by Amy Sumida
“Can you guys get over the fact that she likes flowers and lace and help me look around?” Morpheus asked with irritation.
“Sorry,” we all mumbled.
It may have been a cottage but it was a large cottage. Dainty rooms of cozy furniture, tea paraphernalia, and doilies filled both of the two floors. Not a single one of those rooms held a hint as to where Nemesis had gone. I wandered into her bedroom and shook my head at the patchwork quilt neatly covering her bed. Motion caught my attention out of the corner of my eye, and I jerked in its direction but it was only my reflection in a full-length mirror; one of those oval ones on a stand.
I laughed a little at myself for my jumpiness but the mirror gave me an odd feeling, and I ended up scurrying from the room with an itch between my shoulder blades. I tried to track Nemesis using my dragon senses but her scent was everywhere. If a newer trail existed, it had blended with the older ones and became nearly impossible to distinguish. Either that or Nemesis hadn't come home in awhile. Frankly, I was leaning toward that theory. My dragon was simply too powerful to not pick up the nuances of a newer trail.
“I got nothing,” I said as our group reconvened in the living room. “I don't think Nemesis has been here lately.”
“We didn't find anything unusual either,” Odin answered for both him and Re.
“What am I going to do?” Morpheus whined.
“You said that Narcissus' father gave him a part of his territory,” I mused.
“That's right,” Morph agreed.
“Torrent can get us through any ward; we just need to know what direction to point him in,” I said. “I don't know where Narcissus' territory is, but if we can get into his father's territory, it would border Narcissus' and then Torrent should be able to get us through the wards.”
“Brilliant!” Morpheus declared.
“What if Nemesis isn't there?” Re asked. “We'll be invading Narcissus' territory for nothing.”
“I think we have valid suspicions,” I said. “If she's not there, I'll apologize, and we'll leave. But Narcissus needs to be questioned if nothing else.”
“Fair enough,” Re agreed.
“I need to head to Artie's place to grab Torrent, and then we can go see Narcissus' father,” I said.
We had all been to Artemis' territory before so it wasn't a problem to trace there. We went immediately, passing through the Aether to step out of her tracing room and into the foyer of her home. Artemis lived in a grand palace in the center of a forest on one of the Greek islands in Oceanus. Her home surged up three stories in gleaming, polished, stone splendor, and its interior overflowed with priceless antiques, artwork, heavy furniture, and dogs. Artie loved her puppies. A huge pack of them came running toward us, barking merrily. There were two black and white dogs, three with mahogany coats, one spotted—that one I'd met before, his name was Fletch—and seven that looked like larger versions of Great Danes. They flowed around us in a furry tide until the sea was parted by their mistress.
“All right, you curs, get back!” Artemis huffed affectionately as she pushed her pups away. “Hey, Guys, what's going on?”
“Hey, Artie, I'm looking for Torrent. Is he here?” I asked.
“I'm in here!” Torrent called from another room.
“Come on in,” Artemis waved us forward with one sleekly-muscled arm.
Artie was in jeans like me but hers hung loosely on her trim hips. She had an athletic physique and Greek features that made us look even more different despite our similar coloring. Her hair was nearly the same shade of brown as mine, her skin just as fair, and her eyes just as dark. But her stare was more puppy dog than almond and her hair, although wavy, hung straighter than mine. She led us into a cozy living room where Torrent snuggled on a couch near a crackling fire.
Torr looked up and grinned as we entered. He was a bit fairer than Artemis; his skin porcelain-pale with a soft blush in all the right places. It used to be poreless—too perfect to be real—but Torrent had eased into a more natural look. His shockingly green eyes gleamed with child-like earnestness but didn't have the same impossible lime glow that they used to. In short, he had allowed himself to become a real person.
“Hey, V!” Torrent sat up. “You need me?”
“We're trying to find Nemesis, and we think she may be in Narcissus' territory,” I said.
“Narcissus has a territory already?” Artemis asked in surprise.
“His father gave him a piece of his,” Morpheus explained. “Vervain thinks that if we get into Cephissus' territory maybe Torrent could find a way through Narcissus' wards.”
“Family get-togethers must be annoying,” I muttered. “What with all the names ending in 'ssus.'”
“Greeks.” Re shook his head.
“Wait.” Artemis looked at Morph. “Nem is missing? Since when?”
“She was supposed to meet me this morning and never showed,” Morpheus said.
“That's not like her,” Artie murmured.
“Which is why we're going after her,” I concluded.
“Well, I can get you into Cephissus' territory,” Artie said. “His grandson is my nephew.”
“His grandson?” I blinked at her.
“Cephissus' daughter, Malaeno had a son with Apollo,” she clarified. “We're kind of related.”
“All of you Greeks are kind of related,” Re said.
“Isn't that the Egyptian pot calling the Greek kettle black?” Artemis huffed.
“You have me there.” Re chuckled.
“Whatever the case, I'm not looking a Trojan horse in the mouth,” I said. “I'll gladly take the help.”
“Isn't the Trojan horse the reason we have that saying about being wary of Greeks bearing gifts?” Torrent asked.
“That's why it's funny,” I said patiently.
“Right; gift horse, Trojan horse.” Torrent snickered. “I get it now.”
“Well, this Greek doesn't have to sneak anyone in.” Artemis gestured for us to follow her. “I have the chant.”
We went back to her tracing room with Torrent in tow and then everyone held hands so Artemis could trace us into Cephissus' territory.
Chapter Thirty-Two
We reformed in a Greek pavilion on the bank of a wide river. A bridge led to an island in the center of the river; an island nearly covered by a medieval castle. Obviously, it was the source of inspiration for Narcissus' palace; the location, not the actual construction. A lot of Greeks went traditional, but Cephissus was going with the day's theme and straying from the norm. The tracing pavilion was all his adopted culture would get.
We ambled over the arch of the stone bridge and came to the castle's gate. An iron portcullis guarded an empty courtyard. I stared up the sheer walls but no one manned the guardhouse either. Water slapped against stone boulders along the island's perimeter; the liquid equivalent of wind whistling through the trees.
“Cephissus!” Artemis shouted. “I know you're in there. I just wanted to let you know that we're looking for Nemesis and we'll be wandering through your territory.”
“Why are you looking for that bitch here?” A man strode up to the iron portcullis as if he'd been waiting nearby.
I could see Narcissus in his face, but he wasn't as attractive as his son. Cephissus had blond hair hanging in lanky disarray around his wide brow, watery blue eyes, and a greedy look to him. I don't know what it was exactly, perhaps his mouth or the angle of his jaw, but I got selfish vibes from him.
“Don't call her a bitch, Cephissus,” Morpheus growled. “Your son was in the wrong, and you know it.”
“Regardless,” Cephissus growled, “Nemesis is not welcome here.”
“Precisely why we are here,” Artemis said. “Nem was keeping an eye on your son and now, she's disappeared. We heard that you gave Narcissus a portion of your territory so we're here to pass through into his.”
“You can't pass through.” He laughed. “He's not going to let you in.”
“We have our ways,”
Artemis said. “Just point us in the right direction.”
“I'll do you one better,” Cephissus said as he hit a lever and the portcullis lifted. “I'll take you to the border; it's right over there.”
Cephissus waved his hand behind us and headed through our group. We gave each other wary looks before cautiously following him. He walked across the bridge and then across a meadow before he suddenly stopped. The air felt thicker there and something shimmered in it.
“There you go; do your worst.” Cephissus stood aside.
No one drew attention to Torrent, we didn't want to let this stranger know what Torr could do, and Torr didn't need to wave his hands about or even move at all to unmake a ward. He just stared at the border. We all waited as we stared straight ahead along with Torrent.
Cephissus scrunched up his face as he watched us. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Shh,” Artemis hushed him. “Almost done.”
Sweat broke out on Torrent's brow and his breathing deepened. Finally, he shook his head infinitesimally. I widened my eyes at him; this was new. Artemis handled it perfectly, sighing deeply before casting a look at Cephissus.
“Looks as if you're right, River God,” she said. “We'll be on our way.”
“Ha! I told you,” Cephissus said. “My boy's got good wards up.”
“If I find out that you or your son had anything to do with Nemesis' disappearance, I will personally see to it that you are summoned before the Olympians and held accountable,” I said in a cool but dangerous tone.
Cephissus went pale.
“In light of that, is there anything you'd like to say?” I asked him.
“If Narcissus took Nemesis, I have no knowledge of it,” Cephissus growled. “Now, get the fuck out of my territory, Godhunter.”
“That's an Olympian you're talking to!” Artemis snapped. “You will show her the respect she deserves.”
“She's an Olympian because she killed a bunch of other Olympians,” Cephissus snapped. “I'm sorry if I don't feel that should earn her a seat at the table, much less my respect.”
“Fair enough. I was surprised by the offer myself,” I said casually. “But perhaps you should think about what you just said; I killed three of the Twelve Olympians and took Zeus' magic before I knocked him and Hera off their thrones. I'm probably not the best person to piss off.”
Cephissus grimaced and turned on his heel to stalk back into his river castle.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“What happened, Torr?” I asked as soon as we stepped out of Artemis' tracing room.
“There was no ward to unmake,” Torrent said in utter bafflement.”
“What do you mean?” Odin asked slowly. “You couldn't find the entrance?”
“You don't understand; there was no entrance,” Torr said. “There was no way into his territory. It was as if he had completely sealed himself off from the rest of the God Realm.”
“Sealed himself off,” I murmured. “As he was in the Mirror.”
“You think he did it on purpose?” Re asked.
“Some prisoners who have been incarcerated for several years can't handle freedom,” I said. “They'll try to confine themselves in small spaces again. It's a mental thing.”
“So, Narcissus got out, freaked out, and then locked himself in his territory like a crazy convict?” Artemis asked skeptically. “I don't buy it. If that's the case, where's Nemesis?”
“Good question.” I grimaced.
“I don't him, but there's no way that a god would seal himself in his territory without a way out,” Re said. “There has to be a portal. You must have missed it, Torrent. No offense.”
“None taken, but I assure you; I missed nothing,” Torrent said. “I examined every piece of that place. The boundary was seamless; as slick as glass.”
“As slick as glass,” I murmured.
“Vervain, will you please stop muttering cryptically beneath your breath?” Odin asked.
“Sorry.” I shrugged. “It keeps reminding me of the Mirror.”
“You think that Narcissus made the border of his territory a mirror?” Re asked. “I wouldn't even know how to do that; I doubt that a minor deity who's been entrapped for over a thousand years would.”
“Unless the Mirror taught Narcissus a few tricks,” I suggested.
“A curse teaching a god?” Odin lifted his brows.
“It was sentient enough to have a conversation with me,” I pointed out. “Narcissus thought they were friends. The Mirror warned me about him, remember?”
“But to teach requires advanced knowledge,” Odin pointed out, “and the Mirror would only know what Nemesis had put into it.”
“And what the humans it consumed knew,” I added.
“It took their knowledge?” Odin asked in horror.
“It taunted me with that fact.” I nodded. “I think it even gleaned a few tidbits from me while I was there. It put me in an illusion of a nightmare I used to have when I was a little girl.”
“What kind of nightmare?” Re asked.
“One where I was being burned at the stake as a witch,” I whispered.
“What?” Odin growled.
“Except in the Mirror's illusion, Lesya was strapped to the stake,” I added.
“That was one evil fucking mirror!” Morpheus declared.
“No kidding,” I muttered.
“And if it learned that from you, there's no telling what else it found in your mind,” Odin said in concern. “Or in Trevor's, or Kirill's, or any of the humans who died inside it.”
“Exactly,” I said. “And what if it passed that knowledge to Narcissus?”
“We need to get into that territory,” Re said urgently.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Torrent, Artemis, and Morpheus returned to Pride Palace with Re, Odin, and I to give it all a good think. My other husbands had come home and were waiting with Kirill in the little kitchen area of our suite. Lesya was asleep in her room so we were able to talk freely. We updated them on the situation and settled into a good discussion. We were about an hour in when Aleksanteri arrived.
Aleksanteri is Athena's talking owl. He's basically an elevated carrier pigeon, delivering messages for his mistress. He's a massive bird with a huge wingspan—probably as wide as I am tall—and pristine white feathers. He also has a bit of an attitude. I'd chalk it up to stress from a heavy workload now that Athena ruled Olympus, but I've known the owl since before she took the job, and he's always been a bit snooty.
Today his superior attitude was covered by panic.
“Godhunter, gather your gods!” Alex said as he soared into the room. “Loose the Lions! Phone the Froekn! The Olympians are under attack!”
“Phone the Froekn?” Trevor asked Odin under his breath. “What is this; E.T.? Are we a bunch of aliens?”
Odin just chuckled.
“What are you talking about, Alex?” I asked as he circled our heads.
“Two Olympians have gone missing!” Alex shouted.
“Alex, I swear to the Gods, if you wake my daughter again, I will kill you, stuff you, mount you over a fireplace, and put a brass plaque beneath you with the name Hedwig inscribed on it,” I growled.
The owl settled on the floor beside my chair and lowered his voice, “Who is Hedwig?”
“The greatest owl who never lived,” Azrael said in a reverent tone.
Alex just stared at him before he spun his head around to me. “Hephaestus and Hera are missing.”
“What about Hermes? No one went after the final H?” I asked.
“We have Hestia and Hades too,” Artemis corrected me.
“That's a lot of H's,” I noted.
“I never noticed before,” she said and harrumphed. “A lot of As too; Apollo, me, Athena, Aphrodite—oh, wait, she's dead—but there's also Ares—nope; he's dead too.” She grimaced. “Well, there would have been a lot of A's if not for you, Vervain.”
“Oops,” I said dryly.
&nbs
p; Aleksanteri blinked his round, owl eyes at me. “What are you talking about? Never-living owls, H's and A's? This is serious! Athena needs you to attend her.”
“Maybe we should warn Hades,” I said to the men. “Since he's another H.”
“I seriously doubt someone is targeting Olympians whose names start with H!” Alex shouted.