Unamused Muse (Mt. Olympus Employment Agency: Muse Book 2)

by R. L. Naquin

  ~*~

  Hal was waiting for me at the dock when I pulled up. He swung over the edge of the boat and grabbed me in a big bear hug. “You look like you’re having a rough time of it,” he said, searching my face. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine. I just had a weird weekend is all.” I took his hand to step into the boat and sat on a bench. “How was yours?”

  He climbed up to the high seat above. “It was great, actually. The wife and I went camping for our anniversary. Saw a couple of deer. Roasted marshmallows. Hiked a bit. Good weekend.”

  I blinked. I’d had no idea Hal was married. “Happy anniversary.” I flicked my gaze at his hand. “Why don’t you wear a wedding ring?”

  He glanced at his hand, and a cloud passed over his face. “I sold it to pay a gambling debt right before I hit bottom and ended up at Mt. Olympus.” He straightened his shoulders. “But that’s the past. And you have a gate code to deliver.”

  Obviously, the big man didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t push. He started the engine and pulled away from the dock. The boat was too loud for us to hear each other, so I sat quietly, wondering about Hal. Everyone in my orientation class at Mt. Olympus had hit rock bottom. It was what landed us there. We’d been careful not to ask each other about how we’d screwed up.

  I had been a chronic quitter. My initiation into the world of Greek gods and goddesses had been triggered the day I quit a job, dumped a guy, and threw away a quilting project. Apparently, three was the magic number.

  I had a job now with a two-year contract. I couldn’t quit. I’d rescued and completed the quilt. In fact, it was on the bed in my dorm room. The guy situation, obviously, hadn't yet been resolved.

  Knowing Hal had a gambling problem didn’t change anything. He was my friend. Obviously, he’d needed help, so I was glad he got it. But a wife? That threw me for some reason.

  It kind of made him seem like more of a grown up.

  When we arrived on the other side of the river, the queue of dead people wasn’t nearly as long as it had been the week before.

  Hal shrugged when I asked him about it. “Some days more people die than others. It would be weird if the same amount died every single day, don’t you think?”

  He had a point.

  I left him to it and made my way to the gate. To my relief, the doors stood wide open, and people came through at a steady rate. Bosco and Kevin stood guard to the sides, tails occasionally giving a double thump.

  I watched them do their jobs for a moment and understood why they were so well-suited for the task. A lot of people came through that gate. Someone might slip past one or two dogs, but each one of these had three heads. That was a lot of eyes keeping watch.

  Mandy slid her tiny window open before I had a chance to knock. “Hey, you’re here. Perfect.” She closed the window and opened the door to take the envelope. “Be right back.”

  A minute later, she returned and came out to see me.

  “I didn’t get lost,” I said with a smile.

  “Yay, you!” She leaned against the guard shack and crossed her arms. “So. How’d your first week go?”

  “It hasn’t been bad. Got lost on the way to Tartarus, but other than that, I’m finding my way around.”

  “It’s a big place. Nobody gets it all at first. You’re doing fine.”

  I watched Bosco scratch an itch behind his ear with a hind leg. “What exactly are they watching for? Do people try to smuggle in contraband or something?”

  Mandy laughed. “They seem to be watching the incoming crowd, but they really aren’t. Mostly they’re watching for people trying to leave.”

  “Ah. That makes so much more sense.”

  “Sometimes people panic at the gate and make a run for it. The boys have to bring them in.”

  I swallowed hard. All those teeth looked so sharp. “Sounds terrifying.”

  She nodded. “Even scares me a little.” She pushed away from the wall. “Listen, I have to get back to work. Thanks for bringing the code.” She handed me a slip of paper. “Call me if you want to have lunch or something. I’ll show you around.” She winked and disappeared into the guard shack.

  Something had shifted in the conversation, and I walked back to the dock trying to decide if Mandy had sort of asked me out or if it was my imagination. By the time I reached the other side of the river and climbed back into my golf cart I decided it didn’t matter.

  I’d give her a call and see where it went. Men hadn’t been working out very well lately, and a new friend was a new friend. Open mind, right?

  All thoughts of a possible toe dip into dating women vanished when I stepped into the office. Kris and Parker were both gone, and a hastily scrawled note lay on my desk.

  Wynter,

  Kris’s water broke. We went to the hospital. Hold down the fort while we’re gone.

  Parker

  P.S. Use my chair for now, and call maintenance to get you a new one. Sorry about that. We’ll keep you posted!

  So, that was it. I glanced around the office, and both phones rang at once, with only me there to answer.

  I was on my own.

  Chapter 6

  I made it through the rest of Monday by making good use of the hold button and asking people to call back later in the week. By five, I was more than ready to close the office and hide in my room.

  “Seriously.” I locked the door behind me. “The phone barely rings all morning, and it’s off the hook as soon as I’m by myself.”

  Parker checked in with me a few times during the day, and twice on my cellphone later that evening, but the baby was taking its sweet time being born. Poor Kris was exhausted.

  I stopped complaining to myself about how busy I’d been with the phones when I thought about how much Kris—and to some extent, Parker—was going through. It’s all about perspective.

  When I went back in the next morning, there was another note on my desk. This one was written in red pen in an elegant script.

  Wynter—

  See me in my office when you get in.

  —H

  My hand shook as my gaze traveled from the note to the ominous door on the other side of the room.

  It was time to meet the boss.

  My heart slammed in my chest, and I stared at the closed office door of the god of the Underworld. I’d seen pictures of him. I’d been in his home. Yet, even after working in this place for over a week, I still hadn’t come face to face with him. Nobody else seemed to be freaked out by him. They talked about him more as CEO of Underworld LLC than as the Lord of the Dead.

  I lifted my chin, smoothed my skirt, and squared my shoulders. Time to stop being a pansy and get in there.

  The office door was situated on the far wall, between my desk and Parker’s. The wood was dark and smooth with nothing decorating it but a small plaque that said Hades in simple script. I raised my hand to knock, and the door swung open before I touched it.

  “Come in, Wynter.” The voice from inside the office wasn’t as deep or ominous as I’d expected. In fact, it was almost welcoming.

  I swallowed hard and stepped through the doorway. “Hi. You wanted to see me?” My heartbeat raced as I realized I had no idea what to call him. Hades? Mr. Underworld? My lord? How did one address a god who was also one’s boss?

  He sat up straighter in his office chair and stared at me, as if taking in every detail of my face. His dark red hair was cut short and parted on the side, and his beard and mustache were trimmed close, giving him a casual, almost scruffy look. I’d never seen eyes so green. If he hadn’t been a god, I might’ve wondered if they were contacts.

  The silence went on so long, I cleared my throat and shifted my weight to my other foot.

  He shifted his gaze in response and pointed to a chair across from him. “Sit. Let’s chat.”

  The Lord of the Underworld wanted to have a chat with me. Fantastic. Not at all awkward or uncomfortable.

  I took a seat and folded my hands in my lap while
I focused on not looking like a cornered mouse.

  “Don’t be so terrified. I’m not going to hurl you into a fiery pit or anything.” His smile was kind.

  I wanted to believe him.

  “What…what can I do for you?” There was absolutely nothing terrifying about this man. And yet, I couldn’t keep from shaking.

  He glanced at my white-knuckled hands writhing in my lap and let out a heavy sigh. “Well, I thought we should get to know one another. Parker’s with Kris and the baby for at least the next few days, so it’ll just be you and me.”

  Mention of the new baby gave me something else to focus on, and I perked up. “Did she have it? Was it a boy or a girl? Is Kris alright?”

  Hades chuckled. “After a very long night, Kris had a baby boy. Everybody is fine. We’ll have more details soon.”

  I relaxed a little into my chair. “Good. Good. Thank you.”

  He stared at me again for a moment before reaching for a cream-colored folder. “So, I’ve been going over your employee records, and I had a few questions.”

  Any calm I’d achieved vanished. “Oh?” I mentally wrestled to keep my foot from tapping nervously.

  “Looks like you had quite a few problems in the short time you were assigned to the Muse department.”

  My spine stiffened. “I’m still assigned to the Muse department.” Maybe it was disrespectful to remind the CEO of Underworld LLC that I was only there on loan, but I didn’t want him to forget it. “I’m going back in five weeks.”

  “Oh, of course. Of course.” He waved the papers. “My intention is to make certain you aren’t mistreated here as you obviously were there.”

  I blinked at him. “You think I was mistreated?”

  “I read the report. You were sabotaged from every direction, yet still managed to complete the assignments on time. I was very impressed.”

  “Oh. Well…thank you.”

  He flipped through the pages in my file, nodding to himself. “Yes. Very impressed. It’s why I specifically asked for you to fill in during Kris’s maternity leave.”

  I blinked again, unsure of what I was hearing. “You asked for me.”

  “Yes.” He tapped a page with his finger. “Here. This. It says you’re a chronic quitter, which is what triggered the Welcome Package to send you into orientation.”

  “If by Welcome Package you mean my plant started talking and bossing me around, then yes. I managed to quit everything in one day and it set everything off.”

  He folded his arms across his broad chest and regarded me with a thoughtful expression. “And yet you did everything you could to make sure nobody in your care made the same mistake and quit what they were doing.”

  I shrugged. “My clients were all doing things that were important. Nothing I ever did mattered. Nothing was ever important enough for me to care if I followed through.”

  Well, didn’t I sound like a loser? I’d have to step up my game.

  “I think maybe you simply hadn’t found your place yet.”

  “Maybe.”

  He turned a page. “And how does your family feel about you working here?”

  What a weird question, considering he had my life story right in front of him. “All I have is my mom, and she doesn’t know about it.”

  His forehead creased for a second, then relaxed, as if he were trying not to show any emotion. “No one else? No grandparents? Aunts and uncles?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “And your father?”

  I gave him a wry smile. “If I had the answer to that question, I probably wouldn’t be here. I understand Legacies don’t come down here a whole lot.”

  He grunted. “True. Well, that explains the blank spaces on your application.”

  “A lot of people seem concerned with those blank spaces. I’m concerned, too. But I can’t get a straight answer out of my mother.”

  He looked up from scrutinizing my life. “No? What does she say?”

  “It’s always different. Sometimes he’s a firefighter or marine, others he’s a Bible salesman or an accountant. The only common thread in her stories is that he’s dead.”

  Hades nodded. “But you don’t believe it.”

  “Well, no. For one, everyone says I’m a first-generation mortal, so he must be a god, and therefore alive. But there’s another reason I don’t believe he’s dead.”

  “Oh?”

  “My mom’s…well, she’s kind of eccentric. She always has been. But she never lies to me except for this one thing. I figure, if she feels so strongly—even during her worst episodes—that she can’t tell me the truth, she must be protecting me from something. So, she insists he’s dead.” Thinking about my mom made me uncomfortable. I frowned and laced my fingers together.

  “Logical.” He closed the folder and fixed me with serious stare. “You okay?”

  “Sure. Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “But something’s bothering you. Your dad?”

  “Oh, gosh no. I’m used to that. I’m just a little worried about Mom. She’s been weirder than usual lately. More forgetful.”

  “These episodes you mentioned, yes?” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Have you called her since you got here?”

  “What? No. I didn’t think I could call from down here.”

  “What, you think we’re monsters? I had a tower installed years ago. Don’t you have the access code? Call your mother.”

  “Nobody gave me any code. I don’t get reception down here.” Why was I never given proper training in anything people gave me to do?

  He jotted something down on a piece of paper and slid it over to me. “Punch that in first. It’ll force an update and you’ll get access. Call her this evening.” He scowled. “And I’m sending you back for the weekend. Make sure you go see her while you’re there. If she’s all you’ve got, you should take better care of her.”

  My eyes grew wide. “I’m going home?”

  “For the weekend. You didn’t think I’d keep you down here for six weeks straight, did you? Every other weekend. Go home. Pay your bills. Read your mail. Check on your mother. Water your plants. Whatever you have to do, then be back here Monday for work. Got it?”

  I nodded. “Got it. Thank you.”

  He smiled. “Okay, then. I’ve been out of the office for over a week. We’ve got work to do.”

  ~*~

  The rest of the morning was a blur of filing, answering phones, returning phone calls, and typing up letters. Hades left his office door open and went in and out often with different tasks for me to do. Around 11:00 AM, he appeared in front of my desk with a package.

  “What’s this?” I took it from him.

  “It’s Tuesday. That’s the Tartarus delivery. You made the run last week, yes?”

  “I did, yeah.”

  “Good. You remember how to get there?” He handed me the keys to the golf cart.

  “As long as Max isn’t doing maintenance on Phlegethon, I should be fine.”

  Hades grunted and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “I hear you went to a wedding with him last weekend.”

  I felt my cheeks grow hot. “Yes.”

  “He’s no good for you.”

  I had no idea what to say to that. Normally, a boss doesn’t get to voice an opinion on who his employees date. But this was Hades. And he obviously felt strongly about it, judging by the ick face he was making.

  There was only one thing to say to an opinionated god. “Okay.”

  I didn’t add that Max wasn’t likely to ask me out again anyway.

  In an effort to end the awkward exchange, I ducked out of the office and practically ran down the hall and out the side door to my now-familiar golf cart parked outside.

  Within a few minutes, I was halfway down the road, following the river Styx at a good clip. As I passed the dock, I saw Hal dropping off a load of new arrivals. I waved, and he waved back.

  The sky was clear and blue, and the breeze against my cheek was cool. I�
�d come to terms with the idea that the Underworld wasn’t really underground—though people still referred to it as down here. Mount Olympus hadn’t appeared to be on an actual mountain, either. Considering all the portal hopping we all did to get around, it was obvious each place was in its own dimension or pocket universe or something. Still, the sky was a little weird. I never saw the sun, but the light came and went with the hours of the day. So, maybe we were in some sort of giant cave. Or another planet. Who knew?

  Really, once I’d been confronted with a gorgon receptionist back at Mt. Olympus, my ability to accept the unexplainable had cranked up to a ten. And that had been my first day up there. Nothing down here was impossible after that.

  The breeze warmed a few minutes later, and the air smelled like lighter fluid. Ashes blew from the river, and flames licked the now overcast sky.

  The river was fully aflame.

  The bridge was nowhere in sight, so I slowed the cart until I spotted the bush Max had pointed out before, then pulled off the road and into the tunnel. A short drive through the empty maintenance area and I was back in Tartarus—the Hollywood of the Underworld.

  The spot I’d parked in before was already occupied, so I had to drive around the block a few times before I found an open one with an outlet. The idea of running out of juice in the middle of nowhere always made me a little nervous. I finally found a spot a few buildings over from Production and walked the rest of the way.

  Two men wearing coveralls crossed in front of me carrying a sheet of glass between them. I waited for them to go by, then dodged three women with vulture heads before making it to the right building. At the top of the stairs, Roxy’s familiar, smiling face was reassuring.

  “Wynter! Welcome back. I’ll tell Nemi you’re here.”

  A little out of breath, I clutched the package against my chest. “Awesome. Thanks.”

  She slithered into the next room, then came back, grinning. “Go right in.”

  I went through the door and followed the hallway I’d been in the previous week. Nemi was sitting in the same room, staring at the storyboards on the wall and sipping coffee.

  She glanced up as I walked in. “Excellent timing. I have coffee ready for you. Come sit with me.”