Norris looked around wildly to make sure he wouldn’t squash anyone if he turned into a Dunkleosteus before the curse could break. The Defenders were all there, plus their pets and friends and family. All the damage had been repaired, the Christmas tree was thoroughly decorated, and bowls and platters of festive candies and cookies and savory snacks were on every flat surface. A banner hung across the room, decorated with velociraptor, hellhound, Gabriel hound, chimera, phoenix, cave bear, kitten, puppy, dragonette, sugar glider, and bugbear prints, reading, HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE DEFENDERS & PETS.
There wasn’t enough room for Norris to spread his arms without touching someone or banging into something, let alone room to become a giant armored fish.
“Hello, fish boy,” came an unexpected but familiar voice.
Norris blinked bewilderedly at the sight of a plump, gray-haired woman in red velour stretch pants and a hideous knitted sweater with spookily elongated gingerbread men. A hairless creature the size of a Chihuahua sat at her feet, its scorpion tail curled over its back. It blinked its yellow eyes and yawned, showing its forked tongue. The demonic-looking creature was wearing a fuzzy knit sweater with a pattern of lopsided, leering snowmen.
“Kerenza!” Norris exclaimed.
But he had no thoughts to spare to wonder what she was doing there. He’d brought his mate to the holiday party. The spell should have broken. The about-to-turn-into-a-Dunkleosteus feeling ought to have go away. But instead, it was intensifying.
Then he realized that Annabeth was still in the elevator, holding it open with one hand and dubiously eyeing the fanged, scorpion-tailed creature at Kerenza’s feet.
“Annabeth! You’re not technically at the party!” Norris gasped. “You have to come out to break the curse!”
Annabeth rushed out into the middle of the room. She flung out her arms and declaimed, “I’m here! I’m Norris’s mate! I’m at the party! The curse is broken!”
The heat inside Norris blazed even hotter. The floor seemed to pitch under his feet. Sweat was dripping down his face.
I cannot hold off the shift much longer,came the ponderous yet stressed voice of his Dunkleosteus.
Kerenza yanked a zip-lock bag out of her purse and hurled the contents in his face. A cloud of pink powder enveloped his head. Norris sneezed three times. As the powder dissipated, he realized that the hot, about-to-explode feeling had vanished.
He stared at Kerenza, baffled. “Did you do that?”
“What do you think, sonny?” Kerenza replied with a snort.
Annabeth returned to his side, taking care to stay out of ankle-biting range of the fanged, scorpion-tailed creature at Kerenza’s feet. “What’s that thing in the sweater?”
Kerenza sniffed. “Thatthingis a purebred miniature manticore, young lady. Her name is Blossom. What was all that nonsense you were spouting about parties and curses?”
“Hey!” Norris said indignantly.
“It wasn’t nonsense,” Annabeth said. “This witch named Kerenza told Norris the curse could only be broken if he brought his mate to the Defenders’ holiday party.”
“I’m Kerenza.” The plump witch drew herself up to her full height, which wasn’t much. “And I said no such thing. I broke the curse just now. You had nothing to do with it.”
“What?!” Norris and Annabeth exclaimed.
A beat later, his inner Dunkleosteus said,“What?!”
“Whyever would you think...” Kerenza began, then trailed off. She squinted upward. Norris guessed that she was mentally replaying their phone conversation. He sure was.
“You told me I had to bring my mate to the Defenders’ holiday party to break the curse,” he said, but he could hear the uncertainty in his voice. “Didn’t you?”
“Young man, I saidyouneeded to come to the Defenders’ holiday party to break the curse. Because I was coming to the party, and I could break the curse. Convenient, see?”
“Then why did you tell me to bring my mate?” Norris demanded, baffled.
“Because I wanted to meet her. I was curious about her, fish boy.” Kerenza eyed Annabeth. “Fond of swimming finny things, are you?”
“I’m getting a PhD in marine biology,” Annabeth said. “And don’t call my mate fish boy!”
Blossom hissed, her lips writhing back from her protruding fangs.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Norris said hurriedly. “It’s a term of endearment. I think.”
Annabeth’s lips were quivering. For a horrified instant, Norris thought she was about to burst into tears. Instead, she burst out laughing. In between gales, she gasped, “So I never needed to come! She just wanted to meet me!” She gulped, wiped her eyes, and said, “Actually, I have to thank you twice over, Kerenza. Thank you for taking off the curse. And thank you for misleading Norris—”
