Mayhem: Goddesses Of Delphi

by Gemma Brocato

  “I hate waiting to find out who’s next. What if it’s me?” Was that anxiety she heard in Callie’s voice?

  Polly laid a hand on Callie’s arm and urged calming vibes through the point of contact. “We all hate waiting. But we must while Pierus regroups. It gives us a chance to lay the groundwork for the legal challenge. Zeus told me he’d set a meeting with Dice and the other justice gods. But he’s having trouble getting on their schedule.”

  Recently, an ancient demi-god, Pierus, had re-emerged…bent on revenge. In the early days of their existence, Pierus had bragged that his nine daughters were superior to Zeus’s children. That had pissed Zeus off, and as punishment the god of gods had transformed Pierus’s brats into filthy magpies. The transformation had been meant to last for all eternity. But Pierus had found loopholes and every few thousand years, exploited them in a quest to restore his daughters. Which was why Zeus and Dice were meeting.

  The greedy megalomaniac was staging a hostile take-over of the family firm, Olympus Industries. The Thanos women’s lives depended on winning. If one sister lost, all of them would lose…condemned to live in magpie form for all eternity.

  Each Muse had to face one of Pierus’s nine daughters, defeat the bitch, and save the world in the process.

  “If I were reading this story I’d probably throw the book at the wall by now. It’s like a really bad B movie.” At least Callie smirked when she said it, proving that Polly’s cool-your-jets vibes had worked.

  “Unfortunately, the villains in this story are not made up, and not so easily vanquished.” Polly adopted a teasing, surfer-dude tone. “But hey! We’re freaking Muses. Those bitches had better watch out.”

  Their younger sisters, Clio and Urania, had conquered their challengers. But in both cases, defeat had loomed before they managed to overcome the odds.

  For the challenge, each sister had to partner with a man who’d lost his belief in magic. It had worked for Clio and Nia. Jax and Thomas had each come through in a pinch to save the woman they’d fallen in love with. Although, it had been close with Thomas. He’d almost resisted too long.

  Polly dreaded the time when it was her turn to take on one of the magpies. Pierus had been underhanded and devious so far. She doubted he’d change his tune going forward. Although, Nia had injured the bastard in the process of winning, leading all of them to believe they’d have a brief respite before the monster unleashed his next dirty trick.

  “I hate feeling like I’m just waiting for the other blasted shoe to drop.” Callie’s tone took on a distinct whine, something Polly had never heard before. Callie crossed one arm over her chest and dug her fingers into the opposite shoulder. “I am struggling for every single word I’m adding to my manuscript.”

  “Sounds like we need to call a whambulance.” Thalia, Lia for short, or for funny as she said, scoffed as she joined them. Aiming a water pistol, she shot a stream of liquid at Callie’s face.

  Callie swiped her hand over her cheeks and sputtered. “Dammit, Thalia. That was unnecessary.”

  Lia jammed her free hand on her hip. “No work talk! No discussion of the challenge. Those topics are off limits and anyone breaking the rules is subject to a whipped cream pie to the face.”

  Thalia embraced Polly and whispered in her ear. “Actually it was necessary. Bitch has been raining on the parade since she got here.” Her low chuckle was meant for Polly’s ears only. Lia spun, crouched down, and fired the toy gun at Callie’s legs. “The look on your face was hilarious.”

  “Ha ha,” Callie deadpanned. She stomped away, awkwardly trying to brush away the excess water on her legs.

  “Polly, Ian Sommers is here with Jax and Clio. He’s been scanning the group like a searchlight for the past thirty minutes. I think he’s looking for someone.” Lia bent and retrieved the cooler Polly had dropped.

  The mention of the man’s name snagged Polly’s attention. “Well, he can’t be looking for me. I’ve reached out to him three times in the last few days and he has yet to return my calls.”

  “He’s probably been pretty busy. I hear changes are coming for his company.”

  Precisely why Polly had been trying to contact him. Ian was a scientist for Eos Corporation, a research and development entity studying methods to aid the most destitute countries. They specialized in clean water techniques, vaccine delivery systems and the like.

  The announcement, delivered by the president of Eos and the mayor of Delphi, was the reason Polly had been running late. They’d announced a contract that would result in an additional thousand employees for the corporation. Which meant new economic growth for Delphi. The largest percentage of the new workers would be employed in the factory, but higher paying administrative positions were being added as well.

  “I was just at a press conference along with Zeus.” Polly laced her arm with Lia’s and together they strolled after Callie to the food table Gaia had arranged. Polly’s cooler contained the baklava she’d bought from the Greek deli on Hyperion Street.

  Lia grinned, popping a dimple on her right cheek. That dimple was about the only way to distinguish Lia from her twin, Mel, whose dimple was on the left cheek. One lifetime they’d been reborn with the dimple on the same cheek. That had been confusing during their entire existence in that century.

  Soft laughter escaped Lia’s mouth. “Don’t know squat about that. Ian’s been talking baseball with Jax and Thomas this whole time. Zeke’s been reciting statistics for every comment. A real ticket to yawns-ville if you ask me.”

  “I’d rather have them talking baseball than listen to another second of Callie’s bitching.”

  “Damn straight, sister.” Lia, the Muse of comedy, had the best laugh. It started in her belly and rose like bubbles in champagne.

  The tinkling sound made Polly smile. She continued grinning as Ian lifted his hand and waved her over. She drew Lia to a halt. “Can you arrange the dessert on the table for me? Do not let Gaia or Callie see that it came from Pandora’s. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “Why not? It isn’t as if they don’t know you’re domestically challenged.”

  “Remember the last time I showed up with store-bought souvlaki? I thought Mother was going to go ape-shit on me.”

  “Yeah, Gaia did ding you on that.” Lia laughed again. “Okay, I’ll cover for you. Why don’t you grab a beer and join Mr. Studly there.” She tipped her chin in Ian’s direction.

  “Mr. Studly?”

  “Sister, do not pretend you don’t find him handsome.”

  “I’ll concede that point, but studly?”

  She’d be lying to herself if she continued to deny it. With his shaggy golden hair and mysterious brown eyes he truly did qualify for Polly’s personal hottie hall of fame. Her guilty secret was that she’d been a fan of long-haired men since she’d met Alexander the Great in Babylonia. He’d had amazing, thick honey blond waves. Just like Ian’s.

  Add in Ian’s lean runner’s build and the long, ropey muscles in his arms, and the way his jeans rode low on his hips, and he’d be any woman’s ideal date.

  She left Lia at the food table and moved to one of the beverage coolers in the shade of the pavilion, conscious of Ian’s gaze on her the whole time. Heat climbed her cheeks at his continued perusal when she bent to grab a soft drink from the icy water. Nodding at one of Clio’s co-workers from the Delphi University Library, Polly sauntered toward where Ian and Jax sat laughing with Zeke, Clio’s brawny partisan, or immortal bodyguard.

  Ian stood as she approached. “Sorry I haven’t gotten back to you. I knew I’d see you here and figured we could talk in person.” He hugged her.

  Polly was pretty certain his lips brushed her hair, which sent a small thrill up her spine. She squelched the shiver. Ian was a family friend. Hot as hell, but nonetheless, still squarely in the friend-zone. A fact she wouldn’t mind changing.

  “Except Lia told me no business today.” Polly settled in the seat Ian had vacated.

  Clio joined them,
sliding onto Jax’s lap. “Thank the goddess you’re here. These jokers would have talked baseball or video games all afternoon.” She slipped her arm around Jax’s shoulders and mussed his dark hair.

  “We’d have changed the subject the second you stopped arguing strategy on Call of Duty.”

  Polly sipped her drink then put it in the cup holder on the arm of the lawn chair. “But that’s Clio’s favorite game.”

  “Not anymore.” Jax splayed his hand on Clio’s belly and shot her a grin. “We found one she likes better.”

  “Not even going to ask.” Polly debated sending a knock-it-off nudge to Clio, but decided against it. The woman was young and in love with her newly-minted immortal.

  “Did you go to the press conference?” Ian asked, distracting her from the cuddling couple in front of her.

  “Uh-huh.” She nodded. “Hey, have you noticed anything weird about Scott Peltier lately?”

  “Eos’s president? Not really. But he’s a whole lotta rungs higher on the corporate ladder than me. I don’t interact much with him unless it’s for a specific project. Why do you ask?”

  “Can’t put my finger on it. I’ve interviewed him before, on the desalinization project. Today, he just seemed…different.” She shook off the feeling of oddness that had blanketed her since the press conference. “What do you think about the expansion plans?”

  Ian furrowed his dark blond brows and scratched his chin. “It doesn’t make much sense, if you ask me.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  “Off the record?”

  She nodded, eager to hear his take on the proposed merger.

  “The changes will lead us in a different direction than what has been mandated by our Board of Directors. Our focus has been on helping third world countries achieve the necessities to development. It’s written into our mission statement. But the new direction seems to be focused more on corporate profits than the altruistic nature prescribed by our ongoing R and D.”

  “Hey!” Lia interrupted as she plopped down to the grass next to Polly’s chair. She swilled her orange soda. “No shop talk.” The small bag of chips she held crinkled as she ripped it open.

  Aerie drifted to the ground next to Lia. “She’s right, you two should be talking about something else.”

  Like how fast you can get this man’s clothes off. He’s hot. Aerie projected her voice directly into Polly’s head, the thought tickling her brain. Aerie always chose non-verbal communication when she played matchmaker for her sisters. Always had. Polly spared a glance at Ian, judging Aerie’s words as truth.

  “We’re not talking about work,” Ian protested. He winked at Polly. “We’re discussing the difference between altruism and corporate greed.”

  Lia screwed up her face, squinting at Ian. “Sounds suspiciously like work to me.”

  “Come on, Lia. The announcement from Eos will impact the Greek Chorus as well.” Polly mentioned her sister’s comedy club. “More employees for Ian’s company equals more people living in town. More citizens…more business for you. More business, more money in your pocket.”

  “Maybe. But if the move isn’t right for Delphi then I’m not greedy enough to want them to take that step. I love our little town just the size it is.” Lia drew her knee up and rested her arm on it. She glanced from Polly to Ian and back. “If you have to discuss work, why don’t you and Ian take out one of the paddle boats and keep all the gruesome business talk away from the rest of us whose only aim is to have fun.”

  “Great idea, Lia.” Ian jumped up and extended his hand to Polly. “Once I get you isolated on the water, I can bore you with all the crazy baseball stats I know.”

  “You know that isn’t really an enticement to get in a boat with you, right?” Polly laughed and accepted his hand.

  Aerie pursed her lips at Ian, as if blowing him a kiss. Polly knew her sister, the Muse of Love, had nudged the man. Polly held her breath, waiting for his response.

  “Would it work better if I agree to talk dirty to you?” He laughed, but Polly caught a gleam in his eye, as if he was sincere about the offer. She bit her lip and raised an eyebrow in Aerie’s direction.

  But, damn…the idea sent squiggles of delight straight up her torso. Good goddess, they’d been friends for a couple of years. But she’d be lying if she claimed she’d never hoped he’d be interested in her that way.

  She was saved from responding when he sauntered away toward the boat dock on the other side of the picnic pavilion. He stopped about ten feet away and twisted to look over his shoulder, one brow raised.

  “You better catch up,” Lia prompted. “You wouldn’t want to miss any of his smutty talk. He probably has a Ph.D in that as well as science.”

  Polly shot a half-hearted fuck-you nudge at her younger sister, which just resulted in Lia nudging back. Her poke was more like a pinch on Polly’s butt, causing her to jump and then hurry after Ian. Lia’s musical laughter joined with Aerie’s chuckle, and the sound danced after Polly.

  It would be interesting to see if Ian really did talk dirty to her, or if their conversation would remain about business.

  She mumbled to herself as she caught up to him. “Damned if I understand why I’m only half hoping for the sexy talk.”

  Preorder your copy on Amazon

  Please Take A Moment to Review

  Reviews are like coffee, wine, and chocolate for authors. They really matter. Please consider leaving a review on Amazon

  About the Author

  Gemma's favorite desk accessories for many years were a circular wooden token, better known as a 'round tuit,' and a slip of paper from a fortune cookie proclaiming her a lover of words; some day she'd write a book. All it took was a transfer to the United Kingdom, the lovely English springtime, and a huge dose of homesickness to write her first novel. Once it was completed and sent off with a kiss, even the rejections addressed to 'Dear Author' were gratifying.

  After returning to America, she spent a number of years as a copywriter, dedicating her skills to making insurance and the agents who sell them sound sexy. Eventually, her full-time job as a writer interfered with her desire to be a writer full-time and she left the world of financial products behind to pursue an avocation as a romance author.

  Feel Free To Stalk Gemma at

  @GemmaBrocato

  Gemma.Brocato

  www.gemmabrocato.com

  gemma@gemmabrocato.com

  Newsletter Signup

  Sign up for Gemma’s Newsletter for updates, exclusive content, new release information, cover reveals and more.

  http://eepurl.com/54Kqj