by Judith Post
"He needs to breathe, you know. Here." Ally handed Samuel the sash from her robe, then went to the kitchen to start some coffee.
By the time she got back with a mug for her and another for Samuel, the boy was tied to the leg of her sofa.
"Did you have to tie it around his neck?" Ally looked the boy up and down. His scent was going to haunt her. Where had she smelled it before…? She'd guess him to be about ten-years-old. White-blond hair framed a narrow face. Pale-blue eyes glittered against a golden-tan complexion. He looked too intelligent for his own good. But he'd met his match. Samuel reminded Ally of a judge, maybe a grade-school principal. With wavy, brown hair and brown eyes, he gave off an intensity that could be scorching at times. He loved kids, but he loved rules every bit as much.
She looked at the boy again. Downright skinny. "You hungry?"
He ignored her.
She went to the kitchen and sliced some ham and bread. Not very Greek, but definitely delicious. "How about you, Samuel? Want something to eat?"
"I'm fine." His voice was a growl. He wasn't happy for the distraction.
Ally topped the ham with a slice of cheese and brought the sandwich to the boy. He ripped it out of her hands, gulping it down in huge bites. Samuel stared.
Another knock sounded on the door.
"Dante," Samuel said. "I called for him."
The door opened, and Ally's stomach did its usual happy quiver when her tall, sexy gargoyle—in his mortal form—crossed the room to join them. His gaze met hers, and her senses flooded, as always. Greeks were passionate people, and she was no exception. Dante made her soul sing.
"Is this the culprit?" Dante asked, taking a seat next to Samuel.
Samuel nodded. "There've been enough robberies lately, I decided to stand watch downtown. I saw him cut an old lady's screen, push up her window, and climb inside her dark house. It's the first of the month. Social security checks went out in the mail. He wiped out her entire month's stash."
Not the type of crime a supernatural usually concerned himself with. Ally was surprised Samuel hadn't just called the cops and let them handle it. Dante's gray eyes glittered, pinning the boy in place. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
The kid raised his chin. "You're not the cops. It's none of your business."
"It gets better," Samuel said. "He left her place and snuck into the cathedral. I found him washing his face in the holy water."
Dante's expression turned hard. "I take it you don't respect the gods?"
The boy snorted. "Why should I? What have they done for me? Who are you anyway? You'd better let me go if you know what's good for you."
The boy wasn't doing himself any favors. Ally watched Dante's jaw clench and knew he was angry. The cathedral was his home, along with his three friends. Each gargoyle sat on one of its corners. If the boy understood body language, he'd shut up.
Dante paused a second to study him. Dirty fingernails. Holes in the soles of his shoes. Some of his anger drained. "We're gargoyles, guardians of the city. We take our job seriously. If we hand you over to the authorities, you'll be thrown into juvie. Maybe long enough for some other kid to figure out what you really are."
The boy smirked. "No chance of that."
"Nothing makes you shift? No full moon or sacred holiday?"
"Mom and I can decide for ourselves, not like some species. Magic only gets you in trouble these days."
Dante took a deep breath and smiled. "I thought you smelled like a shifter."
A furious flush reddened the boy's cheeks. He pressed his lips together.
Samuel leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, almost nose to nose with the boy. "So you have a mother. Give her a call and we'll discuss this and try to make it right."
The boy glared. If looks could kill, the three of them would be corpses.
Samuel glanced at Dante and shrugged. "Guess it's a no-go. Let's just keep him. His mother can worry herself sick. Tough luck for her."
"You can't do that!" The boy's face crumpled. "It's against the law."
"So is stealing." Samuel sat upright again, giving the kid space. "Who's going to know? I'm guessing no one's going to look for you except your mom."
"She won't leave without me," the boy said. "She'll get caught."
"Your choice." Samuel nodded to the front window and its view of downtown. "Our job is to keep Summit City safe. If you're not on the streets, our job just got easier."
The kid's shoulders sagged. He looked like he was folding in on himself. "What do you want to know?"
Dante kept his voice soft, comforting. "I'd guess you and your mom have problems. If we talk to her, we might be able to help."
He shook his head. "No one can help us. Just let me go, and we'll run. We'll leave here and never come back. I promise."
Ally bit her bottom lip. This kid was breaking her heart. Either he was a really good liar or he and his mom were desperate. "Do you have telepathy? Can you call your mother?"
"No."
"We're not letting you go until we talk to her," Dante said.
The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He punched numbers and said, "Mom, two gargoyles caught me, won't let me leave until they talk to you." He looked to Samuel, who gave him directions to Ally's apartment. When he shut his cell, he sighed. "She's on her way."
* * *
A half hour later, Ally had thrown on jeans and a t-shirt and made more coffee. They all listened to someone knock at the street door. Ally called from the top of the stairs. "Come on up!"
The boy's mother had the same, shimmering, white hair as her son. And she shared the same scent. If only Ally could remember…. Lithe and graceful, she rushed to her son. Her blue eyes widened at the sash tied around his neck, connecting him to Ally's couch leg. She whipped around to look at them. "Why is Tepo bound?"
"So he can't run away." Samuel stood to greet her.
The woman backed up a step to gaze at his face. He'd returned to his mortal form, but he was still well over six feet tall. She laid a hand on Tepo's shoulder. "He won't run away now. I swear to stay in his place if he does. Release him."
Samuel raised a dark brow at Ally. "What do you think?"
Ally pursed her lips. The mother looked sincere, but so did con men. Did the two of them work together? If they did, they weren't very good at it. The boy looked like a street orphan. Ally gave a quick nod and began untying Samuel's knots. If the two tried to run, they wouldn't get far—not with gargoyles and a witch watching over them.
His mother gave him a stern look. "You snuck out while I was sleeping. You know how dangerous that is. Why? Why worry me that much?"
Tepo reached into his jeans pocket. He handed her the cash he'd taken.
Tears misted the woman's eyes and she blinked them away. "I'd have found a way to make money. I always do. We'd have been all right."
Tepo's shoulders straightened. "How? We're almost out of gas, and we're out of food. Belisario's right behind us. We don't have much time."
The woman covered her lips with her hand. She looked away from his accusing glare. "I called to our father for help."
"Poseidon?" Tepo laughed. "When has he ever come to our aid?"
"Wait." Shivers raced through Ally's body. She put out a hand, gripped the back of a sofa, to steady herself. That scent…. Could it be? "Poseidon's your father? You're Greek?"
"Not a real father," Tepo said. "Our creator, but he forgot about us."
Ally inhaled again. She'd gotten barely a whiff of that essence once before, a long time ago. In a cave. "Who was your mother?"
"Gone and forgotten," Tepo said.
"Was she Medusa?"
Dante stood to put a hand under her elbow. He could hear the pain in her voice.
Tepo's mother stared. "What made you guess that name?"
"I'm Euryale—Ally, for short. Stheno and Medusa were my sisters. And you're…?"
"Hypos," the woman said.
"Greek for horse
." Ally looked at the boy. "And Tepo, for wings." She took a deep, unsteady breath. "Poseidon is god of the sea, but he's also…."
"God of horses," Hypos said. "Our forefather was Pegasus. Your sister gave birth to him."
Ally stared. If the floor opened and swallowed her, she couldn't be more surprised. That day was forever etched in her memory—her sister's body slumped on the floor, Perseus stuffing her head in the bag and rushing to escape….
Tepo's hands went to his hips. "You told me that we were alone! The last of our kind! But we do have someone. A …?" He stuttered to a stop and frowned at Ally. "What are you?"
"A gorgon." Ally shook her head, as though she could rattle all of the pieces of this story into place. On paper, none of it sounded very likely, but gods were involved, so things got tricky.
The boy looked at his mother, confused. "How did Pegasus come from a gorgon?"
A good question, with a convoluted answer. Before Hypos could try to explain, Tepo's glare turned to Ally. "Where were you anyway? Why didn't you help us?"
"We lost track of each other. I thought I was alone too." Not entirely true, her mother and father were still alive, but they didn't count. They were minor deities, who'd disowned her and her sisters when Athena cursed them. Ally tried not to think about them.
Samuel looked from Ally to Hypos, obviously confused. "Dante knows his myths. I don't. I'm with Tepo. I can't see how gorgons and winged horses can possibly be connected."
The question brought back too many bad memories. Ally bit her bottom lip, and Samuel hurried to say, "I didn't mean to distress you. Dante can explain it to me later."
Ally shook her head. "No, Tepo should know. Does he?"
Hypos went to stand beside her son. "I didn't see any point. I thought you were dead."
"Both of my sisters are. There's no reason you'd think I survived."
"Tell me. Please." The please was so unexpected, coming from Tepo, that Ally gave a quick nod.
"My sister and Poseidon had an affair. As one of Athena's priestesses, that was bad enough, but when Medusa brought him to Athena's temple to make love, and Athena caught them, she cursed us."
"You too?" The indignant tone returned to Tepo's voice. "You didn't do anything."
Ally gave Tepo a knowing look. "My sister always copped an attitude. She told Athena she was only jealous, because all three of us were more beautiful than she was."
"So your sister got you cursed."
"It's stupid to mock gods," Samuel said.
Tepo shrugged, refusing to answer. His gaze slid away, trying to avoid eye contact, and settled on a bowl of fruit in the kitchen. He struggled to move on, but his stomach growled. The sandwich hadn't been enough. When did the boy eat last?
"Help yourself." Ally tried to collect her thoughts as she watched him grab the biggest apple and bite into it. "Medusa didn't know she was pregnant. Our parents wanted us as far away from them as possible, and men hunted my sister." That part of the story brought too many fresh memories of Stheno's death, so she hurried on. "We went to the far ends of the world to hide, but Perseus found us there. When he chopped off Medusa's head…." A knot formed in her throat, and she couldn't speak.
Hypos took up where she left off. "He stuffed it in a bag. As he flew over the waters to escape, two drops of Medusa's blood dripped into the waves. And 'mingled with pain and sea foam,' Pegasus sprang from one drop, his brother sprang from the second."
Ally nodded. "Poseidon, claiming his progeny."
Samuel blinked, frowning. "So you and Stheno raised your sister's two children? And you lost track of them?"
Ally pressed her lips together. She shut her eyes for a moment before she said, "No, Pegasus was so frightened, he flew straight to Mt. Helicon to live with the Muses."
"And the second son?" Samuel asked.
"Poseidon rose from the waves and whisked him away. He was safer with his father. Stheno and I were constantly running, trying to hide." Ally looked at Hypos and Tepo. "I do understand what that's like. I'd still be running if Athena and Artemis hadn't taken mercy on me."
Tepo sighed. "I'm tired of running."
Ally turned to Hypos. "You really are descendants of Pegasus? How? He died. Zeus made a constellation for him."
"When Pegasus's children were born, his brother, Chrysaor, kept them hidden and safe in his lands."
Samuel shook his head. He started to the kitchen. "I feel like I'm wading through muck. Was the brother a winged horse too?"
Hypos chuckled. "No, a giant. He became the king of Iberia."
Samuel threw up his hands in defeat. "This is all too much! A gorgon and a god created a winged horse and a giant. Who'd think?"
Dante laughed at his friend. "You're too logical, Samuel, but you know the Bible. When angels took mortal women, they created a race of giants."
"And Poseidon's god of the sea and horses," Hypos said.
"Okay, I get it, but you have to admit, it's a strange story."
"That, it is." Ally rubbed her forehead. A headache was starting. How had she survived all of these centuries and never known that her sister's genes lived on?
Dante answered her unspoken question. He could do that, read her thoughts. Not telepathy, but because he knew her so well. "How could you possibly know? You were too busy running, trying to hide from the world? If you hadn't, you'd be dead, like your sisters."
True, but it still bothered her that there were offspring of Medusa's that she'd never met, never knew existed. She'd been able to "feel" her sisters. She woke the minute Perseus killed Medusa, and an emptiness stabbed at her when Theo beheaded Stheno. She put a hand to her neck. Dante was right. She was lucky she was still alive. Tepo cocked his head to one side and stared at her. "So what are you, then, like my great, great aunt or something?"
"I guess, sort of." Ally wasn't sure.
"Then you should help us."
"Tepo!" His mother yanked him back to her side.
But Ally nodded agreement. "What do you need help with?"
Hypos hesitated.
Tepo blew out a sigh of exasperation. "Tell them!"
Reluctantly, Hypos said, "Ever since Chrysaor died, the centaurs have hunted and killed us."
Ally let out a deep breath. What was it with someone always hunting the members of her family? She went to the kitchen. It wasn't noon yet, but she was coffee'd out. She poured herself a glass of wine. Her stomach growled. She put a loaf of bread and blocks of several, different cheeses on a cutting board, added some olives, and carried it to the coffee table. They crowded around it to eat. Her tiny apartment forced coziness. Tepo tore off a chunk of bread and grabbed a brick of cheese to gnaw on.
Samuel clapped him on the shoulder. "I know you're hungry, but it's time you learned some manners."
The boy hung his head.
"Next time," Samuel emphasized the words, "take the time to slice the bread and cheese."
When Tepo reached for the bottle of wine, Samuel raised an eyebrow, and the boy went to the kitchen to get a glass of water instead.
Hypos watched her son, surprised. She glanced at Samuel. "Tepo never knew his father. He died, fighting Belisario and his men, so that Tepo and I could escape."
Dante stood, restless, and carried his food to the front windows, overlooking the street. He let his gaze roam the city. Frowning, he turned to the others. "There's a man sniffing a car at the curb."
"A blue minivan?" Hypos asked.
Dante nodded.
Tepo stiffened with fear. Hypos's golden complexion paled.
"They've found us." Hypos pulled farther away from the window. Her eyes darted around the apartment, looking for a back door.
Dante's lips pressed into a firm line. He straightened his shoulders and started to the door.
"Want help?" Samuel asked him.
"No, let's try a distraction first."
Ally went to join him. "Gargoyles can't lie. I can. Let's try Greek trickery instead."
Dante looked unsure, bu
t motioned for her to lead the way.
Before they stepped outside, Ally said, "Wait." She said a quick chant. "I erased our scents for a while."
He grinned. "Mortals, we are."
The man glanced up when they approached. He tried for a fake smile, but it wasn't convincing.
"Do you have a problem with my car?" Ally asked him.
His eyebrows rose. He looked mortal enough, but his glacial eyes held a strange gleam, almost savage. His black hair and beard framed his face in darkness. His scent spelled centaur. "Your car? I know someone who drives one just like it."
"A woman and a boy? I bought it from them last night."
He grimaced, obviously aggravated. He didn't try for charm or good humor. "Do you happen to know where they are? I've been trying to catch up with them."
Like anyone would share information with him! Even a mortal would be wary. "The last I saw them, they were heading to the Greyhound bus station. Gave me a great price on the minivan. I think they needed the cash."
"Did they say where they were going?"
"No, we just talked business. I got the feeling the kid wanted a hamburger, and they were short of money."
"But you trusted them enough to buy their van? Did you get a title?"
Dante looked the man up and down. "You have an awful lot of questions for someone we don't know."
The centaur tilted his head, sizing him up. Tall. Muscled. Gleaming, black hair and shrewd, gray eyes. Not someone to take lightly. "It's important that I find the woman and her son."
"Not our problem." Dante nodded across the street. "The city/county building's right there. Lots of cops. File a missing person's report."
The centaur caught the threat. Temper flashed, but he quickly tamped it down. He turned on his heel and strode away.
Dante grimaced. "Not a pleasant person. He'll be back. He didn't trust us."
"Doesn't matter. It bought us some time."
They climbed the steps to her apartment. Dante looked at Hypos. "He asked a lot of questions about you. We got rid of him for a minute."
"Belisario." She gripped Tepo's hand. "If you could lend us some money…."
