''Come, it's getting late,'' Jason said, while dragging the little girl after him on the sidewalk.
''But the sky hasn't even lightened yet!'' Eve was out of breath. They had left the car far behind and had been walking ever since. "Why didn't we drive here?"
''Because driving is prohibited here. Do you ever see any car around?'' Jason said. Eve started looking around. Indeed, she couldn't see any cars. The road they walked was narrower than she had seen before. The architecture of the houses was also different from Seashore, but everything she saw felt different to Eve from what she was used to see. If she had some knowledge of Earth's architecture, she could understand that the marble pillars and houses made of stone she saw were the revival of ancient Greek architecture. Nobody else was around. A noise was heard from the tile roof of one of the nearby houses.
''That bird!'' Eve screamed with joy, ''Helped me escape before!''
Jason asked without turning to her, ''It is an owl. Escape from what?''
''From that terrible man.'' When the owl took off from the roof, she nearly fell as she tried to follow the owl with her eyes.
Jason grabbed the girl by the arm before she fell. ''Keep your eyes where you stepped.''
''Owls are the messengers of Nyx. So the goddess is watching over you, you should express your gratitude.'' They heard a female voice. When Eve was able to stand alone again, she looked at the woman who spoke to her. Her dark skin was flawless, her eyes glowing like emeralds. She wore a silver dress that ran from her neck to her ankles. Her back and arms were exposed. ''Jason,'' she said, ''I was expecting you to come earlier.''
Jason looked at one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her smile was timid, as if she wasn't sure she should smile. She put one hand on her lower abdomen and her other hand was hovering like she didn't know what to do with her hand. ''Ceremonial dress?''
Vivian nodded, ''We conveyed our farewells to the moon. You know, there will be no moon tonight.'' Her voice got quieter as she spoke. She was only a few centimeters shorter than Jason, but for some reason she looked shorter than she was. ''Trisha said you would come to see her. She told you to come back later. She is not here.''
Jason sighed, ''It's hard to compete with a seer. I wanted her to meet Eve,'' he said. Jason let the silence get more and more heavy. He watched Vivian uncomfortably shift her weight from one foot to the other. No, he won't make it easy for her. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.
It was Eve who put an end to Vivian's struggle, ''Who are you?'' The little girl's eyes were wide open with curiosity.
Vivian smiled at her, ''I am Vivian. And who are you?''
''I am Eve. I came here to learn about gods and goddesses for my task. Will you help me?''
Vivian's smile widened. ''Sure,'' she said, her smile faded when she looked at Jason's face. ''Right?''
''Sure, why not?'' Jason said, but his expression is not 'sure' at all. They turned to the approaching footsteps together. Two guards were approaching in light chain armor. Their helmets were covering their faces.
''Are you okay, ma'am?'' One of the men asked. The other one approached Jason but stopped at somewhere Jason could not touch him.
Vivian smiled and nodded. ''Yes, we are friends. No need to be so nervous sirs.''
''Oh, no. We need to be so nervous. Especially when armed rascals roam the temple quarter at six o'clock at the morning.'' The guard close to Jason had spoken. Making sure Vivian was okay, the other guard approached them. Eve hid behind Jason, when she saw man.
''What's the problem gentlemen?'' Jason asked.
''You cannot enter here with big knives like those.''
Jason frowned, ''They are machetes and I can. I am verified hunter.'' He raised his hand. When the two men stepped towards him, he immediately stopped his move. ''Hey, hey. I'll just show my badge. Calm down.''
''We don't care about your badge. Raise your hands above your head, my friend will take your knife. Don't make any sudden movements.''
Jason paused for a time of breath. ''Okay. Now I'll do exactly what you told me, okay? Be calm. Now I'm putting my hands up.'' Jason raised his hands slowly, very slowly, to waist level. Then within a second two things happened. First, he pushed Eve, hiding behind him, about two meters away with his left hand. Second, he pulled one of his machetes with his right hand. Vivian screamed.
Next second; Eve was on the ground, Vivian took a step towards them, and most importantly, both men had their first attack on Jason. It didn't take a second Jason to realize that his opponents were not human. The fighting styles of humans and shape shifters had nothing to do with each other. Shape shifters used their bodies as weapons, except in rare cases. Many warriors would falter until they adapted to their style. But Jason was trained for that. With the machete in his right hand, he ripped his opponent's shoulder in one move. The first move is always the most important. The shape shifters would be careless at first, as they were used to not being damaged by regular weapons. Until they realized this one is silver.
With his left hand, which he used to push Eve, he could not reach his machete in time. The second man's attack was a kick to his hand. He predicted that Jason's next move would be to pull his machete. The machete he tried to pull fell out of his hand. Fortunately, before the man could begin his second attack, Vivian landed what might be described as , ah, a claw strike from behind on his head. The man's helmet fell to the ground. Jason was looking at a familiar face. Eve screamed.
Footsteps were approaching from the direction of the two so-called guards. ''The attackers are here! Everyone, gather!'' A loud voice echoed. Bright yellow-eyed Nilsson cursed, grabbing the person Jason's voice guessed to be Gary and tried to escape. Unfortunately, Vivian was the only thing standing between them and escaping. Jason could not see exactly what was happening from the angle he was standing, but he saw Vivian fall to the ground.
Jason considered following them as the two men ran away. But he decided not to. After all, he would have to deliver them to the temple guards even if he could capture them. He approached Vivian to check her condition. The girl's eyes were wide open. She was out of breath on the ground.
''Jason, I swear I didn't know. This has nothing to do with me.'' She made a tearful sound, ''Please, believe me. I did nothing this time.''