Godtown

Chapter Twenty-Five

The coffee Demeter serves me is icy as it slides down my throat like a tasteless cold front. I look around the room at the other patrons of Demeter's Diner to see the owner glaring at me with all the warmth of a forest fire. I smile cordially, raising the glass high into the air in a toasting gesture before I pour the remainder of the contents down my throat.

An instant later, she's by my side, dressed in a tight purple shirt and dark blue jeans which do very little to hide her curves. A stream of golden, steaming liquid pours into my cup, instantly smoldering what's left of Demeter's frosty service, replacing it with coffee every bit as smooth and hot as the body beneath her clothes.

I catch a glance of Persephone's gaze before she goes to the next table. There's something in her eyes, but it's so fleeting I can't make it out. In a second, she's gone from my table, and I find the coffee she left in my glass, for all its warmth, is still a poor substitute for her.

I curse myself for not saying a word, not even a thank you. I'm this close to slapping my head in frustration, but then I realize Demeter is still watching me like a hawk. I don't want to give her an inch of satisfaction.

Then again, it's probably been a long time since Demeter received an inch of satisfaction otherwise.

My eyes follow Persephone as she makes her rounds from table to table. Old gods smile when they see her. A goddess comments on her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Persephone's cheek turns red as she smiles.

I want to follow Persephone's form more, but a large, bulky figure momentarily blocks my view of her. I am leaning in and out of my chair trying to catch a sight of her purple shirt or denim jeans. Like an eclipse, the stranger's large form has completely blocked the sight of Persephone, which for all intents and purposes, is the sun to me. Then I realize whose form it is.

It's Thor.

He has a bandage over his right eye. I have a feeling Ares slugged him pretty good. He's staring right at me. I think he's looking for some payback. I search his face for any emotion. I receive none.

Then he takes his glass of Ambrosia and raises it toward me in a toast. I return the gesture. I know what happened last time. He regards me for an instant and then turns back to his paper. I turn back to the empty contents of my coffee cup, and I am once again disappointed.

I've lost sight of Persephone completely at this point. With nothing else to do, I search my pockets for a few small favors to leave on the table as a tip for Demeter. Knowing her, she probably sees it as an offering. As I stand up to reach for my coat, my arm connects to a pert touch of flesh.

Persephone is there, coming around the other side with her coffee cup. I'm instantly flustered at the sight of her. I say the only two words which come to mind.

"I'm sorry," I said.

She looks at me with wild hazel green eyes and says the only two words on my mind.

"I remember."

Her arms dip my face into hers before they come to reside on the back of my neck. My hands run down her side before racing down the small of her back, going lower and lower as our lips meet. Her coffee pot has fallen at my feet, sending it hot liquid coursing over my shoes, but it's lukewarm compared with what I have in mind.

I can't feel the piercing gaze of Demeter because she's gone. The entire diner is gone, for that matter, with its old gods. Even Thor is gone. It's all come down to Persephone and me. She looks at me for an instant and she takes a step back, darkness consuming her figure like smoke. I am left alone in the darkness of my own mind.

It's all a dream. I know that now. I also know today is the day it stops being a dream.

Today is the day it starts being real.

***

I woke up in my bed, alone. I told myself the empty feeling in my gut would go out soon enough, but it didn't help much. I climbed out bed, my limbs stiff and my vision blurry. I poured myself two glasses from the ambrosia Morpheus had given me, one for me and one for my loneliness. My loneliness was never a social drinker and left me halfway through the second glass. It does little to deter the crisp taste of cool ambrosia as it glides down my throat.

I Conjured up a shower, the water blasting down on my lanky frame, cleansing me of the blood and dirt from Valhalla and Northland. I held my head directly under the spigot for longer the usual, letting the water softly pummel my face. I hoped it would muffle the lingering questions rattling around my heart, but to my chagrin, all the hot water in Godtown couldn't distract me from doubt.

I had delivered Loki to Horus, who was a duly appointed servant of my brother. I had held up my end of the bargain. I had little doubt Zeus would hold up his end of the bargain, but I couldn't help dreading our conversation. Getting shot always tended to put him in a bad mood.

Sure, not everything was tied up in a near little bow. What was Loki's end-game? And if Loki had access to my apartment to steal entire sections of ledger, why didn't he take the opportunity to kill Zeus in his sleep two floors above me instead of bungling his opportunity in a long-range assassination attempt?

It didn't add up, but then again, what did? .No matter how much I told myself differently, I wasn't a cop or private investigator. I was just a guy looking for a favor. Beyond that, I wasn't much of anything else, not without Persephone at my side, even when I sat on a throne of bones.

I picked up a rubber ball and tossed it into the living room, hoping to hear three sets of four legs race to get the ball. Cerebrus was never good at fetch when he had three heads. As three separate dogs, they were even worse, always tripping each other like a three deer on an ice skating rink. They didn't move even as the ball narrowly rolled between them. They lay plastered to the floor as if they'd been glued there. One dog opened his eyes, watch the ball roll past to make sure it didn't bite him, and then shut his eyes and went back to sleep.

Whatever Loki had given them was still in their system. I hoped they would be back to their playful selves by the evening, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. I had big things on the horizon, I told myself. Every dog has his day. Three-headed dogs have plenty of days between them. But this day was mine. After all, I had won. Even the god of the underworld was entitled to a win every once and a while, right?

I left the apartment, securing the door behind me with extra attention even though Loki was back behind bars. A trickster like Loki could slip between bars though. No sense in taking chances.

I had Charon bring the car around. I almost headed to the Sanitarium to see Persephone, but I didn't want to overplay my hand. No sense in facing the frosty wrath of my mother-in-law today. There'd be plenty of time for that later. With that in mind, I pulled out of the parking garage, took a left and headed for Aceso Clinic to visit my brother.