Since when have I not slept this well? Like, never. I had always imagined my first time to be catastrophic, to the point that I even thought about getting it over with the first guy who came along.
Instead, even if I'm a little sore, it was a dream. I stretch like a cat between the sheets and observe the wonderful frescoes that recall nature and the seascape.
Everything is so beautiful, but it only takes a moment to fall into panic.
The memories of yesterday’s dreadful morning flood my mind, and as if that weren’t enough, I don’t see Emanuele anywhere in the room. I push myself up on one elbow just as he walks in, carrying a tray filled with pastries. He closes the door with his foot and steps closer.
«Where were you?» I ask, unable to hide my concern.
«Sorry, I thought you’d want breakfast.»
«You never have to apologize when you bring me food.» I grab both a cherry pastry and a glass of milk. «Did you sleep? Or is that another thing you don’t need to do to stay alive?»
He sets the tray down on an oak table, its surface engraved with leaf and vine patterns. «Not that either.»
«So, what were you doing while I was passed out on the bed?»
He settles into an armchair by the window and exhales a thin cloud of vapor.
«Besides watching you? I took care of unfinished business with Calypso.»
I’m in the middle of sipping my milk when I nearly choke.
«Unfinished business?»
His gaze sharpens, and I catch another glimpse of that different side of him. The vengeful one, I’d say.
«She’d better choose her words carefully around you. I can be a problem for her, and I will be, if she dares to make your life anything less than perfect.»
I offer a hesitant smile. «How did she take it?»
«As I expected—seriously.»
I take a bite of the pastry, savoring its sweetness. Maybe that’s what gives me the courage to ask him a question I’m not sure I want answered.
«Were you in love with her?»
He crosses his legs and leans back in the chair.
«No. Back then, I loved a man.»
«Really? What was his name?»
«Hermes.»
I frown. «Hermes… Hermes?»
«Mh-hm. The very same—the messenger of the gods.»
I forget to even take another bite of my pastry. «I don’t believe it. You mean they actually existed?»
«Rare as they were, natives have always existed. He could travel across space in the blink of an eye—hence the myth of the winged feet,» he says, exhaling another misty breath. «Zeus asked him to inform Calypso of his orders, but she refused to let Odysseus leave for Ithaca. So Hermes asked for my help, and I agreed—I pretended to be Odysseus to make sure he returned to Penelope.»
«Now I understand why she’s so mad at you. But wait a minute… Was Zeus a native too?»
He nods, slipping his vape back into his pocket. «Yes. Does the lightning story ring any bells?»
«And were they all immortal?»
He casts a glance toward the garden visible beyond the window. «As long as no one killed them, yes.»
I finish my pastry and sink back into the pillows.
«Unbelievable. Do you think I… I mean… that I won’t age either?»
A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips as he gives me a sidelong glance.
«We’ll find out by living, I suppose.»
I run my fingers through my hair, holding them there for a moment.
«How did it end with Hermes?»
A shadow crosses his face, but it’s gone in an instant. «It ended with my death. I was assassinated.»
My eyes widen. «Assassinated? By who?»
Emanuele lets out a short laugh and stands. «How would I know? I was the one who was dead.»
«Damn, and you didn’t seek revenge?»
«If I had to avenge every time I’ve been killed… I’d spend eternity doing it.» He comes to sit beside me and brushes his fingers against my cheek. «But if the opportunity ever arose, I admit, I’d enjoy it.»
His touch is so gentle that I press my hand over his and let out a sigh.
«Is dying painful?»
«Quite. Especially when it’s a betrayal.»
I lower my gaze. What had my mother felt? Had she even noticed? It only happened yesterday, yet it feels like a lifetime ago. She herself feels distant. Maybe because that woman had nothing in common with the person I thought I knew. Was it really her? At this point, I’m no longer sure of anything.
«What happens afterward? After death, I mean.»
He tilts his head slightly, his gaze drifting elsewhere. «I can answer for myself. Honestly… not much. Most of the time, I can decide where to reappear. It’s like falling into the frame of a film.»
That kind of knowledge is something people would pay fortunes for. I could ask him questions forever.
«Why can’t you always choose?»
He shrugs. «I’m not sure. It happens in an instant.»
«Do you think something similar happens to humans?»
He thinks for a moment before answering.
«I believe so, but you usually don’t remember past lives. And you always start over from childhood, unlike those like me. Maybe that’s why you evolve so quickly—it’s as if it’s always the first time.»
I smile, tracing a line along his forearm with my finger. «Then maybe we’ve met in other lives too.»
He smiles as well, revealing perfect teeth, the dimple in his cheek deepening.
«I wouldn’t be surprised.»
«Maybe I was Hermes,» I tease.
He bursts into laughter. «Oh, no. I doubt it. He was completely insane. I adored him for that.»
I pout. «I’m about to get jealous, just so you know.»
«You have no reason to.» He kisses my lips, then my forehead. «I’m here. With you.»
The scent of his skin and the warmth of his touch make me want more. I try to keep myself composed and clear my throat.
«Are there many of your kind? Last question, I promise.»
«I don’t know how many. I’ve never met another,» he says, picking up a pastry and taking a bite.
I give him a suspicious look. «Didn’t you say you don’t need to eat?»
«Not to survive. But it has its appeal,» he says through a mouthful. «And anyway, that was another question.»
«You’re right.» I climb out of bed and head to the bathroom. «Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready.»
For what, I still don’t know. I suppose we should check the hard drive we found in my mother’s office. Fifteen minutes later, I look presentable again and decide it’s time to step out and face life.
«I’m ready!» I announce, walking back into the room.
I find him with Calypso, and a surge of irritation washes over me. They’re speaking in hushed tones near the window, but when they notice me, they stop. Which only makes my mood worse.
«The fact that this is your house doesn’t mean you can just walk in here without asking for permission,» I hiss, stepping toward them.
I don’t bother hiding my irritation, and I don’t care if it turns into a diplomatic incident.
Calypso raises her flawless eyebrows over her even more striking eyes. She’s wearing a long lilac robe that leaves her delicate shoulders bare, her skin smooth as marble.
«I apologize, but I must correct you. I did ask for permission. And I received it. Demetrius here can confirm.»
«Emanuele,» he corrects her.
The goddess offers a half-smile and brushes her long, pale hair over one shoulder. «I preferred the original, but as you wish. Emanuele it is.»
«What were you talking about?» I ask, bluntly.
He’s the one to answer. «Last night, I managed to get into the hard drive.»
A shiver runs down the back of my neck, making the hairs on my nape stand on end. «You couldn’t wait for me?»
He furrows his brows. «Why? I saved you hours of trial and error, Lilia.»
«Which would have been minutes for me,» I retort, irritated.
Calypso lets out a crystalline laugh.
«She’s got spirit. Now I see why you like her.»
I glare at her as if I could set her on fire. «Could you not talk as if I weren’t here?»
Emanuele places his hands on my shoulders and meets my gaze. «It’s all right. Just give me a moment to explain. Okay?»
I huff, but in the end, I nod for him to continue. He hands me his phone and unlocks it.
«Here are the documents I recovered. Read them.»
I scroll through them, one after another, and the information lodges itself in my mind like burning arrows. They’re dossiers about me—my entire life documented without my knowledge. Health, school, sports, every other kind of performance. There are mentions of "preparation sessions" and "final tests," but I have no idea what they refer to. Every single file bears the logo of the Sphinx, the company my father worked for.
«What did my mother need this information for?» I ask, forcing my tongue to function.
«She sent everything to an encrypted email address,» he explains.
«Encrypted? What does that mean?»
«Impossible to decode without the right key.»
My mind floods with connections that make my head spin. I press a hand to my forehead. I need to sort through everything I’ve learned. I start pacing the room, thinking out loud.
«My father had an interest in monitoring my development. If she was sending the data to someone else… it means she knew everything. Maybe she was even complicit.»
Calypso smooths a lock of her hair. «A double agent. Centuries pass, but some things never change.»
Emanuele nods. «And there’s only one other organization that would want these documents.»
My eyes widen as the pieces fall into place. «Truesight!»
«Your mother must have been killed by Sphinx operatives when they discovered her espionage,» Emanuele concludes. «That’s why you’re caught in the crosshairs of both organizations.»
I glance back at the small screen. A thick black bar obscures the line detailing the origin of my DNA.
«They’re not my real parents,» I murmur. «Neither of them. They were playing a role.»
Maybe that’s why I didn’t cry for them. Maybe a part of me always knew.
I sit on the edge of an armchair, my back straight, hands limp on my thighs. I stare at the phone, but I no longer see the words.
What’s more horrifying than this? I grew up among strangers. They never cared about me—neither of them. I was just a subject to observe, record, and, most likely, use.
«What did they need me for?» I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. «I can’t make cities explode, or fly, or read minds, or control people. All I can do is remember. Nothing more.»
Emanuele kneels in front of me and brushes his fingers over my wrists.
«You don’t know your limits yet. But you’re right—we need to find out what you were meant to do, and why erasing that list at the station was so important to your father.»
«And why he made them believe he was dead,» I add.
Calypso touches her lips, thoughtful. «His place was taken by Valen Arnaud, the former head of Research and Development at Sphinx. He might know something. But I can’t intervene directly.»
«You’re a native too. Why do Truesight and Sphinx leave you alone?» I ask, handing the phone back to Emanuele.
The goddess curls the corner of her mouth in a smirk. «You’ll see tonight.»
I don’t understand what she means, but I have too much on my mind to press her on it.
I spend the rest of the day with Emanuele—at least until I fall asleep. Too many emotions. Too much of everything.
When he wakes me, he tells me we’re about to leave Calypso’s estate. I rub my eyes and glance at the sky, now painted in the hues of sunset. A chill runs through me, and I wrap my arms around myself. I must have dozed off on a lounge chair by the pool, and now I’m freezing.
I yawn. «Now?»
It takes all my willpower to stand, but when Emanuele wraps his arms around me, I melt into his warmth.
«Are you all right?» he murmurs, pressing a hand to my temple.
I relax against him and sigh. «Now I am.»
«Are you sure?»
«Yes, really. Where are we going?»
«To the new version of Ogygia.»
I lift my gaze, finding his smile just a breath away from my lips.
«An island?» I ask, surprised.
«I suppose you could call it that. Don’t worry—I’ll keep you safe.»
I rise on my toes and kiss him. «With you, I’m not afraid of anything.»
He holds me tighter and trails kisses down my neck. This time, the shivers are molten, and I find his mouth again, losing myself in the softness of his touch.
«At this rate, we’re not going anywhere,» he whispers, resting his forehead against mine.
«That might not be a bad idea. Let’s leave and forget all of this.»
He strokes my face and tucks my hair behind my ear.
«You’d never be free. Always looking over your shoulder, erasing your tracks wherever you went.»
I sigh and nod. «I know.»
The weight of my reality crushes me, but he holds my gaze captive. Tonight, his eyes are the color of twilight.
«We’ll make it through this, all right?»
I nod, but I don’t believe it. «Yes, of course.»
He pulls me close one last time, then we leave Calypso’s garden behind.
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