Crow of Flame

Chapter 19

Sapphire

I could feel arms around me, they were familiar but not Hades'. It smelled like lemons and rain and I felt the safest I'd ever been. I opened my eyes and was met with a familiar black shirt. I glanced to the dark arms wrapped around me, and my breath caught in my throat as they tightened, "good morning," he whispered. I looked up and was met with a smiling Ambrose.

"Is it morning?" I asked sitting up. I had vague memories of the time before sleep, and almost unconsciously I moved to be straddling Ambrose. It felt familiar and I rested my head on his shoulder and I allowed myself to be sleepy and wake up slowly. "How long did I sleep?" I yawned.

"A good six hours, Kronos has been lost in that book the whole time." He nodded towards the table and I craned my neck to see Kronos with his eyes glossed over, looking into a book. I turned my gaze back to Ambrose, "do you remember what we talked about?" He asked.

Heat rushed to my cheeks, I remembered talking to him a little bit about feeling alone, and a little about Obi and Lynx, but what else?. "About feeling alone?"

He laughed, "well, yes. But also about being your disciple."

I cocked my head in confusion, "I don't have a disciple, I am a disciple... I think..." my voice trailed off, "wait, I'm not a disciple, am I?"

"No, you're a spark." He said.

"I don't know what that means, Ambrose."

"It means," he said with laughter on his voice, "you are a god, but a very powerful one." He pushed stray hairs behind my ears, "you can have disciples if you want."

"Don't they get assigned at birth?" I asked, "like you were assigned to Kronos?"

"Yes, we are assigned to who we would be of greatest assistance too, but there are cases, as people change and new gods are formed, where disciples will... switch..."

"And you think you'd be of greatest assistance to me?" I asked. He nodded, "Why?"

"I just do," he said. "I've been more helpful with you this past week than I have been in the last 60 years."

"I call bullshit," I said. "I'm sure you've been helpful, hasn't he had you go on adventures?"

"There haven't been many adventures to send him on." Kronos said behind us. I flipped my head around and looked at him, "I didn't mean to startle you, Sapphire." He looked over Ambrose and I. I was still on his lap, straddling him. My hands were resting on Ambroses chest. Heat crept into my cheeks and I stood up to face Kronos.

I coughed to try to release the awkward nerves in my body, "so... good book?" I asked nodding towards the table where a small grey bound book sat.

"Good enough," he said. He took my hand and guided me back to my seat at the table, "We need to get back to work." I nodded as Ambrose took the seat across from me. "I've shown you how to block me, it should be much easier to block Eboni. The only person who would be harder to block than I, would be your mother. Aphrodite—"

"What is she like?" I asked, cutting him off.

"Your mother is a special kind of woman." He said with a sigh, "I fear any description I give will do her no justice, however, I can tell you that you act more like your father." I scrunched up my face and nodded trying not to show disappointment. "It is a good thing, Sapphire. Your father is kind and determined and brave and above all, he cares deeply about things."

"Ok." I whispered, "how did Eboni get captivation?" I asked.

"Well, her brothers had captivation and I suppose when she drained their power... She got that as well." Kronos explained as my gaze found Ambrose.