CHAPTER 29

Ananya Calls in a Favor

In less than five minutes, Heidi, Iva, and Andy crested the hill. Heidi ran up to Ananya and embraced her. “It’s you. It’s really you.”

“Yes, it’s me,” Ananya said. “Benjamin tells me I saw you a few hours ago, though I have yet to experience that moment in time.”

“You were in a temple arguing with Kronos,” Heidi said. “And then you vanished.”

“But now I’m here, and I have an idea how to get the five of you back to the present,” Ananya said. “Follow me inside the temple.”

They walked in, single file, through the small entrance then circled around the altar in the center.

“This is a temple to Apollo,” Iva stated it more than asked it.

Ananya nodded her head. “Yes, though not nearly as popular as those closer to the oracle. I come here when I need to talk directly to his holiness.” She gave a sideways grin as she said it.

“Does he listen?” Andy asked.

“To me? Always. Apollo has had need to seek refuge in Xanadu from time to time. Let’s just say Apollo owes me a favor or two.” Chaos jumped to the altar and perched in the center, and Ananya placed her hands palm down on the altar. “Apollo, would you please do me the courtesy of a visit? There’s something I need to speak with you about.”

And then they waited less than a minute.

“Ah, lovely Ananya. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Benjamin turned to see a handsome, though familiar, man with shining golden hair walking toward them and the temple. The sun glinted off his bronzed skin and blond hair, creating a glowing aura around him. Benjamin heard a sharp intake of breath and turned to see both Heidi and Iva staring. Benjamin couldn’t place where he’d seen the man before, but he knew this wasn’t the first time they’d met.

“Apollo.” Ananya moved her lips into a flicker of a smile. “You’re looking well.”

“The sun will do that to you,” Apollo said. “Did you know it’s the most plentiful source of energy anywhere near our small little planet?”

“I believe you mentioned that to me once or twice before,” Ananya said. “Apollo, I’d like you to meet a few of my friends.”

She introduced them with first names only. Did Cory even have a last name? And then it dawned on Benjamin where he’d met Apollo before.

“You were in Xanadu,” Benjamin said.

Apollo flashed his gleaming smile and laughed. “Many times.”

“I knew I’d met you before.” Benjamin turned to Heidi. “Remember?”

Heidi nodded. “But I had no idea you were a god when we met before.” Her eyes were still a bit glazed over which kind of irked Benjamin.

“For me that time hasn’t come,” Apollo said. “Though now I will anxiously await it.” He spread his arms wide. “Friends of Ananya are friends of mine. Welcome to Delphi. How do you like my city?”

“It’s the loveliest place I’ve ever been.” Iva could hardly take her eyes off the man.

Though it pained him, Benjamin had to admit that Apollo was a perfect specimen. His physique looked chiseled, each muscle sized just right. His golden hair topped his head like a crown. And his teeth shone as his smile lit up the world around him.

“Would the young ladies like a tour?” Apollo extended each arm; it wasn’t a request.

Benjamin felt a strong urge to say, “No, the young ladies would not like a tour,” but held back when he saw the look on Ananya’s face. And then he felt Andy’s rage in the Alliance bond. Andy was furious. And jealous.

“Nathan could show up at any time,” Andy said.

Apollo turned to look at Andy. “Nathan Nyx? Oh, I don’t think so.”

“How can you be so sure?” Andy said.

Apollo laughed and walked closer to Iva and Heidi. “Nathan Nyx is banned from Delphi. If he comes here, I will kill him myself.”

Andy opened his mouth to say something else, but Ananya shot him a glance to silence him. And so Heidi and Iva walked over and each interlaced an arm with Apollo.

“I won’t take long,” Apollo said. “But I must extend proper courtesy to my beautiful young guests. When I return, we can speak.” Leaving no room for argument, Apollo turned, with Heidi on his left arm and Iva on his right, and walked away from the temple.

Benjamin looked to Ananya.

She sighed. “Though he does owe me favors, we need his help, so I dare not dispute. At least not just yet. Apollo likes to feel he is king of Delphi—which I suppose he is. They shouldn’t be gone longer than an hour or two.”

“An hour or two!” Andy said.

“Delphi is a large city,” Ananya said. “And Apollo knows I need something. He will give it to me. But he’ll also make me wait.”

Benjamin shrugged and sat down. Now seemed like as good a time as any. He formed a mental image of the disk he’d traded with Achilles in his mind.

“There’s something you need to give me when we’re in India,” he said to Ananya, and he shared the image with her.

Ananya sucked in her breath. “That’s not possible.”

Benjamin looked at her. “Why not?”

“Do you even know what that is?” she asked.

“Not really,” Benjamin said. “I mean I know it’s a life force disk.”

“It’s dangerous,” Ananya said. “You should not own one.”

“It’s not for me,” Benjamin said. “I need it to trade with Achilles.”

But Ananya shook her head. “Even if I wanted to give you one, I’m not sure where I’d get it. They’re rumored to be made in the workshop of Hephaestus.”

“Ananya gave it to you?” Andy said. “When?”

“Back when we were in the temple,” Benjamin said. “And now it’s hidden safely in Geros.” He looked back to Ananya. “But if you don’t give it to me, then I’ll never be able to hide it and find it and trade for our freedom.”

“And Achilles could kill us,” Andy said.

Ananya shook her head slowly back and forth. “I’ll see what I can do. It may involve calling in more favors, and I’m not making any promises.”

Benjamin smiled. “It’ll work. It has to. Otherwise we’d never be here right now.”

 

By the time Benjamin heard laughter four hours later, he’d run out of things to say. After unsuccessfully trying to pry information from Ananya about the life force disk, they’d spent the time asking everything they could think of, then catching up, and then just sitting there saying nothing. Four hours is a long time to spend with anyone, even a brother you’ve just met.

Heidi and Iva were arm in arm with Apollo when they crested the hill, but they didn’t have the Indian saris on they’d started in. Now they had on golden togas which tied around their necks and showed plenty of leg above the knee with golden sandals that laced around their legs and reached all the way up to those knees. Benjamin tried to force himself to look away, but his eyes kept taking control and roving back over to Iva and Heidi. He couldn’t believe girls in ancient Greece had worn stuff so short.

“What was wrong with your other clothes?” Andy asked in a super calm voice though Benjamin was sure he could hear Andy’s heart beating. Or maybe it was his own heart; he couldn’t be sure.

The girls giggled.

Andy frowned.

“They were soaked,” Heidi said. “We fell in the fountain down on the lower level of the city.”

“Well, not quite fell in,” Iva said. “Apollo pushed us in.”

“Really, Apollo, isn’t that a bit childish, even for you?” Ananya said. “Pushing young ladies into fountains?”

“Ah, but you see it was all in good fun,” Apollo said. “We were enjoying ourselves, making wishes in the fountain when, the next thing I knew, somebody splashed me.”

“I didn’t do it,” Heidi said.

“Neither did I,” Iva said.

“As I wasn’t sure which of the ladies had splashed me, I pushed them both in. But then I couldn’t let them run around in soaking wet saris, now could I?”

Ananya sighed. “No, I suppose not.”

“And you just happen to have spare clothes?” Andy said.

Apollo chuckled. “In a city full of female oracles there’s never a shortage of clothing. But I must apologize for taking so long. The time somehow just, oh, you know. It just got away from us.”

“There’s so much to see,” Heidi said. “You guys should have come along.”

“I don’t think we were actually invited,” Benjamin said.

Apollo feigned shock. “Oh, my, did I forget to invite you? I’ve been a rude host, I’m afraid. Would the gentlemen like to go on a tour?”

“And get dunked in the water?” Andy said. “No thanks.”

“Shall we eat then?” Whatever his true intentions, Apollo played the perfect host. Too perfect. He was obviously stalling.

“Enough games, Apollo.” Ananya no longer smiled at the golden god. “You know why we’re here.”

Apollo sighed. “Ah, yes. I know why you are here. And the lovely ladies have been so kind in helping me to understand your plight. It seems the five of you have a problem.”

Anger flared up inside Benjamin. What had Heidi and Iva told Apollo? Everything? Taking a deep breath, he forced his face to be calm.

“Thanks to the trickery of your grandfather Kronos, your guests are currently confined to this time,” Ananya said.

“And is there something wrong with this time?” Apollo motioned around with his head. “You would all be more than welcome to stay forever in my city.”

And it was about here that Benjamin noticed Iva dropped her arm from Apollo’s. She looked at Heidi, something passed between them, and they both walked over to join their friends.

“I’m afraid that’s out of the question,” Ananya said before Benjamin could speak.

“But why not?” Apollo asked. “And Cory could happily return to fighting in the war. In fact, Cory, you could work for me. I have a debt to pay. I need someone to assassinate Achilles.”

If Cory was shocked by the request he didn’t show it. But his face did darken. “I’m no assassin. If you have a vendetta against Achilles, it’s yours to pay. I want no part in that war.”

“But why? Fighting over women, land, and power. Isn’t that what life is all about?” Apollo said.

“Not my life,” Cory said. “My destiny lies in the future. And that’s where I need to go. With Benjamin.”

“So true. So true.” Apollo clucked his tongue. “But what could I possibly do to help?”

“You can allow the Navel of the World to be used to temporally phase all five of them back to their own time.” Ananya wasn’t asking.

“Yes, I suppose I could do that,” Apollo said. “But why should I?”

“Because you care for Kronos even less than I do,” Ananya said. “It’s his fault they’re stuck back here at all.”

“I thought it was the fault of Nathan Nyx,” Apollo said. “Who as I mentioned before is banned from Delphi.”

“Why?” Benjamin asked.

“It has to do with the visit he paid to Delphi just a couple weeks ago,” Apollo said.

Benjamin’s mouth dropped open. “He came to see you? Why?”

“Why does anyone come to Delphi? To get their future told of course.” Apollo sighed. “Yet the quality of oracles I am finding just isn’t measuring up. He, like so many others, was disappointed.”

“Was it untrue?” Iva said. “I mean, was the oracle wrong?”

“That moment has not come to pass yet,” Apollo said.

“So the oracle wasn’t wrong.” Iva narrowed her eyes. “Why was he disappointed then?”

“I would like the oracles who serve me to be able to give more than one possible future,” Apollo said. “Too many times all they deliver is bad news. Aside from not creating many return customers, it causes very bad press outside of Delphi.”

“Maybe they are telling all they see,” Iva said.

“Perhaps,” Apollo said. “But that isn’t good enough.”

And then Benjamin looked at Iva. She still stared at Apollo, but her eyes had gone from moonstruck to intense. Benjamin felt like at any moment, she’d begin to challenge his control of the oracles. Heidi must’ve noticed, too, because she shuddered, just a bit, and moved closer to Benjamin.

“Regardless,” Apollo went on, “threatening my oracles with death is not acceptable.”

“Death?” Heidi said.

Apollo nodded. “Nathan Nyx has a bit of an evil side, it seems.”

That was putting it mildly.

“We aren’t here to discuss the abilities of oracles,” Cory said. “We’re here so we can time travel.”

“Yes, Apollo,” Ananya said. “Cory is right. We are here because they need your help to get home.”

“Ananya. Ananya. Why is it I have such a hard time saying no to you?” Apollo brushed something off the golden hair on his arm.

“Because you owe me plenty of favors?” Ananya said.

“Yes, there is that,” Apollo said. “But I can’t just let them use the Navel and leave Delphi.”

“Why not?” Andy asked.

“Why that wouldn’t be right.” Apollo pretended to look sad. “I would be getting nothing in return.”

“And what is it you want in return?” Ananya asked.

But then Apollo’s fake sad look vanished. “I want her,” he pointed directly at Iva, “to remain here in Delphi.”

Benjamin heard Heidi suck in a deep breath. He turned to look at Iva and saw the color drain from her face.

“Out of the question.” Andy took a step forward, moving so Iva was behind him.

“Iva has important responsibilities back in the future,” Ananya said. “That’s just not possible.”

“No way,” Benjamin said. Why had he brought Iva back in the first place?

“Yes way,” Apollo said.

Heidi stepped forward. “Iva can’t stay here. She has things to do.”

Apollo pursed his lips together. “Nothing that can’t wait. I mean this is time we’re talking about here. I’ll send her back at some point.”

“No,” Andy said.

Benjamin glanced at Iva. She’d been silent this whole time.

“Then I’m sorry to say the Navel of the World is off limits.” Apollo crossed his arms. “Either Iva Marinina stays with me here in Delphi, or you all stay with me here in Delphi.”

“I’ll stay.” Iva’s face had drained of every bit of blood, but she held it steady.

Andy shook his head. “No, you won’t.”

“I would only ask for, oh, let’s say, a year.” The golden smile began to creep back onto Apollo’s face.

“I’ll stay for a year,” Iva said again.

Andy whirled on her. “Iva, you are not staying here in Delphi. There’s no way.”

“Andy, you heard Apollo. If I don’t stay, then Benjamin and Cory can’t get back. And they need to. That’s what’s most important. There’s no other choice.”

“I would of course need you to serve me as an oracle,” Apollo said.

Iva nodded. “I know.”

“You can’t stay,” Heidi said. “We need you.”

“You need me to stay here,” Iva said. “It’s the only way.”

“Iva, come to your senses,” Andy said. “Listen to yourself. You are not living in Delphi for a year to be an oracle.”

Benjamin turned to Iva. “You don’t have to do this. We could find another way.”

“No, Benjamin,” Iva said. “There isn’t going to be another way.”

“Wonderful,” Apollo said, clasping his hands together. “Iva Marinina will stay with me here in Delphi for one year, and the sooner the rest of you leave, the better.”

Benjamin looked at Iva and saw it in her face. There was to be no changing her mind. She was going to stay.

“So it’s all settled?” Apollo beamed. “Then I believe we can head down to the Navel of the World.”

“It’s not quite settled,” Andy said.

Benjamin turned quickly to look at his friend, knowing before Andy opened his mouth, what he was going to say.

“What part of it isn’t settled?” Apollo asked. “Iva’s made her own decision to stay. What else could there be?”

Andy looked Apollo directly in the eyes. “I’m staying, too.”