Maitho opened his eyes to a blank ceiling. He felt a soft surface underneath him, cushioning his body. The temperature in the room was pleasant and it reminded him of his apartment.
He looked around the room, which was furnished with just a bedside table, lamp and a closet. Pulling off the blanket, he dropped his feet to the soft brown carpet covering the floor. He rubbed his eyes with the base of his palm.
After the events of the previous night, Charon encouraged everyone to get some rest. He had other engagements to attend to and promised he would find the time in the morning for a quick meeting with the group. Knowing that Maitho could not go back to his own apartment, he requested the Celtic team to let him stay the night in their building.
Bevan eagerly took the job of being a tour guide. He led Maitho back to the basement and into the security room. Once there, he headed straight for the door that Maitho had spotted the previous night, which was set into one wall of the room.
Never would he have imagined that the basement of the Celtic team's building would hold a fairly impressive network of rooms. The door led to another hallway, except this one featured several doors on both walls. He was led to one door by Bevan, who had explained to him that all doors led to small rooms. A place to rest, if one needed it.
He stood up stretched. He took a quick whiff of his armpit. Well, the scent was something he had to deal with. Immediately, if possible. He presumed that one of the doors in the hallway could be a bathroom, with a nice steaming jet of waiter waiting for him.
When he opened the door to his room and stepped outside, he noticed Epona leaning against the opposite wall a little distance away from his room. He caught her eye and closed the door behind him slowly. His feet brushed against something and looking down, he spotted a fresh gray tee, navy jeans and a towel waiting for him. He also spotted an underwear and wondered about it. Eventually, he figured that it might be from Bevan and if it could fit the man, then it wouldn't be such a bad idea to try them on.
"Did you just happen to appear at the same time I was leaving the room?" said Maitho, hoping the joviality he introduced into his speech was obvious enough.
"Ah git 'ere ten minutes ago to give you those." She pointed at the clothes. "And Ah have another twenty minutes before ah had tae wake ye up." While her response was still devoid of amiability, it didn't have the same sting she had displayed last night.
"Would you have stood there for twenty minutes?"
"It wid help me think."
Maitho realized that the woman had more to say. He folded his arms and pressed one shoulder against the doorframe.
"Ah guess ah owe ye." Epona said and let out a breath, as though she had just completed a difficult task.
"You do. I'm going to ask you to pay your debt one day. I hope you honor your deal."
Epona gave a quick nod, something that seemed like a strange reaction coming from her. "That takes care of one thing." She turned her attention to him, revealing that she might have a far bigger issue to talk about. "Yer not welcome 'ere Maitho. 'N' it's nae because we are cruel. We just dinnae want a repeat of past events."
"You mean like the incident that involved Raiden?"
"That one, ye."
"What happened?"
Pushing herself away from the wall, Epona looked down the hallway. "That's nae important tae know."
"You don't get to decide that Epona." Maitho spoke softly, without malice. He wasn't intending to challenge her. Instead, he hoped that some understanding would reach her.
Epona ran her hand through her thick short hair. She held a clump of hair at the back of her head, looking off into space for a while. When it seemed as though she had come to a conclusion, she relaxed and simply began walking towards the hallway entrance. "Noo that yer awake, ye kin make yer way tae th' monitor room. Oh 'N' the shower is in the last room oan the left."
"Why did you aim for his legs?" asked Maitho, a train of thought slithering into his mind.
Epona's journey was cut short as her movements came to a sudden halt. When she turned around, she fixed Maitho with an expression of curiosity. Yet he could see that she was slowly beginning to realize the meaning of his question.
"You aimed for Raiden's legs, even when you could barely see him. A body shot offers a bigger target."
Epona lowered her gaze, perhaps lost in a memory that only held meaning for her. She turned towards the door, not making a move. Eventually, her body reacted and she exited into the room beyond, closing the door behind her with gentleness.
The hallway became hushed. It had the eerie quality of being detached from the rest of the world, as though Maitho had entered another dimension. Realizing that his answers lay when he met the entire Celtic team, he decided to focus on the urgent task of enjoying a nice shower.
When he was done, he felt like a new person, as though he had shed an old and quite abused skin.
He made his way to the security room. Upon entering, he found Brigid leaning over the kitchen counter, which formed the small pantry area of the room. She was staring at two shot glasses filled with an amber liquid. At her elbow stood a bottle. The label said "Irish Whiskey". The woman looked sideways at Maitho.
Without showing a response, he walked over to the sofa and made himself comfortable.
"Feel rested?" said Brigid, perhaps attempting to make a conversation.
"It wasn't enough, but I am grateful for the room," said Maitho. Despite the events of the previous night, he hoped that he would be able to get through today without any more conflicts.
Brigid offered Maitho one shot glass. He showed his palm and offered a small smile as a silent, but polite, rejection. Shrugging, the woman downed her drink, grimacing slightly as she swallowed it. She placed her glass upside-down on the counter, closing her eyes as though contemplating something.
"It is fair to say that we could have handled the situation better." Brigid looked at the second shot glass, filled with the whiskey, as though she was trying to examine its chemical components.
Maitho wanted to let out a chuckle at the use of the word 'we'. He would also prefer if Brigid offered an apology—if she was planning to—without the help of liquid courage. Then he realized that perhaps it would not matter in the end, after all. He wasn't certain if he would remain in the team. Perhaps it depended on Charon. "Yes. We could have." Maitho placed emphasis on the word we. It wasn't intentional. He quickly continued, hoping that his response wasn't obvious enough. "But today is a second chance. A better day hopefully."
Brigid downed the remaining shot of whiskey. This time, she gave a soft and contented sigh, as though of the two drinks, she definitely enjoyed the latter. She placed the glass right-side up. "There are things that happened that we don't want to talk about."
"I have questions to ask," said Maitho. "I will ask them. It's up to you to answer."
"You really don't mind invading the privacy of others, do you?"
"I just want to know why someone thinks it's necessary to get me on their side. Someone who destroyed half a building and attacked the inhabitants inside. Someone connected to you."
"Was connected to us."
"Then you shouldn't have any problem talking about him."
At that moment, Bevan and Epona entered the room from the hallway that connected to the elevator. They looked at Brigid first.
When they turned their attention to Maitho, he simply shrugged. "We spoke. Nothing happened."
Another figure entered the room. The man's sense of fashion was the most obvious. The same black jacket draped over white shirt. The same black trousers ironed to a crisp. The black tie that fits snugly into the collar. Maitho predicted that the man would adjust his tie anytime soon, and he guessed right; the man did indeed adjust his tie.
Charon entered the room and looked around. "This place looks the same as it was when I first brought you here Brigid."
For the first time, Maitho saw Brigid's face loosen up. The corner of her lips shifted slightly into a small smile, transforming her expression into something pleasant and inviting. It was like watching the sun rise in fast-forward; there was darkness at one point and then at the next, there was a burst of radiance.
"You hardly ever visit unless it's absolutely necessary," said Brigid.
"I hardly ever do anything that isn't absolutely necessary," said Charon before his eyes settled on Maitho. As always, his impassive face betrayed none of his intentions. He walked over to the sofa and sat atop its headrest, smoothening his tie as though it was about to escape. Without warning, he asked, "What's your first question?"
"I'll be honest, I was planning to direct one at Brigid," said Maitho. "Instead, I guess I'll ask you. Why twenty-three?"
Charon interlaced his fingers on top of one knee, his eyes contemplative. "The gods needed people who were not too young to be foolish and not too old to be wise."
"Young and naive, but not too inexperienced?"
"Something like that."
"But why twenty-three? Why not twenty-four or twenty-six?"
"Because eventually, no one seemed to agree on a particular age. You have to understand, it is not an easy decision to make. Guardians can never go back to their old lives."
That might possibly be true. Maitho could not imagine the last time he had done anything other than save a life that he was told to. Then again, he wasn't exactly keen on going back to his previous life either. The thought of that conjured some memories. Maitho instantly blocked them by focusing on the people in the room. "You still haven't answered my question."
Charon took a moment to answer. "In the end, twenty-three gods from different pantheons took it upon themselves to choose an age. No one wanted to be responsible for changing so many lives. These gods took that responsibility and still bear it. Twenty-three was chosen as the age because of the number of members in their ranks."
Maitho was so focused on the conversation that he hadn't realized that Bevan and Epona had made their way to the seating area. They had each settled into a sofa chair.
Brigid had refilled one of her shot glasses and held the drink in her hands. "Perhaps that requires a toast of some sort. To twenty-three" Her mirth had no effect on anyone. "Suit yourself." She downed the drink.
"That can't be it," said Maitho. "A reason like that would never make Raiden point it out. He told me specifically to ask you about the ages of Guardians for that? It doesn't sound so wrong."
This time, Maitho did not receive an immediate response. For some reason, even Bevan looked curious. When examining the other faces of the Celtic team, Maitho noticed the same degree of inquisitiveness plastered on their faces. They all looked at Charon, waiting for a response. Which was a strange sight since Raiden was once part of their team.
"You guys don't know either?" said Maitho, his surprise evident in his voice.
Bevan shook his head. "We are in the dark as much as you."
"So you have no idea why Raiden left?"
"Nae entirely. He left one day after." Epona stopped talking and shared a quick look with Brigid. "After somethin' he did."
"So he just betrayed you without giving you any warning signs?"
"This topic is closed now," said Brigid.
Maitho clenched his fist. He bit his lower lip to prevent an outburst that he would regret later. Instead, he looked at Charon and returned to his original question. "Why would Raiden mention our ages?"
Charon didn't react. There wasn't even a flick of movement to reveal that he was regretful or hesitant. He simply looked Maitho straight in the eye and said, "I meant what I said. Guardians cannot go back to their old lives. You see Maitho, this is who you are. This is who you will always be."
Charon stood up and adjusted his tie. "Every Guardian remains twenty-three forever. You are immortals, destined to save lives until the end of time."