Dinner is on Me

5.

Josh accompanied me up the final stretch to Apollo's temple. Riding straight through the night, we had somehow managed to make it back to Athens just as dawn had begun to break. He had insisted on delivering me to the portal himself, to make sure nothing else could stand in my way from going home.

At the temple we were greeted by one of the many priestesses that had been missing on that fateful Friday night, barely two days ago. She clasped her hands together in delight, the golden serpents she wore as bracelets, coiling around her wrists in excitement.

"Thank heavens Kim you're back! and look how lovely, you brought your friend too!"

Surprise didn't nearly describe my reaction; this was the very first time I had ever been addressed by name here.

As I stood there momentarily confused, the priestess took the chance to turn to one of her colleagues and barked some orders at her,

"You, tell Leonora it can rain again." and to no surprise that colleague quickly disappeared.

She turned her attention back to me,

"Ready to leave?"

This was so very different from the usual, more anonymous process of Chronos travelling.

"I guess." is all I managed to stammer back.

She nodded and snapped her fingers.
Instantly, the giant flame of Apollo appeared in its brazier, stronger and bolder than I had ever seen it before. It was seriously mesmerizing.

In the end, Josh had to get me out of my weird daze again,

"Hey," he waved a hand in front of my face, "Before you go I just wanted to ask..." he paused, "You think we'll ever meet again?"

"I'm pretty sure we will." I answered, finally focused on the task at hand again.

He raised an eyebrow,

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm taking you out to dinner next weekend." I replied.

He laughed.

I straightened my back, squared my shoulders and for once stood in the past with actual confidence. I had asked him more questions throughout the night and had come to a clear conclusion: he had a case here and I was going to make sure he won it.

"You know how I told you I studied law?" I told him, "Well as a matter of fact, what I study is not human law but mythological law."

I could tell he didn't get it. I continued,

"The minute I go back, I'm heading straight to the courts and am handing in a request for early trial termination on your behalf. There has been a gross misconduct and willful endangerment of godly lives." Now I was starting to get a reaction, "The authorities in charge should have never even let you be sent on these trials, Josh. There are various assessments and paperwork to go through beforehand and you clearly didn't do any of them. Your statements alone prove your trials aren't legal. People will go to hell for this, but it won't be you."

He took a step towards me and I realized how much this meant to him.

"Are you serious?" he asked me.

I was being entirely serious. Without our chance encounter who knows what may have happened to him. Or to me.

"I'll contact one of my professors," I said, "Once she hears about this there will be a reckoning, I can tell you that. As soon as I hand it in, you'll be relieved from quest duty and can go to the present. There will probably be a hearing, but you should be free to go by Friday. "

He took another step closer until he was barely a breath away. For some reason it made me catch mine.

"Make it burgers." he finally said.

"What the?"

A smile that in that moment, felt brighter than the sun itself, spread across his face,

"Let's go out for burgers, for that dinner I mean."

I bit my lip to try and stop it but in the end I couldn't. I smiled back and it felt good, I'll admit it.

"Despite sometimes falling yourself, you have the heart of a true hero Josh," I told him as I turned and walked over to the fire.

He answered and for the first time since we met, he sounded genuinely happy,

"You do too, Kim. You do too."

********

And that's all I have to say your Honor.

I hope you come to a decision soon because I have a dinner reservation at eight that I'd really really hate to miss.