by Staci Hart
“Oh, gods, that was so great. I about died when you matched her with a penniless actor. Such scandal.”
“That prat needed to be brought down a peg. And anyway, she ended up happy. That’s what counts. Well, that and the fact that I won.”
Perry shook her head. “Of all the gods, I can’t see how Artemis could ever win against you. She constantly underestimates the power of love.”
Dita rolled her eyes. “Great. Thanks, now I have Huey Lewis stuck in my head.”
“He is a legend. Anyway, she really has to suck at this by her very nature. She doesn’t get it.”
Dita crossed her arms and stared at the fire in the massive fireplace. It burned always, day, night, summer, winter. “How could she get it? She can’t stand humans, which automatically puts her at a disadvantage, and she doesn’t understand love, which dooms her when she competes with me.”
“It’s kind of sad. Can you imagine living your whole life without love?”
Dita’s lips slipped into a frown. “Maybe she’s the smart one after all.”
Perry nudged Dita with her foot. “Don’t talk crazy.”
Dita’s eyes never left the flames as they licked at the logs. “She does have love in her life, but it’s all platonic. And, she’s had love love, but that ended in tragedy. It’s been three thousand years, and she still hasn’t recovered.”
“Orion.” Perry’s voice was sad and soft.
“Instead of building a bridge across her hurt to get over it, she’s standing on one side screaming about the unfairness of it all. She blames me, you know.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“We’ve argued about it plenty of times.” Dita glanced at Perry with a smirk. “You have the worst memory.”
Perry shrugged. “I need Cliffs Notes.”
“Her logic is that she loved Orion, and I’m the goddess of love, therefore I’m to blame for her feelings for him.”
“So, it’s your fault that she fell in love?”
“Apparently. I swear, I didn’t have a direct hand in it. My charms do not work on Artemis. She and Orion did that all on their own.”
“She’s so out of touch,” Perry said as she broke off another piece of chocolate.
“She’s cloistered with her Oceanids and spends all her time policing mythical creatures. You’d be out of touch, too.”
“Josie’s a lot like her.”
Dita sighed. “I know. Poor Jo. Anne only died a few months ago, but Josie’s been alone and lonely for far longer than that. Losing Anne just pushed her into the spiral that she’s in, but she was already broken. She thought Jon was it, and when she lost him … well there just wasn’t any getting over it. She’s been on a handful of dates, and they were all disasters. She’s a lot of woman. Most guys can’t handle her, but Jon gets her on the molecular level.”
“Really? Because he can be a real idiot about her.”
“I didn’t say he’s perfect. But he gets her. The difference between Josie and Artemis is that there’s hope deep down inside of Josie. Artemis has no hope, only the bitter aftertaste of her heartache.”
“Do you think she’ll ever get over it?” Perry asked.
“She’s the only one that can make that decision. If she accepts her feelings and lets Orion go, it would heal her, but she’d rather seethe and blame me than deal with her own issues.”
“Mmm,” Perry said vaguely and looked down at her fingers as she fiddled with the Toblerone box.
Dita narrowed her eyes at Perry. “You keep doing that.”
“What?” Her brows rose innocently.
“Giving me responses that don’t mean anything.”
Perry looked back down and dismissed her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Want to talk about you?”
“Nope,” Dita said, popping the ‘p’ as she turned back to the fire.
“You’re going to have to at some point.”
“When that time comes, I will.”
Perry gave her a look.
“I wake up every day and I don’t know how I’m going to feel. I have to take it minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. Please, don’t pressure me,” Dita begged.
“All right. I’m here, though, when you need me.”
“I know. And in the meantime, can you please help me avoid my feelings by watching a young, skinny Patrick Dempsey deliver pizzas with extra anchovies?”
Perry nibbled her lip. “Raincheck?”
Dita’s cheeks heated up. “Oh, um, of course. I’m sorry. No pressure, huh? Just save me from all my sadness real quick.”
Perry laughed. “Let’s watch one tonight. It’s just…I’ve barely seen Hades since we came back from Greece.”
Dita held out a hand to stop her and gave her the most comforting smile she could muster. “Don’t, please. It’s fine. Let’s just plan on some point tomorrow. I really am sorry for monopolizing your time. I couldn’t have gotten this far without you and your love.”
“Or chocolate. Or bad jokes.”
Dita hoisted herself off the couch. “Okay. I’m gonna go and get out of your hair so it can get pulled by your husband.”
“You are such a creep.”
“Said the Queen of the Underworld.”
“Bye, Dita.”
“Bye.” Dita patted Perry’s foot and called her dog, who followed her into the elevator. She took a heavy breath on her way up to her apartment as panic crept in at the prospect of being alone for a minimum of twenty-four hours.
She stepped into her foyer, feeling her pulse in her neck as her eyes scanned her apartment. Going upstairs wasn’t an option, not with the gossiping gods milling about and Ares potentially around every corner. It would be fine … she could stay in her apartment and read or watch a movie by herself. She didn’t need someone to distract her. She’d be fine. She was capable of being alone with her thoughts.
Get it together, Dita.
She clearly wasn’t fine, but another day wouldn’t kill her. Plus, she could always go to Heff’s. Maybe he would play Backgammon with her. Dita perked up a bit. The thought of his smile made her feel better, and she turned for the elevator once again.
Dita was half way across the room when the elevator opened. It was empty, and her brow quirked as she came to a stop. She felt a warm breeze and noticed a bend in the light, and when she dimmed the lights, she found Echo before her.
“Echo,” Dita said with a smile. She hadn’t seen the nymph in a very long while, as she usually kept to her cave. “I am so glad to have you. Whatever can I do for you?”
Echo shimmered as she moved, her head down. When she lifted her eyes, Dita saw the sadness, even though a smile graced her lips.
“For you.”
Echo’s hands moved into her robes, and she pulled out the gilded mirror Dita had given her ages before. Heff had forged and enchanted it for her, and her breath caught when she saw it.
“I…I haven’t seen this in ages. I’d forgotten all about it. But why …”
The nymph looked at the mirror, which rippled and shone. When it came to rest, she saw Adonis through the looking glass.
“Gods,” Dita breathed, her fingers to her lips, her eyes locked on the mirror.
Echo extended it, and Dita took a step, outstretching a trembling hand to take it.
Adonis ran through the brush of Elysium with his bow drawn, and when he loosed, the arrow flew straight into the heart of a doe as she cut in front of him. He let out a whoop, and his smile was brighter than the sun as he chased the beautiful creature.
Dita’s breath hitched, and she clutched the mirror to her chest. “How can I ever thank you?”
Echo held out a hand, the pain on her face lessened by a degree as she watched Dita.
“Thank you.” Dita bit her lip to stop herself from crying.
The nymph glimmered as she bowed, her eyes lingering for a moment longer on the mirror before she smiled graciously at Dita and turned to leave.
Dita walked numbly to he
r couch and sank down, her eyes never leaving the mirror. Adonis had opened the deer and was working on cleaning it, but the gore of it all didn’t even faze her. She couldn’t look away.
Day 3
JON’S HAIR WAS STILL DAMP from his morning shower and fell into his face as he reached for his laptop to pack it into his leather messenger bag. Tori walked into the kitchen with her head tilted as she put on her earring, and her heels clicked on the hardwood. She gave him a smile and bumped him with her hip as she walked by, then raised an eyebrow at his lock pick set on the table.
“You’re packing the big set?” she asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
He tucked the picks into a pocket of the bag and flipped the flap closed. “I’m doing recon today. A jewelry dealer in the Garment District needs some help locating some ‘lost’ goods from his ex-partner. I’ve got to look around the guy’s apartment to see if they’re there.”
“You’re sure he stole them? What if the guy who hired you wants you to steal them?”
“I’m not touchin’ anything. I’ll tell him if I find them, and he can hash it out with the cops.”
“Or a Glock,” she said with a frown. “Sounds dangerous.”
“You know me. I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”
“You better be. How come you couldn’t have a job pushing paper somewhere?” she asked while he locked the buckles.
“Because I’m addicted to adrenaline, and I’m pretty sure I’d keel over if I had to sit in a cubicle all day. Breaking and entering is way more fun.”
Lola ran in and stopped in front of him, her blue eyes beaming. “Daddy, you like my kitty-cat dress?” She smoothed her hand down the front of the dress that was covered in illustrations of kittens with big eyes and long eyelashes.
He knelt down and smiled. “I love it, baby. This one’s my favorite.” He pointed to one near the hem. “You ready to go to Gram and Pop Pop’s?”
She nodded with her pink little lips bending into a smile.
“Okay. Go get your backpack.”
“I’ll go get it!” She ran out of the room.
Jon shook his head as he stood. “Does she walk anywhere?”
“Nope.” Tori took a sip of her coffee. “You sure you’re good to take Lola to my mom’s?”
“Yeah. Your dad doesn’t scare me.”
Tori laughed. “He’ll never get over the fact that you knocked me up and didn’t make an honest woman out of me.”
Jon snorted. “Yeah, that would have been a great idea. We would have killed each other.”
“Yeah, well, our feelings on the matter mean very little to him,” she said with a shrug. “We’ve been living together all this time, and I’m sure he thinks we’re living in sin.”
“In your dreams, Victoria. And anyway, it won’t be for much longer if I keep picking up jobs and you keep busting your ass at lawyer waitressing.”
“We can only hope, Jonny.”
Jon looked down, his eyes tracing the seams of the wooden planks of the floor. “We’ve lived together so long, I wonder what it’ll be like to live alone?” He hated more than anything that he wouldn’t be with Lola every day.
She smiled wistfully. “It’ll be glorious. I can walk around in my underwear and pee with the door open.”
“You do that anyway.”
“Yeah, but I’ll be able to do it with no fear of retaliation.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Hey, I meant to ask … do I always pick scissors when we play Rock, Paper, Scissors?”
“Every time. Why?”
“Josie said something about it the other day.”
Tori raised a blond eyebrow. “Ah. Still hung up, huh? You’ve surpassed your twenty-four-hour mourning period.”
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
“Oh, don’t get your knickers in a twist.” Tori rolled her eyes. “Maybe your hands-off approach isn’t the way to handle it. I’d probably march over and plant a fat, sloppy kiss on her if I were you.”
“You’d probably perform heart surgery with a sledgehammer too.”
“Probably,” she said with a shrug.
He slung his bag over his shoulder. “You do realize that your way isn’t always the best way.”
“But it usually is.” She punched him in the arm and waved as she rounded the corner. “Have a good day,” she called from the entry.
“You too.”
He let out a breath. He loved Tori, she knew him better than anybody did, but they weren’t meant to be together. They had both known that since before they broke up, before they’d found out Tori was pregnant. They did the best they could, better separated than together, even though they had lived together for years. It was the easiest way for them to care for their daughter, the easiest way for him to take care of both of them. It fulfilled him to do it, and what they had worked so seamlessly. When they dated, they fought about everything, but when they removed the pressure of romance from the equation, they were able to find a level of companionship and respect for each other that made them an excellent team.
“I’m ready, Daddy!” Ruby, the stuffed dog, was cradled in Lola’s arms, and she had on her pink backpack with a giant white kitten on the back.
“Well, then, let’s get going.” He held out his hand, and she grabbed onto his fingers.
They walked in the chilly morning to Tori’s parents’ house where he dropped off his daughter under the watchful eye of Tori’s father, who scowled at him from behind her cheerful mother.
As he walked out of the building and toward the subway, he marveled again at New York. Growing up in Louisiana, he knew every kid within five miles, easy. In New York, you could live next door to a kid your age and not only never meet them, but not even go to the same school as they did. Tori and Josie had grown up just a few blocks away from each other but had never met, and the fact blew his mind on a regular basis.
Jon smelled roses, and he looked up, confused, then realized he was standing a few buildings down from the Midtown South station. He decided to stop and check the board, and as he pulled open the door, he remembered seeing Josie for the first time again. He wanted more than anything to help her and figured that maybe Tori was right. Maybe it was time he pressed Josie for information about Anne.
He rounded the corner to see her standing at the board, just as he had a month before. When he remembered to breathe again, he straightened himself out and put on the most charming smile in his repertoire, hoping it would be enough to crack her shell.
The station bustled around Josie as she scanned the police bulletin board, which was covered in wanted flyers. She flipped a page back and snapped a picture with her phone.
“Dibs on the Meth head.”
Josie jumped at the sound of Jon’s voice and was instantly agitated. “You’ve got to quit sneaking up on people, Jon. One of these days, you’re going to get accidentally shot.” She didn’t meet his eyes, just pretended to go about her business, even though her brain had mostly stopped functioning.
“Well, I only sneak up on you, so I’m pretty sure I’m safe.” He leaned against the wall next to her, but she still wouldn’t look at him.
“Lucky me. And no, I’ve got the Meth heads. You can have the pedophile. I always have trouble not shooting them.”
He watched her. “How are you doin’, Josie?”
“Fine,” she clipped and looked over the papers hanging in front of her. “Did you want the gas station robber?”
Jon stuffed his hands in his pockets with his eyes on the board. “Nah, you can have him. How about the missing girl?”
She stiffened. “That’s all you. I’m taking a break on missing persons.”
He searched her face. “I really want to know if you’re all right.”
Josie finally looked at him, and was justified in having avoided it. His eyes were so blue, his brow just a hair low, his face full of concern. It hit her in the heart, and the sensation flared into anger.
“I
said I was fine and I meant it.”
He watched her, and his words were a fraction softer. “Okay, Jo. I just wanted to talk—”
“Christ, Jon. Take a hint. I don’t want to talk about anything you want to talk about.” She gripped her phone in her fist to stop her hand from shaking.
“I understand, but you can’t blame me for asking.”
“I don’t, I just want you to stop.”
Jon’s voice dropped, and a hint of irritation flickered in his tone. “I know you don’t want to talk about us, trust me, but that discussion will happen at some point whether you want it to or not. You can’t ignore it forever, not if I have anything to do with it.”
She scoffed, but he didn’t give her time to respond otherwise.
“I want to know what you think happened to Anne.”
The sound of Anne’s name from his lips was more than she could handle. Being around him was hard enough, but talking about her was out of the question. There was no way she could keep it together for that. The only way out of the conversation was to run.
Josie turned, but before she could take a step, she felt his hand around her arm. Her jaw set when she looked back at him.
“Listen, Josie. You know, you weren’t the only one who cared about Anne. I worked with her just as much as I ever worked with you. I want to know what you think happened to her. You know that there’s nothing in public record to give me a lead, and I know that you have information. She was my friend, too.”
Her cheeks burned as she jerked away from his hand, her voice trembling, her control gone. “Yeah, well, you fucking left us here. Some friend. I could have used your help, you know that? Maybe if you were here, maybe if you had been on it with me, we could have nailed Rhodes. But no, you were off playing house without ever looking back to what you’d left behind.” She turned to go, but he reached for her again. She blocked his hand and knocked it away.
His hand stung from the contact, and he looked down at her tearful eyes with his chest aching. “Josie, I’m sorry—”
