For The Love Of A God (20 page)

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just a scrap piece of paper.” He stared down into her dark, trusting eyes, hating he had to deceive her. But there was no sense terrifying her further, not with what had to come. She'd be dealing with enough as it was. The least he could do was spare her another little bit of heartache. He held her against his body and reveled in the feel of her melting against him. “Do you trust me when I say I'll keep you safe, baby?"

She gazed up at him. “I trust you with my life."

He smiled. “And tonight you'll get your life back."

Clinging to Eryx and surrounded by Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus, Maia entered the museum as she'd never done before.

As mist.

It occurred to her that it felt just as she expected it might. Floaty and ethereal and light. She didn't feel the weight of her body, even as she held onto Eryx's stronger, heavier body. She only felt air upon air, and then they were inside the massive front doors. As they materialized, she felt a slight jolt, as if all her bones and muscles were popping back into place. There was no pain, but her head spun a little.

Eryx grinned down at her, happy he'd given her another little thrill.

"We should split up. Easier to spot the little bitch,” drawled Dionysus, looking fierce in his old-fashioned Grecian get-up.

They all looked intimidating, thought Maia. All except her. Whereas she'd dressed for comfort, in her leggings and favorite pink Converse sneakers, the four gods were brilliant in all their glory. Each was dressed in the robes and sandals they'd worn in her apartment, and each was armed with weapons fashioned to kill. Between Eryx's sword, Dionysus's daggers, and the harshly glittering arrows of the twins, they looked scary enough to take on every evil movie monster she'd ever seen flicker to life in a dark theater.

Beautiful, but definitely scary. And real, unlike all those celluloid creatures.

"No,” said Eryx, his arm looped possessively around Maia's shoulder. “We stay together. We hunt together. If we split up, she'll attack Maia. I'm not letting that happen."

She looked up at him, feeling sick to her stomach. He was going to battle for her. The gods of Olympus were going to battle for her. The fact it was going to occur in her beloved museum filled with precious artifacts didn't even cross her mind. Eryx was going to fight.

For her.

It didn't seem right.

"Tell me again why you can't just use your powers together to defeat her. There are four of you and just one of her. The odds do seem a little stacked in our favor."

Apollo smiled at her, as he would to a child. “I know it must seem that way, but we all have to be careful. Despite the fact we are gods, for lack of a better word, none of us is completely invincible. There are ways to take each of us down.” He paused, as if she might need time to let that the information sink in. “Maia, when we were ... created, we were all given unique abilities to help us perform our roles, but we each have limitations too. Yes, we are all strong. We are basically immortal. We can all change shape. Artemis and I can shoot an arrow. Dionysus can drink you under the table. And Eryx ... well, I'm guessing you've experienced his special talent."

She felt her body color from head to toe.

Eryx turned her from the knowing gaze of the others. “The thing is, because Nemesis is goddess of vengeance, she was given a few extra tricks so she could fulfill her duty."

"So,” Maia ventured. “You guys can't just summon a flood to wash her away?"

Eryx grinned. “We're not that good. Some of the old myths may have exaggerated our abilities."

"The elders might be able to do something like that,” said Dionysus. “The only one who has power over us all is the big cheese, Zeus. But no one's seen him in years. Last I heard he was farming cattle somewhere.” He rolled his eyes. “He's always been curiously fond of cows."

"Then why are we even doing this? If none of you can actually kill Nemesis ... and if she can't exactly kill you..."

"There are fates worse than death. Yes, we can live forever, but an eternity of pain and torture is not a desirable thing, little one,” Artemis said.

"I'm not little,” Maia murmured, perturbed. What was it with these gargantuan deities and their superiority complexes? The twins talked to her as if she were the village idiot and their wino pal insisted on looking at her as if she were dangling from a stripper pole. Eryx was the only one who didn't dismiss her intelligence. She had her Master's in conservation, for Christ's sake. She wasn't a bimbo.

Eryx squeezed her shoulder and whispered into her ear. “You may be little but you have the heart of a lion to be here."

"I'll never leave you."

His green eyes crinkled in a way which made her insides roil with apprehension. She had no idea what they were planning to do here tonight, and didn't even see how it would accomplish anything. It sounded as if Nemesis could only walk away unscathed, if a bit bruised perhaps. They were all so damn cryptic. Was this to be a fight to the death after all? Could any of them even die?

Could Eryx...?

No. She couldn't think about it. He'd asked her to trust him, and she'd sworn she would. If it was all she could do to help him in this bizarre quest, she'd do it wholeheartedly.

They stalked through the museum in some sort of crazy ancient battle formation, with Eryx at her side and the others clustered around them. Just watching the gods as their keen eyes darted around the dark hallways made her head spin. And the whole time, Eryx whispered sweet words of encouragement to her, making her feel even guiltier.

It was scary and surreal and gallant all at once, and Maia didn't know what to expect next.

She certainly hadn't expected a mummy to attack.

Maia recognized it first, her eyes growing wide. It was Princess Cleo, as museum staff had nicknamed her, and she was supposed to be slumbering forever, encased in glass in the Egyptian exhibit. In reality, the shriveled relic of the Egyptian princess seemed very much alive, and was shuffling toward them at an alarming speed. Her eyes, or rather the dead orbs which used to be her eyes, were white and focused on Maia. Her shrouded arms were outstretched, and a foul hiss emanated from her thin lips.

Artemis jumped in front of the little group, her elegant hand reaching behind for an arrow, Robin Hood-style. “Really, Nemesis?” she called into the dark hallway. “A mummy? How predictable. What's next? A T-Rex?"

The mummy reeled toward Maia, cursing and spitting through her ripped shroud. For a dead girl, she looked way too dangerous. She could only imagine what would happen if Cleo managed to get her stubby hands on her.

Luckily, Artemis was poised and ready. “Stand aside, boys,” the goddess murmured. “This old girl's mine."

She moved so quickly Maia didn't even see the arrow reach the bow. There was a zing as it flew through the air toward Princess Cleo, followed by several other lightning-like zings. The arrows thunked into the mummy, creating several puffs of dust. With a painful howl, she disintegrated before their eyes. Artemis then waved her hand, and her silver arrows flew back to her, like obedient boomerang puppies.

Maia could only stare. The old Maia would have been horrified at the extermination of the age-old mummy. The new Maia looked at Artemis in awe. She was one tall chick, and she called Maia “little” way too much, but that goddess was butch.

She was starting to wish she was a bit more like Artemis. Okay, a lot more.

Eryx leaned down and kissed her cheek, warming her with his unique flames of love. “Are you okay?"

"Better than the Egyptian curator is going to be tomorrow morning."

"War brings casualties,” sniffed Artemis, tucking an already-perfect strand of hair behind her perfect ear.

Once again, Maia marveled at the fact Eryx loved her at all. She felt like a three-toed sloth next to the silvery, shimmery goddess.

But she didn't have time to contemplate her resemblance to the hairy mammal for much longer. Down the hall, a shriek echoed. Then another and another.

"Something told me that was a little too easy,” grunted Eryx.

It sounded as if banshees had been let loose in the museum. Horrible, female screeches reverberated off every marble wall, deafening Maia. Even Eryx and the others had to cover their ears for a moment. Maia paled, wondering what on earth could make such an unholy sound.

Whatever it was, it was coming closer.

Eryx signaled Artemis and thrust Maia into the embrace of the goddess while the three men drew their weapons and raced forward.

"No!” Maia was shrieking now, reaching for Eryx. He couldn't leave her behind while he fought.

"Hush,” Artemis shouted over the din. “Let him concentrate."

"What is it? What's that noise?” Without wanting to, she turned and attempted to burrow against the silver chest armor of Artemis, but only succeeded in clunking her forehead against the cold metal.

"Furies. I haven't seen one in centuries. Nemesis has probably bred them just for this fine occasion."

"Please don't tell me they're immortal."

"Not really,” said Artemis. “But they can be hard to kill when they're flapping their wings in your face. A scratch from their talons might hurt someone like me, but the same scratch would kill someone like you."

The sound got nearer. And now the shrieks were accompanied by the sound of vicious flapping. They were around the corner, almost upon them. She could hear the swoosh of their massive wings from where she stood.

Before the furies could whip around the corner of the gallery, Apollo let loose a volley of his deadly golden arrows. As the monster-women flew around the turn, two of them flew right into the arrows. There were feathers and blood everywhere, and they fell to the ground as so much dead meat.

Which left about twenty furies behind. Angry ones.

They ripped through the air, aiming for the heads of the three male gods on the front line, great talons outstretched. Scratching, screaming bags of muscle and madness. Out to maim, out to kill.

Still covering her ears, Maia looked into the fray and tried to pick out Eryx's form. He was right in the thick of things, a shiny, powerful beast of a man. Swinging his sword and lopping off the heads of two furies at a time, stabbing into the blood-fouled air, and slicing through another. Grunting and growling, and fighting for her.

Dionysus was on the floor, grappling with a couple of massive she-birds. Apollo was surrounded, stabbing with his arrows.

For a moment, Maia wasn't sure her side was winning. There was so much blood.

"Can these ... things kill gods?” she called to Artemis.

"They can do us some damage, but that's not our concern. We need to keep them from you, little one,” Artemis replied, reaching for another arrow.

In the same split second, two furies swooped down on Artemis, clawing at the goddess's lovely face. Artemis screamed and held up her hands to defend herself, losing her grip on her arrow and on Maia.

It wasn't looking good.

Unthinking, Maia backed up against the wall. One of the biggest furies landed right in front of her, flexing her great wings, and leering with her woman's face. She cocked her head to the side, eyeing Maia, and seethed something in an ancient, unknown language. Maia held her breath. The monster's breath was as vile as the grave.

The fury seemed to be debating exactly how to eat Maia's face, because it didn't move for a moment. With only her instinct for self-preservation as her guide, Maia reached out and grabbed the only thing she could reach: one of Artemis's fallen arrows. Without stopping to plan her attack, she lunged, stabbing the creature in its downy chest over and over.

The great bird squawked, and keeled over.

"Yes,” she cried, wishing she could do a few cartwheels.

Buoyed by her small victory, Maia clutched her arrow and launched herself at the furies still tormenting Artemis. She didn't manage to kill them, but she distracted them enough that Artemis was able to rally. Within seconds they were as dead as their feathery sisters.

Artemis, her gorgeous face a mess of blood, seemed to be peering at Maia with new respect. Without wasting another moment, the two women raced to help the others.

Eryx was on the floor, on his back, swinging wildly at a cluster of furies above him. He was surrounded by the bodies of the ones he'd already felled, but like an unwanted green salad, the blasted things seemed to increase in number each time one of them was dispatched. Upon seeing Maia fighting, he shouted out to her, “Don't! Maia!"

But she wouldn't be dissuaded. She ran at one of the hideous beasts near him, but the thing turned on her, snarling and snapping. It raised its enormous claw.

Eryx jumped to his feet like an acrobat, brandishing his sword. He sliced through the air, and struck the heads off three of the furies. His way clear, he ran toward Maia and her fluffy adversary. Before the fury's claw ever ripped into Maia's mortal flesh, Eryx ran his sword through it, and pulled up, viciously slaughtering the beast.

His eyes wild, he turned and watched as Dionysus and the others killed off the remaining furies. Then he turned back to Maia and yanked her into his arms. Again and again, he ran his hands over her face, her back, and her arms. Convincing himself she was intact. “What were you thinking? You should have stayed put."

She shrugged. “I told you I wanted to help."

"You did,” he said, chuckling, tangling his hands in her blood-spattered hair. “But the shock almost killed me in the process. Please promise me you won't be quite so brave next time. I'm much happier with you hiding in the background."

"No way, bucko,” she laughed, kissing him. “Any more wild bird women come your way, I'm all over it."

They embraced, stopping only as the others regrouped after collecting their strewn weapons. The other gods approached, and Maia looked up.

And screamed.

Artemis was missing an eye. Rather, one of her perfect, dark eyes was hanging from its socket, leaving a bloody trail along her normally-unblemished cheek.

"Ohmigod,” Maia uttered, choking back bile.