DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND MY OC!

NOTE! You probably should read this before proceeding with the story:

* My story is taking place in 21st century! No 'back in the old days' jazz... that's not my piece of pie either way.

* Almost everything in here is made up by me (becoming an oracle/ Trackers/ etc.) Pretty much anything that seems strange or out of sense - yup, my doing!

* Since I'm currently in love with Luke Evans and there's just no way I can describe him as a man smaching things with a hammer or flipping around a chain (Heavens, that was ridiculous!) I intertwined some of the Greek mythological conseption of the god's powers (a.k.a. thunderbolts).

* I liked the movie (mostly due to Luke playing Zeus) so I tried to present the gods the way I understood them while watching 'Immortals'.

* And last but not least, my OC, Nicoletta (NI-KO-LE-THA) is... well... strange? please bear with her

And, yeah, that's pretty much it. The story consists of 2 parts due to it's lenght, so I'll update the second one tomorrow.

Read, Enjoy, Review and feel free to tell me if there are mistakes scattered all over the place.

~ Nikkitosa

Usually when you get shot, not once but twice! mind you, in the chest area it's somewhat expected of you do die, or probably have the decency to fall into a coma or something. Or least that's what I had always imagined it to be, mostly preying that if one day someone decides to turn me into a heap of Swiss cheese, I'll have the prudence to die fast and, if possible, in less pain. But that didn't happen. Not even damn close!

I managed to get shot, the reason for which is still a mystery for me by the way, and skipped the whole death's breath or coma stuff. Instead I woke up as fresh as a daisy in the spring with only a few stiches, no organs harmed and pretty much ready to leave. Cool, right? Wrong! Because, as usual, there was a freaking catch alongside my miraculous survival. And that was waking up as a freaking oracle! Like, yeah, why not? It's not like my life isn't a mess without the whole visions-out-of-the-blue thing. Yeah…. totally.

It was a mortifying shock for me to come in terms with the whole seeing the future concept. But somehow, and I emphasis on somehow, everything I needed to know came to me. Just like that. Boom! Now I know most of the things I'm supposed to know. Like never, under any circumstances, let yourself be raped. As if I'd have a choice! It turned out that what the film industry taught us – the oracles must stay virgins unless they want to lose their gift, is a big pile of lies. Actually most of what we believe, concerning mythology and so on, is nonsense. For example – the purity thing. Yes, you should not be tainted in any way, but if it's your soul mate that you want to roll around in the sheets with, then it's cool. Yeah, believe me, it was a shock for me as well. Like, that makes no sense! But then again, most of my life nowadays makes no sense.

Like the fact that I'm the oracle of Zeus. Not the bearded old man who throws thunderbolts left and right, but the smexy god of abs, that blast things up with thunderbolts. He's pretty much perfect, as expected of an ancient Greek god – the whole glossy black hair, skin the colour of honey, muscular, but not too much and, oh sweet heavens, his eyes. Those royal-blue pools of delight. Ah… Ok, I'm a sucker for the combination black hair-blue eyes! Admit it, so are you!

What was I saying? Ah, yeah. So Zeus and all the rest of the gods turned out to be real and pretty much not the wrinkly old goofs from the history books. A few days after I came to terms with the fact that I'm still not for the snake-pit, and everything is pretty much as real as it can get, my patron, Zeus himself, paid me a visit. In my flat. And should I tell you the moment I opened my door I swear my heart missed a beat? I wish I could tell you that I didn't believe a word he said, from the 'I'm Zeus..' to '… it's all real.' But, unfortunately, when you have already foreseen what's going to happen, it spoils the fun. So I knew he'd come. And believed every single word that came out of his gorgeous lips.

I'll spare you the details around how I woke up one morning furious at Ares for defying my strict orders not to let Athena anywhere near the armoury when it's being polished. Yeah, pretty strange to start your day wondering how you should punish that kind of disobedience. Until I realised there's no way I could know that. Zeus, the dear fellow, cleared things up for me when he decided to pay me an unexpected visit. It turned out that since I'm an oracle in his temple /I didn't see the need to tell him there's no such thing anywhere nearby /he can communicate with me whenever he sees fit; or let me see what he sees, or feels, or what had happened and so on. And since the connection is bilateral, he can sneak into my head as well. Any stronger emotion rings a bell in his head. The first thing that came to my mind when he shared that piece of valuable information was a freaking bond. The whole Maker-Child thing from 'TruBlood' worked on the same principle as it turned out. Well, almost – I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to enter Zeus's mind, or any god's for that matter. Too much info may fry my mortal brain.

I came to meet some of the gods, as they were pretty curious how come a 23-year-old suddenly turn into an oracle. I always said Death chose me to carry out one last hard task for her before she lets my shining soul flee away. That made them chuckle and me, laugh. At least it wasn't tense when they came by. Which was often – it seems Olympus is no longer as fun and time-consuming as it used to be.

Somehow along the way I even managed to get mixed up in the whole gods-against-gods arguments. I don't know why they dragged me in. Probably because Zeus was going to zap their asses if they didn't shut up any time soon. So I became a psychologist, consultant and a judge at the same time. After hearing out the bickering sides I then shared my thoughts with Zeus. After reaching a suitable agreement, which was a pain in the ass as he never really had someone talk back at him or not share the same views, he summoned all those involved in the dispute and my living room turned into a court for more than an hour. It was amusing to see those thousands of years old gods, looking like teenagers and acting as such. Seriously, by the end of the whole thing I couldn't distinguish if the headache was mine or Zeus'. Either way it all ended peacefully. For exactly ten days.

I'm comfortably sitting on my laptop, editing my newest story when a sudden wave of boredom washes over me, making me wanna start throwing things out of the window just for the fun of it.

"Zeus! Stop it! I'm working, for heavens' sake!" I shout at the ceiling, knowing perfectly well it won't stop the god from terrorizing me.

Sighing and pushing a few strands of auburn hair out of my face, I try to concentrate at the task at hand. My editor will seriously kill me if I tell her that I'm lagging behind schedule. Again!

Yet as I chew on my bottom lip, rereading the same sentence for the fifth time, the lamps start flickering. Having already learned his pattern of torture I quickly save the last changes on my document and close the laptop.

"I can't believe you! An immortal god, the one who's supposed to be the most mature and all, acting like a spoiled child! I'm not here to entertain you!" I hiss under my breath after going to the kitchen and filling myself a cup of coffee.

The biggest downside of having a telepathic bond with a god who, as it turned out grows bored faster than I can manage to read a book, is that when I sleep and try to let my brain pull itself together, Zeus finds it appropriate to flood my mind with random things. Like who almost pushed who from the edge of Olympus; who hates who; when is the next Grant festival or Gala Dinner and so on. I don't know if he does it on purpose – drowning me in pointless information while I try to rest, but it seriously knocks the daylight out of me. I can hardly sleep either way, but having a certain amount of data sipped into me while I'm dead for the night has me running on autopilot way too often for comfort.

A low hum in the back of my mind informs me that Zeus has re-opened our connection and is currently picking at my brain. With time I managed to build a wall around my thoughts, so to say, in order to keep intruders out of my head. Unfortunately, Zeus is quite the persistent type.

"Didn't I ask you to stay out of my head if it's not an emergency?" My thoughts aren't hostile or irritated, rather tired.

"Indeed you did." as usual his reply makes me roll my eyes.

For someone who seeks to be entertainment every so often, when we come to speak he becomes silent and distanced. As if he doesn't want to talk with me, just listen. Observe my life and add a witticism here and there. Sometimes I feel as if I'm an actress and he's the cameraman – following my every move and making sure I graciously jump around the stage.

"If you stopped by out of boredom again, I'll have to ask you to leave. I have work to do, and currently have no time to chat." the words come out ruder than I anticipated but before I can apologise, the hum is gone and so is he. 'Strange. He usually doesn't leave without a nice argument.' yet that mystery quickly slips from my mind, as work and chores and life come rushing for the limelight.

I'm sitting in a café, three days later, and reading a fine book when someone clears their throat behind me. My inner senses, which appeared after I changed, stand on edge and I feel needles poking each and every single nerve in my body. Turning around and frowning behind my sunglasses, I notice a young man standing next to me and blushing. He's at least two meters tall, with messy chestnut hair and green eyes, his casual clothes fitting him pretty well. 'Hold your horses, writer-girl!' I mentally scold myself.

"Can I help you?" my voice comes out polite and chipper.

"Uhm… yeah…. you see…." he blushes even more and looks away shyly.

I raise my eyebrow at him and tilt my head. My book, 'Pride and Prejudice' is now closed in my lap.

"I'm Caleb." out of the blue he blurs and extends his hand at me.

For a whole second I just stand there and waver if I should turn around and ignore him or laugh. Eventually, as I see him loosing colour, I smile and take his hand into mine, shaking it a little.

"Nicolleta. With a 'c' and double 'l', not a 't'. It's a pleasure."

Taken by surprise Caleb quickly recovers and smiles.

"Nice name. You're not from here, I assume?"

I chuckle and nod.

"Mind if I ask where you come from?" he keeps on pushing, delicately, trying to form a conversation.

It seems that I have lost the ability to communicate with other people after spending most of my time either by myself or chatting with Athens, who for an unknown reason finds me interesting, or some of the other gods, who probably also mind me amusing. So now, when a man, a human man, wants to chat I feel speechless. 'Grow a pair of balls, moron! The guy's a cutie!'

"From very far away." I manage to say without chocking on the words.

After almost getting killed two years ago, I no longer felt safe in my hometown so I threw all my stuff in a big suitcase and left. And ever since I'm on the move. When I like the place I stay for longer periods, but that usually lasts around five to six months. Then I have the feeling I'm in danger and flee. The paranoia really did get to me, as it seems.

"Would you like to sit, Caleb?" I nod towards the free chair opposite of me.

"Oh, no. I didn't mean to interrupt your reading. I just wanted to know your name." he quickly shoots back, a faint blush gracing his cheeks.

Before I know it, I'm giggling like a hormonally overthrown teenager. Yet that seems to take the tension in his shoulders away, and his laugh, a little bit strange and animalistic, follows.

"I don't mind really. Haven't spoken to a normal human being for a while now. It'll do me good."

I expected the whole chatting thing to take an hour or so before Caleb realised I'm too boring and simple for his taste and left, offering me a snatchy excuse. However, three hours later, we are still sitting on the same table; drinking god knows which cup of coffee, and laughing our asses off. Despite my fear that he'll find me too plain, it turns out we make a good fit – I lack sense of humour, but he has it in surplus; I am an artist by soul and spot the details and colours, while he admitted never noticing anything minor. We share a love for books as well, and our musical tastes overlap. Talking with him is a pure joy for the soul and by the time we leave the café, I feel as if I had a week free of all the oracle shit.

We decide to go for a walk in the park nearby, enjoying the fine weather and the people. Caleb, unlike any other boy I ever got out with, offers me his undivided attention. He listens when I speak and even stands his ground when we don't share an opinion in a certain problem. Somehow his difficulty to accept someone else's point of view as possible amuses and reminds me of someone. Hours literally slip by and before I know it the sun has set.

"I'll have to head back."

"Don't tell me you have a curfew?" his laugh makes my skin prickle and my body grow tense, but I quickly mask it as a shiver.

"It grew cold and I have stuff to do."

The feeling that something's about to go dangerously wrong grips me so suddenly that I almost trip. Caleb acts faster and his hands end up on my waist, preventing me from meeting the cold ground nose-first. Yet somehow this embrace unnerves me. Breaking free and taking a step back, I try to tell myself to calm down, that I'll scare him off if I keep acting like I have seen a ghost. Running my cold hands up and down my arms, I look around, buying myself time to compose my erratic heart. That's when I notice the park is deserted – not a living soul in sight, no birds, nothing. Just us and the fountain a few steps ahead, its water the only thing audible in this ghostly silence. I look around once again, but the result is the same – I can't see anybody. It's just me and the man I met a few hours ago.

"You ok?" his voice reaches me and pulls my worried mind back to the present.

The only response I give him is a small nod, while still trying to ease the tension in the back of my skull. 'Something's wrong.' All the bells in my head are ringing loudly, warning me to get out of there as fast as possible, yet my body stays rooted to the spot.

"We should leave." I whisper and make a step forward.

"Why? It's nice, isn't it? The moon and stuff? You were the one talking about details earlier, yet you haven't even looked up." he tries to sound amused and offended, but I sense tension in his voice.

"I prefer going back home." after making a few steps ahead I notice he has grown quiet.

Turning around, I see Caleb standing where I left him – near a bench, with his hands hidden in the pockets of his leather jacket.

Frowning, I notice that his jacket is zipped up all the way – it's the begging of summer and despite the wind, it's definitely not cold enough to be zipped up like that. And his hands in his pockets. In the back of my mind I feel a realization rushing forward, but it's still pretty far away.

"C'mon. " I urge him and he follows with his hands still in the pockets.

'Come to think of it, he had leather gloves on earlier today. The whole day actually.' I remind myself as we are finally on the move. 'It's strange. He has covered as much skin as possible…' I know this is the moment I should figure things out, I can feel it, yet I'm empty handed.

A few steps more and another panic wave hits me, making my heart drop in my stomach. Gritting my teeth and wrinkling my nose, I try to use my Sight in order to see if something is lurking in the shadows. Yet after a quick observation, I can't see or sense anything that it's not human. Hurrying ahead, I skip to notice the lack of steps next to me. A second too late I turn around, only to be met with a hand flying towards me.

Grabbing the wrist I push it forward and away from me. Caleb tries to pry his hand free, but it's too late. My skin touches his and the vision hits me like a rugby player up for the touchdown. The air is knocked out of my lungs in a second and the picture changes.

I see myself in the fountain, drowning, as Caleb pushes my head further into the dirty water, a crazy and bloodthirsty look in his eyes. I fight, but it seems pointless as suddenly his form changes and he is no longer a normal boy but a creature with black cracked skin and bloodshot eyes and silver tattoos all over its body.

The next thing I know I'm back in the present, no more than a second later, yet once again too late and slow to react. I'm dizzy and disorientated, so Caleb acts first. He lands a blow in my stomach, making me bend forward and grabs me by the hair. By the time I actually manage to realise that I'm about to die, he has already dragged me by the fountain and is lifting me up. That's when I drive a dagger deep into his stomach and kick him in the kneecap. He jumps back with a howl and I use the time to stand up and glance at the dagger I have been carrying around recently. It's covered in dark substance that's thicker than the human blood, and seems to have the properties of an acid. I quickly wipe it off in my torn cardigan which I then throw on the ground. Glancing at Caleb, I see he's almost back on his feet. Just like in my vision his skin is black and cracked, as if this is just a shell, and has two silver ropes crossed against his chest. His red eyes glare at me and an animalistic growl tears at the silence. That's when I decide to run for it.

I have never been the running type of girl. Truth to be told I despise it. Yet now, when I know I'm probably going to die again, I command my legs to go turbo. The alleys are halfway lit by the lamps, but by the time I reach the middle of the last one, the lights go off. I'm left in utter darkness, the moons soft glow the only thing that shows me the way. It's stupid to run when you can hardly see where you are going, but stopping will mean death, so I urge myself forward, while in the meantime trying to figure out a plan. The dagger in my hand feels hot and it's almost painful for me to hold it, but it's the only weapon I have, so I grip it tighter and run even faster. As I feel like I have neared the corner I slow down and grit my teeth. Yet before I can even think of my next move two incredibly strong hands grab me by the shoulders and toss me to the side as if I'm a rag doll. The collision with a tree trunk knocks the air out of me and blurs my vision. I'm trying to make my lungs do their job when I'm being grabbed by the throat and lifted off the ground. I have always found the process of choking your victim to death distasteful and damn cowardly, but now when I'm on the receiving end I find it terrifying. My sight clears out for about a second, enough to look into his eyes and see deep feral rancour and animosity. He wants to kill me. He desires to be the one who takes my life away slowly, to see me loosing hope. He thrives from the fear that has me paralyzed and I know that I need to do something. Yet, despite training with Zeus in his human form, I know I stand little to no chance. The creature in front of me is like an enraged animal that somehow during evolution got legs and hands instead of clutches. In this moment I wish I had asked Zeus to teach me how to do simple but efficient blows, but I had only wanted… my chain of thoughts is cut short as an idea finally strikes me. 'Zeus! He can help!' As I start to claw and kick, buying myself precious seconds, I remind myself what he taught me about the telepathic connection. 'Use only when highly necessary? Check. Be in mortal danger? Check. Concentrate and call for him? Was that it?' I know I have no time to think it thorough, so I act on instinct. Collecting the last remains of my air, focusing my mind and energy, I open my mouth and try to shout, but the creature tightens its grip and I choke. Tears form in the corners of my eyes and I know it's either now or never. Once again I gather all my oracle energy or whatever it's called and channel it.

"ZEUS!" his name leaves my lips reinforced with all my might, both through the telepathic connection and the verbal one.

Caleb, or however the creature is called, tightens its grip even more and growls, baring at me its sharp teeth. The black spots in my vision thicken and I know I'm gonna die.

"Zeus…. help…..me…." the last syllable leaves my lips as a sigh and the world drowns in darkness.

I open my eyes and stare at the white ceiling. It's hard to focus, but I'm sure that this isn't the ceiling in my room. 'Where… am…' my mind is sluggish, still in slumber. For a second everything seems paused. Then pain comes. It's burning and tearing at me and I try to move, to escape. Yet it doesn't go away. My body is trashing around, but soon two strong hands grab me by the shoulders and push me down. There's a voice telling me something, but the fear fuelled by the pain has me on the edge of sanity, where all my walls are up and I'm pretty much inaccessible. Then the voice comes again, this time calmer and clearer, yet still incomprehensible.

"Nicolleta! Calm down. It's me. You're ok." I know this voice. It's Zeus'.

"Zeus! It hurts. Make it stop.. Please! Make it stop!" I'm not sure if he hears me or not, but his hands keep on pinning me down, not too forcefully, yet unshakably.

Suddenly there's a something running down my oesophagus and I almost choke. I try to fight it off but the liquid keeps on being poured in my mouth and Zeus is holding me down, so I see no other choice but to swallow. The thing they are giving me is thick and sweet and it extinguishes the fire in me. The pain is dulled immediately and the fear releases me from its claws. Once again I crack open my eyes and blink at the yellow flashy light. And see the sky – inky blue, with the moon in the form of sickle.

Blink. 'The sky…'

Blink. Blink. 'Stars….?'

Blink. Blink. 'Out?'

Inhaling deeply and suddenly, I almost pass out, as my head makes a dangerous spin right after I jump up. Falling back down, I'm caught by two strong hands and my head rests on someone's chest. The only thing I manage to sense is a vibration, meaning that someone's talking. Yet the words are too far away for me to catch, so I tilt my head more comfortably and let the tiredness lull me away.

I see myself pinned to a tree, the life being squeezed out of me. I'm so far away, yet so close. One minute I'm watching the scene in the park, in the next I'm running down some stairs, my cloak flapping behind me.

"Athens!" I shout, my voice hoarse and stern. Definitely male.

"Father!" the goddess bows and then averts her gaze back at what she was looking until now. "It's the oracle. She's being attacked!"

I step next to her and look down. Indeed, there I am, being choked like a chicken by a vile kid. Suddenly rage overtakes me and the desire to smash and throw thunders appears out of the blue.

"Can she make it?" it's another voice.

I turn around and see Poseidon running down the stairs with Ares hot on his track. The god of seas spins his trident nervously and clenches his teeth. He feels the same anger.

"She won't. Father, please!" it's Athens. She looks as if she's about to plead me to act.

"Zeus, if she dies…" Ares doesn't finish that sentence as I glare his way.

"We must not interfere in the fates of the mortals unless it's necessary." my voice is still stern, but the tension has me ready to bolt any moment. 'Come on, Nicolleta! Say it! Come on, tiny human!' his thoughts echo in my head.

When we look down once again I see my squirming body fighting and clawing at the attacker. I open my mouth but the creature tightens its grip at me and I choke. My fists tighten and all my muscles turn into steel. Yet I know I must not do it – I must not act before called for.

"Zeus!" Poseidon is near the edge, his body ready to jump and his trident is buzzing in his hand, ready to strike.

"Not a move!" it's an order, yet there is a small tread of pain and despair in it.

Ares and Poseidon are about to disobey me.

"If any of you breaks the Law and meddles with the fate of the human, you shall face death!" my voice is on the verge of shout.

The gods exchange glances and bow their heads. I grit my teeth and try to sustain myself from lashing out. 'Do it, Nicolleta!'

And then I do it. I shout his name loud and clear. My plea reaches Olympus and echoes in the almost deserted temple.

Before I know it I'm on the edge of the platform, about to summon the lightning. Yet I wait. The muscles under my skin are flexing, yet I don't move.

"Father." it is Athena's plea.

"Zeus… help….me…" and my plea.

I jump and the lightning takes me. Landing on my feet, the ground shakes and cracks. I spot the creature that drops my limp body to the ground. A second filled with tension. And then rage and wrath. The thunderbolt bends under my will and I strike. The creature manages to jump away, yet there's a deep gash on his right hand. It holds its lower stomach as it backs away. A spark of pride crosses through me before I attack again. And again. In the end what's left of the creature is a pile of ash.

I rush to Athena's side. She's holding my limp and pale body. She's at the verge of tears when she looks up at me.

"Father… She…"

Despair and pain make me fall on my knees next to her. 'No. No. No.' the denial clenches my throat.

And then I see my eyes crack open, it's just a little, yet it's a sign. Athena is quick to fetch a little flask and opens it. Yet suddenly my body starts trashing around and pained howls escape my wounded throat. 'She's going to hurt herself!' And I grab my body by the shoulders, gently yet firmly pushing it down.

"Hold her!"

My body is too weak to resist or fight, yet I keep of wheezing, the sounds leaving my lips making the blood in the veins in this body grow cold then hot and then again cold. 'She's slipping..'

"Nicolleta! Calm down!" I don't listen to his voice. I can't hear it.

"Steady her." Athena has finally opened the flask and the ambrosia in it glimmers in the dim light.

"I'm here, Nicolleta. Calm down." the low whispered words barely leave my lips and I gulp nervously when the goddess places the flask over my lips.

She is giving me small sips, but most of it is running down the sides of my mouth. My body is choking and I'm fighting.

"Do it." I grit my teeth and gently lift my head. My skin is purplish.

This time my body doesn't fight back. The ambrosia enters my body and I quickly regain colour.

Athena smiles and gently brushes the auburn locks out of my face. She looks at me and nods.

"We did it, Father!" she laughs, her eyes sparkling.

My eyes shoot open and I jump up. It's a bad move as a second later I feel as if I'm about to vomit in my own bed. Bend in half and fighting for a gulp of air, I feel as if I'm being choked all over again.

"Lay back down!" his voice roams through the room and like a spell has me lying down.

I look around but cannot see him since there's no light in the room. After taking a few deep gulps of air and chasing the nausea away, I rub my eyes with my hands.

"How long was I out?" my voice is so hoarse, that I hardly believe it's my own.

"A day." he tries to sound nonchalant, but I know he has been here this whole time, looking after me.

I moan and sit up once again, this time slower. Zeus's low growl makes my skin prickle, but there's no fear rushing through my veins.

My vision, the one he shared with me, is still fresh in my mind. There are some questions that are nagging at me, but with my sore throat I can't see myself speaking, so I do something that I have never done – open the telepathic connection from my end.

"What was that thing?"

There's silence from the other end and for a second I wonder if he has left. 'No. He's here. I can feel him.' I sense his aura in one of the corners of my room, sitting on a chair, yet I don't dare to look at him. Instead I focus my attention on my fingers, noticing my chipped nails and cracked skin.

"A servant of the Titans. A Tracker." the sudden appearance of his voice makes me jump.

"You mean he has been following me? We met that day! I have never seen him before." for once I'm grateful that I don't have to use my mouth as it's a lot easier to make your thoughts sound calm and emotionless rather than your voice.

"He knew where to find you." it's a statement; he's telling me that I have been followed this whole time without me noticing.

"I was careful. I am always careful."

"Then how did you miss to sense him!?" this time I can feel his anger wash me through the connection.

There's nothing I can say in my defence. Nothing is worth the risk of being compromised and captured by an enemy's tracker. And personally I'm in constant danger since I'm not only one of the few oracles in the world for the last couple of centuries, but also Zeus' , which means the price for me is higher than the rest. The god of thunder rarely has oracles because they can easily channel his power, which makes them a perfect target for his enemies. If I was caught by that Tracker and brought to their camp or whatever it is called , I would have been tortured far worse than I could even imagine. They'd probably want me to channel a big amount of Zeus' power into something, which will lead to my death and his weakening. And yet…

"He had no intension to use me – he wanted me dead. That makes no sense."

"Many things lack sense." he didn't say it directly but I know he's referring to me, and that hurts.

"I tried-" I begin, but his booming voice in my head makes me wince and stop.

"YOU FAILED! YOU DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THAT THING HAD DECIDED TO KNOCK YOU OUT AND TAKE YOU AWAY?" he's furious and I know it will be best to let the subject drop. But I don't. I can't.

"Imagine, I do! They'd have used me to get to you! Do you think I'm that stupid!" my own thoughts have turned into shouts and now I'm looking directly at him. I know what I need to add.

"I'd cut my own veins open before I let anyone use me to get to you." the pain escalades with every single word I say, the huskiness in my throat almost bringing tears to my eyes. "I'd never, ever, let my weakness affect you or someone else of the gods. You should have known this by now."

The last part is barely a whisper, yet all the pain and the hurt are evident, as well as the anger and determination. For a second the lights flicker and I notice the look on his face – he seems confused and angry, sad and desperate. But before I can even say a word he's gone.

A week passes without Zeus even checking on me. Athena came to bring me ambrosia and check on my wounds the first day. We chatted for a while, I showed her what I had been working on recently and eventually she left.

The next day while I was grocery shopping I came upon Poseidon. He helped me with the bags and we talked for a while. And just like Athena, he didn't say a word about Zeus. They were hiding something, yet I didn't feel like pushing them. One furious god at a time, please. Poseidon stayed at my place for a while and we talked about the sea – one of our common passions. He offered to teach me how to serf if someday I bring myself anywhere near the sea. I reminded him that most seas don't have good enough waves for surfing, to which he replied with, I quote:

"That's because I was never there."

The day after that Ares came, which was really strange, 'cus he never came down unless there was a fine battle behind the corner. When I asked him about it, he just shrugged and brushed it away. There wasn't much to talk about with him, so we decided to train. It was mostly me ending flat on my ass and him catching everything I threw his away… myself included. Well, I landed one lucky blow and managed to trip him, but before even immobilizing him, he was on his feet and behind me. It was a nice workout and I got all my muscles working.

And after that I was on my own. No sign there was someone out there who gave a fuck if I was dead or alive. Surely I was at the brim of depression and self-pity, when I received an unexpected phone call.

I open the door of the cab after paying the driver and walk down the red carpet leading to the entrance of one of the biggest, fanciest and most expensive restaurants in the city. I man in a black suit opens the door for me and asks me if I have a reservation.

"Yes. Mr Grey."

The man in the black suit smiles politely and leads the way. The restaurant is filled with people dressed as if they ьre going to the Grammy Awards or something; their attitude is the same – small eyes glancing at me and silently whispering that this place is so not for my null persona. Yet the men ogle me as if I'm walking around naked, and the women try to act as if they're ignoring me, as if I'm too low to even be noticed. When we reach the table, Mr Grey stands up and smiles, his baby-blue eyes sparkling.

"Nicolleta! Long-time no see." I smile and hug him.

"Long-time no see, indeed, Andrew." I laugh and step back. "You still smell the same way. Nice."

He blinks at me for a second before he burst in laughter. Many of the old couples glare our way, but neither of us notices.

We sit down and the waiter comes, handing us our menus and offering some appetisers. Yet the piece of glossy carton receives little to no attention, as Andrew and I can't stop talking. I give my best to keep quiet and not laugh at the top of my lungs, yet when we share memories of our common past filled with adventures, so to say, it's hard to contain yourself.

The waiter comes and goes periodically, but we barely pay him attention. By the time the dessert is served my tummy hurts from all the laughter and there are tears in the corners of my eyes. I feel so good, so happy and joyful, that almost miss the appearance of the sudden hum in the back of my head. Startled by the opening connection, I quickly excuse myself and rush to the lady's rooms. After checking if it's empty, I figure out how the fancy sink works and let the water spray, creating a perfect background.

"Yes?" I hush while pretending to wash my hands.

Yet there's no reply, not even a single emotion tossed my way. Frowning and proceeding to fix my hair and making sure the make-up I put on so carefully and thoroughly earlier today is still in place, I try to sense something. As sudden as it appeared, the hum is gone, and I'm left gaping at the mirror, wondering what the hell just happened. 'Am I going nuts?' glaring at my own reflexion and pouting like a little kid, I flip my long straightened auburn hair over my shoulder. 'I mean, yeah, sure, I miss that pesky god, but I can't be hallucinating and stuff, right?' Biting my bottom lip I anxiously move my shoulders and with a last glance at the mirror, I turn around and leave.

The moment I step into the main room, I know something is terribly wrong. Looking around, almost expecting a Tracker to jump from behind one of the columns, wearing a fancy tux and giving me that toothy grin, I notice that everything is just how I left it – the big guns are pretending to be wrapped in their own universe, their wives are throwing sideway glances at me, probably judging my fashion taste. That's when I notice that there's a man sitting with Andrew on the table, obviously talking with him casually, as he's leaning back in the chair and is tracing one of the silver cutleries with a long finger. Yet with each step I take, I feel a knot forming in the pits of my stomach. 'Dear heavens, you must seriously hate me.' I groan mentally when I near the table enough that I catch Andrew's attention. Being the gentlemen he is he jumps up and gives me a stiff smile. Getting a closer look, I notice him being paler than before.

"Nicolleta." his voice is hoarse and shaky.

Raising an eyebrow his way I glance at the other man, who rose up as well. Stopping dead in my track I feel my heart skipping a beat before it hits the floor with a loud crashing sound. The blood leaves my face and my hands grow icy, in just a second.

The man who arrived after I left is as tall as Andrew, obviously taller than me even in my stilettoes. His hair is a curly jet black mess that gracefully falls around his face, framing it; it looks like as if each curl has a special place in which is put, yet they look so natural. The man is wearing a tailor-made suit, consisting of a black jacket, trousers in the same hue and a pearly white shirt underneath, with the first two buttons left undone, showing patch of honey skin. Gulping and somehow managing to tear my eyes away from his body, I meet his eyes. Two royal-blue pools of godly pleasure, filled with wisdom and amusement. 'Zeus, you asshole!' I hiss mentally before giving him my best attempt of a smile.

"Your fiancé was just telling me how much you have affected his life." Andrew quickly says, his awkward posture telling me he feels out of place next to the god. I don't blame him – who wouldn't?

"My… fiancé?" I almost choke on the last word, but quickly mask it with a cough.

Too shocked to come up with something to say, I'm saved by Zeus, who smiles sweetly, leans in closer and plants a chaste kiss on my cheek.

"I hope I managed to surprise you, love." he purrs the words with such utter affection that I'll sure have buckled my kneecaps if we were alone.

But we are not, and my previous shock and loss of words are quickly gone and now I'm at the verge of smacking this impudent god against the face so hard that he'll see Olympus. Furthermore, the red rage is making my blood boil, leading to my cheeks flushing. Mistaking the rush of blood for blushing, I notice Zeus smirking victoriously and throwing a glance towards Andrew. The poor man looks like he wants the earth to open and swallow him whole.

After taking my seat, I no longer want to stay here, eat or do whatsoever near Zeus, who decided to come and spoil my night. Yet the chocolate mousse is placed before me and, since I can't start shouting inappropriate words at my "fiancé" in such a fancy restaurant without making a scene, I aim my rage at the dessert. In the history of mousses I'm sure none managed to be devoured and destroyed in such a short time than the one that was unfortunate enough to end up on the mercy of my spoon. I probably looked like a madwoman who has never seen a pile of cocoa in her life, but better that then a psychotic chic that throws around knives at a fine piece of male specimen while swearing like fishmonger in a roadside shitty town.

As time tickles away slowly I feel a headache forming in the back of my mind; wracking my brain, I try to come up with a plausible excuse to leave and get Zeus as far as humanly possible from Andrew, but nothing good comes to mind. My old-time friend seems as if he'd prefer to be anywhere else but here, while Zeus, all smug and filled with confidence, is leaning back in his chair, looking at the other man with badly hidden sense of superiority and gives him that sweet smile, making you wonder whether he likes you or would like to see your head impaled on a spike in his living room. The conversation they are leading, more like an interrogation from the god's side, seems to be revolving around me. Yet, being too preoccupied with figuring out a way out of this mess without making a scene, I miss the better part of what Andrew was saying. Zeus' laughter, true and genuine, snaps me out of my trance and I glance his way. He seems amused, his eyes sparkling and for a second my brain shuts down and my heart skips a beat. 'Gorgeous.' the word bounces in my mind for a second. I must have been gaping at him quite intensely, because he suddenly looks at me, his eyes still shining, and gives me that panty-dropping smile, which I'm sure can be blamed for the melting for the icecaps.

"So, Nicoletta, how's your book going?" Andrew seems keen to finally be free of Zeus' penetrating stare, and uses the opportunity to continue our conversation from where we left it.

"Ah… well…" I gulp and smile. "Still working on it…"

After taking a sip of his wine he gives me that half-curious half-judging look.

"I thought you left home in order to carry out a final research for you book?"

I spin the glass with my middle finger and thumb and wrack my brain for an answer. I can't possibly tell him I chickened out of there because I believed I was going nuts, nor can I tell him why the book is not finished yet – being an oracle and watching out for Trackers and all that is a full-time job that squeezes the life out of me, leaving no strength to sit down and write.

"Well, I believe the fault for that is mine." Zeus' sudden interference makes me snap my head his way. "Indeed, she came to carry out her research, but after we met I didn't leave her much free time to practise her hobby, which I'm greatly sorry for."

Looking at me with eyes filled with sadness and regret completely takes me off-guard and I'm left dumbfounded, not able to comprehend even the simplest of answers. Somehow a small smile tugs at the corners of my lips and before I even know it I'm leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his cheek – a sign that I'm thankful and appreciate the gesture, as well as forgiveness, because even as the story is twisted a little bit, the general part of it is true.

"Ah." Andrew looks away, and I catch a grim expression crossing his face before he hides it with a smile.

"He's hiding something." Zeus' voice in my head almost makes me yelp, as I didn't even register he had opened the connection.

"Well, you are making him feel uncomfortable you know. With all the godly jazz and stuff. It's natural that he feels twitchy and agitated."

Yet by the wave of disbelief and doubt I know I'm nowhere near close in convincing him of my rightness.

"Haven't you learned your lesson?" the change of tone is obvious and it does its job at crushing and swiping away my newly formed good mood.

"I know him since I could barely walk! We particularly grew up together! I'm telling you – he is not one of the bad guys!"

No response comes from his side, but I know hell will freeze before I manage to show him I'm right without blowing our cover. 'We need to get out of here before I slip and tell his to fuck off with all the incredulity!'

"You never told me why you stopped by?" I fill the sudden silence with the first thing that comes to mind.

"Well… work and all that. You know how it goes." Andrew sheepishly says, before scratching his right ear.

"He is lying." Zeus is quick to throw at me the obvious. Since I basically grew up with Andrew, I know all his habits and also that he's the worst liar – he has a bad knack at scratching his right ear when he lies.

"You know, it offends me. Thinking that I can't catch you lying to me, that is." I whisper as I take another sip of my drink.

Taken aback, my friend pales a little and looks away, ashamed. Instantly I feel regret for being so rude to call out his bluff, and in front of Zeus none the less.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound as if I'm judging you. It's not my job to ask in the first place."

"No, no. You're right, as usual." laughing off the tension, Andrew runs a hand through his hair. "I just didn't know where to go. I wanted to get away from there…"

He stops and his mood falls drastically, signalizing me I just touched a strained nerve. Yet, as they say, curiosity killed the cat.

"What has happened?"

"My mother, she passed away." he whispers the words and utter sorrow darkens his eyes.

It takes me around three to four seconds to assimilate what he just told me. Being the one who meets Death on a daily basis and leading a life on the edge, sometimes I forget how painful it is for the others to cope with someone's sudden death. After I got shot and almost went the dark road, my perception for the shortness of our life has radically changed. I no longer fear Death, because I know it's inevitable, it's coming for me sooner or later, and since I decided to meddle with all the god stuff, it seems I have moved up its 'To Do' list with a few million places.

"My condolences. She was a great woman." I say and lean over the table, placing my hand over his.

A second too late I feel the pull, but there's nothing I can do. The vision swirls before my eyes.

I'm in the restaurant. One second everything is normal, we are sitting at the table, talking, and the next thing I know the side of the restaurant that faces the street blows up, sending flying pieces of glass everywhere.

Andrew is heavily wounded, lying to his side with a puddle of blood forming fast around his head. Most of the guests are dead or seem to be screaming in death agony. Looking around, I search for Zeus. At first I cannot see him, but then I notice his body lying in the other end of the room, a nasty wound on his chest. He's bleeding and there's no sign that he's still alive. Then I notice the spear-shaped weapon sticking out of his chest. I would have screamed if I could, but the scene changes.

I see myself. My red dress is in shreds, my hair is all over my face and I seem to be still conscious, but barely. Trackers enter through the hole in the wall and some come to me. Harshly pulling me off from under the ruins, they toss me to the side and I land on my right side with a thud. One of the Trackers comes to me with one of those spear-like weapons and prepares to strike me.

The first thing I actually hear is the low chiming of the wall clock. It strikes 11.

The first few minutes after a vision are always the worst. I feel disorientated, sick to the bone and too weak to even deliver what I saw. This time is no different. I dangerously lean to the side and would have surely knocked over everything on the table if it wasn't for Zeus' fast reflexes. He quickly pulls me back towards him, letting me rest my head against his shoulder, while in the meantime hiding my paled face from view.

I register Andrew asking what's wrong with me and Zeus feeding him another lie. A minute has passed and I peek at the clock on the wall. It shows twenty to eleven. Suddenly the blood in my veins grows cold and I tremble.

"We need to get out of here immediately." I barely manage to reopen the connection.

"What did you see?" his voice is stern and concentrated, but his face gives none of this away.

"Trackers. They blew up the wall and killed almost everyone. You got injured by some spear-like weapon. We have twenty minutes to get out of here before they come." I quickly summarise what I saw after I pull away from him and give Andrew a reassuring smile.

"Sorry. Had a rough day and that just had me cracking. I hope you wouldn't mind us leaving?"

By the time I say that Zeus is already on his feet, helping me up.

"Ah, no, of course not. It was stupid of me to mention that. Sorry."

He seems upset and my heart clenches painfully. Rushing over to his side and ignoring the other man's warning look, I place a kiss of Andrew's cheek and pat him on the shoulder after a quick hug.

"Don't beat yourself up. It's not your fault. I promise I'll make it up to you."

Without another word we rush out of the restaurant, completely forgetting about the bill we left for Andrew to pay.

Outside the weather has grown cold and I shiver in my thin coat. Looking around, I still don't spot any danger lurking, but I can feel them. The Trackers. They are close.

"What should we do?" I hush while literally running after Zeus, who takes equal fast steps towards the park, right from where I get the bad vibes.

"Wait. Hey! Wait!" I grab him by the hand when he ignores me and continues moving determinedly forward. "What do you think you are doing!? The Trackers are lurking in the park! You can't go there!" I'm whispering, yet with each word I feel as if someone is listening.

Zeus seems to be contemplating something before he bends down so that we are at eye-level, grabs me by the shoulder with his free hand and gives me that sexy smirk of his. Yet his eyes seem worried.

"You go home and lock the doors. Don't let anybody in."

"And you?"

"I must stop them. They'll go and kill the mortals either way, just to get our attention." his determination and wrath quickly push away the worry and concern. He looks ready to zap bad guys up.

"Not on your own. Just tell me you are not going in that obvious trap on your own!" since I can't shout, I'm hissing, refusing to let his hand go.

"I have to do this. We let them escape. It's my responsibility to make sure they perish once and for all."

"But-"

"Go!" there's no place for arguing in that order, yet I stay put.

"I'm not letting you go there alone, Zeus, and you can't make me leave."

"Nicolleta…" there's a warning note in his voice and his eyes are quick to show his boiling anger.

The cold wind pushes my hair around, making me shiver even more, but I try my best to ignore it. It's true that I would prefer to be at home where it's warm and cosy and safe, but I'll be damned if I let him deal with this of his own. In a second the temperature drops even lower and I feel as if I have teleported to Antarctica. With my hands almost frozen and my breath coming out in small visible clouds, I know we are wasting precious time arguing.

"Let go and leave." his words are final, yet he waits for me to let him go.

For someone with his strength and power it will be a child's play to get my hands off of him and toss me somewhere safe. Yet he doesn't do it. He waits and asks me, only with his eyes, to let him act and leave.

"You are not going there alone and that's final." I grit between my teeth, the coldness making my whole body shake.

"And here I thought Zeus was the bossiest one around." comes an amused voice from behind.

Throwing a glance form over my shoulder I spot Ares, Poseidon and Athena coming our way, their golden armours reflecting the light, their weapons drown out and ready to fight. With a sigh I look back at Zeus, who seems pretty unhappy with the current situation, so I let him go, not wishing to embarrass him furthermore.

"Be safe." I say to no one in particular, giving the god of thunder one last glance before stopping a cab and going home.