With a speed that rivaled Selene’s, Dash leapt nimbly out of her path and onto the makeup counter, pulling two pistols from beneath his coat as he went. He stood above her, bouncing on his toes, both guns pointed straight at her.
“So much for the happy family reunion,” he said without losing his smile.
From the corner of her eye, Selene saw Theo leap to his feet and grab a pair of wooden drumsticks off an end table, wielding them like the least effective nunchucks ever.
She growled low in her throat. If I throw an arrow at Dash, he’ll just dodge it, she reasoned, and his bullets are too fast for me. But if I tackle him, I can use my superior strength to wrench away his weapon. I just have to be fast enough—
“Moonshine!” Paul cried. “What are you doing?”
“Getting some answers,” she replied, her eyes still fixed on Dash. “About why our brother sent a man to kill me and then tracked me to this club.”
“Track you?” Dash spluttered. “Paul invited me.”
“You did what?” Selene demanded, sparing her twin a glance over her shoulder.
“I’ve been a little out of it, okay? But it’s true—when I got your message about Hades, I called Dash for help. He knew our uncle better than the rest of us. And if there’s an Athanatos reviving a cult, he’s the only one who knows where everyone lives.”
“I didn’t tell you to do that!”
“You needed help. We all promised to stop another sacrifice cult. What did you expect me to do?”
Before she could retort, Theo interrupted, “How about we all put down the weapons and talk calmly?” He twirled one of the drumsticks awkwardly. “Before I’m forced to knock you both out Ringo Starr style.”
Dash spun his pistols around his index fingers with far more grace and gave an insouciant grin. “Just as soon as your girlfriend puts away that arrow.”
Selene scowled at his choice of words. “I’ll put it away once you explain why the man who shot me flew into my house wearing a winged cap.”
Dash stared at her, uncomprehending, before spluttering, “My cap? Round gold thing, little dent in the side, pretty metal wings?” He looked genuinely shocked. “No, no, no. It stopped working soon after the Diaspora, the same time my winged sandals stopped flying and the rest of our more conspicuous powers went kaput. Turned into nothing more than a very silly hat. Last time I dusted it off was for a particularly fetching Carnival costume in eighteenth-century Venice. I dimly remember falling off a gondola after one too many proseccos, the hat went into the Grand Canal, and I haven’t seen it since.”
Selene kept the arrow pointed at her younger brother. “So you didn’t have anything to do with Hades’ murder?”
“I wasn’t even here!” he protested. “Tell her, Paul. Hades was kidnapped three days ago. I was still in L.A., at a movie premiere! I swear it—you can check my Twitter.”
She glanced at Theo, thinking, What the hell is a Twitter? He’d already pulled out his phone and swiped to something or other.
“Dash is telling the truth.” Theo turned his phone to show her a photo of her brother standing on a red carpet with a blank-eyed woman on his arm.
Selene still wasn’t convinced. Dash wouldn’t know the “truth” if it were wearing a name tag and shouting hello. “If you were in Los Angeles, how do you know when Hades was kidnapped?”
“Because his wife told me.”
“What?” Her head was splitting trying to follow Dash’s story. There was a reason he was called the Many-Turning One. “When did you talk to her?”
“I called her as soon as I heard about Hades, of course!” he said, looking mildly surprised. “Didn’t you? Didn’t you wonder if she was okay?”
Selene lowered her arrow and sat heavily on a rickety wooden chair, a bit ashamed, a bit relieved, but mostly just tired. “I guess I assumed she made it out, otherwise we would’ve heard.” In truth, she hadn’t bothered to think about Persephone at all.
“Well, you’re right about that much at least,” Hermes said, holstering his pistols and hopping easily off the counter. “She fled to Peru, completely hysterical, of course, but she’ll be in good hands with her mom.”
Selene sighed in exasperation. “I thought she hated her mother.”
“She might hate her, but she loves her too.” He pulled off his fedora and gave her a winking bow. “That’s what family’s for.”
Selene could feel Theo’s “I told you so” from across the room.
“Fine. So she’s safe in the Southern Hemisphere, but we’re still targets. And we don’t even know who’s after us.”
“We know one thing,” Theo said. “The man who attacked Selene called her Diana, not Artemis. And when he spoke about his superior on the phone, he referred to him using the Greek and Latin word for ‘father,’ but he said PA-ter, not pa-TEER.”
“Pater …” repeated Paul. “That’s the Latin pronunciation.”
“Exactly. So what Athanatos would use Latin instead of Greek?” Theo looked at Selene, suddenly alarmed. “Don’t tell me there are Roman versions of you running around. Am I going to bump into some woman named Diana who looks just like you?”
“No,” she said with a sigh. “When the Romans incorporated us into their pantheon, most of us just … expanded a little. It’s hard to explain.”
“You could say that again.”
“Diana’s just a part of me—or at least she was. When I don’t just think of myself as a New Yorker, I think of myself as fundamentally Greek. But some Athanatoi gained so much power in the Imperial Age that they embraced the Roman incarnation of themselves above all others.”
“Good, that should narrow the search,” Theo said, clapping his hands. “What about Helios? The Romans worshiped him as Sol Invictus, the personification of the Invincible Sun.”
Dash buzzed him like a game show host. “Eaahhh. Helios kicked the bucket sometime in the sixteenth century. No real worship after the fall of the Roman Empire. Sorry, Makarites.”
Few mortals in history had ever been dubbed Makaritai, or “Blessed Ones,” and most of them bore names like Heracles and Perseus. In more recent millennia, a select few artists and scholars—like Theo—had earned the title for their extraordinary insight into the gods. But the honor clearly wasn’t helping the professor now.
“Okay,” he said, turning from one god to the other, clearly exasperated. “Then who did you all have in mind?”
“Don’t bother reasoning this one through, Theo,” Selene snapped. “Someone in this room already knows the answer.” She turned her withering glare on Paul. “Because one of my supposedly loyal brothers must’ve told someone about Orion’s cult. Maybe not on purpose, but they did. Even though they promised not to.”
Her twin held up his hands. “I swear on the dropping water of the Styx, I had nothing to do with this.”
She wasn’t sure she believed him. In the past, he’d freely admitted to a fear of fading, and with the way he was acting, she doubted he’d even remember what he had or hadn’t said to someone. But that song … she couldn’t believe he’d attack her.
“And don’t look at me,” Dash insisted. “Trust me, darling, if I still had that cap, I’d be wearing it, not giving it to some mortal to dick around in. Private jets aren’t half so fun.”
Theo yawned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Okay, so if it wasn’t either of you, and you still insist there’s definitely an Athanatos behind this, then you think the God of Wine tattled? In one of his drunken stupors?”
Selene shook her head. “He’s usually so high that he’ll tell anyone anything, but he’s too isolated.”
“And Hephaestus the Smith?” pressed Theo. “He looked pretty grizzled when we saw him this fall. Maybe he couldn’t resist giving himself a little extra power.”
Dash chuckled. “The Smith with a band of mortal acolytes? Running—or should I say limping—around the Financial District? No way. Too social. Too public. Not to mention, too desperate. If he wants to make himself more powerful, he just devises some clever gadget to do it for him. He resigned himself to fading years ago, and now he never talks to any of the other Athanatoi unless he’s got no other options—a little like you, Selene,” he added with a wink. “Trust me, when the Smith showed up in person to help you take down Orion, I wondered if he’d been sniffing too many volcanic fumaroles.”
“Well, whoever it is,” Paul interrupted, “if they have your cap, they’re going to be very hard to defend against. I don’t know about you guys, but I lost my flying chariot a long time ago.”
“The man stole my gold arrows,” said Selene. “The cult probably took Hades’ helm as well when they kidnapped him. And I know from experience that it still works—at least underground.”
“Great,” Dash said with a dramatic sigh. “There’s probably some invisible murderer sitting in this room right now.” Paul gasped, and spun to look behind him.
Dash flipped his fedora up his arm like Charlie Chaplin. “Kidding! I’m sure our Huntress here would sniff him out.” He paused, his grin fading. “Right?”
Selene just glared at his antics and tried to pretend he hadn’t completely freaked her out. Paul was on his feet now, his fingers twitching anxiously. “All we’ve got for divine defense are our bows and a few of my silver arrows.” He swung to his sister. “What happened to Orion’s sword after we killed him?”
“I hid it in my house,” Selene answered. “But we shouldn’t go back there. And besides, what good would it do us? I’ve never used a sword, and surely any magic talent it might’ve once bestowed on its holder doesn’t work anymore.”
Dash tutted. “Then pour some wine on your heads and bare your necks, because we’re the next sacrifices—unless we can find some more divine weapons.”
“All right, so maybe we should go after the Smith,” Theo proposed. “He could give us weapons, right?” Selene shot him a wary glance. Something told her Theo imagined himself carrying a golden spear and shield like the heroes of old. Once, she would’ve wanted him that way. Now, she rather liked him with his laptops and books. He was quite enough of a hero already.
“Theo’s right,” Dash concurred. “Flint is fading pretty badly these days, but I try not to underestimate He of Many Arts and Skills. So, let’s just call him and see what he’s got for us.” A moment later, cell phone pressed to his ear, he crowed, “Flint, dude! How is my broadest, brawniest, stepbrother doing? … No, never! … I have a teensy weensy question if I could …” He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. “That did not go well.”
Selene grimaced. “Dude? You call him dude?”
“What else am I supposed to call him?” Dash asked helplessly. “He’s a little hard to communicate with, okay? He doesn’t like being bothered, so you’ve gotta play it cool.”
“And how did that go?”
“He said he was in the middle of an experiment out in the woods and how dare I interrupt and that he wouldn’t be home until tonight and … well, then there were some expletives that I don’t think are necessary to repeat. Like I said, he doesn’t like to be bothered.”
“Great.” Selene slapped her hands on her knees and then rose to her feet. “Well, I’m not waiting around. I’m going after him. If he isn’t our culprit, at least he can make me some new gold arrows to take down whoever is.”
“Wait,” Paul interjected. “Remember, I’ve had this feeling that something bad was coming. If the Smith is behind this …”
The glazed look of despair that she’d noticed when he first came offstage was back. Selene knew she should be worried about him, but impatience overwhelmed her concern. “If I can’t defend myself against the Lame One, then I’m really in trouble,” she scoffed. “Can you tell me his address, Dash? Or are you going to be as cagey and unhelpful as usual?”
Dash looked deeply offended. “Me? Unhelpful? Have you ever gotten a job in this city without my help? Or a new ID card? I demand an apology, most ungrateful of sisters.”
“Your help entails having to deal with you, so it seems unhelpful … even if it isn’t,” she grumbled. “How’s that for an apology?”
“Execrable. But considering it’s you, I’ve heard worse. So, I usually don’t hand out addresses, but the Smith has always had a soft spot for you, so I’ll make an exception. He’s up in the Catskills—about a three-hour drive. I can give you directions.”
“Then we rent a car, and we go now,” Selene decided.
Theo got unsteadily to his feet. “I’m right behind you, I swear … but you don’t have a driver’s license, and if you make me drive to the Catskills right now, I’m going to crash us right into the nearest deer.” He yawned. “And once I kill one of your sacred animals, you’ll have to kill me as punishment. And then it all gets very Greek tragedy very fast.”
“You can rest here for a few hours before you set out,” Paul offered. “I’ll see if I can rustle up a shirt and coat for you in the meantime.”
Dash looked dubiously around the musty room. “And I’ll secure some less pungent accommodations for when you get back. If I have to spend another minute here, I’m never going to get the percussionist funk out of my suit.”
Theo’s eyes had already fallen shut. He must be truly exhausted if he can sleep at a time like this, Selene thought. She wasn’t doing much better herself; she was used to sleeping with the sunrise. If she wanted to be awake for their confrontation with the Smith, she’d need to get some rest, too. But right now, she was too riled up. There were simply too many questions and too few answers. She couldn’t shake the feeling that if they delayed one more night, this new cult might strike again. She followed her twin out into the hall.
“I don’t like all this waiting,” she said.
“Seems to me you don’t have a choice,” Paul replied. “Dash said Flint won’t be reachable until tonight, and he’s the only lead we’ve got at the moment. But hey … if you want me to come with you to his place …” He didn’t sound very sure of his offer. He still looked rattled from his crack onstage, and Selene had the sudden feeling his bizarre visions were worse than he was letting on.
“Don’t you have a second set to get ready for?”
He nodded. “I’m just worried about you.”
“You’re worried about me? You’re the one with the morbid hallucinations, Sunbeam.”
To her surprise, he seemed at a loss for words. The God of Poetry usually knew exactly what to say.
“How’s it going—with Theo?” he ventured finally.
The reason for his reticence became clear. For millennia, she never would’ve permitted him to ask about her love life. Paul had a tendency to guard his sister’s honor a little too jealously. She settled for a terse, “Fine.”
“Have you … you know?”
“Are you going to put an arrow through him if we have?”
“Not at all—”
“What’s happening with Sophie?”
“I’m enjoying every moment.”
“That’s clear,” she huffed.
“The connection I have with her, the intimacy—it’s the only point to existing anymore. She may not know my true name, but I try to give her every part of myself. Body and soul.” He emphasized the word “body” with a raised brow. When she just stared at him stonily, he went on. “Love is where my music comes from. Love for her. Love for you. It’s the only thing putting me back together after these visions rip me apart. You could have that with Theo, you know.”
“I’ll think about it,” she growled.
“Don’t wait too long, Selene.”
“We’ve been together for three months.”
“Look, I spent the better part of three thousand years trying to be the only man in your life. And when you first started seeing Theo, all my old jealousies came right back. But I like him, Selene. And I like who you are when you’re with him. But time passes swiftly for mortals—you have to seize the moment. Theo’s what, in his thirties? He’s going to be an old man soon enough, and you’re still going to look pretty much the same. What sort of nursemaid will you make? No offense, but probably a piss poor one. And what happens when Selene DiSilva gets too well known and has to become some other woman in some other part of town?”
“I’m not a celebrity like you. This name will last at least another few decades.”
Paul raised his eyebrows. “A few decades? Theo will still be alive. You’re going to make him change his identity too? Trust me, it won’t work.”
“Then why should I bother in the first place?” she snapped. “Why not just walk away right now?”
Paul just shook his head sadly. “At some point, you’ll have to do just that. But when you do, you want to leave with no regrets, Moonshine.”
Selene laughed shortly. “Sometimes I feel like my whole life has been nothing but regrets.”
He gave her a pained smile. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”