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Zodiac revealed his wings and gave them a shake, making the most of their spritzing sparks. His crowd oohed and ahhed, fawning over him—which of course, he adored.
“Hello, SOS Hotel fans!” Zee announced. The rowdy crowd cheered and whooped. “You are gathered here today to celebrate all things SOS Hotel . . . and pancakes!” More cheers went up. Zee began to pace, knowing that his every step commanded the attention of everyone here. “But we are here for different reasons . . . important reasons. As official heroes, we’re here to help people, but right now we need your help.”
“He is good at this,” Victor admitted.
“He’s an entertainer.”
“You love the SOS Hotel like we do, but what if there was a different hotel, a hotel that trapped its guests? A hotel with a deep, dark secret?” Boos bubbled. Zee spread his arms. “Welcome to the Stephanie Hotel, and believe us when we say, this hotel does not offer a supernaturally safe stay.”
One of the staff who had been dutifully bringing out more pancakes turned on their heel and ducked out a back door. Our plan was in motion.
“You have been duped!” Zee said. “Trapped, and even drugged, some of your fellow guests have been taken and turned to ice!”
Gasps and discontent rippled through the crowd now.
Zee hopped up onto a table, arms and wings spread, glittery eyes sparkling. “But does the SOS Hotel management take it lying down?”
“No!” someone yelled.
Zee grinned and winked. “Not unless we want to. Payback’s a bitch, and so is the ice witch in the basement. Today, you will all be heroes!”
“How?” someone called out.
“By doing what we do best.” He waited, building the anticipation to its breaking point, and then said, “Creating chaos!”
Cheers and applause erupted. He had them all on our side, fighting for what was right.
“Go forth my minions and misbehave!”
The crowd went wild, chanting, “Down with the ice witch! Freedom for guests! Chaos crew! SOS! SOS!”
“I often forget he was a legion warrior, but at times like this I am reminded how remarkable Zodiac is.”
“Just at times like this?” I teased.
Victor’s soft smile was his reply.
After five minutes of directing the boisterous crowd, Zee eventually made his way over to us and handed Victor a curved, foreign-looking sword. “Not Shareen, but close enough. You think you can take her head off with this, Vic, while Adam and I distract her?”
Victor weighed the sword in his hand, getting used to its feel and balance. “Without a doubt.”
“So what happens now?” Zee asked me.
“Now we shake the frogs’ nest and see what falls out.”
He grimaced. “Frogs have nests in fuckin’ trees?”
“Oh, for sure. That’s why you never see baby ones.”
An alarm bell rang, and then the familiar ding-dong of the hotel announcement system chimed. “Emergency! For your own safety, please return to your rooms. Any guest found outside their room will be . . . extracted.”
The crowd turned toward Zee, waiting for his command. Tension crackled in the air, thinning it, making my heart race, and probably the hearts of everyone else here too.
Zee raised the Shareen lookalike. “Resist!”
With a unified roar, the Adam Vexes, Zodiacs, and Victors surged out the door.
“I do believe we’ve started a small hotel revolution,” Victor said.
