Just one.
The thought of calling up Chuck and asking for his help bothered her more than it should have, but she surmised he could possibly be her only option.
Chuck, like Mars, was a power player.He’d cut his teeth in his youth, alongside the God and Goddess of War, as their chariot horse.Athena, Mars, and Pegasus were an unstoppable trio, and at the time, Calliope could not deny the draw there.And Chuck’s supernatural form—a stunning white unicorn with large, feathered wings that were as soft as the clouds themselves—held power all on its own, too.His pegacorn dust—the remnants of magic dropped by the creature—was as powerful as the smoke the oracles received their visions from.One only had to be dusted by Pegasus’s magical leavings to receive visions of fate and death.A tool Athena and Mars had used to both their advantages at many points in their lives.
And then the band broke up.Athena separated from her father, leaving Mars and Pegasus to their own devices, and thus, Olympus’s most prominent bromance was born.Pegasus turned into Chuck, and Chuck became everyone’s favorite winged pony.Except hers.
Calliope paused the tape, a soft knocking alerting her.She froze, worry grazing her psyche, but she settled momentarily, thinking perhaps Isabelle or Spike had returned, that they forgot something, or perhaps, Spike had an inkling of what they should be looking for—or who—and she would nothaveto reach out to her ex-lover at all.
But when Calliope reached the door, she felt her blood rush and her heart nearly stop, because it was not Izzy or Spike.It was Theodore.
She blinked, not thinking twice about unlocking the door and pulling it open enough to speak to the man.
“Theo, I did not expect to see you here until tomorrow.”
Honestly, she hadn’t expected to see him at all, since what had transpired between them was awkward enough any man in their right mind would have bailed on the situation.
They’d slept together, before knowing the truth, of course, but the truth remained that they’d crossed a line they didn’t know existed.And then with the news of the theft, and everything surrounding it, Calliope would not have blamed Theo one bit if he had pulled out of the work-study.
“I thought maybe you could use some company?”he said carefully, that awkwardness and adorable shyness rearing its head once more, making Calliope’s insides warm.
She knew she should turn him away.She did not have time or the emotional bandwidth to deal with romantic entanglements in the midst of everything else, but she could not help herself when Theo was looking at her the way he was.
She opened the door wider, motioning for him to come in.
“I suppose I could give you the tour now, if you like.Before I close up, here.”
Theo nodded as he entered, the archway of the door being as thin as it was put him up against her as he walked through.
Calliope tried her hardest to ignore the way her bodyheatedwhen he walked past her, as if her blood itself was on fire.
Bad idea, Callie.Don’t go there.You know better.
Still, despite her feelings on the matter, she couldn’t help but close her eyes and breathe in his earthy, spicy scent that warmed her to her toes.And when he’d entered the space, leaving her alone in the doorway once more, she hated the feeling.
She closed the door, locking it and turning to see Theo in the room, his hands slipped into his jean pockets, the motion drawing attention to his broad shoulders and neck, his dark hair.
His perfect, round ass.
Calliope tried to force the thoughts aside.This is certainly not what Theodore Lange came to the gallery for, and she needed to remember where she stood.
She could not become some lust-hungry fool in the midst of such turmoil and unrest.She had a job to do, after all.
“So, typically when we have an exhibition like this, everything remains on display for a few months, but sometimes we display artwork from my classes and the other classes in the art department.And every spring, we do a senior show, where the students get to have their own art show before they graduate, so spring is usually the busiest time here.”
Theo nodded as he walked around, checking out the current items on exhibition.
“And what is this exhibition?The one the diviner was part of?”
Calliope casually strolled up to him, as he looked at a vase that once held magical elixirs.
“It was an exhibition on magical artifacts.”
Theo looked at the vase, squinting at it.“Magic, huh?Like,I put a spell on you?”
Calliope smirked.“Not quite.The artifacts in this show were believed to have aided the gods themselves.Not as vehicles of power, but rather as artifacts of divination.”
“You mean like fortune telling?”
