But Tina looks more mellow than I’ve ever seen her before. Maybe it’s Shauna. The two of them are such an odd-couple, but Shauna’s incessant sugar-high energy seems to have had a gentling effect on Tina.
“Regroup?” Mac asks, echoing my words. “Maybe you didn’t notice. We’re missing one of our group.”
“I know that, okay!” I screech at him, my voice cracking. “Do you think I didn’t see her blood splattered all over the walls?”
“Everyone needs to bring it down a notch,” Tina says. “Tamika was a selfish bitch.”
“Watch it, vamp,” Mac says, his hands starting to glow blue.
“She had narcissistic personality disorder, I’m pretty sure,” Cassie says. The matter of fact way she says it, plus her ‘I liked her like that’ tone, make Mac deflate.
“You all can do the not speaking ill of the dead thing,” Tina says. “But as a dead girl myself, I can say what we all know. Tamika was selfish and wanted to escape.”
“Don’t say that.” I glare at Tina.
“You’re not my boss, Mavis. I don’t have a collar. I’m not one of your little loser squad.”
“I’m in charge here,” I insist, even though having to say it seems to sorta undermine my point.
“Are you?” Tina lets out a little hiss.
Griff makes a small growl in his throat, and I can’t tell if he’s backing me up or just reacting to the stress in the room. I don’t know if Tina is just posturing or if she’s serious. If the team split, I’m pretty sure Shauna would side with Tina, but I don’t have a clue who Mac would side with.
And I should know. I should know my team in and out. One of them—the one I trusted the least—just died for us. So maybe I need to not be yelling at everyone right now.
“Tina, I know I’m not in charge of you.,” I say, in a quieter voice. “But I need you.”
She hesitates a moment and then nods. “You really do.”
I sigh. “And no matter what you think of Tamika, her death was a hard thing to see. For all of us.”
“It was,” Mac agrees. “Especially for me. I recently had sex with her and while pretty much everything turns me on, sex with a dead person is a definite turn off.”
“She was still alive when you had sex,” I can’t help but point out.
Mac nods his understanding, but then says, “But she died so soon after, it’s like there was some crossover there.”
Not wanting to debate this with Mac anymore, I switch gears. “Let’s move on. We need to discuss next steps.”
“Yeah,” Shauna says, raising her head. “What the heck are we doing here?””
I take a deep breath. “I sent Trevor to follow the smoke monster and report back to me about where it goes. Has anyone noticed anything odd about when and where that thing shows up?”
“People die,” Mac says. “That’s pretty consistent.”
“Not just people,” I remind him. “One was a god. Well, two now, counting Dionysus. But it wasn’t going to attack us in that wine cellar,” I say. “It was leaving.”
“Until Shauna dove in,” Mac says. “Gods, what an idiot.”
“Screw you, pretty boy. I thought Tamika could make that monster her bitch,” Shauna yells. Her hair is back to being pink again, and she’s clearly feeling better. “I was helping!”
“Big help,” Mac mumbles.
“Stop it,” I tell him.
“Shauna was just doing what she thought she was supposed to do,” Tina defends, leaning into her. “You were protecting your team. And,” Tina adds, “you were a little bit drunk.”
“We all were,” I agree. “Dionysus got us drunk on purpose, hoping to confuse us and gods know what else. He definitely didn’t want us to find out where Pandora’s Box is, but here’s the thing—I don’t think he knew, either.”
“Agree,” Griff says. I stare at him in surprise. Not only did he contribute to the conversation without prodding—even if it was only one word—but he also backed me up.
“Hermes lied,” Tina says. “Not a big surprise.”
“No, it’s not a shocker,” I agree. “But my point is—the smoke monster didn’t come there to hurt us. It was only after Dionysus. Do we know who it’s killed so far?”
“Pan,” Mac says, shuddering at the memory.
“And now Dionysus,” I say. “Both gods. Both gods that were present when the portal to Tartarus was opened.”
“The monster is only killing gods?” Cassie asks, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. “But why?”
“Because someone is controlling it,” I tell her. “Someone who has Pandora’s Box, and is covering their tracks by eliminating the other gods who were there when the portal was opened.”
“Usually I think your theories are crap,” Tina says. “But that one actually makes sense.”
“Do you think it’s another god?” Mac asks.
“It almost has to be,” Tina says. “It would take an enormous amount of power to keep that monster under control. I know a human couldn’t do it, and I doubt a supe could, either. You saw how easily it turned Tamika’s own spell against her.”
“It did,” I nod, remembering the sound of Tamika’s neck breaking as she hit the ceiling.
“Who is our bad god?” Shauna asks.
“Hermes?” Cassie hazards a guess, but Mac shakes his head.
“No, think about it. Big Daddy doesn’t like to get hurt. He’s a risk-taker, sure, but he likes to play pranks and get one over on other people…that kind of stuff. He’s not going to unleash something that he knows could get the better of him someday.”
“But Hermes was there when the portal was opened,” Tina says. “If not him, who?”
“That’s why I sent Trevor to follow the monster,” I say. “Being invisible is his best attribute right now.”
“I don’t know, I kind of dig his accent,” Shauna says.
Mac adds, “And his outline is hot. I’m pretty bummed he doesn’t have a body.”
“I meant Trevor’s best attribute as a contributing member to this team,” I clarify.
“I stand by his accent being my fave,” Shauna says.
“Body for me still,” Mac adds.
“I’ve always liked his accent too,” Cassie giggles. “So posh! Pip pip. Cheers. Tea and crumpets.”
“Regardless,” I say, stepping in before anyone else can weigh in on their thoughts about Trevor’s pros and cons, “Hopefully he’ll be back soon, and that’s when we need to make a decision.”
“Decision?” Tina asks.
“Whether we go after the god on the other end of this, or not.”
“Not?” Shauna repeats my last word. “I mean, excuse me, kitty cat, but you’re the one that busted us out of maximum security. Do we actually have a choice? With these collars on, we’ll be spotted in the wild in half a second. The humans will kill us, if the harpies don’t get us first and drag us back to UWR.”
“Where we’ll likely be executed,” Mac finishes, and Griff grunts in agreement.
“I wouldn’t exactly call that a choice,” Shauna says, crossing her arms.
“That’s why I’m freeing you from your collars,” I say, raising my arm so that they can all see my bracelet. “Right now.”
“Freeing us?” Shauna’s hands go to her collar, almost like she’s protecting it now, rather than protesting it. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I don’t want to endanger any more lives,” I say. “I didn’t know Tamika very well. I can’t say that I trusted her, and I definitely don’t know if I liked her. But she was on our squad, and she died because of my decision making. I won’t have anyone else die because of a choice I made. I’m releasing you from your collars now, before I ask you to come with me.”
I touch the bracelet, and all their collars fall to the floor. Mac immediately glows a bright blue, and runs outside to discharge into the bushes. Shauna snaps into pixie form and does a series of deep dives around the room, buzzing Tina and Cassie
who laugh, Tina swatting playfully. Griff doesn’t shift, only walks over to me, and puts both hands on my shoulders. Even in human form, he’s huge, hulking, and his grip is terrifying.
Or…comforting. I lean into his warmth, resting my head on his chest. But I don’t go any further than that, even though It takes a lot of effort to resist going in for some tongue action. But he’s making it real clear with the distance between our bodies that we’re retreating back into the friendzone. Which is fine. Totally completely fine and not at all disappointing.
“Thank you,” he says, his chin moving over my head, catching some of my hair in his stubble.
“Griff, stop all that babbling.” I pull back with a smile that’s slightly forced. “And you don’t have to thank me. It was the right thing to do.”
“I’m coming with you,” he says, and then jerks me up into his arms for a gigantic bear hug.
“Me too.” Shauna pops back into her regular size, but with her wings out. They shimmer and flick as she raises her head defiantly. “You might think Tamika’s death is all on you, Mavis, but I’m the one that made the monster angry.”
“Tamika’s death was on Tamika.” Tina gets to her feet. “And you know I’m with you. It’s our siblings that are at risk. I’ll save Val, or die trying.”
“Well…” My eyes go to Cassie and she nods. “Cassie had a prediction about Val and Edie. The ones we love will return, though altered in spirit. Beware, for they bring death.”
“No offense, Cassie, but that’s a pretty useless prediction, even for you. I mean ‘altered in spirit?’ That could mean that Val and Edie are sick of each other’s faces after too much together time. Maybe after we save them from Tartarus, they’re gonna break up. Can’t say I’d hate that.”
“Or maybe,” I counter, “Val will decide that if they can survive Tartarus, they can survive anything, and he’ll bring Edie home to meet your parents.”
Tina’s eyes bug out for a moment at this, but then—amazingly—she laughs. “You know what? I’d love to see that. And if he does…” Tina snakes out an arm, snagging Shauna and pulling her close. “Maybe I’ll bring my girlfriend home with me, just to give the fam something to really think about. My dad will blow a casket.”
“Gasket?” Mac asks.
“I know what I said,” Tina responds.
Shauna throws her arms around Tina and then gives her a big wet kiss on the cheek. “And you have to meet my brother, Kit. He is a little crazy right now with the blood lust and everything, but he’ll settle down. You’re gonna love him.”
“Another baby vamp?” Tina shakes her head. “You’re all I can handle right now.”
“Oh, you can handle me all right,” Shauna says, nuzzling in even closer.
“OKAY!” I interrupt before the graphic PDA can begin. “Not to be a buzzkill—”
“Eh, it’s kinda your thing,” Mac says.
“Truth,” Shauna nods.
Cassie tilts her head in that way that means she’s trying to decide how she feels about something.
Well, fine. I’m a wet blanket. “The second part of that prophecy is ‘Beware for they bring death.’ So let’s not plan any family reunions until we’ve got a plan to get us all out of this safely.”
“No man left behind this time. We’re all going in and we’re all coming back out,” Tina says.
I raise my eyebrows at Tina. This is quite the turn about from her earlier position of sacrificing the felons for family. She gives me a defiant half shrug in response.
“Whew,” Mac says, coming back into the room. “That was something.”
“Mac, are you coming?” Shauna asks, and he looks confused.
“I just did,” he says. “Oh! On the mission?”
“Yes, on the mission,” I say.
“Hells yes, I’m in,” Mac says. “Like you said, I don’t know if I trusted or even liked Tamika, but she was good in bed, and nobody takes a good lover out of the world. Not on my watch.”
“Okay,” I say, letting out a breath. “Thanks, guys.”
I should be happy, but for some reason I start crying. Griff moves in first, puts his arms around me. Mac, always ready for touch, dives in, pressing against my back a little more than necessary.
“Group hug!” Cassie yells, and bounces up from the floor. Shauna follows, dragging a reluctant Tina.
We’re all in a huddle when Trevor appears, wide-eyed. “What's all this then?”
“Group bonding moment,” I tell him, and we all break away from each other. “What did you find?”
“Mavis,” he says. “You are not going to believe this. I followed the smoke monster.”
“To where?” Tina asks. “Stop being a drama queen and just tell us.”
Trevor shakes his head. “You’re not going to like it.”
“Tell us!” I beg.
“It went to Mount Olympus Academy.”
My stomach bottoms out, my heart drops to take its place, and I’m suddenly very, very aware of the pill bottle pressing against my chest.
“Themis,” I say.
24
Sometimes I forget that Themis is a god. She was my foster parent for a few years, but I barely remember that time. She protected me and my sister when we were in trouble, when we needed her most.
“Why would the god of fairness and justice and all that bull open a portal to Tartarus?” Shauna asks as she jumps out of the van.
“I’m going to ask her,” Tina says, baring her fangs. “And I won’t ask nicely.”
“Hey Tina,” I call to her, “Don’t forget Vee.”
Tina insisted on making a pitstop on the way to MOA so she could pick up her beloved pet, her Venus flytrap, Vee. She said that Vee was missing Val just as much as her and would want to be there for his return. Vee’s had a growth spurt since I last saw her; we had to toss out some of the cleaning supplies so we could fit her in the back.
Tina now turns to me, with her hands on her hips. “Vee refuses to lay a single leaf on campus. She’s still fired up over the way they kicked me and Val out. She’ll wait with Dodi.” Tina eyes the van and then gives it a poke with the tip of her finger. “Take care of her until I get back, you got that?”
Dodi gives an unenthusiastic beep in response.
I step out of Dodi into the humid Florida morning. I give her a pat. “You’re free too, Dodi.” I tell her. “If we don’t come back, you go on and live your life...with Vee.” Dodi flashes her lights.
“Trevor, go check things out. Shauna, pixie form and hide, you’ll be a surprise. Tina, no killing until we figure out what is going on.” She rolls her eyes but gives me a tight nod. “Mac, get your sex magic ready,” I tell him.
“Oh, I’m always ready,” he tells me with a wink.
“Cassie, you’re not a fighter. Do you want to hang back?”
She shakes her head. “No fudging way. My mom might be in danger.”
I nod. It’s what I figured she would say.
“Griff, watch Cassie’s back,” I tell him. “Cassie, stay by me.” Cassie is not a fighter and I figure she’ll need the extra protection. And maybe, yes, a part of me also wants to keep Griff close.
We approach the old MOA campus slowly on foot. What used to be labs and dorms and classrooms and an amphitheater is now just mud and swamp and ruins. The first time Zeus died a massive sinkhole opened up and swallowed the campus.
Cassie’s mom, Merilee, stayed behind to excavate the site, find and catalogue all the relics. There’s proof of her work; a table with broken objects tagged. There’s also a canopy tent, the size of a small ranch house.
“That’s Mom’s living space,” Cassie tells me, rushing for the zippered door. I put a hand on her shoulder.
“Wait.” I look at the rest of the group, hold my hand up and make a sweeping motion. They stare at me dumbly.
“I have no idea what that means,” Tina says.
Shauna peeks out of Tina’s hair from where she’s perched, hiding, on Tina’s shoulder.
“Is that retreat? I think it’s retreat.”
“Are we giving up already?” Mac asks.
“Oh my gods, no!” I say loudly. “Just...search the area. Okay?!”
Cassie and I walk slowly to the tent entrance and I realize that Griff is padding beside us. I poke my head in the doorway.
“Well?” Cassie asks.
“Nothing,” I tell her with a sigh.
“Um guys…” Trevor appears before us and Cassie and I jump. Griff punches at him, but his fist goes through Trevor’s form. “Sorry to startle you, but I found the smoke monster thing...also there’s a middle-aged woman in a cage…”
Cassie yelps and we follow Trevor to the other side of the dig site. Merilee is locked up in a metal crate, her eyes closed.
“No!” I say and Cassie rushes to her.
“Get this open,” I say to Griff, who shifts into his bear form and grabs the lock between his two paws. One squeeze and it pops right open. Merilee spills out of the door.
“She’s not…?” I ask as I look on in horror.
In Cassie’s arms Merilee’s eyes flutter and I let out a relieved sigh.
“Mom. Mom, can you hear me?”
Merilee reaches up and pats Cassie’s face. “I am so happy to see you,” she says weakly. “But what are you doing here?”
“I’m saving you,” Cassie tells her.
“No.” Merilee sits up. “No. It’s too dangerous. You have to leave at once.”
“What happened?” I ask.
Merilee holds her forehead, thinking. “Themis…”
I knew it. I wished it weren’t true but… “Why…?” I whisper. Why would she do all this?
The rest of the squad catch up and Tina taps me on the shoulder. “Mavis, you need to turn around.”
I do, slowly. I was so focused on Merilee that I didn’t see the other cage. I don’t know how I could have missed. It’s ten times the size of the one that Merilee was in, and it’s glowing.
Squad Goals Page 16
