~HELENA~

Mogh arrives in Trinidad. Selene and Ares in Trinidad try to make sense out of what is goin on.

 

Monday.

 

 

“That was tiring; more than twenty six hours in the air.” Mogh said to me when he was let out by customs. “You came also I thought Ares was coming by himself.”

“Just be thankful we came.”

“I am”

The sun startled Mogh’s eyes after the long trip.

“So how was England? Were you ever there before” I made conversation while they tried to get Mogh’s suitcase into the trunk of the taxi he had hired.

“I study in England.” There are so many things we still don’t know about each other.

The three of us hop into the taxi.

“Um, Mogh, where are we going?”

“Courtyard Marriott hotel, please.”

The driver who had on a cap and a pair of dark sunglasses just nodded. As they drove off Mogh asked Selene, “How is your helper?”

“Shh,” I said gesturing to the driver who looked definitely suspicious.

“Don’t worry the driver is trustworthy. We can talk.”

“Okay” Ares and I eyed the driver with mistrust.

“He is here of course, somewhere.”

Ares interrupted us, “The Marriott hotel, Mogh I did not know your had that kind of money.”

Mogh laughed saying, “There are many things that you don’t know about me.”

Ares shrugged his shoulders, “fair enough. We already have a suspect.”

“Is that so?” Mogh eyes gleamed with interest. The driver leaned forward a little, or maybe I imagined this. Who was Ares talking about?

“One of Selene’s friends, Helena, I definitely suspect her of hiding something. Remember the sketches she showed us Selene?”

“Yes but…” Ares was being a retard trying to incriminate Helena just to prove something to Mogh.

“She practically showed us Dionysus’s story in art form, Mogh, in one of them the subject was pregnant, and that just cannot be a coincidence. Dionysus would want to get as close to us as possible.”

Ares was excited and he wanted me to support him so I said, “Yes we are considering the possibility of it.”

“Selene my dear, you don’t sound very convinced.” Madam Tsali turned around and smiled at us.

“Madam Tsali! Oh! you came with Mogh.”

“Yes and I am staying with him; uh, in a separate room, of course.”

“Of course,” Mogh repeated quickly, exchanging a furtive glance with madam Tsali.

Madam Tsali took the cap off and shook her hair loose. It was strange seeing madam Tsali like this; hair loose and wearing make up. She has a good figure and an attractive face.

“How did you and Mogh meet?” Ares is paying attention now. Again, they exchanged looks.

“Mogh and I met while he was studying at Cambridge, I taught him Latin.”

“So you are a professor?”

“Yes.” Madam Tsali says this in a manner so that we know she wants to change the subject. That is why she likes Mogh so much, she knew him prior to Nightschool. They both knew each other and they kept it from us. I can see from Ares’ expression that he is surprised also. Mogh looks away guiltily. The rest of the drive is quiet.

 

We reach the hotel in about forty minute’s time because there is not much traffic today. Madam Tsali and Mogh are staying in a plush suite with two beds and a fully stocked refrigerator and a TV with cable. While Mogh and Ares ‘check it out’ madam Tsali and are left with nothing to do or say. I feel awkward because I cannot relate to her like a friend because of our teacher-student relationship in Nightschool. She seems to feel the same way. She gets up to open the windows and as she reaches up her top rises showing me a tattoo of a red fire- breathing dragon. Strangely, it looks recent. I never would think of her as being the ‘type of person’ to get a tattoo.

When Ares and Mogh come back we help them to put on their sheets and then we settle down in the living-room. Madam Tsali says, “Ares, Selene if you think that girl is suspect then we should invite her over.” This brings exclamations of surprise from all three of us. “Not when I am here, though. This is still your task, oh and tonight you are going to meet the initiates.”

Tonight madam Tsali is letting us into Gorrenna where we will meet the initiates to give them advice, teach them, have them do things for us in order to win our favor, etc. how exciting. Mogh leads the conversation back to Helena. “So how do you all plan to catch Dionysus, I mean she has control of the arts also.”

I speak up to trying to impress madam Tsali. “If Helena is Dionysus’ host then we could play along, we know that she’s trying to tell us what happened…”

“She wants to give her own side of the story.” Mogh interrupts.

“Yes, so ultimately we have to pretend to understand her feelings and then betray her.” Ares says this, in a matter of fact way as usual. He sits on the arm of my sofa, his curly head leaning on my shoulder.

“Well, you all seem to know what you are doing; I'll see you tonight. Mogh remember to tell them the magic words.” With that she goes into the bathroom and we hear the shower turn on. The three of us leave the suite and went don to the courtyard café where we enjoy a few light refreshments. I could not wait until tonight when we get back into Gorrenna to meet the fortunate six.

A tall, horse like woman wearing a short skirt and a tube top accompanied by an older man walks past us. Ares looks at her then says to me so that Mogh cannot hear, “you would look better in that outfit, don’t you think?”

I pretend to be modest, “Me, in that no; its better suited for you.”

The two of us burst out laughing and Mogh looks at us impatiently, “come on you guys we have to think this out, this is important you know. Do you know that everything we do is being recorded into the history of Nightschool? We’re like small time heroes… and a heroine,” he states looking at me. Dang, I did not know that. I bring up the topic of Helena whether or not she is in fact, possessed by Dionysus.

“Of course she is.” Ares and Mogh are adamant so I don’t push it. Meanwhile I have other things on my mind. While Mogh receives a call from his parents, I tell Ares to meet me in the restroom. He seems pleasantly surprised

“Which one?” He furrows his eyebrow, in a way that I find very sexy.

I didn’t think about that.

“Uh, female.”

“Okay.”

I make my way to the restroom. I stand in front of the mirror, looking at myself. My dark brown hair reaches my shoulder blade, framing my face. People say I am pretty but I never thought that. My eyes are big and brown, my eyebrows used to be bushy until I started plucking them, my lips are too big, my nose is not special . Overall though I look good.

Ares sneaks up behind me and startles me. I did not even see him in the mirror. “Hello.”

“Don’t do that again.”

“I’m a master illusionist.” He waves his hand around dramatically.

“You used the art of illusion, why not just invisibility?”

“Because,” he paused for effect, “Invisibility makes use and waste real magic whereas illusion is just pretence.”

“Okay so how did you do it?”

“I blended in with the background.”

“Oh.” Ares was getting better and better at this, I would have to step up my game in order to stay in the same league with him and Mogh.

I wrap my arms around his neck and tip-toe to kiss him. He holds my hips and spins me around pushing me into the closed door of a stall. Gasping for breath I try to push him away. Why does Ares always try to go further than I want to go? His hand run over my buttocks ends up between my legs. He tugs at my crotch of my underwear. “Ares stop,” I hiss at him. “Come on Selene, please.” An elderly woman walks in on us. She looks appalled and she walks back out quickly, no doubt to get the hotel manager. Ares groans, “Oh great. Hold my hand Selene; I'll get us out of here.”

Ares spirits us away. It feels easy but it takes a lot of concentration. So I help him by focusing my energy wherever he wants to go. When I open my eyes we are standing outside of the bookstore. A chill runs through me suddenly. I don’t know why but there is a feeling of menace here. Before we could even go inside someone walks right into Ares. Sonic. He apologizes and starts walking before I call out to him. He recognizes me and smiles. Wow. I forgot how hot he is. Even next to Ares I notice. He smiles at me and runs his hands through his hair. “________ how are you?”

We make small talk until Ares nudges me to ask him. I clear my throat. “Uh Sonic is Helena acting a little weird these days?”

Sonic widen his dark eyes, “A little? I wish. She been acting really weird for some days now. She just told me that I was evil and she…” he lowers his voice, “She tried to stab me yesterday. I just dropped by today to check on her.” Ares and I exchange a quick glance. Sonic looks around as if he is ready to go. “_____, try to comfort her, she likes you. But don’t pay serious attention to anything she says.”

My helper appeared suddenly, sniffing the air, “Dionysus is near, mistress fair.” He rubs his hands together nervously. Sonic looks in my helper’s direction briefly; or did I imagine this. “Here’s my number if you need anything.” He calls out his number while I put it in my phone's memory.

Ares walks inside the bookstore and I step behind him, gingerly. Helena is arranging a display of new releases. She looks normal enough, though she is still wearing the tinted glasses. “Hi.” I say with a weak smile. She does not return it. “He already got to you, didn’t he?” Ares looks at me pointedly. “Helena can I see the sketches that you showed us the last time you were here?”

Helena looks at me blankly, “What sketches?” Ares speaks up, “Just bring your portfolio and I'll show you.” Helena brings out the portfolio. “I did not do these,” her face shows surprise, motioning to the drawings that she showed us. “Helena,” I say, holding her hand in an attempt to comfort her, “you showed us these sketches, whats wrong with you?” she pulls her hand away and turns on me whispering in a hollow voice that scares the chills and sends them running up my spine. “He got to you? Tell me b*tch. Tell me. What did he tell you? He is a nasty liar. Ares takes her glasses off. She glares angrily at him. Her eyes are tired and sad. And brown which means that she is not dionysus’s host, at least not now.

She slumps to the ground. The formidable store manager rushes to her aid. We help to revive her and the store manager says that she can go home for the rest of the day if she is unwell. We support Helena as she walks out of the bookstore. We go into a nearby fast food restaurant .Ares and I sit facing her like interrogators.

“Who is doing this to you Helena?”

She looks around us and bites her nails nervously. Her eyes speak fear. “Will you tell him? If I tell you promise me you won’t tell him that I said anything.”

We promise.

“He threatened me this morning.” “Wait,” Ares interrupts, “You mean Sonic, your boyfriend?”

“He is not my boyfriend I broke up with him yesterday on the phone. He started telling me lies and I hung up on him. Minutes later he was at my apartment.”

I am confused. “Doesn’t Sonic live in the east?”

“Exactly.” Helena says, “He is evil, demonic. I can’t explain it but something about him changed. She starts looking around again, frantically.

Ares checks his cell and sees a missed call from Mogh. He doesnt call him back though, he just says we have to go. Ares tells Helena that we have to go. She nods and leaves without saying goodbye. Ares and I head to the nearest alley, which stinks so bad that I can hardly concentrate. Evening is approaching. I am going to carry us back to the hotel; with Ares’ help of course. Together we visualize the passageway outside of the room that Mogh was sharing with madam Tsali. We did not hold hands because we did not want to appear simultaneously. That would be too suspicious.