"Wow, hold the phone there." Leta interrupted. "What's with this 'keep you with us' I'm hearing? I've got a pretty serious end date to my stay in Greece, and it sounds like you're talking about something pretty permanent."
"You must understand that, whether you like it or not, you have stumbled upon a very dangerous world, my dear." Eriene entoned sternly, "Even knowing that this world exists could mean you, your friends, your family, even the shops you frequent could be put at risk for just being within a two meter radius of you."
"We are taking a gamble by even having this conversation; if you decide to cut all ties with us, you still now have knowledge of our location. That is a danger I am more than willing to rectify." Kaviah the Blacksmith growled, and Leta noticed that her right hand was resting on the head of a large smithing hammer in a carrier at her hip.
They must have seen Leta's wide eyed expression, because Allister spoke with the tone one uses with a cornered animal. "We don' say this ta frighten ya, lass. Only ta educate you. Ya need to know the risks up front, no matter what happens later. Yer' gifted, that's a fact. That little light show ya did earlier was proof of that."
"Light show?" Atreus frowned in confusion.
At Allister's pointed look, Leta held up her hands and concentrated, letting small blue-white sparks dance between her fingertips like fireflies.
Kaviah harrumphed, but it was not as threatening as it was before.
Atreus stared at the tiny snaps of electricity for a few moments before he spoke. "You survived meeting that fend once, Alaric is hardly the strongest or deadliest of the Blessed. Eventually, you will either have your mental shields worn down by shere numbers, or come face to face with one of the true great monsters still lurking in this world that could pierce your mind like a needle through wet tissue paper. Therefore, there are three options presented before you.
"First, Ismene and Eriene can combine their gifts to erase sections of your memories. You will remember your struggle against the Loupgaru, but you will forget about Koa, myself, and everyone you have met here. To you, you will remember only being attacked and defeating the Loupgaru that you killed before returning home.
"However, if you decide to make this choice, you will have little to no defense when the Blessed eventually finds you. You will either be killed by the Blessed or become an unwilling slave to their machinations - and with the talents that you harbor, I am truly fearful for what horrors they will force you to execute."
Atreus paused as Affra returned with medical supplies. When Affra helped remove his jacket and shirt, the well toned physique of his body was nearly overshadowed by the sheer number of scars that criss crossed his form. Stab wounds, bullet holes, gashes, and claw marks made his skin a multicolored patchwork of new and old scars.
The newest of which was a set of deep claw marks on his shoulder and wide slash against his other side.
Affra began to clean his wounds as Atreus continued.
"Your second option is to make a pact of secrecy with us. You will swear to our Judge and Scribe that you will never aid the Blessed and will keep our secrets. In return, we will come to your aid if we receive word that you are in trouble. Unfortunately, this option means that by the time we are alerted that you are in trouble, it could very well be too late. I'm sorry, but that is just the truth. There is not a single talent for teleportation, and in the time it takes to receive the alert, arm ourselves, and arrive at your location, you could very well be dead. However, this option does provide you with the most autonomy while providing at least some measure of protection."
"I should warn you though," Eriene added, "There are some in the Chosen who have the mentality of 'if you're not with us, you're against us'. Some will not come to your aid because you are not part of the order if you take that option."
"The third option," Atreus winced as Affra began to sew up his side wound, "Is that you offer yourself as a Chosen Initiate. We'll assess your talents and help you master them. In addition, you'll receive training in hand to hand combat and all manner of weapons. It goes without saying that you will be recognized as one of the Chosen, and your family will fall under our protection.
"The down side to this option is, once you graduate from the Initiate phase, you will be asked to assist a sect with monitoring Blessed activity and may even have to participate in raids. Being Chosen is not some summer job you do for community service hours - this is a lifetime commitment. While you will be able to go about your daily life, it will always be a facade to cover your activities with the Chosen."
"Wow." Leta nearly snorted, "Really giving me a lot of options here."
Eriene put down her tea cup and folded her hands in her lap as if she were a duchess. Who knew, maybe she was in a past life.
"This isn't something to take with a snide attitude, dear." She said sternly, "As was said, this is life and death. Either yours, ours, or theirs. We would prefer for it to be the latter."
"Please remember, lass," Allister butted in, sitting back down at the table, "If you decide you'd rather take your chances out there, then you're also putting yerself at the mercy of whatever Blessed happens to walk by. From the sound of it, you got a samplin' of what Blessed hospitality looks like this evening. How'd ya think you'd fare if our Koa hadn't come ta yer rescue?"
Leta looked over Koa, who'd been silent since he'd addressed Atreus. A plate of orange cake and tea had been placed in front of him, but he'd not even touched it as he observed the back and forth discussion.
She watched as a muscle in his jaw ticked, like he'd had to physically restrain himself from speaking out.
That and the way he absently played with his fork, twisting it between his thumb and forefinger in an unconscious display of agitation, was all she needed to know that he didn't like the idea of her going head to head with the Loupgaru either.
"Now," Allister continued, "we'd naught be sendin' ya out into the wide world with only yer wits. We'd be keepin' our word and will train ya, teach ya ta fight with yer gifts as well as fist and blade. We'll even equip ya with what you'll be needing to keep that pretty head o' yers attached to the rest of ya."
"But." Eriene took over the conversation as the most rational of the two, "Nothing in this world is free, not even good intentions. As a sworn Chosen, you will need to take your place among those burdened with this divine task and assist in fighting back against the Blessed. As Allister said, you'll not be jumping into the deep end until you can swim. That means training and some practice first before you try to take on another Loupgaru, dear."
Leta looked at Allister dubiously. He was nearly half a meter taller than her and must have been at least 15 stones heavier. His massive biceps looked like they could crush coconuts with ease, and she wouldn't have been surprised if the giant could bench press a car.
She felt her stomach twist thinking of the kind of grueling training this mountain of a man would put her through. She'd probably throw her back out just trying to lift the kettlebells he could probably juggle for fun.
"Permission to speak, General." Koa asked.
"Granted, Warrior."
Koa looked to Leta, and there was a more gentle look in his eye than when he addressed Atreus. "Leta, from what you have told us of yourself, you are scholar at heart with an academic's soul. Being part of the Chosen is not an ending of everything you have known. Every single one of us works and follows our passions in our own way. Our Judge, Simon, I think you will like - he works for the National Museum here in Athens and is a professor of antiquity.
"Really?" Leta perked up at the notion of another history lover.
"Indeed. Huda, our Scribe, also works with the Museum and handles the relics that are kept off display. But besides these two, we all have our own lives. I'm… uh." Koa looked away, almost embarrassed, "I'm an after school martial arts instructor."
"I work in the National Library." Eriene added.
"Nurse." Affra said without taking her eyes off her work as she finished sewing up Atreus.
"Tradeswoman." Kaviah grumbled.
"I'm a caretaker at the Atticas Zoological Park." Allister chuckled. "Gotta keep what connections we have to the mundane world open, if ya know what I mean."
Leta paused, looking at them all before blurting out, "Assassin? You've got an assassin with a day job?"
The room was quiet for a breath before Allister threw back his head and gave a loud, hearty belly laugh. When he slapped his knee, the table jumped.
"I'm sorry, my brain is just wired differently. That just jumped to the forefront of my mind."
Allister got himself under control, whipping a tear from his eyes, "Never apologize, lass. Don't think I've had a chuckle like that in at least a decade. What other questions ya got fer' us?"
And Leta did not hold back.
Two hours later, Leta had learned a lot - mostly from Eriene and Allister with the others piping in only occasionally.
She learned about the apprenticeship process, the training she'd take, what would happen after, and had gotten advice on how these strange beings handled this abnormal work/life balance.
And yet, she felt as if she'd only scratched the surface.
"You mean, If I found an ancient temple that was dedicated to the gods that you worship, I'd have to hide it and say it was something else?"
"I'm afraid so, dear." Eriene shrugged, "If you let the world know about our gods, it will alert the Blessed, who have been on the hunt for divine relics since their inception. You may not have found a relic, but even a whisper of something remotely related to the Blessed and Chosen's origins could send them your way."
The thought of lying didn't sit well with her. Sure, she'd had the occasional white lie, but even the secrets she'd been keeping so far from her colleagues had been weighing on her. Not only that, as an archaeologist, she understood how histories were told and rewritten for the benefit of the victors.
History was as much a warning as it was a storyteller. The idea that her lies could be documented for future generations to think of as fact was almost nauseating.
"I know that's not the answer you wanted to hear," Eriene soothed, "But look what happened to you just recently? You found a site that only hinted at Arisen, and the Blessed descended on you immediately."
"Which brings us back to the issue at hand." Atreus entoned, putting a fresh shirt over his bandages. "We've answered your questions. Now we need your word. Will you join our fight?"
Leta looked between everyone present.
"To be completely honest, it's still a lot to take in. I'm one hundred percent against the Blessed, don't get me wrong, but please also remember that a week ago I was just a stupid American teenager with an Indiana Jones complex and an addiction to overpriced coffee drinks. Now I've suddenly got superpowers and the history that I grew up studying is a lie. Could you… I don't know… give me some time to process things?"
Atreus opened his mouth to say something, but Leta interrupted him, "I know that this feels like a no-brainer for you and I sound like a dumb a**, but my life just got flipped upside down not too long ago and I need a moment before I commit to signing away my life. Just… let me sleep on it?"
Everyone looked to Atreus, whose eyes had narrowed at her request. He kept eye contact wither for a moment before looking at Eriene, the two saying volumes with just a look.
Though there was a serious age gap between the two, it was easy to see that the time spent working together had given them the ability to convey much with a single glance.
Or they were speaking telepathically.
Maybe?
Were healers telepathic?
"Seriously, ya'll know where I'm at, you own the building. I'm also supposed to be on house arrest, so it's not like I'm gonna skip town on you. Let me sleep on it and I'll have an answer for you in the morning." Leta grumbled.
After a moment, Eriene gave a short nod.
Atreus sighed and turned back to her. "Alright. We'll give you a moment." The dark haired man rose from his seat, and Leta felt a slow, anxiousness creep up her spine looking up at his serious expression. Was this what David felt when he was gazing up at Goliath?
"Make no mistake, Oletta Black. By sunup, we will have your answer. And gods above and below, I hope you think this through."