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“It sounds crazy when you say it like that.” I held up a finger. “And he did try to strangle me in the dream, when he had hands.”
“How did you end up in his dream and, more importantly, how did you get out again before he killed you?”
I beat a hasty retreat from that part of the conversation. “Must have something to do with his powers.”
“Didn’t you say he’s the god of gluttony?”
“You know these ancient gods. They’re never limited toone ability, and the connection between them is rarely logical. Hermes is known as the Greek messenger god, but he’s also the deity of sleep.” I shrugged. “The gods don’t always make sense.”
He glanced at the fridge. “Got any milk?”
“Depends on how you feel about almond milk.”
“Other than it destroys the environment, no strong feelings whatsoever.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome to dunk your cookie in a glass of water.”
He seemed to ponder the option. In the end, he reached for a cookie without a drink. “I assume we still don’t know who turned this god into a pig and why.”
“You assume correctly.”
He chuckled to himself. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Lorelei. You’ve got a real knack for getting yourself into interesting situations.”
“I appreciate your polite take. Most people would say I was a trouble magnet and steer clear of me.”
“The thought has crossed my mind once or twice.” He took a generous bite. “So, if the pig is an Aztec god of gluttony, what are the other animals?”
“A large snake has been spotted in a few upscale neighborhoods where burglaries happened.”
“Okay, that’s greed and wealth. Who’s the greedy god? Odin?”
“Similar but think more Slavic.”
West chewed the cookie. “I’m afraid my deity knowledge doesn’t extend that far.”
“I think it’s Veles,” I said. “That would explain the thundersnow.”
“There’s a god of thundersnow?”
“There is when he wants to make a statement. I think he’s the snake.”
“The god of thundersnow takes the form of a reptile? That doesn’t seem to fit.”
“Because he typically doesn’t. The animal form is associated with greed but not necessarily the god. It’s another clue that the animals haven’t voluntarily chosen this path. If they had, they’d be in their usual forms.”
“So Veles would be what?”
“A cow.”
West gave me an appraising look. “How do you know so much about this stuff?”
“My grandfather taught me. He was obsessed with mythology.” Or at least he became obsessed once he realized his granddaughter was a natural born goddess. Pops was self-educated and refused to rest until he’d passed all his knowledge on to me. He knew he wouldn’t live to accompany me through adulthood, so he did everything in his power to prepare me for life on my own.
“Why is an Aztec god, or any god for that matter, skulking around Fairhaven trapped in the form of animals?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with Addison Gray.”
“Who’s Addison Gray?”
