Welcoming her gift, he kissed the top of her head and returned the conversation to her initial question. “Anyway, when Stewart mentioned colony collapse, a ton of negative memories surfaced.” He shut off the gas under the pan and faced her, drawing her close. “I know firsthand what hunger can do. I’ll do anything to keep other families from living through the nightmare I did, to keep their children from facing a life of hardship and handicap.” Resolve replaced the lingering doubt in his gut.
“I wonder if Pierus knew this when he picked you. I wonder why he picked anyone. He hasn’t selected a partner for us in the other challenges.”
Ben leaned away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Tiger, I think he picked me because he was sure we aren’t well suited to work together.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re funny, I’m too serious by half. I only put healthy things in my body, while you…” He gestured to her box of cereal and grimaced. “You eat like a savage.”
She peered into the pan of egg whites and veggies and sniffed. Smacking her lips, she tossed a saucy glance up at him. “I can eat healthy, but sometimes, a girl wants carbs to get her through the stress.”
“Baby, if you want to stress eat, I guess you have reason.”
“I know, right? Seriously, I could end up as a magpie tomorrow. Then it will be a diet of worms and bugs and seeds. You wouldn’t want me to transform without enjoying one last Twinkie, would you?”
A chuckle rumbled in his gut, the feeling foreign, but pleasant. He drew her tighter to him. “If that’s what you want, then I’ll do everything in my power to get it for you. Whatever you want.” He pressed his lips to hers, loving the way they curved into her sexy grin.
“Then I think I’d like half that omelet. It does smell wonderful.”
Simon had done a great job warding the entrances to her club. The charms glowed cobalt and gold when they’d slipped past after cleaning up breakfast. Lia had let Ben “drive” through the Hollow, to help him practice. Since he’d already seen her office, he landed them dead center.
Lia kissed Ben goodbye, savoring his taste and the firmness of his lips and other parts of him. His first stop would be his house to get his truck, then on to Emma’s house, to pick her up for work. Pride swelled her heart when Ben glowed silver as he misted then vanished into the Hollow.
His voice whispered in her head thirty seconds after he left. “I did it! I’m home. The trip was so awesome.”
“You’re so awesome, Ben.” He’d taken to his immortal abilities like a bee to a flower.
It was tough to stay focused on the club’s balance sheet when her thoughts kept straying to Ben, and the challenge, and the possibility that she could be a freaking ugly magpie by the end of the week. Shutting off her computer, Lia alerted Stewart of her intention to join her sisters for an early morning tai chi session in the park.
“Lia, that’s not smart.” Stewart’s voice boomed from the speaker on her desk.
“I’ll be with my sisters. They’ll protect me.”
“What if Pierus shows up?”
“Dude, my sisters all own the power of thrall. I’m sure we can handle the potential danger,” she argued. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask Aerie to come here and drive over with me. I’m sure she’ll agree to babysit.”
“Swear to God, Thalia Thanos. I’m going to ask Hephaestus to figure out a way to hardwire us together.”
“You need a god of electrical engineering, not the god of masonry.”
“He’s still mad at you over the leaning tower in Pisa. He’d be happy to have a chance at redemption.”
“Watch it, Stewart. I was right about the architecture working. It wasn’t my fault the land survey lacked vital information about the sand content of that hill.” She laughed as she hung up on him.
Fifteen minutes later, Aerie arrived, gushing about the wedding she’d orchestrated for the weekend. The bride had second thoughts and Aerie had talked her off the ledge.
The day was one of those glorious masterpieces of autumn, moderate temperature, clear, dry air, sun shining. Lia drove the Jag, top down, wind blowing through their hair.
“Hey, I heard from my caterer this morning. She said her distributor had notified her there’d be a shortage of cake flour in the next couple of months. It’s going to be a nightmare for bakers who specialize in wedding cakes.” Aerie grabbed the red-gold hair flying around her head in the wind and pulled it behind her neck.
“Why just cake flour?” asked Lia, turning into Founders Park.
“Thanks to Pierus, wheat is becoming scarce. They are diverting grains normally used for refined items, like cake, into the type of flour used for bread.”
Something about the timing of the challenge was off-kilter. “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that we’re already experiencing shortages? It’s happening so fast. What’s happening to the crops already in storage? I haven’t learned much on farmer forums about problems with silos or grain processors.” Something she’d ask Ben to check into.
“Things do seem to be moving faster than normal,” Aerie conceded.
“And, as much as I like Ben, I haven’t figured out his stake in all this. What magic am I supposed to lead him back to believing in?” An idea nagged Lia, that somehow Ben’s what if was tied to his sister, Emma.
Aerie didn’t reply as Lia navigated into a parking space next to Nia’s dark blue Saturn. On the hill in front of them, dappled sunlight fell through the trees, highlighting the group of her red-haired sisters.
Before following Aerie to the top, she paused long enough to send Ben a nudge to check out the chatter on farmer loops. Ahead of her, Corie was already limbering up, stretching her arms, swiveling her torso, warming up her muscles. As a form of dance, tai chi was Corie’s exercise to lead.
Lia dropped her bag and fell in next to Mel, deliberately bumping shoulders to knock her twin out of the one-legged balance she struggled to hold. Braced for the dramatic explosion she was certain she was about to witness, she was surprised when it didn’t happen.
“You look like someone just dug up all your happy flowers and replaced them with turd-blossoms.” Lia joined in the high patting horse pose.
“Gaia told me to put a hold on the drama queen attitude. Said it was annoying you.”
“I never said that. Never even thought it.”
“It’s this challenge. It has me on edge.”
Lia brushed Mel’s mind with a gentle thought. “This one is mine to handle. I’ll be fine.” She packed as much confidence as she had in the nudge, even though she wasn’t sure she really would be fine.
“Thanks, sister.” Relief lifted the worry off Mel’s voice. “So tell me about Ben. Do you think you’ll end up like the other girls? Fully in love and with a newly minted immortal for life?”
“He’s smart, and great in bed. His sense of humor is buried pretty deep, though. I’m not sure we’re meant to be soul mates. More like friends with benefits for the duration of the challenge.”
“Why should your relationship with him end when you win?”
“Mel, everything about this challenge is different. We know Pierus has a partner, it’s not just speculation. The old geezer handpicked Ben. And he spoke through a mortal, for goddess sake.”
“Lia!” Callie’s hiss from her right was accompanied by a sharp mental poke directed at her bicep. “Stop talking while I’m trying to find my Zen.”
Lia interrupted her movement into parry and punch to rub the surface of her arm. “Sorry.” She wondered if Callie even had a Zen to find.
They continued on in silence, with Corie leading them through their poses. The motions were meant to be calming, clearing the mind of extraneous noise. Today, Lia simply couldn’t shut down her mind. Agitation burgeoned in her chest, until the simple act of drawing breath was a struggle.
Her crazy thoughts were accompanied by the imaginary whoosh of flapping wings, and a screechy, strident caw for attention. Pausing in confus
ion, Lia realized it wasn’t her imagination. One by one, six magpies landed in the tree overhead. Another thing unusual in the contest. Hunger had backup singers, whereas Greed, Tyranny and Mayhem had worked alone.
The atmosphere strained and squeezed in on her. Her sisters all jerked to a halt, then slowly moved to flank her, forming a protective circle as black, oily mist oozed up from the ground. In a detached sort of way, Lia noticed the absence of the pulsing corona normally in the middle of an immortal’s mist form. Not even a speck of color interrupted the seething black cloud.
Mel’s hand curved over her right shoulder and Callie clutched her left. Each sister present joined the line, clasping a hand on the sister next to her, until they resembled a flock of geese flying south, with Lia taking point. She found herself wishing Stewart had found a way to hardwire her for an alarm. Keeping an eye on the rapidly condensing fog, Lia nudged Stewart, requesting immediate back up.
“Greetings, Muse of Comedy.” Pierus’s hand emerged from the mist first, palm facing the sky. “Ah, the rest of the Muses are here. This suits my purpose.”
“State your business and be gone, Pierus.” The edge in Lia’s voice could cut steel.
“I like bossiness in a Muse.” His head solidified next. The man wore a crown of laurel and ivy atop his waving brown hair. Silver strands at his temples might be called dignified, if the demented god wasn’t such a douchebag. His shoulders emerged next. “I have a proposition for you. For any of your sisters as well. If they are interested.”
“History shows that your deals are more devilish than anything we’d be interested in,” Clio snapped.
Pierus wagged his finger her direction. Tiny jolts of light sparked from the tip, leaving a light trail like a sparkler. “Hold your tongue, Clio. Or I’ll rewrite the history of your challenge, making you the resident of the aviary, instead of my beloved child, Tyranny.”
“No backsies,” Lia scoffed. Beside her, Mel gasped at her daring, but two sisters down the line, Terri stifled a laugh. Lia restrained her surge of anger toward the overly theatrical god. “Come on, Pierus. Show yourself, and get on with it.”
The god snapped his form into focus and an instant later, Hunger dropped from her branch and landed on his shoulder. She juggled from foot to foot, trying to establish her perch. It proved difficult with her claws being crowded out by her emerging toes. Hunger was morphing, but in her current state, she was the fugliest thing Lia had seen.
Pierus lifted his hand again, palm up, and waited to speak until Hunger hopped down to balance on it. “My offer is simple, Thalia. I will grant you and your sisters immunity from this challenge in exchange for a slight favor.”
Immunity sounded good. It also sounded dangerous when offered by this god. Favors from people like him always came with strings. The air around her compressed again, then popped concussively as Stewart, Mars and Zeus all burst forth from the Hollow. Pierus lifted his left hand, palm facing the newcomers and halted their shift to solid form. Their mists hung suspended from the ground, boiling, stretching, trying to thicken to mortal form.
“Where the Hades did you get that kind of power, Pierus?” demanded Callie. None of them would have guessed he could do that.
“At the risk of sounding juvenile, it is something for me to know and you to find out.” Angry red slashes cut through the deity’s trembling arm. At least holding the three immortals in suspended animation came with a cost. He jabbed his finger toward the gleaming purple mist that was her dad. “As I was saying, I will grant immunity to the Muse who will assist me in deposing Zeus. The time is now to take back our place as rulers of mortals. As CEO at Olympus, I will lead us back to greatness. I will make you Muses equal to my daughters as members of the board of directors.”
“Get the hell out of here, Pierus,” Lia growled, taking point in shooting down his ridiculous offer.
She centered her energy, and felt her sisters’ life forces funneling directly to her chest. She raised her hands level with her shoulders and felt the zap of electricity that signaled readiness to hurl her metaphysical power in a truly physical form. “You have circumvented all the rules you set forward when you ventured into this fool’s challenge. You have some nerve suggesting any of us would betray Zeus. Leave now, or suffer the consequences.” Power crackled up her arms, her hair lifted and wafted as though a wild wind blew. Above her the leaves in the tree remained still.
Arm shaking with the effort, Pierus held his hand aloft, squeezing his fist closed. A crack boomed behind Lia and the sudden change in pressure rocked her back. Dismay swelled when she saw no trace of the three gods Pierus had just banished.
“I will not offer again.” The old bastard swiveled his head, his gaze touching on each Muse. “Remember, you had the opportunity to alter the course of history.” His oily black mist rose so quickly, Hunger only barely had time to squawk and take flight before he vanished into the ether.
Lia’s ears popped as Zeus led the charge back out of the Hollow, closely followed by Mars, Lia’s partisans, and a battalion of centurions, armed for battle.
While her father bellowed for the crowd to spread out in protective fashion, Lia shut down the funnel draining her sisters’ energy, calmly turning the imaginary spigot in her mind. Her sisters maintained their grips on each other though, channeling healing power into Lia’s depleted stores. Despite the warmth of the day, cold shudders wracked her body. A nasty side effect of channeling as much power as she’d needed. Now, she craved a trip to a warm beach.
As the warriors surrounded them, Zeus approached, brows drawn together in concern. He pressed his forehead against hers, serving her a generous portion of his power. “Are you alright, daughter?”
“I’m fine.” Lia pushed his gifted power back to him. He had more need of it than she did, judging by the cloudy nature of his eyes. “But it seems we must rethink our strategy on this challenge.”
“Agreed.” Taking a step back from her, Zeus spun toward Mars. “Locate Enlil,” he ordered in a brusque voice.
“Zeus, why would you want Enki’s brother?” Lia wondered aloud as Mars snapped his fingers and dispatched six of his security forces.
“Enki might have been first on Earth, but Enlil came to mortals with a plan. There was a reason he was put in command of Sumerian agriculture. He managed to find a way to dethrone his own mother. I believe he may be of service to us. If Pierus can have a partner in his attempt to take over Olympus, we can play that game as well.” Zeus tugged down his tight black T-shirt. “Call your Ben. Have him meet us at Olympus. We have a meeting with Ian and Demeter. And yes, Polly, you may come as well.” He lifted his hand, stalling her question.
“Thanks,” Polly chirped.
Zeus and Mars misted and slipped back into the Hollow. Stewart stood at Lia’s side as each of her sisters took a turn pressing their foreheads to hers, and hugging her.
These women were exactly who she needed at her side today, helping, guiding, supporting. All the things sisters do for each other. As a group they all, along with Stewart, marched down the hill to the parking lot, shoulders squared, spines stiff and ready to kick a lot of magpie ass.
Chapter 11
Ben shifted on the wooden chair he’d parked in three hours ago. His ass hurt from sitting still, his head pounded from staring at the computer screen for too long, and his heart ached with the thought he could lose Lia if her challenge ended badly.
The idea of a life without the funny woman in it rankled worse than sand in his board shorts. How had he fallen so fast, in under forty-eight hours, for a woman who was his complete opposite? He stood and rubbed the muscles knotting tightly in his lower back.
Emma looked up from the tenant lease file on her desk, her brows raised.
“I need a walk.” Ben spoke aloud instead of signing, and moved from massaging his back to rubbing his eyes.
Frowning deeply, Emma bit her lip and her fingers twitched, like she had something to say.
“What?” He lifted his palm
up and circled his hands as he asked.
Emma huffed out a breath, signed to him to enjoy and resumed making notes about the lease she’d spent the better part of an hour reviewing.
Ben didn’t know what he’d do without her help on the administrative part of running a farmers’ market. Certainly he’d never have opened the organic co-op. His sister’s handicap never stopped her from maintaining the inventory, or scheduling workers. Her help made it possible for him to putter in his own garden plot, testing out new plants, drought resistant vegetables, and organic solutions for pest control.
When Ben didn’t immediately leave, Emma lifted her head and shooed him, her lips forming the word go.
“I’m going, bossy.” He didn’t bother to sign to her, but Emma sent him a snarky look and the sign that pretty much told him to go fuck himself.
Before he exited the office, his phone rang. A glance at the display lightened his gloomy mood. “Hey, Marco,” he answered. His good friend was also a trained botanist. They’d spent many hours together in the elaborate greenhouse Marco had built on the fifteen-acre farm he owned outside of Delphi.
“You watching the news?” Marco demanded. His normally deep voice touched a higher range. One Ben couldn’t remember hearing before.
“Been looking at crop reports all morning.” The news of crop failures had spread. Financial media outlets had started speculating about how the impending food shortage would affect stock indexes. Shares in the top ten food processing companies had already lost half their value.
It was a vicious cycle. Scarce crops meant farmers suffered the loss as much as consumers. But so did agricultural companies, which could cause them to lay off employees. Prices would have to rise, unemployed people would have less money to purchase goods. Hunger, no, starvation, would become a first world problem. No longer isolated in impoverished countries, but rampant and widespread.
Ben flopped back on the chair he’d recently vacated and scrubbed his fingertips over his forehead. Emma ignored her work and tipped her head. Shrugging his shoulders, Ben tuned back into his conversation with Marco.
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