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“From where I’m standing? You’re an orderly masquerading as an EMT who needs to stay far away from me if you don’t want to spend eternity getting your liver excavated by an eagle.”
Gany turned away, but as he was stalking back toward the ambulance, Apollo called, “Come on, Ganymede. I’ll share the points with you.”
“I don’t need points,” Gany replied. But as the fire truck drove away, Gany spotted the yellow police tape across Nectar & Ambrosia’s storefront.I need a new oven.
“You can’t want Zeus to get all the credit.”
Gany skidded to a stop and turned slowly. “What do you mean?”
“If you come with me now,” Apollo said, sidling toward Gany, “we can split the points four ways—you, me, Artemis, Hephaestus. We’ll all get to Olympus faster than Zeus.”
Gany rushed back and slapped his hand over Apollo’s mouth. “Will you stop? For one thing, announcing that kind of thing in the middle of a Portland street is… well, I’m not sure exactly what it would mean, but I know it wouldn’t be good. For another thing, I’m not going back.”
Apollo batted Gany’s hand away, looking sincerely confused. “Of course you are.”
“No, I’m not. I don’t know why you’d think so, but I don’t have time to argue now. I have to go deal with the oven you assholes destroyed.”
“It was for your own good. You might as well come with me now and avoid the hassle.”
“Thehassle,as you put it, wouldn’t exist if you and your little gang had kept your Olympian noses out of my business. Goodbye,Bob. Don’t come back.”
“Ganymede—”
“I mean it.” This time, he shoved his finger at Apollo’s nose, practically up his left nostril. “You come near me again and I’m tellingall threeof the Fates.”
Gany pivoted and stormed back toward the ambulance. He frowned when he spotted Courtland slamming its rear doors. Where was Finn? Was he inside? Were they taking him to the hospital?
“Ms. Courtland? Is Finn—”
“Oh, hey, Gary. Your friend is fine.” She pointed down the alley. “I think he headed down there. Something about moving a car before it got towed?”
“Ah. Yes. Thank you.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Perfect. I promise.”
That had always been his problem, hadn’t it? Perfect beauty, enough to capture Zeus’s wandering eye. And after millennia snacking on nothing but literal nectar and ambrosia, he’d never have a scar, never get sick. Even cuts from his chef’s knives healed in a dozen heartbeats.
“If you’re sure?”
“Yes, I…” Gany waved at her absently, craning his neck to see above the crowd still milling around the sidewalk. Was that…?
“Son of a harpy,” he muttered, and took off at a run, dodging around the police cruiser and through a knot of onlookers to duck into the alley and confront Eros, who was huddling behind a dumpster.
“What are you doing here? I told you not to come back.”
“I know, but—” His face scrunched and he stood, backing away from the dumpster. “What is that vile stench?”
“Rubbish. Trash. Refuse. It happens. You lot should know. You left a trail of it in your wake, only in your case, it wasn’t rotting food, it was people and their ruined lives.” He jerked his thumb toward where Apollo was still lurking at the edge of the crowd. “Are you part of this? Did you conspire with them to destroy my bakery?”
“What? No! I would never.”
Gany crossed his arms. “Uh huh.”
“I mean it. When have I ever destroyed anything?”
“You really want me to answer that?” Gany carded his hands through his hair and heaved a sigh. “Why are so many of you buzzing around me today? What’s going on? Apollo was going on about points. This is something with that stupid app, isn’t it?” Eros’s gaze slid away. “Ha! You do know! Spill.”
