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  Neptune nodded. “Apollo was forced on a few occasions to appear to the oracle and tell her a few semi-critical pieces of information so she would appear to be a true seer.”

  “And of course, that would have perpetuated the myth that Apollo was the giver of the visions.”

  “And the gods were only too happy to help perpetuate it ever since. But a line of Oracles grew, seers with real power to see the future, not randomly selected women for which the priests had to search far and wide.”

  “And that line began the daughters of Pythia?”

  Neptune nodded. “The first of them was Lydia, whose children were all born male and without power.”

  “Then how did the line of the pythia develop? I didn’t know the pythia’s received their powers through a paternal connection.”

  “They don’t,” said Neptune enigmatically.

  Allegra stared at the god, her mind racing as she attempted to throw a few pieces together. And then, as she considered Lydia’s terrible predicament, she came to only one conclusion.

  Lydia had a daughter.

  Chapter 30

  Allegra let out a chuckle. “Lydia had a female child.”

  Neptune nodded. “She gave the infant away to Lucia, a seer who was also in the line of succession to become the next Pythia. Lucia, in turn, transferred Kassandra into the care of a Trojan family and the infant remained hidden until Lucia’s death after fourteen years of serving as the second Pythia. And then the true line of the Pythias was born.”

  Allegra nodded. “I’m not sure how that would impact your perception of the power of the Pythia?”

  Neptune chuckled. “The Pythias from Lydia’s time would constantly thwart the deaths of hundreds of thousands of mortals. Mortals who should have died as part of the natural order of life and death. At the time, there was a philosopher who wrote his beliefs down, thoughts which merely voiced what both the gods and mortals were thinking. That soon there would be too many mortals and that they would overrun the earth and destroy everything that lay before them.”

  “But we didn’t. The world is still turning, and we are not destroying our planet.”

  “That is now. There were fears in the past that the future was not looking good. But the industrialization occurred the more frequent the Pythia’s predictions were. Up to a point where I too began to wonder that such a frequency must be predicting an alarming increase in under the earth activity, earthquakes, plate movement, volcanic eruptions, all meant to build to a crescendo until everything begins again.”

  “But you were wrong?”

  “I found out all too recently in fact, that the frequency of the disaster predictions by the Pythias were easily explained, and they had nothing to do with nature taking her natural path.”

  “Industrialization,” muttered Allegra as she thought back to Peru. She glanced at Athena who was nodding, eyebrows raised. “The more the mortals engaged in modern mining, oils, precious metals, and gems, the more the earth is disturbed.”

  Neptune nodded, giving her a look of pride that she wasn’t sure how she should take. He had tried to kill her after all.

  “Industrialization, yes, but until recently I hadn’t realized there was more to the link with the Pythia than I had realized.”

  Allegra frowned. The god seemed to be talking in circles, and she was beginning to get a headache. “I’m not sure what you mean. Industrial activity has been affecting the planet and causing increased natural disasters, which have increased the visions the oracles have been having. And you felt that the Pythia was bad for the world. And in a sense, I can understand that. And you changed your mind because you discovered this? But clearly, that was after I almost died when the Qurux went down.”

  “Yes. I’m ashamed to say that I was swayed from my original belief in the oracle to a point where I stood aside when Pythias were dying under mysterious circumstances.”

  “Could you have done anything about their deaths?”

  “Possibly not.”

  “Then I don’t think you are responsible unless you took action.” Her unsaid words rang through around them.

  Neptune nodded. “Yes. Until you, I didn’t physically aid in the elimination of the Pythias. And to be honest, I didn’t’ feel as though I would need to keep doing it. The gods know that the pythian line dies with you.”

  Allegra wasn’t sure what to say about that, so she remained silent.

  “And what is this thing you have discovered?”

  “I came upon a device not too long in the past. At first, I had little idea of what the contraption did and assumed it was something the geologists or seismologist were using to measure volcanic and plate activity. But the second time I found one, I took it away. Thankfully, I didn’t bring it back here with me. And to this day I regret leaving it there.”

  “What happened?”

  “I left it deep within the Kueishan Dao, planning to find the best person to tell me what it was. But I took too long not understanding what the device was. It exploded, causing an eruption in Taiwan.”

  “I remember that. It was before my time. Aurelia was still the oracle then. Mara mentioned that she took it really hard because she got the prediction wrong.”

  “She didn’t get it wrong. When a god intervenes in an event, their activity, whether it exacerbates or eliminates the threat, cannot be seen by the seer, no matter how powerful.”

  “So your involvement changed the prediction which is why Aurelia got the location wrong. And this device, if you found one over twenty years ago and it went off, why didn’t you do something about it?”

  “I didn’t know. Not at the time. Then, I didn’t understand the device as the cause of the explosion. I merely assumed that it was the measuring device that I have seen the divers place on the seabeds. A few weeks ago, I came upon another device, and would have taken it away had it not exploded while I was looking at it.”

  Allegra’s jaw dropped. “But...were you hurt?”

  “Nothing I cannot recover from. The point is, that is when I understood that the device triggered the explosions. I admit I didn’t understand, not until it was too late.”

  “But there were no disasters of that nature in the last month,” said Allegra wondering if she’d missed something.

  “No there wasn’t. Because the device I’d come across must have been some form of a test, not at all meaning to destroy anything. It was on a rocky seabed, no fault lines in the vicinity.”

  “So whoever these people were, they were testing the device?”

  “And I discovered more. I waited for them to come to recover the device and lingered nearby. Their conversation confirmed that the event had been a test. Something about a malfunctioning mechanism that hadn’t gone off in Peru.”

  “Peru?”

  “That’s a few too many coincidences for Peru,” muttered Allegra but Neptune wasn’t listening.

  He was already halfway to the edge of the floor when he looked over his shoulder. “I must show you this device.”

  “And what if it exploded while the Pythia is ‘looking’ at it,” asked Athena, her eyes dark as she followed after Allegra.

  “It won’t. I’ve learned a few things about these devices. There is a timer fixed to the side, and I believe it is counting down the hours.”

  “And how long do we have left?”

  “As of this moment, five hours.”

  “That puts the tsunami at just after midday which matched what you described as the height of the sun.”

  Allegra nodded, and the trio rushed after Neptune who swam ahead, leading them back in the direction they’d come. The god paused and faced them, raising a hand to wave it over them as though casting a blessing upon them.

  “That’s to ensure you are able to breathe for the duration of the journey.”

  Without another word, the enigmatic god turned and swam off, headed north toward a rift on the seabed where he drew to a stop.

  “We have to enter the rift valley,” he sa
id, waving them inside.

  It didn’t take long before Allegra was staring at the device which resembled a bomb that one would find in a fighter jet. It was long and resembled a giant cylinder, and a timer blinked on the side, now indicating five hours and ten minutes.

  “What can we do with it? Is there somewhere we can take it?”

  “I’ve arranged to have it disarmed.”

  “And the island will be safe? No tsunami?”

  Neptune shook his head. “No tsunami, but we need to find and eliminate the person responsible.” Then the god paused. “What did you mean about Peru?”

  Allegra shrugged. “Someone we know popped up in Peru and we wondered how he got there before us.”

  “Is this person a friend or a foe?”

  “Definitely a foe. From what I know he’s been killing Pythias for centuries.”

  Neptune’s face darkened, his muscles bulging and for a moment Allegra believed the god was going to kill her. Even Athena was worried because when Allegra sensed someone at her side, she found the demigod very close.

  “This all makes far too much sense,” Neptune bellowed.

  Allegra shook her head. “Let’s make sense of this in a minute. First, can we get rid of that thing?” she asked pointing at the device.

  Neptune nodded and swam to the device. He grabbed it and returned, pausing at Xales’ side. “Return to the grotto. I do not want you to return to the island with the Pythia just yet, there are a few things we need to discuss first.”

  “Yes. Then it will all make sense to us...we got that,” Allegra said, glaring at the device.

  Neptune let out a bellowing laugh and swam off.

  Chapter 31

  Allegra stared at the god Neptune, her eyes wide as her heart thudded hard against her ribs.

  They were sitting in the main dining room of Allegra’s resort apartment, doors closed and drapes shut to ensure their privacy. Xales was patrolling the perimeter outside the property to ensure the safety of both Allegra and Neptune in his human, and far more fragile—though exceeding attractive—form.

  He stood in the apartment, his height and bulging muscles overshadowing even Xales. Long dark blonde hair hung past his shoulders in locks that would look equally attractive in or out of the water.

  Unlike his previous attire, the god now wore a pair of dark blue jeans, a pale blue shirt, and a pair of leather loafers, looking the epitome of a wealthy tourist. He even had a pair of dark sunglasses tucked into his top pocket.

  Allegra had been forced to refocus her attention as the god had explained his suspicions on the possible connection that Langcourt could have to the Qusqu vision and then to the vision of the Bali disaster.

  Which made perfect sense given that even Allegra had questioned the man’s presence in Qusqu before she’d even arrived there. There were no moles in FAPA. Langcourt had simply gotten there first, and drawn Allegra to him.

  Whatever the man had intended though had been thwarted by the additional activities of General Qhapaq and his strange sect. Likely why Langcourt had disappeared into thin air. The disaster had been averted not because the general had failed to complete his ritual, but because Langcourt had fled the city.

  Adding that to the existence of the same machine more than twenty years ago when Aurelia had a vision of the Jipangu eruption, and Allegra was mostly convinced. “Do you really think Langcourt set me up?”

  Neptune shifted in his chair and tapped the surface of the teak table. “The discovery of that device here in Bali, just like in Keiushan Dao? I do not believe this can be a coincidence.”

  Allegra sat back and rubbed her forehead. “So Langcourt finds a way to activate volcanoes and maybe even earthquakes in order to draw the Pythia in. And he may be doing so for as long as these devices have been in existence.” Allegra let out a weary sigh. “So you think Pompeii and Barbarina Town are safe?”

  The god nodded, but Athena’s jaw tightened. “I don’t think we should be making any such assumptions. Not when lives are at stake.”

  “And what do you propose we tell Max and Marcus? Please go deep sea diving and check for a seismic trigger bomb? Or maybe we tell them everything is okay and both locations are safe even though we don’t know for sure?” Allegra’s last words ended a few notes higher than she’d intended.

  She groaned and glanced back at Athena offering her an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry—”

  Athena waved her off. “No apologies needed. This is a very high-stress situation. Someone’s going to blow their top again soon. We’ll be collecting a pile of ‘sorrys’ soon enough.”

  The woman did have a point. Tensions were running high, and even Neptune had lost his temper only moments ago.

  “So where do we go from here?” asked Athena, her tone defeated.

  “We give him some of his own medicine,” Allegra bit out.

  “We lure him in?”

  Allegra’s brow furrowed as she paused. “Okay, maybe we won’t go around triggering catastrophic seismic activity, but we figure out a way to draw him to us. I want to meet the man head-on. Plus, I’d love to know what his reasons are for killing all the Pythias. The man’s immortality was fed by killing innocent children. I hardly think he’d be benefiting much on that end by killing oracles.”

  Neptune got to his feet. “We’ll likely be going around in circles for a while. Perhaps you’d better return to your teams. Bali is safe, and the tsunami has been averted. I will send my team out to scour the seabeds. I have been advised that the bombs emit a low-frequency sound that my army can hear. They will find any that are currently in position. It is how I detected the existence of the devices on both occasions.”

  Allegra got to her feet and began pacing. “Can we send them to Barbarian Town and Pompeii?” she said as she paused and looked over at Neptune.

  The god tilted his head. “I will dispatch them as soon as I return home.” Neptune bowed to Allegra. “Again, my dear Allegra, I must apologize profusely. I feel a little ill each time I think about what the world would be like had I succeeded in killing you.” From the expression on his face, Allegra was certain he was being truly honest, and she found she no longer feared him, nor did she hate him.

  Giving the god a smile, Allegra said, “My lord, I sincerely believe you acted in good faith. If you were ever to think that for the good of mankind, my death would help, then I’d say I understand, and I’d agree with you.”

  Neptune stilled as he studied Allegra, his brows creasing. “You are most gracious, Pythia Allegra.”

  With that, Neptune faded away, and Allegra and Athena stared at each other as the sound of gurgling water and waves faded away.

  “Well, that was certainly unexpected,” said Allegra staring at the empty space where Neptune had just been standing.

  “You can say that again,” muttered Athena. “Yes, I got to meet the god of the oceans, but I really would have preferred it to be under more pleasant circumstances.”

  “You can say that again,” Allegra said with a wink.

  Chapter 32

  Allegra and Athena had arrived back home at the Pythia estate well before Max and Marcus who’d both ended up embroiled in some sort of bureaucratic upheaval.

  The two women had taken the time to sleep and recuperate, and while Athena had gone off to spar in order to keep her muscles taut, Allegra disappeared into the fire-safe, this time ensuring she took food and drinks with her.

  She skimmed through Lydia’s codex until she saw a mention of the baby girl then skipped back a few pages.

  The worst has happened. I am with child.

  Despite every attempt at potions and oils to ensure I do not conceive again, and despite too the fact that I am nearing four decades of life, I have still become pregnant. If only the gods had heard my prayer and not allowed his seed to take, then perhaps I would not be in such danger, and nor would my child’s life be in jeopardy either.

  Goran has grown angry over the years. The last of the boys have left the
family home. Though young they’d been placed at the homes of various senators in the Roman states. I’m most glad that they have left Goran’s oppressive tutelage, but I fear that he’s done his worst and succeeded too.

  There is hatred in the eyes of my sons when they look upon my face. A deep-seated disgust in me, for reasons I still have not uncovered. Perhaps it has to do with the Amphora, perhaps it is because I believed Goran had no right to keep it. I wonder if I will ever know.

  Will my sons return to me someday and show me the kind of love that I’ve yearned for? Or will time ravage me before that happens?

  The babe grows within my belly, and I pray that Goran does not return before the child breathes its first. I must find a place to hide this little one. I will not give him another of my babies to turn against me.

  The gods have forsaken me. And so has my husband. The love of my life. But perhaps there is no such thing as love, and perhaps what we’d had was merely a fleeting passion, because none of that affection has survived these last hard years.

  I yearn for my freedom, but perhaps the only way I can get that freedom is to set my child free.

  I have found a woman in the next village who will take the child and keep it close. My time draws near, and I fear that Goran will return too soon. I have told the women of the household to inform Goran that I have been summoned to Senator Lexius’s villa.

  I only hope Goran will not come looking for me.

  The pains were nothing like I’d ever experience before. I forced myself to rise and leave the villa, no sound escaping from my lips nor my feet. Perhaps the walk to the village helped ease the pain, as when I arrived, Lucia had exclaimed at how ready I was to deliver the babe. The birth was easy, something that Lucia had assured me would be the case.