Myth Hunter by Suneé le Roux

Author:Suneé le Roux
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Strawberry Moon Press

PART 4: HUNTER'S RESOLVE

FOR A CITY so steeped in myth and legend, Rome had been utterly disappointing so far.

Three months walking the cobbled streets of the Eternal City and I had yet to encounter any fantastical creatures. Everywhere I looked, buildings, fountains, museums and curio shops bombarded me with images of the gods and goddesses of this ancient civilisation. Hell, my somewhat seedy apartment in Trastevere was graced with a mural of a crazy-eyed Zeus casting lightning bolts from between billowing clouds on the bathroom wall. I couldn’t even brush my teeth without being confronted by that other world most believed were stories, but that I now knew to be true.

And yet, for someone who had nearly had their veins frozen to ice, danced with a harbinger of death, been hunted by hounds from beyond the grave, and been breathed on by a real honest-to-Zeus dragon, I have managed to completely evade any nymph, satyr or tea-loving faun that might call this city home.

It was a dead zone, mythologically speaking.

The statue of Oceanos leered down at me from its vantage point at the centre of the Trevi Fountain. Its mocking gaze reminded me just how much I hated being near water these days. It was as if the marbled Titan knew I hadn’t gotten around to swimming lessons yet and was daring me to take the plunge.

If I’d had a can of paint, I’d spray graffiti all over that smug smirk.

Instead, I fingered the coin I’d been meaning to throw into the fountain, and then thrust it back into the pocket of my tweed jacket.

I doubt I’d ever want to return to Rome, anyway. Nothing but regrets here.

I pulled the collar of my jacket up as the wind ruffled through my hair and glanced up at the clear blue sky. Rome was between seasons, on the cusp of spring, an in-between time when the winter tourists had left and the summer throngs hadn’t yet arrived. It would have been a wonderful time to explore the Italian capital, if I hadn’t been so frustrated.

At least I could look forward to a sweltering summer if I stayed in the city a while longer. It would be nice to feel truly warm again, after so long.

I turned my back on the famous fountain, for once not covered in scaffolding, and ambled towards the ice cream shop at the corner of the empty piazza.

“Un gelato al cioccolato, per favore.”

The downside of failing a mission was the frustration of feeling trapped in a Sisyphean purgatory, showing no progress and doomed to stay in one place until you had redeemed yourself. The upside was that you got to eat chocolate ice cream. Lots and lots of it.

While I waited for the lanky teenager behind the counter to serve my scoop, I glanced back at the piazza. It wasn’t empty anymore. A dark-haired girl with black-rimmed glasses was admiring the fountain. A smile crept over my face as I watched her snapping selfies while pretending to toss a coin over her shoulder.

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