"How many other memories do you think we are missing?" Cody asked Stefan thoughtfully as they drove toward the residence where Stefan was staying.
"The better question would be to ask whether she could wipe it again," Stefan replied, still looking shaken. "This is one memory I would be happier without."
"Not me," Cody declared firmly. "Forewarned is forearmed, and if we're about to enter an apocalypse, I would like to know."
"To what end?" Stefan asked with a humorless laugh. "You remember what happened in that vision. That civilization was far superior to ours, and they didn't last twenty-four hours."
"Something tells me they didn't have Heidi either," Cody replied, cursing as he had to come to a full stop at a red light and use both his brake and gas pedal to keep the car idling and ready to go. "Then too, there may be others like Heidi, from the sounds of it."
"You mean like all of the Greek gods of mythology?" Stefan asked with a frown. "Seriously, do we really have a goddess in our midst? One that you just happen to be taking on a date tonight?"
"Hard to say," Cody replied slowly. "I think there's more to the story than the legends tell. I was never happy with all of the human flaws characterized in the legends anyway. The petty things the Greek gods did to each other were just too human. I'm guessing the legends are just history's way of explaining an advanced civilization that primitive cultures couldn't understand."
"What about Athena?" Stefan asked with raised eyebrow. "Do you think she is really the Goddess of War?"
"I doubt it," Cody replied dismissively. "If anything, she was probably a high-ranking general, perhaps the equivalent of the Secretary of Defense."
"I wonder if any others will appear," Stefan said speculatively. "Personally, I always liked the tales of Artemis and Hermes. I wonder who Heidi is supposed to be."
"Don't you remember what Principal Wiley called her?" Cody asked with a raised eyebrow. "She called her Hades."
"I thought Hades was male," Stefan said with a frown.
"Remember, these are legends," Cody pointed out. "For all we know, Zeus is a woman and Artemis is a guy."
"Okay, stop," Stefan held up a hand with a pained expression. "You're going to ruin my fantasy of Artemis as a hot chick with a bow."
Cody laughed, shaking his head. He was still trying to reconcile the fact that his own date was Hades. If he had remembered who she was before his memory was restored, he definitely wouldn't have had the nerve to ask her out.
They pulled up to the suburban house Stefan was staying in, but Stefan remained seated. The family he was staying with had five of their own children. Stefan only had one sibling back in Europe, so the lively household had added another dimension to his culture shock.
"How long do you think it will be before the Titans wake up?" Stefan asked somberly.
"I have no idea," Cody replied with a shrug. "I'll ask Heidi tonight, if you like."
"Um, maybe not," Stefan declared with an involuntary shudder. "I probably don't want to know."
"It might make you feel better to know that she has a plan," Cody said suggestively. "After all, the other civilizations probably had no idea they were about to be attacked. Our military is already aware of the threat and making preparations."
"Maybe," Stefan admitted reluctantly. "I'll tell you what. Go ahead and ask her but lie to me if she says we're doomed."
Cody laughed again and nodded. "Okay, will do. Now go get ready."
As soon as Stefan was gone, Cody let out a long sigh and pulled out onto the road again. He noticed another car pull away from the curb several houses down and begin following him. He frowned as it drove beneath a streetlight. It looked remarkably similar to a car that had been parked near Heidi's house.
He kept on eye on it as he drove to his house, noting that it kept enough distance to avoid looking suspicious, though it followed every turn he made. He decided to go around a block a couple of times to see if it would follow. It did. He finally pulled over and parked, noting that it parked down the street several hundred yards behind him. Shaking his head, he got out of the car and walked down to where it was parked.
There were two women in the front who looked to be in their late twenties. They ignored him as he approached, talking to each other as they played with their phones. It was almost convincing. He stopped next to the passenger door and knocked on the window. The woman in the passenger seat looked out at him and he grinned in satisfaction. No civilian had eyes so penetrating. She rolled down her window but didn't say anything as she observed him stoically.
"I'm Cody," he introduced himself with a smile. "I'm not a big fan of long distance relationships, so I thought we could get acquainted."
"Smartass," the woman in the driver seat muttered loud enough for him to hear.
"I'm not sure what the IQ of my posterior has to do with anything, but I could let you talk to it if you find it that interesting," Cody said with a smirk.
"Just go home and get ready for your dance, punk," the soldier in the passenger seat said acidly.
"I will," Cody assured her. "Just as soon as you tell me why you're following me. Is Colonel Rockwell worried that I'll talk to someone else about the Titans?"
"No, you little shit," she replied with a snort. "Your girlfriend is worried about you."
"Heidi?" Cody asked in surprise. "Why would she be worried about me?"
The woman stared at him silently for a moment, as if she were deciding how much to tell him. "Let's just say she is less than trusting of the company that was at the house tonight. There are those who would rather keep any information about Titans restricted. You're a...security vulnerability...at the moment."
Cody felt a chill at the way she said 'security vulnerability'. It sounded a lot like 'enemy combatant'. He couldn't help looking around the residential street for shadowy threats.
"Lose something?" the woman asked dryly as she noticed him looking around.
"My sense of humor, apparently," Cody replied flippantly, trying to hide his sudden discomfort. "Don't your friends in high places know that pissing Hades off is a bad idea?"
"Hades?" the woman muttered with a frown. "You mean Heidi?"
"You mean you haven't made the connection yet?" Cody asked with a raised eyebrow. "So much for military intelligence."
The woman stared at him in shock for a moment before quickly blanking her face. "Just get a move on, kid. I'm not a very patient babysitter."
Cody made a crisp salute that was slightly spoiled by his sardonic grin, then clicked his heels and walked back to his car.
"Okay, so something else besides Titans to worry about," Cody muttered to himself as his car coughed to life and he lurched back onto the road in second gear.