Chapter 7 Portal Puke #2
Addie narrowed a glare on her aunt. “It’s not nice flaunting your all-knowing Fate-ness like that. Not unless you’ll actually tell me what lies ahead.”
Clotho patted her cheek. “And if I did that, Zeus would sentence me to a duty worse than manning the portal on reunion day. Go. Eunice is somewhere over by the pavilion … but do try and have fun while you’re here.”
With a wink, she urged them on their way, and they headed across the grassy knoll toward the pavilion. On the left, Do-Re-Mi played with their brothers and sisters—and Cerberus herself—chasing one another while yelping happily.
It quickly became obvious that the three of them were the last to arrive. Packed with gods and deities from all walks of life—even ones that according to human tales were blood-sworn enemies—laughter filled the vaulted gazebo.
Not that everyone got along, or that squabbles didn’t pop up. You don’t become as old as the gods without a few sporadic feuds, but most historical texts had been elaborated for wow factor and entertainment ratings.
“Well, well, well, and here I didn’t think myself able to be shocked.” Aphrodite, pausing her conversation with Persephone, pulled Addie and Max into a firm hug. “A visit from both of my loin-spring and their cousin bestie?”
Addie grimaced. “Let’s not talk about your loins, Mom.”
Aphrodite chuckled and wrapped Bailey in a welcoming hug, too. “Excuse my excitement. But I feel as though I won the goddess lottery. But you realize that I could’ve swung by your place and—”
“Goddess poofed us here?” Maxi’s face turned a little green. “No, thank you. Portal travel is bad enough.”
Aphrodite turned a knowing smile on Addie that had her squirming. “What?”
Her mother’s smirk widened. “I heard from a little birdie that you’re adding enamored Muse onto your résumé.”
“Aunt Clotho can’t tell me which subway train is running late, but she can tell you that?”
“One would think that my own daughter would tell me herself.”
“It just happened,” Addie said truthfully. “And while I did agree, I’m still not sure how I’ll be able to pull it off. And no, I do not need any advice—or assistance—from you. Thank you for the almost-offer, but Phoenix and I will somehow muddle through.”
Aphrodite patted her on the shoulder. “Well, you know where I am if you need me … but if I may say one thing—not advice, but a mere suggestion? Don’t dawdle in the fauxmance department.”
“Oh look,” Maxi interjected, her gaze traveling to the other side of the gazebo. “There’s Aunt Athena. Bailey, we should go and say hello to her. Right now.”
“But I want to hear the adv—” Bailey’s complaint was cut off with a stern look from Max as she dragged them away.
“Why would I dawdle, Mom?” Addie asked when they were alone. “The sooner people believe I’m not the Anti-You, the sooner I can get on with my life.”
“Sweetheart, I love you. And I also know you better than you think I do.”
“Meaning?”
“That I’m worried that you won’t fully commit to this FAMA because you’re either worried that it won’t work, or that it will work too well. Phoenix Cross seems to be quite the specimen of—”
“Nope. Not having this conversation with you. We have an agreement, remember?”
Aphrodite frowned. “That silly thing? Sweetheart, I’m the Goddess of Love. You can’t really expect me to stay out of your love life entirely.”
“Oh, I can and I do. And that silly contract you signed was done on Olympus parchment, with Olympic ink. You break it and—”
“Yes. Yes. One of my sisters will put a damper on my day. I’m aware.”
“You know I love you, Mom, but this?” Addie gestured around Olympus Field. “This isn’t me. I’m not you. And I want my life to be affected by the gods as little as possible, and that’s not a dig on who you are and what you do. It’s just not me.”
Aphrodite smiled warmly, her eyes a little glowy. “You are so much like your father—and I do mean that as a positive.”
And that’s what never made sense to Addie, and probably never would.
Her parents never fought or argued. Never spoke poorly about the other.
Whenever they were face-to-face, it almost appeared as if they flirted, which never failed to freak Addie the fuck out.
Their separation would almost be easier to understand if they railed and screamed and bad-mouthed one another.
But when asked, both parents would say that the love was still there. Still vibrant and thriving. And that it was simply in a new form.
In Addie.
And Max.
To Addie, it was basically a flowery way to say, Once upon a time, we thought we loved each other, but nope. We were wrong—but at least got two amazing children out of our little experiment. Did that make her a pessimist? Maybe. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
“If it isn’t one of my favorite demigods!” Eunice, the original Muse of Art, strolled over, her dark hair in a gorgeous display of loose, artfully swirled braids that crowned her head. “Someone told me that you were looking for me.”
Aphrodite winked at Addie and sashayed over to where Hades manned the BBQ pit, Persephone watching closely over his shoulder while dishing out directions.
“Come, niece.” Eunice linked their arms and guided them away from prying eyes and ears. “Tell me, have you finally run out of excuses to avoid visiting Olympus, or have you come across a need that far outweighs your desire to avoid all the dramatics?”
“Something tells me that you already know. Aunt Clotho—it appears—is chatty with everyone but me,” Addie quipped.
“The only thing I was told was that today’s festivities were ones that should not be missed. So enlighten me as to why I braved the rumblings of my siblings.”
Addie nibbled her bottom lip as they climbed the gazebo steps. “What’s involved in being a Muse?”
“How much time do you have?” Eunice teased, getting comfortable on the cushioned bench as she patted the spot next to her.
“Till I head back to the Land of Humans and iced mocha Frappuccinos.”
“Oh, my … there’s far too much information to fit into one Olympus afternoon.”
Addie’s heart plummeted. “How in-depth can it be? Can’t you give me the CliffsNotes version?”
“I’ll pretend you didn’t mean that to sound insulting.” Eunice cocked a sculpted eyebrow.
“No! No. I didn’t mean—”
“Relax, child. I’m teasing.” Eunice covered her hand, smirking.
“You aren’t the first to question the tasks of a Muse, and you most certainly won’t be the last. But unfortunately, there is no one clear direction.
It’s why my sisters and I founded Muse Academy so long ago.
The process is much more involved than many think, and its techniques are as vast as the Elysian Fields. ”
“So you’re saying no to the CliffsNotes version.” Addie’s shoulders drooped.
Eunice chuckled. “How about you tell me what you’re hoping to achieve, and perhaps I can give you a few ideas.”
“Really?”
“There are no guarantees that anything I say will work. Keep in mind, my Muses attend the Academy for years before we deem them sufficiently trained enough to take on their own clients.”
Addie purged it all. Her deal with Phoenix Cross. What she knew of his problems and how he hoped she could help him with them. A few short hours later, armed with a few more ideas than she’d had before, Addie felt only slightly better prepared to hold up her end of the deal with the rock star.
She just hoped she didn’t make a fool of herself in the process.
Hours—and a second portal jump—later, Addie was still digesting Eunice’s fountain of Muse knowledge … and would hopefully soon be ingesting a slice of steaming hot pizza.
Longing to shed the white toga and climb into her pj’s, she wrestled with her apartment lock. The second she won the front door battle, Do-Re-Mi pushed past and did a spin by their dog bed before curling up and promptly falling asleep.
“Looks like I’m not the only one who’s had a day, huh?” Addie quipped just as the elevator doors opened and Phoenix stepped into the hall.
His gaze drifted over her, still in her Olympus toga, and he whistled. “Damn. You make bedsheets look good, love.”
Her gaze fell on the pizza box in his hands. “Is that—”
“From Soprano’s around the corner. Extra cheese. Drippy grease.” Phoenix grinned coyly. “For the right price, I might be persuaded to share.”
Addie’s stomach growled loudly. “What’s considered the right price?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure there is a monetary value. Do you have any idea how long I had to stand in line to get my hands on this baby?”
Addie leaned closer to the box and sniffed the culinary masterpiece. “Fine. Forget money. I’ll give you my apartment—oh wait, you already have that.”
Phoenix’s cheeks reddened as he chuckled. “Be my date for the Indie Awards.”
Addie’s gaze snapped to his. “What?”
He smiled sheepishly. “The Stone Talons are both performing and up for an award at the Indie Rock Awards in a few weeks, and I thought we could make it a date.”
“A date?”
“A date. You know … a public outing.”
“A public outing … with you?”
Phoenix chuckled. The dimple popped into existence and temporarily squashed whatever brain cells remained in her head. “You do remember our FAMA, right? Fauxmance Arrangement and Muse Agreement? They both typically require spending time together, and for the fauxmance portion, publicly.”
Dates. Public outings.
What the hell did she get herself into?
“I’ll share the pizza with you even if you decline to be my plus-one,” Phoenix added with a grin. “I can hear your stomach growling from here.”
Phoenix
He couldn’t have planned this better if he’d tried, and yet as he stepped into Adalyn Whitlock’s domain, he second-guessed his entire strategy—which wasn’t so much a strategy as it was a cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best mindset.
Not a single article of clothing lay on the floor. Not a speck of dust on any surface or a takeout container to be seen. Hell, even her bookshelf, framing both sides of a modest television, rippled in a near-perfect color-coded rainbow effect.