Chapter 63: Chapter 63 – Out of Here
[Main POV]
Silence reigned.
Two weeks. That's how long I've been in Afghanistan.
Two weeks of blood and sand. I couldn't believe it was over.
I didn't know how to feel. Was I relieved to go back to my provincial life? Was I sad that all the fun ended?
I looked over at Artemis, who wore a similarly blank expression.
The past week was genuinely the best time of my life. Raiding with my girl, sleeping in foxholes, swimming in rivers, it was a simple life. Oddly calming.
We were both disrupted from our reminiscing by shouts and thumps from the trunk. I was still new to the language, but even I could tell bin Laden was not happy.
Meeting Artemis's eyes, I smiled, and was happy to see her reciprocate. Sharing a hug and a kiss, it would have been quite romantic if a crazy person wasn't making a ruckus in their trunk.
"I think it's time for us to return home," I declared. Artemis nodded in agreement.
While Artemis ran ahead to grab us some horses, I dragged the trunk back down the tunnel we came through. Slightly annoyed at him for ruining the moment a few minutes ago, I picked up the trunk and shook it violently.
Immediately, the trunk went silent. Good.
.
Couple hours later, we were racing our way to Pakistan. The trunk was loaded on a small carriage that was pulled by six horses. Artemis and I led the carriage on our steeds.
Revitalizing the horses with our powers, they ran faster than any normal horse had any right to. In no time, we made our way to the Afghan-Pakistani border.
The section of the border we were at was invisible. No geographical structure marked the separation of nations. It was simply an arbitrary line drawn hundreds of years ago.
After crossing the border, I hesitated. Then turned back. Artemis noticed and stopped, simply watching what I was going to do.
Standing on the Pakistani side of the border, I looked over to the Afghan side. Through my physical eyes, I witnessed nothing but desert and mountains. Through my powers, I sensed millions of Islamic fighters remaining.
"Graveyard of empires, hear me,
While you may believe I flee,
Know that none shall live here free,
With my strength I curse this land,
That all will know not but sand,
And no food or drink will grace your hand!"
Infusing my tercet with divine power, I felt a wave of divine magic sweep across Afghanistan.
All across the country, everyone found that they could not eat or drink. Any food or drink that was touched instantly turned into sand. It was like a crappy version of King Midas's power.
Due to this unfortunate situation, they were all scheduled to die in a few days.
Content with what I had done, I looked back at Artemis, who gave me a nod of understanding.
Without a word, we continued on our way.
.
[3rd POV]
Indira Gandhi International Airport was the primary international airport serving the city of New Delhi, India. It was named after Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, and was the busiest airport in the in terms of passenger and cargo traffic.
The airport had several terminals, one of which was blocked off. At this particular terminal (Terminal 2), were several quinjets. These quinjets were allowed to occupy the terminal due to the generous sum of money that Apollo Enterprises paid the airport to allow this inconvenience.
In one such quinjet, was Charlotte, Apollo's secretary. Stirring her tea, she mixed a combination of milk, honey, and jasmine petals. Once done, Charlotte took a sip. Perfect.
Charlotte had been waiting for Apollo and Artemis for a couple of weeks now. Olivia and Dankus would stop by every couple of days, Emily and Yuka dropped in on weekends, and Piotr was here with her since the beginning, personally commanding the Apollo Enterprise Security Forces deployed in the area.
Currently, everyone was nervous. Their god left and nobody knew where he was. Then their goddess left. Both had acted abnormally before leaving.
Taking a deep breathe, Charlotte closed her eyes as she blasted music in her Airpods. One thing that she would miss was the chill time she had. With Apollo gone, she was paid to sit around and do nothing. No meetings to arrange. No venues to call ahead. No schedules to plan out.
Knock knock.
Charlotte heard the knock but ignored it. Olivia and Dankus visited yesterday, it wasn't the weekend, and the pilot was exploring New Delhi for the day. So, she assumed it was Piotr, who took every opportunity to flirt with her.
Charlotte appreciated the sentiment but didn't really feel like it. She was focused on her job, and being immortal, was in no rush.
Knock knock knock.
The knocking continued, but she simply closed her eyes and turned up her music.
Knock knock knock.
Knock knock knock.
Knock knock knock.
Now Charlotte was annoyed. Pulling herself out of the sofa, she stomped her way to the door.
"Alright, alright, I get it Piotr, you – !!" Charlotte froze with shock, and a little fear.
Standing in front of her was her boss, Apollo. Looking quite annoyed, one could see the tick marks on his face.
"Hello Charlotte," Apollo said with a wide smile, "long time no see!"
Charlotte let out a nervous, dry laugh. "Hello sir, good to see you as well! I hope your mission went well."
Apollo simply pointed to the trunk behind him. "Load this up, we're leaving by the hour."
"Yes sir!" Charlotte nodded and rushed towards the trunk. Easily picking it up, she carried it inside.
"Oh, and Charlotte," Apollo said with a smile.
"Yes sir?"
"Whatever's going on with you and Piotr, not on the plane or the office, keep it in the bedroom. Your bedroom or Piotr's bedroom to be more specific."
Blushing up a storm, Charlotte nodded and increased her pace.
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