Hah hah. Putty. In. My. Hands.
Kissing Kai had beat out eating as my favorite activity.
“Evil wench,” he said several moments later, his eyes dark.
I smirked, feeling highly smug. This was teasing and flirty and positively normal.
“But one of us has to be noble enough to put what’s best for the battle first,” he said with a self-righteous expression and disappeared.
I laughed and reached for the door knob but before I could turn it, his arms grabbed me from behind and swung me around. Kai planted one last hotter-than-hell kiss on me that flared every single nerve ending I had to life, screaming “whee haw!” I actually staggered back when he released me.
Hot or feverish? Chemistry or overcompensation to try and pretend it’s all okay between you? I refused to let my Persephone voice poison me with whispers.
“Sophie.”
I snapped back to attention, and Kai who now took his turn looking smug. “Sweet dreams, Goddess.” He disappeared again. This is what couples did. It was good. It was healthy.
So why where my hands trembling?
I entered the apartment and stopped, remembering that it was just Theo and me. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said, his arms full of books. He began to stack them on a slender bookcase.
This sucked. I ran through a million things to say and discarded them all. “My behavior before was self-indulgent and childish. It won’t happen again.”
Theo shrugged and shelved another book. “It might. Felicia is a total bitch.”
I barked out startled laughter. Theo turned my way with a small smile, which made everything okay. “Love you, Rockman.”
He tilted his head toward my room. “Go to bed, Magoo.”
So I did. I barely managed to change into my pjs and crawl into bed before a deep but content fatigue stole over me, and I fell into much-needed sleep.
Eight
“Up and at ‘em, honeybunch,” Festos said cheerily on Sunday morning, crawling onto my bed to seat himself against my headboard. I was so dopey with sleep that it took me a second to remember where I was.
He looked disgustingly chirpy, all clean shaven, dressed in a green sweater and one of his endless pairs of skinny jeans. No fedora today though.
“Ugh,” I croaked, rubbing morning granola out of one eye. “What time is it?”
“Time to celebrate my sheer unmitigated genius.” He jammed his hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a silver ring, which he dropped into my palm.
I sat up, scootching against him. “Look at that.” I held the ring up to inspect it. “Necklace, bracelet, ring. I’ve got a whole jewelry set.”
The ring was really cool, with a wide, silver band. Attached to it was a flat silver plane, shaped like a shield, with a stylized sun engraved on it.
I slid the ring onto my middle finger and saw that the shield part went all the way up to my middle knuckle. “Tres funky.” I held it out to better admire it on my hand. “But how does said stylish accessory work?”
“Five minutes. Get dressed.”
“Can I eat?” I asked as I scrambled out of bed.
“No.” He left the room.
“I’m calling Amnesty International,” I called after him.
I threw my fabutastic red superpower T-shirt back on. First, because I knew Felicia would haaaate it. But mostly because I could do with any extra confidence boost I could get before facing her. Truth be told, I was really nervous about seeing my mother again. I’d always known she didn’t love me, but I had stupidly held out hope.
I didn’t anymore.
That just made it worse.
I pulled Kai’s jeans back on because, yeah, I liked wearing his clothes, and again, Felicia would despise our implied—no, actual, I corrected—closeness.
I made it to the living room in four minutes, partially to show off my punctual commitment to the cause, but mostly because I smelled bacon. The one reason I could never be a vegetarian.
Kai was already there, wearing jeans and a fitted red long-T. Tension simmered between him and Festos.
“We match,” I grinned, indicating our outfits, hoping to change the vibe.
Kai smiled as he held up a take out coffee cup. “Espresso?” he asked, waggling it.
“Gawd, I love you.”
“Doesn’t take much,” Theo said, entering the room, already dressed.
I shot back the espresso, my brain waking up as the hot caffeine hit. Heavenly.
Festos grabbed my hand. “Back to me and my brilliance …” He led me toward the door.
I glanced over my shoulder at Kai.
“Don’t worry, I’m coming,” he said.
“No.” I gestured vaguely with my free hand. “Bring bacon.”
Theo snorted his laughter.
Kai shook his head and caught up with us in the foyer, handing me a couple strips of super crispy bacon. I bit into a salty, crumbly piece and my eyes rolled back into my head in delight.
Festos opened the door to the cold, concrete stairwell. Both he and Kai tried to take the lead, jostling each other for position. Fee whacked Kai across the back of the knees with his cane. In anyone else, he would have shattered something. All Kai did was shove Festos hard enough into the cement wall to crack it.
I pushed between them. “What is your problem?” I hissed. I understood why Theo hated Kai. Kai’s kiss had messed up all of Theo’s plans. Plus Theo knew how Kai had catted around after Persephone’s supposed murder. But Festos and Kai seemed to have some kind of history that left massive chips on both their shoulders. Yet they bonded at the oddest moments.
“Well?” I demanded looking from one to the other.
Their expressions smoothed out and became totally unreadable. But they stopped behaving like bratty ten-year-olds, so I let it lie.
Festos only went as far as the third floor.
I shivered as we stopped in the middle of the large, unfinished, unheated space.
“Go for it,” he said.
My moss green light flew from my body to fill the room with a bright flash, then immediately dissipated. Before I had a chance to experience my usual utter exhaustion at using that much power, the ring glowed and a warmth poured through me.
I felt fine.
“Again,” Festos said.
I blasted another one. And another. I whirled on Festos excitedly. “Three! I did three in a row! That’s never happened. This is a freaking incredible superhero ring! How did you do it?”
“I’m brilliant.” He looked down his nose at me in mock haughty arrogance.
“Noted and agreed.” I bounced on my toes, still feeling the warmth tingling through my body. “I feel like I could go on forever.”
Festos shook his head. “More precisely, you could go on for another three minutes and thirty seconds. That’s our maximum time for you two to hold off the Pyrosim and Photokia. For me to cleanse the location and let you perform the ritual before Miss Dramabomb runs dry and hotshot is left on his own.”
“Worried I wouldn’t save you?” Kai asked him.
“Well, you are fickle when it comes to your loyalty,” Fee retorted.
I could practically feel the air heating up as the two of them inched closer to each other.
“Versus how you have no loyalty at all,” Kai sneered.
Them seemed to be fighting words, because, with that, all hell broke loose. Festos didn’t unleash his torrents of lava and fire. Kai didn’t strike with his toxic, pointed black light.
I almost could have understood that.
This was a plain old brawl. Primal and visceral and way more “I want to kill you with my bare hands and enjoy it.” The two of them lunged at each other and started pounding, landing brutal punches.
I ducked out of the way as Festos threw Kai about twenty feet, then barely scurried my butt to safety in a far corner as, with a roar, Kai raced back to deliver a roundhouse kick that should have shattered Fee’s ribs.
“St
op it!” I screamed. And was completely ignored. I tried shooting my vines out to wrap around them, but they were moving too fast, a speeding blur. I wasn’t quick enough to hold them.
Cement chips flew and concrete walls buckled.
It was terrifying. I’d shoved myself into a far corner, my back pressed as far as it could go against the wall, my arm shielding my eyes from flying debris. I hoped one of them wouldn’t fire the other my way and end up decapitating me in the process.
Just when my fears turned to anger, when I was sure that they were going to collapse the building and kill us all, there was a piercing shriek from somewhere above us.
We all froze. Festos and Kai were red-faced with exertion, cut up, and bloody. There was going to be some pretty ugly bruising.
I glanced up at the ceiling. With a chill, I recognized the voice. “Hannah!” I gasped. I ran upstairs in record time, flung the apartment door open and skidded to a stop inside the threshold, with my chest heaving.
Hannah stood there in her pajamas, her hand covering her mouth, her expression horrified. Pierce was beside her in clothes that looked thrown on. The look of concern on his face chilled me to the bone.
I followed their gaze and couldn’t believe what I saw. Cassie stood on the far side of the room, blood flowing from her eyes. She opened her mouth and, in a loud hollow voice, chanted, “Bring the fire, choke the spark, release the form.”
Over and over again.
Theo ran in from the bathroom with washcloths to staunch her bleeding. Cassie didn’t even blink as he touched her. Just continued her monotoned prophesying. “Bring the fire, choke the spark, release the form.”
“Fix her!” Hannah demanded of me.
I was rooted to the spot, with no idea what to do.
Festos and Kai ran in behind me. Fee’s eyes widened at the sight of Cassie’s condition, but all he said was, “We need to sedate her.” He headed for his First Aid kit in the kitchen, but Kai knew where he kept it. Kai shot past Fee, got it first, ripped it open, and rifled through it as he raced to Theo. Kai pulled out a small vial and held it up questioningly.
Festos nodded.
Kai tugged out the rubber stopper and waved it under Cassie’s nose. She fell into Kai’s arms in a heap, unconscious.
Silence.
No one moved. It was as if we were in a movie where the frame had been frozen. Then, with a lurch, everyone sprang back into action.
“Bedroom,” Festos said tersely, already leading the way. Theo and Pierce went with him, Kai in the rear with Cassie still unconscious in his arms.
Which left Hannah and me.
“What happened?” I asked.
“She lost it,” Hannah threw up her hands and started pacing. “Luckily she was on the phone with Anil. He freaked out and called me. Pierce and I went to collect her. She was babbling that sentence over and over again.” Hannah shook her head at me, radiating disappointment and worry.
I felt bad enough without Hannah’s supreme disapproval. That just made me testy. I jutted my chin out and met her eyes. “What’s with the look?”
“You know she’s tied to you. Maybe if you hadn’t been holed up here, maybe if you’d been paying a bit more attention—”
My rash flared into life. I ignored it, gritting my teeth and curling my fingers into my palms.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said, all nonchalant. “Paying attention would have cut in to my vacation time.” I gave in then, my nails tearing at what felt like fire ants biting their way up my forearms. “Are you kidding me?” I shouted. “What do you think I’ve been doing all this time?”
Hannah gave an infuriating shrug. “I have no idea.”
My heart thudded, achy. “Maybe that’s because you’re so wrapped up in Pierce that you can’t be bothered seeing what’s going on in other people’s lives.”
Hannah looked wounded for the briefest of moments. Then she came out swinging. “You act like you have no power to make any choices, but that’s all you have.”
I stepped toward her, blazing. “One time when I’ve done that. Tell me one.”
She came toward me, finger outstretched. “You let Felicia railroad you out of school.”
“I let her?”
Hannah poked me in the chest hard, shoving me back a step. “Yes. You just conceded to whatever she wanted instead of stepping up for the sake of the bigger picture. Probably did it with Kai, too.”
What does she know? For once, I was in agreement with my Persephone voice.
I knocked Hannah’s finger away. “Big words coming from a girl who’s biggest concern is who will adore her most today.”
“You hypocrite,” she screeched. “You’re fine when it’s all about you. But now that it’s my turn? You can’t stand not being in the spotlight. It’s killing you to be happy for me, isn’t it? Could you be any more selfish?”
Bethany stabbing me had hurt less.
I placed my hands on my hips and cocked an eyebrow. “What’s really bothering you?” I sneered. “Can’t stand the fact that for once you’re not the most fabulous girl in the room? That I’m not in your shadow anymore? Your stupider, uglier sidekick?”
I could feel Persephone cheering me on, even as Hannah’s face got stonier and stonier. These horrible things were spewing out of my mouth and I kind of didn’t mean them but, yeah, I did.
Part of me was screaming at myself to shut up, but that part didn’t seem to be in control anymore. My mouth just kept going. “Are you feeling your human limits now that you’re hanging around higher beings? Word of advice? Stick to being the girlfriend. Don’t even try to understand what it’s like being us.”
I felt a perverse satisfaction at her sharp intake of breath.
Then she laughed bitterly. “Don’t kid yourself. You’re not that complex. You never have been.” And with that parting shot, she strode toward Festos’ bedroom.
I wanted so desperately to call her back. To undo this mess. But when I opened my mouth, my throat wouldn’t work. When I tried to follow her, I stayed rigid in place.
She doesn’t understand. I pressed my fingers to my temples, not wanting to bond with Persephone right now, but still in agreement with her. Show them what you’re made of. She was louder now, more insistent in my head.
“No.”
“Sorry?”
I whirled around at the sound of Pierce’s voice.
“Bit of a spat?” he asked, watching me carefully.
I closed my eyes briefly against the absurdity of that understatement. “Is Cassie okay?”
“No more bleeding. Still asleep. Figure she had to break, now she can mend.” Pierce sat down on one of the sofas and tilted his head to indicate that I should sit down beside him. “She’s your best mate.”
Ah. Topic switch. “And your girlfriend, so let’s guess whose side you’re going to take.”
“No sides. You haven’t been a goddess for very long, so I’ll give you some advice, yeah?” He regarded me for a long moment, his eyes more brilliantly green than usual. “Don’t hold a grudge. Stick with love.”
I crossed my arms. “What if I want to hold a grudge?”
He looked at me with pity and sadness. “Then you miss out. You end up hard.”
I sighed and started worrying at the leather on the sofa. “She doesn’t understand all the pressure I’m under, or how tough it is to deal with gods constantly undermining me. Never mind this basic struggle to survive. Why should I have to be the first one to apologize on top of all that?”
Pierce shrugged. “You shouldn’t. But then it goes one of two ways. You end up as polite acquaintances who maybe spare a thought one day, wondering what ever happened to each other.”
My chest tightened. That was a horrible thought. “And the other way?”
He waved a hand toward the bedroom, where everyone else was. “You find yourself knocking the stuffing out of each other because it’s all been festering.”
It took me a second to make the connection. I shot him a ske
ptical glance. “I don’t know what the deal is between Kai and Festos, but they were never best friends.”
Pierce gave me an enigmatic smile. “All I’m saying is that if you’re going to be the savior of humanity, maybe you could start by saving a single friendship.” He got up in one fluid movement and patted my head. “I’m going to collect Hannah and Cassie, and take them home. Think on it, yeah?”
I sat there for a few minutes after he exited, my head bowed and my elbows braced on my knees. I wanted to give Pierce time to leave with Hannah and Cassie because I couldn’t face either one. I didn’t have the guts to deal with my guilt and anxiety where Cassie was concerned. And I didn’t have the heart to handle all the jagged, raw, tangled up emotions around Hannah. Maybe tomorrow. If she came to her senses, too.
As I headed toward Fee’s bedroom, I wondered if Pierce was right. Had Kai and Festos been best friends at some point? Is that why they were so antagonistic now? Why Kai seemed to take a perverse delight in taunting Fee? I hesitated outside the bedroom door, then shook off my unease, and stepped inside.
Theo was perched on the large bed, one knee tucked under him, head bowed as if in defeat. Festos stood nearby, leaning heavily on his cane. In his other hand, he held the now-bloody washcloths, staring at them like he wasn’t sure what to do next.
Kai held himself apart from the other two, resting against the top of the bamboo dresser and avoiding contact with the flat screen TV mounted on the wall behind him.
They all turned to face me at once, but no one spoke. The room felt loaded, though not because of the earlier tension. It was as if our encounter with Cassie had drained us profoundly, leaving behind a mix of sorrow and uncertainty and a kind of loss. My fight with Hannah coupled with the brawl between Kai and Festos, only worsened the vibe.
I latched on to the one tangible thing that we could possibly deconstruct without stepping into an emotional minefield. “Did anyone understand what Cassie was saying? About the flame and stuff?”
“‘Bring the fire, choke the spark, release the form’. I have my guesses,” Festos said, sliding Theo a sharp look.
Theo stood up abruptly, brushing off the front of his baggy pants. “It’s about Zeus’ and Hades’ ward. How I’m going to take it down.”
My Life From Hell Page 10
