Undercover Gorgon: Episode #2 — Lost & Found (Undercover Gorgon: A Mt. Olympus Employment Agency Miniseries)

by R. L. Naquin

  UNDERCOVER GORGON

  A MT. OLYMPUS EMPLOYMENT AGENCY MINISERIES

  R.L. NAQUIN

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, places, and characters are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any way whatsoever without the written permission of the author, except as brief quotations.

  Edited by Sara E. Lundberg

  Cover design by Yocla Designs

  Published by Bottle Cap Publishing

  Copyright © 2016 R.L. Naquin

  All rights reserved.

  Version 1.0

  “EPISODE #2 — LOST AND FOUND”

  Every snake on my head went still when the witch appeared at my reception desk. Her hair may have been the bright cheery shade of lemons, but her face was ferocious and a little snarly. She did not appear to be in a particularly good mood.

  I swallowed hard and lifted my chin. “Hello, Circe.” She terrified me to my purple-painted toenails, but I wasn’t going to show it. Even if she had caught me spying on her from the Oracle office right before her damn magic mirror smashed.

  “I hear you can get things done.” The pink flash of her eyes did nothing to soften her fierce expression. If anything, it made it more intimidating.

  Then again, that was probably her aim.

  “Is there some paperwork I can help you with?” Playing stupid was always my first response to this sort of thing. Word was getting out that I broke rules and found work-arounds to solve problems after hours. If everyone knew about it, I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore.

  Also, I’d probably get fired. Or worse.

  Circe fixed me with a hard look. “Let’s not play games.” She took out an electronic cigarette and clicked it on. “I need to hire you.”

  I pursed my lips. “You can’t smoke that in here.”

  She waved it through the air. “It’s electronic.”

  I pointed to a sign on the marble pillar to my left.

  NO EATING, DRINKING, SMOKING, SLURPING, CUD-CHEWING, VAPING, OR FERTILIZING OF ANY KIND PERMITTED IN THE LOBBY.

  She shrugged her shoulders and put the metal tube away. “Fine.”

  After rummaging in her purse for a moment, she pulled out a photograph and placed it on the desk in front of me. In the photo, a woman about my age stared at the camera with dark, soulful eyes. One hand was raised to brush a platinum curl from her face, the other rested on the head of an equally soulful-looking basset hound.

  “Pretty.” I touched the picture with one fingertip. “Who is she?”

  “Kyra. My daughter. And she’s missing.” For a moment, Circe’s ferocity slipped and vulnerability appeared on her face. A second later, it was gone. “I was keeping an eye on her with my scrying mirror, but thanks to those bumbling movers, that avenue of information is now closed to me.”

  I took in a sharp breath and nearly choked on my own spit. Smooth. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  She gave me a pointed look. “Don’t act as if you weren’t watching when it happened.” She took out a card and placed it on my desk over the photograph. “Anyway. I need you to find her. Here’s my number. I already have yours. I’ll be calling daily to check on your progress.” She turned to go, fingers already reaching for her fake cigarette.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I hopped up from my chair and leaned across the counter. “I need more than that to go on.”

  She turned around and gave me a sad smile. “Start in the Euphoria District. That’s where I saw her last.” She lit up her cigarette, one eyebrow cocked in defiance. “She’s my only child. Don’t take too long to track her down. I’d hate for your bosses to find out what you do around here when the lights are turned off.” She flipped a wad of cash on my desk and sauntered out the front door, puffing away.

  My snakes came to life, spitting and hissing. I snatched the money from my desk and dropped into my chair while dragging the stack of bills into my lap without pausing to count it. Six people stood in my queue. I didn’t know how much they had heard or seen.

  Which was worse? The conversation or the money exchanging hands? Neither was good. Inhuman Resources was going to be coming after me any day now.

  Didn’t anyone in the entirety of Mt. Olympus know how to be discreet?

  “Next!” I scowled at the faun in front of me. My snakes slithered over each other on my head, snapping at each other in irritation.

  The little guy blanched and took a step back on shaking hooves. His fingers clutched a sheet of paper against his chest. “Oh, it could probably wait if you need me to come back.” His voice was soft and low, as if he were trying to calm an angry rhino snorting over a campfire.

  I took a deep breath and felt my snakes settle around me. “No, it’s fine. How can I help?” I smiled, but I knew it probably wasn’t a convincing expression.

  He hesitated, then slid the paper across my desk. “I need to renew my grazing license.” He swallowed. “If that’s okay.”

  I glanced over the paperwork. “You missed this line right here.” I pointed. “Last herd address.” I handed him a pen.

  “Oh. I’m sorry.” He made the correction and handed it back.

  I ran my stamp over an inkpad and pressed it on the paper. The application now said Approved across the top in bold red. I blew on the ink and gave it back to the faun.

  “All set. Follow the red line to Crete. They’ll take your photo and process your license.” I barely paused. “Next!”

  The little guy tiptoed away.

  I was still shaken from my encounter with Circe, but I was calmer. Had she really threatened to tell my bosses if I didn’t hurry to find her daughter? The pile of money lay heavy in my lap, making me feel a little dirty.

  I liked to help people on the side. Anonymously. This new thing where people came to me asking for help, then paid me for that help in cash or trinkets, wasn’t what I’d had in mind.

  Then again, unless Circe was a stripper on the side and all that money was in singles, I was holding a lot of cash.

  Maybe going full-on private detective wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

  MOST DAYS when I had a side job to do, I’d wait for the lobby to clear out, then get to work. Occasionally, I’d go to the cafeteria and get some dinner first, especially if I was planning to break into one of the departments to borrow a magical item. The extra time gave the stragglers a chance to shut off the lights and go home.

  Tonight, I went straight to my dorm. While the tight pencil skirt and low-cut blouse were on the sexy side, they were still work-appropriate clothes. I had to go to the Euphoria District. I had no clue what to wear.

  I stood in my closet, a turquoise dress with ribbons for straps in one hand, and a black, knee-length dress I’d worn recently to a friend-of-a-friend’s funeral in the other. Neither seemed right for clubbing. Or whatever it was I was about to do.

  I was baffled and out of my element. Up until I’d sprouted snakes from my head and turned green, I’d rarely left the house other than work, school, or an occasional trip to see a movie. With my parents.

  So, that’s how my roommate Lizzy found me. Confused, unsure, and waving clothes in the air like they were mismatched wings.

  “Are you planning to go to a beach funeral? Because I’m telling you, neither of those dresses is a solid choice.” Lizzy’s lilting voice sparkled with amusement. Her voice always s
parkled, even when she was angry. Lizzy was a siren, descended from a long line of gorgeous, murderous women responsible for singing sailors to their deaths for hundreds of years. My Lizzy mostly used her voice to get out of speeding tickets and paying for her own coffee.

  I hung both dresses back in the closet and peered at her over my dark glasses. “I have go to the Euphoria District.”

  Lizzy laughed, and the air filled with sparkles. “Good one.” She stopped laughing and scrutinized my face. “Wait, you’re serious?”

  I nodded and held up a hand to stave off the objections I could already see forming in her brain. “I know. You’ve asked me to go with you a million times. This is…” I stopped. What could I tell her that was innocuous? Nothing came to mind but the truth. “This is different. It’s a favor I’m doing for someone.”

  She narrowed her eyes and climbed onto my bed. “A favor. You do an awful lot of favors for people, Patrice.”

  I shrugged and tried to change the subject. “You know better than I do what’s in my closet. You helped me buy most of it. Can you help me out, here? I’m drowning.”

  “Patrice, look at me.” Her voice was a seductive whisper.

  Several of my snakes stood out from my head in her direction.

  “Are you trying to siren me?” I shoved several hangers full of work blouses to the side so I could examine a pair of jeans studded with rhinestones. They still had the tags on them. I’d picked them out myself, immediately realized they were a mistake, then never bothered to return them. “You know I’m immune.” I patted down the snakes trying to prove me wrong.

  “Patrice, just turn around and talk to me, would you?” All the sparkles and seduction had left Lizzy’s voice, replaced by a quiet pleading.

  I sighed and faced her. “What?”

  “Just tell me what the hell you’re into. Maybe I can help. I know you’ve been doing something weird for months now. You never tell me what you’re doing, and I’m worried you’re going to get yourself into trouble. If nobody knows what you’re up to, no one can help you if you get stuck. Or caught.”

  I frowned and dropped next to her on the bed. “Well, crap. I thought I’d been so smooth.”

  She shook her head. “You’re really not. But I’ve been giving you space, hoping you’d come clean.” She reached up and rearranged a few tangled snakes hanging over one of my eyes. “You know you can trust me with anything.”

  I did know that. She was my first real friend at Mt. Olympus. Hell, she was my first real friend, period. “I don’t want you to get into trouble. If I get caught, I don’t want to drag you down with me.”

  “That’s my choice to make. And I choose to make sure you’re okay.” She smiled, and the room lit up. “Okay?”

  I rubbed my palms on my skirt. “Okay.” I paused and gave her a sideways look. “But you have to promise not to yell at me.”

  Her eyes grew wider. “Oh, this should be good.”

  I tried to think of a way to tell her what I’d been up to without it sounding like a thoroughly idiotic series of poor life choices. “I’ve been helping people solve problems after hours by borrowing items from the upstairs departments.”

  She drew in a sharp breath. “Are you crazy?”

  I held up a hand. “No yelling. You promised.”

  “Actually, I didn’t promise. But go ahead. Who are you doing this for?”

  “At first, it was totally anonymous. Then, I guess word got around somehow. Hecate came up from the Underworld—”

  “Holy mother of Poseidon. Are you serious?”

  I nodded. “She had me running all over the place. And she was vaguely threatening, so I had to do it. Today, Circe showed up.”

  Lizzy’s jaw fell open. “Oh, Patrice. No.”

  “Yes. She wants me to go looking for her missing daughter. And if I don’t, well, she was less vague about her threats to expose me.” I smiled and grabbed my purse from behind us, then pulled out the cash. “But she did drop this on me for my trouble.”

  Lizzy snatched the money from my hand and flipped through it, whistling. “The bills aren’t huge, but it’s still a lot. Couple thousand, at least. I assume it’s for expenses.” She grinned and handed it back. “You need a guide through the District, honey.”

  I had to admit, help would be nice, for once.

  I grinned back at her. “Let’s go see if we can find this chick.”

  She scooted off the bed. “First, let’s find you something to wear.”

  I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT an ankle-length skirt would be considered club wear. Lizzy assured me it was exactly right. I didn’t understand why until I put it on and felt a breeze on my inner thighs. The slit in my purple skirt was so high, I had to change to skimpier underwear.

  Lizzy assured me I was with her when she’d picked it out for me. However it got in my closet, I was happy to have it. With the tight black top and strappy heels, I was ready to face my first excursion into the Euphoria District.

  Had I been going in my mousy human form, I might not have been so self-confident.

  Lizzy and I contrasted nicely. Me with my green skin and purple outfit, and her all in red leather with her dark hair. If we didn’t quite blend in, we’d at least stand out in a positive way. It was a shame we were on a business trip instead of going to a party.

  We caught a Pegacab and flew from the dorms to the front gates of the Euphoria District in a flying-horse-drawn taxi. I marveled at the view of Mount Olympus below us—the bustling shopping district, the vast swathes of identical houses in neatly arranged neighborhoods, and the winding streets lined with small businesses. I’d only flown by horse a few times since my arrival, and I doubted I’d ever get used to it.

  When we pulled to a stop on the landing strip, we climbed out. I peeled a few bills from the wad Circe had given me and tucked them into the box attached to the side of the carriage. We each tipped the horse with a sugar cube and thanked him for the ride.

  The muscular, winged creature whinnied his thanks and flew off, presumably for his next pick up.

  “So.” I gazed at the gates of the Euphoria District with excitement and trepidation. “It doesn’t look very busy.”

  Lizzy slipped her arm through mine. “That’s because it’s still early. It isn’t even dark yet. People won’t really start crowding in until around nine.”

  My pounding heart slowed. “Right. Okay. Good.”

  She squeezed my bicep. “Chill. This is supposed to be fun. You know how to have fun, right?”

  A half smile tugged at my lips. “Sure. I have fun all the time.” Once I’d said it, I realized how untrue that was. I needed to get a hobby or something.

  Our first stop after getting our hands stamped at the gate was a place called Club Maenad. Empty cages swung from the ceiling above the dance floor, and one long bar ran around the room along the walls. Music played from the speakers, but it wasn’t loud. Several people were busy wiping tables and moving chairs around.

  It didn’t look open.

  Lizzy took charge and tugged me to the bar. The bartender gave us each an appreciative once over, stopping at Lizzy’s cleavage and at my exposed leg. She leaned forward, dark curls spilling over her nearly exposed breasts, and her voice was breathy. “Looks like happy hour just started early. What can I get for you, ladies?”

  “Two ambrosia.” Lizzy slid onto a barstool with the grace of a python. “This is my friend’s first visit. I want her to have a good time.”

  The bartender flipped her hair over her shoulder and winked at me. “Well, then. This round’s on me, sugarplums.” She poured us two glasses from a pitcher she had waiting and slid the glasses to us. “Enjoy.”

  Ambrosia was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. They assured me it was not the real thing—you can’t just show up at a bar and get the nectar of the gods—but it still had plenty of magical qualities to it. It was delicious, and I wouldn’t have minded bathing in it.

  For once, I refused to let my snakes take a sip
. I wasn’t sharing.

  Lizzy bought the next round, by which time she already had the bartender’s number and had turned down two men who’d come in looking for what Lizzy called early desperation. She sent them packing pretty fast.

  Trying to be smooth and not look like a cop, I took out the picture of Kyra that Circe had given me and slid it across the bar to the bartender. “I’m looking for a friend of mine. Any chance you’ve seen her here lately?”

  The woman dropped the rag she was using to wipe the bar. “Oh, so that’s what you’re up to.” She grunted in disapproval but took the picture. “Sure. That’s Kyra. She in some kind of trouble?”

  “Oh, no. Not at all. I just need to talk to her is all. Really.” I tried to look as sincere as possible.

  Lizzy reached into my purse and helped herself to a few bills, which she slid across the bar. “Anything you could tell us would be appreciated. She’s gone missing, and we’re really worried about her.” She smiled her brightest. “Please, Val?”

  Val sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. “I’m a sucker for a siren.” She stuffed the cash in a pouch under her sarong. “She used to come here all the time. I think she may have run out of money, though. Last I heard, she’s been working over at The Trident several nights a week.”

  I relaxed, the tension in my shoulders leaking away. It might have been the ambrosia, though. “Thank you, Val. I really appreciate it.”

  She glanced over our shoulders. “Well. You never heard anything from me, okay?”

  Lizzy put her hand over Val’s. “Understood.”

  We left the bar and wandered out to the sidewalk.

  I glanced up at the buildings around us. It was getting dark, and the place was beginning to light up with flashy signs and strobes. “So, I guess next we hit The Trident. It can’t be that easy, can it?”

  Lizzy shrugged. “Maybe. But I doubt it.”

  “It’s not like I have to drag her back. I only have to find her and tell Circe where she is.”