“Damn.” He looked around. “We're going to have to take the van. You won't fit in the sedan.”
“I can put away my wings,” I offered.
“Oh. All right then. That should work.” He looked at Que. “Hi! I'm Pan.”
“I'm Quetzalcoatl.” He shook Pan's hand. “But you can call me Que.”
“What?” Pan asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Que.”
“What?”
“Pan!” I growled.
Pan laughed. “Sorry, man.” He slapped Que's shoulder. “Just teasing you. You do know that—”
“My nickname means 'what' in Spanish,” Que finished with a grin. “Yes, that's why I chose it. And I knew you were teasing. I was playing along.”
“I like you!” Pan declared. “You have a much better sense of humor than Weetsy over there.”
“What did you call me?” Blue asked, aghast.
“Weetsy. You know, Weet-see-lah-po-cha-lee,” he stretched out Blue's proper name, pronouncing it semi-correctly. “I can give nicknames too.”
“Please, don't,” Blue said. “One is enough for me. And use the other one, Pan. I don't ever want to hear you try to pronounce my name again.”
“If you insist.” Pan spun around, shooting me a wink as he did, and headed to the driver's door.
I knew Pan could pronounce Huitzilopochtli just fine. I'd heard him do it. So had Blue, for that matter. But he was a little distracted by irritation and anxiety. I would have chided Pan for teasing the Aztecs, but he had been so anxious before that I was happy to see him playful.
I magically got rid of my wings and horns, then took the passenger's seat. I had to slide the seat back a bit. I was taller in that form, even without the horns. When we were all settled, Pan drove us back to his father's house. I mean manor. Que spent most of the ride gawking out the window like a golden retriever.
After we parked and got out, Que asked, “Why would a god want to make a territory that looks so human?”
“My dad likes to improve things,” Pan said. “His city is his improved version of a human one.”
“Seems a little arrogant,” I said.
“He's a god, Vervain,” Pan drawled. “We're all a bit arrogant. Including you.”
I gasped. “Am not!”
“Are too!” Pan got into the exchange immediately and started skipping to the front door of Messenger God Manor.
“Am not!” I insisted.
“Are too! Are too! Are too!”
“D2!” I shouted.
Pan stopped, spun to face me, stared at me in bafflement, and then his expression cleared with delight. “R2D2! That was a good one!”
“What are you idiots doing?” Angelia snarled as she yanked open the front door. “We're all waiting for you and you come back skipping and talkingStar Warsnonsense?”
“Star Warsis never nonsense, sister,” Pan said solemnly.
“Ugh!” Angelia's wings rustled. Then she saw Que. “Who are you?”
