Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Triple Pinky Swear

        Marcus spends the night tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. His own voice echoes through his mind, replaying the last words he said to Mel before storming off. After what feels like hours, he sits up, having to focus to keep from rubbing his eyes. Instead, he scratches the scars around them, feeling the muscles in his neck go tense. When he lets his mind wander too much, the scars still burn. It's as if the pain is a part of him now.

The dresser next to his bed is a pale blur, like a splatter of paint. He can vaguely make out the door as the dark patch on the edge of his vision. He lets his hands fall into his lap, staring down at his fingers. Even they look like nothing more than pinkish blobs. He rubs the raw patches on his wrists, his fingers sliding over his golden cuffs.

Who are we kidding with this, he thinks to himself bitterly. He stands up, pacing back and forth in the small room just for something to do. It's been years. If she wants to clean up my mess, she doesn't need me. He stops, squeezing his eyes shut. The effort stings his scars, but he's used to it by now. He relives the memory, trying to focus the blurriness away. Melody's red hair; probably a curly mess from the battle. Oliver face-down on the deck, exactly how he was when they first met.

I thought you actually wanted to make things right, she had screamed. But instead, you take the first chance you get to mess it all up! Marcus slams his fist against the wall, gritting his teeth in anger. "That's what I'm best at, isn't it?" He hisses darkly. "Messing things up. And I thought you of all people would understand."

"M-Marcus?" A small voice comes from the door. Marcus sighs, sliding his fingers down the wall to keep his balance as he turns. "Can I come in?"

"Why not," Marcus replies, dropping onto the bed again. The dark blur shifts, widening, and a glowing silver blob waddles into the room. It closes the dark blur, seeming to settle into the corner. "What do you want, Oliver?" Marcus says when the boy doesn't speak. The glow fades a bit as Oliver jumps.

"Sorry! I know it's late." Oliver squeaks. Marcus nods, looking around slowly. He thought it was just his eyes making it look dark. "I just thought...you know...after that...we should...you know..."

"Talk about it?" Marcus offers with a sigh. He can't blame Oliver for being nervous. Given what happened when they first met, he's sure there will always be a sort of tension between them. "That's probably a good idea. I take it you know something about that Li Jing guy?" Oliver's blob shifts again, seeming to shrink further into the corner.

"Yeah - I-I mean no, I didn't - well, I do, but I thought...?" He pauses, and Marcus crosses his arms, drumming his fingers impatiently. "I thought...we should all discuss it. You know...the three of us?"

"Good plan. Let me know what Mel thinks." He waves his hand, turning away from him. Oliver stammers a few quick sounds before getting a complete sentence out.

"I think you should come too!" He says, clearly trying to put some authority behind his words.

"Not going to happen," Marcus snaps, closing his eyes again. He feels his lip twitch at the stab of pain that comes with it. "I'm just here to make the Aesir look good. Besides - it's not like either of you actually trust me." He peeks out of the corner of his eye, watching the silver blob shift and wiggle uncomfortably.

"That's not my point," Oliver tries, and Marcus nods to himself. He didn't deny it. "We won't get anything done if you two keep arguing. I don't know what happened after he caught me, but..."

"You heard what she said after he left," Marcus interrupts. "What do you think?" He waits a moment, prodding again when Oliver doesn't reply. "Do you agree with her?"