by Nicole Thorn
“I’m afraid I’m not sure. I was busy at the time,” he said. “Persephone is coming topside soon, and I needed to give her the proper farewell. I’m sure you understand. Either way, Cerberus is gone, and with the influx of souls lately . . . ” With this, he gave all of us a pointed to look that I chose to ignore. “I simply don’t have the time to go looking for him.”
“Um,” Jasmine said. “Weren’t you just talking about showing some nymphs a good time?”
“You should always be able to make time for nymphs,” Hades said. “What would the world be like otherwise?”
Probably a lot better.
Hades turned away from Jasmine and looked back at his son. Verin looked like he still needed to figure out how one absconded with a three-headed dog the size of a house. I couldn’t imagine that had been an easy one to ponder. Oh gods, a dog that could pee on my roof could’ve been running around time. He could’ve been peeing on someone else’s roof right that second. I needed to sit down again.
Scratching his head, Verin said, “You want me to look for Cerberus?”
Hades nodded. “Yes. Keep your ear to the ground. That sort of thing. You’re the only person I can think of who Cerberus won’t attempt taking a bite out of . . . ” His eyes got distant, like he remembered something from a long time ago that haunted him. Great. So, this dog would also try to kill people and could easily run amok where the humans could see. I needed to have this panic attack. I wondered if I could crawl under something and hide without getting dirty.
“Right,” Verin said. “I’ll see what I can do, but it won’t be much, I’m sure.”
Hades smiled at Verin, and it looked like a pleasant smile. One wouldn’t look at him and realize a god stood before them. It had to have taken him a long time to pull that off. Most of the gods didn’t have much good in them, and I sadly spoke from experience when saying that. So much experience.
Too much.
The god patted his son on the shoulder. “Thank you, Verin. I look forward to hearing from you.” He vanished in the next second, leaving us with Verin. I put my head in my hands, and breathed. I wondered if this should go on my list of weird things happening around Seattle.
“Your father seems very nice,” Jasmine said.
It felt like a miracle that she had made it this far without getting herself killed.
***
I dumped my bucket of water in the sink about two hours later. After tucking the bucket in under the sink, I leaned against the counter to breathe. Nothing else. Just breathing deeply in and then deeply out. Verin had left to talk to his mother. The rest of us had gone our separate ways.
Jasper and Kizzy went to his studio, working on something with clay. Dust would be everywhere. On their clothes, the table, the floor, and walls. Paint would get on things. I didn’t like that room, but it didn’t belong to me, so I couldn’t touch it.
Jasmine and Zander had gone out to lunch, or dinner, or something in between. I didn’t even know anymore. But they would be back shortly. They’d go up to their room, and do things that I wouldn’t think about because ick. They seemed so happy that I didn’t mind their honeymoon stage, but I tried not to be upstairs at the same time as them.
I went over to the cabinet, and looked inside. Eighteen cups. Six black. Six gray. Six white. Over to the silverware drawer. Big forks, little forks, big spoons, little spoons, butter knives. I straightened the latter out, and closed the drawer carefully, so they wouldn’t slide around unnecessarily.
Everything remained where it belonged. Everything had order
Everything but me. Nothing about me felt right, and it hadn’t for a while now. Ever since . . .
Gods, I could still hear the smack as his hand met her face. It had felt like having my entire world shattered in one strong motion. It had been horrifying to see. The look in Jasmine’s eyes. Nothing had felt right since then, and I didn’t know how to make it right again. I didn’t know what pieces had been shattered, where to find them, or how to glue them back in the holes they left behind.
I wanted my security back. The knowledge that as long as everything went where it needed to be, everything would be fine. The illusion had vanished, leaving only shadows.
Pacing around the kitchen proved to only drive me insane. I went into the laundry room, and started moving the boxes around. Biggest to smallest, and then within that, widest to narrowest. I moved the keys on the pegboard. Zander’s slot sat empty because he had left but the others remained. Kizzy’s, mine, Jasper’s . . . My hand touched where Jasmine’s keys should’ve been, but it also hung empty. That didn’t bother me.
I wasn’t as good as Jasmine. I couldn’t pretend to be happy until I actually found peace, but making everyone else believe it? That I could do. So, I repeated the words that everything would be fine until they sounded true, and backed out of the laundry room. I went to the office, immediately got restless, and started pacing around. I didn’t understand why that day seemed like such a bad one.
Nothing went wrong. Nothing.
I repeated that until it sounded true too. When I had done that enough times, I finally managed to sit down at the desk, and get something done. I added information to my list. It looked fuller now, which I hated. It should’ve stopped growing. Things should’ve stopped happening around us.
My phone went off with a dainty little ping. Time to check the mail. It had stopped raining, so I forwent the umbrella. When I stepped outside, the sun even shined. It started to warm up, so I enjoyed the first hints that winter would let go. I closed the door behind me, and started walking toward the mailbox.
Luckily, the mail lady had already left, so I didn’t run into Verin after he closed his mailbox. He glanced at me, and his pleasant expression changed. Good to know that we both hated seeing each other.
Good. He should get his mail and leave before I had to deal with him. I stopped at my own box, and pushed my key in.
“Hello,” he said, pleasantly enough.
Fortifying myself, I looked at him. “Hello,” I said back, neutrally. I didn’t want to add to the animosity between us. I popped my box open, and looked in. Empty. Verin had mail in his hand. Why is mine empty? It shouldn’t have mattered. I’d find an empty box again one day, but five people lived in my house. There should have been something.
It’s fucking mail. Close the damn door, and get back home. My hand clenched when I slammed the little door back into place. Definitely with more violence and anger than it called for. It felt good, too.
“Whoa,” Verin said. “Expecting something important?”
“No,” I sniped. “You always ask perfect strangers what’s in their mail like you’re entitled to know?”
His eyes sparkled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“That’s a great follow up. I bet all the pretty ladies fawn over you with an attitude like that,” I said, because it felt like I couldn’t stop myself. This irritation never came with my family, so why did I act so mean to him? I didn’t even feel like myself anymore.
He sneered, “Just like I’m sure all the men fall to your feet with an attitude like that.”
I marched away before I punched him right in the face. Only he wouldn’t let me get away that easily. I started this, but he would finish it. “Seriously, what the fuck did I do to you?! Your sister is so nice, and you’re . . . ” he didn’t finish, but I could finish it for him. I had heard it all my life. I didn’t act as cheerful as Jasmine. I made it hard to be around me. I didn’t make people happy. I didn’t need to fucking make people happy, because I kept everything running around them.
My eyes lifted up, and I stopped when I saw the front of my house. Verin hadn’t been prepared for the sudden stop, and ran right into me. I didn’t snarl at him, because I had a much better target.
“Hello!” Celeste said cheerfully, waving just her fingers at me. She looked different than the last time I had seen her. She was still shorter than average, with a body that made men turn around on the st
reet. But now she also had a tan, with dyed red hair cropped to her shoulders. Her medium blue eyes smiled as she came towards me at a fast clip. Since she didn’t wear anything under the dress, I saw more of her than I needed to when she hopped off her bike. She still had her porkpie hat as well.
When she reached me, she leaned down, and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“Great,” I said. “Now I have to get a tetanus shot.”
She laughed a perfectly fake laugh—but you could only tell if you knew her. “You’re still silly, Juniper.”
“What are you doing here?” I growled. “I thought we had finally seen the last of you when Jasper started seeing Kizzy.”
Celeste’s face tightened so subtly that I could barely see the evidence of it. “Oh? He’s still with her. That’s so nice. I’m so, so happy that he finally found someone that he could settle down with, even if it’s not with me.” She wiped at the corners of her eyes, which might have meant more if this news actually upset her.
“Uh huh,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see Jasper of course,” Celeste said. She and my brother had dated for five or six months back when he was eighteen. Celeste had always been great at acting. She could make people believe anything. We thought she loved him, right up until she left him for someone else, and smashed his heart into little bits.
Then she came around every now and then, to make sure he hadn’t found anyone new. When the demigods showed up, it had been a bitch fight between her and Kizzy. Needless to say, Kizzy won.
“I can say with no lack of certainty that my brother doesn’t want to see you,” I said. “So why don’t you scamper on home to finish sacrificing whatever woodland creatures you happened to steal recently.”
She laughed again. Her eyes flicked over my shoulder, and I knew what she saw before I even glanced in that direction. Her eyes grew warmer, darker. Her smile sultrier, and her stance a little softer. Celeste didn’t look as aggressive as she had been moments before. Until that second, I hadn’t realized she would go onto the attack.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Celeste said, her voice dripping with things I’d rather not hear from her.
“Verin,” the man behind me said. I stepped out from between them, lest I get beaten by Celeste’s breasts. They shook hands, or tried to. The shorter woman stood much too close to Verin. Almost until their chests touched. I stayed off to the side, watching the two of them.
“Verin. That’s a wonderful name,” she said. “Are you friends with the Nelsons?”
My eyes narrowed. Not a big deal, but she just insinuated that he couldn’t be friends with me. I shouldn’t have cared, since I actively hated Verin, but I wanted to put her head through the nearest sewer grate anyway.
“Yeah,” Verin said, taking his hand back. He seemed to notice that she held on for a second too long. It looked like he pried his fingers from her hand. “I’m Kizzy’s nephew,” he said.
“Ooh. How interesting. I love your accent, by the way,” she continued, flat out ignoring me now. “I’ve been away for a few months. Down in Mexico actually. I’ve been enjoying a little vacation with a male friend of mine. Unfortunately, it had to get cut short. But I’ve never been to London.”
“Shame,” Verin said. “You could always catch a ride there, and stay for a little while. Why not now?” He had some annoyance in his voice, and I wondered why. Celeste entranced most people instantly.
Celeste laughed a twinkling little sound that had gooseflesh breaking out all over my skin.
“I really should be going,” Verin said, sensing that he needed to escape, and sooner rather than later.
“I was just coming by to see my good friend Jasper—”
I fake gagged.
“—to let him know I was back in town, but he can wait another couple of minutes. He’s waited months already. Why don’t you and I get to know each other?” Celeste slipped her arm through Verin’s when he started walking. He looked back at me, and I mimed strangling her. For some reason, he didn’t seem to like that solution.
Whatever. Celeste had become his problem
CHAPTER SIX:
There Are Too Many Women in my Life
Verin
“I just love tea. But I normally only drink this special kind I order from a man I met when I was traveling. You haven’t lived until you’ve had this stuff. I swear.” Celeste waved her hand and then returned it to the cuppa tea she had in her other talons. She sipped and said, “But I’ve been doing all the talking. You should tell me about yourself. What part of London are you from?”
Because everyone with an English accent had to be from London.
My mother passed behind the girl who sat at our kitchen counter, drinking my special nighty night tea. Mum made a snarling face at the girl that she couldn’t see, and then she proceeded to pick up a pan and pretend to bash her brains in.
I cleared my throat, trying to cover my laugh. “I’m actually not from London, luv. Yorkshire.”
“Oh!” She tapped her nails on my table. “That’s in Scotland, right?”
I smiled and tapped the side of my nose. “Clever, you are. You sound so well-traveled.”
Mum almost lost it, doubling over in silent laughs. She had to get to the stove and put the pan down before she dropped it.
“Thank you,” the girl said, pleased. “Tell me . . . ” She leaned forward, putting her head on her bony hand. I would have loved to rip it away, but it would have hurt her feelings. “What do you like to do in your free time?” Her voice oozed with desperation and sex.
This girl thought that she looked stunning and had a unique personality, and that much screamed at me from her hat and the look in her eyes when she spoke. As if she believed that her voice was the most important in the room, even when she tried to win someone over, like now. I liked to think I didn’t just go for girls with pretty faces. I spent most of my time with my mother, and I couldn’t even look at a girl twice if I didn’t think she would approve. Sad? Yes. Pathetic? Yes. But I loved my mother, and it would break her heart to think that I wasted my time with girls, just for fun. She wanted me happy and with someone who could take care of me. As if I needed to be taken care of.
I glanced quickly at Mum, who gestured for me to get Celeste out of our house. She popped in bright and early this morning, parking her bike against my house. I couldn’t fathom why the hell she showed up at all. Then she presented me with a letter that I knew I grabbed from my postbox. One that I had in my hand when Juniper showed up. So . . . odd.
I did the kind thing and invited her inside, though I would rather have closed the door in her face. But we had some new billing information we waited on, and I couldn’t risk her snapping and doing something mad. She looked the type that would start screaming in public if given her druthers.
Immediately, Mum decided that she didn’t like Celeste. If my mum believed it, then it had to be true, and this girl must have something wrong about her. Other than the obviously fake personality. Juniper outright said rude things to Celeste’s face. Though I suppose Juniper had a short temper with me as well . . . Not that I didn’t earn it sometimes. To be fair, that girl deserved what I gave her. I would be the kindest man she knew if she only gave me a chance. So, what did she do? Hate me on sight and then decide that she needed to keep it up. Fine then, I didn’t need her to like me.
“I play the drums,” I told Celeste. “And I like to paint abstract pieces of art that best describe the abysmal state of society. Sometimes I like to glue tin cans together and stack them, because I think it perfectly captures what the human soul looks like after heartbreak and loss.” I closed my eyes and sighed. “Oh, such bitter beauty we all have . . . ”
Celeste put her hand over her heart and batted her eyes while Mum gagged behind her. “That . . . that was so beautiful. I know just what you mean about souls. It’s . . . it’s like we’re all just . . . empty bags . . . floating in the wind.” She held her hand in the air and then
let it hang before she floated it along.
I smiled and nodded. “Mmm. I like that Katy Perry song too.”
She blinked. “What’s a Katy Perry?”
Mum rolled her eyes and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head.
“Nothin’, pet. How about you let me refill this?” I pointed to her cuppa and took it. She drank almost none of it, so I suppose she didn’t like tea as much as she thought she did. I added a splash of milk and handed it back to her.
She took it and sipped, trying to hide a face at the taste.
“Darling?” Mum said, putting her hands on Celeste’s shoulders. “Verin needs to take me to see my doctor. Almost never get to see them at home. We only have thirteen.”
I smirked while Celeste gasped. “Oh my god! That’s awful, Ms. Cooper.”
“Oh, I know. Awful indeed. Let Verin walk you out.” She gave me a look with wide eyes, telling me to get the girl gone.
Celeste got up and began to walk, talking about some showing she had planned sometime. I cared not, so I hung back for a moment when Mum grabbed me. “Don’t ever let that little slag in my house again, luv. I smell cruelty in her soul.”
I nodded. “Don’t worry about her. She won’t be ‘round again.”
Mum shook her head. “Not worth the letter she brought.”
I chuckled and rushed to catch up with Maleficent. I opened the door for her and we walked out into light showers and thunder. I smiled up at it, because it made me feel at home.
“So nice seeing you again,” I told the little human, because my mother raised me right. Be nice to their face, and destroy them when they walk away.
She wrinkled her nose at me and bit her bottom lip. Ugh. “You should let me hear you play the dumbs sometime, Verin.” She lifted up on her tiptoes and got just a wee bit too close to my face. I could smell her too sweet perfume. “I like a man skilled with his hands.”
I nodded. “Me too.”
She dropped down and from the corner of my eye, I saw a little seer leave her home with a rubbish bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Juniper had on that same number from the day before . . . or it at least looked like she did. Same colors. An odd bird, Juniper.
