Clio chewed her lip while Zeus finished his silent sidebar conversation with whomever he’d contacted. She glanced at each of her sisters to find their attention glued to their father. Gaia, on the other hand, stared straight at Clio. Her mother’s long blond hair fell gracefully over her shoulder as she tilted her head. She sent Clio an encouraging smile, warming a heart that had iced when Mnemosyne had been mentioned.
“It will work,” Zeus announced as he jumped out of his chair. “Until now, the mortals have been attempting to solve the problem with a diplomatic solution.” He propped his fingertips on the table and leaned forward. “They do this to avoid warrior action. I’ve spoken to Mars, and he believes an economic solution might be in order.”
All around the table voices rose, a mixture of confusion, excitement, and consternation. Mars offered a solution that was peaceful rather than war-like? Clio wracked her memory. Had anything like this ever happened? She didn’t think so.
Polly raised her voice above the others. “The Bringer of War thinks this can be solved by throwing money at the problem?”
“Yes, and his suggestion makes sense.” Zeus skirted the table and strode to Clio’s side. He spun her chair until she faced him, and then squatted in front of her. “Daughter, deep within the earth below Bulgaria lies a field of lantern crystals.”
“I don’t know what those are.” Clio held his gaze, knowing he’d tell her in his own good time.
“Lantern crystals are highly conductive rocks, formed in the same manner as diamonds, but they possess a much higher metal content.” Zeus’s tone was patient. “In Russia, scientists have been seeking an alternative energy source. World-wide consumption is depleting fossil fuels at an alarming rate.”
“Okay.” Clio dug a little deeper for patience while Zeus meandered through his explanation like it was picnic Sunday at the folly by the pond. The god had spent entirely too much time with Mel lately. Talk about a dramatic reveal.
“This enormous scientific brain trust hypothesizes that connecting a renewable resource, like water or wind, to a conductive substance, like a lantern crystal, will generate inexhaustible power.” His look turned triumphant, as if he’d just spelled out something so elementary even a child should understand.
Clio wasn’t seeing a solution. “Okay, but how does this impact the challenge?”
Nia fidgeted in her seat. “This is why the Five Nations targeted Bulgaria. They’re after the crystal field. If they conquer the country, they’ll control the resource. With influence like that, they’re in the driver’s seat toward resurrecting previous glory. Shoot, they could harness the power of the sun and create weapons of untold power.”
Zeus beamed at Nia, pride shining in his eyes. “Correct, my precocious child.” He turned his attention back to Clio. “Mars suggests negotiating a trade pact between the Five Nations and Bulgaria. In exchange for full mining rights, the Five Nations will not massacre the native population and will pledge to not use the crystals in the manufacture of weapons. They will also pay the Bulgarian government rent and above average wages to the native citizens working in the mines. Mars also suggests they must make restitution for the lives already forfeited in the wake of their aggression. He’d like to see that paid in the hides of bureaucrats.”
Clio allowed hope to rise as she saw the beauty and simplicity of Mars’ corporate-esque solution. “Will Bulgaria go for this resolution?”
“I believe this will be something the Muse of History might influence.” Zeus patted her knee before pushing to his feet. He rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms over his chest.
Clio searched her memory for situations that might have been similar in history. The closest she could come was the French government and its policy of appeasement during World War Two. They’d given in to German aggression and saved lives. French men and women had survived to fight another day. She’d personally witnessed the efforts of the Resistance fighters.
“This could work.” If she managed to convince Jax of the strategy, and he could get the State Department to broker an economic solution, she’d win the challenge and avoid becoming a loathsome bird. Pierus would lose and Tyranny, the bitchy magpie, would be forever caged.
“Oh, and Helios said the Taino storm gods have influenced the weather. They’ve been working overtime from their base in the Dominican Republic to assist Pierus.”
“What’s in it for them? What could Pierus have offered them to make them act out?” Corie asked, a frown crinkling her pretty brow.
Callie sneered. “Maybe nothing. The lesser gods are always seeking opportunities to work their magic. Pierus probably told them they could wreak havoc in a couple of places. They’d jump at the chance.”
Or it was possible Pierus promised them a larger role in his reimagined corporation once he seized control of Olympus. She sure as hell wasn’t letting that happen with her challenge.
Uncertainty had bloomed in her gut with the confirmation that Pierus had teamed up with the mischief-making storm gods. “When we defeat Pierus, we can shut down the weather deities’ excess activity and restore order.” Clio forced confidence into her voice. She was eager to get on with the task.
“But you must still convince this Jax to help. And his counterparts, who will be descending upon Delphi tomorrow,” Gaia said.
Clio was surprised by her mother’s words. “What? Who?”
“A veritable army of people from GeoPoly arrives tomorrow. They’ve reserved the entire resort ‘for the duration’ I believe were the woman’s exact words. She demanded we relocate all of our other paying guests to alternate facilities. The person making the arrangements, a rather pushy woman named Beryl, indicated they would be working closely with your Jax.”
“So he’s helping them.” Hurt bloomed, dimming the earlier bright glow of hope. Why hadn’t he told her? She dug in her purse for her phone and checked messages. Nothing from him.
Zeus laid his hand on Clio’s shoulder as though he knew how much the lack of communication from Jax cut her. “Daughter, the time is drawing near. It appears all players are in place now.”
Her heart raced with the idea of the coming battle with this demon. The edges of the phone dug into her palm as she clenched her fist. “I know this is my challenge to face, but I’m glad to have you all behind me. It will be so much easier for us to kick Pierus’s ass as a team.”
“We will help as we can. Go. Convince your professor to help. This I know you can do.” He bent low at the waist and kissed the crown of her head. He straightened and looked at each of his other daughters in turn. “As for the rest of you, your time will come. Watch over Clio, provide support where you can.”
They all looked to her. For once, their nudges didn’t sting. Positive energy and thoughts rolled off them like fluffy clouds, enveloping her in a warm glow of love. It had been this way for centuries. They banded together to right wrongs and unite their efforts for the good of all mankind. Existing as long as they had was the result of being there for each other. While individually they served to inspire mortals, collectively they joined forces to motivate each other.
Knowing she must face the balance of this challenge with limited direct assistance from her siblings, dread prickled over Clio’s scalp and neck. Her sisters would send mental support, but with the vague rules Pierus had thrown out in his e-mail, the daughters of Zeus might only be able to influence mortals unknowingly involved in the challenge. Most likely, they wouldn’t be able to do anything to actually help her defeat Pierus’s daughter, Tyranny. That sucked monkey balls.
In silence, the girls stood and formed a line behind Zeus, with Gaia at the end. Zeus pressed his forehead to Clio’s and whispered his wishes for her success. Clio squeezed her eyes against the emotion threatening to overwhelm. If she failed, this could be the last time she saw him or any of them. He released her and with an optimistic smile left the conference room. Each of her sisters repeated the process until only Thalia and Gaia remained.
Lia l
aid her forehead on Clio’s and whispered a different sort of message. “You seem a little tense, Clio. You should shag that man of yours. Then you’ll be ready to kick Pierus right in the nut sack and show him Muses rule and demi-gods drool. And hit his tyrannical daughter right in the hillbilly. They might have opened Pandora’s box, but they’ll find nothing but trouble inside. You’ve got this.”
As intended, Lia’s words and her easy laughter put a smile on Clio’s face. Lia twirled her way out of the room, another maneuver meant to inspire a grin. Deep affection for her goofy sister swirled around Clio’s heart. It alleviated the very real pressure that had built in her lungs, making it easier to breathe.
Gaia stroked her hand on Clio’s cheek. “You wished to speak to me alone, Clio?”
Clio dragged her gaze from her spinning sister and focused on her mother. “I have a question about something that happened yesterday.”
“Let’s go sit on the porch swing and enjoy the evening while we talk.” Gaia didn’t wait for Clio to agree. She simply wrapped her arm around Clio’s shoulders and steered her toward the front portico.
Once they’d settled on the glider, Gaia folded her hands in her lap and waited for Clio to speak.
Clio opened her mouth, then snapped it shut again. Seeking the right words, she slumped against the back of the swing and chewed her lower lip.
“Daughter, you’re clearly bothered by something. Just say it.”
“I think something weird is going on with my gift.”
Gaia tipped her head forward and tapped her fingers on her thigh. “What do you mean?”
“Jax seems able to resist my nudges. It’s happened more than once, but last night…”
Her mother’s fiery blue eyes held the patience of the ages. After a brief pause, she prompted, “Last night?”
“After I told him what I was, he had a lot of questions about stuff that had happened throughout history. I nudged him to get him to stop and listen to what I needed from him, but he kept asking questions.” The memory of how her nudge had affected him brought heat to her face. She forged on with her explanation. “He said the touch of my mind to his felt more like a stroke, uh…on a completely different part of his anatomy. Then when I touched his arm and nudged at the same time, he, um, well, let’s just say he needed a cold shower.”
“I see.”
“That’s it? I see?” Clio huffed out an exasperated breath and threw herself back against the cushions, stirring the swing to motion. “What does it mean? Is this part of the challenge? Am I losing my powers?”
“Not at all.” Gaia patted Clio’s knee, then took her hand. Lacing their fingers together, she continued. “Jax’s reaction only means he has great affection for you. And you have similar feelings for him. As a Muse, you communicate on a mental level with most people you touch, but you don’t know them. With Jax, the communication is more visceral, more physical. True love does this.”
“That can’t be right. I’ve been in love before. I’ve lived for centuries and been married many times. I’ve never experienced something like this.”
“You’ve never loved like this before.”
“I don’t know that I love Jax. I barely know him.”
Gaia turned in her seat and pressed a finger to Clio’s chest. “Your heart knows him. In this lifecycle, you believed you had love for your college sweetheart. A love worthy of binding your life to his for the rest of this lifetime. But I think now you cannot remember his face. That is not true love. For me, I cannot recall his name.” Her mother had never liked the man and didn’t bother to get to know him while Clio had been dating him.
“His name is Steve. You know that, Gaia.”
“Ah, yes. Steve. Did you use your influence with him? Try to get him to fall in love with you?”
Clio didn’t bother to nod. Her mother knew the whole twisted story.
“The touch of your gift didn’t affect him the same way as it did with Jax. With Steve,” she uttered his name with a sneer, “you nudged him away into the arms of your sorority sister. Because he was not the man you were destined to be with.”
“I thought he was.” Clio’s voice was small as she relived the anguish of Steve’s betrayal.
“Your sister, Aerie, would tell you Steve wasn’t for you. And she would know.”
She rubbed her fist on her sternum, attempting to massage away the remembered sting. “But this doesn’t explain why my gift doesn’t work the right way with Jax.”
“You’ve met your mortal match.” Gaia’s smile illuminated the dusk and created warmth in Clio’s chest. “In all of your existences, there will be only one man who is affected by your touch in this manner. Only one man whom you will love with every fiber of your being. It appears Jax is that man.”
“Well, that’s just flipping great. I find the man I’m destined to be with just as I’m about to be turned into a goddamned bird for all eternity.”
“Daughter.” Gaia’s voice was gentling chiding. “The fact that you have found your destiny in Jax feels more like assurance you will succeed in the challenge rather than face defeat. It gives me great hope.”
Clio desperately wished it gave her as much hope. Jax still hadn’t committed to helping her. As the evening doves cooed in the nearby trees, she examined her heart, her feelings for the man fate had deemed her helper for the challenge Pierus had set. What she found was fear. She was afraid to be with him, afraid he wouldn’t help, and then where would she be? But a larger fear sat heavily on her shoulders. The fear of not being with him loomed, a large, frightening blotch of blackness in her life. Her eyes and heart stung with the thought. Like she would step on a bug, she squelched the fright currently trying to steal her breath.
“Will it be this way for all my sisters?” So far in this lifetime, none of them had married.
“That I cannot say. I do not know, but I can dream it will be so. You should all find a love like this once in your existences.”
“Like you and Zeus?”
Gaia beamed a smile toward her. “Just like us.”
Chapter 14
Jax walked toward her, up the path from the street to his front door. A slow, sexy smile lit his face. It made her heart race.
After speaking to Gaia, Clio had driven straight to Jax’s house. Disappointment flattened her spirits when she’d discovered he wasn’t home. But the evening was pleasant. The sun had begun its final descent behind the trees and gilded his quiet, residential neighborhood in gold and pink. The air itself felt charged. Insuppressible hope tantalized her skin like a lover’s touch. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend it was Jax’s hand caressing her rather than a warm summer breeze.
“Hi,” Jax greeted her, his steps scraping against the cement of the front walk. The sun glinted in his ebony hair, firing sparks of red and gold on the tips.
He rested one hand on the railing beside her and slid it forward until he bent enough to capture her mouth.
She let her lips cling to his, open and welcoming. When he finally broke the kiss, she sighed out a satisfied breath. “Hi yourself.”
He dropped his rump onto the step, crowding in beside her, thigh to thigh, hip to hip. He leaned his shoulder into hers. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Good surprise or bad?”
He leaned away and regarded her for a moment. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “Definitely good.” He hit her with a toothy grin. “I was just going to call you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I went out to get a bite to eat with my buddy, Ian. Eating turned into watching a soccer game. Lost track of time.” His simple tone and reasonable explanation for his silence today spoke volumes to her soul.
“Jax, I’m sorry to rush you. But I have to know if you’re—”
He pressed his fingers against her lips. “Shhh. We’ll get to that. Let’s just watch the sunset. It’s a special one tonight.”
Impatience tinted with despair climbed her chest. Wh
y would he stop her words if he didn’t mean to help? Her heart grew heavy in the face of his potential rejection. For an instant, she thought to nudge him. Instead, she laid her cheek on his shoulder and joined him in watching the sun disappear in showy hues of orange, red, and indigo. She didn’t want this to be her last sunset as a person. But if her fate was sealed, she might as well relish this one glorious moment. The memory was going to have to last an eternity.
As the sun sank from view and rays of fading light struck the clouds, Jax rose. He offered his hand, and when she took it, he pulled her to her feet. Without a word, he led her into the house.
Clio glanced around curiously. Her gaze lit on a massive entertainment center dominating the wall opposite the front door. “Oh, my goddess! Jax, that is the biggest television I’ve ever seen.”
The TV stood in the center of a dark wood unit with ornate crown molding. Shelves filled with electronics, games, and DVD cases surrounded the main attraction. A large sectional sofa faced the unit. The low table in front of it was littered with gaming controls.
Jax looked at it with pride shining in his face. “It’s how I relax.”
Pulling her hand free, she moved toward the shelves. She trailed her finger over the game cases, reading the titles out loud. “World of Warcraft, Battlefield, Assassin’s Creed. You like your military games, don’t you?”
“Actually, I found those helpful when I studied the implications of a real-world military buildup in an area. It’s an underutilized option for understanding the geo-political ramifications of that action.” He bent and began stacking the magazines strewn over the table. “The games simulate real world scenarios. It’s easy to play my way to reliable predictions for the outcome of armed action.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Plus you like to play them.”
Jax stopped tidying and glanced up at her, a crooked smile and devastating dimples on his face. “Yeah. It’s fun to blow shit up.”
Tyranny: Goddesses of Delphi Page 12
