“Have you heard what’s going on over there? The Five Nations Block is marching on Sofia.”
Damn, this was not good. “Jax and his people are on it. I just left them.”
“Are you okay?” Was that actually concern in Callie’s voice?
Lightning flashed in the oriel window near the top of the wide staircase. Clio gripped the stone railing but continued up. Fat raindrops pelted the window, creating a racket in the echoing stairwell.
Clio wasn’t going to let the rain scare her, even though the gathering storm made her insides quake. She shoved the trepidation lingering at the base of her neck as far away as she could. “It’s not over yet, Callie. I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
“I know I haven’t been very nice lately, Clio. I’m sorry. For all the times I’ve been mean or bossy or downright nasty to you.”
“Callie, you don’t have to apologize. Nothing is going to happen to me. You’ll have an opportunity to be hateful to me for a long time.”
That got the smallest laugh out of her sister. “Please be careful, Clio. I don’t want to lose you.”
“I love you, Callie.”
Callie rang off after muttering she loved Clio as well. A cold corner of her heart thawed with her sister’s sentiment.
She settled behind her desk and opened the Internet. The news sites were ablaze with breaking stories, each one reported in the most sensational way possible. The faux sincerity in the reporters’ voices grated like sandpaper. She shut down the browser in disgust and focused on library business. An hour passed before the need for more coffee drove her away from her desk.
As she headed toward the first floor break room where they had a better coffee station, she had to pass the Ancient Civ room. The door was cracked open, and she paused. Voices engaged in heated argument filtered out. She made out Jax’s low tone, edged with anger and frustration. A woman answered in a strident voice, her words coming too fast for Clio to make much sense of them. Sharp words, accompanied by heel-clacking footsteps, drew closer to where Clio stood in the hall. The door slammed closed, shutting off any further eavesdropping. With a silent prayer for Jax’s good luck in convincing Beryl of the strength of their plan, Clio continued on her way.
As she left the kitchen, Clio noticed Zeke seated at the front desk. His two-way radio rested on the counter next to him, and he’d hunkered down on the high stool facing the entry. One elbow propped next to the ID scanner, his chin resting in his hand, he stared at the windows on his right.
Clio scanned her badge and slipped beyond the gate. “Zeke, where’s the student scheduled to work this station today?”
“That wuss? The storm shook him like a nut from a tree. I sent him to help shelve books deep in the confines, away from any windows. He promised to be back in time for me to do the security round at eleven.”
“I can stay here if you have something to do.”
“You are welcome to keep me company, but I’m good for a little while.” He patted the stool next to him.
“I have a few minutes.” Clio set her travel mug down and swung the stool around. She slipped onto it as Zeke checked in a dripping student.
“Jeez, it’s like the weather gods are pissed off about something. I can’t remember the last time it rained this much in the summer.” Zeke’s conversational tone was at odds with the serious expression in his eyes.
Yeah, there was something supernatural afoot for real. Before she could answer, lightning blazed, the brilliance and violence of the flash temporarily blinding Clio. She lifted her shoulders to wait for the corresponding thunder. The mouse rattled on the counter as the sonic boom rumbled for what seemed like an eternity.
Zeke cleared his throat and twisted to face her. “Clio, I probably should have told you this sooner, but it’s not coincidence I’m here today. Your dad—”
The door banged open, and the entering student turned until he faced outside. Standing transfixed, he held the door, as if he wanted to slam it shut but was paralyzed. The hair on Clio’s arms rose, and she was instantly alert. She sent a nudge to the student that he wanted to close the storm out. The kid jumped and swung shut the door with another loud bang. He stumbled backward then turned and hurried toward where she and Zeke were seated.
Clio recognized the kid’s shaggy multicolored hair. Brian shook excess water away as he scanned in his student ID. “There’s a flock of the biggest birds I’ve ever seen in the bushes outside the door. They are squawking up a storm. I thought birds shut up in storms.”
Clio’s heart stuttered. “A flock of birds?”
“Yeah, there must a good dozen of them. Big, messy black-and-white fuckers. Sorry.”
The security gate unlocked with a click. After a quick glance over his shoulder, shaggy Brian shoved the wooden panel open. His tennis shoes squeaked on the stone floor as he hustled away.
Clio stood and stared at the door, indecision churning in her gut. If all the sisters were gathered, it must be time for the main event. Sharp, gripping pain stabbed her neck. She cried out and grabbed the back of the chair.
“Clio?” Zeke’s voice was muffled, as if coming through pea-soup fog.
The lights on the ornate chandelier over the desk flickered and dimmed. Or maybe it was just her vision. Some unseen force compelled her to move forward, and nothing she did to combat the pressure worked to stop her forward motion. She darted her eyes to Zeke and tried to speak, but no words came out.
Zeke slipped off his stool, grabbed her arm, and jerked her backward. He shook her. “Clio! Snap out of it.”
She tried to grab his hand as she slid through the gate. The grip on her lessened a little and behind her, Zeke gasped, bending double and clutching his head.
Oh shit. Whoever was trying to control her had attacked Zeke. She reared back to break free of the supernatural grip as Zeke groaned and plunged to his knees. Immediately, tension returned to her neck, and she felt herself being compelled toward the door. She couldn’t command her muscles to resist or find her voice to scream for help. Clio blasted a frantic nudge toward Jax, not at all certain it would reach him while she was being controlled by another power.
The door swung open ahead of her, and she was drawn inexorably toward it. Her feet floated an inch above the floor. Pierus stood just beyond the portico. When lightning flashed, his shadow splashed grotesquely misshapen, bulbous, and writhing across the marble floor.
Fighting the constriction gripping her body, she concentrated on grabbing the doorjamb as she was forced over the threshold. Her fingers twitched ineffectually. Knifelike pain screamed through her body as she passed through the doorway. When she’d cleared the edge of the overhanging roof, water cascaded down her face. Magpies cackled, then swooped and swirled. The pressure changed around her body when the birds spun around her like a tornado. Feathers brushed her face, and one bird’s finger-like nubs raked her arm. As Clio stood spellbound, the bird’s beak transformed to a nose and most of the feathers melted away to reveal a human face. Spiky pinfeathers stuck up on the crown of the head like a wild headdress.
“Clio!”
She struggled against the intense pressure holding her in place and twisted until she looked over her shoulder. Zeke stood in the library entrance, arms outstretched, strain and fright on his face. Some unseen force flung him backward and slammed the door shut.
All around her, thunder boomed, sounding suspiciously like maniacal laughter. Oh, goddess, this was it. She’d convinced Jax to believe in her but he hadn’t been able to make the awful Beryl listen to him. She’d lost and was going to become a magpie. Hot tears mingled with the cold rain on her face. Wind buffeted her and her body grew heavier. Her heart seemed the only muscle capable of movement, and it galloped until it felt ready to burst.
Terror and anguish burgeoned in her chest, crowding out all other thoughts. This might be her last moment as a Muse. Thousands of years spent guiding and helping mankind was coming to an end. The world would be a bleak, dreadful place without the M
uses inspiring people to achieve greatness with art, music, science, and the rest of their gifts. She’d never see her parents or sisters again. She wasn’t going to live happily ever after with Jax.
Feathers flailed against her, and the horrifying fingers scraped her arms. The world plunged into a void as though all air had been sucked from the atmosphere. Thunder boomed one final time, and her world faded to gray.
Chapter 17
Jax whipped his head up when, in the midst of an insane argument with Beryl, his dick turned to steel. What little blood remained north of the button on his jeans flashed hotly into his cheeks. It felt as if Clio had nudged him. He spun around, seeking her presence in the room. Worry replaced desire when he failed to locate her.
As the storm reached its zenith, every computer flickered and dimmed. Beryl’s eyes were flinty as she screamed for one of the techs to restore power to the network.
Footsteps pounded down the hall, clearly audible in the enclosed space. The door crashed open and a hulk of a man careened past the threshold. Water dripped off his closely cropped blond hair. His security guard uniform shirt was plastered over his bulky muscles.
The man swept a frantic gaze around the room then finally lit on Jax. He jabbed a finger at him. “I need to speak to you immediately.”
Recognizing the panicked man as the fellow who checked him in after hours, Jax took a step toward him.
“Stop right there, Jax.” Beryl’s strident voice raked against his eardrums. “We’re not finished here.”
Flashing his hand up in Beryl’s face, Jax attempted to force into his voice a calm he didn’t feel. “We’re not doing anything except waiting for a response from the admiral. I’ll be right back.”
He hurried over to the guard’s side. “Zeke, right?”
“Yeah. It’s Clio.” Zeke shot a cautionary look in Beryl’s direction, then shook his head. He motioned to the hall. “Not here.”
He spun around and bustled out the door. Jax followed closely on his heels as the man sprinted up the steps. Together they pounded down the hall. They entered a small private office. The nameplate on the desk declared it Clio’s.
“What’s going on?” The worry that had burst into Jax’s chest when Zeke had arrived had grown until simple inhalation was painful.
The frosted glass in the door rattled when Zeke shoved it closed. He held up a hand, stalling Jax’s questions. Dropping his head back, the guard closed his eyes, his lips moved soundlessly. A solid ache built behind Jax’s eyes as he waited for whatever the man would reveal.
Zeke opened his eyes and pinned his gaze on Jax. “I know you know what Clio is. What she’s dealing with. You’re supposed to be helping her. She’s been taken.”
“What do you mean? Who’s taken her?”
“That cocksucker, Pierus.”
“Goddammit! We have to get her back.”
“We’re on it.” Zeke’s shoulders lifted as he sucked in a deep breath. “Prepare yourself. You’re about to meet Clio’s dad, Zeus. And he ain’t happy.”
The atmosphere in the small office suddenly changed, like the air in the room grew dense around his body. Congestion built in Jax’s ears as if he was in an unpressurized airplane. He swallowed hard, but the crushing weight in his head didn’t diminish. Zeke gripped Jax’s shoulder between his thumb and forefinger and dug in as a loud crack sounded, followed by a sharp ozone scent.
“Sorry, it sucks for mortals when gods pop in like this.” Zeke eased his grip on Jax, but spun him until he faced the opposite direction. There had just been two of them in the office when they’d entered. Now a third man stood with them.
The newcomer appeared middle-aged. Gray at the temples peppered the jet-black waves cascading around the man’s clean-shaven face. A scowl pulled the man’s brows together, his lips pursed and echoing the symmetry of the straight, angry line on the man’s forehead. And holy shit, was he wearing a toga?
With barely a glance at Jax, the man pinned Zeke with a glare. “Report.” As he barked the command, the man’s voice echoed eerily in the room.
Zeke went down on one knee, his face averted. “Pierus and his skanky brats compelled Clio beyond the secured perimeter we created. Once she crossed the barrier, they swarmed her. By the time I made it to the door, they’d lifted her in the air and just vanished.” He raised his gaze, sorrow, anger, and worry swimming in his eyes. “I’ve failed. I am sorry, Zeus.”
“We did the best we could to see to her safety. Pierus was simply better than us. This time.” Zeus turned his attention to Jax. He extended his arm to him, clasping his powerful hand around Jax’s forearm, gladiator style. “You are Jax. Nice to meet you, son.”
“Where have they taken Clio?”
Zeus relaxed his grip but didn’t remove his hand from Jax’s arm. “We are not sure. We are sending trackers out, but we need a general location to start. We will find her before it’s too late. Have you made any inroads with the Five Nations?”
“Unfortunately, progress is slow. Admiral Burton isn’t buying the idea that they’d be satisfied with being able to mine the crystal field.” Jax rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. “Hell, he doesn’t even believe there is a crystal field.”
“What would persuade him?”
“A geological report would be best. I’ve been searching for some intel even hinting at its existence. But the Bulgarians have hidden any mention of this asset too well. I haven’t found a damn thing yet. We have to rescue Clio.”
“First things first. Our best recourse to reclaim my daughter is to achieve success on the Eastern European front.” Zeus crossed his arms over his chest and squeezed his eyes shut.
Jax shot a glance to Zeke who stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He reminded Jax of one of the queen’s guards. “What’s he doing?”
“He’s talking to one of the other gods.” Zeke kept his voice low and controlled.
“Are you one of them? One of the gods? Clio didn’t mention you.”
“No, I’m merely a servant. And Clio doesn’t know. I’m kind of undercover. I’ve been in Clio’s life in one form or another since men stopped believing in the existence of immortals.”
“Why doesn’t she recognize you?” Jax eyed Zeus as he held a mute conversation.
“Did she explain about her living and dying as a mortal?”
“Yeah, she mentioned it.” God, what was taking Zeus so long? Clio could be anywhere and in dire straits. The idea that she was already transformed to a bird made him dizzy. Sucking in a deep breath, he bent and propped his hands on his knees. Struggling for calm, he focused his attention on what Zeke was saying.
“My existence is tied to hers. When she passes, I do as well. When she is reborn, I come back also. But where her form rarely changes, mine does. So she never recognizes me from one lifetime to the next. Zeus sent me back as a Great Dane once.”
“Jax.” Zeus’s voice rang with triumph. “Gaia has created the report you require and uploaded it to one of GeoPoly’s servers. She tells me she inserted it into a topographic survey of the area. Are you familiar with the file?”
Jax straightened. It shouldn’t surprise him that they’d have access to the secured servers. They were Greek gods, after all. But he’d never thought of them in present day terms. In his mind they drove chariots, not cars, and communicated through oracles, not cellphones and e-mail.
He forced his attention back to the man in front of him. “Yes. But what about Clio?”
Zeus’s expression softened slightly. “Give me your cellphone number. I will text you the instant we know anything. For now, we need you to defeat the challenge by ending the threat from the Five Nations.”
“If the report is there, I can convince the admiral. As soon as he’s on board, he’ll get the State department involved. Might be a few hours.”
“We should know where Clio is by then.” Zeus clasped Jax’s forearm. “You go do what you need to do to make sure Clio stays a Muse. Your Earth will be a horrible
place to exist if we fail.”
The air compressed around Jax again as the most badass of all the gods blinked out of the room. Jax’s ears popped, and he shuddered.
“Let’s go.” Zeke motioned toward the door. “We need a cover for me so I can stay in the Ancient Civ room with you. I’ll be staying with you as a conduit to communicate with Zeus as soon as you make some progress.”
“Shouldn’t you be helping in the search for Clio? Can’t I just text him?”
“Did he give you his number?”
“No.”
“Then I stay. I’m the only way you’ll be able to reach him.”
Together, they jogged back to the second floor. On the way, Jax considered what story he’d use to explain Zeke’s presence. “How are you at flirting?” he asked as they sped down the hall.
“I can give Cupid a run for his money.”
“Good. I’m going to introduce you as my grad assistant. I want you to blow as much smoke up Beryl Ramsey’s ass as possible. I’m just going to apologize right now. Saves time later.” He slowed to a stop just outside the door. Clio had been gone at least fifteen minutes. In the political game of cat and mouse, that was a lifetime. Each minute that passed put her in further danger. He faced Zeke. “Promise me Zeus and his trackers will locate her. And I want to be there when we go get her.”
“I can’t promise that, man. Remember, I’m just a servant. But I’ll do what I can.”
Jax took a calming breath, knowing he’d have to locate the report Gaia had planted for them. That report was the only thing standing between success and World War Three. And between Clio and an eternity spent as a magpie.
He could not…would not allow Pierus to triumph.
The flickering behind Clio’s eyelids forced her back to consciousness. She struggled to open her eyes, but it felt as though they were weighed down by the coins Charon placed on the face of the newly deceased as he ferried them across the River Styx. Her chest ached and her head pounded. And the stench was overpowering. Somewhere near she heard muttering and whispering but she failed to make out any words as she slid back into the arms of Morpheus.
Tyranny: Goddesses of Delphi Page 15