entirely."
"Wow," Ares looked up at Clare as he slowly chewed on his food.
"What?"
"You must really be of value if she was willing to make that dumb of a compromise."
"It wasn't dumb..."
Ares looked at Clare with skepticism, "This is my sister you're talking about."
His words made Clare feel uneasy. She knew deep down Athena wouldn't stop. With everything going on, Clare barely had time to think what she would do after they found Daphne and Thea.
"Do you want to go back?" Ares asked as he watched her play with her food.
"No," Clare shook her head.
"Thought so."
"But she won't stop," Clare set her fork down. "I don't see her giving up trying to take me back."
"You're right."
"How do I get her to leave me alone?"
"We already established you can't kill yourself," Ares said calmly. "She'll just drag you back."
"Thank you for that wonderful reminder."
"You're welcome," Ares smiled. He took another drink of his beer and picked up a piece of whatever meat he was eating. "The best way to get her off your back is to not make her want you anymore."
"And how do I do that?"
"I don't know," Ares shrugged. "Piss her off or something."
"That won't work," Clare shook her head. She began to chew on her bottom lip as her wheels on her brain turned.
"What are you thinking?"
"She likes her priestesses to be a certain way........and I fit that image......."
"I guess," Ares said. "So what? You're gonna get a haircut or go blonde?"
"No," Clare was so lost in her thought, she wasn't even bothered by the god's teasing.
"Are you done wasting time?"
Clare snapped out of her head, "What?"
"We have a spider to find and you're sitting here thinking about a makeover," Ares got up from the stool and walked over to the sink. "You're wasting time."
"You're such a ......." Clare struggled for the right word.
"Think of something good," Ares chuckled.
"Dick."
"That was underwhelming," Ares placed the plate in the dishwasher. "Ready, Cindy?"
Clare rolled her eyes and got up to leave. She felt Ares eyes move to her unfinished salad bowl.
"Does that bother you?" She asked.
"Clean up after yourself."
"No," Clare smiled. "I don't think I will."
_________________________
It was 9 PM when Clare and Ares stepped through the portal from the god's posh New York apartment and landed in the pitch black darkness of Adonis, West Virginia. Clare had to blink several times to get the eyes adjusted to her surroundings. Other than the distant light coming from a far away road, there were nothing but trees in sight.
"How in the hell will we find a sacred oak in this mess?" Clare asked as she stared at the dense woods surrounding them.
"Stay here," Ares said.
"Where are you going?" Clare looked over her shoulder.
"Up."
Clare was about to ask him what he meant when the ground began to shake and Ares pushed off the earth like a rocket ship. She gasped as she was pushed back a few inches from the wave of energy he released. Looking up into the sky, she followed the faint trail of light the god left behind.
No okay here, little dragon.
Are you positive?
Yes, I'm positive! Ares snapped. He dropped back down to earth and landed with a thump.
"How can you tell?" Clare asked, with a deep frown.
"The sacred oak emits a faint glow at night only visible to us," Ares wasted no time in summoning a portal. "Ready for Missouri?"
Clare nodded, "I thought this would be harder."
"Don't jinx it," Ares warned.
Adonis, Missouri was no different than Adonis, West Virginia. Ares and Clare once again found themselves surrounded by pitch black darkness and dense forests. Clare held her hands over her ears in preparation of Ares taking flight. But this time instead of blasting off to the sky, the god grabbed the back of Clare's hoodie and pulled her to the left.
"Temple," Ares pointed to the dark structure in between the walls of trees. Clare pulled her hoodie back and adjusted herself. She had half a mind to stick out her leg and kick Ares but he was already too far a head.
"Do we have to go in?" She asked, running up after him. "Athena will know I'm here."
"The oak will be in the surrounding area," Ares looked around.
They had stopped at the foot of the temple steps as the god carefully scanned the woods. Clare followed his eyes even though she couldn't really see anything.
"There," Ares said after a pause. He pointed to a small clearing to the left and immediately began to head over, leaving Clare to follow once again.
As they grew closer and closer, Clare began to trip on the uneven ground and problematic roots. She raised her hand and summoned her magic. Ares looked over his shoulder as their path became illuminated by a faint red glow.
"I thought you said you didn't want Athena to know you were here," he said.
"I don't. I can't see where I'm walking."
"You doing that will bring the furies running here like moths to flame."
"Posey most likely gave birth by now," Clare said, as she carefully stepped around the roots. "Tobias is definitely occupied with other things."
"What does Tobias and Posey have anything to do with this?" Ares raised a brow in confusion.
"The furries," Clare said. "He's been sending them to keep me away from the baby."
"What?" Ares shook with laughter. "What do you have against a baby?"
"Nothing!" Clare said. "But he thinks I will do something so he keeps sending furies."
"Who told you that?"
"Athena," Clare said. "She was there the first time I was attacked."
"I thought Tobias was close to your family."
"He is...or was....I don't know anymore."
"Why would he send furies to attack you?" Ares asked.
"I don't know, Ares," Clare sighed. "He's the only one with the ability to command them. Go ask him why he did it."
Once again, the god of war burst into a fit of laughter. Clare stopped in irritation and looked up at the loud man.
"What?" She asked.
"Did Athena tell you only Tobias can command furries?" Ares asked, still laughing.
"Yes," Clare frowned. "They're hell beasts."
"We all can command them."
"You're kidding," Clare felt ice cubes form in her belly.
"They's dumb mindless creatures. Like windup toys. You set them up and they don't stop until they kill you or you kill them."
"Any god can command them?"
"Yes," Ares nodded. "We don't like them, but they're useful at times."
"So when Tobias said he only sent them to watch me......" Clare felt as if her lungs weren't taking in enough oxygen.
"Tobias doesn't lie," Ares said, his laughter slowly dying down. His eyes still shimmered with humor but he was beginning to take notice of how bewildered Clare was looking.
"Clare," Ares' deep voice called to her in the darkness. "I hope you know that there is a possibility Athena sent the furies."
Clare looked up slowly. Her eyes began to water without her permission. The overwhelming anger in her made her want to burst into tears. She felt so contained and restricted, like being buried alive.
"Why would she....."
Ares sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "From what you are telling me, it sounds like my sister would have done anything to convince you to follow her to Rhea."
Ares' words began to send shivers down Clare's spin. Flashes of her parents' worried expressions swam behind her eyes as she remembered how terrified they were about her. How terrified Cleo and Piper were......
"She played the role of the savior," Clare didn't know if she was breathing. "What the hell is wrong with you people?"
"My family has issues," Ares didn't take his eyes off of the girl.
Clare slowly lowered her hand. The red light went out and they were thrown back into darkness. Crickets sang somewhere in the woods and the loud croaking of frogs joined them in the cool spring night air.
Ares began to shift his weight as Clare stared at the oak tree in the distance. She had gone silent again and it was starting to irritate him.
"Will you be okay?" He asked awkwardly.
Clare shifted her gaze to him. Her gray eyes blinked several times before she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"I will never return to Rhea," she said quietly, in the darkness.
"Good," Ares nodded.
"She can send all the furies she wants," Clare's eyes shifted from lost to rage.
"She might drag you back screaming and kicking."
"No," Clare shook her head. "I will never be her priestess. I won't do it."
"Okay, fine, do whatever you want," Ares tried to lighten the mood. "But for now let's go get ourselves a itsy-bitsy spider."
Clare didn't respond. Ares waited for her as she stood still as a rock, taking in ragged breaths.
"Yeah? You coming or no?" He asked.
"I'm coming," Clare lifted her hand once more and illuminated the path.
Ares turned away and began to lead. He pushed aside the low branches and held them back as Clare found her way. She stumbled even with the light and wobbled all over the place. Ares laughed every time he looked at her over his shoulder.
"You're like a deer," he said.
Clare looked up and frowned. Her heart clenched as she thought of her father. How would he feel when he found out he trusted Athena with his daughter?
"Almost there," Ares held back the last branch. His eyes landed on the large oak in the middle of the clearing. A thin faint glow outlines the plant as it sat in it's throne like a grand old king.
Ares felt Clare step up beside him and squint in the darkness. He knew she couldn't see what he was seeing. Her eyes wouldn't pick up the cosmic glow. Not knowing if what he was about to do was wrong or not, Ares slowly turned to Clare.
"Hold still," he said.
Clare frowned as she wondered what he was up to. She watched him raise his hands and move towards her face.
"Wha-" Clare pulled back.
"Relax," Ares rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to lift the veil over your eyes."
"Why?"
"So you can see," Ares shrugged. Clare watched him with caution as he cupped her face and leaned closer. "Close your eyes."
"What exactly are you doing?"
"Just close your eyes," Ares sighed.
Clare hesitated for a few seconds before she let her eyelids drop. The warmth of Ares' hands began to heat up her face. She was about to pull away and open her eyes once more when suddenly, she felt him place a small feathery kiss over her eye.
Clare stilled. Her heart stopped and her mind went blank. She didn't know what to do as Ares moved to her other eye and placed another kiss.
"There," he said. His hands slowly slid off her face and he took a step back. In the darkness, he watched Clare timidly flutter her eyes open.
"Look," Ares motioned towards the oak with a small smile on his lips. Clare followed his gaze to the clearing.
The majestic oak was more grand than any other plant Clare had ever seen before. It's branches spread out on either side like sails on a ship. The ground beneath it was covered with lush green grass and wildflowers. But that wasn't the only thing making it so breathtaking.
Clare couldn't take her eyes off of the glow radiating off of every leaf and every inch of the oak. It was as if someone had outlined the tree with Christmas lights.
"Wow," Clare was speechless.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool, right?" Ares looked from her to the oak.
"Why couldn't I see it before?"
"You didn't have the olympian's sight."
"Did you just make me an olympian?" Clare turned to Ares.
"What? No!" Ares laughed. "It doesn't work like that."
"Oh," Clare looked back at the oak. "Good. I didn't want to be an olympian."
"You're welcome," Ares teased. "Now, let's go. The spider is on the tree."
Clare let Ares lead once more. She couldn't take her eyes off of the tree as she approached it. The light coming off touched her skin and she swore she felt her body warm up.
"Arachne?" Ares called. Clare looked around the god's broad shoulders. "Arachne?"
The night was as silent as ever. Clare and Ares looked all around the tree, their eyes searching for any kind of movement. Somewhere in the woods an owl hooted, making the night seem darker then it was. Clare scanned the branches as Ares spun in his spot, looking at the higher part of the oak. When he came back to the spot where the girl was standing, he stilled.
"Don't move, little dragon," he said, with the utmost serious expression on his face.
Clare didn't dare bat and eyelash. She began to feel a light breeze blow from the left and from the corner of her eyes, she picked up the faint outline of a silver string and something round at the end of it.
"Who are you?" a raspy voice drew out the words.
Ares slowly walked towards Clare. He held out his hand and she jumped forward.
"Oh my darling, Ares," the voice spoke once again.
Clare spun around as she landed beside the god. Her eyes caught sight of the spider hanging from the silver thread. It's eight black eyes all blinked at once as the thing dangled in the air. Clare wanted to physically cringe when she noticed how ugly the spider was.
"What a delight to see you here," the spider said, dragging out certain words. "And you brought such lovely company."
"We're looking for someone," Ares said.
"Who?" The spider began to move through the air. If Clare hadn't seen the silver string, she would have thought it was flying.
"Thea," Clare said. "Apollo's daughter."
"I know where the key is," the spider smiled. Clare didn't know how it was possible, but she could tell the arachnid was smiling.
"What key?" Ares asked.
"The key to Apollo," the spider sighed. "It's in Daphne."
Cities, Clare mind-linked Ares.
"You can spin the tale of Daphne and lead the heart to Apollo," Ares said.
"Yes, yes I can."
"You're going to spin a map," the idea clicked in the god's head.
"Spinning is all I do."
"I need a map to Thea," Ares said.
"What do I get in return?"
Clare looked at Ares and then back at the spider.
"What do you want?" Clare asked.
The spider suddenly stopped spinning. It stilled and crawled up the string and moved closer to the pair.
"Ares know what I want," it said.
Clare looked at Ares as his face twisted with annoyance. She looked back at the spider as it laughed.
"Anything else beside that?" Ares asked.
"No," the spider shook its head.
"You know I don't talk to him."
"That's your problem."
"We'll find another way to Thea," Ares grabbed Clare's hand and began to walk away from the spider.
"She's going to move her," the spider called out after them. "Who knows when I will get the coordinates for the new location."
Clare pulled her hand out of Ares and walked back to the spider.
"What is it that you want?" She asked. "Tell me. I will get it."
"Ask Ares," the spider began to spin once more.
"Ares?" Clare looked over her shoulder.
"She wants grapes grown by Dionesis," the god groaned.
"Grapes?" Clare shook her head. "I can get you grapes. Lots of it."
"No," Ares shook his head. "Dionesis' grapes. They are enchanted."
"How do we get it?"
"From the man himself," the spider piped in. "But Ares doesn't like him."
"Who cares?" Clare threw her arms up in the air. "He doesn't even like me. I'll get you grapes from Dionesis."
"What a doll you are," the spider cooed.
"We'll be back as soon as we have the grapes," Clare promised. She spun around and looked at a very pissed off Ares.
"Where is Dionesis?" She asked.
What do you think of everything happening so far?