Chapter 15

Koda shiftedon the park bench, uneasy, and yet he couldn't have said why.

Not entirely true. He worried about Marissa. He second-guessed his choice to come to this park rather than accompanying her while she met the mother who'd abandoned her.

Something about the situation nagged. How had Abe found Marissa's mother? Why had he even been looking? Abe had only known Marissa for a few months, and Koda doubted she would have spoken about her childhood to her boss.

"Someone's coming," Ambrose hissed, pulling him from his thoughts.

Indeed, a form, in a long billowing cloak, strode across the baseball diamond, head covered in a hood. He walked like a fighter, the swagger confident. As he neared, features became visible within the cowl. A square jaw, a nose at a slight angle as if it had been broken a few times, a scar that ran from the lip across the cheek to the temple.

Still in his magical disguise, Koda rose from the bench, the hood of his sweater hiding most of his features. Ambrose stood with him, holding the fake leash.

The stranger paused a few paces away and waited in silence.

Ambrose broke the impasse. "I've brought the chimera. Where's the money?"

The stranger crossed his arms. "There is no reward because this is not she."

Koda stiffened.

Unperturbed, Ambrose snorted. "Is this how you do business? Because that's bullshit. Cost me quite a bit to collar this one, and I expect compensation. If not from you, then someone will pay."

"I see the greed of humanity hasn't changed."

"Who says I'm human?" taunted Ambrose.

The man cocked his head, and his lips curved slightly. "My mistake. Who do you serve?"

"The goddess Hekate, and she won't be happy if you mess with her favorite hound," Ambrose declared.

"I have no argument with the goddess, but I do take issue with lies." The man waved a hand, and Koda didn't have to look down at himself to know the glamour had dropped. "Is Hekate now working with my enemy?"

Since Koda no longer had to pretend, he felt free to ask, "What enemy?"

"The one who sent me away to die," the man growled.

"Who are you?" Koda asked because he suddenly found himself curious. This was not unfolding as expected. While the man cut an imposing figure, Koda got no sense of menace.

"I am Kratos. And you?"

"Koda. And this is my companion, Ambrose."

"And the other one hiding over by the play structure?" Kratos waved a hand.

"That's Orion, another of Hekate's hounds," Koda explained, realizing that, whoever they faced, he wasn't human.

Orion stepped out, huffing, "How did you see me? I had my scent hidden."

"I didn't survive decades in Tartarus to be fooled by such childish tricks," Kratos offered with a smirk.

Tartarus? "Hold on, that place is real?" Koda had heard of it. A place where misbehaving gods supposedly got sent, guarded by fearsome titans and monsters.

"Real enough to scar me and keep me trapped for much too long." Kratos grimaced. "Now, enough of your questions. Time to answer mine. Where is Calliope?"

"Who?"

"The chimera."

At last, a name. "I don't know," Koda admitted. "We set this trap to capture you so you'd stop trying to kill Marissa."

"Who is Marissa?" Kratos sounded genuinely confused.

"Why do you want the chimera?" Koda countered.

"That is none of your business."

"I'd say it is, considering the efforts being made to conceal her whereabouts and the attacks on those of us trying to find her."

"I've attacked no one, and why would I hide her location when I want to find her?" Kratos didn't hide his exasperation.

"Find her why?"

"That is between me and her," snapped the man.

"Have you been setting fires?" Orion point-blank asked.

"No. That's not one of my skills. I am a warrior. I live by the sword." A sword he suddenly showed off by pulling from a sheath down his back.

"Damn, dude, that's a big knife," Orion whistled.

"And it will carve you up if I don't get answers," growled Kratos.

"Trust me, we'd like some too. I'm beginning to think we need to get some things straight." Because things didn't add up. "I've been tasked by the Cryptid Authority, along with my partner, Marissa, to find the chimera who escaped from prison."

"Prison?" The man sounded surprised. "For what crime?"

"No one seems to know."

"You said Calliope escaped. Where is she now?" Kratos asked.

"We think she's in the area because of a possible connection to Marissa."

"You keep saying that name. Who is this Marissa, and why would you think Calliope has an interest?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Marissa's an orphan, found at a young age in the remains of a fire set by the chimera."

Kratos shook his head. "Calliope would never harm a child."

"Never said she was hurt. Marissa emerged unscathed but with no memories of her past. Although she might get those answers soon. Abe is taking her to meet her mother."

"I care not about these people. I want to find Calliope. The advertisement I placed was supposed to help, not waste my time on strangers." Kratos turned to leave, and Koda barked, "Not so fast. I'm not done asking questions."

"As if I care. I'm only interested in finding Calliope."

"Why? Why are you so interested in her? Are you planning to kill her?"

"Never!" The vehemence vibrated in the air. "I love her."

It was Ambrose who began putting the pieces together. "Someone tossed you in Tartarus because of your relationship with her."

Kratos' expression darkened. "Prometheus couldn't accept she chose me. I would have killed him, but even demi-gods aren't easy to kill, and so we did our best to evade detection. Lived happily for many years until Prometheus found us. We fought, but he cheated. He cast a dark spell that flung me into Tartarus, where he assumed I'd die. He forgot he wasn't the only one with some god blood." Kratos' chin lifted. "Every day in that place I had to fight to stay alive. Spent decades searching for an escape. Now that I've returned, I've been trying to find Calliope, but that bastard has obscured her location."

"Okay, cool story. Back to Marissa, though? Is she your kid?" Trust Orion to be blunt.

Without hesitation, Kratos stated, "We had no children."

"Are you sure about that?" Ambrose queried. "Because the evidence we have seems to indicate the chimera tried to hide the fact she had a baby, and that said baby is Marissa."

The man pursed his lips. "It is possible she carried my child but didn't know before I was imprisoned. Take me to her and I will know the truth."

On a whim, Koda said, "Can you take off your hood?"

"Why?"

"To see the color of your hair."

The man grimaced. "Why does it matter?" he complained and yet pushed back the cowl.

Koda stared, and Ambrose huffed, "It's the same shade as Marissa's."

The remark widened Kratos' eyes. "The child has pink hair?"

"Hardly a child. She's thirty-five."

"And I've been gone for almost thirty-six years," the shell-shocked man murmured.

"This person you say has been stalking the chimera, does he happen to like fire?" Koda questioned.

"Yes. Prometheus has always liked to burn things. The first time he kidnapped Calliope, he torched everything she touched so I couldn't track her. Luckily, my love managed to escape."

Ambrose turned to Koda. "I'm thinking Prometheus must be the other player who's been setting all those fires."

"You think he knows Marissa is the chimera's kid?" Koda mused aloud.

"It would explain the attacks." Ambrose turned to Kratos. "I don't suppose you know where this Prometheus is?"

"If I did, he'd be dead." A flat and dark reply.

"A better question is, what does this Prometheus look like? Do you have a picture?" Orion interjected.

A frown creased Kratos' brow. "No. But I well recall his appearance. Let me see if my meager magic can conjure it for you to see." The man held out his hand and concentrated, his brow furrowing even deeper. "I'm too weak on this plane."

"Hold on, I might be able to help." Orion held out his hand, and Kratos eyed it as if it were slimy. "Grab it and I can boost your magic, courtesy of my goddess."

The man appeared ready to refuse, but with a grunt, he clasped it. The moment he did, the air before him shimmered. It coalesced into a shape. A man with long hair tied back and a sneer.

A man Koda knew.

"Fuck me! That's Abe."

"Wait, isn't that the guy whose house we're staying at?" Orion asked with surprise.

"Yes. And he took Marissa to meet her mom." Koda's stomach clenched.

Ambrose took over this train of thought to murmur, "And if her mom is the chimera, then he's using her as bait."

"Or a hostage." Koda kicked the ground and cursed. "How the fuck did he manage to fool us?"

"The more important thing is, where did he take her?" Ambrose pointed out.

"What the fuck?" Koda got distracted as the pocket in his pants began to ooze. A shove of his hand inside pulled out an exploded ketchup packet, the one Marissa hexed. As he touched it, Koda suddenly knew where to find her. "Abe's taken her to the house that burned down when she was a child."

"We must make haste," Kratos declared, sheathing his sword. "Take me at once."

"To the hound mobile!" Orion chirped as he headed for the car, which would be subject to lights and traffic.

Koda had a better idea. "You drive. I'll meet you there."

"How? You can't exactly run faster," Ambrose reminded.

"No, but I can fly." And his internal navigation would direct the way.

The question being, would he get there in time?