I Can See You (The Gods Made Me Do It Book 5)

by Lisa Oliver

  “There’s something not right about our friend, Mr. Crane.” Artemas’s nostrils flared. “It’s times like this I wish I was a shifter. I’m sure he reeked of deceit. I just couldn’t smell it.”

  “Didn’t you tell me Nereus, Lasse, and Poseidon are all mated to shifters? I’m sure one of that lot could come for a quick visit if they were asked.”

  “I’m in no mood to deal with Poseidon and his mate right now.”

  “Your brothers then.” Having witnessed the scene between Artemas and his father, although put on for his benefit, Silvanus could understand his mate’s reluctance. “I’m sure either one of them would come if you called. You’ve done so much for them in the past.”

  The look, almost bewilderment, passed over Artemas’s face and was gone as soon as it appeared. “My dear mate,” Silvanus said, reaching out to cup Artemas’s face. “Is it such an alien thing for you to ask help from one of your family?”

  Artemas swallowed hard. “There’s a nice restaurant downstairs if you want to eat there, or we could go out and see what we can find.”

  “Let’s go for a walk and see what we come across,” Silvanus said with a nod. Clearly his mate needed time to think, and Silvanus had already learned pushing the stubborn man did no good at all. “I feel rather partial to lobster tonight. What do you think?”

  “Lobster’s a good idea,” Artemas said quietly.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Artemas barely noticed the sumptuous surroundings of the restaurant Silvanus took him to. A quick scan of the menu, and he simply said, “I’ll have whatever he’s having,” when asked for his order. Silvanus, to his credit, didn’t pester him, or ask him what was wrong, which was a good thing. Artemas wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell him.

  Ask for help from my family? Yes, it was an alien concept as Silvanus called it. His family members came to him for help, not the other way around. Any information they needed, he was happy to oblige. Well, not strictly happy. He was usually in the middle of something else, and he’d get annoyed at being interrupted. But he always did what he could when he was asked anything.

  A plate appeared in front of him, and automatically he picked up a fork and stabbed some of the contents. His brain registered something gooey, not unpleasant, but he couldn’t tell anyone what he was eating if asked. Artemas was struggling, trying to remember the last time he’d asked anyone for help.

  He didn’t ask family – he’d always been the older, academic brother and it’d always been important that he be there for his brothers. He’d never needed to ask them for anything. The few friends he’d made over the years… nope, Artemas couldn’t remember asking them to do anything for him either. He was a god; a magical being with salt water in his veins. But I can’t smell a fucking lie.

  “Artemas, babe.” Artemas looked up when Silvanus spoke, noticing his plate was empty. “There’s no need to think about this quite so hard. If you think having a shifter handy tomorrow is a good idea, I could ask if one of the people I’ve been with before could attend. I’d have to go get….”

  “Been with how?” Artemas felt his eyebrows meet in the middle. “You mean intimately? You would… you….” Artemas opened his mouth and then quickly closed it again, remembering where they were. “That won’t be necessary, thank you very much. I’ll get in touch with Nereus.”

  Lasse and Jason would probably be more amenable, but they would have their new daughter in tow and Artemas didn’t want children around men like Crane. Actually, Orin would have been an option too, with his little sand cat genetics, but Thor was likely showing by now and that wasn’t something Crane needed to see either. He’d probably have Thor encased in a glass bubble in a lab somewhere before any of them could blink. ‘Exhibit A’ in his desperate desire to prove gods existed.

  Still seething about Silvanus’s blasé comment about the people he’d been with, when the lobster arrived, Artemas forgot all about manners and cracked the shell with his bare hands. One mouthful and he knew his meal was a lost cause. The lobster was overdone and not even the garlic butter side could help. Wiping his fingers roughly with his napkin, he threw it down on his plate and stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to take care of a few things. I’ll see you back at the hotel in a few hours.” Artemas was aiming for an impassive face, but he had a feeling his glare was still lurking.

  “Artemas, please. Sit down and finish your meal. We can discuss whatever’s bothering you when we get back to the hotel, together.” So calm, so collected, even a hint of amusement in Silvanus’s eyes. Artemas clenched his fists.

  “You originals are all alike,” he hissed quietly so no one else could hear. “I expected better of you, but it was just my luck to be disappointed, again. Later.”

  Not waiting to see if Silvanus would respond, Artemas marched to the nearest rest room. He could translocate from one of the stalls. He’d planned on using telepathy to speak to Nereus, but decided it was just as easy to go to Cloverleah in person. Focusing on the Crane issue was a far better idea than wondering what type of shifter Silvanus had fucked last, and leaving the restaurant was a politer option than throwing his meal in Silvanus’s face. Because all Artemas wanted in that moment was to wipe that smug condescending look off the older god’s face.

  /~/~/~/~/

  “Will your companion be coming back to finish his meal?” Silvanus looked up to see the waiter with his hand hovering near Artemas’s plate.

  “No, thank you. He was called away on business,” Silvanus said quickly. It was clear his mate wasn’t coming back from the bathroom. “You’re welcome to clear the table and get me the check please.”

  “Was the lobster not to your liking? Only I can get you a fresh plate, if you require?”

  The service was excellent, even if the same couldn’t be said for the food. Wiping his mouth carefully with his napkin, Silvanus shook his head, as he placed the napkin on the remains of his meal. “That won’t be necessary, but you might wish to inform the chef that he’s overcooking the lobster by about two minutes. The check please.”

  “Oh no.” The waiter’s face flamed bright red. “Please, sir, allow me to call the manager immediately.”

  “I’m on a time constraint. I’m quite happy to pay for the meals we’ve ordered. I just need the check.” Silvanus made a point of meeting the young man’s calf brown eyes. “Now, please.” Silvanus didn’t approve of using persuasion on innocent humans, but in this case, it was going to take an act of god to get his willing waiter to override company policy.

  “I’ll get the check.”

  Ten minutes later, Silvanus was standing outside the restaurant, inhaling diesel fumes and smoke and the lingering smell of cheap perfume. London always was smelly, he thought fondly, as he meandered down the road, his hands in his pockets, no fixed destination in mind. He soon found himself in a residential area. Thank goodness for London’s preoccupation with green spaces. Silvanus found himself a park bench. The houses were all two and some of them three levels high, shrouded by high walls, thick fences and large wrought iron gates. Very upmarket and therefore, very quiet.

  It didn’t take long before Silvanus’s thoughts wandered from the scurrying of squirrels and the faint hoot of an owl. It’s not easy being an eternal being sometimes. He sighed. Over more centuries than he could count, he’d watched London grow from a handful of huts around the Thames to a thriving, bustling metropolis and that was before the Great Fire in the middle ages. In another thousand years, who was to say what would be in the spot he was sitting now. There was a good chance, all the land for miles around would be flooded, or frozen, or… Silvanus didn’t know.

  But it’s that line of thinking that’s got you in the shit with your mate, he scolded himself firmly. Because to him, his sexual encounters were nothing but a night, two at the most and set against the concept of eternity, those nights were nothing more than a blink. And yes, Silvanus had stayed friends with many of them, respectful and even pleased when his one time lovers found
their true mates. It’s just the type of guy I am.

  His sigh was loud in the silent night air. But as the hairs on the back of Silvanus’s neck prickled, he realized he was not alone. “Mr. Crane,” he said, catching the sneaking man by surprise as he turned around and leaned over the back of the park bench. “Please tell me you weren’t following me?”

  “No, not at all.” Crane pulled on his tattered pride like the shabby duffle coat he was wearing. “I’m staying with friends, over there,” he pointed to a house on the other side of the green. I noticed you arriving and thought I recognized you. Is Mr. Klaxon back at the hotel?”

  “He had a few business dealings to take care of. Come and sit with me, Mr. Crane. I confess I was intrigued by your ideas about the ancient gods. I’d like to hear more if you have the time.”

  “It’s very chilly.” Crane looked pointedly at Silvanus’s lack of coat. “You could come back to the house with me, and meet some of my friends.”

  “I’m heading off shortly myself. I just wanted to enjoy one of London’s lovely green spaces,” Silvanus said easily. “I wouldn’t want to disturb your friends, and it’s fine, if you don’t want to talk to me, that is. I imagine you’re judged quite harshly for your ideas from other less enlightened individuals.”

  “You have no idea. It happens all the time,” Crane said, running around and perching on the edge of the bench.

  Got ya.

  “No one seems to want to believe in a higher power anymore. I mean, attitudes like your Mr. Klaxon’s are so typical of the ignorance among the business classes of things beyond spreadsheets and monetary value.”

  “Tell me more.” Silvanus conjured a handful of blades of grass in his hands. They shimmered vibrant green as he held them close so Crane couldn’t see them.

  “The book Mr. Klaxon has is a classic example of it.” Clearly Crane had held a grudge for a long time. “He doesn’t want it. He bought it and paid a ridiculous sum of money for it, keeping avid scholars like myself out of the running when it came to owning it by pushing the price up. I mean, he said himself he just liked the cover. And yet that book could contain the secrets of the universe, and he wouldn’t care, because all he sees it as, is a collectible piece to be thrown in a vault somewhere with the million others he probably has.”

  Silvanus nodded to show he was listening.

  “Why can’t scholars like myself and my friends have access to it? Why is it all the truly interesting finds throughout history are commandeered by the catholic church, hidden under the Vatican, or housed in dingy basements of secret collectors with more money than brains. I truly believe that book is the key to what me and my friends have been looking for.”

  “But tell me, Lazarus, can I call you Lazarus?” Silvanus waited until Crane nodded eagerly before continuing. “Say that book is the key, say it does contain the proof you’re looking for, and you know that the ancient gods from folklore and myth are real. What do you do with your knowledge?”

  “Do?” Crane’s eyes widened. “Could you imagine how amazing that would be? To see the ancient gods wield power once more – Zeus ruling the skies, Poseidon surging up from the seabed. New temples could be built, old ones restored. The world would be at peace again. No more wars, no more famines. Pollution banished with a flick of a trident. Everyone would have a home, and land, and crops would be plentiful. The gods could be in charge of their domains again and we would all prosper.”

  “You’re assuming people would believe in them if they came back.” Silvanus wondered where Crane was getting his ideas from.

  “It wouldn’t matter if the people don’t believe. Don’t you see,” Crane leaned forward. “Man has mucked up. We’re descended from animals. We were never meant to have complete domain over the earth. We don’t know what to do with it and now whole ecosystems are disappearing and people are starving.”

  “So, these gods are meant to what, exactly? Appear in the skies in a hail of fire and lightning, smiting all those who don’t fall to their knees?” Zeus might get a kick out of that, for all of five minutes.

  “Can’t you see it now?” Clasping his knees, Crane stared up at the sky as if he expected to see a god any minute. “All those ignorant, wasteful, rich, arrogant assholes would be reduced to nothing but dust. In the space of one hour, the earth could be how it used to be – lush, green, peaceful.”

  Yeah, I had dreams like that too kid, once. “And what about all the world’s technologies?” Silvanus asked. “If the land were to return to the way it once was, there’d be no computers, televisions, cell phones, nuclear weapons, electricity. Economies would collapse, governance would go back to feudal states, the entire population on earth would be reduced to agricultural pursuits to feed the millions of people alive today. Indoor plumbing would be basic at best.”

  “Why would we lose all that we’ve already gained?” Crane looked as though he’d never considered the idea. “There’s no need for any of us to be uncomfortable. We’ve come too far as a species to go back to living in huts and getting water from the communal well. The gods can learn to adapt to new technologies. That’s what me and my friends would help them with, among other things of course.”

  “You’d help them?” Silvanus shook his head in disgust. The grass in his hands felt dry and brittle – Crane’s lies had caused that. “Sounds like all you’re looking for is a free ride. You haven’t said anything about worshipping the gods of old, giving them the respect they deserve. You’re talking about a utopia where no one gets sick, no one goes hungry, but none of you have to change the way you’re living now. You just expect the gods to come down on your bidding, restore the earth to the way it was, and everyone can go back to the same destructive habits that caused the problems in the first place.”

  Standing up, Silvanus straightened his jacket. “I’ve got news for you kid. That was done once. Read your bible and look at the story of Noah and his Ark. If you want to believe in Poseidon with his trident, and Zeus with his thunderbolt, then it’s not much of a stretch to believe in the Christian god who sent a flood and wiped out everyone but Noah and his family, is it? That same god sent a rainbow promising all people it would never happen again. And think about this, when you’re talking to your friends. If the gods are real, like you’re so desperately trying to prove, then logic dictates they have seen the way the earth is now, and seen what man has done with it. They were cast aside, forgotten, their temples left to crumble into the dust, and you think they’d come back now and help you? Read your myths a little more closely. There’s not a god from any pantheon who would help those who don’t believe.”

  “But me and my friends do believe.” The stupid thing was, Silvanus could see Crane meant it. Unfortunately, the human’s desire to find the gods had nothing to do with worshipping them and everything to do with exploiting them.

  “And you’re counting on you and your friends being the only ones who believe, aren’t you? You’re hoping the gods will elevate you, give you powers so you can live like kings, priests, favored helpers, rulers like the pharaohs of Egypt? Dictators with a god at your back making sure no one disobeys you? I hardly see how any of that would benefit mankind. If you really wanted to do something for the planet, there are a million other ways of doing it.”

  “It wouldn’t be like that. By letting the gods back into their domains, every person on earth would benefit from their existence.”

  “Letting the gods back into their domains? You keep believing the lies you’re telling yourself,” Silvanus said harshly. “Just don’t expect anyone else to have the same ideas, including the gods you want to treat as nothing but a tool for your own selfish ideals. I’ve had enough of this conversation. Good night.”

  Striding away, all Silvanus wanted was to find somewhere private and translocate back to the hotel. With luck, his beloved Artemas would be there, because if there was ever a time Silvanus needed a hug, it was now. The blades of grass in his hand had shattered to dust, proof of Crane’s duplicity. Th
e only thing Silvanus couldn’t work out was if Crane was working alone, or if something else more sinister was going on.

  “See you at eleven,” Crane called out. Gritting his teeth, his fists clenched, Silvanus ignored him and kept walking.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Due to the time differences, it was mid-afternoon when Artemas landed in front of the house Nereus shared with his mates, Teilo and Raff, in Cloverleah. There was no one else around, although Artemas guessed someone would come to check him out. He’d felt the tingle of the wards as he passed through them. The Cloverleah pack wasn’t on lockdown anymore, thanks to the demise of the dark elves, but one of their own was still missing, and so it made logical sense that the pack would still be protective of each other.

  Striding up the short porch, Artemas knocked sharply on the door. He heard barking, lots of barking, and someone was yelling at whoever to be quiet. “Oh, my goodness, it’s you.” Raff’s face split into a huge smile as he opened the door. “You didn’t have to knock. We don’t stand on ceremony here. Come in.”

  “Is it safe?” Artemas had only met Raff once before at Poseidon’s and Claude’s house warming party. It was Lasse who told him about the pack of little ankle biters Raff adored. Artemas eyed his expensive shoes. “I’ve no desire to be bitten.”

  “My babies won’t bite you.” Raff’s laughter filled the air as he opened the door wider to let Artemas pass through. “Killer will growl a lot and make out he’s trying to intimidate you, seeing as you’re an alpha figure, but he’s all noise.”

  The door entered straight into the living area, and sure enough, the floor was littered with small furry bodies. Only one, an apricot colored poodle was on his feet, snarling and showing tiny pointed teeth. “That’s Killer, I presume.” The pooch wasn’t big enough to make a decent mouthful for the kraken.