Embers of Magic

Ancient Greece's Most Eligible Bachelor? Don't Think So, Bud.

The sunlight burnt my eyes as a thousand gulls fluttered above us in  a series of electric clicks. The smell of sea salt and fermented seaweed overwhelmed my senses as I inhaled the moment preparing to relax. But that wasn’t what we were here to do, even though Josh had already lost his sandals and had his pants rolled up to his knees.

I turned to Zarah in her combat boots, black pants and a Tobey Maguire Spider-Man T-shirt she got from Josh that made her look like a kid. I smiled at how out of place she looked on the beach before I let  myself become serious again. “Zarah.” I spoke firmly as she turned to me. “You look like a little kid.”

She flustered up as she turned around again kicking the sand. I laughed before chiding myself, Be serious, Ember! Serious! “Where’s this collector?” She began looking around with her nose flaring every now and then as if she were trying to signal me to ‘follow the smell.’ But what smell? We were on a beach the scent of the thundering waves overpowering everything except the prominent smell of rotting bamboo, fish gut on the verge of going off and the distinctive sour smell of low end boxed alcohol.

I exhaled.

“Please don’t tell me.” I said as I looked at Zarah, eyeing down a drunkard passed out on the beach. At first, he didn’t look anything out of the ordinary until I noticed how people acted around him. Or rather, the fact that I hadn’t noticed anything. They didn’t pull their faces in disgust nor did they bother about him drinking on the beach. It was as if he never existed. I spent time with Josh and Felix on the beach before and I know that it wasn’t our people would react. They usually run towards Josh, urging him to do something about because, ‘drunkards were disease infested.’ Their words, not mine.

Zarah walked over, confirming my fear. She kneeled down in front of him, obviously doing a best not to lose her breakfast that we had at Subways. Yes, we had Subways inside the subway. Shoot us. Anyway, I wasn’t planning on losing my breakfast, either. If I had my way, I’d drag him past the surf and toss him in. But, I had a feeling the ocean wouldn’t be too happy about it. I wouldn’t be happy about touching him, either. Who knows how much diseases he’s been carrying around for the last few thousand years.

“You sure you want to do that?” Josh asked Zarah as she started unscrewing a metal alcohol canister with the engravings 'Ancient Greece’s Most Eligible Bachelor' and tipped it over onto the god before I could say anything. He sprung up with a few colour words as he looked as if he were about to strangel Zarah for waking him from his beauty rest yet her cold stare seemed to intimated even him.

“Let me guess. The one with blue eyes must be Josh. You with the black hair, against popular belief since she has the flaming hair, must be Ember. And the little kid in the Spider-Man T-shirt, you’re Zarah.” The god spoke as Josh did is level best from preventing Zarah from wrapping her garrote around his throat. Speaking of which, where were her weapons? No. I didn’t have time for that now. “So, you were expecting us?”

“Yes, yes. Of course. Big fan. Our mothers are basically besties.” He said to me with a faint glimmer in his eyes. Whatever divinity he once had that made him attractive in the past was now as washed up as he was. He looked no more then a poor drunk fisherman.

“So you know why we came?”

“Yes, yes. Magic talisman that would help you control your magic.”

“Yes. Do you have one?”

“Bleh! Of course not! Why do people always expect me to have things?” He bellowed as Zarah walked off with a look of annoyance on her face – he was a waste of time. I followed and Josh after me. “Wait, don’t go!”

“Why not?” Zarah scrutinized harshly. “You’re of no use, Plutus.”

“I swear, kid. If it wasn’t for your mother, I would have killed you when I had the chance.” He became agitated.