Of Gods and Wolves (26 page)

Phoenix, Arizona is Hell.

I apologize to any die-hard Arizona fans but anywhere that’s so dry I can actually feel the moisture being sucked out of my face as soon as I arrive, is not a pleasant place. I felt like I’d aged ten years. I almost had a heart attack when I looked in the mirror and saw some fine lines that hadn’t been there the day before.

It was April, so we had just missed the chilly nights in Phoenix, no snow mind you, just cold without the fun stuff. I was told it would soon be hot enough that the trees would become fire hazards. Anywhere they cut the tops off the palm trees, just in case it got hot enough for them to spontaneously combust, was a place I didn't want to be.

Yet the residents of Phoenix loved their city and I’m sure most of them would be offended at my harsh view of their home. All I can say in my defense is, when you live in Paradise, Hell looks all the hotter. What I can say in
Phoenix’s
defense is that it’s full of wonderful cuisine, culture, and people. The people of Phoenix are a warm, welcoming bunch. At least when the resident illegal alien population isn’t trying to start a riot.

We walked the streets and I silently wished we’d rented a car. Everyone looked on edge. People eyed us warily and I was thankful for the first time in my life that I didn’t have the dark skin to go with my hair and eyes. It wasn’t a good time to look ethnic in Phoenix. Or maybe it was, it just depended what side you looked at it from… or were on.

“How do we stop this?” I looked around as we entered an IHOP.

The place was, well… hopping. The smell of bacon and biscuits permeated the air with an invader’s will to conquer and it packed one hell of a wallop. I was salivating in less than twenty seconds. The patrons were predominately white but I was betting there were more than a few Mexicans working illegally in the kitchen. I just hoped they weren't going to pull a
Ghost Ship
and poison the soup.

Note to self: Don't order the soup.

All the God Squad was there, including Hades, who I’m sure felt right at home in Arizona. We piled into a booth and I almost started giggling at all the looks we were getting. With so many beautiful gods and goddesses at one table, people must’ve thought they were filming a movie nearby. I always felt so plain among them but hey, Trevor made me feel beautiful and that was all that mattered.

Trevor, in fact, was pressed up against me like someone might snatch me away from him at any second. I couldn’t blame him for being nervous. Bad things had a way of happening to me. C'est Lavine. Such is
my
life. Hell, I was getting a little paranoid myself.

“
Well we could go around spreading love, good cheer, and peace on earth but I’ve forgotten my Santa hat,” Horus peered disdainfully into his stained coffee mug, then down at the cracked vinyl cushion behind him. “Why must we always mingle with… ?”

“
Normal people?” I smiled at his discomfort, my smile widening as a waitress walked up with a thermos of coffee.

I nodded at her unspoken question and she left it in the middle of the table for us. My favorite thing about IHOP was how you got your own pot of coffee.

“Oh please tell me this isn’t normal,” Horus waved a hand around, giving a tiny shudder when his gaze passed over a table full of large, dirty, workmen.”

“
Horus, these are hardworking Americans you’re insulting,” I gave him my
mad mama
glare
. “They deserve to have a nice breakfast without your scorn.”

“
If they wanted a nice breakfast, why did they come here?” Horus’ lips were twitching at the corners. I was convinced he liked our little exchanges almost as much as I did. “For that matter, what are
we
doing here?”

“
This is a great breakfast place,” I opened his menu and pointed out my favorites. “Try the steak tips or maybe some crepes. They just might sweeten your temperament a little.”

“
Those would have to be some magical crepes to sweeten Horus,” Ull chuckled.

Horus’ eyes glowed for a second as Ull lifted his coffee cup. The cup shook violently and Ull spilled coffee on his lap.

“Damn you, Horus,” Ull put the cup back down and wiped at his jeans frantically.

Horus smiled softly. “I did nothing,” he sipped his own coffee and I saw Ull start to retaliate.

“What are you, five?” I reached across Trevor and smacked Ull. “No food fights, at least not in public.” I glared at Horus too.

“
I’m innocent,” Horus spread his hands wide

“
As a viper,” Ull growled.

“
A viper does only what’s in his nature to do,” Horus tilted his head pensively. “Does that make him evil?”

“
Enough,” Thor rumbled and then smiled suddenly as the waitress approached again.

Everyone was on their best behavior for the girl but as soon as she left, the hot looks returned. I swear, it was like working with toddlers.

“Could we get back to the issue at hand please?” I sighed and Trevor put his arm around me so I could lean into him. I snuggled closer but when I looked up, Thor was giving me his grumpy face. I sat up straight with an apologetic glance at Trevor. I know Thor and I weren't on the best of terms but shoving a new relationship in the face of your ex, is just bad form.

“
We need to find the source,” Thor’s gaze softened on me and I smiled. “A few calming spells wouldn’t hurt either but they’ll have only a band-aid effect. We need to fight the god in charge or we’ll just be right back where we started in twenty-four hours.”

“
I agree but how do we find him?” Teharon looked comfortable and right at home. I loved that about him; he could fit in anywhere.

“
Do you still have the stone I gave you in Washington?” Mrs. E had her hair in two long braids, looking so ethnically appropriate that all she was missing was a buckskin dress.

“
Sure,” I fished the white stone out of my purse. “I just need to reactivate it and it can alert us to any god magic in the vicinity.” I murmured a spell over the stone and it glowed for a second as the magic opened up.

“
It didn’t work so great the first time,” Pan pointed out gently.

“
It worked fine,” Mr. T defended my magic. “We were just too slow in getting there.”

“
Is there any kind of organization to their protest… riot… whatever?” I looked around the table as the waitress dropped off our orders. Horus warily eyed the stuffed french toast sitting in front of him.

“
There’s talk of some kind of demonstration but no location yet,” Brahma cut into his crepes with gusto.

“
Okay,” I took a bite of my biscuits and gravy. I love gravy. I’d probably eat cardboard if you smothered it in gravy. I even liked the word
smothered.
Y
um. “So we wander around, calming people where we can, and waiting for my rock to go off, while keeping an ear peeled for protest locations.”

“
I think that’s pretty much it,” Thor didn’t look too happy but that was how fighting gods usually went. You blundered through and hoped for the best. Even when you had actual gods on your side.

“
This is amazing,” Horus took another bite of french toast. “The bread is crisp on the outside but almost like cake inside and this filling with berries and cream cheese is superb.”

The whole table stared at him in silence but he was so fascinated by his food that he was oblivious to everything else. I started to giggle, then it caught on until everyone was laughing.

Horus looked up and around him with a smear of cream cheese on his lips. “What?” 

We walked aimlessly for awhile, Mrs. E spread calm, Persephone doled out hope, and I filled people with a general feeling of love. Yes, we were the Hare Krishnas without the flowers and bad hairdos. Oh yeah, and the funny clothes.

Horus had taken to the skies in his falcon shape, to see if he could spot anything from above but the rest of us had to scan the area from the ground. It was working, people instantly became calmer and happier as we passed by but I seriously doubted we could walk the entire Phoenix area in time to stop an uprising. Although we were making progress, it felt hopeless to me and more than a little silly.

Then my stone vibrated and I grabbed it, instantly seeing where the god magic was being used.

Unfortunately, the user was completely hooded. He did look about the same size as Blue but I wasn’t going to let size alone convince me. The hooded god was standing in a clean but sparsely decorated room, filled with Mexicans who I presumed were illegally in the country.

The figure was huddled in a corner, invisible to them but keeping out of the way so no one would accidentally bump into him. He put out a hand and it was covered in a golden gauntlet. I inhaled sharply, the last time I’d seen armor like that, Blue had been wearing it.

I didn’t want to believe it was Blue. He'd come so far from the malicious mastermind he was before, I didn't want to believe he could fall back so easily, and I didn’t want to have to fight my friend. But when it came down to it, I'd do what I'd have to do.

I scanned the room, trying to discover their location. It was just an average living room, no clue as to where it was, except that the furnishings were old and worn, so most likely it was in a poor neighborhood. I bit my lip in frustration and continued to look. Finally, I noticed a piece of mail lying on the coffee table.

I had an address.

I let go of the stone and opened my eyes to find Trevor holding me and everyone else circled around me expectantly. I quickly gave them the address. Ull pulled out his cell and called a cab. I raised a brow at that but Thor explained how it’d be easier to let someone else drive us, someone who knew the area. Plus, we didn’t have a car.

So we signaled to Horus, who decided to follow us from the sky, and we piled into a cab. A minivan cab actually. It took us about half an hour to get there and when we did, we could hear a commotion coming from inside the house.

We piled out of the minivan while Thor paid the driver and I had one of my surreal god moments. Every now and then, I'll be watching my god friends doing something so mundane, it seems ridiculous and the moment takes on a surreal quality for me. I usually end up having a good laugh but I held it in this time. Even though Thor made the minivan look like a clown car when he squeezed himself out of it.

I couldn’t go in since I didn’t have the ability to cloak myself. Cloaking was one of those advanced god magics I couldn’t do yet. So I stood outside, trying to look inconspicuous as the cab drove away and the gods cloaked themselves in invisibility so they could enter the house.

I sent my love magic flowing in to help the others diffuse the situation and after a few moments, I felt an easing in the air, like the neighborhood had taken a deep, calming breath. I was watching the house closely for any sign of what might be happening inside, so I caught the flash of gold and black easily when the instigator tried to sneak out the back.

I ran through the yard after the billowing cloak and caught more flashes of the golden armor beneath. There was a good chance it was Blue’s armor. He was the only one I’d ever seen wearing anything like it before but I still wasn’t completely sure.

I had to be sure.

“Blue!” I called out and he stopped.

The hood turned slightly towards me before he started running again. I chased after him, through yards and over fences, until he finally had enough distance to be able to stop and chant a spell to trace away before I could reach him. I came to a skidding halt in the spot he’d just occupied.

Now I was sure.

“
Son of a bitch!” I panted and turned to start the long trek back. It was Blue and the chicken shit wouldn’t even face me. “If you think you’re getting away that easy, you’re not half as bright as I thought, little boy blue.”

I muttered the whole way back, only stopping when I saw the others waiting for me on the sidewalk. They looked grim and I didn’t feel much better. How could he do this? We'd just shared that dance at Moonshine and he seemed so sweet. Then again, Blue was always charming. Even back when he'd been a psychopath, threatening to kill me when he got bored, he'd still been charming about it.

“What happened?” I looked from one anxious face to another.

“
We got this group under control but from what we were able to hear of their conversations, this is only one of many.” Ull smiled grimly. “We’ve got an address on the next bunch though. It’s going to be a long day but we should be able to make the rounds.”

“
It was Blue,” I delivered my own news concisely.

“
I knew it,” Thor said and then cursed in a language I didn't recognize.

“
I’m going to go have a talk with him,” I tried to keep my voice neutral but I think the anger poked through a little. “Can you guys handle things without me?”

“
Sure, we’ll be okay. Right guys?” Pan glanced around for confirmation.

“
Just be careful, Vervain,” Thor grabbed my shoulder tightly. “Remember, he never joined our side and he’s not going to. Don’t kid yourself over his loyalties.”

“
I’m going with you,” Trevor took my hand.

“
Okay,” I squeezed him. “Back up is probably smart.”

“
Meet us back at Bilskinir when you’re done,” Thor said as Trevor and I stepped into the Aether.