Scowling over Hailey’s head, she explained, “I hate magpies.”
“They aren’t my favorite bird. Messy critters,” Ian replied. He slid his arm from around Polly’s shoulder and patted Hailey’s head. “Kiddo, you’ve just given me a great idea. How’d you get so dang smart?”
Hailey preened a little, dipped her chin toward her shoulder and slanted a look up at him like a miniature debutante. “Good genes, I guess.”
Ian threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing back to them from the shore. He glanced at Polly, who continued to glare at the sky. She’d scooted to the far side of the boat, as if pissed off, or terrified. She clenched one fist on her thigh and the other clutched the gunwale.
Her knuckles turned white to match the ring around her tightly seamed lips. “We need to get back right away.” She kicked up the pace of her pedaling.
“Hey, what devil is on your tail?” Ian joked, resting a hand on her shoulder.
“Just…” She heaved a troubled sigh. When she turned her gaze on him, her eyes were clouded and…Christ, was that fear? “I’m ready to go in now. We should probably get Hailey back so she can get that special hot dog. You’re hungry, right, kiddo?”
Hailey nodded and smiled.
What had suddenly happened to the sexy woman who would have played tonsil hockey with him? Her body trembled under his hand. Nothing about the shiver was sexual. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just ready to get back.” The steel in her voice matched the iron rod that suddenly seemed shoved up her butt. All emotion blanked from her face and she closed her eyes, pursing her lips. He tapped her shoulder to gain her attention, but she ignored him.
The smile faded from his lips. The trip around the lake that had started off with a ton of promise for a budding relationship with this attractive woman had capsized and sank faster than a lead ball.
Chapter 3
Polly tried to keep her nerves under control on the return trip to the dock. Tried, but failed miserably. Tiny red crescents decorated her palm from where she’d dug her nails into them. The only person doing any kind of interaction was Hailey. She sang and giggled over her songs and kept up a running dialog of little girl inane chatter. Polly felt Ian’s frequent gaze on her as they returned to the shore. The muscles in her face ached from maintaining the phony smile while her thoughts raced.
It was time.
The appearance of the magpie signaled that a new challenge was afoot. The fact the bitch had revealed herself to Polly solidified the worry that she’d be next in line to defend mortals.
Hoping to ease the ache behind her eyes, she rubbed her temples. The paddleboat gently bumped into the pier, then lurched when Ian hopped out to tie it up, mimicking the reeling sensation in Polly’s stomach. After helping Hailey onto the pier, Polly clambered after the girl. She wobbled a bit until Ian wrapped his hand around her bicep to steady her.
His grip felt strong and sure.
Safe.
As Hailey scampered toward Gaia, Ian turned Polly to face him. Pulling her close, he dipped his head to look her in the eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong?”
The heat from his body warmed the spot in her chest that had iced at the sight of the magpie. “I think I got too much sun. I have a headache.” She hadn’t exactly lied. While still on the boat, she’d broadcasted a nudge to all her sisters at the same time to warn them that fun and games were at an end. Those types of telepathic messages always made her head throb.
The question she’d blasted asked if the magpie had appeared to anyone else. The cacophony in her head as they’d replied in the negative only accentuated the ache. And every response had been alarmed. Lia had let loose a string of expletives that would make a rapper blush.
Ian stroked his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. “I don’t believe you.”
She took a step away from his warmth. “You don’t really know me well enough to believe me or not.”
“I’d like to change that, Polly. I wasn’t the only person on that boat who wanted to kiss.” He advanced toward her. “I want to get to know you better. I think we could have something special. Something like what Jax and Clio have. I want that with you.”
“You have no clue what you are asking for.” She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.
She wanted it as well. After a year of having Ian in her friend-zone, of watching him engage in short affairs with other women, she’d finally accepted that she wanted to move him into a more prominent spot in her life.
But their timing couldn’t be worse.
A gust of cool wind blew against her back, raising goose bumps on her arms. Fright built in her system until it clogged her throat.
Lia, Mel, and Aerie sauntered along the dock toward them, their attitude deceptively nonchalant.
“Hey, Pol,” Lia greeted her. The happy smile ordinarily on her sister’s face was starkly absent. “Um—Zeus asked us to help him get that special project ready. Are you available?”
“Can you give us a minute?” Ian glanced over his shoulder at the women.
Lia offered him an apologetic smile. “We would, but it’s Zeus. When he says jump, there is no just a minute.”
Polly touched his arm. “I’m sorry, Ian.” He had no clue about the size of her regret.
The dock shuddered as Nia leaped from her boat. “Now whose timing sucks?” she asked. Her shirt was buttoned up wrong and her hair was mussed. “You alright?”
“I will be.” She waved her hand in front of Nia’s torso. “You better check yourself before we meet with Dad.”
Nia flushed an unbecoming shade of scarlet and spun around toward Thomas to rearrange her clothing. Thomas attempted to help, but Nia good-naturedly slapped his hands away.
Mel tugged on Polly’s hand. “Zeus is waiting and he’s probably getting impatient. We don’t want that.”
“I’ll be right there. You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up. I need to talk to Ian for a second.”
Aerie rested her hand on Ian’s bicep and breathed out a sigh only Polly could hear. “We won’t keep her long. Jax is playing basketball with Zeke and Ken. You should join them.”
Ian’s face relaxed but he didn’t release Polly’s elbow.
“What did you do, Erato?” Polly jabbed the thought at her meddling sister.
A wide grin illuminated Aerie’s face as Polly used her given name. “Just told him he should pick up where he left off, but later.”
“I don’t think he really needed any extra inspiration.”
“A little extra never hurts.” Aerie flipped a wave over her shoulder as she dragged Lia away off the dock. Mel trailed behind, her shoulders slumped. Nia and Thomas strolled hand-in-hand after the rest of the small posse.
Polly faced Ian. “This project Zeus needs us to work on…it may take up a lot of my time in the next few weeks. But I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you. This is just…” Goddess, she didn’t know how to finish the sentence. He’d straight out laugh at her if she told him she was an immortal tasked with saving the world.
Ian tucked a knuckle under her chin and lifted until she looked into his eyes. He searched her face before speaking. “I understand. You go do what you need to do. We’ll work it out.” His gaze dropped to her lips then flashed back up. “I’ll come up with some extra dirty talk for later.”
Without thought, Polly cupped her hands around his face. She rose on the balls of her feet and pressed her lips to his. He opened under her invitation and wrapped his arms around her back, snugged her close. His heart thudded against her chest as he took control of the kiss. Breath stuttered in her lungs, her blood raced. Each questing tug, each seeking sip from his mouth released some of the anxiety left from her run-in with the magpie.
He released her and pressed his lips to her forehead. Sliding her hand to curl around his neck, she found his pulse leaping erratically under her thumb. She liked that he was as affected by the kiss as she was.
He trailed his
fingertips down her arm until he laced their hands together. Leaning away, he held her gaze, promise and passion lingering in his eyes. His breath puffed against her cheek. “You’d better go. Don’t want to keep your dad waiting. With a name like Zeus he probably gets all high and mighty if you’re late.”
“Hey, that’s my dad you’re dissing.” She softened her words with a chuckle. But Zeus wasn’t pretty to be around when he did get miffed. More so lately with the danger Pierus represented. It was his temper that had led to the challenge the Muses faced right now.
“Sorry. Hope he didn’t hear me.”
Thanks to the niggling little poke at the base of her skull, Polly was certain Zeus had heard. She checked her wince before it could break out. “I’m sure it will be okay. He’s really a nice guy once you get to know him.”
Ian tugged her hand and led her from the dock. At the top of the hill she turned toward the pavilion where Zeus and her sisters waited. From the left, she heard a bouncing ball and the sudden shout as one of the basketball players sank a bucket.
Before she could unlace her fingers from Ian’s, he pulled her back into his arms and hugged her hard. He laid his face against her hair and inhaled. “Sit by me for the picnic?”
She nodded, rubbed her cheek to his and then moved from the circle of his arms. In the absence of his body heat, cold dread wormed its way back. She walked backward away from him a few paces, and then spun around.
To face her future.
Zeus sat in a high backed camp chair, a beer in the cup holder, one leg crossed over the other. He looked more like a camper than the supreme ruler of all the gods and goddesses. His cargo shorts were frayed at the hem. He wore the tacky blue and white striped exercise sandals Gaia hated. The toenail on his big toe was black and blue, as if he’d dropped a can or something on it.
Polly stumbled onto a spot on the picnic bench next to her sister, Terri, and stared at the injury. “Dad, what happened to your foot?”
“It’s nothing.” The reply was terse, warning her to leave it alone.
Had there ever been, in all her existences, a time when Zeus had been injured? She couldn’t remember anything, not even something as small as the blood blister under his toenail. Looking around at the gathered faces, she didn’t sense concern for their father’s health reflected back at her.
She pushed the thought away as Zeus cleared his throat.
“We don’t have long to talk. Jax, Zeke, and Ken will keep the other mortals occupied for a moment.” He beamed a look at her future brother-in law, who sat on a picnic table next to Nia. “Thomas, I may need you to run interference if it appears we’re about to be interrupted.”
Thomas lifted his chin and shot Zeus thumbs up. “Here if you need.”
“Good.” Zeus’s gaze swiveled to Polly. “Could you identify which magpie you’ll be dealing with?”
Her heart hammered against her sternum. You’ll, not we. Zeus was already at a point that he’d accepted it was her turn. Which made sense. The filthy, flying critter hadn’t appeared to any of her sisters. That seemed to be the way it worked at this point in the challenge. The magpie revealed herself to a Muse and a man, and the race was on to save mortal-kind.
Twining her fingers together, she stared at them in her lap, gnawing her lower lip.
A soft stroke on her mind, like a gentle breeze, soothed her. Her head still down, she lifted her gaze to look at Zeus.
The last time he’d touched her mind this way was in the sixteenth century, in the weeks following Leonardo da Vinci’s death. Polly had been Leo’s mistress for nearly four years. The man had never married, preferring to remain single to focus on his inventions. He’d possessed a glorious, inventive, and methodical mind. Their time in bed had passed in much the same manner.
One of Polly’s biggest triumphs was inspiring the drawing known as the Vitruvian Man. For years, Leo had studied ancient texts regarding the perfect proportions of man’s physical form, and then improved on them based on his study of her naked body. The resulting drawing was still one of the most enduring images from the Renaissance. The ratios Leo detailed in the pen and ink drawing had become key in explaining the structure of the entire universe. Nia and Polly had teamed up to publicize Leo’s greatest work.
Polly had been devastated by Leo’s passing, and Zeus had comforted her then, as he did now.
Polly shook away the sad thoughts and sucked in a calming breath. “Unfortunately, no. While we were on the water, Ian got excited by something Hailey said about sanitation and worms. His project with Eos is to find a way to provide better sanitation in impoverished countries.”
“Hold up!” Thomas jumped off the table. “Hailey gave him an idea?”
Nia scrambled to her feet next to him, and shoved under his arm until they stood together as a protective unit. Nia’s eyes went wide. “In my challenge, I had to save an innocent. Remember? It turned out to be Hailey. Pierus said if I failed the challenge, an innocent would be lost. Someone who was meant to inspire a man to bring healthy living conditions to poor countries.” Laying a hand on Thomas’s chest, she looked up at him. “Your munchkin was meant to inspire Ian. He’s destined to deliver this sanitation system.”
“Do you think Ian is supposed to help me with this challenge?” Polly addressed the question to no one in particular.
Clio spoke up. “In the past two challenges, the magpie appeared to the man who was selected to help us. First with Jax, then next with Thomas. It stands to reason Ian has been picked.”
“Let’s go with this idea.” Zeus leaned forward in his chair. “Which challenger is Polly facing?”
Polly studied her painted toes. “There are changes happening at Eos. You were at the press conference, Zeus. They’re hiring more employees, and adding diversity to their projects. But Ian believes the growth is in opposition to the corporate mission of easing the plight of impoverished nations. He thinks the expansion is all about profits.” She pulled the right corner of her mouth to the side as she thought. “That makes me think it could be Greed.”
“Or Disease. If Hailey hadn’t given Ian the idea, then disease could be rampant.” Callie said. She looked at her phone. “I’ve created a spreadsheet to track the challenges. You could face either one, given the conditions in play right now.”
Lia laughed. “You did a spreadsheet? I thought I was the Muse of Science.”
“You should stick to comedy.” If Callie’s eyes had been cannons, Lia would have a huge hole in her midsection.
“I am warning you, daughters. Behave.” Zeus’s voice packed an order neither woman dared deny.
Lia held her hands up and stopped the tirade they all knew was building in Callie.
“But if Eos is doing this in the name of profits, then disease is just a by-product.” Terri craned her neck over Callie’s phone. Callie tipped the device so she could see better. “My money is on Greed. Um, no pun intended.”
Only Lia laughed.
“But we won’t know until Pierus contacts one of us. Has anyone heard from him?” Polly looked around at her sisters. By the vigorous headshakes going on, the demi-god hadn’t made his intent obvious to any of them.
“Goddess, I hate waiting.” Callie slouched in her seat and crossed her arms and legs. Her knee bounced like a ricocheting rubber ball.
Zeus straightened and rested his hands on his thighs. “Until he does, let’s all remain vigilant. Report any strange happenings or unusual circumstances. Most especially you, Polyhymnia.”
Lord she hated when he used her full name. It was the immortal equivalent of calling out a naughty child with a first and middle name. “Got it.”
Holding up his hand, Zeus closed his eyes. His lips moved as though he spoke to someone. He was on a psychic conference call with someone at corporate headquarters. His eyes popped open, glowing with supernatural blue flame. “Thomas, I’ve asked Mars to post an extra guard detail on your home. I don’t want anything to happen to Hailey, especially since she seems to be
connected with this challenge.”
Thomas frowned. “Dammit, I thought we were past the danger to her. What if she is?”
“We’ll move her to Olympus. Aphrodite can watch over her in the childcare center. I know she was quite taken with Hailey. I’m sure she’d foster the child at her house if needed.”
“Will we have to do the whole memory block trick again?”
Nia shook her head. “If we orchestrate it right we should be able to avoid getting Mnemosyne involved.”
“We’ll address that when and if necessary.” Zeus pushed to his feet with a quiet groan. “In the meantime, let’s not spoil this barbecue with anymore work talk. Everyone go enjoy the picnic.”
She moved to join the exodus from the pavilion.
“Polly, a moment, please.” An undertone of authority shifted Zeus’s voice to steel.
She paused and waited until Zeus approached her.
Stopping directly in front of her, he rested his hand on her upper arm. “I sensed more fear of this challenge in you than either of your sisters. Do you wish to speak about it?”
“I doubt that talking will help. Why Greed? I’m the Muse of divine hymns.” A good head of steam built within. “I’ve always inspired people to generosity. My world is tipping just thinking about stopping something like greed or avarice.”
“I have no clue why Pierus selects the challenges the way he has. But times have changed and we must adapt with them.”
Her father still wore togas around the house. And he was telling her she needed to adapt? “I liked things the way they used to be.” Polly didn’t try to hide her pout.
“As we all do, daughter.” Zeus slid his arm around her shoulder and led her toward the fire pit where the rest of the family had gathered. “It was easier when mortals believed wholeheartedly in us. When they knew we were protectors.”
“Too bad Christianity caught on, huh?”
Greed: Goddess of Delphi (Goddesses of Delphi Book 3) Page 3