Mortal Gods

By Alex Manea

Heather, a young American girl, is visiting her college roommate, who now lives in Rome. While partying in a local nightclub, she's picked up by a man who looks like he was created in the image of a Greek god. Her initial impression is correct. He’s one of the last surviving members of the Greek pantheon. After hooking up with him, Heather is forced to join the culmination of a two-millennium-long war between that pantheon and a clandestine sect of monks within the Catholic Church, itself led by perhaps the most infamous figure in Christian history. Heather and Apollo embark on a continent-spanning effort to collect what remains of the gods to engage in the final battle with the monks opposing them. But the fate of the battle is changed by the intervention of a mysterious military organization...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alex Manea
• Release date: Aug 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311240422

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MortalGods

By

Alex Manea

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2014 Alex Manea

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes, copied, or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except for brief quotations embodied for reviews.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover Artist: Ovidiu Stanciu

Edited by: Tracy Seybold

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.comPublished 2014

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

August 2014

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Prologue

1990 - Italy

Dawn was close to breaking on the small town of Pico, Italy when Hera and her husband, Zeus, entered the courtyard at 21 Via Santa Maria.The front door was unlocked, something that wasn't unusual for a place such as Pico—a small town in the Italian countryside where the crime rate was close to zero and all the Polizia Municipale had to worry about was the occasional old lady crossing the street againstthe red light, because her sight wasn't what it used to be.

The house had two floors, and they needed to reach the second one. Zeus led the way, without the help of a flashlight. They entered the room, closed the door behind them, and quietly approached the small crib in the center of the room. The baby was still asleep when they leaned over his crib. He awoke only when Hera pulled the blanket off him. But as the two old and unfamiliar faces looked down at him, the baby didn't cry.

Maybe we remind him of his grandparents.Hera's thoughts raced as she tried to find an explanation for the baby's calmness.

She took the baby in her arms, rocking him. Again, the infant made no noise whatsoever. As he was rocked, he kept looking straight into Hera's eyes.

Remember when we used to hold our children like this? she whispered.

It feels like those days, those memories, are just flashes from a dream.

Zeus moved closer and put his arms around her, then looked at the baby and smiled. Hera felt comforted; thoughts of happier and distant days flooded her mind.She closed her eyes, trying to hold on to those memories for a few more seconds, but the thought of what was about to come took them away.

He looks so peaceful and innocent, she went on, a moment later. If he only knew what awaits him in the coming years. Do we really have to do this?

We've discussed that, Zeus said as he released her and walked over to the window, which offered a view of the courtyard. We have no choice.

But what if we fail, like we did in the past? Once again, her maternal instincts were kicking in.

You know very well what's at stake here and why we must do this, no matter the cost.

That cost you don't care about are starting to add up, Hera said, still rocking the baby. And tonight that numberwill get bigger by three.

A tear made its way down her cheek as she spoke the last words. It was the fifthtime they'd done this, the fifth time they were going to kill an entire family.

Hera remembered the first time they'd done it, a long time ago. Back then, she'd promised herself she would not get emotionally attached. Now she couldn't even remember the faces of everyone they'd killed, and the thought of this gave her goose bumps.

Even worse, now, for the first time, she was picturing her own children in that crib. The thought of putting Apollo or Artemis through this made her cry.For a moment, she was afraid Zeus would see her weakness. Thanks to the darkness, she managed to wipe away the single tearthat fell from her eye before he could see it. In all their years together, not once had she shed a tear for someone who wasn't one of theirs. She put the baby back in the crib.

Let's save this conversation for another time. We need to hurry if we want to make it. It will be dawn soon, he said, ignoring her last words.

Zeus walked back to the crib and leaned over it, just as Hera placed her left hand on the baby's chest and closed her eyes. The changetook less than a minute and, because of the darkness, the effect could not be seen. Only in daylight could someone notice that the baby'seyes were no longer brown, but green. Now he was ready. He was a prime candidate for the transformation. When she was done, she took her hand off the baby and turned to the man she came with.

He's ready, she said, taking the baby again and following him to the bedroom door.Do you still want Hep to take care of him?

Yes, he answered as he opened the bedroom door for her to pass first.

But he just lost his only child. Do you think he'll be up to the task?

That's exactly why I'm choosing him, Zeus replied. There's nobody more motivated than him right now, nobody who wants revenge more.

The two of them were now walking down the stairs. They trod as softly as a cat down the stairs, careful to not make any noise. They didn't want the baby's family to wake up. It was never easy to purposely hurt innocent people, and they wanted to kill the baby's family while the victims were asleep.

There was no other way. If they left the family alive, the parents would report the child as missing. Likewise, the monks would inform the police of another child abandoned at their front steps. And since even a police officer could put two and two together, the baby would soon be back in his parents' arms. Yes, his life would be saved, but that meant ruining another.

Without making a single noise, they exited through the back door of the house, closing it behind them. As soon as Zeus and Hera were out, Hep came out from behind the trees of the family's orchard. He was the same age as the two of them but in better shape.

Hep, where's Apollo? Zeus asked.

He's with Aeolus, securing the perimeter.

Okay, I want you to give Aeolus this baby. Tell him to take him to Monte Cassino.

Monte Cassino? Are you sure about this? Hera asked, still apprehensive.

Yes. There he should have the best chance to be noticed and recruited. The Archbishop visits Monte Cassino every couple of years. He should easily be noticed."

Hep took the baby from Hera's arms while Zeus put his hand on Hep's shoulder, in a useless effort to offer comfort. He understood the pain Hep was going through and that this was just an empty gesture, which wouldn't make him feel better even in a million years. But Hera knew this was Zeus' way of saying that he would be there for Hep. She knew that only a great deal of time could heal the wounds created by the death of your child. Hep's wounds were almost gone, but she knew the scars would be there forever. One could never really escape the pain created by the loss of one's child.

Zeus gave a goodbye smile to the infant as Hep started walking back to the orchard.

Hep, Zeus called, after Hep had only taken only a few steps. From now on, he's your responsibility.

Hep nodded without stopping or turning. He walked straight through the orchard, to where Aeolus waited.

In the beginning, Hep would have avoided going near Monte Cassino at all cost, but the place was no longer dangerous after its destruction in World War II. After the reconstruction, it became an important tourist attraction, a pilgrimage location, no longer his enemy's henchmen's lair. Now the place was a simple abbey, and the only tie to Judas was that his men visited the place every couple of years for recruitment purposes.

The baby had a big distance to cover to get to the abbey, almost one hundred miles, and only a few minutes to do it. But Hep wasn't worried. There was plenty of time.

Aeolus, where are you? he called as loud as he could, without shouting, because he was afraid someone might hear him.

Here, a voice answered from above him.

His old friend stood on the lowest branch of the fruit tree..

Get down here. You need to go.

Aeolus jumped and landed like a feather after the twelve-foot fall, right on his feet.

They gave the task to you and not Apollo? Aeolus said when he saw the baby in Hep's hands. That's odd. Did they at least say why?

No, but I think I know their reason.

Aeolus understood what Hep meant. He didn't want to talk further on the subject, because he knew it was still hard for Hep to speak about the loss of his daughter.

So, where are we taking this one?

Monte Cassino.

I'd better go, I'm not as fast as I used to be.

* * *

I still think you should have given the task to Apollo, Hera said as she followed Zeus around the side of the house to the electrical panel. Even though it was very late, they'd parked their car on the side of the road about a mile outside the settlement. If an eyewitness told the local authorities that they had seen two strangers driving to that house just minutes before the fire started, nobody would believe it was an accident. Also, the car was a BMW 3 Series, the 1990 model fresh off the dealership lot. Such an exotic vehicle would surely be remembered.

Without replying, Zeus opened the box and touched the panel inside.A few small electrical arcs formed between his palm and the panel, melting the plastic components.

We have a few minutes until the fire from the short circuit in the kitchen reaches the gas line and the house blows, he said, after closing the box and turning away.

Just this once, can't we spare them? Hera asked, desperately wanting to spare the innocent lives that were about to be sacrificed for what Zeus thought was the greater good.

We can't take the risk. What if the police or Judas' men connect the dots between the missing child here and the one mysteriously appearing at Monte Cassino? We cannot take that chance.

Nobody will make a connection between a missing baby reported here and another one ending up at Monte Cassino. She couldn't keep her tears back anymore. Seeing the beads going down her cheeks, he hugged her to his chest as hard as he could. After all, they were still husband and wife, although ages seemed to have passed since they'd last shared an intimate moment.

Judas can, Zeus said, after she calmed down. He has become more paranoid now. He knows he's weak and vulnerable, and he doesn't want to take any chances.

Promise me something. She stepped away and wiped the remaining tears off her face with her hands. They would meet the others soon enough, and she didn't want to look weak and vulnerable herself.

What?

That next time, let's choose one with a single parent with a drug problem.

Hopefully there won't be a next time. We can't risk waiting twenty more years for another chance.

* * *

Hep was right, I'm getting slower. Aeolus had timed himself just to see if it was true. It took him five minutes to arrive at the base of Monte Cassino's hill. He decided that from there, it was best to go on foot through the forest that surrounded the abbey. Although he was very fast, he wasn't silent at all and couldn't risk being heard, not now, when he was so close.

The climb took him another ten minutes and the cover of the trees allowed Aeolus to get within a few feet of the entrance without running the risk of being seen. He looked over at the windows above the entrance, searching to see if anyone could spot him. When he was sure that he wasn't in anyone's line of sight, he walked over to the entrance and placed the baby gently on the doorstep, looking one last time at the little guy before he backed away into the treeline.

Now all he had to do was wait and hope that the monks would take the baby, then return and let the others know if the plan had succeeded or if they had to sacrifice some more lives.

He prayed for the first time in ages.

To whom, he didn't know.

* * *

Father Francesco woke up