Unamused Muse (Mt. Olympus Employment Agency: Muse Book 2) (12 page)

I cleared my throat. “I’m fine. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. It’s book club day, is all. Go home. Take a nap or something. Come back tonight to set up like you did two weeks ago. You don’t mind, do you? It’s just that you handled them better than I ever have.”

“Oh! No. Of course not. I don’t mind. You enjoy your evening with your family. Give the baby a kiss for me.”

I bolted out of there as fast as my feet would move. Thanks to my guilty reaction, he’d been looking at me like I had a second head—though I guess having a second head around there wasn’t cause for anybody to raise an alarm. Besides, he might keep asking questions. My reaction had screamed “guilty conscience.”

Once I was in the dorm area, I locked myself in the bathroom and splashed water on my face. I had to pull it together. Phyllis would sprout vines and strangle me if she knew what I’d been up to today.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” I dried my face with a hand towel from the drawer and berated myself in the mirror. “Put the bubbles away. Don’t take chances like that again. Do you want to get stuck here forever?”

After a few deep breaths, I felt more in control of myself and went to my room.

“Wynter! You’re home early.” Phyllis sounded genuinely happy to see me. She was probably lonely in my room by herself all the time. Maybe I should have left her up top with Mark.

“Book club tonight.” I pulled the novel I’d brought with me out of my top drawer and placed it on the dresser. “Don’t let me forget that tonight.”

She stretched a branch toward my hand and stroked it. “Are you alright, sweetheart?”

I forced a smile. “Fine. Want to go watch TV in the common room? It’s too early for a nap yet.”

“Gods, yes.”

We spent the next few hours chatting about nothing and watching
Saved by the Bell
reruns and gardening shows. I wanted to tell her about the amazing thing I’d accomplished at the gate, but I was afraid to say anything. Phyllis wouldn’t understand how much I wanted to inspire people. She was all about protecting me—it was the entire reason she’d been given to me. And she believed the person I needed protecting from the most was me. If I told her, she’d be angry that I even had the bubbles in the first place.

I wanted to keep that warm feeling of having accomplished something magical without it being tainted by common sense and a lecture.

Plus, I was already beginning to forget my panic at the thought that I’d been caught using the bubbles. My need to play by the rules so I didn’t get stuck here was at odds with my desire to better myself, and in doing so, make things better for others.

The risks and benefits chased each other around in my head, and it was hard to concentrate on the shenanigans on television. The bubbles in my pocket felt hot, and my fingers itched to take the bottle out and open it. At the same time, my stomach clenched at the idea of getting into trouble for stealing from the gods.

Simply being with Phyllis soothed me, though, and it made me feel more confident about the choice I’d made. I’d made people happier—less scared.

Surely that was worth the risk of damning my career forever.

Chapter 12

I went back to the office an hour before the midnight meeting. Since I’d done it once before, I worked quickly to set the table and change out the light bulbs. I was a good half hour ahead of the creepy, silent caterer guys.

While I waited, I thumbed through the book I’d chosen, hoping it would please Hecate and satisfy the rest of the macabre women in the Hags of the Underworld book club. Clearly, the genre they’d been trying to read wasn’t doing the trick.

The caterers came and went, leaving a questionable spread including what looked to be a dead boa constrictor but may actually have been a spectacular cake. They also set out several bottles of wine.

I wasn’t convinced that was a great idea with this group, but it wasn’t my call.

Hecate glided in on her spiked heels, paused at the door to the meeting room long enough to crook a finger at me, then flounced off. I followed.

Of course I followed. If the goddess of witches and necromancy tells you to follow her, you follow her.

She was already seated at the head of the table, eyeing my handiwork. “Good. You even placed my gavel correctly.” She plopped her book on the table and patted it. Her nails were frosty pink and filed to sharp points. “Tonight we’ll be finished with this. Did you find me a new one, yet? I’d like to tell them what to start on next before they leave for the night.”

Her eyelashes were incredibly long. I wondered if they were fake. Or magically grown.

“Oh. Yes. Hang on.” I raced to my desk and grabbed my book, then hurried back. “Here.” I pushed it toward her across the table.

She picked it up between two fingers as if it were a dirty dishtowel, her lip curling on one side. “This is…horror.”

“Yes.” I kept my face neutral.

She sighed and put it down, pouting. “I was hoping for something that would enrich the minds of my girls. Teach them about the human condition.”

“Who says horror can’t do that? Or any genre, really. It depends on the book, not the genre.”

She leaned forward and fixed me with hypnotic eyes. “Did you feel enriched after reading this?”

I shrugged. “I felt entertained. A little terrified. I don’t know about enriched. Maybe?”

She flipped the book over and read the description. “It has cats.” Her eyes flashed at me. “Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?”

“Then you want it?”

She gave me a slow, satisfied smile. “Oh, I most definitely do. And I’ll want you to lead the meetings while we’re reading it.”

The small woman with the shock of dark hair—I thought someone had called her Nyx—waddled in and gave me the distraction I needed to duck out.

Holy crap. Things just got more complicated.

~*~

The Hags of the Underworld were fairly subdued that night. They managed to only break one glass. Most of the food was eaten rather than thrown, and they left by 2:00 AM. Parker was going to love that.

Hecate stopped by my desk on the way out. “Good meeting. We skimmed over the end of
Saving Selena
and talked about the next book. Everyone’s getting a copy and starting the first ten chapters for the next meeting. They seem excited.” She placed my book on my desk. “Think about what you’ll want to talk about in two weeks. Maybe have some discussion questions written ahead of time. They get antsy if you aren’t prepared.”

This was sounding more and more like my worst nightmare.

“I can’t…I won’t be here after that meeting, you know.”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I go back to Mt. Olympus in four weeks. So, the meeting after next, I’ll be gone.”

She frowned. “Then you’ll come back for the meetings. Nobody quits the book club. Once you’re in the club, you’re in it forever.” She glided away without looking back.

I slumped in my chair, hands over my face. What did forever mean to a goddess?

By the time I pulled myself together, the caterers were back to clean up the refreshments. I followed them in, since I was nominally in charge of the operation. Silent as the dead—I wondered if that might be a literal description—they moved swiftly to pile the leftovers and dirty dishes on their cart.

Looking at the pair gave me goose bumps. They were both so pale, and the skin around their eyes was grey and saggy. Other than a mole one had on his right cheek, they were identical.

I pulled my glance away and rubbed the bumps on my arms. The boa constrictor in the center of the table was missing most of his middle. Crumbs were scattered around it, and one eye was smeared where someone had dipped her finger in the frosting. Verifying the snake was a cake went a long way toward calming my nerves.

I pointed at a tray of bugs and worms. “Are those real bugs?”

The creepy caterer next to me stopped piling plates and swiveled his neck in a slow arc to look at me. He frowned and shook his head.

“Candy, maybe?” My voice was a little too high. This was more interaction with them than I’d planned.

He nodded and stared at me with bloodshot eyes. “Do you want me to save you some?” To my surprise, he didn’t sound like a zombie. But he did speak with a lisp.

Across the table, the guy with the mole spoke up. “Get her some cake, too. Shame to waste it.” He didn’t have a lisp, but he sounded perfectly normal, too.

“Thanks.” I rubbed my arms again, this time because I was embarrassed and wanted something to do with my hands. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

The lisper shrugged. “We got it. I’m Carson.” He stuck his hand out, and we shook. “And that’s my brother, Keatley.”

Keatley leaned across the table and shook my hand. “Pleasure.” He ducked his head, as if embarrassed, and used a cloth napkin to sweep crumbs from the table.

Carson cut an enormous chunk of snake cake and lifted it onto a plate with the knife. Beneath the snakeskin-painted fondant, the cake was a rich crimson. I assumed it was red velvet. Something gooey oozed from the center. I hoped it was chocolate or some sort of fruit compote.

Despite the disgusting visual, it smelled lovely.

Carson placed a plastic fork and several chocolate—I hoped—bugs next to it, then covered it all in plastic wrap. “Here. I know those dorm kitchens don’t have a lot of variety stocked in the pantries.”

I took the offered plate and smiled. “Thank you so much.” I shifted feet and watched them clearing up. “Are you sure I can’t help?”

Keatley peered at me from under the table where he was picking up dropped pieces of food. When I glanced over at him, he ducked away.

Carson pulled out a chair. “You’ve already done plenty, Miss Greene. Why don’t you have a seat? We’ll be done in a jiffy.”

I frowned but sat. “I haven’t done anything.

Keatley’s head popped up for a moment, then bobbed away. Carson chuckled. “Miss Greene, this is the cleanest we’ve ever seen this room, other than the last time you took care of the book club. You’ve already saved us at least an hour. Relax.”

I had no clue what I’d done to make the ladies less wild. It wasn’t as if I’d threatened them. The previous meeting, I’d yelled at them, but I probably shouldn’t have. I had no idea why they’d behaved this time.

With me out of the way, it didn’t take long for the pale brothers to finish up. The conference room looked the same as it had when I’d first come in several hours ago. The guys had even switched the black light bulbs for me.

On their way out, they both gave a little half-bow and pushed their carts out the door.

No, not at all weird.

I asked Phyllis what she knew about the brothers when I returned to my room.

She gave a little shiver of leaves in place of a shrug. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, for starters, are they dead?”

“Goodness no, dear. They were born here, and they’re quite alive.”

“Oh.” I thought about the strange way they’d been so silent until I addressed them, how reluctant Keatley had been to talk to me, and the strange little bows they gave as they left. “Are they…?” I didn’t know how to phrase it. Normal didn’t seem politically correct. I gave up. “Never mind.”

“Did they upset you?”

“No. That’s not it. Forget it. They were a little odd, is all. But most people are, I guess. Especially down here.” I lifted my hand to show her what I’d brought back. “They gave me leftover cake.”

“Is that a constrictor cake? I love those. So creative. Did you take a picture?”

I shook my head and unwrapped the plate. “No. Wish I had.” I flopped onto the bed and prodded at the insect with one tentative finger. “Is this a real bug?”

“What sort of place do you think this is? Of course it’s not a real bug.”

I snapped a leg off the carapace. Slivers of outer shell fell to the plate, and cream oozed from the hole I’d made. I poked it, then licked my finger. Delicious.

“Wynter, honey, you’ll never get to sleep if you eat that now.” She sounded scandalized.

I picked up the nasty looking thing and gave it a closer look. Beneath the chocolate, a thin, dark shell of crystallized sugar hid a sponge cake body filled with vanilla cream. Grinning at Phyllis, I bit off the head. It was how I ate chocolate bunnies at Easter. I saw no reason not to do the same here.

“Fine,” Phyllis said, drawing her branches in. “Don’t blame me if you can’t sleep. Those things are infused with espresso, you know.”

That explained why the sponge cake tasted like coffee.

I hopped off the bed to grab my purse. “I wasn’t planning to sleep yet anyway. It’s not even three yet.” The sugar and caffeine rushed through my veins, and I bounced across the room and flopped onto my bed. “I’ve got reading to do.”

Phyllis sighed. “You’re not going to stay up all night reading. You
do
have work tomorrow, you know.”

“I have to know this book inside and out. I chose it. And I have to lead the group discussion next meeting.”

Phyllis’s voice went quiet. “You what?”

I laughed, and it sounded like a cackle. “I’m a hag, now. And I can never leave book club. It’s forever. Isn’t that fantastic? I’m in a book club. With the goddesses of the Underworld. Because my life isn’t out of control enough.”

I opened the book and read the first sentence of
Palindrome Falls
out loud. “When David first saw the dead girl, she was surrounded by feral cats, and he thought she was his sister, Paula.”

“Wynter, this is serious. How are you supposed to go to this book club twice a month once we go home?”

I rolled my eyes and set the book down. “I’ll have to come back. Every two weeks. So says Hecate. Are
you
going to argue with her?”

“Absolutely not.”

I returned to the book and read the opening again. “When David first saw the dead girl, she was surrounded by feral cats, and he thought she was his sister, Paula.”

“Wynter, you don’t even have a keycard to get here.”

I eyed her over the top of my book. “I’ll figure it out. Can you let me read, already?”

Her leaves brushed together and rustled in a sigh. “You get into the strangest trouble.”

I read the sentence again, this time to myself. My eyes burned with fatigue. Phyllis needn’t have worried. The sugar and caffeine rush were short lived.

The second sentence was too long to finish before I fell asleep.