After getting out of the train station, the group of five was really lost of what to do. After all, Old Man Jin only told them they could find Circe here and didn't really tell them how or where to find her.
Currently, they were all on the rooftop of one of the tall buildings. The reason being, they wanted to have a better view of everywhere. Here, it would be easier to find what they were looking for.
But instead of looking around like they initially planned, all of them were looking at one person in particular.
Dylan stood by the edge of the roof, his eyes closed. The harsh wind made his hair and cloth flutter violently, but despite these, Dylan stood still as a statue with his eyes closed. The only part of his boy that was moving was his head which he kept tilting from left to right like he was listening to a slow music.
Even Bab had started to bob his head along with Dylan, with a large grin on his face.
"Oh, I can hear the song. It's rock 'n' roll"
But he only earned himself a look of disgust from Harry. But Bab didn't care as he began to bob his head faster and faster until he was five times faster than Dylan.
Harry could only move closer to Alex and whisper in his ear. "What's wrong with your brother there?"
Alex shrugged, "That's his way of calming himself down. Just you wait and he'll be back to nor –."
Just as Alex's words landed, Dylan's eyelids flew open and for a second, his eyes emitted a dark hue but no one noticed.
"Oh, she's dead!" Dylan muttered and turned sharply…
…only to see Alex's face next to his.
"…what do you bean by she's dead?"
Dylan blinked a couple of times, expressing his confusion but soon understood Alex's actions.
After all, Alex was currently thinking about how his mum was faring and here Dylan suddenly says "She's dead!"
Dylan smiled softly, "…just ignore me." He patted Alex by the shoulder as he walked away.
Alex on the other hand remained on the same spot thinking about Dylan's action, before he also joined the others. It was possible Dylan was thinking about his mother and subconsciously said those words.
"Okay guys. I think I know where to find this…Circe" Dylan started immediately Alex joined them.
"Really?"
"Not, really. But I think I do." Dylan shook his head and pointed at a small building in the distance.
"Why do you think a goddess would decide to stay there?" It was Kate who asked. "Shouldn't we be looking for somewhere grand? Like that mansion over there?"
"Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft, and since Circe is her daughter, isn't she supposed to have some sort of magic?" Dylan looked at the small building again. "And that place…is bombarded with magic."
"Well, I don't think it works that way with gods." Harry objected but immediately Dylan looked at him, a lump formed in his throat. "But trying it out is better that just staying here all day."
Nobody disputed as they all thought the same. In the end, they got down from the roof and headed for the small building.
- - - -
*Ding*
As they stepped through the door, colorful lights turned on. Flute music started to play like they just walked into a bar. The wide aisle were lined with bins of grinded nuts and dried fruit, basket of animal feed and clothing racks with shirts that definitely couldn't be worn by a human.
Along the walls, glass cages displayed all sorts of animals; cats, dogs, birds, sheep and Alex could even make out one that looked like wolf cub.
"A pet store?" Harry wondered aloud.
"Hello, who's in here?" Bab called out.
A girl suddenly popped out from behind one of the bins. "How can I help you?"
Bab landed backward and with his weight, knocked over one of the cages, totally toppling it to the ground. The unfortunate gull in the cage began to scream like crazy, giving Alex a lot of headache.
"S…sorry," Bab quickly went over to clean up the mess.
"Oh, don't worry. It's okay."
Bab slowly straightened so as not to cause any more damage, but still the wooden floor beneath his feet creaked slightly.
The girl quickly went over to the broken cage and within seconds, she had completely fixed it . "You see?" She clasped her hands, "It's really nothing."
She reminded Bab of those young models he usually peeped at in his mum's magazine. She was slim and tall, with lace-up boots and a bright green t-shirt that read: CRPS Circe Royal Pet Store. Her hair was tied down in twin tail which looked like an extra pair of ear.
Bab stuttered as he tried to speak. He had always found it hard to compose himself in front of young beauties and this girl was definitely one of them.
"Uh…sorry about the mess…" he managed. "We were just –."
"Oh, I know," The girl quickly said. "You want to shop. It's alright. Demigods are very welcome. Take your time. We have all types of pets. And if it's also pet food or clothing or shelter …" She kept one blabbing until she finally choked.
She snorted, her eyes emitting a strange hue. Bab looked at the others to see if he was imagining it, but they all looked just as surprised.
From the back of the store, a woman's voice called: "Condense? Don't scare the customers away, now. Bring them here, will you?"
"Wait, your name is … condense?" Kate had to ask.
Condense giggled. "Well, in my home language, it's actually Talkun. Boss is fond of translating things to English. But don't worry; if you find Condense uncomfortable, just call me Kun."
"Talkun? Doesn't that sound like an African name?"
"Oh, I like this one. Usually, no one knows about my home town. But dear me, he doesn't look so good. Come with me, my boss has been expecting you for a while."
Kun led them through the produce aisle, between rows of eggplants, Kiwis, Lotus and Pomegranates. At the back of the store, behind a counter with an old fashioned register, stood a middle aged woman with olive skin, long black hair, rimless glasses and a sleeveless white flowing gown. She wore amber necklaces and turquoise rings.
She looked friendly enough but something about her made Dylan feel shaky, everything about him telling him to run and hide from her. It took him a second, and then he realized what it was – the way she smiled. Yes, she appeared to be smiling but her face showed next to no emotion. It reminded him of the person he hated the most … and also feared the most.
"Hello! She leaned over the counter "I'm very glad you're finally here! I was starting to fear you were killed by those Two-legged Mammoths."
"Two legged mammoths?"
"Ignore. But at least you're here." She said sloppily. "I'm Circe."
They could only look at each other, eyes widened. They didn't expect her to tell them so openly, without them even asking.
"Wait, you're really Circe?" Kate asked while looking the woman from head to toe. Dylan and Alex had told them Circe was a goddess but this woman in front of her looked every bit and inch…human.
Circe made a slight frown. "What? Did I miss something?"
"Kun said you were expecting us." At last Dylan found the courage to speak. "Is it –."
"Oh yes." Circe turned to him with that same expressionless slime that kept giving him Goosebumps. "I wonder why it took you so long but since you're here, let's get down to business."
"How did you know we were coming here? Ho told you?" As Dylan said those words, his eyes kept drifting between Kate, Harry and Bab. In any case, he still didn't trust these guys.
"I've been following you ever since you stepped off the train." Circe on the other hand just casually answered. "After all, I've been ordered on what to do with you."
"Orders? What orders?"
Circe chuckled before she leaned over, her face inches from Dylan, and she whispered softly. "Orders to kill you. All of you!"
* * * TO BE CONTINUED * * *