A tiny—miniscule really—twinge plucked at his chest that in less than one year, he would never see her again.
“Good morning,” The brusque, business-like tone that could only be his mother’s, rang across the foyer, interrupting his thoughts.
Realizing he was still wrapped around Liora, he quickly uncoiled and straightened himself. Liora, too, scrambled away from him, all the way to the other side of the sectional.
“How did you get in here?” he asked.
“The door was unlocked,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’d ask if you had a good time, but it’s fairly obvious you did.” There was a hint of amusement in her words. “You’ll be glad to know, our family’s honor has been restored.”
“Wonderful,” he said wryly. “I’m happy for you.”
“But it’s not over yet.”
“It’s not?” He groaned. “But you just said our family’s honor has been restored.”
“And it will stay that way, as long as you remain a happy couple,” she reminded him. “And do not forget, you also have a mission to fulfil.”
Oh right. Finding the children of Zeus. His half-siblings.
With all his attention focused on this whole marriage announcement and celebration circus, he hadn’t really thought about the implication of what he’d be doing the rest of the year. Or the reality that he had to face.
He pushed those thoughts away and plastered on a carefree smile. “Does that mean we’re not going on a honeymoon?”
“You have work to do,” Melora said. “Valefolk to save. In fact, in the last couple of days, I’ve been working with Medusa and Perseus to find more demigods all over Vale Crossing.”
“You have?” Liora asked.
“Yes, child. I’ve built an extensive network over the years and I’ve found—” She clucked her tongue. “I’ll explain later. First, let’s get you all cleaned up and ready for your briefing.”
“Briefing?” Maldenis groaned. “Wait, we’re startingnow?”
“Our conference call with Perseus and Medusa is in twenty minutes.” She clapped her hands together. “Let’s get to work. Room service will be bringing up breakfast, including some Orthanian coffee.”
“Your mother has to be the most Type A of all Type A personalities,” Liora groaned as she watched Melora whip around the room and start rousing the unconscious partygoers from last night.
“Yeah, you get used to it.”
She winced as she rubbed at her temple. “Did we have ten shots of that Solkarian whiskeywine?
“Twelve. It was the good stuff too. But don’t worry, that’s what the Orthanian coffee is for.”
In less than twenty minutes, Melora managed to put some semblance of order in the room, kicked out all of Maldenis’s cousins, and rounded up the entire team. Zara had gone to bed early and was now seated next to the Hektor on the couch, as was Elian, who apparently had fallen asleep naked in the bathtub and was now huddled in an arm chair, dressed in a fluffy hotel robe and slippers.
“Here you go, child,” Melora said, handing Liora’s brother a steaming cup of coffee. “Have some, you’ll feel better.”
“Thank you.” Elian took it with a nod, then lifted the cup to his lips for a sip. “That’s really—whoa.” He sat up straight. “I’m starting to feel good. It’s like magic.”
“It is magic,” Maldenis said, taking a drink from his own cup. The vice around his head loosened instantly the moment he swallowed. “Ah.”
“Wow, gimme some of that,” Liora said, grabbing at his cup then taking her own sip. “I—yeah, that’s the stuff,” she sighed.
“Excellent, glad it’s working.” Melora handed the last cup to Hektor, who gave her a grunt of thanks. “Now, let’s call in to your headquarters.”
Maneuvering around the coffee table, she opened up the laptop she had placed there earlier and faced the screen toward them. Seconds later, Medusa and Perseus’s faces appeared.
“Congratulations to the happy couple,” Perseus said, though his delivery was completely deadpan. Beside him though, Medusa was trying hard not to smile. “Now that we’re done with all the fun, let’s get back to business. Melora has so graciously reached out to her extensive network to find us our next lead.”
Medusa continued. “Thanks to her contacts, we’ve identified at least two more possible demigods in the same region.”
