by Amy Hopkins
Curiosity burned away Penny’s frustration with him. “Maybe next time.” She motioned to the platter of meat. “I hear you’re to thank for the food?”
Bacchus shook his head. “Your chef is a delightfully talented woman. I merely assisted in tonight’s preparations.”
“And why is that?” Penny asked. She casually slid some beef onto her plate and drizzled it with gravy but didn’t eat any.
“Politics,” Bacchus said, watching her. “My people are aware of what Jessica March is attempting here. We thought it best if we showed we are with her, not against her.”
“And what exactly is she attempting?” Cisco asked, stuffing a hot roll in his mouth before he’d quite finished speaking.
“Why, assembling an army, of course!” Bacchus chuckled. “An army of young, virile warriors, trained to protect the populace from the demons summoned forth from the Veil.”
“And you want to…what, help?” Penny couldn’t keep the skepticism from her voice. “Weren’t you summoned forth from the Veil?”
“I want to ensure the demons are not confused with the benevolent gods.” He placed his hand on hers and looked deep into Penny’s eyes. “Many of my kind have come here simply by chance. All we wish is for the right to exist. We mean no harm, and we have caused no hurt.” His grip tightened. “Others? Their motives are far more nefarious.”
He released Penny’s hand and ran his eyes over Amelia, Cisco, and Red. “We hope for an alliance that will benefit both your people and mine. Tonight is the beginning of such a relationship. Let us drink to the occasion.”
Penny glanced at her empty cup, meaning to remind him that they weren’t able to drink. To her surprise, it was filled with cloudy amber liquid.
“Fermented ginger. I may not agree with your laws about alcohol, but I abide by them. This is legal even for the youngest among you,” Bacchus explained. He leaned down so his lips were by her ear. “You may eat and drink, child. Nothing that happens tonight will be lost in your memory.”
Penny took a wary sip of the ginger drink. It fizzed gently, the hot tang warming her tongue. “It’s nice,” she said. “Really nice.”
“Surely, you expected no less?” Bacchus grinned and stood. “Alas, I must return to my duties. There is a poor child over there feeling quite lonely and homesick. As the god of festivities, I cannot let that stand.” He bowed deeply and sauntered away.
Penny watched him go. “He’s crazy,” she said. “But I want to know more about this alliance.”
“I wish I could do that.” Amelia pouted at her cup, already empty. She waved her hand over it, using the same gesture the god had. Nothing happened.
“Have mine.” Red pushed his glass to her. “I’ve had enough ginger jokes in my life to turn me off the stuff for good. That, and carrots.” He shuddered in disgust.
“Cisco, do you think your Mom can shed any light on Bacchus’s plans?” Penny waited for him to swallow the mouthful of food he was chewing.
He shrugged. “Probably not. This new deal with the feds means half of what she knows is classified.”
“What about the other half?” Amelia asked.
He grimaced. “It’s class stuff, which means it’s boring.”
Chapter Two
“Ready?” Professor Glass waited for Penny and Mara to drop into defensive stances before quickly walking over. “No! Mara, that stance is terrible. Put your feet like this.” He kicked Mara’s feet into the correct position with an awkward movement.
Penny quickly checked her own feet, relieved to see they matched her opponent’s.
“Begin!” Glass stepped back to watch the two students spar, his arms folded across his chest.
Mara adjusted her weight and Penny took a quick step back, raising her arms to a blocking position.
When Mara’s shoulders twisted, Penny ducked under the fist that followed.
Penny stepped to the side and jabbed a quick punch at Mara’s ribs, thrusting from her hip. Her opponent was slower, but Mara took the blow without flinching.
Penny waited for Mara to move again. She caught the snap kick, throwing Mara’s foot back to tip her off balance. A moment later, Mara was on the floor, flat on her back.
“You’re not fast, but damn, you can take a punch.” Penny leaned in, one hand outstretched to help her opponent up.
Mara smirked, and instead of taking her hand, she shoved a foot at Penny’s hip.
Penny curled over to take the blow, but Mara’s foot hooked her ankle, and suddenly, Penny was the one on the floor with Mara standing over her.
“Cheap shot,” Penny grumbled. She rolled to dodge a sharp heel-kick to the head and scrambled back across the floor, putting a distance of several feet between them.
Mara crouched low, grinning. “No, you let your guard down. Who has the upper hand now?”
“Fair point.” Penny twisted away from Mara’s charge, coming to her feet before she flipped the other girl onto her back.
Penny used her leg to pin the other girl down. “Won’t let it happen again.” She grabbed an arm and yanked it around.
“Ahh!” Mara withstood the twisted arm with grace for about three seconds. Then, she slapped the floor. “Okay, okay! I give up!”
Glass limped over, looking down at the defeated student. “You’re both too damn cocky. Penny should have had that round in the first few moves. Mara, you had her at a disadvantage, and you still lost. You both let your confidence get the better of you.”
He waited for Mara to stand and brush herself off before turning back to the rest of the watching class. “The moment you think you have won is the moment you are most likely to lose. It’s when you take your eyes off your opponent, when you relax and let your guard down.” He turned back to Mara. “It’s when your focus turns to celebrating your win instead of securing it.”
“It’s just a class,” Mara muttered. “Lighten up, Prof.”
Glass stepped up to her, his body inches away. He slowly raised his hand, holding it palm-out. The hand snapped back and punched forward, stopping just short of Mara’s face.
Her eyes widened.
“The creatures we are dealing with are ruthless. Do you think they won’t target you here? Or do you realize that training to destroy them might make you a target?” Glass shook his head. “You’re an idiot if you think this place is impenetrable. The defenses of the Academy are pathetic. A bunch of old teachers, washed up agents, and some untrained students. And our enemy? They’re not as stupid as you are.”
Ignoring the disgruntled protests of his students, Glass called up the next duo for sparring. “Cisco. Clive. You’re up.”
Penny stepped away from the foam mat, her attention on Glass’s words. Enemy? Not all the Mythers are malicious.
She reassured herself that it was just—could only be—a figure of speech. Dean March had been adamant that part of the duties of the Academy was to foster understanding between humans and Mythers. Otherwise, why would Bacchus be here?
Clive and Cisco sprang into action at the professor’s call. Where Mara and Penny had waited, assessing each other’s moves, the two boys sparred ruthlessly without pause.
Clive threw a punch, Cisco ducked and struck out with a foot. Clive spun away to dodge and backhanded Cisco in the kidneys.
“That’s gotta hurt,” Red groaned.
Penny winced in sympathy as Cisco’s fist shot toward Clive’s stomach. Clive doubled over but Cisco hobbled back, sucking in a pained breath.
“Stop!” Glass yelled. “Have you listened to a damn thing I’ve said? You back off like that, and your enemy will rip you to pieces before you can blink.” He gestured for the boys to leave the mat. “Class dismissed. I’ll come up with something for you to do next lesson that won’t involve pissing about like a bunch of women.”
Amelia snorted, and Penny raised an eyebrow. Rather than respond, Glass turned his back and walked out.
“Bunch of women?” Amelia seethed. “I could kick his ass in a hot minute
.”
“Well, yeah.” Penny went to get her bag beside the door. “I mean, he’s only got one leg. It can’t be that hard.”
“Are you kidding?” Cisco grabbed the backpack and tossed it to her. “That thing is made of cast iron. One good hit and you’d be out cold.”
“How do you even know that?” Penny demanded. In retrospect, it was believable. Glass’s limp made him move less smoothly than a prosthetic would account for, like he was lugging a heavy weight with his missing leg.
For a man who otherwise moved with eerie grace, it had made Penny wonder.
Cisco smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Penny smiled sweetly. “Cisco, mate. This is the second time I’ve had to bail you out mid-class due to a lack of stationery. Next time, I’ll give you a very special notebook, one with a great big dick drawn on the cover.”
Cisco’s jaw dropped, and he stared for a moment, stunned. Then, realizing he was on the losing side, he groaned. “Okay! Fine. I would have told you eventually. He’s got three of the damn things. March had to lug the case upstairs for him.”
“He made Dean March carry his bags?” Penny’s hand covered her mouth. The dean was kind and cared deeply for her students, but she also held strictly to the rules of decorum. Crossing her was unheard of.
Cisco nodded. “Mom saw the whole thing. A real dick, right?”
“Aye, Glass is a big, floppy, dangling dick of epic proportions. One that’s impressive for its size and its uselessness.” Red finished speaking the barest moment after the training room door swung open and Glass stepped back inside.
The Irishman’s eyes grew wide with fear.
“Mister O’Donaghue, despite your apparently exhaustive familiarity with a wide range of penile presentations, I trust you will keep your opinion to yourself from now on.” Glass’s voice was like his name—hard and brittle.
The professor walked over to the small corner desk, iron leg thumping loudly on the floorboards, and snatched up a stack of papers before turning back to address the class. “You don’t need to like me. After all, I don’t like any of you. I am, however, going to teach you not to die. And you’re going to learn it whether you like dick or not.”
He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
“I’m so dead,” Red whispered, his face gray. “So, so dead.”
Penny clapped him on the arm. “All good, mate. You took one for the team. When you die, we’ll make sure we fill your coffin with whiskey.”
Cisco’s face lit up. “Speaking of whiskey, we’ve got the afternoon off. You wanna hit a bar or something?”
Amelia clicked her tongue. “You might have the afternoon off, but I don’t. I’ve got Psych at midday.”
Cisco turned to Red, who shrugged. “I have Research Methodology at three.”
Penny winced when Cisco turned desperate eyes on her. “Sorry, Cisco. I managed to line up a job interview for this afternoon.”
“What?” Amelia grabbed her arm. “You only got back twenty-four hours ago. How the hell did you manage that?”
Penny laughed. “I was in Australia, not the Middle Ages. I applied online and told them when I’d be back for an interview.”
“Oh.” Seemingly disappointed there wasn’t some strange, magical explanation, Amelia let her hand fall away. “Well, I have to go and feed my hungry face before class.”
“I’ll come with you,” Red quickly said.
Cisco raised his hand and went to say something, but Red looked over his shoulder and shook his head, drawing a hand across his throat.
“Oh.” Cisco sighed. “Guess they want to be alone.”
“As long as they wash the towels after,” Penny shrugged.
“Dining hall?” Cisco held the classroom door open for Penny.
She checked her watch and shook her head. “I really have to go. Maybe after? We can celebrate the success of my amazing charm and impeccable credentials have brought me in landing a job.”
Cisco grinned. “You’re on!”
Chapter Three
Penny arched to stretch her aching back. The thin plastic chair in the waiting room had been bad enough, but the equally cheap metal version she was sitting on now was, if possible, even harder and more uncomfortable.
“Miss Hingston, what specific skill set do you believe you can offer Good White’s on a long term basis if you begin your career here?” Gervais, the greasy-haired manager, stared at Penny’s resume with dead eyes, his voice flat and emotionless.
“Uhh…” Penny’s mind raced. The advertised job had been for a delivery dock laborer. What the hell kind of experience did one need to shove boxed washing machines around a department store? “I’m fast, reliable, and hardworking.”
“You say you’re reliable, Miss Hingston, but my records show your application history here. You refused the first interview and requested a later date. Does that sound reliable to you?”
“I was out of the country when I applied.” Penny frowned. She knew she’d written that on the request for rescheduling. “I only got back yesterday.”
“Out of the country. Hmmm.” Gervais stared at the resume again, his eyes fixed on a spot in the middle. “You couldn’t have simply returned early? This is a big store, Miss Hingston, and we have schedules to maintain. We can’t drop everything to cater to the whim of one employee.”
“The ticket cost over a grand,” Penny said. He wasn’t serious. Was he? “They didn’t allow for reschedules, and besides, it’s a seventeen-hour flight. I only had fourteen hours' notice for the first interview.”
“Hmmm.” Gervais’s face showed his disapproval. “Taking an earlier flight would have been an excellent sign of reliability and flexibility. Those are what make a good employee.”
“That wasn’t physically possible,” Penny insisted. “An earlier flight still would have gotten me here late for the interview. I said in my application that I wasn’t back until—"
“Miss Hingston, making demands of an employer before you’ve even got the job is not the sign of a good employee.”
“Do you even know where Australia is?” Penny’s mouth clicked shut, too late to stop the snarky comment from escaping.
“Miss Hingston, I don’t think you’re going to be a good fit for this organization.” Gervais steepled his fingers, looking down his nose at Penny. “We at Good White’s pride ourselves on exemplary customer service. Our employees always endeavor to go the extra mile. If you can’t do that for an interview, I really don’t think a lifetime career here would be in the best interests of this company.”
“Lifetime employment?” Penny couldn’t keep the sarcasm from her voice. “You’re offering three dollars an hour below minimum wage, no benefits, and when I walked in here, the greeter out front told me I’d better be willing to sacrifice my soul to the devil if I ever needed a sick day, all while being nickel and dimed for bathroom breaks and stationary use.” She stood, grabbing her handbag off the floor. “You can take your lifetime career and shove it, mate.”
Gervais didn’t react, he just continued to stare at Penny’s application.
Penny was glad she’d used a post box address on the application. Creepy little motherfucker. She marched out of the interview and grabbed her phone out of her pocket.
“Hey, Penny! You done?” Cisco’s cheerful greeting just rankled her more.
“It was a shit show, but at least I dodged a bullet. Still up for a drink?” Penny crossed her fingers as she waited for his reply. She needed a strong drink to wash Gervais’s dead-eyed stare away.
“Sure. We can go to Paddy’s?” Cisco suggested.
“Paddy’s?” Penny bit her lip. “Are you sure we aren’t blacklisted there?”
“I walked past on my way to grab some Mexican the other night. Paddy saw me and dragged me in. He wasn’t kidding, Penny. I think he might actually own the place.”
Penny chuckled. “Okay, as long as we’re not going to get arrested for what we did on our
last visit. I’m on my way.”
Just as Penny ended the call, a cab rounded the corner. She hailed it and, ten minutes later, she arrived at Paddy’s Irish Bar.
Farewelling the driver, Penny stepped out of the cab and headed for the door.
The bar was buzzing despite the early hour. Several of the patio tables were already taken, and three patrons filed out of the door as Penny approached.
She stepped back and waited for them to pass.
“Ahh, the beautiful Penny.” A finger touched her chin, tipping her head up to meet Bacchus’s gold-flecked eyes. “What a coincidence. Are you well?”
“I’m fine.” Penny pulled back, the unplanned meeting and unasked-for physical contact giving her a serious case of the heebie-jeebies.
Bacchus held her gaze for a moment longer. “You’re not. You have some seriously depressing mojo attached to you. Who have you been hanging around, Sophrosyne?”
“Just some deadbeat department store manager,” Penny hurriedly explained. Then, “Wait. There’s another Greek god in Portland?”
Bacchus laughed. “Just an expression of speech, my dear. Poor old Soph is unlikely to appear any time soon. Her gifts are less appreciated by this society than mine.”
Penny nodded, hesitant to admit she had no idea who Sophrosyne even was. I’ll look it up later, she decided. And maybe the rest of his friends, too. “Catch you later, Bacchus.” She pointedly turned away from him and entered Paddy’s.
The atmosphere inside the bar was different during the day. The yeasty aroma of beer mingled with rich coffee and hot food.
Penny’s stomach growled. She couldn’t see Cisco anywhere.
The bartender had given her no more than a bored glance, settling any last fears over her previous visit. She chose a small corner table and sat, burying herself in the menu while she waited.
“Lassie! Ye came back for a wee visit!” Paddy hopped onto the chair across from Penny, grinning. “And what fine occasion might this be, eh? Are we stakin’ out a group of evildoers? Huntin’ a larderbeast?”