“You’re right.” Or at least that was what I wanted to think. Because otherwise...I had no idea what these strange, inexplicable things made Paul.
Epilogue
SATURDAY DAWNED BRIGHTand sunny, and I arrived at SMHS half past seven, having decided that it was better to be extremely early rather than risk being a minute late and making our esteemed division director to wait for me.
Dike was a sight to behold when she arrived, with an intricately designed bronze helmet covering her hair and a resplendent centuries-old suit of armor worn over her tall, graceful figure.
One look at her, and I knew Mt. Olympus was strictly black-tie, Ancient Greece style – which also meant I had made the right choice.
Dike gave my outfit a cursory look, and I held my breath. I had donned a flowing white empire-cut dress with a belt of gold tassels that laid low on my hips and matched the woven pattern of my leather sandals.
“Good choice,” my superior said, and I silently breathed a sigh of relief.Thank Cronos for that.
Dike and I slid into the backseat of a black sedan, and as its engine roared into life, I looked about eagerly, wondering what it would shapeshift into. A winged stallion like Pegasus perhaps? Or maybe a sphinx or—-
The agent behind the wheel stepped on the gas, and the car sped out of the driveway.
Any minute now...
Any moment now...
Any time now...
“What are you looking like that for?” Dike asked blankly.
“I was, umm, trying to guess what this car would change into?”
“Aren’t you old enough to know that Transformers aren’t real?” The Daughter of Justice shook her head in disapproval. “You need to be more discerning between myth and fiction, Agent Vavrin.”
My mouth opened and closed. “I wasn’t – I never – so, this really isjusta car?”
The older woman shot me an irritable look. “What else could it be?”
I tried to wrap my head around what she was saying. “Then...it’s possible to drive to Mt. Olympus?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
And so it seemed as ten minutes later the car had sped past a wall of fog and onto a paved road that meandered through woods made breathtaking by its stunningly colorful foliage and drovepast a sparkling brook in which mermaids swam alongside frolicking water nymphs. Finally, the car rolled to a stop in front of massive golden doors, and I knew with every excited beat of my heart that what I was staring at was none other than the doors of Mt. Olympus itself.
“Chin up, Agent Vavrin,” Dike commanded as we stepped out of the car.
“Yes, Director.”
“Also, stop shaking.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Dike glared at me.
“I meant, I’ll never shake again in my entire life.”
“That’s better.” The Daughter of Justice nodded at the guardsmen flanking the entrance, and they slowly pushed the doors open, their muscles straining with every inch that I could only imagine how heavy the doors were. Could it be made of real gold?
A young girl in braids introduced herself as a Muse’s apprentice with a deep curtsy. Dike gave her a nod, so I started to nod as well – until I saw my boss glaring at me.
Oops.
I curtsied back to the young girl, and only then did Dike stop looking murderous.
