by Amy Sumida
I glared him into silence.
“It's far more likely that they're targeting the least powerful and working their way up,” Odin suggested. “All right; let's put this on hold and see what Athena has to say.”
We all stood up, and Alex sighed in relief; the sound whistling out of his beak.
“Thank you.” Aleksanteri wobbled into the hallway and then glided down the spiraling stairwell to the tracing room on the bottom floor of the palace.
“I'll ask Aidan to come up and watch TV in here until Lesya wakes up,” Trevor offered.
“Aidan is out vith girlfriend,” Kirill said.
“Girlfriend?” I asked in surprise.
“He's dating a demoness.” Kirill grinned.
“How perfect,” Odin murmured. “It may just take a demon to put up with his hellish humor.”
I shot Odin a look, and he shrugged, completely unrepentant.
“Lucian is home,” Kirill said. “I'll ask him.”
Morpheus, Torrent, and Artemis decided to join us as well. Since Artemis was an Olympian too, I didn't think Athena would mind. I contemplated calling Hades, but I had a feeling that Athena had done that already. So, we saw to my daughter care and then traced to Olympus.
My first day back from V-Day vacations and it was turning out to be a long one.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Athena lives in Zeus' old palace on the highest peak of Mount Olympus. She'd been slowly redecorating. I'd noticed some changes when I'd been there to talk about the Argentinian Gods, but it was a lot more evident on this visit.
The pure white, Grecian palace was now done up inside like a Victorian home. Hand-painted wallpaper covered the walls; some in rich, velvet-embossed, jewel tones, and some in softer pastels. There was stained glass in the windows, carved crown moldings near the ceilings, and frosted globe lamps sitting atop spindly tables. Athena met us in the garden courtyard before the palace and led us through the comfy interior until we settled in a chinoiserie sitting room.
The Chinese influence was overdone in the best, Victorian way. Hand-painted designs of delicate trees, blossoming flowers, and long-feathered birds adorned the gilded walls. Moldings drooped in pagoda slopes painted a soft sage green. An enormous, gold and green mirror hung over the moss-green, marble fireplace, its sweeping lines topped with dancing Chinese people. A blue and white, china urn sat before the cold fireplace and tables which perfectly fit the niches to either side held more vases in similar styles. The modern-Victorian couches curved their gilded arms and backs beneath cushions in the same green as the accent molding. I took a seat on a couch set before an intricately painted folding screen. The perfection made me nervous. I folded my hands in my lap, afraid to touch anything.
Hades and Persephone were indeed there already, sitting in some chairs by the fireplace, and the remaining Olympians were scattered around the large room. Poseidon, Apollo, Hestia, and Hermes; the tally fell far short of the original twelve.
“Thank you for coming,” Athena said. “I'm glad you were with Vervain, Artemis. I sent Aleksanteri to your territory but you weren't there.”
“We were trying to find Nemesis,” Artemis said.
“Nemesis is missing too?” Athena looked at the other gods in concern. “Are there any other Greeks missing?”
“I'll check,” Aleksanteri offered and flew off his perch in a corner and out an open window.
“What's going on?” Hades growled as he pulled off his sunglasses with a sharp motion. Flames flared brightly behind the translucent brown of his irises.
“Easy, Hotness.” Persephone laid a comforting hand on her husband's arm. “We'll figure it out.”
“I haven't heard any rumors of vendettas against us.” Hermes scowled as if his ignorance concerned him more than the fact that his fellow gods were missing.
Hermes is Pan's father, and he used to be one of Aphrodite's lovers. We'd been at odds with each other for a long time. But then Lesya had gone missing, and Hermes had helped me. I wouldn't forget that. Not ever. We had a sort of grudging truce going now, and I was learning that being friends with the Messenger God had its perks. Hermes had a news empire that included several sources. Although, it seemed that his sources had failed him this time.
“If Hermy don't know the deal, things are lookin' bleak for sure,” Poseidon, AKA Donnie, piped up in his surfer accent. He ran a hand through his platinum-blond hair and shook his head at the terrible state of our affairs.
“Hold on,” Artemis straightened her power suit as she sat forward. “How did you discover that Nemesis is missing?”
“She didn't show up for a meeting we had scheduled,” Morpheus said. “She wanted to discuss Narcissus.”
“Narcissus,” Athena murmured thoughtfully.
“You think it could be him?” Apollo—Artemis' twin brother—asked.
For once, Apollo looked normal. He was dressed in jeans and a band shirt and lacked his usual entourage of Muses. His shoulder-length blond hair hung in a sloppy ponytail and his baby blues looked anxious. I abruptly recalled that Apollo is a god of prophecy—among other things—and I wondered if he'd seen something. I didn't ask; I hated prophecies.
“I can see why he'd go after Nemesis but why would Narcissus mess with the Olympians?” Odin asked.
“Because we sanctioned Nemesis' curse,” Hestia said.
“I didn't,” Hades corrected. “That was before Persephone and I became Olympians. Before Vervain joined as well.”
“Then perhaps you three are safe,” Athena offered. “But someone seems to be picking off the rest of us, and Narcissus is as good a guess as anyone.”
“Better than good,” Hermes said. “Likely.”
“You don't have any other clues?” I asked Athena.
She just gave me an annoyed look.
“How did you discover that the two of them were missing?” Morpheus asked.
“I had a business meeting with Hephaestus to discuss the new jewelry designs I had for him,” Athena explained. “He never showed. I went to his territory and found his forge cold.”
Several of the Greeks inhaled sharply. I looked around in surprise.
“Gasp,” I said dryly. “What's with the forge? Why is it so important?”
“Hephaestus never lets his forge go cold,” Artemis explained. “It's a physical representation of his magic.”
“All right,” I said. “What about Hera?”
“I checked on the other Olympians and they were fine, but I had a bad feeling.” Athena's jaw clenched. “So, I sent Aleksanteri to find Hera, and he came back with news that she wasn't home.”
“Maybe she's gone into hiding,” I suggested. “After what happened to Zeus, I wouldn't blame her.”
“I searched for her extensively.” Athena shook her head. “As the head of the Olympians, I can find any of our council; ex or current. Hera is not in the Human Realm.”
“You can find any of us?” I asked in surprise.
“You gave me a vow,” she reminded me. “Yes; I can find you. But your husbands have closer ties to you than I; they'd be able to track you faster.”
“Faster wasn't my concern,” I muttered.
“What about the God Realm?” Hades asked. “You said Hera wasn't in the Human Realm, but what about our realm?”
“I'm assuming she's here somewhere, but I can't feel her,” Athena said. “The connection feels muted. No; that's not right. It feels... as if it's there but it doesn't connect to her anymore. I don't know how to explain it.”
“Morph, you remember what you told me about my magic when I was in the Mirror?” I asked him.
“How you had to check it at the door?” Morpheus asked. “Yeah. So?”
“Check it at the door?” Athena asked.
“The Mirror held my magic in its glass when I passed through,” I explained. “While inside it, I couldn't access any of my god magic. It was created to imprison a god and bind his magic so when I passed through, it did what it was created to
and grabbed my god magic. I didn't get my magic back until after I destroyed it.”
“What does that have to do with this?” Hermes asked.
“I was wondering if magic held in check might create the same sensation that Athena is describing,” I said.
Athena blinked and then looked at the others. “Perhaps. But the Mirror is destroyed, correct?”
“Yes, but Narcissus and the Mirror shred things,” I said thoughtfully. “We were just discussing the possibility that the Mirror had taught Narcissus things he'd learned from consuming humans and possibly from delving into the minds of my husbands and me.”
“Is that something that can be taught?” Hermes asked. “How to hold onto a god's magic?”
“I don't know.” I shook my head. “I would have said no a few months ago, but then we had the problem with those Argentinians.”
“That was bananas,” Donnie said. “You're right, V-Lady, anything is possible.”
“This has got to be Narcissus,” Trevor said. “It's all too coincidental with the timing and the particular gods involved.”
“We just tried to get into Narcissus' new territory through his father's,” Morpheus added. “There isn't a way in.”
“What do you mean?” Athena scowled. “There has to be a way in. He would need it for himself if no one else.”
“We think that Narcissus may have locked himself in,” I said.
“Locked himself in?” Donnie repeated. “Dude, that's nutso. Who would do that shit?”
“Someone who has been imprisoned for a really fucking long time,” Hermes said pensively.
“That's what I said,” I agreed.
“So, how do we bust through a bogus border like that?” Donnie asked.
“I think you're all forgetting something,” Odin said.
Every eye turned toward him.
“If Narcissus has sealed himself away, he couldn't possibly be the one abducting Gods.”
We all sat back and pondered that.
“But if he is doing this,” Odin went on. “Then there must be a way into his territory.”
“We just need to find it,” Athena said.
“Or make him show it to us,” Kirill suggested.
“You want one of us to be bait.” Hermes grimaced at Kirill.
Kirill shrugged. “If you can't track animal, you set trap and make it come to you.”
“There are only six of us originals left,” Athena pointed out. “How do we determine which one he'll come for next?”
“Setting a trap is about making it alluring,” Trevor noted. “Does anyone have an idea of who Narcissus hates the most out of you five? Which of you have wronged him personally?”
They looked at each other and shrugged.
“Honestly, none of us had much to do with Narcissus,” Apollo said. “I, especially, didn't like him but it wasn't personal.”
“Let me guess; it was because Narcissus thought he was more attractive than you?” I asked with a smirk.
“He was obviously deluded,” Apollo huffed.
“It's him.” I pointed at Apollo. “Narcissus will go for Apollo next.”
“What?” Apollo gaped at me. “Why?”
“For the same reason you'd go after him,” Athena said as she nodded. “Vanity; you both have it in droves.”
“And humans always associate vanity with women,” Artemis huffed. “When a man is vain, he's so much worse than any woman could be.”
“Thanks a lot, Sis,” Apollo grumbled.
“Just calling it as I see it, Bro,” she shot back. Then Artie got serious. “And I think they're right, Ap. We need to get some security on you.”
“What we need to do is figure out a way to follow Narcissus into his territory when he comes for Apollo,” I said. “If we catch him, we could try to force him to take us in, but it may not work. He's tricky. It would be better if we could follow him home.”
The Gods began to murmur among themselves. I just waited. I was still learning a lot of god stuff, despite my years among them, and I didn't have a clue on how to piggyback into a god territory. At least, not without physically holding onto the piggy.
“We need a leash,” Donnie said.
“Like with a dog?” Apollo asked.
“Like with a board, dude.” Donnie rolled his eyes. “Your leash ties you to your board so even if you go over the falls, you don't lose it, comprende? You might end up tombstoning, with your board bobbing up and you dangling in the drink, but you ain't gonna lose your stick.”
“Does anyone know what he just said?” Hermes asked.
“We need a way to tie ourselves to Narcissus,” I explained. “Then he'll pull us through even if he tries to shake us loose. But how?”
“He's one of ours,” Athena said with a grin. “I can leash him. I just need to get close enough to grab him.”
“Akaw!” Donnie cheered.
Chapter Thirty-Six
To lay the trap for Narcissus, Apollo stayed on Mount Olympus. He was going to lounge around on the lower level with his sister and Torrent while Athena hid nearby with several other Greek gods. Olympus was open to all Greeks so Narcissus would be able to enter the territory without a problem, but Apollo would still be protected. It sounded perfect, and I was more than happy to leave it in their capable hands.
I went home with my husbands and had a relaxing evening with my daughter, my men, and my cat. We turned the TV toward the bed and sprawled out together while we watched a movie; Bird Box. Oh, so many great quotes and so many questions.
“What the hell?” Trevor huffed as I clicked off the TV.
Lesya was fast asleep, curled in against her father's chest. Her hair trailed behind her in a mass of dark curls. I started to braid it for bed as I lifted a brow at Trevor.
“Seriously?” Trevor asked. “That girl was supposed to be named Ariel. Or even Cinderella. There was a whole selection of names already picked out for her.”
I chuckled. “It was an odd movie. Mainly, I'm wondering how those damn birds survived the rapids in a shoebox.”
“Exactly!” Odin said. “Birds are fragile, and that box was not waterproof.”
“I'm taking Lesya to bed,” Kirill said after I finished her braid. “Movie vas too vague; zat's all I have to say about it.”
I leaned in to kiss Lesya's forehead before Kirill carried her up to her bedroom.
“I'll walk with you,” Trevor offered. “I'm turning in before I start overthinking Bird Box.”
My other husbands looked at each other hopefully. If Trevor wasn't staying, it meant that he was giving up his bed-rights for the night. The other men were on a rotation for times like this.
“You were next, Azrael,” Odin reminded the Angel.
Azrael grinned as if he'd won the lottery. I just shook my head as I went to the bathroom to freshen up. Judging from Azrael's look, my night was only getting started. Sure enough, when I got back to bed, I found it empty of everyone except Az; who was completely naked and posing like a Playgirl model.
Midnight wings made a beautiful backdrop for Azrael's sleek, muscled body. He had one arm bent behind his head and one knee bent up to show off his delicious body. I started to shed my clothing as I headed to bed.
Azrael's sleeping shaft stirred to life as I stripped. By the time I reached the bed, it was pointing straight at me like a compass toward North, and Azrael's blue eyes had turned into diamonds. He let out a low sigh as I crawled up the bed to him and then lowered his leg so I could settle atop him. His wings shivered; a living, feather blanket beneath us. I leaned over him and buried my face in his wings to breathe their scent in deeply. Sunshine on cedar. I loved the scent of Azrael's wings nearly as much as I loved the vanilla orchid smell of his body. The soft cedar scent added depth and masculinity to his sweet skin.
As I straightened, Azrael's hands slid up my flanks and crept forward to cup my breasts. His thumbs rubbed circles over my nipples until my thighs clenched around his waist and my breath started pumping
in a fast rhythm I wanted to mimic with my hips.
“Should I put away my wings?” Azrael asked.
“No,” I said immediately. “Keep them out. I want to see them spread above me later.”
“Later?”
“Right now, I want to ride you, Angel,” I purred as I reached between us and angled myself onto his shaft.
We both groaned as his flesh united with mine. Tingles spread out from where we were joined, and I reveled in them a moment before I began to move. Barely lifting my hips, I ground more than rode him, but Azrael didn't mind. His eyes started to glow and sparkle as I rolled my sex against his. His hands shifted to my hips and pressed me harder against his pelvis as I leaned over his chest and covered his mouth with mine.