Helios Oracles

Chapter 5: Thanos And Bellanca

I exhale in surprise, though I'm smiling by the time the last of the air leaves my lungs and stepping forward, arms outstretched. The pair of Oracle siblings before me grin in turn and come to hug me all at once, a three person embrace I cling to as they whisper their greetings in my ears.

I'm surprised to find tears standing in my eyes as I pull away, and cover my emotional reaction to seeing them with a laugh. The only male born of our family with Oracle powers, Thanos grins at me, arms dropping to his sides, though his eyes don't see me. Both he and his sister were born blind, milky white orbs creating a stir every time they appear in the sanctuary. Though I never once thought them disturbing. Instead, I greatly enjoy their calm and confident manner, the way neither of them seem anxious about the past or nervous about the future, living in the present as true Oracles should.

"We thought to find you here," Thanos says with humor in his voice.

"Where else, if not the streets of the city above?" His sister, Bellanca, smiles at me, hand reaching for mine. I always have the impression these two can see more with their other senses than I can with my eyes alone. Her aim is unerring, as usual, fingers catching mine.

I follow them to a bench and sit, looking forward to the altar, Thanos on one side, Bellanca on the other, happy to be sandwiched between them. Rena might be my closest friend here in the sanctuary, but the Helios twins are siblings of my heart.

"How long are you back?" They are of the few number of our order who live outside the sanctuary, often off on missions for Sibyl. Though blind, I've never doubted their capability in handling whatever my grandmother intends for them. They radiate such confidence I wish it would rub off on me.

"Always with the questions," Thanos says, tilting his head toward me so the light from above catches the bristly blonde of his close-shaven hair.

I shoulder bump him. "Sorry," I say. "I guess I'm just feeling a little lonely these days." Should I tell them of Piers? Of all the Oracles in my family, I feel these two would understand, not only about my obsession with the outsider sorcerer, but my worries about my visions and the interpretations I've been taught to believe.

"Poor darling." Bellanca raises my hand to her lips and kisses the back of it. "We hate to abandon you so frequently."

"Duty calls." Thanos sounds as sad as his sister, and I feel instantly guilty.

"You're here now," I say, forcing brightness into my tone. "Tell me everything you've been doing."

"Better yet." Thanos turns sideways, one arm draped over the bench back, face serious. "Tell us what you've been doing."

I stammer a moment, suddenly nervous, though not because of them. More of voicing the truth of what I've been feeling. But in that moment, sitting in Gaia's chapel with my dear friends beside me, I know it's time to finally share my concerns.

My words tumble from my mouth like falling tears as I confess my deepest fears to them. Neither of the twins speak as I talk of my meeting with Charlotte and Piers two years ago, or of the doubtful seeds the werewoman planted. Of my secret meetings with the young sorcerer, though I don't tell them of how deeply I feel for him or that I've been visioning him for years.

Of course, they both know exactly who I refer to when I speak of the Dark One, but neither shows a flicker of surprise when I tell them Charlotte claims the woman of my visions is, in fact, the exact opposite. She is, instead, the savior of our Universe. I barely whisper the words, feeling as though I've committed some great sacrilege, doubting Gaia's gift in her own chapel. But once I begin, I can't stop, completing my verbal spill with what I've just seen.

Hot tears drop to my lap as I finish, throat tight with guilt. Bellanca's fingers still grip my hand, Thanos's falling on my shoulder as he leans forward and presses his lips to my temple.

"So brave," his sister whispers. "Dear Zoe."

"You believe me?" I choke on those words, unable to convince myself they aren't about to leap up and run for Sibyl, to name me a traitor and have me imprisoned. I'm shaking all over, teeth chattering, as Bellanca turns her blind eyes to me with a sad smile.

"We've known all along," she says, surprising me so much my tears dry up in an instant. "But you had to uncover the truth for yourself."

I'd be angry, except she's right. Any attempt at fury dies as I nod, accepting her words. This isn't something one can be told-that an entire existence is a lie, a manipulation. It's a truth that must be experienced.

"What do I do?" I look back and forth between them.

Thanos sighs softly, his breath ruffling my hair. "What do you want to do?"

"I need to talk to Grandmother." Surely Sibyl has no idea. Which awakens my anger, and this time it lives on without being snuffed out by reason. "Liander Belaisle. He must be the source of the deception." I can't bring myself to believe my grandmother would agree to such, so she has to be warned. I look back and forth between the twins, a small hope in my heart. If they know... "Will you come with me? To tell her?"

Neither responds positively, or at all for that matter, and my tiny seed of maybe dies.

Bellanca shifts beside me, face pensive. "Perhaps it is Liander Belaisle who you must guard against," she says. "Though things are often more complicated than we want to accept." She tilts her head to one side, braid falling over her shoulder to pool in her lap. "If anyone can find the true path, Zoe, it's you."

I open my mouth to ask her what she means. The twins are often cryptic when we talk, never quite answering questions when asked directly. But Thanos speaks up, silencing me.

"A time is coming, Zoe," he says, voice deepening, power rumbling through him. I can feel his fire waking as he goes on. "A time when you will be forced to make a choice."

I shake my head, not in denial but in wonder. "I don't understand."

The pair rises, Thanos brushing past me to join his sister. Her hand gestures, flames rising from her fingertips.

"Know you are on the right path," Bellanca says while Thanos frowns at her like she's overstepped her bounds. "Trust your heart, Zoe."

Thanos grasps his sister's hand, the fire leaping as the two disappear into it. Leaving me with more questions than I had before, and the odd sense I'm missing an important piece of the puzzles that are Bellanca and Thanos.

***