Laying back on my bed, I flip through the three letters I have received from this mysterious L person. Who is he? What does he want? At first, I thought the person was a generous anonymous donor to the museum. The person supplied me with at least half of my museum. In the winter, they sent me a second letter to meet them at the coffee shop, but I never went. With the titans breaking out and finding Eros and my daughter, I have forgotten about them until now.
I chew my bottom lip, tasting metallic on my tongue, thinking of what the next step was. I have yet to tell Eros what happened at the museum. I can only imagine how angry he will be when he finds out. Maybe I shouldn’t tell him anything until I get everything sorted. With the pregnancy, he is ten times more overprotective. I don’t want to worry him.
A loud knock on the bedroom door stirs me from my thoughts. “Aren?” My husband calls out. “Why is the door locked?”
Because I don’t want you to walk in while I am contemplating something dangerous.
“I-it’s locked?” I question.
He jiggles the doorknob. “Yes.”
I get up from the bed, letting out a long breath. As long as he doesn’t question me further on why it is locked, I won’t have to lie. Then when he discovers my foolish plans, he can’t get as mad at me. Right? I unlock the door, opening it slowly. “Strange…”
Eros towers over me, frowning down at me. His eyebrows furrow with thought. “We better baby proof that. Can’t have doors locking mysteriously.”
Is he already on to me? Does he know I am hiding something from him? I place a hand on my stomach, trying to avert his attention from the door to our unborn children. “Yes, they must have l-locked it.”
Eros looks down at the doorknob, grabbing onto it. He twists his wrist, breaking the lock instantly. “This pregnancy is going to give me an ulcer.”
I turn away from him, feeling guilty for not telling him the truth. “Mhm.”
He wraps his arms around my torso, his hands pressing on my stomach. His touch makes me smile. Our little family. I love it. I never thought I could be this happy. And yet, Eros provided it. He made me feel special. Something I never thought in my entire life.
“Little tricksters,” he whispers into my ear.
I tense slightly, his words reminding me that there are things I haven’t told him and things I am about to do he will not approve of. “They take after y-you.”
My husband kisses my neck, my ears, and my head. “Are you alright, Aren? Are the babies?” He rushes around to stand in front of me, frantically looking over my entire body. This only makes me feel worse.
I nod, squirming from his grip. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? I’m going to have Eileithyia come and check.” He continues to fret, grabbing out his phone. Eros presses a button and puts the phone to his ear. He has called her ten times in the last three days.
I grab his phone, hanging up. He is really starting to stress me out. Any little pain or discomfort I feel he wants to call her. “I said, I’m fine!”
He frowns at me. “Aren…I’m sorry. I’m just…a little out of my depth.”
I sigh, placing his phone on the table before sitting on our bed. We are both out of our depth. Our first child I gave birth to in a cave, and we lost her for two thousand years. A part of me feels like maybe we aren’t ready for a baby. Let alone twins. I close my eyes, breathing out as my mind slowly returns to the letters and the incident in the museum. If someone is sending me mysterious items with a vicious intent, I need to end it before the birth of our babies. I can’t lose my children again.
Eros comes to my side, lowering to his knees and resting his hands on my legs. His bright blue eyes sparkle in the light. My eyes glow as I observe the aura around him. Reddish pink. Love. My heart warms with the thought.
“I love you,” he says. I know.
“I love you, too,” I say, my legs slightly shaking.
Eros stands up, sitting beside me on the bed. His arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest. My anxiety is soothed for a few seconds as I breathe in his scent. Fresh air and chocolate. A strange combination but a comforting one.
“Do you want me to draw you a bath? With bubbles and candles? Relaxation central.” He brushes my hair from my face.
The anxiety returns, and I push away from him, standing. I need to meet with L. This is the only way I can stop this feeling inside me. “No.”
“What can I do for you?” he asks, pushing to his feet.
“Nothing…” I shake my head, chewing my bottom lip hard. I can’t be near him right now. Not until I deal with this mysterious person. “I have to go to the museum for a bit. I will see you tomorrow?”
Eros flinches. “T-tomorrow? I can go with you. I’ll cancel my meetings for this afternoon.”
I am about to shout, No, but I control myself, shaking my head. Moving close to him, I kiss him gently, and conceal my shaking hands behind my back. “I’ll be okay.”
He shifts from foot to foot, a nervous habit of his. “Will you do me a favor?”
“Of course.” I nod.
He leans forward, kissing me again. “Text me every ten minutes? I know I’m being insane. But I…I just need to know you’re safe.”
I sigh, my hands shaking more. I am not going to be safe, but I know he will come to find me if anything happens. I kiss him again. “You’re being insane. How about every thirty minutes?”
He frowns. “Twelve minutes.”
“Twenty.”
“Ten.”
“Lykos!” I exclaim.
He smirks. “Five.”
I giggle, shaking my head. “Not at all.”
He scrunches his nose, copying one of my habits. We are becoming like each other. “Fine. Ten.”
I poke his nose. “Lykos.”
He groans. “Twenty.”
I kiss him softly. “I’ll set timers to remind me.”
“Be safe. I mean it.” His eyes glow a dangerous blue. “I will burn the world if you are harmed. There will be nothing left.”
I gulp, my hands shaking once more. My smile becomes weaker. “I understand, Lykos. I must go now.”
He kisses me again. “I hope you’re appreciating the amount of restraint I’m exhibiting by not following you.”
“I appreciate it very much,” I say as I pick up my already packed bag.
My husband shifts from foot to foot once more. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”
I walk over to the door, looking back at him. “Someone needs to watch Hedone. She is becoming a bit more rebellious.”
He groans again, walking over to me. “This is really testing me. This is worse than Kronos.”
I kiss him one last time. “I know, Lykos. I really need to go, though.”
“Be safe,” he repeats, brushing my hair behind my ear.
“I will. I love you.” I say with a small smile.
“I love you, too.” Eros holds his phone up, the timer already starting. “Fifteen minutes. I mean it.”
I laugh, walking away from the door. “Twenty!”
“Fifteen!” I hear him yell.
Shaking my head, I giggle as I leave our floor and make my way to the museum. The entire walk has me thinking about tomorrow and what I am to do. I have no plan in place for what I am going to do when I meet L. What if I am captured? A shiver runs down my spine. That is a worse case scenario. Besides, the first letter was back in the Fall. Perhaps they are a co-worker from a long time ago, and I am overthinking.
Arriving at the museum, I go over all the artifacts the person donated. Hoping it will give me a clue of who they are. Most of the artifacts received from the mysterious donor are about ancient Greece, which makes perfect sense. We are located here. Nothing points me in a direction of who it could be. I sigh, picking up my phone to message Eros.
Lykos: How are the baby Raptors?
Aren: They miss you.
Lykos: You know, we could use this opportunity for some naughty pics…
Aren: How did I know that texting you would lead to this?
Lykos: Because you know I’m addicted to your body.
Aren: Are you? I didn’t know that.
Lykos: Just a little addicted.
Aren: So, I don’t need to send you my naked body?
Lykos: I mean… I won’t say no…
I giggle to myself, putting my phone down. Lately, I have enjoyed teasing him. If he wants pictures, he is going to have to tell me. Maybe ask nicely. Yes, I like this idea. I hear my phone buzz again, and I smile to myself. Let the games begin, Mister Amor.
Lykos: So what did you have to do at the museum that you couldn’t sleep here tonight?
My smile instantly fades, and I clutch my phone tightly. What made him ask this? We were just fooling around, and he has to ask the one question I really don’t want to answer.
Aren: I have some artifacts I need to look over before the museum opens back up.
Lykos: Oh? Nothing else?
Gulping loudly I put my phone screen down on the table. All the colour drains from my face. He knows. Oh, gods, he knows. My phone buzzes again, and I know I have to reply to him. I can’t leave him on read, or he will come down here.
Lykos: You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you?
Aren: Nope
Lykos: You know how I feel about lying, CLIO.
A shiver runs down my spine, and I wince. He never calls me Clio unless he is serious. The lights in the office begin to flicker as the twins shift in my stomach. Too much stress is bad for the babies, and I am full of it. I will have to continue this conversation with him after I meet with L.
Aren: I have to look at some artifacts and sleep. Talk to you in the morning.
Lykos: Yes. You will.
Opening my desk drawer, I place my phone inside. This is going to be a long night.
Clio is portrayed by Alice Callisto. Alice Callisto is a pen-name she goes by to share her fiction writing with the world. Callisto is also a streamer who loves to play games like Skyrim to Call of Duty. She is a big fan of ancient history and enjoys learning new things. Callisto has been writing since the age of sixteen on various different platforms, but only started taking it seriously recently. She is currently working on a project for #NaNoWriMo which involves dragons. Follow her on Twitch and Twitter to make her day.
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