Charon Unguarded by A. H. Johnstone

Author:A. H. Johnstone [Johnstone, A. H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bolide Publishing Limited
Published: 2018-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Charon stared at the crumpled piece of paper with the scrawled prophecy on it and nursed his third pint. After several hours of trying to decipher the note and failing to make any sense out of it he had given up and sent a message to Hermes. ‘Danger bodes where ice meets flame,’ was clearly referring to the Ice Giants working in cahoots with the Titans, but he knew that already. He wasn’t sure if the reference to servants was plural for a reason but it was certainly logical to assume that more than one person had released the Giants and Titans, as none but an Olympian would have had access. The Ice Giants too had been off-limits to any but the Norse. Even Yahweh had not been foolish enough to release the prisoners of the Gods.

The pub door opened. Hermes sauntered in like he owned the place and joined Charon at the table. Charon took Hermes’ opting out of buying a drink as a clear signal that he had no intention of staying or drinking with him. Again, his face was an impassive mask. No, not blank. He’s angry.

‘What do you want?’

‘Good to see you too. When I couldn’t get hold of you about meeting Zeus I went to see an Oracle …’

‘You what!’ Hermes visibly tensed. ‘Are you trying to get yourself in trouble?’

‘Calm down and lower your voice. I was running out of time, you were nowhere to be found and Odin has been on my case.’ He passed Hermes the note. ‘I can’t work out more than the first part. I was hoping that you would understand it. Do you want a beer?’ He decided not to ask him why he had left his position.

‘No. I don’t have time,’ Hermes murmured as he read it through. ‘Which oracle gave you this?’ he asked, looking at the note as if it was about to bite him.

‘Her name is Zoë. Carnus knows her so I assume she’s an Oracle to Zeus.’

‘And she couldn’t just tell you?’

‘Wouldn’t. Apparently, it doesn’t work like that. Whatever she saw, she took a serious turn for the worse. I couldn’t get near her or her priest for clarification. It was all very … public.’

‘You’d better hope the Fae courts …’

‘Apparently, it’s being dealt with.’

‘Who by?’

‘Someone in charge of the oracles.’ It occurred to Charon that Hermes was more interested in who had heard the prophecy than the prophecy itself. Was Hermes avoiding the question? It wasn’t the first time he’d been cagey over this. How far would he go to keep ‘his friends’ safe?

‘Suit yourself. It’s probably not important anyway.’ Hermes yawned hugely. ‘The ancient serpent could be referring to the dragons and the only crescent-shaped island I can think of off the top of my head is Japan. I think it’s a waste of time. As far as I’m concerned, they are already extinct.’

‘It won’t be easy to find them then.’

‘You could try the forest at the foot of Mount Fuji.

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