Odin rolled up in his junker car, which was in serious need of a new muffler, and gunned it over the driveway lip and into the parking lot.
Zeus, who had been smiling, stiffened. He scowled at Odin’s car, then scowled even harder when Odin, every inch of him looking wild and thorny, stepped up out of the rust bucket.
“I’m here,” Odin announced. He scowled at Zeus. “Peacock.”
“Old stump.”
“Snuff pincher”
“Rock licker.”
“Where’s my check?”
“Where’s theelegantrefinedstatue of a seahorse I ordered?”
“I delivered it last Tuesday.”
“That was a seahorse?” Zeus brushed invisible lint from his cuffs. “I thought it was a large burned piece of macaroni and threw it in the bin.”
Odin curled his huge hand into a fist, his knuckles cracking. “It’s been a few years since I’ve punched you in the face.”
“No,” I said. I stepped between the two gods and faced Odin just as Ryder turned to put himself in front of Zeus. “This fight is going to be taken care of through business channels. I’ll assign you two an arbitrator if you can’t come to an agreement that doesn’t involve broken bones.”
Odin stopped glaring at Zeus over my shoulder long enough to look down at me.
“I mean it.” I put my hands on my hip.
“You always do.” He sniffed, then nodded. “We’ll renegotiate cost and delivery.”
“Zeus?” I said without looking back. “Agreed?”
He hesitated a moment. Then: “Agreed,” he said. “Now where is the vehicle?”
“This way.” Ryder led him toward the detached garage to one side of Frigg’s shop.
“You’re trouble.” I poked Odin in the chest. “I don’t need more trouble.”
“Tell Zeus to pay me before he throws my work in the trash.”
“You two bicker like old hens,” I said.
He grinned and stepped around me. “Jean, Hogan. Have you found out who broke into my realm and stole my spear yet?”
“We’re working on it,” I said.
“Well, I’m not.” Hogan leaned forward to offer Odin his hand.
Odin gave it a hearty shake. “You don’t know anything about it, do you? No one came wishing to you?”
“No. The few people who know what I can do aren’t stupid enough to steal from the gods. If anyone had asked, I would have told them no, then told Jean about it.”
“I thought as much,” Odin propped his wide, calloused hands on his hips. “What about you?”
He had his one eye turned on the shop behind us. I glanced over.
Frigg stood in front of the door, a huge travel mug of coffee in one hand. She was built like a volleyball player, tall and lean. Her golden hair was pulled back from her face with a clip, leaving the majority of it to fall free.
She looked like summer sunshine, gold and gleaming. Her eyes sparkled.
