Zeus and Lucy moved through the village, stopping to talk with various villagers, their questions polite but probing. "Have there been any accidents recently?" Zeus asked one elderly man, his tone light yet inquisitive.
The man shook his head, his smile too wide, too stiff. "Nothing of the sort. Everything's been peaceful here," he replied, his voice a little too cheerful.
Lucy stepped forward, her eyes narrowing slightly as she asked, "Has anyone new come to the village recently? Anyone out of the ordinary?"
Again, the answer was the same. A middle-aged woman, her hands busy with a basket of fruit, smiled and said, "No, miss. No strangers here. We all know each other."
It was the same story wherever they went. Every villager they questioned wore the same forced smile, their voices tinged with an unnatural cheerfulness that didn't match the wary glances they exchanged when they thought Zeus and Lucy weren't looking.
