Chapter 51: Connections

Of all the four word phrases, “We need to talk” is one of the worst. Adriana immediately froze, staring at him. Davos chuckled and sat up, swinging his legs off the bed.

“It’s not that bad, don’t worry. I’m not dying, I’m not mad at you, nothing like that,” he said, and motioned for her to sit down.

She did so, growing more numb by the second. There was only one thing this could be, and it was something they’d talked about a few times, but never seriously. “You’re leaving.”

Davos sighed, but nodded. “Not immediately, but soon. This entire venture’s been good for you, I think. Good enough that I think you don’t need me anymore.”

If anything could burn through the cold armor Adriana formed around her heart, it was that. “That’s it, then? You taught a feral child how to behave and now you’re gonna move on. And then what, Davos? Where are you going to go?”

He stroked his beard, which he’d allowed to grow out while they were there. Davos didn’t look old so much as older than he had, and more relaxed and at peace as well. “That’s a good question. Thing is, I’ve traveled a lot and I have a lot of friends I’ve worked with. At some point, it’s natural to part ways. Maybe I’ll visit some of them, see if they need any help.”

It was the perfect addition to a day that seemed to only be getting worse. Adriana’s fists clenched and unclenched, and a part of her wanted to run away as well. She’d never wanted to run away more without being afraid at all. But then, maybe she was afraid. “And then in a few years I become one of those old friends you don’t talk about? That you might eventually visit when you abandon your next friend?”

Davos reacted as if he’d been slapped. “I…I suppose I deserve that. But has it ever occurred to you that there might be reasons I don’t talk about my life? Do you really think I just forget people and then don’t want to talk about it? You’ve been through some shit, Adriana. You know how painful some memories can be. I’m just…trying to give these wounds time to scab over before I begin picking at them again.”

The worst part was how much it made sense. Almost immediately, she cooled down a little, but then got angry again at how reasonable he sounded. “You never told me what happened to your friend. The one I remind you of. Daphne, right?”

“Yes,” said Davos. “She died. You want to know how? Will that make this easier?” There was no bitterness in his voice, just a lingering sadness, and exhaustion.

“I don’t know,” Adriana returned. “Will it? I just want to know something about you before you leave me behind. Is that so bad? You’ve been my only friend for three years. You taught me a lot. Enough that I probably still don’t know half of what you’ve passed on, and won’t for a while. You want to know what I know about you?”

“Sure,” said Davos. “Hit me.”

“Don’t tempt me.” In spite of herself, Ariana smiled. “I know that you’ve been lying to me for years. You’ve got more Divinity than you’ve let on, and you don’t seem to want to say why. You give a shit about people, truly give a shit, and hated when we did oddjobs to feed ourselves. So, I don’t get why you want to leave when we’re making a difference. And I want to know how powerful you are, really. Would you at least tell me that?”

This time, Davos looked like he sucked on a lemon. “Powerful enough that Demigods can’t read me accurately, but not so powerful that assholes like Synto can’t hurt me. Make of that what you will.”

It told her plenty. Most Demigods could read roughly what level of Divinity someone was at, with certain abilities being able to read more clearly. In order to be unreadable to the Children of Stephanos, that meant he had to be…

“Are you a Lesser God?” Adriana blurted out.

Davos smiled sadly. “You could say that. I gave a lot of it away, but given power isn’t lost, if that makes sense. That’s how I know how many of my friends and students are still alive. When a God, lesser or otherwise, gives a fraction of their power, they can feel all of those connections inside them. When I leave, I plan on giving you some of my power, if you’d have it.”

So many things clicked together, while a million other questions raised. This entire time, he’d presented himself as barely strong enough to survive alone, but this meant that he had, or at least at one time had, fifty percent Divinity. And he’d hidden it and stuck around with a mere mortal like her for three years, until she’d nearly grown to be a Demigod.

“How many students have you had, Davos?” Adriana asked, hands splayed out over her knees and gripping them tightly. She never thought she was the only one, but knowing it was a thing he did…did that make it matter less, or more?

“Only a handful,” he said. “There were more in the early days, when I was gaining power quickly and making friends. When I was riding high on life and was almost grateful to the Maw for giving me this opportunity. How sick is that?” Davos laughed bitterly.

“Lucas gave me a power,” she blurted out, remembering it. “And he was able to give me his Inner Fire. What would you give me, Davos? What would you want me to remember you by?”

He thought about it, then shrugged. “I’m honestly not sure. So much of what I can do wouldn’t help you fight. I am…was…a God of rescues and safety. I pulled people out of shipwrecks, stopped fires, and evacuated villages in the path of monsters. All of these would be good for you, but you’re part of a team now. They fill in your weaknesses, and your strength is to burn and break anything that stands against you.

“When you become a God, you will be a much different one than me. So I want to ask you one last favor before I leave, Adriana. Please, think about what kind of God you want to be, and make it worth it. The world has too many petty tyrants and bullies. We need more good in this world.”

Davos slid off the bed and onto his feet. He stretched, bending backwards until everything cracked and popped. Adriana stood as well, and sighed.

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“Okay. I can do that. But in return, will you do me one last favor before you go?”

Davos nodded. “Name it.”

Adriana didn’t have to think about it for even a second. “Would you please stay until after the equinox, when they’re going to fully name me as the heir of Hessius? I know I can’t make you stay, but can you at least stay until then?”

He smiled again, and it was both warm and sad. “I can do that, no problem. What’s another couple of weeks?” Davos winked, and turned to leave.

Adriana hugged him before he could go. He grunted in surprise but hugged her back, squeezing tight. She let him go, and he walked out with a pleased look on his face. As far as she could remember, it was the first time she’d hugged him.

After he left, everything came crashing down. Adriana was going to stay here, and he would leave. She had a new life, and he wouldn’t be in it for much longer. Even if Davos did come back and visit, they would both be different people, and who knows what would change after she embraced her role as the new Sun God?

With a maelstrom of feelings she didn’t understand tearing her apart, Adriana left the room and wandered the halls of the temple. People saw the storm on her face and made room for her to pass. Even with her behavior at the best it had ever been, her temper was known among the faithful. She passed by endless halls of clean, white stone, stained glass depicting battles against beasts, and the great gardens that kept the Sons of Stephanos fed.

The entire island would be her home, and would exist to serve her. Adriana wouldn’t just be a God, she would be the God, and that was to say nothing of when she would be able to rise to Mount Ouranos and meet the other major Gods, constantly protecting the seat of their power from the Maw’s constant onslaught.

The path was slow and long, but it would lead her right to the top if she followed it. Why did it hurt so much that Davos was leaving, when she knew he never stuck around for anything. At the end of the day, he always ran away. And for three years, she’d run with him. Although Adriana had a team now, the idea made her feel more alone than she could ever remember being.

Without fail, her feet carried her to the highest place in the temple, up the mountain and above the antechamber below. It was a place for meditation, introspection, and in Adriana’s case, merciful solitude. When she climbed the white marble stairs leading to the top of the lowest part of the mountaintop, Adriana realized someone had the same idea as her.

Lucas leaned over the railing. Even after a month working together, it was weird to see him out of his armor. He was still huge, but not a hulking monster anymore, and his blue tunic looked great on him. Like usual, his jaw was set in a grimace that said he was deep in thought. He turned around before Adriana could back away.

“Oh,” he said. “You come up here for some quiet too?”

Adriana hesitated, then closed the distance. She looked out over Hessiopolis, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of affection and fear. “I did. Want to be quiet together?”

Lucas smiled, and it changed everything about him. Like most of his positive expressions, it was usually muted, like he was ashamed of feeling. Now, it was open and honest, and it made some of the hurt back off. “You read my mind. I won’t bother you if you won’t bother me.”

Side by side, they silently observed the island. The city sprawled out beneath them, with tiny people milling around like ants in a colony. Off in the distance, ships headed their way, ready to offload goods or passengers looking for safety and prosperity. So far, all of their missions had been close by, and had been a moderate test of their abilities. The Adamean Lion had been the first, and then came the sea serpent mating season, fighting off an acolyte of the Maw who had tried to spread Divinity like an infection.

In between it all, they’d trained together, drank together, and lived together. It was closer than she and Davos had ever been, and it should have been a good replacement. In many ways, she liked some of them better than Davos, but they weren’t family. Maybe they would be in a year or two, but if she was going to be the big, important God, where did that leave them? Could she ever really have friends?”

“Anything troubling you?” Lucas asked after several minutes. He continued scanning the horizon, not willing to turn his full attention on her.

“A lot,” said Adriana. “Davos is leaving soon.”

Lucas sighed, and moved a little closer, until their shoulders touched. “I had a feeling it was coming. I know how much he means to you, and he’s been an invaluable addition to the team. How are you handling it?”

Rather than say anything, Adriana let out a frustrated, garbled growl.

He nodded. “Understandable. I can’t make anything better, but I want you to know that we’ll do everything we can to make it smooth for you. After the equinox, things might get a little busy. But if you want, we can take a week to let you get acclimated to being a Demigod, and your new role.”

It was so like Lucas to offer comfort and sympathy without smothering her with it. Adriana rested her head against him. “I appreciate it. I don’t know…”

She took a deep breath and took a second to gather her thoughts. Lucas waited patiently, without prodding her or saying anything as she worked through it. “This makes it real. Davos leaving makes my position here real, and that I’m committing to it. And I still hate Pailus, and he hates me. I don’t know how to handle that. He’s not just going to retire and make you Hierophant, is he?”

Lucas chuckled, and Adriana loved the way his entire body rumbled. “Probably not. But a month or two having to take orders from you might break him. I’ll be ready to step in when that happens, but I’d appreciate it if you took your time so I can make sure the rest of the team will be okay without me. If you don’t rearrange the team and demand better people when you ascend.”

Adriana elbowed him in the ribs. “Why would I mess with the team? I’m sure plenty of other teams are great and are doing their part in keeping the Maw at bay and all that. But this team feels comfortable. In fact, what if I don’t want you to leave my team at all?”

Lucas fell silent and still. He froze for long enough that Adriana lifted her head up to better look at him. He offered her a half smile, and said, “When you’re the Sun God, you can do whatever you want. If you want me at your side, I won’t have much choice, now will I?”

“...Do you want to be at my side?” Adriana asked, the words leaving her mouth before she realized what she was saying.

Lucas pulled away. “I do. Which feels like a mistake. I like you, as much of a pain as you are. And I want to see how far you go. So yes, keep me around as long as you like. I’ll be there to tell you the truth and keep you from getting your head too far up your own ass.”

“I appreciate that,” she said with a short laugh. She looked into his eyes, as guarded as hers were expressive. Adriana found herself leaning in, and Lucas dipped down to meet her.

It was far from the first time she’d kissed a man, and it wasn’t with her usual animal hunger and reckless abandon. Lucas was strong, resolute, patient, and just…there, more than anyone else had been. He met her kiss with his own, questioning and waiting to see what she’d do with it.

Adriana pulled away, hesitantly. “What about Eva?”

Lucas made a face. “She’s…been difficult. But you’re right. This was…I can’t do that to her, can I?”

She shrugged. “I wouldn’t want you doing that to me, but I admit to a certain appeal to hurting her.”

“I wouldn’t enjoy that. I…” Lucas looked around, suddenly fidgeting. “I’m not good at this. I’ve never been good at this.”

Adriana laughed. “Just shut up and enjoy the moment.” She looked back out over the city. This just complicated things, but if she was going to boil from the inside with feelings, at least one of them could be positive.