Whispers of Nowhere

Chapter Thirteen: Part Two

Gwen stared at the man, studying everything from the way his feathery hair fell around his shoulders, framing his smooth, angular face, to the brooch on the left lapel of his waistcoat; a golden rod with a purple snake twining around it.

The son of Apollo, she mused. That must mean he's—

Her thoughts were interrupted when she received a nudge to the ribs.

Turning, Gwen looked at Forneus, instantly noticing the way his eyes twinkled with mirth when he asked, "Well? Aren't you going to say hello?"

It took her all of a second to realize she'd been gaping at Asclepius like an idiot since he'd entered the Training Facility, her cheeks warming in embarrassment.

Ignoring Phenex's quiet snickering behind her, Gwen extended her hand to the unit commander. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to stare. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Asclepius's hand was smooth and warm against hers, only the slightest hint of roughness along the tips of his fingers. "Think nothing of it; most everyone reacts the same way the first time around. The woes of being a demigod," he joked. When he smiled, it was like seeing a younger, blue-eyed version of Apollo.

Is it any wonder people gawk at him? Gwen thought, shyly averting her gaze. Dressed in full white military dress with knee-high boots similar to Forneus's, only laced instead of buckled, he did cut a rather striking figure. A single, golden band set with tiny diamonds glittered on his left middle finger, the stones casting a rainbow pattern across the onyx floor whenever they caught the light of the surrounding stars.

Aware that she'd been staring at him yet again, Gwen cleared her throat. "So, Phenex told me you're here to help me learn about my powers?" She cast a cursory glance over her shoulder, noting Phenex's slightly stiffened posture.

What's that about? Puzzled, Gwen returned her attention to Asclepius, wondering if he had noticed too. There was a flicker of tension at the corners of his eyes, the dark blue orbs focused entirely on Phenex. But as soon as Gwen blinked, the tension was gone, and Asclepius was smiling at her again.

Did I just imagine it?

"Indeed I am." Gwen followed the sweep of Asclepius's arm toward the row of operatives standing at attention. "As is the rest of my unit. Please, allow me to introduce you."

Gwen followed him, still flustered by what she had seen. Phenex had seemed fine when the Fifth Unit had arrived a moment ago, but now...

There was no time for her to ponder on it. Asclepius was already introducing her to the operatives as they strode past them, each one offering her a brief nod in greeting whenever she glanced their way. Having missed the first few names, Gwen resolved to pay better attention from then on as Asclepius introduced her to Chester, Aquis, and Thesal, each one offering her a stiff bow in turn. At first glance, all three seemed relatively human. On closer inspection, however, with the surrounding stars illuminating their faces, she realized that they were anything but.

The woman named Aquis had a slight, bluish tinge to her skin, her eyes much too vibrant a green to be human. Chester, by contrast, could have passed for human—if it hadn't been for the growth of leaves sticking out from behind his ears, almost completely hidden by the mop of tangled, red hair curling around his deeply-tanned face. Out of the three, Thesal was the only one who could fully pass for human, which Gwen learned at a quick whisper from Forneus was because, like himself, Thesal was an earth-born daemon.

The introductions continued on, every operative looking more humanoid than the one before them, save for the odd pair of yellow eyes or feathered tail here and there. None of the entities spoke, merely nodding as Asclepius said their names, their expressions ranging from impassive to verging on boredom. All except for one. A boy, appearing to be about a year or two older than Gwen herself, stared at her with curious, grey-green eyes, a slight blush creeping into his cheeks when she returned his gaze.