Atlas had materialized in her office three times with updates on his efforts to rehang the moon in the correct spot. They were closer, but he and his employees were struggling with the effort to move mountains, so to speak. He didn’t take kindly to her suggestion of using a giant supernatural fulcrum and a little Gorilla Glue to stick it back in place.
Mars had summoned her to the security department meeting at Olympus in the middle of last night. She’d lurched from a dream about Thomas with tears streaming down her face. But she’d trounced on the memories with both feet and moved through the Hollow to the corporate boardroom with renewed resolve.
The news from Mars was that they’d uncovered Cratus’s complicity in Pierus’s scheme. The god of strength and power had conspired to incapacitate Zeus to keep him from aiding his daughters in future challenges. Apparently it had pissed Pierus off that Zeus had interfered with Clio’s round. A bit of a double-edged sword, since Pierus himself was aiding his daughters. Cratus had been sequestered in a shielded cell in the deepest recesses of Hades.
Zeus had been at the meeting as well. Concern blasted against Nia’s skull as she took in his pallor and the exhaustion lurking in his smile. When she questioned him about his health, he’d dismissed her worry with a negligent wave of his hand. By the end of the meeting, his color had been restored and the smooth authority in his voice had returned. But after he’d dismissed everyone, he slouched back in his executive chair and rubbed his temples.
Ken had remained at the headquarters to consult with Mars and help Atlas figure out if repositioning the moon was possible. Nia had given all the observatory techs the night off, so she’d been alone when Clio and Jax had popped in to keep her company. She was at work monitoring Atlas’s efforts to restore the heavens to order.
After greeting her with a brotherly hug, Jax cleared his throat, his dark brows drawn together. “Stupid mortal question here. What’s holding the Earth in place while Atlas is trying to reestablish the moon’s orbit?”
Clio socked him in the arm and then smoothed a hand over the spot. “Not mortal anymore, remember? But to answer your question, Atlas is kind of the Navy SEAL of the gods. He can just do it all.”
“Got it.” Jax blew out an exasperated sounding breath. “Didn’t exactly answer my question, but I’ll let it pass.”
“Best idea you’ve had today.” A rosy blush spread across Clio’s cheeks. “Well, second best.”
Jax laughed and stroked his hand down her spine.
“For the goddess’s sake!” Nia slapped down the clipboard she’d been holding, the crack echoing against the cavernous dome. “Just had to wipe out all memory of me from the mind of the man I love. Your lovey-dovey shit is not helping here. If you’re going to be like that, take it home. I don’t need the company.”
A stricken look cooled the ardor in Jax’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Nia. We weren’t thinking.”
“Not with your heads, anyway.” Nia adjusted the display on one of the consoles. Satisfied with the settings, she faced her sister and sent her a tiny, mental nudge. “I’m fine here. You don’t have to keep me company. I’d rather you go check on Zeus.”
“Are you concerned, too?” Clio queried, her shoulders lifted toward her ears.
“Yeah. He hasn’t looked completely healthy since Cratus held him in thrall at the Athenian.” Nia worried that somehow Cratus had managed to steal some of Zeus’s vitality while he’d been immobilized. If that had indeed happened, it could be disastrous for Zeus, and all the gods employed at Olympus.
As soon as Clio and Jax misted away into the void, Nia strolled to the coffee station in the corner. She’d made pot after pot since early afternoon, and was down to the dregs of the most recent batch. As she poured it into her mug, she found herself wishing for some amaretto to spice it up. But she needed to be vigilant tonight, so she settled for the Amaretto flavored creamer Bradley kept in the mini-fridge under the counter.
The atmospheric conditions in the observatory shifted, then solidified just as she settled in the reclining seat she’d moved to the base of the large scope. The space around her chest tightened as supernatural mist gathered at the foot of the stairs leading to the platform.
Polly and Mel hovered inches above the ground. After staying cloaked for long enough to determine the coast was clear, the pair eased to the ground and banished the mist.
“What are you doing?” Nia asked, not bothering to rise from her comfortable spot under the refracting scope. Through the open dome, the heavens blinked and shimmered, a sight that typically managed to calm and inspire. Not so much tonight.
Mel climbed the grated metal stairs of the viewing platform. “Thought you might like a little company. Where is everyone?”
Polly dragged a chair, the legs bumping loudly across the metal deck. She positioned it next to Nia and plopped into it. While Mel made herself comfortable on the edge of the reclining bench, Polly consulted her cell phone.
“Darn, I forgot to shut off my GPS again.” She closed her eyes, and blanked her face as she sent out a nudge. Nia was sure the jab was directed at a technician for the mobile carrier that could erase the data from her records. Mortals got a little flustered when immortals transported their cellphones with them through the Hollow. Which they did all the time. The Muses were as addicted to mobile technology as regular mortals.
“I gave everyone the night off since they’ll all have to work tomorrow for the Founder’s Day celebration.” Nia took a sip of her coffee. Mel grabbed the mug from her hands and gulped it down.
Nia scowled at her sibling, but didn’t bother to snatch the mug back. She’d had enough today.
“We’re sending two crews from the station to cover it tomorrow. I’ll be here as well.”
“I’m glad. I want as many friendly faces in the crowd as possible. I’m a little worried. Thousands of people attend this event. There will be ample opportunity for Pierus and Mayhem to get up to no good.”
Mel gasped and clutched her throat, not wasting the chance to be dramatic. “You think something will happen?”
“Can’t take the attitude that it will be just any Saturday in the park,” Nia retorted. “Mars promised extra undercover security, in addition to what the Institute has coordinated. Better to be over-prepared than caught with our guard down.”
Polly finally looked up from the scrolling newsfeed that had held her attention. “There have been reports of violence erupting all over China. But the government quelled the uprisings before they got too out of hand.”
“Any other reports of incidents brought about by Mayhem?”
“A riot in Athens, and a train bombing in Mumbai. Nia, these things might have normally happened given the economic state in Greece and the political insurrection in India. But what are the chances of them occurring on the same day? Not likely. No groups are stepping forward to claim responsibility. I believe it’s part of Pierus’s challenge.”
Nia scrubbed a hand over her face, and shoved agitated fingers through her hair. “Too bloody many. I can’t keep up,” she muttered. “I can’t win.”
Mel patted Nia’s leg. “You can. You will. We’re all here to help.”
The gentle smile on Mel’s face warmed Nia. “Thanks, Mel. Just like we’ll all be here for you when it’s your turn.”
“I wonder which stinking magpie I’ll have to face.” Mel wrung her hands like a Victorian debutant.
“Probably Doom.” Polly shot Mel a look designed to tell the Muse of drama to reel the theatrics in a tad.
“Just my luck.”
“If I fail, I wonder if the rest of you will have to face the challenge? Or if you’ll just convert to magpies along with me?” Nia groused. But a thought blared like a klaxon in her brain. “We never attempted to negotiate the terms with Pierus. I wonder if we could petition Dice to adjudicate the dispute.”
“It would be smart to ask the Goddess of Justice to help. That way, if any of us fail, we might have a second chance.” Polly moved to the
edge of her chair. “That’s brilliant, Nia. Why didn’t we think of it before?”
“Don’t know. But why don’t you two go check into that.”
“Oh, sister. We don’t want to leave you alone. We came to help.” Mel’s voice rose. Apparently Polly’s nudge didn’t work.
Nia sent a tiny nudge of her own toward Mel before replying. “I’m okay. Really. I’m just going to survey the heavens and clean up what I can from here. There’s a scientist in Japan I need to poke a little. He’s on the verge of developing a new lens capable of surveying and plotting out a universe he has yet to discover. I want to be sure he is set to move forward before…” She couldn’t finish the thought.
Polly huffed out a breath and stood. Grabbing Mel’s arm, she dragged their sister to her feet as well. She jabbed her finger in Nia’s face. “Never say die.”
More like never squawk die. Nia kept the thought to herself. “Let me know what Dice says. It’s an angle worth pursuing.”
Pressure built in the air around Nia as Mel and Polly began to mist.
“We’ll see you tomorrow.” Polly’s voice floated on the cloud vapor as they blinked out of the room.
Before I become a magpie for all eternity, Nia finished her last sentence mentally. But Polly was right. Giving up before the challenge was over wouldn’t accomplish anything. Some solution would present itself.
It had to, for all their sakes.
Chapter 22
The arrival of the weekend techs for the morning shift roused Nia from the restless slumber into which she’d fallen a short while ago. She’d worked all night, putting her affairs in order and had sat at the master console just to write one final email to her new contact at NASA. After she hit send, she’d shoved the keyboard away and laid her head down, intending to simply rest a moment, and had nodded off.
Yawning broadly, and with not quite an hour before the festivities began, she raced home to change. On her return trip down the broad, tree-lined avenue leading to the planetarium, she counted three magpies sitting among the branches, and one half-bird, half human form on the roadside. As she pulled alongside Mayhem’s grotesque form, she braked, and rolled down the window.
Mayhem’s fully human eyes looked obscene in her tiny, half-bald bird head. Nia curled her lips and let out a shrill whistle, hoping to frighten the creature away. When it didn’t take to the sky, Nia whispered a nudge to it. “Don’t get too comfortable. You haven’t won yet.”
As it waddled away, it emitted a loud squawk, a bird’s cackle with human undertones. She no longer seemed capable of flight, a fact which sent shivers coursing down Nia’s spine. Brazen bitch.
By the time she pulled into the Institute’s employee lot, most of the spaces were occupied. She circled the drive seeking a place to park, finally finding one as far from the door as it could be. She locked the car and then headed to the palatial building along with the rest of the crowd. Families with children surged around her as she dropped her keys into her bag and searched for her phone to call Atlas for a report. Worry had taken up permanent residence under her solar plexus; the resulting ache made it hard to catch her breath.
“Ms. Nia!” An excited child’s voice hailed her.
When she spun around, she discovered Hailey racing toward her, with Thomas trailing behind. Blood rushed to her face at the sight of him, strong, confident, sexy as hell in a T-shirt that clung to his broad shoulders and fell loosely around his trim waist. Dark shorts skimmed the tops of his knees and running shoes completed his casual athlete look. Goddess, his tousled sandy hair begged for her fingers to run through it.
His expression held a slight smile and his gorgeous green eyes were filled with curiosity, but no recognition. The fact sliced across Nia’s heart like a rusty paring knife.
“Ms. Nia, you’re here! I told him we’d find you.” The girl barreled into Nia, who staggered back a step before recovering.
Holy Hades! Mnemosyne had scrubbed Thomas’s memories free of Nia, but they’d forgotten about Hailey. They’d spent time together, like a family. The child would certainly recall the personal tour she’d given them and the breakfast they’d shared and remind Thomas. What else might he remember? Damn, damn, and damn. How could she have been so stupid?
She cast a frantic glance around. There were too many people nearby to attempt to freeze Thomas and Hailey into a state of stasis and call the goddess of memory back to finish the job. And with Hailey’s arms wrapped around Nia’s waist, pretending she didn’t know the girl wasn’t an option. Nudging a child typically had no effect on them. Nia’s only option was to try to cast a thrall on the child. But carefully. It would destroy her if she harmed the kid in the slightest.
She laid her hands on Hailey’s shoulders and urged the child away. Concentrating on her task, she prodded Hailey’s mind, sending her a command. You don’t remember me at all. We’ve only met here.
Hailey frowned then shuddered, confusion blatant on her face. She tucked her hands behind her back as she stepped away. “I’m sorry. I thought…I thought…” The girl’s hesitant voice trailed away.
A bird squawked raucously overhead and several festival attendees stopped to stare into the trees, as though searching for the source of the noise. Pressure built in Nia’s chest, similar to what she experienced as she stepped into the Hollow, but different. Around them, people turned to train their gazes on Hailey. Nia squeezed her eyes shut and mumbled softly go about your business. Life returned to normal and the people closest to them resumed chattering as they moved away.
“What did you say?” Thomas asked with a deep frown creasing harsh lines into his forehead. He laid a protective hand on Hailey’s shoulder.
“I didn’t say anything.” Hesitancy caused her voice to rise, her tone coming across as defensive. Erasing his memories hadn’t affected his clairaudient ability.
He tipped his head to the side and jammed his fist into his pocket. “That’s so weird. I swear I heard you tell Hailey she didn’t remember you. Not out loud, but in my head.” He shook his head, as though trying to disperse a fog.
“You’re right, that is weird.” Nia clutched the strap of her purse, pulling it tight across her body.
“But why would you? We haven’t met, have we?”
“I don’t believe we have, although I’ve met your niece here.” The lie was bitter on her tongue and hard to swallow past the lump lodged in her throat.
“Huh. Most people think Hailey is my daughter. How did you know she’s my niece? You’re so familiar. Are you sure we haven’t met?”
Panic surged in her gut as the fight or flight instinct kicked in. She had to get away before he remembered too much. Or she burst into tears. “Of course I’m sure. I need to get to work.” She pasted on a bright smile and swept her arm wide, spreading a prodding thought toward the Wildes. She voiced the nudge aloud though. “You should go enjoy the festival. Plenty to see and do.”
“Right. By the way, I’m Thomas.” He thrust his arm out, his gaze interested, warm and expectant.
“And she’s Nia,” Hailey said, pointing at her.
Nia stared at his hand a moment before taking it. The heat of his palm seared her, rousing memories of how perfectly his hands fit her body, how his fingers inside her made her shatter with bliss. The pulse that had been throbbing at the base of her throat burst into piston-speed, stopping her breath.
Thomas’s eyes flared wide with the contact. His body jerked. Recognition flickered in his gaze then was replaced with heat, which faded to bewilderment. Confusion danced on his features and his ready smile melted away as Nia tugged her hand from his. He remembered for an instant. Somehow, Mnemosyne’s memory wipe hadn’t been strong enough. The speed with which his memory then faded matched the velocity of the spike of hurt hurtling from her gut to her heart.
Eyes watering, throat aching, Nia forced mental inspiration into her words. “Well, you should go enjoy yourselves. Forget you’ve ever met me and just have fun here today.”
Hailey slipped her hand into Thomas’s and tugged his arm. “Come on, Uncle Thomas. We have to go to the Campfire Scouts’ booth. I want to see my friends.”
Eyes curiously flat, Thomas offered her a nod, before trudging away with Hailey.
Following after them would have been an impossibility. Even immortals couldn’t move when the last pieces of their hearts shattered. Cold loneliness washed over Nia, raising goose bumps on her arms despite the warm summer breeze flowing over her skin. About twenty paces away, Thomas pulled Hailey to a halt and turned to stare back at her. Confusion and something warmer lurked in his features. Even at a distance, the longing in his gaze pierced her soul.
Jostled from behind, she jolted from a trance of pain, need and love. With a hasty glance to her surroundings, she mumbled an apology to no one in particular and the crowd moved past her. A single tear she’d tried to keep at bay trickled down her cheek.
Above her, the damned magpie screeched an inhuman laugh and several black and white feathers floated to the ground at her feet. She brushed the tear impatiently away and imagined an arrow plunging into the bird’s breast, then let it fly. The bird squawked once again then went silent. Reaching into her handbag, her fingers curled around her phone.
Hands shaking, she dialed and waited for her call to connect. “Zeus, we have a problem.”
Chapter 23
The red-headed woman intrigued him. Something had stirred deep in his chest when he’d heard her voice. At first sight, his dick had jumped to attention. It was easy to imagine her whispering into his ear as he thrust into her. When she’d taken his hand, he’d gotten an image of her fingers digging into his butt, encouraging him to a faster rhythm. The snug fit of his shorts tightened as he’d held her hand for an instant. He wanted, no, craved, her lips under his.
Jesus Christ! When was the last time he’d had such a visceral reaction to a complete stranger? But…she didn’t seem so much a stranger. Some part of him knew her. Magically and irrevocably knew her, and knew they were destined to be together.
Mayhem: Goddesses Of Delphi Page 17
