“Oops,” I said dryly.
Aleksanteri blinked his round, owl eyes at me. “What are you talking about? Never-living owls, H's and A's? This is serious! Athena needs you to attend her.”
“Maybe we should warn Hades,” I said to the men. “Since he's another H.”
“I seriously doubt someone is targeting Olympians whose names start with H!” Alex shouted.
I glared him into silence.
“It's far more likely that they're targeting the least powerful and working their way up,” Odin suggested. “All right; let's put this on hold and see what Athena has to say.”
We all stood up, and Alex sighed in relief; the sound whistling out of his beak.
“Thank you.” Aleksanteri wobbled into the hallway and then glided down the spiraling stairwell to the tracing room on the bottom floor of the palace.
“I'll ask Aidan to come up and watch TV in here until Lesya wakes up,” Trevor offered.
“Aidan is out vith girlfriend,” Kirill said.
“Girlfriend?” I asked in surprise.
“He's dating a demoness.” Kirill grinned.
“How perfect,” Odin murmured. “It may just take a demon to put up with his hellish humor.”
I shot Odin a look, and he shrugged, completely unrepentant.
“Lucian is home,” Kirill said. “I'll ask him.”
Morpheus, Torrent, and Artemis decided to join us as well. Since Artemis was an Olympian too, I didn't think Athena would mind. I contemplated calling Hades, but I had a feeling that Athena had done that already. So, we saw to my daughter care and then traced to Olympus.
My first day back from V-Day vacations and it was turning out to be a long one.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Athena lives in Zeus' old palace on the highest peak of Mount Olympus. She'd been slowly redecorating. I'd noticed some changes when I'd been there to talk about the Argentinian Gods, but it was a lot more evident on this visit.
The pure white, Grecian palace was now done up inside like a Victorian home. Hand-painted wallpaper covered the walls; some in rich, velvet-embossed, jewel tones, and some in softer pastels. There was stained glass in the windows, carved crown moldings near the ceilings, and frosted globe lamps sitting atop spindly tables. Athena met us in the garden courtyard before the palace and led us through the comfy interior until we settled in a chinoiserie sitting room.
The Chinese influence was overdone in the best, Victorian way. Hand-painted designs of delicate trees, blossoming flowers, and long-feathered birds adorned the gilded walls. Moldings drooped in pagoda slopes painted a soft sage green. An enormous, gold and green mirror hung over the moss-green, marble fireplace, its sweeping lines topped with dancing Chinese people. A blue and white, china urn sat before the cold fireplace and tables which perfectly fit the niches to either side held more vases in similar styles. The modern-Victorian couches curved their gilded arms and backs beneath cushions in the same green as the accent molding. I took a seat on a couch set before an intricately painted folding screen. The perfection made me nervous. I folded my hands in my lap, afraid to touch anything.
Hades and Persephone were indeed there already, sitting in some chairs by the fireplace, and the remaining Olympians were scattered around the large room. Poseidon, Apollo, Hestia, and Hermes; the tally fell far short of the original twelve.
“Thank you for coming,” Athena said. “I'm glad you were with Vervain, Artemis. I sent Aleksanteri to your territory but you weren't there.”
“We were trying to find Nemesis,” Artemis said.
“Nemesis is missing too?” Athena looked at the other gods in concern. “Are there any other Greeks missing?”
“I'll check,” Aleksanteri offered and flew off his perch in a corner and out an open window.
“What's going on?” Hades growled as he pulled off his sunglasses with a sharp motion. Flames flared brightly behind the translucent brown of his irises.
“Easy, Hotness.” Persephone laid a comforting hand on her husband's arm. “We'll figure it out.”
“I haven't heard any rumors of vendettas against us.” Hermes scowled as if his ignorance concerned him more than the fact that his fellow gods were missing.
Hermes is Pan's father, and he used to be one of Aphrodite's lovers. We'd been at odds with each other for a long time. But then Lesya had gone missing, and Hermes had helped me. I wouldn't forget that. Not ever. We had a sort of grudging truce going now, and I was learning that being friends with the Messenger God had its perks. Hermes had a news empire that included several sources. Although, it seemed that his sources had failed him this time.
