by Staci Hart
No, the timing was all wrong. And why was she even considering it? If she was distracted and Eric came, it could mean the end of she and Kiki both.
That afternoon, Kat opened the door of the empty restaurant, and a little bell over the door dinged. She walked between two enforcers that stood at the door as Katsu stood and smoothed a hand down the front of his slate gray suit, smiling broadly. “Ah, Katsumi.”
She smiled back. “Hi, Papa.”
“Let us sit, Masume.” He pulled out her chair at the sleek bar in front of a chef spreading rice onto a sheet of nori. “I ordered for you, your favorite. I hope that is all right.”
Kat couldn’t be mad. He didn’t mean to be a control freak, she knew. She was the same way. “Of course it’s all right,” she said as she sat.
Katsu sat and turned to her. “How are you?”
“I’m well.” Kat looked down at her napkin and unfolded it into her lap.
He gave her a look. “I know you, my daughter. What is wrong?”
She lied, not missing a beat, with her best poker face on. “I’m just worried about Mom. Have you talked to her?”
He nodded, but by the look on his face, she knew he let it slide. “I talk to her every day.”
“She sounds lonely.”
“It has been hard for her with all of us here. She will be fine though. Your mother has been through much, and she doesn’t want to keep you and Keiko from what makes you happy.”
She kept her face straight. She loved living in the city, but the guilt over leaving her mother was eating at her, and, the stress of worrying about Eric was heavy. She wasn’t really sure how she felt about living in New York long term, or whether or not it made her happy, other than the fact that she could have lunch with her father without having to buy a plane ticket.
“Maybe we can fly her out soon,” she said.
“Maybe I will bring her back with me after I go to visit her. Or you and Keiko could come with me.” He raised an eyebrow.
She wasn’t taking the bait. “I’m really busy with work, and Kiki is busy with her boyfriend.”
“You’re not busy racing though.”
She smiled. He hadn’t pushed her so hard in a while, not since they first got to New York. “No, I needed a break.”
He folded his arms across his chest and nodded, but his eyes told her that he didn’t believe that, either.
“So, tell me about this Owen.”
“He’s in med school, but I’m guessing you already know that.” He gave her a sly look, and she shook her head. “He’s sweet, Papa. He seems to care about Kiki, quite a bit. He’s considerate and smart. I like him.”
“Tell me about his brother.”
Kat couldn’t stop the flush in her cheeks. Her father was the only person who could break her. “He’s a fighter. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”
“I have. I have been betting on him for years. What kind of man is he?”
Kat pulled silver chopsticks out of her napkin. “I don’t know, Papa. I don’t know him very well.” She wondered what the hell he knew as she turned her gaze to him in challenge.
“Well, Katsumi, you are the best judge of Owen. If you approve, then I give my blessing. Keiko has not had any boyfriends that you have approved of, has she?”
“He’s the first.”
“Speaking of boyfriends, are you ever going to tell me why you came to New York?”
Her eyes widened marginally, and he saw it. Busted. “What do you know, Papa?”
He sat back. “Not very much. You have covered your tracks very well.”
She wanted to tell him. It would be so easy, but Kiki would never forgive her. She was suddenly exhausted. “Maybe one day I can tell you. Don’t worry.”
“About you? I never worry about you. I am sure that you have a good reason for not telling me. I trust you, Katsumi.”
The chef placed plates in front of both of them, and Kat giggled. The chef had cut crazy kabuki masks out of seaweed and laid them out on her nagiri. Their eyes were crossed, their frowns exaggerated, and their eyebrows were arched. She picked up a particularly angry one with her chopsticks. Katsu made a tiny screaming noise as she brought it to her lips, and their laughter chased her tension away.
———— Olympus ————
Perry’s hair was tied in a knot on top of her head, and she bit her bottom lip as she leaned over her knees in Dita’s bathroom, painting a deep maroon polish onto her toenails. “How are you doing, Daphne?”
Daphne’s eyes were narrow, and the tip of her tongue stuck out of her mouth as she painstakingly dabbed a translucent pink on her toenails. “Mmmm, all right.”
“I’m so ready for summer,” Dita said with her head cocked to the side, assessing her opaque coral nails.
“Gods, not me,” Perry said with her mouth open in concentration. “Demeter and Hades always fight over me through the spring and summer.”
Daphne didn’t take her eyes off her toes when she asked, “Do you not have to spend half the year in Hades?”
“No, not since we devised the paintings that hold Elysium and Tartarus. Now that the underworld is more … portable, we can live in Olympus, which means I can see my mother whenever I want. But old habits die hard. She hates that she doesn’t get full rights to me for half the year.”
Daphne shook her head. “Living in the underworld must be awful.”
“It’s not awful at all. I love Hades. He’s made up for our less-than-smooth start on life together.”
Daphne glanced sideways at Persephone. “Really?”
Perry laughed and wiped a bit of polish off her toe. “It took a long time, believe me. I’m sure it’s hard to imagine being able to forgive someone who kidnapped you, tricked you, forced you to marry him, and raped you to consummate. Some days, I’m surprised I ever forgave him.”
Daphne stared at Perry with sad eyes.
“Oh, don’t look at me that way. You know that’s the way things were done in the old days. In fact, I’m betting you’d be far more shocked by what happens now.”
Dita screwed the lid back on her polish and stretched out her legs. “Speaking of, we should have another lesson. What do you want to hear about today?”
Daphne opened her mouth to speak, but Perry cut her off, her hazel eyes bright. “We should take her to Central Park. I could go for a street dog. A real street dog.”
Daphne’s mouth turned down a hair. “A dog that lives on the streets?”
Dita giggled. “No, a hot dog. Like a sausage link in bread with sauces on it and onions.” Dita side-eyed Perry. “I’m not sure if she’s ready to walk around on Earth.”
Perry arched over her knees to blow on her toes. Between breaths, she said, “I think she’ll be fine. Are you ready, Daphne?”
Daphne inspected her toes, then looked up. “I think so, yes.”
Perry looked proud of herself. “We’ve been watching the Entertainment Network.”
Dita leaned back on her elbows and snorted. “I don’t know how educational or realistic that is, but okay.”
Daphne laid her feet flat, displaying her work. “How is this? Did I do well?”
“Daphne, I am quite impressed.” Dita leaned over to inspect the nymph’s toes. She checked her watch and glanced at her toes again. “Oh, screw it. I don’t want to wait for these to dry.” She snapped her fingers and the room filled with the smell of roses. Their toes were dry. “That’s better.”
She stood, walked into her closet, and stopped in front of her shelves of shoes. She picked up a pair of tan riding boots, turned to sit on her silk bench, and pulled on one boot.
Daphne walked into the closet with her fingers threaded in front of her. “Aphrodite, I don’t actually have any shoes of my own.”
Dita smiled up at her. “Pick out whatever you like.”
She nibbled her lip. “I’m not exactly sure … ”
Dita pushed her heel into her other boot and stood. She linked an arm with Daphne. “I got y
ou. Let’s see … ” She took a look at Daphne’s nude, lacy dress, the band at her waist the start of rows of subtle ruffles down to the hem at her mid-thigh. It was modern, but Grecian, and she was stunning in it.
“It’s cold, so you’ll want to wear these.” She handed Daphne a pair of cream tights, then scanned her shelves for a pair of shoes. “Ah, these.” She picked up a pair of gray suede ankle boots and handed them to Daphne, who looked at the tights warily as she sat on the cushioned bench.
“Just put them on like pants.”
Daphne pouted. “I have to wear pants even when I’m in a dress?”
“Only in the winter.” Dita winked at her, then moved to her jackets and chose a gray peacoat for herself and a long, hooded coat for Daphne. “Perry, you good?”
“I’m good.” Perry flipped down the tops of her combat boots and stood to pull on her military jacket. Her black sleeveless T-shirt had a skeleton bride and groom holding hands printed on the front.
“I love that shirt,” Dita said.
“Queen of the underworld. Gotta represent.” She pounded her chest.
“You haven’t been wearing your glasses lately. You over them?”
“For now. Plus, it’s not like I actually need them. Though maybe today?” Perry winked, and her black nerdy glasses appeared in her hand. She slid them onto her narrow nose. “Yeah?”
“Perfect,” Dita said.
Daphne met them in the bathroom, and Dita extended her hands. Perry and Daphne clasped them, and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, the three stood inside a copse of trees in Central Park with rose petals around their feet.
Daphne’s mouth popped open in wonder, and she closed her eyes as she tilted her face up to the sun. “Oh, how I have missed Earth,” she breathed.
Perry grabbed Dita’s arm. “Wait, Dita. We can’t go out there like this.”
Daphne looked confused. “Like what?”
“Looking like goddesses,” Dita answered. “We could burn some human eyeballs out with our hotness.”
Perry giggled when Dita passed her palm in front of her face, then Daphne’s, then Dita’s own. Their features softened and morphed into something a little less perfect, and a little more human.
“That’s better.” Dita dusted her hands together. “Now at least we won’t explode any human brains.” She linked arms with her friends, and they walked down a small hill to the walkway that led to the Central Park Mall, making their way toward the smell of meat.
The street vendor was a small, older man wearing a newsboy cap and a scarf around his neck. His kind eyes sparkled under his overgrown gray eyebrows, and his crooked nose hung over his lively smile.
“Ah, hello, beautiful ladies,” he said cheerfully. “You have come to Demitri’s for some lunch, yes?”
Dita beamed. “You’re Greek.”
“I am, yes. Have you been there?”
The immortals snickered. “A time or two,” Perry said.
“Ah, wonderful, have you been to Mykonos?” He thumped his puffed out chest with his fist and smiled proudly. “That is where I am from.”
“I’ve been there a few times with a friend of mine. He loves to party in Mykonos.” Dita wondered what he would think if she told him that her “friend” was Dionysus.
“Tch,” He waved his hand bashfully. “To be young again. Well, my pretty girls, you will be having a hot dog?”
Perry stepped forward and in front of Dita, and said, quite seriously, “Three dogs, please, with onions and mustard.”
He eyed her with appreciation and shook a pair of tongs in her direction. “I love a woman who knows what she wants.” He winked and constructed three steaming hot dogs in paper trays. He handed them over, one at a time.
Dita reached into her back pocket, and a twenty materialized there. She handed it over the counter, and he raised his hands.
“No, beautiful lady. This is on me.”
“Sweet Demitri, thank you. You are too kind.” Dita stuffed the twenty into his tip jar, then walked behind the cart and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
He turned an amusing shade of red. “You will come see me again, yes?”
“We will,” Dita said, and they turned to walk away. She wiggled her fingers at him in parting, and he stood a little taller as he smoothed his hand over his paunch.
The three sat down on a bench, silent for a few minutes while they dug into their hot dogs, interrupted occasionally when Perry groaned in approval.
“How come this is so much better than when I turn ambrosia into a hot dog?”
Dita wiped mustard from the corner of her mouth. “It’s not, it’s just different eating on Earth than in Olympus. The sights, the sounds, it’s all part of the experience.”
Perry closed her eyes reverently, speaking around a mouthful of food. “I want to eat every meal here, forever.”
“It’s a shame that you can’t live on human food,” Daphne said before taking a very large bite of hot dog.
“Gods, human food is so much work,” Dita said. “You have to buy it, cook it … it takes so much time. Ambrosia is so much easier. Plus, it makes us live forever, so that’s a huge bonus.” She pushed the last bite of hot dog into her mouth and wiped her messy fingers on a napkin.
Dita sat back, and her eyes climbed the branches of the bare trees up to the sky. She let out a heavy breath. “I love Earth. We should just move here.”
Perry snorted and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Good luck convincing Zeus.”
“He’s so lame. What a wet blanket. He always makes everything so hard.” Dita crossed her legs and shifted.
Perry asked, “Speaking of always hard, how’s Ares?” She took a bite of her hot dog.
“Ha, ha, Perry. He’s just fine, thanks for asking,” Dita said, cheerfully.
“You guys are so weird,” Perry said with her mouth full, then swallowed. “I’ll never understand it. I don’t know how you can compete against him so hard and still be fucking his brains out.”
Daphne choked on a bite of hot dog, and Perry patted her on the back. “Sorry, Daphne.”
Dita shrugged. “It’s what we do. The competition kind of fuels the fucking.”
“How are you planning on winning? Dillon can be a real asshole.” Perry turned back to her hot dog.
“He can be. I think he’s hit a turning point though. If he can keep his shit together and his mouth shut, this will be over sooner than later. I owe him, anyway.”
Perry gave her a stern look. “Dita, what did you do?”
Daphne swallowed the dislodged hot dog and wiped a tear away, her voice husky. “What do you owe him?”
“Happiness. I may have inadvertently screwed his life up.” Perry opened her mouth to speak, but Dita cut her off. “It wasn’t a curse, okay? Just hear me out.”
Perry looked at her last bite sadly and wrapped it in the paper, seeming to have lost her appetite. “Go on.”
Dita watched the people that walked by. “Moira was so unhappy. She was so beautiful and alive when she got with Jimmy, but within a few years of them moving to America, his drinking spun out of control, and he started beating her. She lost a baby before she had Dillon because he beat her so badly.”
“Oh, gods.” Daphne’s hand rested on her mouth.
“I felt so bad for her. She deserved happiness, but she wouldn’t leave Dillon with Jimmy, and she couldn’t take him with her. There was no way she could support him on her salary. There was nothing I could do to make her leave.” She thought for a moment. “Actually, there are some things I could have done, but I didn’t want to leave Dillon with Jimmy, either. I could give her some happiness, though. I matched her with a dark haired, handsome man with deep brown eyes who she worked with. She was so lonely that betraying her vows for human contact barely fazed her, even though it was never enough that she would leave Jimmy and Dillon.”
“Dita … ” Perry said, softly.
Dita kept her eyes on a murder of crows perched in a massive oak tr
ee, not wanting to make eye contact. “Hera was pissed. She hates me, and with good reason since I’ve been making an ass out of her for eons. She’s always looking for a way to undermine me. She took it as a personal affront that Moira cheated, since matrimony is her turf. Her revenge was to make Moira get pregnant. With Owen.”
“That bitch,” Perry whispered and sat back against the bench.
Dita nodded. “When Owen was born with black hair and brown eyes from a family of fair blonds, Jimmy knew. When the beatings got worse, Moira convinced her lover to leave. And he did.”
“Why would he leave her?” Perry’s mouth hung open.
“He couldn’t take care of her, and couldn’t take care of Owen. Never mind bringing Dillon into the mix. Jimmy would have killed him if he had figured it out. Hera wanted Moira’s lover dead and was furious when he got away. So she paid Ares in tokens to cultivate Jimmy’s anger, his jealousy, his suspicion, until he pushed Jimmy over the edge. He waited for her to get off of work and then he beat her, kept beating her even after she was long dead.”
The three all sat in silence, staring off before Dita shook her head and continued. “Dillon has always protected Owen from Jimmy. And that made Dillon who he is. I owe him a real love.”
“What about Kat?” Daphne picked up her hot dog, which lay momentarily neglected in her lap.
Dita smiled. “I love her mother and father. Their love story is a good one.” She settled back in the bench. “So Katsu had an arranged marriage to another gang leader’s daughter, Yuki, who happens to be a psycho bitch. It’s not her fault though. Katsu never loved her, and Hera is constantly whispering in her ear, though nothing would ever come from it. No one takes Yuki seriously anymore — she’s too much of a shrew. She could have been all right, but Hera ruined her.”
Perry guffed and folded her arms across her chest. “Sounds just like Hera’s work.”
“Exactly. Katsu could never love her — he has too much self-respect — and Yuki’s pride has kept her a universe away from him. He was so unhappy, so I led him to Kim. They’re perfect for each other, but they can never really be together.”