Disguised As An Elderly Woman

In the midst of a whirl and rush of humanity, an elderly lady leaned on her cane, looking confused. Though the lines on her forehead and deep creases between her brows evidently tricked those around her, she was feeling great at the moment. Her eyes were fixated on the watch on her wrist. Fiona counted inwardly like humming a soothing tune to her ears. "Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven..."

Across the street in one of the busiest areas by the city center, Fiona hunched forward with her back facing the racing cars and angry drivers. High buildings with strangely fascinating storefronts blasted loud funky music to gain passerby's attention.

Commercials with the brightest catchy colors and popular celebrities appeared on the big screens on several buildings. Posters and billboards captured the interest of teenagers who just came out of school.

Tables with plenty of modern products were displayed on different corners of populated streets. Items were repetitive and so were the prices. Looking around, Fiona let out a sigh at how the world has changed. One of the ladies who were selling imitated brand bags walked up to her and patted her shoulder. With greed filled eyes, the lady attempted to gain business through sweet talking Fiona.

Fiona stepped away from the lady's touch. She smiled, "Too expensive for an imitation."

The lady crinkled her brows upwards, pulling her eyelids up in the process. Her seemingly relaxed arms tightened around the crossbody purse on her torso - hiding it from Fiona's view. Nervously, the lady excused herself and continued luring other potential customers to the table she had set up earlier.

Resuming the confused act, Fiona stood at the same spot and looked around anxiously. She glanced at her watch and smiled. "One more minute and Axle should turn the corner of that street. The portal between the underworld and earth is located three streets from here. There's only one route he could follow."

Within a minute, her assumptions were proven correct. Axle appeared in casual wear with a backpack hanging on one side of his shoulder. His marble-like eyes easily attracted the attention of many people, but he showed no care for them. As he reached the end of the street, Fiona purposely ran into his torso. His fast reflexes held her fragile shoulder, preventing her from falling.

Before speaking, she dry coughed twice. "Young man, sorry for running into you. Thank you for helping me." She spoke, staring straight into his eyes. In the split-second eye contact they made, Axle realized he could not avert his gaze.

He picked up her cane and placed it in her hands. "No problem. Be careful when you walk around this area. A lot of people are on their cellphones. You aren't hurt anywhere, right?" Oddly, he couldn't leave the elderly woman alone like this.

Smiling, Fiona answered. "No, but it is too crowded for me to cross the street. My bones are weak and the lights change too quickly here. I need to head to a bookstore across the street, but I've been afraid to cross because of the reckless drivers."

"I see. Alright, how about this? Tell me which store you need to go to and I'll bring you there. I need to head the same way anyway." Axle studied the fast traffic lights and decided to help her get to her destination first before going back to the underworld.

"Oh, that'll be very kind of you. Thank you so much! The bookstore is next to the Hershey's chocolate factory." Fiona exclaimed, taking his offer naturally. Her smile grew wider as they reached the front of the bookstore where a standing serpent statue stood in front of the window glass.

Once they've arrived, Fiona quickly thanked him again. "Thank you very much for bringing me in here. Are you a student? You're carrying a backpack. If you're a student, the books inside this store are very fascinating and suitable for academic papers. There's also a mythology genre mainly about Greek gods and adventurous stories. You might want to check it out."

To attract his attention, Fiona purposely mentioned mythology books. Although he has been exploring the human world for a while now, his curiosity never lessened. Piquing his interest was her first plan. Even if this plan failed, he was already under her non-objection spell. Hence, he would not be able to reject her offer.

When Fiona mentioned books, Axle gasped in realization that he has totally forgotten about Eros' souvenir. 'Right! Master wanted me to bring a mythology book about him and his wife! Ah! Silly me forgot all about this. I knew I forgot something. I forgot about master!' Axle looked at the elderly woman in front of him and went along with her suggestion.

"Actually, my uncle wanted me to buy a book too. Since you mentioned about mythology, this bookstore might have what I need." He guided Fiona slowly and carefully opened the front door for her.

"Oh? What book does your uncle want to read?" Fiona almost slipped out a chuckle when she heard how Axle addressed Eros. It wasn't difficult to read his mind. After all, the Oracle was her husband, and he was the one who created Axle.

"I'm looking for a story about Eros and Psyche." He answered, scanning the unexpectedly large space inside. With the hideous statue outside the store, Axle didn't expect the interior design to appear welcoming. Soft carpets, fuzzy chairs, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee almost erased the stress he had from schoolwork. The lighting wasn't too bright nor too dim. Walls were painted in soothing colors, which were perfect for people who needed a quiet place to themselves.

Tables were sparkly clean and individual sections were available with desk lamps. Amazed, Axle began browsing through sections of the bookstore. In the back, a divider separated the children's section from the adults. There was a room filled with swing chairs for children to sit in. This place was a hidden treasure amongst the loud, crazy city.

"Ah, right! I'm here for the book. I'm not here to walk around." Axle noticed the book genres were organized by categories. After walking through a few aisles and reading the label on the shelves, he found the mythology section where he encountered the elderly woman again.

"We meet again." Fiona pulled out a book from the shelf in front of her and greeted Axle with a broad smile. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Not yet. I was walking around just now." Axle's eyes wandered the hundreds of mythology books that surrounded him.

"Then, take this. Didn't you say you wanted to buy a book about Eros and Psyche? I came across this book while searching for the one I was looking for. Here, for you." Fiona's eyes curved as her smile deepened.

"Wow! Thank you! You saved a lot of my time. What book are you looking for? How about I help you look for it?" Axle excitedly took the book from her hands and hugged it like a pillow.

"No need. I want to walk around the bookstore myself. You should go pay for the book and head home soon. It's getting late." Fiona tapped on her watch as if she was reminding him about something important.

Suddenly, Axle felt relaxed and unrestrained. He could walk around freely and not feel bound by responsibilities. "Then, thank you for helping me find this book. I'll head to the counter and go home first. Get home safe."