The other men grimaced at Trevor.
“You weren't in that mirror with us.” Trevor shook his head adamantly. “Everything was an illusion; nothing could be trusted. It makes you really think about how things are perceived. I want some solid proof of who's behind this. I want to be certain I kill the right god, and I'm not tricked again.”
“Itwasconfusing in there,” I confirmed. “And you're right, Trevor, it messes with your mind. It reminds me of coming out of Iktomi's Internet after he tortured me. Reality becomes suspect. You feel as if you can't trust your own eyes.”
“Iktomi,” Odin hissed. “That's one son of a bitch I'm relieved to know is dead.”
“It took a lot to kill him,” Azrael added.
“At least we know Narcissus isn't that strong,” I said. “If it is him, he shouldn't be too hard to kill.”
The men groaned.
“Sorry.” I grimaced. “I didn't mean to jinx us.”
“Don't concern yourself with jinxes,” Re said confidently. “The Fates are on your side, remember?”
If only Re had known that those words were a jinx even worse than mine.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“She was right behind me,” Athena said. “No more than two feet away.”
The Greek Gods shuffled behind the Lady of Olympus. There were more than Olympians with Athena today. Torrent was still there with Artie but there was also Morpheus, Dionysus, his wife Ariadne, Donnie's wife Amphitrite, their son Triton, and the Erotes (Greek Gods of Love). They all looked nervous. Their pantheon had just come under attack a few months ago; Triton and Athena were the most affected. Well, them, Zeus, and Hera. Zeus had been roasted over a campfire and eaten; you couldn't get more affected than that.
“Just tell us what happened, Athena,” Odin said gently.
“We were all taking shifts watching Apollo, Artemis, and Torrent,” Athena said. “Hestia was with me, but I was focused on Apollo. I didn't think to look for her until the end of our shift. Anteros and Himeros came to relieve us and that's when we noticed that she was gone.”
“We went to her home, but she wasn't there either,” Himeros said. “Hestia never leaves the mountain, but we've searched Olympus and she isn't here.”
“Show me where you—”
Before I could finish, a couple of Greek gods who I didn't recognize came in with Cephissus They weren't dragging him exactly, but he wasn't coming peacefully either. Cephissus finally managed to pull his arms free of their death-grips—though I think it was because they let him—and straightened his clothes indignantly. The two gods who were escorting Cephissus nodded at Athena and then took up positions near the door to the living room we were meeting in.
I'd been in this room before, back when Zeus owned the place. It had an entire wall that was open to a terrace with an incredible view of Oceanus. Salty air shifted the chiffon curtains lazily. They looked similar to the ones that had been there before but the rest of the room was very different. A baby grand piano immediately grabbed the eye, its glassy, ebony surface the darkest thing in the room. The rest of the furniture posed before the piano, upholstered in soft gray velvet, and a matching carpet covered the tile floor. To add a gleam to the gray, an abundance of mirrored surfaces invaded the room. Those surfaces were making me as nervous as the Greeks, but I refused to be cowed by reflections. The room would be good for me; aversion therapy.
Cephissus plopped down on the only available seat, the piano bench, and glared at Athena. “What do you want?”
“Your son,” Athena said. “The Council needs to question Narcissus but no one has been able to reach him.”
Cephissus smirked. “I'll tell you the same thing I told her.” He jerked his thumb at me. “I gave my son a part of my territory, and he made it impenetrable. You can't pass through; no one can.”
“How did he do that?” Athena stood to confront Cephissus, and the River God paled. “Tell me, Cephissus, or I shall hold you responsible for your son's actions.”
“You can't do that!” He shouted and stood. “I had nothing to do with his choices. All I did was provide for my child as any parent would.”
“You're harboring a fugitive,” Athena said coldly. “A murderer who may have killed two Olympians and the Goddess of Revenge. Those are grounds for execution and if you keep us from Narcissus, I shall execute you instead.”
“You can't!”
“I can,” Athena assured him. “And I will if you don't start talking.”
“I don't know how he did it,” Cephissus growled.
“Narcissus must have told you something,” Athena insisted. “How do you get in touch with him?”
Cephissus clamped his mouth shut and glared stubbornly at Athena.
