Chapter 8
Thankfully they didn’t have to climb the stairs to the top of Tower because the building—which Circe appreciated more and more—put them in a bubble to zoom them to the apex. Although, after they whizzed past the first few floors, she did have to ask, “How many levels are there?”
“Not sure, but supposedly it’s twelve thousand steps to the top. Divide that by twenty-five or so steps per floor and you end up with a shit ton.”
Her jaw dropped. “Impossible. Nothing can be that tall.”
“Nothing human-made,” he corrected.
Guess she shouldn’t be surprised Tower defied the laws of physics, seeing as how the building appeared capable of just about anything. “If humans didn’t build it, then who? Your Astraeus?”
“No one’s quite sure,” he said. “While Tower does its best to keep records of our past, there are gaps in our history from past disasters.”
“Meaning the Zodiac Warriors aren’t infallible.”
“We can die, but it takes a lot.”
“How long have you been doing this?”
“More than seventy years.”
“But you don’t look any older than thirty!
” she exclaimed, and a handsome thirty at that.
Without that hideous mop on his chin, his square-cut jaw, along with the rest of him, proved to be more appealing than expected.
Before, he’d been a guy with a muscly bod.
Now he was a hunk with a muscly bod—and each time she glanced in his direction, she couldn’t help but remember the brief yet electrifying kiss.
A kiss he’d yet to repeat, and she couldn’t believe she kind of hoped he would now that he was clean-shaven.
“I moisturize,” he replied utterly deadpan, but the twinkle in his eyes told her he teased.
“You also use that gunk to heal.”
“It’s stardust,” he corrected. “Each constellation constantly sheds, and somehow those particles make their way to Tower into our jars. Given a warrior’s symbiotic relationship with the constellation, it repairs damage to our body.”
“Will you show me the result?” She’d seen the carnage of his back. Ribboned and bubbled—because he’d used himself as a shield to protect her from a blast that would have killed or severely maimed.
He turned in the still zooming bubble and lifted his shirt showing his wide back covered in a tattoo of his Zodiac sigil.
the smooth flesh showed no sign of injury.
She couldn’t help but reach and trace her fingers over the smooth flesh, murmuring, “Not even a scar.” A shiver went through him, probably reliving the trauma.
“I got lucky. Wounds not tended quickly can sometimes leave traces.”
“Do you get injured often?”
“Often enough. It’s a hazard of the job. Can’t expect to fight evil and come out completely unscathed.”
More levels flashed past too quickly for her to make out any details. “When you say you fight evil, what do you mean?”
“Let’s see, aliens, asteroids, we’ve already covered. Curses can be nasty to handle. You think the Mummy was bad? I’ve seen worse. Thank fuck they’re rare. Most of the time we deal with monsters. My last mission involved tracking a murdering werewolf.”
Her eyes widened. “They’re real, too?”
He nodded. “If it appears in a myth or fairytale, then chances are it existed at one time. Some threats have been eradicated over the years. There are no more Krakens sinking ships or dragons, which, unlike some movies would have you believe, are savage fuckers who love roasted human flesh. In the case of other dangerous beings, we’ve only managed to cull, which leads to them going into hiding until they’re bold enough to start the killing again. ”
“You’ve really seen aliens?” She couldn’t help a skeptical note. After years of studying their solar system, and while she’d seen anomalies, none ever convinced her life existed outside of Earth.
“We are not alone.” He grinned as he made the famous quote. Then smiled even brighter. “We’re here.”
The bubble around them disappeared, and Circe gaped. For one, they were higher than any human had a right to be without sitting in a cockpit or wearing an astronaut suit. Yet, despite the altitude, the air, while slightly chilly, proved breathable, and the view…
“This is insane,” she gasped, trying to take it all in at once and failing. The night sky had never stretched so beautiful and clear. No smog, nothing to impede her admiration of the billions of twinkling stars. Even some planets could be seen.
“I thought you might like it. Bet we could source you a super-duper telescope so you can study them to your heart’s content.”
She glanced at him. “Why would you go through the trouble when I won’t be here for long?”
“Planning on going back?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Either we succeed and the world isn’t destroyed and I can return to my life in Athens, or we fail, in which case we’ll all be galactic dust.”
Taurus pursed his lips. “What if you could stay? Given our affinity to the constellations and the threats they sometimes spawn, it would be mighty useful to have someone around who understands how the universe works.”
“Are you offering me a job?” She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hey, it comes with perks.”
“Such as?”
“Well, that nice apartment, for one. Free food. Clothes. Any equipment you want. No assholes trying to kill you when you discover something important.”
“All very tempting, but I have family in Greece who are probably worried sick about my disappearance. Sage said I couldn’t call them, as I might put them in danger.
The best she could do was get them word that, despite what police found at my apartment, I am alive and well.
” Something she’d been displeased about.
Circe and her mother were very close and spoke several times a week.
Mama must be so worried, seeing as how the incident at her apartment ended up in the news.
Andreas’s immolation caused a fire that brought fire trucks and led to the authorities investigating.
According to Sage, Circe wasn’t in trouble, since Andreas hadn’t left any body parts, having completely incinerated, but the police had Circe listed as missing.
Of more concern than that, the damage Andreas wrought had left her place unlivable.
Maybe she shouldn’t be so hasty to turn Taurus down.
“Yeah, I kind of forgot you had family. Warriors are expected to leave their old lives behind.”
“Including your name.”
He nodded. “That took some adjusting, but, unlike you, I wasn’t close to my family. Drunk father. Mother who had too many kids and spent all her time working. When I almost died during a bank heist, and got the invitation to become something more, I jumped at the chance.”
“You got injured during a robbery?” She’d not taken him for a thief.
“Yeah. Crazed gunman threatened to shoot a teller who was pregnant, and I thought I’d be a hero and use my body as a shield.”
“Oh my.” Not a thief then, but a hero.
His next words had a wry hue to them. “More like ‘ouch, what the fuck did I do?’ But in the end, turned out to be the best thing ever for me. I went from essentially no future to making a difference, which is more than I can for my siblings.”
“What happened to them?”
“Jail for my brothers, and my sister ended up prostituting herself for drugs until the day she died of syphilis.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? They made their choices. They chose crime over working hard.” A harsh condemnation, and yet understandable.
“You never saw your family after you got chosen?”
He shook his head. “Seemed better not to, as I might have felt obliged to do something about their injurious actions.”
“Do you like being a Zodiac Warrior?”
He took a moment to reply. “Yeah, even though it’s hard at times.”
“Seems like an understatement, seeing as how you’re expected to put yourself in danger.”
“That’s actually the easy part. If I can fight, then I can put a stop to what’s causing harm. The difficulty is when the hunt for the culprit takes too long and innocents are hurt because I haven’t done my job.”
“Spoken like a true hero,” she murmured. That kind of selflessness had become rare in a world where people catered more to their personal needs than those of others.
“Seems to me you’ve got a bit of it too.”
“How do you figure?”
“Despite those mocking, you’ve continued to try and make people see the truth. You didn’t give up.”
“That was more me trying to save my reputation,” she scoffed.
“Proving your information was correct, though, and would have made the difference between humanity living or dying.”
“Wish I’d done a better job because, at this point, even if anyone did believe me, it’s likely too late to muster a counter to the asteroid.”
“Which is why our quest is so important.”
“You truly think we can stop the impact.”
“I don’t just think, I know. This is what the Zodiac Warriors were created for. Pitting ourselves against impossible odds for the good of all.”
It sounded so noble until she remembered they thought a true copy of the Antikythera mechanism, along with some kind of rock, would solve the asteroid problem.
It sounded ridiculous. However, what other choice did she have?
Return to the observatory and the frustration of seeing the coming disaster that no one would take seriously?
Or trust this man imbued with a magical power?
“Guess I might as well give your crazy idea a shot.”
“That’s the spirit!”
She snorted. “So long as we’re clear, I’m the brains, and you’re the brawn. If we do locate the Labyrinth, I expect you to handle the monsters.”
“With pleasure.”
“At least the minotaur that used to guard it should be dead.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Legends have a way of surviving.”
“That’s not reassuring,” she muttered.
“Bah. Pretty sure I can handle a bullheaded man.” He winked at her, and she couldn’t help but smile.
The man might not have made the best initial first impression, but the more they spoke, the more she found herself enjoying his charm.
“Look, a shooting star!” he pointed. “Make a wish.”
Easy.
Let me find a way to save the Earth from a catastrophic impact.
And then a more selfish request.
I wouldn’t mind another kiss from the giant.