Omega Series: Omega Part 25

He made sense ... to a point. I still felt like everyone around me had a huge secret and no one was willing to share it.

"I'll wait for you," he offered. "After the tour, a soiree is planned to begin introducing you to prominent members of the social strata in which you now belong."

Soiree. Strata. His use of pretty words made me feel more backwards than I already was. I wanted a tour, particularly of this villa that I allegedly owned, but I also wanted some s.p.a.ce. Some time to clear my head of the monsters and almost dying. Of Adonis abandoning me and Niko dragging me here.

I was back where I was when I met Adonis. Struggling to understand a stranger's game and feeling ill prepared to handle something that didn't involve direct confrontation, survival or weapons. "Thanks." It wasn't really the right thing to say, but I was feeling too self conscious to know what was.

Turning away, I started into the villa.

"Right wing," he said quietly as I started to go left.

I turned mid-step and walked down a hall. The padding of bare feet behind me made me slow, and I twisted to see the female servant following me.

This is weird. From an arena filled with monsters to this. I could see Leandra or the other nymphs squealing in delight to be handed a villa, but I was uncomfortable, overwhelmed. Four chambers lined this hallway and a fifth was at the very end. The servant motioned to that one.

I opened the double doors and gasped. Forty foot ceilings, a bed larger than any I'd seen, and a ceiling depicting the G.o.ds in gold and gems. Pale neutrals created a seamless line from floor to wall to ceiling, and the scent of jasmine was in the air.

The servant padded to a door on one side, and I trailed, flabbergasted by the luxurious room. The bathroom consisted of a large shower, dressing and powder room, an antique style heated bath the size of small pool, waterfall and multiple sinks. White marble was everywhere, dotted with white vases and flowers.

"Wow," I breathed.

I began to see why I needed a servant when I crossed to the shower. It was controlled by a touchscreen in the wall.

The servant punched few b.u.t.tons. Instantly, overhead rain showerheads and jets lining both walls sprang to life. I knew before I set foot in it that it was going to be the most incredible experience yet.

I stripped out of my clothing slowly, my back aching and tight despite my rea.s.surance to Cleon I was fine. I dropped the dirty clothing on a chair and stepped into heaven.

"Oh. My. G.o.ds!" I exclaimed, melting into the hot water. I rested my hand against the wall and sighed deeply. Blood and dirt colored the water swirling at my feet, and I watched it, content to stay put for the rest of my life.

Except ... Cleon was waiting.

He seemed young to be in charge of the world. I almost laughed at the thought then closed my eyes and let the water stream down over my gritty face.

With some reluctance and a silent promise to return later, I showered and left the most awesome place on the planet. A towel and slippers were left out for me. I dried off quickly and left the bathroom, looking around the bedroom for a dresser or something.

"I'm Doctor Khan," said a pretty woman dressed in white scrubs. She had set up the chaise at the windows overlooking the gardens as a triage station. "If you would take a seat."

I did so. She was quick, taking my vitals then moving to st.i.tch the wound at my back. I felt only the p.r.i.c.k of the local anesthesia and within five minutes, she began packing her bag.

"Thanks," I murmured. My numbed back was almost a relief. I was sore enough from fighting.

"My pleasure." Doctor Khan smiled and left.

I stood and stretched. The servant stood beside another open door, this one with the light on.

"Clothes?" I asked.

She nodded.

I went to the walk-in closet and stopped so quickly in the doorway, she ran into me.

It was a two story closet with a wall of shoes and purses, a dressing area complete with couch, and every item of clothing color coded. The rainbow of clothes stretched around the closet.

"This is ridiculous!" I said and then laughed so hard my back hurt. "These can't all be mine! No one needs this much clothing!"

"They were tailored especially for you," the servant said. "Niko called in your measurements. It's taken ten seamstresses three days to make these."

I shook my head. "I appreciate their efforts, but it's not like I can wear all of this. Where in Hades do I even start?"

"The Oracle wears traditional garb for her official duties. What's your favorite color?"

"Blue, I guess."

Still grinning, I watched her cross to the spiral stairwell in the center of the closet.

"Tacia, you've been rea.s.signed," came a soft voice. "Kitchens."

The servant paused, and then left the closet, replaced by none other than perfect, beautiful Leandra.

"Leandra!" I exclaimed and hugged her. "But I thought you were placed in the Queen's court!"

"Hush, Lyssa. You always were a tad slow." She shot me a look. With a quick glance out into the bedroom, she closed the closet door. "I'm here undercover."

"You're a spy?" I started to laugh again. "This keeps getting crazier!"

"Shut up." Leandra moved gracefully towards the clothing. "I'm picking your clothes. I've seen how you dress."

"Whatever." I sat down on the couch. She went up to the second level and began pus.h.i.+ng clothing aside. "Why does the Queen need a spy?"

"Because apparently, none of them at the top trust one another."

"Ah. Yeah. I've seen that. It's nothing like what I expected it to be."

"What isn't?"

"The real world."

"It's different than I expected, too," Leandra said. "But I think we were prepared for this better than you."

"What do you mean?"

"The priests trained the rest of us in methods of subversion on the weekends while you were hiding in the forest."

"I thought you went to town to watch movies."

"Nope. See how good we are? You never figured it out!" she said with a smirk.

"So you were trained to spy and I was learning how to survive in the forest," I mused. "Kinda jacked up, isn't it?"

"Very. But the priests knew what you were. We didn't find out until the place blew up and SISA bulldozed the entire forest."

My smile faded. I hated recalling the circ.u.mstances of leaving the forest. I wanted to pretend it'd still be there when this crazy dream was over.

"They groomed us to protect you and further our cause. Your own personal spy network in the most prominent families in the world."

"Seriously?"

"I'm running it, so don't get any ideas." She shot me a look. "The others are moving into position."

"Why didn't you warn me about anything up 'til now?" I complained.

"Because we had no access to you." She carried a blue-green dress when she descended the stairs and set it down on the table in the dressing area.

"A dress?" I grumbled.

"You're on the same level as the Queen. She only wears dresses. So do you."

It was weird to see even Leandra accepting all this. The nymphs made fun of me my whole life. If anyone was going to be more surprised than I was, I expected it to be her. But she appeared fine with circ.u.mstances I was having trouble swallowing.

"Towel off," she told me. "This will be like wrestling a pig into an oven."

"Gee, thanks." I tugged the towel off and let her wrestle the dress into place. It was light and airy, layers of silks so sheer, they were transparent. The bodice was wrapped in a gold rope that hugged my body and moved and stretched when I breathed. "This isn't bad. I can still fight in it."

"No fighting! This dress is worth a fortune," Leandra chided.

"You never know when you'll run into a monster that shouldn't exist."

"I saw you on television. You and the SISA chief in the arena." Her hands paused from tugging the layers straight. "You did really good, Lyssa. Herakles trained you well."

"I didn't die," I agreed. I played with the ruched portion over my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The square neckline was low but not indecent, and the gem Mismatch had given me glowed just above the seam. The thought of Adonis made my sad confusion return. "Have you heard from him?"

"Not directly. One of the girls heard he went underground. He might be waiting it out until SISA isn't looking for him anymore."

Was he serious about helping me if I got stuck with SISA? Before my memories, I never would've entertained such a thought. "Do you know what's going on? For real?" I asked quietly.

"You're meant to return us to the Old Ways, according to the priests."

"Is that really possible?" I met her gaze.

"Yes. You're the Oracle, Lyssa." She believed what she was saying. "No one else can stand up to the G.o.ds."

"But am I supposed to?"

Her hands dropped.

"I mean, they're the G.o.ds."

"They're destroying the human world for material gain," she answered.

"Not all of them. The priests said some were good."

"The G.o.ds created this world. They did their part. Now they need to leave us alone," she reasoned. "Artemis and the t.i.tan Lelantos agree and have protected us for this reason."

"Hmm. Really? Or is this the latest alliance in territorial G.o.ds?" I challenged.

"It's possible, I suppose."

We gazed at one another. I didn't have answers. I never really did. Leandra knew what we were taught, and I suspected both of us were going to learn more about the truth of the world before we understood how we were going to convert it to the Old Ways.

"Sit down. I need to do your hair," she said.

Neither of us was satisfied with the discussion, but I obeyed. She primped, curled, dried, gelled and G.o.ds knew what else to my hair until it shone and the plump curls stayed in place. I admired her work in the mirror. I had always wanted to spend time on my hair like the nymphs did, but Herakles usually had other plans.

"Now for shoes." She was cheerful again. She went to the wall of shoes and selected delicate high heels.

"No way I'm wearing those," I said instantly. "I can't fight monsters in heels."

"You're going on a tour, not to fight monsters."

"No heels!"

She sighed noisily. "Fine. Your fat feet would look funny in them anyway."

"My feet aren't fat." I glanced down.

"How about these?" She held up strappy sandals with an inch heel.

"Okay."

She dropped them near me. I slid them on. They were comfortable.

"I'll carry a shawl and satchel for you."

"You're going with me?"

"Yep."

I was relieved. I didn't realize how nice it was to be around a familiar face until I thought about leaving her here to tour with strangers. "Am I presentable?" I whirled, grinning at the layers of silk that swirled around my legs.

"Until you speak."

Ignoring her, I left the closet.

"You can't let anyone know we know one another," she warned me as I started towards the door.

"I won't."

She trailed me out of the bedroom. I marveled at skylights of the hallway. Natural light poured into the house from every angle. I wasn't certain I'd ever get used to living here, but I could admit secretly that I loved the idea of trying.