Sirenz Back in Fashion (21 page)

“Where's Meg?” I blurted, overly bright.

“Uh … ” He hesitated and eyed me with suspicion. “She went to the bathroom.”

People around us stood motionless, staring.

“Thanks!” I said and dashed away, not caring who saw or who followed.

Meg

The Naked Truth

I walked as swiftly as I could, holding the fleece in front of me, my cheeks burning. Dancing couples turned to look at me as I passed—was it my newfound exhibitionism or the fleece? I didn't care; this would all be over in minutes.

I waited in the shadows for the ladies' room to clear out. When a large group departed, I hurried in. The common area was empty, and crouching—as much as I could in the restrictive “dress”—I could see no pairs of feet in the stalls. The stage was set for me to make my grand exit, and I knew I didn't have much time.

Looking in the mirror, I was startled by my own reflection. The scales glittered under the bright overhead lights. They hugged my chest, my hips and my thighs, giving me a streamlined look. It was eye-catching and it looked … great.
If I ever get back,
I thought,
and if I ever go to another club or dance, I'm going to wear something like this again.

The thought surprised me, then brought me back to the reason I was here in the first place—Shar. I had to get out of here and find her. I nodded at myself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and held up the fleece.

I heard fast footsteps in the hall outside. It was time; I wasn't about to do this in front of anyone.

“Here goes,” I said, and swung the thing behind me to drape it over my bare shoulders.

I heard the door squeal on its hinges and prayed that the innocent people coming into the bathroom wouldn't be scarred for life if they saw what happened next. But the fleece never touched me; it was ripped out of my hands. As I turned to see who'd come in, someone crashed into me and knocked me over. My head smacked against the wall. Scales dug into my leg; spots danced before my eyes, blurring my vision; and my breath left with a whoosh.

“Meg!”

Shar's voice?

“Meg!” Someone was slapping my cheek. As soon as my eyesight cleared, I saw Shar. She was dressed in a filthy pink shimmering dress that looked like it came out of one of those cast-of-thousands MGM Technicolor movies, and her face and hands were smudged with dirt.

“Stop slapping me!”

She grabbed my face and planted a hard kiss on my cheek.

“First you hit me, then you kiss me?” I said, rubbing the spot, laughing and crying at the same time. “I'm glad to see you, too, but how did you—”

I had to stop; my teeth were chattering so much that I could barely get any words out. If I was freezing before, I was a block of ice now. I started to get up, and Shar gasped. She scooped up the fleece from the floor, held it in front of me, and steered me into a corner. A glance in the mirror told me why; the scales were gone. I was
nekid
. For real this time!

And we weren't alone.

Three people stood behind her.

“Shar?” I heard Jeremy say uncertainly.

He walked over and looked at her, then turned to Paulina and another guy, and looked from them to Shar to me, confused and questioning. I didn't know who the stranger was; he was tall, with tousled blond hair. His blue suit was filthy, and his shirt, streaked with grime and half unbuttoned, hung out of his pants.

And why was he wearing a Superman tee underneath?

He smiled at me, with a familiar crooked grin. Paulina, standing next to him, could have been his sister; she was just as tall, with similar but not identical features. Both gazed down at me with warm gray eyes. It took everything I had not to stare at one of them, then the other. I felt my heart fluttering in my chest, butterflies in my stomach.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Paulina was a guy
.

How could I have missed it? There was no mistaking it now. Gone was the scarf. Her—no,
his
—shirt was unbuttoned to the middle of his taut chest. With glasses off and hair brushed aside, I could make out the faint, bluish tint of shadowy stubble on his chin.

“I knew you'd never send me away,” he said, his lips cracking into that weird half sneer, half grin.

“What?” Jeremy's eyes went from confused, to hurt, to angry in the course of about four seconds. “Okay. Now it all makes sense,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and glowered at me, his face flushed with rage. “First, I don't hear from you for days. After that it's one-word answers, week after week. You're always late—if you show at all. And you're always with your new roommate.” He lowered his head and laughed mockingly. “You never really had a new roommate, did you?” He jerked his head at Paulina—or Paul, or whatever his name was—and then turned an icy stare on Shar. “Covering for Meg. Nice. Well, enjoy, man.” He turned on his heel and rammed “P” in the shoulder as he left, slamming his palms against the door to open it.

“Wait! I … I … ” I reached out a hand after Jeremy's retreating back. The door slipped shut.

Shar still held the fleece in front of me, moving her head to block my view and meet my eyes.

“It's okay,” she soothed. “We'll fix it later.”

I leaned my head around Shar to look at the boy formally known as Paulina. “Who
are
you?”

He finished unbuttoning his shirt, shrugged it off, and handed it to me. His chest was the same golden tone as his skin, his torso solid, muscular, and rippling.

“I'm sorry, Meg. I didn't picture things happening like this.”

Crouching behind the outstretched fleece, I slid P's shirt on. It smelled of wild herbs and figs, something you'd catch a whiff of on top of a mountain looking over a span of azure sea. What was I thinking, reveling in the scent of his shirt, still warm from being next to him? He just ruined my life. I buttoned up the shirt; it fell almost to my knees, which made me feel slightly better. Or at least slightly less self-conscious. Underwear would help, but that wasn't forthcoming.

“I'm Pollux,” he said. “This is—”

Daggers of realization stabbed me all over. “Let me guess. Castor, your twin.” The baggy clothes, the getting up before the garbage men to be dressed, using the bathroom alone, the scarves over the Adam's apple, the lean, hard body, the big feet, the insatiable appetite. All of it screamed
Male! Male! Male!
And moron—that was for me.

“Call me Caz.” The blond guy bobbed his head, then turned to Shar. “She knows her mythology.”

“You have no idea,” she said, linking her arm through his.

“I guess this is what you were doing in Tartarus?” I asked.

She flushed. “I didn't get this dirty and messy dancing at a ball,” she quipped.

“I'm sure.” I stared at the door, wondering if I should go after Jeremy. Pollux moved closer and handed me his jacket. I put it on and said to him. “There was no deal with Hades, was there? He just wanted you.”

He nodded.

“We'd make a nice bargaining chip for him,” agreed Caz. “If he had both of us down there he'd be able to squeeze something out of Zeus.”

“But I knew you wouldn't send me there,” said Pollux, flashing the lopsided smile. “From the moment when I first saw you. Look,” he said, almost shyly, but reaching for me at the same time, “I wanted to talk to you, but … in a better setting than this,” He looked around, and was about to continue when I held up a hand and shook my head. I had a queasy feeling that I knew what he was about to say.

“Look, Paul—I mean, Pollux—this is … just … ” I glanced away for a moment, then looked up at him again, at a loss. “Awkward. That's what it is.”

He took my hand in his and squeezed it, tenderly. I felt overwhelmed, but I didn't pull away. Part of me wanted to hear what he had to say; the other thought of Jeremy.

Let's go over the thousand things that are wrong with this; he hid his identity from me, he killed my relationship with Jeremy, he lived with me. He saw me naked!

“I understand,” he said. “And I'm hoping you can see from the situation why I didn't … ” He paused, then held me with his gaze. “Why I didn't just tell you everything right away.”

There were several times when I felt the same way. I knew there was more to things than Hades revealed. And there was something else, too. A part of me
…
connected
to Pollux in some way, a tie that went beyond boy, girl, friend … I shrugged the feeling away; it was too close. Unbearably, uncomfortably, exquisitely close.

I felt everyone's eyes on me, as if they were waiting for me to do or say something.

“So now what?” I looked around. “Is it over?”

There was a rumbling from the full-length mirror at the end of the bathroom. Caz and Pollux looked at each other and nodded. The lights flickered and I thought I heard thunder.

They vanished.

Shar gasped and spun around and around. “I can't believe they left us!”

“And just in time for you-know-who,” I scowled, pointing to the mirror, which enlarged to the size of a doorway with stairs leading down. The whole room shuddered and dropped like it was a giant elevator, and then Hades stepped out dressed in a rumpled tuxedo, his shirt unbuttoned, the ends of his bow tie hanging on either side of his lipstick-stained collar. He stopped in front of us, arms over his chest, one hip thrust out, shaking his head in disapproval.

“Mission
not
accomplished.” He frowned. “And Sharisse, you naughty thing, sneaking out like that. How did you manage it?” His voice was quietly menacing. Shar stared at him, mutely defiant. “Very well. I'll have an eternity to persuade it out of you. I have my ways. I suspect my sire had a hand in this.
Tsk tsk
, Sharisse. You'll let that … thing kiss you, but not me?”

I turned to Shar, horror-stricken. “What the hell were you doing down there?”

Hades leaned closer and in a soft, ominous tone, said, “Kisses from Kronos are not so easily erased, and they carry a doom. And look, you were kind enough to share it with Margaret. You'll regret this,” he promised.

Shar turned her frosty eyes on Hades. “I don't think so,” she said through clenched teeth. “I did what I had to do to escape.”

“Then I hope you enjoyed your short visit.” Hades made a sweeping motion toward the gaping doorway. Tendrils of smoke rippled along the floor. “It's time for all of us to travel down under,” he said, grinning. “Ladies first.”

Shar

I'll Be Back

“
A
t least tell me why you wanted them both,” I said, standing with my fists jammed on my hips, foolish obstinacy holding the terror at bay.

“My little sweetmeat, I will be happy to explain things once we're safely snuggled in our little love nest.”

Insert evil grin and lecherous hand-rubbing here
, I thought.

“Oh, can't you ever just give it up?” demanded Meg. “You won, okay? We're slaves to you and your dog for eternity. Just tell us why you wanted Castor and Pollux.” Her eyes were spitting ice-blue fire. Hades gave her that maddeningly sexy I've-got-dark-promises-to-keep look. After the barest of moments, he threw up his hands.

“I guess I can be a magnanimous winner. As always. Castor and Pollux separated cannot negate the powers of my minions—the Furies, the Harpies, and of course, you two Sirens. Although you might have noticed that when you were in Pollux's presence, Margaret, you weren't quite as … alluring.”

Meg narrowed her eyes at him and I made a rolling motion with my hand. “So I've heard.”

Hades brushed back a stray lock. “While Zeus isn't the greatest of fathers, he seems to take exception when someone steps on his parental toes. By holding both Castor and Pollux, I could do a little collective bargaining.”

“For what?” I didn't think Hades could possibly get more time with Persephone, because (a) Demeter would bring on another ice age and Zeus wouldn't allow that, (b) I didn't think he was
that
lonely; he found playmates like me to amuse him even if he had to use bribery, blackmail, and bullying, and (c) if you're going to take on the top guy, you might as well ask for something
big
,
like maybe your birthright to rule Olympus. I guessed there could be tons more explanations, but who knew Hades' mind?

He exhaled and, forming a triangle with his fingers, looked coolly first at me, then at Meg.

“What I want from Zeus, I'll keep to myself. One never knows when another opportunity may present itself.”

“Wouldn't it have been easier just to tell me who Pollux was?” Meg demanded. “Oh, wait—you had no deal with him, so that makes this an
illegal
take down.”

Hades gave her a withering glare. “My methods for this transaction could be considered by some to be …
unorthodox
.
But I'll be glad to explain it all once we're back at my place. Shall we go?”

As he gallantly swept his arm toward the portal, we all heard a rumbling sound. Like thunder. Hades spun around and I think he swore in Greek.

“Hurry! Get in
now
!”
He went to shove us in, but Meg did a fancy move I didn't know she could do and twirled out of his way while shoving me aside, out of his reach. Like the explosion of a silent bomb, a brilliant white light erupted, blinding me. I had to turn aside and cover my eyes. When I could sense the light had died, I opened them again. There stood Pollux, Caz, and a man who was Hades' equal in stunning looks, but golden to Hades' dark. He wore a white silk shirt, white pants, and gold sandals. On his head was a laurel wreath.

I could
feel
the power radiating off him. I gulped, looked over at Meg, and mouthed “Zeus!” She jerked her head once, her eyes large with dread.

Hades scowled. “Hello, bro-ther,” he said, then looked at the twins. “Ran home to Daddy, did you?”

“Careful, Hades. I'm not happy to be here.” Zeus looked around in disgust. “Do you get off on dragging people to skanky places? I can only imagine what Tartarus looks like.”

“Oh, it's beautiful!” I interrupted, then slapped a hand over my ill-mannered mouth.

Zeus scowled at me. “Mortal, speak. How do you know?”

As Hades stepped forward, he gave me a shut-up-or-I'll-deal-with-you-later glare. “She's been my guest, and a difficult one at that. Cerberus hasn't been the same since she's cared for him. She'll have to return to rectify the situation.”

“I didn't do anything to that slobbering—”

“You called him a good goggy,” Hades said in disgust. “And now all he wants to do is cuddle! Who's going to guard my borders?”

Ignoring Hades' complaint, Zeus turned to me. “Is this true, a guest?”

“A former Siren who had no choice!” blurted Meg. Hades should have included her in his quelling look. I sent her a grateful glance. She winked.

“This is a story I must hear.” Zeus snapped his fingers. We were suddenly lounging in white caftans on soft white cushions on a white boat. At least the sea was blue. Another god with a serious color phobia.

“Are we in Olympus?” I asked.

“Only gods and demi-gods are permitted on Olympus. We are currently in the Aegean Sea. Neutral territory, courtesy of Poseidon. Should anything befall me”—and he sent a distrustful glance in Hades' direction—“Poseidon is witness for the pantheon.” Hades didn't even blink.

Servants in traditional white Greek chitons walked around, offering gold plates laden with fruits and some type of drink. Zeus plucked a fat ripe strawberry, tapped the beautiful maid on her tush, and turned to us.

“Begin.”

Hades' mouth started to open, but Zeus, without so much as looking in his direction, wagged a finger.

“You”—he pointed at Meg—“start. Your name?”

“I'm Meg, and Shar's my friend.”

“And you're Sirens?”

“Yes, but we were forced—”

He snorted. “I hear that all the time. You humans really need to come up with a better excuse when you make a bad deal.” He popped a green grape into his mouth. “Continue.”

Meg gave a quick rundown of her last assignment, up to the moment she was in the bathroom. Zeus nodded, Hades fumed, and I listened.

“But you didn't force the fleece on Pollux or order him to put it on,” he mused.

Meg blushed. “I … couldn't. And I didn't know that Pollux was male, or a demi-god.” She stared at her toes. “I could have ordered him to do it if I
had
known, and honestly, I might have.” Then she raised her head and said defensively, “To save Shar from Hades, I was going to put the fleece on myself and go to Tartarus, but I got lucky—she escaped in time to stop me.”

It was my turn to wink at her.

“Nice try, Hades, but this will not go undealt with.” Zeus sucked on a juicy pear, his eyes boring into Hades' before he turned to me. “And what do you have to add to this tale?”

Then I shared what happened in my little corner of the Underworld, minus the little heart-to-heart Hades and I had during the ball. I didn't think that almost-kiss-and-tell was a need-to-know. His eyes unreadable, Hades simply stared at me.

“Hmmm.” Zeus selected a fig. Didn't he eat before he left home? “For restoring my sons, your honesty to me, your loyalty to each other, and the wisdom you exhibited, I will grant each of you a boon. Speak.”

“Can we confer?” I asked. No sense wasting divinely granted requests on the same thing.

He tipped his head once. “You may.”

I rushed over to Meg, sat beside her, and whispered in her ear, “What do you want?”

“I want us to be done with Hades!” she hissed.

I wiped the spit from my ear. “If you ask for that, then I can ask for Eurydice, Orpheus, and Splendor to have Zeus' protection. Hades will want to get even with them for helping me.”

“It's a deal.” We shook on it.

“I want—” I began.

“Done!” said Zeus.

“But how did you—”

He cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh, right, omniscient,” I said meekly.

Hades gave a disgruntled snort. “No, you two whisper loud enough for Poseidon to hear it under the sea.”

Zeus rose, and at his pointed glare, we jumped up too.

“You are freed from your contract with Hades. Eurydice will stay reunited with Orpheus, but they must remain in the Elysian Fields.”

“What happened to them?” I interrupted.

Hades tossed an olive over the side of the boat. “It was ridiculous for them to think they could make it to the mortal plane.” He swallowed distastefully. “They're dead—they can never leave. However, they are reunited for all eternity, so I've kept my side of the bargain.” He nodded in smug satisfaction over this small win.

“After three thousand years,” I argued.

Zeus held out his hands. “It's Hades' realm, and that cannot be changed. Now, once Charon resumes his post, Aglaia will return to Olympus with the status of Favored Muse. Until that time she will be unmolested by you, brother.”

Hades sighed and nodded grimly.

As I cleared my throat, Meg's mouth dropped open and she gave a barely perceptible shake of her head, begging me not to say anything apocalyptic. But I rushed on. “Sir, Aglaia has some people on Olympus who aren't fans of hers, and she's worried about, uh, upsetting the serenity of the pantheon.”

Zeus roared with laughter. “Nicely put, Sharisse, but Aglaia will be under my protection and need not fear Hera. Serenity of the pantheon! Ha ha! That's a new one. You mortals are so amusing when you aren't a pain in the
ouo
.”
He chuckled a few more times before turning with a stern regard to Hades. “And you know the rules. You cannot approach them claiming the contract is unfulfilled or with tainted gifts. We clear?”

With a killing look, Hades did a stiff little bow.

“And keep Persephone on a short leash when she's back with you. I don't want her chasing these delightful girls. I need to have a little chat with Demeter on their behalf, and with Hera before Splendor returns to Olympus.”

Before I could say thank you, Zeus was gone and we were back in the girls' bathroom in our own clothes. Zeus had thoughtfully provided Meg with jeans. Nice ones, too! He was a class act, even if intimidating.

“Shar, can I talk to you for a moment?” asked Caz. With an apprehensive glance at Hades, who seemed to be sulking in a corner, I put my hand in his outstretched one and we walked into the gym, onto the middle of the dance floor.

“I never got to ask you to dance.” He gathered me close and breathed in my ear, sending chills down my spine as we swayed to the music. I snuggled closer, ignoring the gaping mouths and pointed fingers of Alana and posse.

“This is nice,” I murmured, thinking,
I have a date for the Spring Fling! I'm at the Spring Fling!

We danced for a few minutes, enjoying the closeness, before he spoke again.

“I have to leave.”

Sadly, I knew that, although I'd hoped for at least an hour of mortal time with him. “I know,” I mumbled into his neck. He rubbed my back, his strong hands gentle and soothing.

“Can I come back to see you?”

I pulled back to look at him. “Would you? I mean, do you want to?”

He smiled that roguish smile and my legs just wanted to give out, so I held on tighter.

“Yes. How about next week, your time? I'm going to lie low for a little bit while Hera and Zeus scream at each other. I suspect that Demeter, Persephone, Hermes, and who-knows-which gods will jump into the fight.”

“Kind of like ‘Celebrity Deathmatch,' ” I giggled.

“You got it. But as soon as it's clear, I'll be back.”

I nodded, a tear threatening to make a run for it. When it rolled, he wiped it gently with his thumb.

“It won't be that long.” He bent his head to mine and kissed me, slow and sweet and deep.

I lost all track of time and space and everything else. There was only Caz and me. When my head was swimming, he pulled back.

“Gotta go.” He frowned. “Be careful of Hades. He's a poor loser. And he wants you. You're the one that—”

“Says no.” I laughed shortly.

He shook his head. “No, you're the one who got away; from him, from Tartarus, from your obligation to him. He'll be gunning for you especially, but Meg's in just as much danger.”

I sniffed. With a brief kiss, he walked out the door into the night beyond, and was gone. I trudged back to the ladies' room.

Meg jumped. “You just left—” And then she nodded sagely.
Been there, done that.

Pollux stepped between us, ushering Meg to the side.

“I hope I can see you again.” His stormy gray eyes, identical to his brother's, pleaded with Meg, who held up her hands and backed away, shaking her head.

“I don't think I can do this now, Pollux. I need to try and make things right with Jeremy, even if it's over.” She shook her head. “I can't imagine what he thinks was going on.” She gulped. “There's too much … ”

“Weirdness?” I supplied. If Meg's looks could kill, I'd be sizzling on Emeril's grill.

“Strangeness and secrecy and Siren juju,” she said slowly. “I think we should keep it friendly.”

Pollux had a cute lopsided grin that was more pronounced than Caz's. I could see that there was something between him and Meg—why couldn't she?

He held her with his eyes. “Okay, whatever you want—for now. But I don't give up easily, Meg.” He stole a quick kiss before she could object. “I don't give up at all.”

Oh yeah, she's feeling the love.
Her blush and lack of strong objection were proof.
Jeremy is a nice, sweet guy, but he's last year's look—out of fashion and so done.

Pollux vanished.

That left Hades.

“Now that those sappy goodbyes have been exchanged, it's my turn.”

Meg reached for my hand and we held tight.

“Here it comes,” she said out of the side of her mouth.

“He can't do anything to us,” I whispered with a false bravado.