“No.”
“No? Ben, you don’t get a say in this.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, clutching against the pain of his refusal to stay safe.
“The hell I don’t.” He stalked around the counter.
When his fingers wrapped around her upper arms, the world dimmed, spun off center. The stormy atmosphere of her kitchen ebbed away, replaced by tranquil turquoise waters, swaying palm fronds and the smell of salty sea breezes. Gulls called overhead, barely audible above the dulcet tones of the steel drums. Swiveling her head to the side, she spied Ben lying on the chaise next to her. His broad chest moved steadily up and down with each peaceful breath. Twisting his neck, his lids slid open. A look of love and adoration filled his eyes. His lips moved, and although she didn’t hear his voice she understood what he said. “I love you.”
Warmth and contentment blew through her body. Down the beach, she noted the rest of her family cavorting in the waves, dancing in the sand, and sunbathing as if the world was safe. She could stay in this paradise, with Ben at her side forever. In her deepest heart, she knew this was meant to be. Regardless of what she’d told Ben she believed. This was the outcome she secretly longed for.
As the beach scene faded, Ben’s beloved face came back into focus. A knowing look dominated his expression. “There,” he said. “I believe that premonition guarantees we will end up together.”
“You got that, too?” His chin dipped. Lia rested her hands on his chest. “Until this challenge is over, until all remaining challenges are over, there are no guarantees. That glimpse of the future could just as easily have been planted by Pierus to make us complacent.”
His brows became an unforgiving line across his face. “I didn’t consider that.”
“I want that life for us, Ben. I truly do. If I can’t keep you safe, if I lose you during the challenge, it will never come to pass. Please, please agree to go to Olympus.” A note of fear shifted her voice up an octave.
Holding her gaze, he slid his hand through her hair, twitching the ends between the pads of his fingertips. “Who will keep you safe?”
“I have an army of partisans who can hurl energy balls at bad guys. I drew power from the Earth’s core and put Hunger into a deep freeze. I don’t really need anyone else to keep me safe.”
“And when this is over, we’ll be together.”
She looked away. “I hope for that with all my heart, Ben.”
“We will. We’ll beat Pierus’s ass and win this challenge. I know it.”
Lia prayed he was right.
Chapter 17
“Emma’s waking up,” Stewart called from the doorway. “Ben, you’d better come. She’ll be disoriented and at the moment, you are the only one who can communicate with her.”
“I’ll be right there.” Ben brushed a swift kiss over Lia’s lips, confident in her ability to win, and looking forward to dating her, maybe even more…to spending his life with her.
“By the way, Lia,” Stewart interrupted again. “Gaia is on her way in.”
Lia suppressed a groan and pressed her forehead to Ben’s chest. “She’s here to take Emma to Olympus. She’s early, as usual. We won’t have time to explain much to your sister. Fair warning, my mom is a bundle of nervy energy.”
“You mean nervous,” Ben corrected.
Lia snorted. “Yeah, sure.”
Her palm was warm against his as she followed Stewart. In the living room, he found Emma sitting upright, her back jammed against the corner of the couch, knees drawn protectively into her chest. Her gaze danced wildly between the three big, blond partisans standing across the room trying to look non-threatening. Trying, but not succeeding.
Her gaze swung toward Ben as he and Lia entered. Relief filled Emma’s eyes and she whimpered. She started signing wildly, leading off with What the hell, Ben?
He sat next to her on the couch, and gripped both her hands in one of his, stopping her motion. He grasped her chin and drew her eyes to his face. “You’re safe. I’ll explain everything. We’ll go slowly, okay?”
Emma hunched her shoulders up and darted her gaze over the occupants of the room. Her eyes went wide and she reared back her head.
An instant later, when Ben felt the odd tension in his shoulders, he knew what had panicked Emma even more than she had been. He tightened his grip on her hands. “It’s okay, Em. It’s just Lia’s mom coming over.” He held back his snort. Like it was that simple.
Purple mist swirled into the room just beyond Lia’s shoulder. A stunning blonde materialized from the center of the cloud. Good grief! Was she wearing a toga? Lia drew the woman forward and whispered into her ear. After a quick peck on the cheek, she urged the newcomer forward.
“When I got the communiqué from your father, I got here as soon as I could.”
They rounded the couch and stopped directly in front of Em. His sister’s mouth dropped open. She squeezed painfully on his fingers. Ben stroked Em’s shoulder, hoping she’d stay calm. Hell, she was never going to forgive him for getting her involved in this mess.
Lia squatted in front of Emma and spoke directly to her, letting his sister read the message on her lips. “Gaia, this is Ben Jordan, and his sister, Emma.” She motioned her mother forward.
With the barest of nods in his direction, Gaia ignored him in favor of kneeling before Emma. She translated into words the greeting she formed with her hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emma. I bet this all seems a little weird.”
With a scant smile, Emma jerked her hands from his grip and signed back. Gaia pursed her lips, but humor filled the woman’s eyes. Ben held back a laugh.
“What did she say?” Lia demanded.
“She said ‘A little? Are you fucking kidding me?’”
“She swore and Gaia didn’t grab the soap to wash out her mouth?” Lia muttered. “There’s a double standard for you.”
Gaia sent Lia a quelling look over her shoulder, turned back to Emma, and signed. “I bet the break-in scared you,” she spoke aloud as she formed the words with her elegant hands. “And finding out that gods and goddesses do exist is just as scary, I’m sure. But we’re the good guys. We’re going to keep you safe. Will you trust me?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Emma nodded.
Gaia patted Em’s hand. “Good. We’d like to move you to a safe house on Olympus, where you’ll be protected.”
Emma’s brow arched up and she blinked hard, raking her gaze between Gaia and Lia as her hands flew in front of her chest.
Ben translated Emma’s response for Lia. “Olympus is real?”
With a nod, Gaia delivered an encouraging grin. She spoke and signed, “I’m going to enjoy showing you around. Can’t wait for you to meet Adonis. Girl, you are going to swoon.”
Behind him, Simon made a strangled noise—part growl, part cough. Ben wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea of Emma in a relationship with a deity. He darted a look toward Lia and reached for her hand. What was sauce for the goose…
Emma signed again. Will I have to wear a toga?
Gaia’s delighted laughter rang out as she responded. “I have many for you to choose from, but we don’t really have a dress code on Olympus. You may wear pajamas all day if you want.”
Ben waved for his sister’s attention. It’s only temporary, Em. Until Lia wins this challenge. I’m not sure we’ll remember anything once it’s all over. Although I hope I remember Lia. He didn’t reiterate his words out loud. But this is for your safety. And I’ll be there with you.
“Damn, I’m going to have to learn to sign so I can follow the conversation.” The pout on Lia’s face was sexy. His fingers itched to go all Braille on her body and soothe the frown away.
Emma shoved Ben’s shoulder, nudging him out of the way. She rose from the couch and pointed in Simon’s direction. She grabbed Gaia’s hand and spelled her question directly into her palm.
Gaia tossed her head back and laughed. She looked directly at Emma and spelled back, putting a gri
n on Em’s face.
Ben shifted his shoulders and looked toward Simon. He asked Emma, “What was that all about?”
Gaia laid her hands over Em’s. “Allow me.” She tossed a saucy look toward him. “Em wondered if Simon could be part of her protection detail. I told her it could be arranged.”
“You’re going to take guards from Lia?” Ben didn’t like that at all, but he noted a grin on Lia’s face. “You’re okay with that?”
She shot her weight to one hip. “Hey, I told you I could take care of myself.”
“Oh, I shall ask Mars to assign two other guards to replace Simon.” Gaia hadn’t released Emma’s hand yet.
“Not fair, Gaia! I already have enough of this challenge stacked against me. Why would you burden me with more partisans?”
“If you’ll move home to Olympus for the remainder of the challenge, I’m sure we could lessen the police presence.” Gaia spread her feet wide and propped a hand on her waist.
“That’s blackmail.”
“I prefer to think of it as ensuring my precious daughter’s safety.”
“Fine! I’ll move to Olympus where I’ll be sharing Ben’s quarters. And the space will be shrouded and locked down whenever we’re in there together,” Lia bargained. She sifted a thought directly to Ben’s brain. “That way, I can scream all I want.”
Damn if his cock didn’t do a little jerk and shimmy in his pants. He smirked and communicated directly back to her. “With pleasure, I hope. Not frustration over the restriction.” The restriction of his jeans made him want to scream.
“Don’t worry,” she replied, “I’ll make sure you do a little loud groaning of your own.”
Lust shot straight to his groin, scorching and demanding. He wished Zeus had granted him the power to banish people. The room would be cleared of everyone right now.
Gaia scowled at the pair of them, then returned her attention to Emma. Releasing Em’s hands, she signed and spoke at the same time. “Hold on tight, dear. I think you’ll find this ride a little bumpy at first. But just until you get the hang of it. The first thing I’m going to do is introduce you to Asclepius. I believe you will find a meeting with him fascinating.” She winked at Lia. Purple mist swirled up Gaia’s legs, enveloping them. Emma’s eyes got huge, her mouth dropped into the perfect O of a silent scream, and she seized Gaia’s arm as they lifted off the floor in preparation for their shift.
Gaia beckoned Simon over with a wave of her fingers. “Let’s go, big guy. Stewart and Shelly can take care of Ben and Lia. Lia, dear, I expect you to join us quickly.”
Dull red flashed into Lia’s cheeks. She buried her face in her hands.
Simon trotted forward and laid his hand on Emma’s shoulder, a twinkle in his eyes. His cobalt mist surrounded Gaia’s purple aura as the pressure around Ben’s shoulders grew. With a tiny pop, the trio disappeared into the Hollow.
Lia clapped her hands together. “I thought they’d never leave,” she said with a chuckle.
“Let’s go. Gaia won’t be happy if you delay.” Stewart strode across the room and gripped Lia’s elbow.
“Hey! Hands off.” She jerked from his grasp. “I need to check in at the club and let Celeste know I’ll be gone a few days. Without me and Simon there to help, she has a lot on her plate.”
Shelly rolled her eyes and stalked toward the kitchen, her long blond braid swaying along her spine. “I smelled pizza and burritos earlier. If we’re staying here a few minutes, I’m going to eat.”
Stewart circled his hand toward Lia. “Be quick about it, then. Simon can still make his shifts at the club if necessary. I’m sure Gaia will keep Emma busy while he’s at work.”
Ben started as he realized his absence and Emma’s from the market would be noticed as well. “I should ask Marco to cover for us, too.” He reached for his phone.
After Lia gave him a quick tour of Olympus, she’d left him in Ian’s lab at Demeter Sciences.
“Ben,” Ian strode toward him up an alley of tall, black stone counters. He wore hooded white coveralls over his clothes, and paper booties protected his shoes. Each station had microscopes, or Bunsen burners, or scales on top. Ian clasped Ben’s hand. “Welcome to Demeter. We’re closing in on the formula for the antidote. Having a trained botanist is a great help.”
“Best place for me, I guess. Lia refuses to allow me anywhere near any new confrontations with Pierus.” Bitterness edged his voice and he cleared his throat, attempting to ease it away. Understanding her reasons didn’t lessen the sting.
Although, the idea of working in this organized, well-appointed lab helped. He struggled to contain his kid-at-Christmas response to the high tech space. Being an immortal apparently came with extra special perks. The most advanced gadgets on the face of the Earth took up space inside the pristine lab. And some space-aged looking implements he didn’t recognize, but felt certain they wouldn’t normally be found outside of the super-secret government labs.
The entire area hummed with activity, like the well-ordered beehives he remembered from his childhood, before parasites and disease had destroyed them.
Ian waved away Ben’s complaint. “The Thanos sisters are a stubborn lot. We’d have better luck getting the sun to rise in the west. But, as Nia says, it’s been the way it is for a billion years. No sense tampering with perfection.” The dude smiled. At least Ian agreed with him. “We need you here more than she needs you. Let’s get you a clean suit and get to work. We’re stuck on a delivery method for our cure. We’re debating between liquid or powder form.”
“You have to manufacture a shit-ton of antidote to treat the entire world.” The logistics of production alone boggled his mind. Ben warmed to his task, pushing aside any thoughts about being at Lia’s side. He followed Ian into a locker room. “And quickly, if we want to rescue next year’s crops as well.”
“We’ve got production covered. Olympus Enterprises’ output rivals anything I’ve ever seen. I thought we were fast at Eos.” Ian handed him a set of coveralls. “The dilemma is that liquid dissemination would work best due to gravity. But, Enki is the god of water. Until we have the dude safely in custody, he can counteract the effect.”
Sitting to slip the paper covers over his boots, Ben chewed on the problem. “What kind of delivery system were you thinking about for the powder?” Air currents mattered. Even with Enlil, god of air on their side, there’d be no guarantee of success.
As Ian cataloged the options, Ben zipped his suit and followed him to an enclosed corner lab. The doors whooshed open before them and together they stepped into a vestibule. The door behind them sealed shut as Ben jerked his hood into place. A stream of vapor heated his face and hands as they went through the sanitizing process. As the steam dissipated in the narrow hallway, the front door slid open.
The industrious quiet in the lab was broken by the hum of machinery, and occasional voices murmuring low as options were considered, then discarded.
Ben sat at one of the workstations while Ian first explained the composition of Enki’s poison. After fielding a few of his questions, Ian moved on to the proposed formula for the fix.
The Demeter techs had worked fast to provide an answer to the problem. At Zeus’s request, they’d even developed a protein bar that could be delivered to the areas of the world hardest hit by famine as a result of Pierus’s hostile takeover bid. Admiration filled Ben’s chest at the proof the immortals worked to protect innocents from the devastating effects of dead and dying crops. Everything he’d ever learned about the caring nature of the ancient Greek deities was proving true. That he’d been picked to help, albeit by one of the rotten eggs of the immortal set, filled him with pride.
Ian plopped onto the metal stool next to him. “There you have it. Consider yourself up to speed.” He propped his elbows on the table and raked his fingers through his hair, spiking it until he resembled Einstein. “Something is missing, though. Something’s keeping us from finalizing the formula and dispensing it. That’s where yo
u come in, buddy.”
Ben leaped from his stool. Pacing in front of the worktable, he attempted to ease the ache in his ass caused by sitting still while Ian went through his presentation. Every time he reversed direction, Ian tensed. Muttering a litany of the ingredients mentioned, Ben focused on the problem. An elusive thought tickled the edge of his brain. Ben jolted to a stop, and the idea flitted away, like fog in the wind. He tapped his clenched fist on the chemical resistant black countertop, deep in thought.
Ian rose on his stool and tapped a blunt fingertip in the center of Ben’s forehead. “Any ideas floating around in there?”
“You’re right. Something is missing.” He hated not being able to come up with an answer immediately. He rubbed circles on his temples, trying to erase the headache forming behind his eyes. “Is there a cafeteria? I’d kill for a green tea.”
“What, no caffeine?” Ian snorted.
“Contrary to popular belief, green tea does have caffeine,” Ben protested.
“Lia said you were a health nut. Come on.” He led Ben through an exit that worked in reverse order to the entry.
Ben’s face grew damp under the misters in the vestibule. Shoving the hood off his head, he wiped away the moisture as he followed Ian.
At the coffee station in the small cafeteria, Ben noted spigots for hot water, three different kinds of coffee and a fifth outlet label Ambrosia. He pointed it out to Ian. “Really?”
“Yeah. Honey, flower nectar, hints of citrus. A little too sweet and girly for my tastes, but the partisans guzzle that shit like it’s water.” Ian positioned an enormous cup under the faucet labeled Extra Dark Roast. He scooped up a handful of cream cups and packets of raw sugar.
Once Ben had dropped a tea bag in his hot water, he joined Ian at a table in the corner of the room. Windows overlooked the Olympus campus. The woodland was shrouded in a light creeping fog.
Idly dunking his bag into the water, Ben stared at the scenery, hoping the answer would suddenly, miraculously appear written on the streaky window. He chewed his lower lip, wishing it would be that simple. “I’m a trained botanist. Graduated at the top of my class at Penn State. This should be easy.”
Hunger: Goddesses of Delphi Page 16