by Amy Sumida
“I should have thought of her.” Brahma grimaced. “I'm sorry, Vervain. I discounted Yama since he's dead. So foolish! Half of your enemies are related to people you've killed.”
“We all looked over him. Don't beat yourself up,” I said gently. “So, you know Dhumorna?”
“I haven't met her, but I know of her,” Brahma said. “She has killed many demons, but that was centuries ago. As far as Katila; I wouldn't have considered him to be a threat, but if he has the Pasha, that's another matter entirely.”
“Would he be able to use it?” I asked.
“Technically, no.” Brahma frowned. “But who knows? Maybe because it was passed from father to son, he's able to.”
“From what I've heard, Dhumorna is a controlling mother,” Sarasvati said. “If Katila is our Reginald MacKenzie, you can bet Dhumorna is behind him; pulling the strings. It may be that she has found a way for her son to access the Pasha's soul-harvesting power.”
“She's sending her son out to avenge her husband,” Brahma said. “It makes perfect sense; that's what mothers do.”
“That's what mothers do?” I asked in horror. “Not this mother.”
“Well, in times of war, it happens,” Thor said as he exchanged a grim look with Brahma. “When the head of the household is killed, the oldest son avenges him. It's about honor.”
“And they make the perfect team,” Sarasvati said. “Katila captures the souls and then takes them to his mother to destroy; like a tribute.”
We all stared at her.
“I didn't mean to imply that I approved,” Sara huffed. “Just that I saw its potential.”
“Brevyn's vision showed me an empty Hell,” I said softly. “All the Demons were dead, and Dhumorna was walking with Katila toward Luke's home. I think they mean to take over.”
Azrael scowled. “If they killed all of my father's demons, it would only make him stronger,” he said. “I don't see how they could kill him and take his territory.”
“I don't know.” I shook my head. “Maybe we should ask Luke.”
“I'll text him; I need to tell him about this anyway.” Azrael pulled out his phone and started typing. After a few seconds, Luke responded, and they texted back and forth rapidly for awhile before Az looked up and said, “Dad said that normally, when one of his demons dies, their magic returns to him, but when Mark and Alan died, he received nothing. Their bond was severed and their magic was lost.”
“Lost?” Odin scowled. “I suppose it could be grounded. What a waste.”
“But even if all his demons died like that,” Azrael continued, “Dad would still have his own power and the constant sacrifices that reinforce it. He can't see how anyone could conquer Hell with him in control. But he's grateful for the lead and he's going to send his demons out looking for Dhumorna and Katila.”
“No!” I shrieked along with Brahma and Sara.
Everyone looked at us in shock.
“You can't send demons after a demon slayer,” I explained. “Text him back, Az, and tell him we'll find them for him.”
“I'll have better luck than the Demons anyway,” Brahma added. “Those two are in my pantheon; just ask him to give me some time to locate them.”
“Yeah; okay,” Az said as he texted.
Yes; this was important, and Az should have been speaking directly to his father, but text worked better through the Inter Realm lines. Phone calls ran the risk of getting garbled.
The phone beeped and Az frowned as he read the message. A quickfire text-session ensued until Azrael finally put the phone down and sighed.
“He's agreed to give us two weeks,” Azrael said. “He says that's about how long we have before demons will start being pulled into possessions.”
“No problem,” Brahma said cockily. “I'll find them long before that.”
I groaned internally. In my experience, words like those tended to give birth to the exact opposite of what they declared. I had a feeling that Brahma had just screwed us.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Two days later, Brahma still hadn't found Dhumorna and Katila. We were stuck in investigating limbo so I could have gone back to Faerie, but I couldn't face Brevyn. I wasn't going to return until this thing with the Demons was settled, and I could tell him that his grandparents were safe.
So, I would be the one waiting and worrying. I distracted myself by helping Re plan our wedding. Invitations had already been sent, and everyone who had been invited had RSVP'd that they'd attend. Everyone. The event would be held in Aaru; specifically in Osiris and Isis' territory which they'd be opening to the members of other pantheons for the first time in history. I think the chance to see the fabled Kingdom of Osiris was drawing more gods than the wedding itself. Although, the wedding of the head of the Egyptian Pantheon was nothing to sneeze at either.
Which is why Re was freaking out about it.
“Lala, which do you prefer; the narcissus or the jasmine?” Re asked with deadly seriousness.
I yawned, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
“I think narcissus would probably be more appropriate,” I said; mimicking his tone.
“Are you trying to make a joke about my narcissistic tendencies?” He asked.
“Yes.”
“Narcissus it is,” Re wrote it down as I chuckled.
“You have your dress, I have my suit, the cake has been chosen, the menu selected, a team is organized to prepare the palace, the band is hired, and now the flowers are done.” Re sighed deeply. “I believe that's it.”
“Really?” I perked up. “What about an officiant?”
“Osiris will perform the ceremony,” Re said. “He asked for the honor, and since he's allowing us to use his palace, I made an executive decision and agreed without consulting you. I hope you don't mind.”
“No; that's fine,” I said.
Honestly, I didn't care who married us; I just wanted all the planning to be over.
Re smirked; seeing right through me. “You haven't enjoyed this at all, have you?”
“If I had my way, we would have gotten married in a private ceremony with only our family there to witness it,” I said. “This is a lot.”
“I have a large family, Lala,” Re said. “A small wedding isn't possible.”
“I know, and I get it—all of it,” I said. “But it's exhausting. I wish the whole process wasn't such a headache.”
“I've tried to lessen the ache for you,” he said.
“I know.”
“I could try harder,” Re's voice became a purr as he slid his hand onto my thigh. “I know the best ways to relieve aches of all kinds.”
I was leaning toward Re—our lips just an inch apart—when Hades came striding into the dining hall with Persephone and two other men. I glanced over at them and then turned away from Re. The Sun God groaned in irritation.
“Can't we have one day?” Re huffed.
“Welcome to my life,” I shot at my fiance before greeting my visitors. “Hey, guys, what's—oh, Donnie!” I paused in surprise as I recognized one of the other men. “Sorry; you look different in clothes.”
Re made a choking sound as Donnie—aka Poseidon—laughed his tight ass off.
“That came out wrong,” I stammered. “I mean; the last time I saw you, you were heading home.”
“I was strippin' to get to peacin'.” Donnie smirked at Re. “No worries, gold-man, nothin' dodgy goin' on with your feme. I wasn't charfing on her or anything.”
“Charfin' on me?” I muttered beneath my breath. That sounded disgusting.
“I just had to shed my pants before I shed my legs, you feel me?” Donnie went on. “It was like two seconds before I hit the glass; just a glimpse, not like I Playgirled it for her or anything raunch like that.”
Re gaped at Donnie.
“Re, this is Poseidon, the Greek God of the Sea. Donnie, this is Re, the Egyptian God of the Sun and my fiance,” I introduced the men.
“Righteous!” Donnie swayed his sleek body
forward and held out a fist to Re.
Re gave me a wide-eyed look before he obligingly bumped fists with the Sea God. I wish I'd had a camera; that picture was priceless.
“Congrats, Dude.” Donnie beamed at Re. “Your girl is like totally frosted! She's real badass too; she had Zeus clucked.”
“Thank you very much.” I nodded at Donnie with a self-satisfied grin.
Being from Hawaii, I was able to piece together most of the surfer-lingo Donnie used, but even for me, it was difficult sometimes. I knew that Re must have been struggling to make sense of nearly every word. Oh, well; I'd explain it later.
“V, do you remember Donnie and Ami's son, Triton?” Persephone waved a hand toward the other man.
Triton had his father's gleaming white hair, but his fell to his shoulders in silken glory while Donnie wore his hair short. He also had some of Donnie's features—including his square jaw and prominent cheekbones—but where Donnie's eyes were a vibrant turquoise, Triton's were large and brown like his mother's. I did remember him, although, our initial introduction had been brief. I had also met Amitrite, his mother, right before we attacked Olympus.
“Yes, of course.” I stood and came around the table to shake Triton's hand. “Welcome to Pride Palace. Would anyone care for a drink?”
“Water,” Triton and Donnie said simultaneously.
Then they laughed.
“We dehydrate quickly when we're away from the ocean,” Triton explained. “Thank you for the offer; water would be appreciated.”
“Allow me,” Re said as he stood and then practically ran from the room.
“Damn, I hope he didn't think I was throwin' biscuits at him,” Donnie said as he watched the swinging door between the hall and the kitchen sway violently from the speed of Re's exit.
“Biscuits?” I asked. Yeah; that one had me stumped.
“Insults,” Triton translated for his father.
“Oh; he doesn't,” I assured Donnie. “If Re thought you were insulting him, he'd get gnar real fast.”
Donnie laughed at my attempted use of one of his own words. “I can see that. That dude looks like he could go aggro easy.”
“Why don't we sit down?” Hades ushered everyone forward and after they were settled, he added, “Vervain, Triton's been having some trouble, and we were hoping you could help.”
“What's going on?” I asked.
“I have a fishing business,” Triton started. “Recently, I've lost several boats to a string of accidents that are too coincidental to simply be a run of bad luck.”
“What kind of accidents?” Re asked as he set a pitcher of water down between Donnie and Triton and then added two glasses.
As soon as the water was there, the sea gods were focused on it. Donnie poured the water and passed a glass to his son. Then he and Triton gulped down their glasses, poured another round, and then sighed in relief.
“Engines failing right before a storm,” Triton finally answered. “Equipment breaking. We've even had a boat sink from holes in the hull, and that just doesn't happen. If a boat is damaged enough to take on water, there are bilge pumps to drain it until the boat can reach port. In calm weather—like we had that day—you'd have to do some serious damage to a hull to sink a boat. Serious damage. And you don't get that kind of damage by just floating around and catching fish.”
“Triton came to me and dealt me in,” Donnie said. “I went to scope the sitch and found nada. This reeks of god magic, but I can't sniff it out. I called my bro up, and Hades said you got the best sniffer in the God World. So, here we are. You mind doin' some sniffin' for us, dragon lady?”
“This feels familiar,” I murmured.
“You're referring to the incidents with Athena's mines?” Hades asked.
“That's right,” I said.
“I agree with you,” Hades said. “Wait until you hear where Triton's company does most of its fishing.”
“Don't tell me,” I said dryly, “Argentina.”
Triton nodded.
“But Thena's mines were hit by an Argentina honey of the hills,” Donnie pointed out. “My boy is in the water, and he keeps it real; he fishes responsibly and respectfully. No dolphins or other mammals are hurt by his nets, and he never takes too much.”
“I use my magic to protect the ocean while I harvest her bounty,” Triton said. “It's why I fish mainly in Argentina; the locals prefer meat to fish so the fishing industry is small there. Mainly, I bring in Hake, squid, and shrimp, and I'm respectful of the locals. There's no reason for anyone to have a problem with me.”
“You mean unlike Athena and her stripping the land of its gold?” I asked.
Triton shrugged as if he didn't want to speak poorly of her.
“That Argentinian goddess asked Athena to stop several times,” I said. “Her magic compelled her to defend her land.”
“Athena's my foster daughter,” Triton said. “I love her very much, but I think that she should have been more considerate of the local gods. I do not behave in such a manner.”
“Have you received any requests to stop fishing?” I asked. “Had any run-ins with the local gods? Or any threats?”
“No, no, and no,” he said.
“Perhaps this isn't about you at all,” Re suggested. “You said that Athena was your foster daughter; how well known is that fact?”
Triton frowned, blinked, and then looked at his father.
“Dude, that just blew my mind,” Donnie said. “Is this all an epic revenge plot against Thena?”
“I suppose it's possible,” Triton said. He turned to me and asked, “Will you come and investigate the latest boat that was damaged? I'd prefer to get hard evidence rather than run off on a hunch.”
“Of course,” I said. “I just need to tell my husbands that I'm leaving.”
“I'll go with you to investigate,” Re offered.
“Really?” I asked. “Don't you have to take all our wedding decisions to”—I waved my hand—“whoever you have to take them to?”
Re frowned. “I guess I should.”
“I'm just gonna take a look,” I assured him. “I'll be fine.”
“Don't you need to take Torrent with you?” Re asked.
“If it's another trail that leads into the Aether, I'll have Sephy get him,” I said. “Torr's with Artemis at her place.”
“Okay,” Re gave in.
“Why don't you meet me back here when you're done with all that?” I suggested.
“And then we can work on your headache,” Re said with a lascivious grin.
“Whoa, dude, we're standin' right here, and no one was fooled by that in-your-end-doe,” Donnie said.
Re turned slowly to face Donnie; his golden eyes beginning to burn.
“Okay, do your thing, gold-man.” Donnie held up his hands defensively. “No need to get gnarly with me.”
“I'll see you later, Lala.” Re pulled me into a hip-grinding, hair-pulling lip-lock that should have been reserved for the bedroom.
It was so hot that I didn't care about our audience.
When Re released me, our guests were slack-jawed and flushed. Sephy was openly fanning herself with her hand. Re smiled in satisfaction as he strode past them and out to the tracing room. I had to take a moment to gather my thoughts and push down my libido before I strode out after him.
Wait. What was I doing again? I caught myself at the door to the tracing room; I'd been about to follow Re.
“Right; I gotta tell my husbands where I'm off to,” I muttered to myself as I got into the gilded elevator. “And maybe splash some cold water on my face... and a little lower.”
Re could be a pain in the patootie, but he could be very pleasurable everywhere else. His little reminder of his sexual expertise served not only to shut Donnie up but also to be an incentive to me for a speedy investigation. The sooner I found Triton's saboteur, the sooner I could get back to Re and those talented lips of his.
I started pushing the elevator button for the top flo
or over and over as if that might help it go faster.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Despite my protests that I already had four gods with me, and I didn't need anyone else to accompany me, Odin insisted on joining us. Trevor was in Hawaii, checking in on our nightclub, Moonshine, Azrael was with his parents, and Kirill was watching the little lion girls so that Fallon and Samantha could have some alone time. That left Odin. I think he was more bored than anything so I gave in.
Triton's boat was in a warehouse/workshop near the docks in Mar de Plata. It was another sunny, humid day in Argentina; the weather even warmer down by the shore than it was in the mountains. I could see glittering water through the warehouse's open bay doors; the scent of salt and fish wafting in on the breeze. People who haven't been to the ocean imagine that it smells fresh. They're wrong. It does smell fresher than, say, a smoggy city, but the ocean is a soup of life and death seasoned with the filth humans carelessly toss in it (I've dated Navy men; don't even get me started on what the military tosses into the ocean). On land, you can bury the dead and flush away waste, but in the sea, dead things and waste just float around until they disintegrate and become a part of the sea-soning. Anyone hungry for some shellfish?
Honestly, I didn't mind the ocean so much as long as I didn't have to swim in it. The salty-death odor was diffused by the vigilant breeze, and the heat was tolerable within the shade. Yeah, I was fine; it was the boat that wasn't doing so good.
It was called the Sea Nymph but it looked more like a Sea Witch now. The boat was chocked up on curved, wooden supports; displaying the holes in its hull. There was damage all over the thing; as if it had been tossed over boulders. But the main injuries were on the bottom where there were long tears through the fiberglass that went straight through. I could see the layers upon layers of material that had to be penetrated before the bilge could be reached. The fiberglass was frayed like ratted hair; creating a fringe around the wounds like a torn sweater. Scrapes abounded as well; whole sections of paint removed as if someone had chiseled them away. A few barnacles clung to the sides despite their precarious position. Barnacles are tenacious bastards.
