Panacea's name was the origin of a word too. Actually, I'm not sure if you call it an origin if it's the same word, just not a name. A panacea is a remedy for all diseases and so she was agoddess of healing. I had gone to her and her sisters, including the Goddess Hygeia, during my pregnancy with Lesya. They saved Lesya's life by putting her in a magical incubator when I was injured in a war—Ragnarok, no less. Or the start of it. I think we technically stopped it before it finished.
Anyway, it looked as if Panacea was good at helping all ages of people, not just pregnant women and babies. She calmed Hermes enough that he was able to focus and lead us out of the room.
Chapter Eight
Hermes took us to his bedroom, and I tried not to gawk at the floating bed. It wasn't magic, mind you. Or maybe it was. With the way Hermes had his territory set up, sort of the opposite of a fantasy movie set, what looked to be a modern human piece of technology could very well be magic. Odd, but that was what he thought was edgy—hiding magic as technology. In this case, it was one of those beds that hovered via magnetic repulsion. Repulsion? Propulsion? Whatever, you know what I mean. The bed had powerful magnets on the bottom, and they pushed against the magnets on the floor. It was circular and surrounded by velvet curtains that hung from the ceiling, combining that modern bed with antique touches that made my head hurt.
The rest of the furniture was equally baffling, with intricately enameled Chinese pieces set beside sleek leather chairs, and paintings done by Monet hung near a Jackson Pollock. I guess the artists were both impressionists in their own way, so fair enough. Let's just call Hermes's style eclectic and be done with it.
What was most noteworthy was how we had to go through his bedroom and past that floating bed to reach the safe. And Hermes's safe was hidden behind a wall panel. Whoever had taken the Caduceus had known where to look. But here's the thing—the trickster had known where the Ark was kept and had gotten his hands on Lucifer's pitchfork as well. It had made us suspect someone in that pantheon. But it wasn't.
Then again. I suppose it could be. We still didn't knowthe trickster's true identity. That being said, if he was in the Christian Pantheon, it might explain how he knew where the Ark and the Devil's pitchfork were, but not where Hermes kept the Caduceus. Of course, this line of thought was only relevant if this thief was the trickster.
I took a sniff, switching to my dragon senses. Instantly, the room bloomed with color, scent trails becoming visible in a way my partially human brain could understand. I saw Hermes's scent immediately. It was all over the room, soaked into the furnishings and even the walls. A glance at him verified that it was his. Among it were other trails, but they were faint and none of them went near the safe.
The safe was a walk-in number with a door that would have been appropriate for a bank vault. I wasn't surprised by it. Or by the Batman way it swung out from the wall. I followed Hermes into a large space lined with wooden shelves and cabinets. I was impressed. Even his safe was paneled in wood and had a glass case in the center that was museum quality.
Kirill and Trevor came in behind me, sniffing the air.
I turned and shook my head at them. “Forget it. There's only Hermes in here.”
“How is that possible?” Hermes demanded.
From the safe's doorway, Odin cursed and drew back through the crowd. Yes, crowd. Not only had the Squad followed us, but so hadHermes's children. I frowned at them. Would one of them take their father's snakes? But no. If it had been one of them, there would have been a scent trail. I could see their scents. None of them had the power to mask them.
“The trickster,” I said. “Remember, we told you that he doesn't leave a trail? I think we can conclude that he took your caduceus.” I grimaced. “Unless someone close to you—someone who knows where you keep the Caduceus—has learned the sametrick and can mask their scent.”
“I guess that's possible,” Trevor said. “But unlikely. I think this is the work of the trickster.”
“So, what do we do?” Hermes asked.
“Honestly, there's not much that can be done,” I admitted. “There's no way to track him. Last time, we had to follow the clues . . .” I trailed off and looked at my husbands.
“The clues!” Trevor said. “If this was him, he would have left a clue.”
“Probably clue to next theft,” Kirill said.
I spun to face Hermes. “Where was the Caduceus kept?”
“Right here.” He motioned at a shelf that was empty.
The other shelves bore multiple items, but this one looked special. It was on the far wall and centered both horizontally and vertically. There was a good three feet between it and the shelf above it. I went closer. It wasn't entirely empty. A gold stand stood in the center of the shelf. It had a domed bottom supporting a slender metal pole with hooks at the top. Perfect for holding a scepter. I picked it up, and like a game of cups, revealed a prize.
“What is that?” Hermes drew closer, then picked up the item. “It's a shell.” He scowled as he looked up at me. “Why did the thief leave a shell behind?”
I sighed. “This is definitely the trickster. He always left clues for us to follow. It's part of his game. Granted, this is a little more vague than his usual clues. May I?”
Hermes handed me the shell.
“It's pretty,” I said. “I like how it's cut in half so you can see the spiral inside. Maybe there's something within the spiral.” Ipeered at the creamy interior and turned the shell, hoping to see a hidden message. There was nothing. Nothing except for the type of shell. “Hold on. This is a conch shell.” I ran my hand along the edge, lining the tapered shape. “The Hawaiians would blow through one end to create a trumpeting sound.”
“Do you think this is a reference to Hawaii?” Trevor asked. “Or maybe a connection to you?”
“If it is, it's very abstract. I didn't even recognize the shell right away because I've never seen it sliced in half like this. Here, pass this along to everyone.” I handed the shell to Trevor. “Maybe someone else will see something that I don't.”
Trevor and Kirill inspected the shell and then we left the safe. Kirill handed the shell to Re on his way out. The entire God Squad inspected it as we left the bedroom and headed back to the dining room. I thought we were out of luck. Maybe the trickster was being harder on Hermes because he didn't like him. I mean, totally understandable. But then Blue got a turn at the shell.
I heard him gasp just as we entered the dining room.
