matter if I like it or not. The truth is always the best. Where would you like to start?”
Without waiting for me to reply, he slid his hand over mine. “How about here?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Let’s start with… why is there electricity between us?”
“Okay,” I began. “That’s actually the easiest part to explain. Let’s see…” I pondered where to begin and just decided to jump in. Brennan’s hazel eyes were glued to mine as he waited.
“Have you ever heard the theory about soul mates?” I asked. I had to give him credit- his mouth didn’t even twitch as he shook his head, not even a tiny smile.
“No.”
“Well, there is a theory that once upon a time, Zeus split everyone’s souls into two in an effort to protect his throne. He figured that if everyone was preoccupied with finding their ‘other half’, that they wouldn’t be concerned with trying to overtake his crown so his rule would be safe forever.”
Brennan stared at me, waiting for me to say more. When I didn’t, he continued slowly.
“Okay. So in the land of mythos, soul mates exist. But that doesn’t explain why you and I feel what we do here in reality.”
I studied him for a second, choosing my words carefully. “It does if mythos and reality are one and the same.”
The ghosts surrounding us had fallen silent, each of them staring at Brennan as if waiting for his reaction. I waited with them for several long moments, each second passing more slowly than the previous. I suddenly realized that I was holding my breath and I exhaled slowly, the silence still smothering me.
Finally, Brennan broke the tension by throwing back his head and laughing.
I stared at him like he was an idiot.
“What is so funny?”
He was still chuckling as he replied. “You had me there for a second. I thought you were serious.”
I narrowed my eyes, but remained silent. I focused on not shooting off a sharp retort. After all, he was only reacting the way any normal mortal would. He stopped laughing and appraised me silently for a second, looking at me carefully as though he was trying to determine my sanity level.
“Were you serious?” he asked hesitantly.
“As a heart attack,” I replied through gritted teeth.
More silence.
I didn’t break my gaze, instead keeping it locked on him.
“So,” he finally murmured. “You think that you and I are soul mates.”
I nodded. “I don’t see any other explanation. And it isn’t a far-fetched theory. The world isn’t…. well, it isn’t what you think it is. Mythology is real. It exists. I should know. I’m part of it. And so are you- you just don’t know it.”
“ I’m a part of it?” He looked astonished, hesitant, leery… all rolled into one. I knew he was still trying to determine my sanity.
“I’m not crazy,” I assured him. “Watch.”
I pointed to a small, green bush nearby and murmured, “Fire.”
The little bush immediately burst into flame, the orange fingers licking toward the sky. Brennan jumped and moved away from me, but still remained seated. His hazel eyes reflected the golds and reds of the fire as he watched the bush burn.
After a silent moment, he turned to me. “What are you?”
Amazingly, he still didn’t seem afraid. He was taken aback, for certain, but not afraid. Or if he was, he was masking it very well.
“I’m the same as you,” I answered quietly. “You just don’t know it yet.”
“Alright. Let me re-phrase. What are we ?” He was growing impatient.
“Stay calm, okay?” I asked him, laying my hand over his own. “I’ll tell you, but don’t freak out.”
He nodded and kept his hand beneath mine.
“You’re a demi-god. Your father is Apollo, the god of the sun. Your mother didn’t even know it. Her memory of your conception was taken away.”
“A demi-god,” Brennan repeated the words. “Which means
Without waiting for me to reply, he slid his hand over mine. “How about here?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Let’s start with… why is there electricity between us?”
“Okay,” I began. “That’s actually the easiest part to explain. Let’s see…” I pondered where to begin and just decided to jump in. Brennan’s hazel eyes were glued to mine as he waited.
“Have you ever heard the theory about soul mates?” I asked. I had to give him credit- his mouth didn’t even twitch as he shook his head, not even a tiny smile.
“No.”
“Well, there is a theory that once upon a time, Zeus split everyone’s souls into two in an effort to protect his throne. He figured that if everyone was preoccupied with finding their ‘other half’, that they wouldn’t be concerned with trying to overtake his crown so his rule would be safe forever.”
Brennan stared at me, waiting for me to say more. When I didn’t, he continued slowly.
“Okay. So in the land of mythos, soul mates exist. But that doesn’t explain why you and I feel what we do here in reality.”
I studied him for a second, choosing my words carefully. “It does if mythos and reality are one and the same.”
The ghosts surrounding us had fallen silent, each of them staring at Brennan as if waiting for his reaction. I waited with them for several long moments, each second passing more slowly than the previous. I suddenly realized that I was holding my breath and I exhaled slowly, the silence still smothering me.
Finally, Brennan broke the tension by throwing back his head and laughing.
I stared at him like he was an idiot.
“What is so funny?”
He was still chuckling as he replied. “You had me there for a second. I thought you were serious.”
I narrowed my eyes, but remained silent. I focused on not shooting off a sharp retort. After all, he was only reacting the way any normal mortal would. He stopped laughing and appraised me silently for a second, looking at me carefully as though he was trying to determine my sanity level.
“Were you serious?” he asked hesitantly.
“As a heart attack,” I replied through gritted teeth.
More silence.
I didn’t break my gaze, instead keeping it locked on him.
“So,” he finally murmured. “You think that you and I are soul mates.”
I nodded. “I don’t see any other explanation. And it isn’t a far-fetched theory. The world isn’t…. well, it isn’t what you think it is. Mythology is real. It exists. I should know. I’m part of it. And so are you- you just don’t know it.”
“ I’m a part of it?” He looked astonished, hesitant, leery… all rolled into one. I knew he was still trying to determine my sanity.
“I’m not crazy,” I assured him. “Watch.”
I pointed to a small, green bush nearby and murmured, “Fire.”
The little bush immediately burst into flame, the orange fingers licking toward the sky. Brennan jumped and moved away from me, but still remained seated. His hazel eyes reflected the golds and reds of the fire as he watched the bush burn.
After a silent moment, he turned to me. “What are you?”
Amazingly, he still didn’t seem afraid. He was taken aback, for certain, but not afraid. Or if he was, he was masking it very well.
“I’m the same as you,” I answered quietly. “You just don’t know it yet.”
“Alright. Let me re-phrase. What are we ?” He was growing impatient.
“Stay calm, okay?” I asked him, laying my hand over his own. “I’ll tell you, but don’t freak out.”
He nodded and kept his hand beneath mine.
“You’re a demi-god. Your father is Apollo, the god of the sun. Your mother didn’t even know it. Her memory of your conception was taken away.”
“A demi-god,” Brennan repeated the words. “Which means
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