“Hold on,” said Bevan, standing up to break the tense silence. His hands were shaking slightly as though he was trying to control repressed emotions. “You can’t just drop something like that on us out of nowhere. Do you know what you are telling us right now? Do you even know what this means for all of us?”

Charon conducted another of his tie straightening actions. “Maitho asked. I answered.”

Bevan looked like he had been slapped across the face. “That’s not the point. You can’t talk like you just dropped a fun fact.”

“But I did drop a fact. Whether it was fun is a matter of perspective.”

“This is something we shuid know aboot from th' beginning,” said Epona, her voice taking on the brashness that she had displayed the previous night. She seemed to share Bevan’s feelings on the matter. Her body had become rigid and she was gripping the sofa hard.

“Perhaps. But you didn’t need to know,” said Charon without even the slightest trace of guilt. The man either believed that he hadn’t done anything wrong or he was simply incapable of displaying emotions.

“You don’t get to decide that,” said Bevan, his voice trembling and his hands raised in a fist. Eventually, he sagged into the sofa chair, looking dejected. The pace of his breathing had increased. Whatever he wanted to say dissipated under the pressure of things beyond his control. “This is.” His eyes flitted, as though he was desperately trying to hold on to a thought. “This is not even close to what we agreed to.”

Charon stood up, a move that he accomplished so fluidly that at first Maitho wasn’t even certain he had committed an action. The man’s hands dove into the trouser pockets and he turned to face the two Celtic team members still seated. His attention however, was focused on Bevan. “An extension on your life in exchange for a successful mission. That was the deal.”

“Bit there haes tae be an end. That's whit we believed in.” Epona leaned forward, making it seem like she was a viper about to strike. Perhaps in that moment, the expression etched on her face might as well make her one.

“That’s your assumption. That’s your mistake.”

Epona was on her feet. “So because we dinnae ask, ye choose tae hide? Whin did ye decide that? Before or after we sold oor lives tae ye?” It seemed as though the viper had barred its fangs. Maitho wondered what would have happened if Charon wasn’t who he was.

Unfortunately for Epona, Charon was indeed who he was; an ancient being. An immortal entity that—for all Maitho knew—might just be older than all lives on the planet. Even at that moment, there wasn’t much anyone could do other than demand answers. It was an impotent move, but it was the only thing they had control over. Sometimes, in the face of helplessness, control was one of the most valuable commodities to own.

“Then quit,” said Charon.

With just those two words, the viper façade vanished from Epona. It was like flipping on a switch. In its place, she had adopted the expression of a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car. Whatever anger she had displayed just seemed to seep out of her.

But she recovered. It started with small shifts in her expression. The pressing of her lips. The flaring of her nostrils.

She gave a quick laugh of disbelief. “After everything ye just said? Kin ah just leave noo?” She raised her hand, pointing it at the door that led to the main hallway.

“If you must”

Epona kicked the sofa. “Stoap wth' th' half-assed answers. There's more isnae there?”

“There is.”

“Tell us,” Epona yelled. Her face seemed to hold back some of her emotions. It was as though she was walking the fine line between wanting her questions answered and holding back from causing a scene. Realizing her own outburst, she allowed herself to calm down. “Whit have ye done tae us Charon?”

It took a moment for Charon to respond. Maitho wasn’t certain if that was because he was pondering the question or if he didn’t know how to answer. “I believe I gave you a choice.”

Epona laughed. It was forced and mocking, but perhaps that was her intention. “Na. Ye gave us an ultimatum.”

She didn’t receive any feedback from Charon this time. The man simply looked around at everyone, as though he was waiting for something. “I’m afraid that’s all the time I can spare today.”

“Absolutely not,” said Maitho, adding his voice to the conversation. “I still have questions. I think we all do.”

But nobody responded.

When Maitho looked at Bevan, the Celtic descendant’s shoulders were curled inwards. His eyes were looking at something, but they weren’t actually seeing it. His back had arched forward, as though any moment he would curl into a ball.

Maitho then looked at Brigid.

The deep red-haired woman simply looked back at him. She didn't seem to perturbed by what had happened. But from the way her fingers were digging into her palms, Maitho guessed that she was anything but calm. “What do you mean by ‘just quit’?” She turned her attention to Charon. “What happens if we just, well, stop saving people? Or stop being Guardians?”

Charon walked over to the door to the main hallway and paused. “For a Guardian, they have just two choices for their mission. Life or death. Continue or quit.” He turned around and looked at Maitho. “A word, if you don’t mind.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The request was so sudden that for a moment, Maitho wondered if he even heard it correctly. When he looked at the others, he noticed Brigid eyeing him with what could only be suspicion.

Epona rolled her eyes. “At this rate, ye will talk to a street rat before ye tell us anythin' important.”

Instead of trying to communicate with the team, Maitho simply headed towards Charon, who had already stepped out into the hall. The journey to the door felt longer than it should have. His feet felt like they were made of lead and that he was dragging them across the floor. He didn’t know if his mind was playing tricks on him or if it was actually true, but he sensed that the others were throwing stares at him. He didn't check. There was no point in doing so.

He understood that whatever progress he had made with Epona that morning might not matter anymore. As for Brigid, there might be no more bridges to cross in order to form even a semblance of meaningful understanding with her. Maybe he could still depend on Bevan. But Maitho knew that he would never put the Celtic descendant in a position where he had to take sides.

With heaviness in his heart and his mind, he exited into the mall hallway.

Charon had already called the elevator. Maitho closed the door before joining the other man. The sound of the machine moving beyond the sliding doors brought back memories of the previous night, which he gladly pushed aside.

“They are agitated,” said Charon, looking at the door to the security room.

“Can you blame them?” said Maitho, wondering how long the conversation would last. The longer he stayed out here, the more the team would suspect him. Probably. Alternatively, they might have stopped caring about his presence entirely.

“But you are not.”

Maitho shrugged. “Let’s just say that I am still digesting everything. I’ve learned to avoid reacting quickly. Doesn’t always work though.”

“That’s no way to live.”

“Are you sure that you should be the one giving me that advice?”

“I am a different kind of being. My emotions are far removed from that of a human’s.”

The elevator’s bell chimed and the doors slid open. Charon moved to block the sensors in the doors, preventing them from closing.

He reached into the lapel of his jacket and pulled out a golden coin. He flipped the coin into the air and grabbed it when it was returning back, all without even glancing at the object. Holding the coin between thumb and forefinger, he offered it to Maitho. “Take it.”

“What does it do?” said Maitho, his eyes furrowing in concentration.

“It gives you a passage home on my boat when death comes knocking at your door. Or anyone’s door for that matter.”

“Why would I need this?”

“Because you have a strong will. The others do not. You will make the best use of this.”

Something about the way Charon spoke made Maitho think back to the last fifteen minutes. Where the emotionless man responded in quick sentences, he was more conversational now. “Wait. Were you testing us earlier?”

Charon did not say anything. But his silence provided the answer.

“What was the point of doing that?” said Maitho.

“They need a leader.” said Charon.

Maitho didn't expect that response. But he was quick to recover. “They have a leader.”

“They need you.”

Maitho shook his head. “That’s not happening. Don't drop another surprise. Not now.”

“If she was a great leader, she isn’t now.”

“If you're talking about Brigid, then you can't be sure of that. What made you even say that?”

Charon pulled at the bottom of his jacket, adjusting his jacket even though it did not require any adjustments. “Rather than work with you, she sought to antagonize you.”

“And how would you even know that? Don’t tell me you were watching us yesterday the whole time.” Maitho thought that perhaps it would be nice to enter the elevator. It would take him to the lobby and all he had to do was simply walk away from all of this. After all, Raiden was right about one thing; he and Jonathan Cray had not caused him any harm, even though they were spying on him.

“Bevan told me," came Charon's response.

Maitho exhaled exasperatedly. “People should stop taking advantage of his kindness.”

“That’s besides the point. You saw how she behaved.”

“I’m not taking over her position just because we had a disagreement.” Maitho realized his voice was louder than intended and consciously brought it under control.

“That disagreement could have gotten you killed.” As always, Charon’s expression was unreadable, as though the man was watching a boring show on television, rather than talking about something life-changing.

“But doing this to her is going to make things worse.” Maitho looked at the coin in his hands, his mind racing to collect his thoughts. Eventually, he thought about the animosity Brigid had shown him. “Someone has to put a stop to this conflict between her and me.”

“Putting aside everything that happened just so you can form an amicable relationship with her is akin to admitting you were wrong.”

“What great reward am I going to claim for being right? All I am going to do is satiate my pride and make things worse.”

Charon seemed to consider something. Well, at least that’s what his silence could be assumed to be. His expression could mean anything, from dismay to excitement. No one could say.

Eventually, he spoke. “Do what you must. But that coin is yours and yours only.”

Maitho looked at the coin again, this time thoroughly. On one side of the coin was a hooded figure on a boat, holding an oar in both hands. On the other side was simply a figure of a lantern. “Then I'll keep it.”

Charon stepped into the elevator. “You’re going to change your mind, Maitho. They will eventually depend on you.”

Maitho wanted to respond, but he found that he was at a loss for words. Then it was too late to say anything, as the elevator doors slid close and the sound of machine running could be heard.

For a while, Maitho had no idea what he wanted to do. He felt like a boat drifting out at sea in the middle of a raging storm. Once again, he looked at the elevator doors, wondering if he could just make a move.

Instead, he pocketed the coin and headed back to the security room.

As soon as he entered, he saw all three of the Celtic team members in the seating area in the center of the room. They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation, stopping as soon as Maitho made his appearance and fixing him with their gazes.

Their reaction made Maitho stop instantly, wondering what they were about to do.

“Raiden contacted us,” said Brigid. “We know where he is right now.”