“We came from Tartarus,” Themis tells us.
“Tartarus is a prison,” Tina says.
“Like UWR,” Shauna agrees.
“A convenient lie. In actuality, it is our birthplace. All the supernatural beings. Fae and vampires and shifters. We lived there not as gods, but as hunted creatures,” Themis paces as she talks, her voice spiking louder in odd places. Almost like she’s a broken set of scales.
“When Zee, myself, and several of the other founding gods escaped here to Earth, we were grateful. It was a fresh start and we agreed that we must never do anything to threaten it. I fashioned the scales, to guide us in this new world. And to remind ourselves, always, what hung in the balance if we overstepped.”
Themis abruptly stops short. She whirls and stalks toward me, eyes wild. “I had Zee well in hand. He was subdued. But then your sister had to poke a sleeping bear—”
Griff growls at that.
“That was totally offensive,” Shauna chirps.
Themis barely seems to hear them. She is looking at only me. “I was wrong to save Edie. The scales warned me, but I only saw an innocent child.” Her eyes soften, and she curls her arms as if holding a baby. Slowly she begins to rock the imaginary baby as she coos at it and then brings a hand up over the baby’s mouth—smothering it. “There.” She drops her arms, letting the pretend baby fall. “Would it have been so hard?”
“That’s super messed up,” Tina whispers.
“Makes me glad I shoot blanks,” Mac adds.
“The Triumvirate said you were losing it—” I start to say.
“LOSING IT!?” Themis booms, levitating so that she hovers over us. “How wrong they are. I am gaining. Gaining strength. Gaining wisdom. Gaining power. Those three idiot children, how dare they claim Zee’s powers? Though they will not wield them for much longer. This”—Themis gestures to the cage holding the smaller smoke monster— “Is the key. As long as I have this baby wraith, its mother will do my bidding.”
“That’s a baby?” Shauna asks.
“The big one is just trying to keep you from harming its kid?” Mac asks.
“It was being a good mom,” I say. The one that killed Dionysus and Tamika was working at Themis’ bidding. That big bad monster was just trying to save its baby. I spent years spying for the so-called “monsters.” I should have known better than to jump to conclusions.
The gods always did hate anything ugly. They called it a monster and assumed it was evil. Maybe Tartarus isn’t such a bad place. Maybe everyone hunted the gods, not because they were mindless killers, but because the gods are endless assholes.
“But how can it kill gods so easily?” Trevor asks, curiosity on his face. “Asking for a friend, really…”
“We were just normal in our world,” Themis says. “Earth gave us these powers.”
“Like Superm—” Shauna starts.
“Don’t say it,” I tell her.
“Kryptonite,” she mutters.
“Things from Tartarus get the same boost of power when they pop through the portal. These monsters can kill us there, and they can kill us here.”
“Good to know,” Tina says, looking around. What is she up to?
“If you kill the Triumvirate won’t things go back to the way they were when Zeus died?” Trevor asks.
“Wait, isn’t one of the Triumvirate your brother?” Mac asks. “You don’t seem very concerned.”
Trevor shrugs. “Alaric’s a twat. The point is, Zeus’ death caused chaos. How does killing the three beings that are now keeping the chaos at bay bring the world back to balance?”
“Because I will take their power. And I will rule with my iron scales. There will be balance. I will make sure of that. No more Triumvirate,” Themis trills, a giant smile on her face. Obviously soothed by the thought, she settles back to the ground, her levitating psycho trick concluded. Again, she begins pacing, but this time she’s muttering to herself, about how everything is going as it should and this small glitch—us, I presume—will be removed shortly.
“She does this quite often,” Merilee says in a quiet voice. “The Triumvirate is correct about her not being in her right mind.”
“What a comfort that will be to them when they’re dead,” Tina says.
“No.” My hands ball into fists. “That’s not happening.” I turn to Cassie. “Can you send them a message?”
“You mean with my ESPN?” Cassie asks.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Yes. Warn BJ, Zahara, and Alaric.”
“Especially Alaric,” Mac adds. “I have heard he is a sight for sore eyes.”
Tina grabs Cassie’s shoulder. “Wait. If Cassie starts mental screaming, who knows who will hear it? Maybe the gods will get the message or maybe a hundred harpies will surround us.”
“We have to take that chance,” I tell her.
“No, actually we don’t,” Tina says. But then Shauna stands on Tina’s shoulder to whisper something in her ear. Tina’s face softens. And she sighs. But her expression is tough when she focuses on me again. “You’re freeing Kit for Shauna. Not getting him off death row. He goes free. Use whatever dirt you have on Greg. Or arrange another prison break. Whatever you gotta do to make it happen.”
It’s a big ask. But I’ll worry about that after we survive today.
“I’m a fugitive now, so it’s not gonna be that easy. But sure, I’ll do everything in my power to set the ravenous baby vampire free. Happy?”
Tina and Shauna both nod. Cassie, meanwhile, closes her eyes and presumably turns her ‘ESPN’ on. I can only hope that she’s able to send out an SOS strong enough for any magical beings nearby to pick up on. And if there are some nearby, I also hope they’re on our side.
It’s a whole lot of hoping, but it’s what I have to work with.
“ENOUGH!” Themis barks at us. Once again her eyes settle on me, but this time they soften. “Mavis, my child, come here.” She holds out her hands to me. Reluctantly, I step forward and place my hands in hers. She squeezes, hard. “I always considered you my daughter, Mavis. Rule with me, help me to destroy this earth and build a new one. Together.”
I gulp. Yep, Themis has definitely lost it. But I decide to humor her for the moment. “That would definitely take longer than the time I have to live. I’m not immortal, remember?”
“A small problem; there are ways to gain immortality. And you’re a demi-god. It shouldn’t be too hard. Merilee will help us sort through the options. She’s so clever with her brain like a filing cabinet. If it wasn’t for her, Edie never would’ve known about the prophecy that let her kill Zee.” Themis sends an angry glare Merilee’s way.
Cassie’s eyes pop open, interrupting her ESP SOS call. “Hey!” she spits back, “My mother was only trying to help.”
“Zee was out of control,” Merilee coughs out.
“You stupid woman.” Themis looks about ready to lose her shit again so I try to distract her.
“But hasn’t Merilee helped you too?” I ask, my tone calm as I can manage.
Themis doesn’t seem to hear me. Her face grows tighter until I think she might be trying to burn Merilee with her eyes.
Gently, I place a hand on Themis’ cheek, turning her to face me. “Mother,” I say, the word sticking in my throat. But it grabs Themis’ attention; all her focus returns to me. “How did you trap that wraith?”
Themis smiles at this. “I told you, gods were not the only ones who came from Tartarus. The fae did too. And they had a trick for outwitting the wraiths. One they were silly enough to write down. Merilee found it and showed it to me. I believe she considered it a puzzle, something purely academic. But I immediately saw the possibilities.” Her eyes glitter with self-righteous fervor in a way that is truly disturbing—even for a god. Unexpectedly, she switches gears. “Mavis, do you enjoy running Underworld Reformatory?”
“I don’t run it—” I start to say, but she cuts me off.
“Of course you do. Do you really think I believe that moronic bat shifter is your boss?”
“Hey!” Cassie shouts, opening her eyes again. “Greg is NOT a moron.”
I give her a look and she shuts her eyes tight, hopefully getting our message out to someone. Anyone. I’d even settle for the harpies if that’s what it takes to stop Themis and get Edie back.
“But you are destined for bigger things,” Themis is saying. “I will give you Pandora’s Box and you will guard a larger prison. With the wraiths under my thumb, we will crush those who are against us or—if we are feeling kind—exile them to Tartarus. All the humans. All the so-called ‘supes’ will be sorted. Yes. No. Maybe.” On yes, Themis points to me. On no she points to Shauna. And Tina gets the maybe.
“Wow, a maybe,” Tina says. “I’m flattered. But I’ll be damned if you’re gonna take out my girlfriend.” With that she bares her fangs and slants her gaze toward me. “Can we start killing her now?”
“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Nico! Stop tearing my ears off!” I spin on my heel. I’d know that voice anywhere. Hermes’ distinctive whine spikes higher as he comes into view. Nico is dragging him by his ear. He pulls him into the semi-circle we’ve formed and gives us all curious glances.
“What did I miss?”
“Well,” Shauna says, “this lady wants to be a fascist and make everyone her slave.”
“Also, banish all the humans,” Tina adds.
“And kill some gods,” Mac adds.
“And make Mavis her demi-god personal assistant?” Trevor asks. “I think that was the jist.”
“She’d be a terrible assistant,” Hermes pipes up. “Mavis can’t do anything right.”
Nico twists his ear harder and Hermes falls to his knees. With Hermes under control once more, Nico’s eyes fall on Cassie. “Are you okay over there?” he asks. He’s always been fond of Cassie.
Or maybe, I realize, Nico is just noticing the blood oozing from Cassie’s nose. It’s not great for Cassie, but maybe a good sign that her powers were on full blast and got our message of warning through to the Tri.
“I am very not okay,” Cassie says. She sways slightly and lands in Merilee’s arms. They prop each other up.
“Hermes, why are you here?” Themis asks.
“It’s not like I had a choice,” he answers petulantly.
“You are a god. How did this boy get the better of you?” she demands.
“Pain hurts!” Hermes says, as if that’s all the explanation required.
Nico kicks him over. “Look, I don’t know what weird shit is going on here. I just want the portal. Point me to Pandora’s Box and you can continue your little show-down.”
Of course, Pandora’s Box. We need to open that portal.
I turn to Themis. “You’re right. This world would be better off with a redo. I’ll help you, but you have to open the portal and get Edie back.”
“I can’t,” Themis tells me.
“Can’t or won’t?” I ask.
“Can’t, dear. There’s a trick to the portal. One in, one out. That’s why I can’t rescue your friends.”
“My sister,” I growl.
“Regardless, I would have to lose my creatures...and they’re the only ones that can kill the Triumvirate.”
One in, one out. “Equivalency,” I say.
“Exactly! Balance in all.”
“Then send one back,” I say. “Exchanged for Edie.”
“What about Val?” Tina asks. I wave her off. I hope she trusts me. I’m just trying to get Themis to agree to open the damned portal.
“Is that bitch trying to double cross you?” I hear Shauna ask.
Themis is shaking her head. “I can’t do that either. The only way I can control the mother is if the baby is in my...care.”
“Then…” I look around. “Hermes. Throw Hermes in.”
“No.” Hermes sniffs. “Please, Themis. I’m the one who procured the portal. I’m the one who risked opening it to peek into Tartarus. I’m the one who suggested using the baby to get the mother to do what you wanted. I’ve been helping you this whole time!”
Nico looks down at him. “Wow, man. Show some backbone.” Griff growls his agreement behind me.
“You are also the one who involved the seer,” Themis tells him. “You’re the one who ran wild with Zeus for all those years. I never liked you.” Themis turns to me. “I’ll exchange Hermes for Edie. And good riddance.”
“No,” Hermes cries out again. “Daughter. Daughter, please.” I ignore him and turn to Tina.
“Bitch, this better be a ploy,” she whispers.
I look at the cage where the small wraith is and make a gun with my hand. I really hope she gets it because Themis has pulled out the portal. A small pottery jar that looks like it’s from the dawn of time. Wait, not so small. It grows in size before my eyes.
She walks over to Hermes, grabs him by his shirt collar and drags him to the giant portal.
“Look,” Nico says. “I know I said I just wanted Pandora’s Box for my client, but we’re not really going to leave Val over in that place. I know I used to hate the guy, but…”
I flash a look his way. Nico and I were partners for a long time; he still knows my shut the hell up look.
Themis removes the lid from the jar and then sets it in front of Hermes. “Open it,” she orders.
“Not if you’re gonna throw me in!” he protests.
Themis rolls her eyes and then leans down to whisper something in Hermes’ ear. All the color drains from his face. Themis steps back. Hermes forces a smile. “I’ve always wanted to visit the motherland, actually.” He stretches out a hand with his palm open above the jar.
The artifact starts to shake and then begins to glow a black purply light. With an ear-splitting whine, the light above the jar takes the shape of a circle.
Looking at the portal it doesn’t seem all that different from ones that I’ve gone through hundreds of times. Except this one leads to a totally different world.
“How will you find Edie?” I ask Themis.
“I’ve been studying all kinds of ancient Fae texts,” Themis tells us. “Thanks to Merilee, the helpful idiot.”
“Hey!” Cassie calls. Her eyes are dark circles now, the energy of sending out her message draining her. “Eat a bag of penises!”
“That’s not how that expression goes,” Shauna tells her.
“It still works,” Trevor says.
“I mean, that just sounds like a Tuesday night,” Mac adds.
“Would you all just shut up,” I yell. Thank the gods they make it easy for me to sell this act.
Themis places her fingers on Pandora’s Box and draws markings that light up and fade away. I hoped I could learn how to “set” the portal, but that looks impossible.
“There, the portal will appear to Edie,” Themis says. “If she has a half a brain, she’ll jump through.” Good, that means Val will be nearby. If those two are still alive, and I have to believe that they are, chances are they’re together.
“Hermes, time to go.” Themis lifts him up. I debate waiting until he’s been thrown through the portal. He’s such a slimy bastard. But Themis is a god. We’ll need all the help we can get. Maybe, if he sees we're fighting, he’ll join in. Long shot, I know but…
“NOW, SHAUNA!” I scream, shifting into my cat form and jumping onto Themis’ head. I scratch at her eyes.
Shauna is airborne, does a circle, then shoots into the lock on the wraith’s cage, blowing it to bits. Metal flies through the air, and the baby streams out of the cage. Shocked, Themis screams, dropping Hermes. I jump onto his shoulder.
“Fight with us, or die in Tartarus,” I tell him.
He blinks at me, then tackles Themis, trying to push her toward the open portal. Nico has Cassie and Merilee and is trying to drag them out of the way. Mac hits Themis with the force of his blue sex magic, getting her even closer to the portal. Unfortunately it hits Hermes too and he cowers to his knees, although he looks ecstatic.
I tumble to the ground, my cat body rolling.
“Go...go,” Shauna’s voice comes from behind me. “You’re free. Go home.”
“Shit, Mavis!” Tina calls and I turn to find the larger wraith appearing on the scene. She and Griff are closest to it. It reaches out a tendril and touches Tina on her leg. Tina screams in pain and tries to back away, but it has her in its hold. Griff lunges forward, grabbing hold of Tina. He roars as another tendril grabs hold of him too.
Trevor appears and screams, “Your baby is ugly! I wouldn’t vape that in a million years!”. A wild sort of scream comes out of the mother. The creature releases Tina and swipes at Trevor. The whip of smoke passes right through him, doing no damage.
“Kill them!” Themis shouts. “Kill them all!”
“I’m already dead,” Trevor shouts back. “Gods are such twats!”
The monster hesitates and I change back to my human form. “We released your baby! You don’t have to kill for her anymore. You can go home!”
Shauna lands on Tina’s shoulder. “We thought you were the bad guy...but you’re just a mommy. I’m sorry I exploded you.”
“But you seem fine,” Tina adds.
“Go home,” Griff says quietly.
The smaller monster moves to the larger one. It gets lost in the bigger one, combining with it before breaking off.
“Did they just hug?” Mac asks.
“It gets you in the feels,” Trevor says.
“Get out of the way,” I shout and everyone backs up. The monster glides toward the portal, toward Themis.
“I will make the world right,” she says, blocking their way.
“Move!” I shout.
But it’s too late. The larger monster reaches out a tentacle of smoke and pierces Themis through the chest. The tendril emerges from Themis’s mouth, lifting her whole body in the air. She shivers and shakes, all of her muscles going slack and tight again as the monster toys with her.
She wasn’t my mother.
But she cared for me when no one else would. She loved me. And I loved her.
A large hand rests on my shoulder. “I...I’m okay,” I assure Griff. But then I realize he’s just showing me he has Hermes in his grasp, dangling a few feet off the ground.
“I helped,” Hermes screeches. “Now let me go!”
“Like hell,” I tell him, turning back to the portal.
The monsters disappear into the portal, and Themis’ body falls to the ground, lifeless.
“Well, what the hell do we do now?” Mac asks.
“Just wait,” I say, staring at the portal opening. Tina walks up beside me, her expression both hopeful and terrified.
There’s a shimmer, then Edie walks out. Her hair is a mess, and she’s covered in bruises—some fresh, others fading to yellow. Even dirty as hell, she still looks like a million bucks. Beside me, Tina grabs my hand, squeezing.
“Two things went in,” I remind her. “Two have to come out.”
“Mavis?” Edie asks, her eyes meeting mine.
A sob escapes my throat as she comes to me, and I wrap my arms around her. She smells like smoke and fire, but she’s here. I almost collapse in relief.
I pull back from Edie to get a better look at her. Her eyes are dull and glassy, like she might be in shock. Her skin is cold, and I rub her arms. “Edie, you’re safe now,” I assure her. She offers a hesitant smile.
“Safe?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“I want my brother,” Tina screeches. She grabs Hermes by the back of his shirt and the seat of his pants.
“Tina, please. Don’t do this,” Hermes pleads.
“No, Tina! We have to wait. If he goes in, then something else has to—”
But it’s too late. She tosses Hermes through.
At the same moment that Hermes disappears, Val exits the portal. He’s filthy, too, and looks like he might have lost weight. He’s wearing a t-shirt that says, “I Went to Hell and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.”
Tina gives a low moan. She takes one stumbling step toward Val. “You,” she says, and then she collapses.
“What happened?” I rush to her side. Shauna beats me to it and in her human form shakes Tina. Much like Edie, Val has a hollow look behind his eyes.
“She just collapsed,” he says, his voice shaking.
“The wraith touched her!” Mac says.
“Is it some kind of supernatural infection?” Trevor asks.
“She’s dead!” Shauna sobs on her chest. I push her out of the way and check Tina’s pulse.
“She’s not dead,” I tell Shauna.
She sniffles. “She’s not?”
“What’s wrong with her then?” Mac asks.
The truth is, I have no idea. I run my hands across Tina’s body. On the back of her leg, I find...something. Like a tick, but bigger and yuckier. And definitely not of this world. Seeing it, Val hisses softly. Reaching down, he pulls it from Tina and then smashes it beneath his boot heel.
“What was that?” I ask him.
“Something bad,” he says. I wait for more, but that’s apparently all he has to say.
“Nico,” I say, “help me with Tina. We’ve got to get her in the van and find a magical healer.”
“Um, yeah,” he says. “Give me a minute.” I look up to find that while we were checking on Tina, he used it as a distraction to get his hands on Pandora’s Box. As he screws the lid on, the jar begins to shrink.
Shifting, Griff growls. Matching him, Nico also shifts and then right back.
I put a hand on Griff’s arm. “Let him go. We got what we wanted out of Pandora’s Box.” I show Nico my middle finger. “Adios, asshole,” then turn back to my team.
Both Edie and Val look like they’re in shock. We need to get them to an actual hospital, and fix whatever is wrong with Tina. I have an idea.
“Let’s get Tina to a healer. My friend Fern can fix her up…”
“Um… first we’re going to have to deal with that,” Mac says.
“What?” I ask. There’s a noise that’s been building for a few seconds, but with Tina collapsing I hadn’t fully registered it. The skies above us darken as if a strong storm is coming in.
The harpies have arrived.