Volcanoes (10 page)

"If I let loose a bolt, I'll hit Drew. He's pissed and refuses to back off."

"Jesus," I exclaimed. I didn't think. I ran forward and slashed up, catching Hypnos' dagger at the hil
t before he could score another hit on Drew.

"Interesting," Hypnos murmured.

I didn't bother engaging in verbal sparring. I knew that I was going to
barely
make it out of this alive, if at all. My other blade swung toward the back of his neck.

Uncertain
ty furrowed his brow and he backed up, facing Drew and I so he could see both of us at once. It would have been idiotic of him to let one of us at his back - he was most certainly not stupid.

His sudden change of expression caught me off guard. I knew tha
t look. He was expecting someone. It was the same look of annoyance I wore when I was waiting for someone to meet me somewhere and they were late.

"He's got someone coming," I called and thrust my blade toward his midsection at the same time Drew swung at
his neck. Despite our differences lately, we still worked well in tandem.

'You go high, I'll take low,'
I thought at him. He acknowledged my thoughts with a brief nod and started attacking at a greater speed. I wasn't sure if it was because he'd been hol
ding back or he had just now realized that I was here - keeping Hypnos on the defense made him less likely to figure out he could kill me.

Who knew what a stab through the stomach would do to me now? Healing bots didn't work so well when they were in a co
ma.

Hypnos dodged a chop and parried my thrust at his stomach. "How did you know I was waiting for someone?"

I whirled and swept the back of his legs with mine. "You have an expressive face," I answered. As he stumbled, I followed my sweep with a cut to t
he back of his knees scoring a hit.

He grunted in pain but kept moving. Had my nanites been in effect, the force of my blow would have severed his legs. This merely left a thick slice that seeped blood.  Yeah, that was frustrating.

Drew tried to take adv
antage of the distraction but was met with a flurry of blades that left his chest a bloodied mess. Something still wasn't right. Hypnos had deflected my strikes but hadn't once swung at me. He'd concentrated on wounding Drew instead.

I took a step back, d
ucked and looked toward Zeus.

"Aw shit."

Posy, Poseidon's daughter, had drawn down the moisture that Zeus had conjured for a storm and was drowning him with it. A globule of water surrounded his head and he couldn't disperse it without hurting her. She ha
d a glassy eyed look that screamed mind control.

I looked up to the sky and yelled, "Really?"

How utterly fucked up was this situation? He'd been injured trying to save her life and bring her home, yet here she was trying to k
ill him. Well, I had no problem hurting her. I rushed forward, raising my kukri and switched the angle of the blade at the last moment, bringing the hilt down on the back of her head. I still had muscle behind my swing and while I wouldn't smash her brain
s
in with the force, I could knock her out.

She dropped like a sack of oranges. The water cascaded from Zeus' face and dripped down his chest as he gasped for breath.

I shook my head at him and exclaimed, "Next time just brain her, you idiot."

I turned aro
und to see how Drew was faring. Hypnos was gripping a handful of Drew's hair, stretching his neck taut. "Take a step and his head comes off."

I stopped. What else was I going to do?  "This was never about you getting to me was it? You could have stepped a
cross those wards at any time during the last week and yet you chose today when Drew and Dylan were home with me."

My realization dawned with the widening grin on his face. He wanted me to puzzle it out and finally grasp the horror of what he was about to
do.

"Why me?" It seemed like a logical starting point. What had I done to him that would make him destroy my world?

"I really liked my brother, Grace. A lot." To emphasize his point, he drew a line across Drew's neck. Beads of blood welled up and started s
lowly gathering to trickle down to his chest.

"Next time I'm up against one of your family and need to defend my life, would you like me to stop them mid-swing and ask them to text you to let you know that I don't have a choice?"

Okay, that was a ridicul
ous question. I wasn't thinking clearly. Zeus wasn't 100% and obviously Drew wasn't going to sweep in and save us since he was the one with the blade to his neck. Dylan was downstairs with Scooter who hadn't followed me up the stairs and for once I was gr
a
teful for his stubbornness. He was going to stay with the kid. I thanked every single deity I could think of.

Hypnos
’
face froze in a mask of cold rage and the sword bit deeper into Drew's neck. It wasn't too late to save him. As long as his head stayed o
n his body, we could still keep him alive.

I looked at Drew and raised an eyebrow. "How do you keep getting yourself into these situations Adonis? I swear you're worse than Lois Lane."

To his credit, he tried to smile at me through the grimace of pain. I c
ouldn't let this happen. I couldn't let Dylan lose both of his fathers within weeks of each other.

I could feel myself heating up with the fear, anger and anxiety of this entire situation. At this point I should have been bursting into flames and I again
mourned the loss of powers that could save this man.

"Wait a minute! Let's take a minute and think this through. You won't accomplish anything by killing Adonis." My words came out panicked - just short of hysterical.

At this, Hypnos smiled. "What happene
d to the smart assed girl who was mocking me just a moment ago? Did she get smart and flee?"

I stomped down the urge to show him just where that smart assed girl had gone and nodded.

He looked smug. He liked seeing me afraid. I could do afraid right now.
I could get down on my knees and cry and plead with him if that's what it would take to save Drew's life.

"What if you just took me out? Would you leave my family alone?" Don't ask where that came from. I have no idea. It just popped out of my mouth. I ch
alk it up to Crazy Grace Logic.

The evil smile was back and I could see him tensing his bicep to finish the job. "Nope," he said simply before drawing back his arm. The sword was just biting through the tendons of Drew's neck when a spear pierced through
Drew's chest between his breastbone and left shoulder.

My mouth dropped open in shock. And oddly enough, so did Hypnos'. It was then that I realized he'd been stabbed through the middle of his chest.

He released his grip and Drew slid off the weapon and
fell to the ground. I dove forward, trying to get to him before Hypnos could regain the upper hand.

I looked up and saw him staring at me. He opened his mouth and a bubble of blood popped between his lips. "Not over," he croaked. "Next time I'm coming aft
er the kid."

With all of the rage and terror his words made me feel, I swung my sword in a wide arc, aiming for his neck. I would chop his fucking head off and then I wouldn't have to worry about him hurting my kid ever again.

But I was too late. He disa
ppeared, leaving me trembling on the ground in fear for my son's life.

When I looked up, it hit me that Hypnos was the least of my problems. My mother's furious gaze locked onto mine and I knew that if she'd had the power, I would be buried six feet under.

"Did I just hear you offer to trade yourself for Adonis?" my mother bellowed, throwing the bloodied weapon to the ground.

She knelt down next to Drew and sealed his wound, making sure he wouldn't die of blood loss. Then she stormed over
to me, grabbed me by the shirt collar, hauled off and rabbit punched me in the nose.

My head snapped back and I could hear the cartilage of my nose burst like a ripe melon. Blood sprayed from my face and I gasped. My mother had just punched me in the fac
e.

My hands shot up to stem the flow of blood and I backed away as quickly as I could, falling to the ground.

"Diana!" Thundered Zeus. "What the hell did you just do?"

"I'm treating her the same way I'd treat any other Hunter who continued to act as stup
idly as she has. They'd get a complete ass kicking and extra training until they got it through their thick heads that they were to stop acting like an idiot."

Her chest was heaving and I could see the leashed anger flowing around her like a wave of shimme
ring heat. Shit. I was afraid of my mother. I had grown complacent and frankly she was right. There had been a lot of leeway given to me because I was Diana's last living child. Maybe it was time for that to stop.

Zeus picked me up off the ground and shot
his wife an angry glare. "Let's get you fixed up, kid. By the way, you're coming home. This nonsense where you think you get to be independent is going to stop." He was gruff but gentle as he led me up the steps.

"I can'd belieb she hit mbe." I croaked o
ut around the pain and blood.

"Can't say you didn't deserve it. You never offer yourself up as hostage. If you were more diligent in your studies you'd know that."

"I wuzend dinking," I answered.

"You never do, dear."

He bellowed down the basement stair
s for Scooter and Dylan to get their asses into the kitchen so we could get out of here. I tried to protest. I needed my laptop and phone before I could leave.

I wasn't being listened to. He merely gathered the troops and teleported us out. Drew was left
in Diana
’
s care. I wasn't going to be calling her Mother again until she apologized for breaking my nose.

Yeah
–
that would teach her.

I was dumped unceremoniously in my rooms and Zeus took off with my kid before I had a chance to blink.

It was all I co
uld do to not stomp my foot and bellow in my frustration. I didn
’
t stand up for myself and they
’
d walk all over me. I
did
stand up for myself and I was considered a stubborn, temperamental bitch who just wanted her own way. Where was the fucking middle gro
und here?

Honestly, I wanted to know. Where
was
the middle ground? I had no idea. I
’
ve tried to live my life in absolutes because the gray areas are tricky at best and my ability to interpret subtle hints was practically non-existent.  I guess that it hur
t me more than helped at this point.

I wandered into the bathroom with my head tilted back to try and stem the flow of blood. Three trips over my own feet, two stubbed toes and a lot of swearing later, I was sitting on the toilet with a hand towel pressed
against my swelling nose - and crying.

For nearly a year I'd juggled writing, being a superhero and trying to maintain a solid relationship with my son. I was conveniently forgetting my failed attempt at romance. Bringing that into the mix was just addin
g salt to the wounds because frankly I was failing.

My kid
–
hell, I didn't even know who he was anymore and at every turn I had failed to keep him safe.  I started a new mental list.

1.
                  
Start talking to the kid more.

1.
                  
Let the kid know that he means the world to me and be a better mother by being more accessible.

Yeah - that sounded better and encompassed the entire situation nicely. As soon as the nose stopped bleeding I'd write that down for real.

I couldn't do much
about the writing at this point in time, though. I didn't even have my laptop with me. That just led me to focusing on my apparent lack of power.  I was a sitting duck. Diana had said that I just needed time and everything would reboot.

I was confused.  W
hat did burning out my nanites have to do with losing my super-powers? I
’
d thought that was a genetic thing. Hadn't Zeus injected me with a genetic cocktail - along with my initial dose of nanites - to give me all of these powers?

Why would my nanites be
blocking my abilities? I thought they just worked to keep me young and alive. They were supposed to make sure I was in peak physical condition.

2.
                  
Talk to Zeus about what these nanites really did and why I couldn't light a match - much less my body - on f
ire.

My nose throbbed and I really tried to stop the flow of tears but the leaky faucet was broken and they continued to trail down my face.  It may have seemed like I should have been able to take the pain, because Lord knows I'd taken enough of it in th
e last year, but I couldn't. I was a huge baby and this broken nose hurt. So did the fact that my mother had given it to me.

"So you're feeling sorry for yourself again," Poseidon casually drawled from the doorway.

I gave him a baleful glare around the b
loody towel.

"I'b nod feedin sorry for byself," I growled.

He sighed and stepped forward, snatching my nose between his fingers before I could jerk back out of the way, and pulled. The howl that left me could have given a banshee a run for her money. I l
ashed out with my hands and feet, trying to get away from him and the pain he was causing.

He absentmindedly bonked me on the head and said, "Shut up and calm down. I'm healing your nose."

I shrank back and let him continue his fiddling with my nose. Like
my mother's healing, warmth spread through my face and he stepped back to scrutinize his work.

He frowned and stepped back and grabbed my tender nose. "Didn't get it right," he muttered.

"I'mb willing to
—
" was all I got out before he jerked again and the
n pressed his fingertips to the swollen flesh.

"Mbother Fuuuu!" The words came out strangled and my limbs jerked with the flash of pain.

"You should be able to blow the blood out and it will be fine. It may be just a little tender so don't go banging it
into things for the next couple of days."

I eyed him with distrust but took a deep breath and blew clots of blood into the ruined towel. Gross. I gagged and tried to keep it together.

"Thank you," I said around the retching noises.

"How did you break you
r nose?"

"Diana punched me in the face," I said calmly. Who said I couldn't put on a good show?

He raised an eyebrow and grinned. "It's about time. I thought she was never going to get back to her old self."

I gasped in outrage. "Dude! That is child abuse!
"

"Really?" He asked mockingly. "You're what thirty-four
–
thirty-five? I don't think you qualify as a child anymore, despite your immaturity and stubbornness."

My mouth dropped open and I muttered, "Oh hell no," before s
tanding abruptly and pushing past him out of the bathroom. I didn't have to take this.

He grabbed my arm as I tried to slide past him and guided me into my sitting room. At least I had the maturity to follow instead of dragging my feet. Immature and stubb
orn, my ass.

He turned a raised an eyebrow at me. "Really?"

"What is up with everyone around here being able to read minds but me?"

He laughed. "I promise that I can't read your mind but your face and body language speak volumes, dear."

"Yeah, that's what
they all say," I grumbled. "So what are you doing here Poseidon? Not that I don't enjoy your company." I mentioned as an aside. "As far as I'm concerned, you're all right."

"Well I've got two things to do. First, I need to check the mercury levels in you
r bloodstream. It fucks with your nanites."

I raised my eyebrows at his language. "Salty," I commented casually.

"It must be all the ocean water," he responded with a smirk.

Hah, he was funny. I gave him a small smile and nodded. "So what do you need to d
o to check for those levels?"

"I just wanna hold your hand."

"Wow, you're on a roll." I gave him my hand
–
grinning now.

He took my hand in his firm grip and closed his eyes. Before I could take a second breath, he'd let it go.

"So doc, how am I doin?"

"
You're good, kid."

"Excellent. What's the second thing you needed me for?"

"Your mother wants me to teach you diplomacy. She seems to think that your manners are lacking
–
not to mention your patience."

I grimaced and forced myself to not roll my eyes. "An
d how do we go about that?"

"I haven't heard from my contact at the Mermend encampment in Scotland in over two months. They are set up for a monthly check-in and I've let it slide due to the other stuff that has been going on."

Mermend? Now he had my atte
ntion. I leaned forward and exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap! Mermaids are real?"

His lips quirked in a grin and he shook his head. "Yes, Grace. Mermaids are real. Any other questions before we head out?"

"Oh my God I have so many questions!" I exclaimed.

"Any questions regarding our mission to find my emissary?"

"Nooo," I moaned, disappointed. "Wait, yes." I said after a minute.

"Well?" He asked impatiently.

"How am I going to breathe? Are we looking on land or in the ocean?"

His smile widened and he r
ubbed his hands together in glee. "Oh we're going into the ocean, Grace."

I stepped back, suddenly afraid. "Last time I checked, I couldn't breathe underwater, sir. How in the hell do you suppose I'll stay alive during this mission?"

What had my mother bee
n thinking? First she busted me in the nose and now she was trying to kill me by drowning me in the ocean? Damn, she was a cold bitch.

Poseidon stopped and breathed in a heavy sigh, annoyed. "I am considered the God of the Sea, Grace. How do you
suppose
y
ou'll survive this?"

He rolled his eyes at me and preceded me out the door.

My own eyes narrowed with suspicion. I wasn't going to rule out the idea that my mother had grown tired of my crap and was going to just off me. "I'll go, but if I think for an i
nstant that you're going to let me drown, you are…
Okay there's nothing I can do. But I'm going to be pissed," I warned.

"Duly noted," he replied with mock sincerity.

"Should I tell someone that we're going?"

He raised a questioning eyebrow at me. "Do yo
u feel like you need to tell someone that you're leaving?"

I shrugged with a chagrined nod. "Yeah. With my luck lately, it's probably a good idea."

He stopped to consider that for a moment and then nodded. "Yep, you are definitely right. We'll pop into Hep
h's forge and let him know before we head out."

"I guess he's as good as anyone," I replied wryly. I had been thinking more along the lines of Zeus or my mother, but Heph would do.

***

"What do you mean you're taking her to Scotland to visit the fish peop
le?" Heph bellowed and gestured wildly with his hands.

I ducked out of the way and watched in shock as he and Poseidon had a shouting match over a simple diplomacy mission. I'd already been on missions more dangerous than just having to point and wink my
way into the hearts of a new species.

After coming up empty at Heph's forge, Poseidon had dragged me through what seemed like the entire city of Olympus to find him.  I admit I was surprised that Heph wasn't in his usual haunt. It looked to me like he was
starting to come out of his shell. That was good. He had much to offer once he got past his stubborn jackass shell.

We found him in a wing of the palace that I was unfamiliar with. It looked rather dusty from disuse and I wondered briefly why it wasn't o
ccupied.