Chapter 9
The rooftop visit had been a pleasant excursion and a good start to getting the skeptical Circe to accept the necessity of their upcoming quest. He understood her dubiousness, though.
A rock and an ancient machine against a mini planet?
It stretched the bounds of his own usual easy acceptance of the weird and magical, and yet he’d learned to trust the prediction of seers.
Well, Sage at least. With Olivia, her young age and relative newness to the whole vision thing did cause pause; however, she’d been correct thus far.
When he and Circe descended from the rooftop—once more zoomed by Tower—she asked questions about the levels and amenities, a casual conversation that didn’t give an opportunity for him to kiss Circe’s full lips. A shame, because he really wanted to.
Wanted to see if the jolt from the last time had been a one-off. Something had zinged, at least on his side. Even her brief touch of his back made him aware of her in a way that had him eyeing her, wondering what about this woman intrigued him so much.
She was beautiful, with a banging body. However, his interest went beyond physical attraction. He couldn’t have pinpointed what made her special or why, even after he left her at the door to her apartment, she consumed his thoughts.
Being restless, rather than pacing around uselessly in his apartment, he paid a visit to Aquarius, who shook his head.
“I’m still translating those books.” Aquarius pointed to a machine behind him that had an automated arm flipping pages then a bright light as it scanned, before turning to the next.
“I’m not here about that. I’m curious as to why the asteroid can be detected by telescopes and stuff, but our constellations can’t see it.” The term see not entirely accurate since the Astraeus didn’t have eyes, per se. However, the entities somehow managed awareness.
“I’ve been wondering about that,” Aquarius stated. “Near as I can tell, it’s like a vampire and a mirror.”
“Um, what?” Because Taurus couldn’t grasp the correlation.
“A vampire can be seen by people, but if they walk in front of a mirror, no reflection, because there’s something about their physiology that somehow causes the mirror to be unable to bounce back the light that creates an image.
I think the asteroid is similar. It’s the vampire, and however the Astraeus sense or view things is getting bounced, thus causing a blind spot. ”
“Meaning this threat is likely alien.”
“We know it’s definitely not from this solar system, but whether or not it is actually some kind of alien craft remains to be seen. Could simply be the asteroid is comprised of a material never before seen in our part of the galaxy.”
“Like a new metal or something?”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, next question. I’m supposed to enter the Greek Labyrinth, you know, the one with the minotaur, and I know you’re, like, good with puzzles and shit.”
“You want to know how to reach the center.”
“Yeah. How do I not get us lost?”
“So, interesting thing about the Labyrinth is supposedly it only has one path, with many twists and turns. However, given the magical nature of this maze, I have my doubts about that. Should that claim about it be false, then you could use a trick known as wall-following. Basically, soon as you enter, choose a wall, left or right, keep your hand on it and follow it until you reach your goal.”
“Wouldn’t that method take longer, seeing as how we’d be motoring in and out of dead ends?”
“Yes, but at the same time, without a bird’s-eye view or a map, there is no way to know what branch to take if you come across a fork. This method is considered the most effective.”
“If I can’t beam directly out, I assume your wall-following trick will work to exit as well.”
“Yes, although, if you’re lucky, the Labyrinth will have a shortcut once you reach the heart of it. Some kind of one-way door that might allow you a quick escape.”
Before he could ask another question, Aquarius spun, chirping, “Looks like we have our first translation. Do you want a paper copy or digital?”
“Can’t easily search for terms on paper,” Taurus pointed out.
“True. I’ll throw it on a tablet, which will make it easy to add the other translations as they come in.”
“Which book do we have first?” Taurus asked as Aquarius handed it over.
“Ancient Crete history. Looks like you’re getting Labyrinth info first.”
“Sweet.”
Taurus left his brother and immediately headed down to knock on Circe’s door. He’d barely rapped when she flung it open.
“Oh, hey,” she exclaimed. “I take it you’re here to escort me for dinner.”
“Actually, I brought the first translation.” He waved the tablet. “But we can check it out after we eat.”
“Or we can spend a few minutes looking through it right now.” She snatched it from his hand and whirled, heading for the recliner by the fireplace, only to stop dead.
The cause?
A dining table with two chairs had appeared, along with two domed plates, a bottle of wine chilling in a bucket of ice, a pair of glasses, and candles. Tower was setting a mood.
Circe glanced at him suspiciously over her shoulder. “Did you order this?”
“I’m not a Casanova like Capricorn,” he snorted. “My idea of a dinner date is usually at a bar with fried food.”
Her nose wrinkled. “And yet you manage to stay fit.”
“Killing monsters burns calories,” his deadpan reply.
Her laughter tightened his chest, not in an ‘I’m-going-to-die’ fashion, but rather the kind that set his pulse racing.
“Why don’t we see what Tower’s brought us,” she murmured, sliding into a seat. She placed the tablet on the table and snapped the folded napkin before placing it in her lap.
Taurus sat across from her and did the same before grabbing the bottle and pouring them each a glass.
Removing the dome lid released a savory steam, and his mouth watered at the sight of some chicken souvlaki, the pieces plump and perfectly charred, a Greek salad, with extra feta, he noticed, on hers. Lemon rice finished off the plate.
“Oh, this looks yummy,” she murmured before digging in. After a few bites, she turned on the tablet and poked the screen. “Looks like the book is a history of Crete.”
“Which is an island, right?” He’d never been big on geography.
She nodded. “It’s the largest one in Greece, with the biggest population.”
“And this is where the Labyrinth is supposed to be.”
“Yes, at least according to myth. Speculation has it somewhere in Knossos, assuming it even existed.” She tapped the tablet. “This history text seems to go from when the island was first settled to modern day, but the part we’re interested in would be the time period about four hundred or so BCE.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because my great-uncle has a coin with the maze inscribed on it from that time period.” She absently chewed as she flipped before going, “Aha. Here’s the section we want, and it appears this book follows classic mythology.”
“Can you give me the nutshell version of it since I’m not familiar with it?”
“Basically, the King of Crete hired Daedalus, a famed inventor, to create the Labyrinth to imprison the minotaur that he believed was the result of his wife, ahem, having intimate intercourse with her favorite bull.”
“Please tell me bull is a euphonism for a big dude.”
Her lips twisted. “Afraid not. A curse placed on the king’s wife led her to fall in love with a bull. The minotaur was the result.”
“Why would the king imprison the minotaur instead of killing it?”
She shrugged. “Shame. Jealousy. Who knows why people do depraved, inhumane things.”
“Does the book mention anything about the Labyrinth’s location?”
Her brow furrowed as she stared intently at the page, her eyes tracking back and forth, reading the text.
“There is mention of wagons of stone from its construction being transported into the city and used for building, which is interesting because, as I mentioned, it’s been long assumed the maze was built near the king’s palace.
That claim has been disputed, though, seeing as how excavations have never found any sign of it. ”
“These wagons, did they only carry stone, or dirt too?”
“Why does it matter?”
“Because if they also relocated dirt, then that implies they dug into the ground. If it’s only rock then it’s more likely they chiseled into a mountain.”
“Mountains have dirt.”
“On their surface, but most are primarily comprised of rock.”
The way Circe pursed her lips almost had him lunging over the table for a taste.
“Crete has many mountains, as well as stony gorges. However, that said, many of them are tourist attractions. Seeing as how no one has inadvertently stumbled across the Labyrinth, that might indicate it’s located in one of the less traveled, impassable regions.
” A comment murmured before she returned to reading, not long before she exclaimed, “Aha.”
“What did you find?”
“There is mention that the three-day journey to relocate the stone took a toll on the oxen pulling the wagons.”
“And this is useful because…”
“Because that means the Labyrinth isn’t in the center of Crete where Minos’ palace was located.”
“Which narrows it down to how many mountains?”
“A lot.” She pushed the tablet side.
“No more clues?”
“Not unless you’re interested in the agriculture of the time. I guess it won’t be that simple to find it.” She sighed.
“That’s only book one. Don’t give up hope, honey.”
Her gaze settled on him. “Why do you keep calling me honey?”
“Because you’re sweet.”
“I’ve been called many things, but sweet wasn’t one of them. Bossy. Standoffish. Stubborn.”
He chuckled. “Nothing wrong with being assertive, but in this case, I’m talking about how you taste.”
“As if you’d know from that single chaste peck,” she scoffed.
“Are you daring me to kiss you again?”
Her eyes widened. “N-no.”
The stutter and the way her cheeks turned pink said otherwise.
“Are you sure? I’m totally ready and willing.”
“Why would I want to kiss you?”
“Well, for one, you could test me out to see how my freshly shaven chin feels, but mostly because I’m awesome.”
She burst out laughing. “And very arrogant.”
“I am. I think it’s a warrior trait,” he offered with a grin.
“You’re not married like your companions.”
“Never met the right woman.”
“And what is your type of woman?”
“Smart. Brave. Sexy. Enjoys watching the stars. Liking me is a bonus.”
“Well, you almost had me until that last part,” she teased.
“What, you don’t like me?” he exclaimed in mock shock.
“I didn’t at first, but you’re growing on me,” Circe admitted.
“What every man wants to hear. That they’re like a creeping fungus.”
Her laughter once more rang out. “You are entertaining. I will give you that.”
As they chatted their finished plates had been removed without them noticing and replaced with a single dessert with two spoons.
“What’s this?” he asked, eyeing the shredded pastry that contained walnuts, whipped cream, custard, and what might be drizzled honey.
“Ooh, kadaifi,” she squealed. “My favorite. Although I doubt this one will be as good as mama’s.” She dug in and groaned. “Oh, this is yummy.”
Taurus took a spoonful of his own, and had to admit, it was damned tasty. He and Circe kept shoving mouthfuls until only one remained.
She eyed him. “Who gets the last piece?”
“Whoever’s fastest.”
They both lunged, but he scooped it first and she groaned. “Lucky.”
“You want it?” He rose from his seat and came around, kneeling so he didn’t tower before offering the final bite.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s yours, honey.”
She parted her lips, and he stared in fascination as she sucked it from the spoon.
A tiny speck of the cream remained on her lips, and Taurus didn’t have the willpower to stop himself from leaning forward to taste it.
His mouth met hers, and she inhaled sharply but didn’t draw away. He let his tongue peep to lap the missed treat, and she shivered. It led him to boldly sliding along the seam of her lips until they parted.
They kissed. Not a brief peck this time but a languorous exploration of each other’s mouth that ignited his desire and might have led to other things if the tablet didn’t chime.
Circe drew back with wide eyes, flushed cheeks, and a visibly racing pulse.
The corner of his lip curled. “Definitely tastes like honey.”