Marina narrowed her eyes at him. “You want me to believe that you’re centuries old?”

“Yes,” he said, looking somewhat bored. As if all of this was completely normal.

“That’s some seriously good antiaging cream you’ve got.”

“We only age to a certain point and then that’s where we remain.”

“For how long?”

“Forever. Well, forever is the ideal. Unfortunately, the Seekers before you have been unsuccessful and our time is running out. I don’t know that our world or yours can last much longer.”

“Can they last until I soak my feet?”

“You’re not taking this seriously at all, are you?”

“Put yourself in my position. Would you?”

“I have been in your position, of sorts. I was sent here with assurances that you are the Seeker, and yet I find this disheveled, middle-aged woman in the midst of some sort of personal crisis. You’re going gray and have”—he covered his mouth with his hand—“a black chin hair.”

She rubbed her finger across her jawline where the offender usually made its appearance. Sure enough, even though she’d just plucked it two days ago, it was sticking out at least a quarter inch. Sighing, she slumped lower in the chair. Alexios was just one more man who had issues with her appearance.

Apparently, he realized he’d offended her because he was instantly apologetic.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to insult you—I need to explain. But I have to go back a bit to do so. May I?”

“I already told you I have no plans to leave this chair and my gun is in the other room, so go for it.”

“Okay. A very long time ago, the goddess Aphrodite had an affair with a demigod named Drakos and became pregnant from that union. She’s been long married to Hephaestus, the god of metalworking, but he’s always overlooked her dalliances. When she ended her affair with Drakos, he became angered. He loved Aphrodite and felt that she’d misled him. He insisted she leave Hephaestus to be with him and their child, but Aphrodite just laughed at the ridiculous suggestion.”

“Did Hephaestus ever catch Drakos in his bed with Aphrodite and wearing Hephaestus’s sexiest boxers?”

“I’m certain the answer is no. For many reasons. Why?”

Marina waved a hand in dismissal. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Anyway, Zeus had commissioned Hephaestus with the creation of certain items of power. Items that could harness the strength of multiple gods for the wielding of a single user.”

“Why would he do that?”

“To ensure he remained in control. When you’re sitting in the big chair, there are always those who wish for your seat. Hephaestus, however, had always been aligned with Zeus and set about making the objects. Somehow Drakos learned of this and visited Aphrodite one last time under the auspice of attempting to win her over. While he was with her, he cast a spell on their wine. That night, when Aphrodite and Hephaestus were unconscious, he sneaked into Hephaestus’s workshop and stole the objects of power. But he was caught by guards before he could get away. Knowing that his fate was sealed, he summoned all of his power to fling the objects down to earth before the guards killed him.”