They brightened up at that and started cleaning up the Legos.
“Thanks again,” I said to Samantha. Then I looked at Eztli and Blue. “Are you two going to join us?”
Blue shook his head. “I'm going to try to get in touch with Och-Kan. I'll text if I find him.”
“Thanks, Blue.” I gave him and Eztli a wave as they headed toward the tracing room together. Then I bent to kiss my kids one more time. “I'll see you two later tonight, but you had better be sleeping by then. Be good for Aunty Sam.”
“Okay, Mama,” Lesya and Vero agreed.
I went back inside with Viper and opened the door to the tracing chamber. We'd installed the door after Lesya had learned how to trace. We didn't want her running off on her own so we had to find a way to keep her out while letting everyone else through. Odin came up with the solution: a door with a spell that recognized the age of whoever touched the handle. It only allowed people over eighteen to enter.
Viper and I traced to Austin's house and were about to knock on his front door when we heard voices coming from the backyard. We ventured around the side of the house and found a party. Gods sprawled in the sun on lawn chairs and sat at the picnic table with beers in hand and satisfied looks on their faces. I spied a pile of takeout containers in a loose garbage bag near Austin's drink cooler and noted the smudges of barbecue sauce. One whiff and I knew where they'd gone. It was still morning there but the line starts forming at 7 AM for Snow's BBQ.
“You hadSnow'swithout me?” I nearly roared.
The happy conversations stopped and everyone turned to stare at me with startled eyes.
“Ah, shit,” Austin murmured. “Her eyes are all fiery again. That's bad, right?”
“Da, it's bad,” Kirill said as he stood up. “Austin vas going to show us around town, but he said since ve'd come so early, ve might as vell get Snow's.” He approached me with his hands out to his sides like he would a dangerous animal. “Ve came back here to eat.”
“I cannot believe you got barbecue—thatbarbecue—without me,” I snarled.
Kirill reached the picnic table and picked up two foam containers. “Ve bought a plate for both of you. Ve have some for Blue and Eztli too. Vhere are zey?”
“They went to check on a lead,” I said absently as I snatched the top plate. “Thank you, you beautiful, sexy man. I'm starving!”
“No kidding,” Kirill muttered as I swept past him and slid onto the end of a bench at the picnic table.
“Thanks.” Viper took his plate less savagely. “Does this mean there are two extra plates up for grabs?”
The other gods shared considering looks, then shifted those stare to the extra plates of barbecue in the center of the picnic table.
“I think you may have to fight for them,” Morpheus noted.
“I'm good with that.” Viper climbed onto the bench beside me.
“No fighting,” I lifted my head from my food briefly to growl. “Share.” Then I went back to stuffing my face.
“Sweet Jesus, Vervain,” Austin declared as he watched me tear into a hunk of brisket. “Chew.”
“I am chewing,” I snapped.
“Okay.” He held up his hands in surrender. “Did you guys find out anythin'? You said some'n about a lead?”
I grunted, leaving Viper to explain.
“It can't be any of the Aztec snake gods; they're either the wrong sex or had an alibi for last night,” Viper reported, then sucked sauce off his finger.
I eyed his other sauce-covered fingers hungrily and he moved them out of biting range.
“Anyway, going by the description of a green snake”—Viper gave me a wary look—“the only one it could be is this Maya god named Och-Kan, but Quetzalcoatl doesn't think it's him.”
“And why is that?” Trevor asked.
“He's some kind of spiritual guy.” Viper shrugged. “He teaches shamans. Or he's a snake shaman; I'm not sure.”
“I'm familiar with him,” Odin said. “I agree with Quetzalcoatl; I don't think it's Och-Kan.”
