Hunter

Chapter Twenty Two - I Get Burned

There are many things that I should have been thinking about when she said follow me, but the only thing that I could think about was how close I had been to missing her. How my selfishness and my need for solace almost cost me an opportunity to move forward. I knew I had to push my feelings aside to be able to do what I needed to do. No more distractions. I needed to focus.

My eyes snapped back to reality as she led me straight to the heart of the Sun, the center of the cultural ambiance that was the city. The building that I had seen from the top of the summit was gorgeous even closer. The marble was shiny and pristine, my hard reflection staring back at me. The columns rose into the clouds, the condensation hiding the roof from my view. Intricate architectural designs that I couldn't even begin to figure out crawled all the way up the sides of the magnificent structure.

As we walked deeper into the palatial edifice, we came across a small garden of lush greenery and exuberant colors. Surrounded by leaves and shrub, in the center of it all, a chiseled granite fountain sat. The blind woman, who I was starting to assume was not blind, sat on the edge of the fountain and lifted her veil off of her head. She wrapped it around her shoulders and lay back on the stone, a picture of perfect relaxation.

She dipped her hand into the water, swirling it around very carefully, almost as if she was cradling a child in her fingers. One foot rested on top of the other, her manicured toe pointed out in the sun. She lifted her hand, cupping some water, and letting it run down her arm, across her collarbone, and down to the tips of the fingers of her other hand. She dunked her hand back into the water, her fingertips gliding across the surface.

Deciding that she had stalled enough, I opened my mouth to speak.

"Sarina isn't here." Way to cut to the chase.

"So, where-"

"She's in Sun City, South Africa." I felt an unfathomable amount of weight rest on my shoulders again, and the frustration of having to start from the beginning made me want to scream and smash a marble bust into the ground. "Poor Hunter." Her voice reminded me of Atë. A bitter taste spread in my mouth like spilled ink. The girl stood from the fountain, her veil falling off of her shoulders, and circled me like a tiger watching its prey.

"I can't tell you what you need to know about your necklace, but I can tell you other things." Her hands trailed over my collarbone as she circled me, and I could feel the drops of water. I stood completely still. "There is so much more to the gods that just a meager little necklace. Let me show you beyond the walls. Let me open your eyes to the future."

"Just tell me where to find Apollo's Celestial." She laughed a vicious laugh, one that mocked my existence itself.

"Poor, little Hunter. So foolish and worthless. You have no idea who I am." She stopped in front of me, her hands cupping my face. She moved closer, her lips brushing against my ear as she spoke.

"I am the Oracle of Delphi, the Pythia. I have sacrificed myself to Apollo, the god of the Prophecy, so that I may have the power of Sight."

"Why do you want to show me anything at all?" She shrugged before sitting back on her fountain.

"Because, Hunter, just like the gods, I enjoy playing around with you Demigods, and it would be interesting to see how you would fare with the information I shall present to you."

"There's always a catch." I glanced down at my wrist quickly where the Moonstone sat. More than half of the orb had faded away.

"There is no catch. I prophesy, and you walk away at the end of it all." There was no time to think, so I agreed. She smiled once I gave her the okay, and she snaked towards me, looking like a serpent.