Read Online City of gods - Hellenica by Jonathan Maas - Free Book Online
Authors: Jonathan Maas
Ads: Link
you may have ascertained, I am a feline goddess. Behind me is Osiris. We’re going to ask you some questions, and I would highly suggest you tell the truth. Osiris will be able to sense your lies before they leave your mouth.”
“I do not lie,” said Kayana. “You should be aware of that, as well.”
“Then be sure to tell the whole truth. Osiris can also sense when anything has been withheld. Let me preface this by stating that you’re free to go at any time; you aren’t here against your will. However, the goddess Mnemosyne will erase your memory of this place if you choose to leave. Do you understand?”
“Neither Mnemosyne nor any other god will be able to erase my memory,” said Kayana, “and if she dares peek into my thoughts, she will see such horrible things that it will leave her crippled.”
Bastet stared at Kayana, unimpressed.
“But yes, I understand,” said Kayana.
“Good,” said Bastet. “Now to move forward, your past must be wiped clean. Our enemies will scour the conurbation to hurt your loved ones, so we must erase all ties. Mnemosyne will find your loved ones first and erase their memories of you. Do you accept this?”
“I have no loved ones,” said Kayana, “so I accept.”
“Let’s be sure,” said Bastet, flipping through a digital holographic tablet with her paws.
Kayana had seen technology before, but she hadn’t seen anything as advanced as the display in front of Bastet. The tablet displayed a three-dimensional representation of each member of her previous families, in perfect color and detail. As the cat goddess swiped her paws over the screen, new representations of people showed up, most with the word deceased above their heads.
“Now, it says here you’ve had several foster families, most of whom perished after being exposed to your touch?”
“Yes,” said Kayana. “Have Mnemosyne track any remaining living members down and take away their memories of me. You’d be doing them a favor.”
“Understood,” said Bastet. “Now, did you acquire any friends during your childhood?”
“None.”
“No friends? Not even acquaintances?”
“Perhaps one man.”
“Who’s that?” asked Bastet.
“The mercenary Cassander, who drove me here,” said Kayana. “And tell Mnemosyne she need not worry about erasing his memory. If any entity were to harm him, I’ll know, and I’ll make sure they regret it. Now please, destroy whatever you can find of my past, erase whatever you need to erase, and show me what plans you have for me, so that I might accept or reject your terms.”
Bastet looked at Osiris, and he smiled with admiration.
“Put your gloves back on and proceed downward,” said the cat-like woman.
Kayana did as she was told, but before she left the room, Osiris beckoned her to stop.
“I’m glad you’re out of that dreadful institution,” he said. His deep voice came out as a quivering whisper. “You’ve glimpsed but a fraction of your power. You’re destined for great things.”
Osiris released Kayana and gave a nod to Bastet, who pressed a button to summon two Spartan mercenaries. They took her back out to the inside of the Acropolis, and she saw a small boy in a mechanized suit walk in.
Such a soft face, such a harmless disposition, thought Kayana, but I sense a dark power. He can kill more than I could without even knowing it.
The two mercenaries escorted her to an escalator and they began to descend. The underground was cavernous and seemed to match the size of Hellenica above. Kayana knew that Hephaestus had designed an underworld to correspond to the city, but she hadn’t imagined it would be this beautiful. Doric columns of steel supported the ceiling, and she looked up to see bas-reliefs of the past thousand years of human history. Every generation had left a mark on the ceiling, and the ceiling was large enough for ten thousand more years.
Kayana could see that the mercenaries were bringing her towards a small auditorium. The
“I do not lie,” said Kayana. “You should be aware of that, as well.”
“Then be sure to tell the whole truth. Osiris can also sense when anything has been withheld. Let me preface this by stating that you’re free to go at any time; you aren’t here against your will. However, the goddess Mnemosyne will erase your memory of this place if you choose to leave. Do you understand?”
“Neither Mnemosyne nor any other god will be able to erase my memory,” said Kayana, “and if she dares peek into my thoughts, she will see such horrible things that it will leave her crippled.”
Bastet stared at Kayana, unimpressed.
“But yes, I understand,” said Kayana.
“Good,” said Bastet. “Now to move forward, your past must be wiped clean. Our enemies will scour the conurbation to hurt your loved ones, so we must erase all ties. Mnemosyne will find your loved ones first and erase their memories of you. Do you accept this?”
“I have no loved ones,” said Kayana, “so I accept.”
“Let’s be sure,” said Bastet, flipping through a digital holographic tablet with her paws.
Kayana had seen technology before, but she hadn’t seen anything as advanced as the display in front of Bastet. The tablet displayed a three-dimensional representation of each member of her previous families, in perfect color and detail. As the cat goddess swiped her paws over the screen, new representations of people showed up, most with the word deceased above their heads.
“Now, it says here you’ve had several foster families, most of whom perished after being exposed to your touch?”
“Yes,” said Kayana. “Have Mnemosyne track any remaining living members down and take away their memories of me. You’d be doing them a favor.”
“Understood,” said Bastet. “Now, did you acquire any friends during your childhood?”
“None.”
“No friends? Not even acquaintances?”
“Perhaps one man.”
“Who’s that?” asked Bastet.
“The mercenary Cassander, who drove me here,” said Kayana. “And tell Mnemosyne she need not worry about erasing his memory. If any entity were to harm him, I’ll know, and I’ll make sure they regret it. Now please, destroy whatever you can find of my past, erase whatever you need to erase, and show me what plans you have for me, so that I might accept or reject your terms.”
Bastet looked at Osiris, and he smiled with admiration.
“Put your gloves back on and proceed downward,” said the cat-like woman.
Kayana did as she was told, but before she left the room, Osiris beckoned her to stop.
“I’m glad you’re out of that dreadful institution,” he said. His deep voice came out as a quivering whisper. “You’ve glimpsed but a fraction of your power. You’re destined for great things.”
Osiris released Kayana and gave a nod to Bastet, who pressed a button to summon two Spartan mercenaries. They took her back out to the inside of the Acropolis, and she saw a small boy in a mechanized suit walk in.
Such a soft face, such a harmless disposition, thought Kayana, but I sense a dark power. He can kill more than I could without even knowing it.
The two mercenaries escorted her to an escalator and they began to descend. The underground was cavernous and seemed to match the size of Hellenica above. Kayana knew that Hephaestus had designed an underworld to correspond to the city, but she hadn’t imagined it would be this beautiful. Doric columns of steel supported the ceiling, and she looked up to see bas-reliefs of the past thousand years of human history. Every generation had left a mark on the ceiling, and the ceiling was large enough for ten thousand more years.
Kayana could see that the mercenaries were bringing her towards a small auditorium. The
Similar Books
