•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

He was the god of requited love,

A love returned.

He was also the punisher of those who hate love,

And avenge unfairly treated couples.

He's Anteros.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

A few minutes later, we had gathered in the forest by Pedro's Corolla.

Hunter and Dimitri were conversing with Zion a few feet away. Their gestures were jerky as they enthusiastically discussed what had recently occurred. Apparently, Hunter lost the rap battle.

Which isn't surprising; Dimitri has a way with words.

I turned and found Pedro stumbling towards us. His feet didn't seem to keep him in a straight line.

"I think I took alcohol." He muttered, trying to grab a tree but slipped forward, heading for the ground. Zion grabbed him by the torso and tugged him to his feet.

"Thanks, bro." He said, right before he doubled up and puked on the grass.

Zion looked disgusted and glanced away. "Where did you get the alcohol?"

"I thought it was fruit juice."

"Did Emily give you that?" Gwen stood beside me. Her face blank and expressionless.

Pedro thought about it. "Come to think of it, she did."

"What did I tell you about taking weird drinks from people?" Zion said with a hint of annoyance.

Pedro rolled his eyes and wiped the corner of his lips with a finger. "It's nothing, Mom."

Zion frowned and dropped him.

"Ouch! My white shirt!"

"So you're leaving again?" Hunter said as he pocketed his fists in his beach shorts.

"We'll be back before school starts," Zion said as he dusted his hands.

"I hope so." Hunter's amber eyes turned to me with an accusation. Like it's my fault. It was his first acknowledgment. I glanced away and helped Pedro to his feet.

"So you're Hunter?" Eros leaned by a tree as he stared with interest.

Hunter looked uncertainly at him. "Yeah." He rose an eyebrow. "You got a problem with that?"

Eros smiled and shook his head. "Not at all."

Hunter watched Eros like he was a weirdo. He stepped away and walked towards the camp.

Dimitri followed but Zion grabbed his arm. "Has Hunter done anything weird lately?"

Dimitri shook his head. "Nothing I know of."

He pursed his lips. "If anything happens, let me know immediately."

Dimitri nodded with a smile before leaving for the beach.

"Does he even know who he is?" Eros asked. His eyes followed Hunter when he joined a group.

Zion scowled but replied honestly. "He doesn't."

The god of love chuckled and placed a hand on Zion's shoulder. "It's nice seeing you three in one place."

Zion watched the hand for four full seconds. "Don't touch me." His tone held a threat to it.

Eros rose his hands and stepped back. "Touchy much?"

Zion ignored him and faced us. "So we're going to Devler's Cemetary. Any ideas on how to get there?"

"Gem." Liam stood by the car. I haven't even realized his presence. His eyes met mine. "You're going to make a portal."

What?

I hoisted Pedro's arm on my shoulder. "How will I make a portal if I've never seen the place?"

Liam's lips tugged into a grin. "Eros will imprint it in your memory."

"How the heck is that happening?" Zion scrutinized him.

Eros stepped closer to me. His heterochromatic eyes zeroed in as he curled his lips. "Since I fed on you, we've made what we call a temporary bond. It only lasts for a few days."

I frowned. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Is that a trick question?" Liam glanced at a glaring Zion.

"Not to mention I haven't killed you for it," Zion mumbled as he took Pedro's heavy body from me. He watched as Eros tugged his white gloves from his hands. "Don't try anything funny."

Eros only smiled and placed his warm hands at both sides of my head. His green iris glowed along with his brown one.

"Close your eyes." He said and I followed suit.

At first, I saw only darkness. Then a cloud of colors exploded. A mixture of yellow, orange, and red slowly formed into a magnificent painting.

It was a memory.

Eros' memory.

The Devler's Cemetery glowed under the sunset. A beautiful scenery.

But there was someone else.

A female.

She sat cross-legged on the grass with a heartwarming smile. And she was staring at me with so much love and affection.

Eros stepped away and the image burst out like a balloon. "Time to head back. I have a club to run." He turned to Gwen who adjusted her glasses before stepping beside him.

"You're not coming?" I asked.

She nodded timidly. "I'll only slow you down."

I nodded but felt a pang of disappointment.

"Take care Princess," Pedro said with a small smile.

She returned it. "You too." With one last wave, she followed Eros towards a company car with the logo 'Star-crossed Inc.' tinted on the side.

Liam turned to me. "You ready Gem?"

I nodded and stretched out my hands, palms outwards. It wasn't the first time I've made a portal, so it should be easy. I took a deep breath and focused on my emotions.

With an image in mind, I had conjured a swirling vortex in less than a minute. Trying not to mess it up, I kept my concentration until its size could accommodate a human. A prickly feeling overcame me as my energy honed on the portal.

A cold wind rushed in like a tornado and my feet glided towards the opening. I remembered the Carcinus crab and how the last portal had sucked it in. Before I could control it, Zion, Pedro, Liam and I were hauled into the swirling void.

Time seemed to have stopped, right before we hit the dirt. The others grunted from the impact.

Pedro groaned and rolled to his elbows. "Next time Sausage, try transporting in a much smoother way."

I smiled at him. "I'm sausage now?"

He grinned. "It sounds juicy."

"Guys. I think you better see this." Zion was on his feet as he stared ahead with wonder.

I followed his gaze.

To say it looks like a ghost land was an understatement. A chain-linked fence surrounded the perimeter, enclosing a grassy area filled with Coping Graves, Ledger Stone, and Wall Vaults. All were inscribed with the names of deceased citizens.

A thick fog covered the area, making it pretty hard to see. The atmosphere was chilly to the bone.

"This place reminds me of a scene in Scooby-Doo," Pedro said as he swaggered to his feet.

A hand grabbed my arm before helping me to mine. "You okay?" Liam asked and I nodded.

The small sound of a barking dog sounded a few miles away, making the place even more spooky.

"Where's the medallion?" Zion said, his eyes still glued to the landscape.

Liam pulled the object from his pocket and tossed it to him.

Zion caught and turned it in his palm. "So how are we finding this stupid chamber?"

Liam shrugged. "Not so sure. But we may need this." He pulled fist-size gadgets from his belt and hurled each to us.

Torchlights.

"Search for anything which links to Hephaestus." He said.

"Then let's get this show on the road." Pedro stepped closer to the fence, examining its shoulder-length height before making an attempt to climb.

"What are you doing?" Zion watched with a bored expression

"Using my black belt skills." Pedro stuck out a tongue in concentration as he pulled one leg over the fence -- avoiding a sharp spike -- and followed up with the next leg. He slipped and hit the grass.

Zion chuckled. "Are you alright?"

Pedro rose a thumb and sat up. "I'd like to see the rest of you try."

Zion turned to me. "Can you make a portal?"

A portal later (minus the fact that we got spat out like bad food, but hey I'm getting better) Zion, Liam, and I stood on the other side without so much as a sweat.

"You all cheated." Pedro switched on his torchlight and waved it around.

Stone graves stretched out as far as the eyes could see.

It was going to be a long night, but somehow I couldn't push the feeling that we were being watched.

So, I just want to know which character you enjoy the most. Feel free to let me know in the comments.

I also want to thank you for sticking with my style of writing😁.  Lots of love💜

Please don't forget to click the star button and vote.