Rising from the bench, he strode to her. Uncertainty deepened his eyes to the color of the sea where the bottom dropped off. He lifted his hand toward her elbow, but stopped short of touching her.

Instead, he flicked his thumbnail against a knot in the trunk. "What will happen if he wins?"

"My sisters and I forfeit our existence as G.o.ddesses and become magpies for the rest of time. I don't want that, because I hated the whole feathers as dresses trend in the twenties. Not a great look on me." Her attempt at levity fell flat. She sighed. "But worse, all of the horrible things Pierus's daughters represent will come to pa.s.s. Mortals have stood on the brink of wars and famine before, but this time, they won't be able to step back. Without the Muses around to inspire humans, all light and beauty will fade from the world."

He was silent for a long time. Dread rose with icy tendrils up Nia's spine as she waited for his response. She hadn't been kidding about not looking great in feathers. But that truly was the least of her worries. She'd been watching over and inspiring humans for so long, her biggest fear was the black and white planet they faced without the gifts of the Muses. If Thomas turned away from her now, all would be lost.

He shifted until his back rested against the tree, facing away from her. Looking toward the sky, he folded his arms again. "How exactly am I involved?"

Chapter 18.

Unbelievable. Undeniably crazy.

But mostly, it was uncharacteristic for Thomas to want to believe Nia's claim to be a Muse. More outrageous was that he might have some kind of role in saving mankind from a brutal future.

This must be a crazy nightmare, brought on by the events he'd witnessed in the square the other night. Or maybe it was a hallucination. He'd had them before when he'd run a high fever and been severely dehydrated. Those images had seemed ultra-real as well.

Thomas pinched his bicep hard then wracked his brain to try to remember if he'd ever felt pain in a dream before. His logical brain said he must have, but his heart told a different story. As did his muscle, which twinged painfully as he increased the tension between his thumb and forefinger.

"This is insane." He groaned and rolled his head back, looking up through the canopy of the maple's branches, searching for reason. A warm breeze stirred the leaves overhead as his mind trembled and raced. A hint of Nia's citrusy perfume teased his nose.

There was no denying he'd been frozen in place when that d.i.c.khead, Ken, had raised his fist. Although Thomas's heart had continued its somewhat escalated beat, he hadn't been able to suck oxygen into his lungs. But the sensation hadn't been suffocating. He didn't lose consciousness, and when Ken had entered the house, he didn't need to gasp, as if surfacing after a long time underwater.

Think, Thomas!

This was what he did. His livelihood was based on poking holes in myths and legends. He exposed charlatans and fraud. As she'd spoken, Nia's tone held only sincerity and truth. The bulls.h.i.t meter that seemed as much a part of him as his heartbeat hadn't pinged even once as she'd woven her fantastic story.

He wanted to believe her. But he shouldn't. He might as well hop aboard the express train to the asylum.

Groaning again, he bent and braced his hands on his knees. His T-shirt snagged on rough bark as he slid to his haunches. Beside him, Nia pushed away from the tree and paced three feet to the left. Lifting his head, he waited for her answer.

Before she could speak, a large, cackling magpie alighted on the bench where they'd been sitting. From a crouched position, he studied the unusual bird. Something was off-like it didn't have enough feathers to cover its body. The eyes, which should have been dark as ebony, gleamed electric blue in the bird's jet-black head.

"Is that your magpie?"

Nia twisted to look, a scowl marring her smooth brow. "That's Mayhem." She smacked her hands together, a thunderous clap which had no effect. The bird chattered and squawked on, as if scolding them. "You are not welcome here." Nia's guttural voice grated over his senses.

She lifted her arms, palms out and squinted at the bird. As clear as a summer sky, he heard her order the bird away. But her lips never moved. The conversation occurred all in his head.

When the bird didn't fly off, Nia slumped. Thomas hated the defeated set of her shoulders. He spied a long, stout stick two feet from him. The bird's unnerving eyes followed his movement as he reached to retrieve the branch.

He lunged forward and grabbed the limb. Grasping it like a baseball bat, he swung at the foul beast. The creature took to the sky in a screeching, feather-shedding frenzy, and disappeared from view.

Frustrated, Thomas shouted and heaved the stick through the air, following the path the monstrous thing had flown. He rounded on Nia. "Did that f.u.c.king thing have human eyes?"

"She's molting. It happened with Tyranny as well. Clio said it freaked the Hades out of her." Nia shuddered. "It's a display of confidence from their side. They fully expect to win this contest."

She turned her back on him and ruffled shaking fingers through her hair. Her posture was straight and rigid, as though she had a rod of steel where her spine should be. Swaying side-to-side, she ignored his presence.

Low, whispery sounds reached his ears, but this time, he didn't understand the words. "Why can't I hear your thoughts right now?"

"What?" She spun around. The lively blue eyes he'd found so intriguing were flat and lifeless.

"I heard you order Mayhem to leave. When you sent your thoughts to me, the words echoed in my mind. But just now, I know you were saying something, but I didn't understand."

"I was talking to myself, not projecting a thought toward a specific target."

She rubbed a hand over her neck, as though in pain. It reminded him of finding her with Ken's hands on her. He trounced down a sudden surge of jealousy. Nia had a.s.sured him they were only friends. He took a step toward her. "Is that how it works? You have to target a thought outward?" Oh h.e.l.l, what was he saying?

"I don't know." She crossed her arms over her belly. "None of us have ever encountered a clairaudient before."

"Clairaudient? Like a clairvoyant?"

Her head bobbed and she shrugged.

He took another step nearer. Wariness filled her eyes, like she thought he was going to restrain her until the men with the white coats arrived. To keep from reaching for her, he tucked his hands in his back pockets.

He drew a breath, released it in a long hiss, and then drew another. "For the sake of argument, let's say I believe you. What do I have to do to help save the world?"

Coppery curls brushed her cheeks as she shook her head. "It will never work. You'll never believe. It isn't in your nature. Figures the man who's supposed to help me is a professional skeptic. It's never going to work."

"Hey, don't discount my nature. What's it going to take?"

"You have to believe in magic." The bare skin of her thighs thwacked dully against the concrete bench as she plopped down.

"I can believe," he said defensively.

Cynical laughter ripped through her tight lips. "Don't you think that's a bit unlikely?"

He sank onto the seat next to her. "I'd like to try."

"There's a Yoda moment in here somewhere." She bounced off the bench as if she didn't want to be near him. She stepped into the patch of moonlight painted across the lawn. "Thomas, we're running out of time. I'm supposed to lead you back to the magic. To make you ask what if? And help you accept the answer, regardless of what it is."

"What if what?"

"What if magic does exist?" She paced from one edge of the moonlight to the other, and then back. "But I've heard you tell Hailey more than once magic isn't real. Right now, you've seen things normal mortals never have access to. I've confided my biggest secret to you. I'm magic. I'm a G.o.dd.a.m.n Muse and you won't accept it."

Leaping from his seat, Thomas scrubbed a hand down his face. "It's a lot to take in." He began to pace alongside her. "You can't unload a bunch of hooey like that and think I'll fall for it hook, line and sinker."

Stopping abruptly she wheeled toward him and squinted. The word a.s.shat pierced his mind.

"I heard that."

"You were meant to." Jamming her hands on her hips, she glared at him. "This isn't hooey, Thomas. This is about the fate of the world. And dammit, that sounded overly dramatic. I-"

Nia splayed her fingers on each side of her head, her mouth open, eyes squeezed shut and her expression pained.

Concern conquered the doubt tainting his imagination. He moved to her side, laying a hand on her arm. Her skin was chilled despite the warmth of the evening. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer immediately. Her mouth formed words, but he couldn't hear them and he sucked at lip reading, so he had no idea what she might be saying.

"Nia?"

"It's always a bit uncomfortable when Zeus contacts me." Her eyelids bolted open, her eyes flashing an unnatural blue. She chuckled, the sound escalating quickly to a full-on belly laugh. "Thomas, you've been frozen in place, heard my thoughts, and faced down a supernatural magpie, and still, you don't believe." She smoothed a hand over her belly. "But you're about to experience something that will have to convince you of the truth of my story."

Behind her, the front door burst open and Ken rushed through it. "Ready?"

Suspicion flared explosively behind Thomas's eyes. "For what?" He glared at the behemoth of a man as Ken loped to Nia's side. He'd better not f.u.c.king touch her. The dude's size wouldn't matter...Thomas would find a way to take him down.

Nia laid her hand on his arm, warmth from her palm seeped into him firing all his senses. Her eyes held an apology. "We've been summoned to Olympus."

"You can't just go and leave me here with hundreds of questions. You'll stay to explain if you want my help."

"You've been summoned as well." Nia searched his face, her eyes lingering on his lips.

"The purpose of the trip is to provide you with answers." Ken's shoulder b.u.mped Thomas as the hulky man brushed past. He stopped right behind Thomas.

"Well, then, let's go. How long will it take to drive to the office?" He moved toward Nia's car, but a large hand descended on his shoulder, holding him in place. "What the f.u.c.k, man?"

"We don't go by car." Ken offered a smirk then pulled on his ear. "Brace yourself. The first trip is always a bit of a wild ride."

"What?" Worry started roiling in his gut and Thomas spun to face Nia, who'd moved to Ken's side. Pressure built in his ears and around his chest, as if the air had condensed. He swallowed hard to get his ears to pop.

"It helps if you pinch your nose closed and force air into your sinuses," Ken offered as the pressure escalated.

Nia laid her hand on one of his arms and Ken took the other. The world around him misted and faded into nothingness. Before his eyes, Nia vanished into the mist, leaving a flare of robin's egg blue color in its wake. Pinp.r.i.c.ks of silvery light, resembling stars, pierced the s.p.a.ce where her torso should have been. In the center, a blob of pale orange pulsed like a heartbeat. What the h.e.l.l was happening?

Thomas's head felt as if it was floating when he turned toward where Ken had been standing. In his place was another splotch of color, this time cobalt blue with a pulse of yellow beating in the center. Alarmed, he peeked down at his body, shocked to see it had turned to silver. At least he retained his human form.

Thomas's heart galloped, his lungs not rising or falling with each breath he struggled to take. The air tightened around his body and he jerked at a loud popping noise in the area surrounding his head. Still shrouded in mist, Nia and Ken's bodies returned to normal.

Glancing down, Thomas realized he floated a good two feet over a worn carpet bathed in lamplight. What happened to the gra.s.s? To the moonlight and maple tree in Nia's front yard?

Thomas flailed his arms away from Nia's grasp and wobbled as the trio eased to the ground. The moment they lost their grip on him, he dropped like a stone the last six inches. His teeth clacked together painfully.

Nia leaped forward to steady him. "I'm sorry for the abruptness of the transport. Are you alright?" She smoothed her fingers over his cheek.

Her eyes were cold, but her gentle touch slowed his frantic heartbeat. "Don't know. That was weird." He laid his hand over hers, savoring the contact and holding her close.

The chilly temperature of her gaze warmed, and her smile was rueful. "If you think that was weird, hold onto your hat. You're about to meet my dad." She grasped his elbow and urged him around.

Yeah, not in Nia's yard anymore. The gra.s.s and trees had been replaced by a comfortable sitting room. Portraits of frolicking G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses adorned the walls. The gleaming hardwood floor was partially obscured by a thick carpet of muted colors.

Directly across from Thomas, a man in black T-shirt and jeans relaxed against the cushions of an antique, horsehair sofa. The bluest eyes Thomas had ever seen softened the secret-agent-man look. Ruddy red colored his cheeks, curly ebony hair was tinged with strands of silver. The overall effect was menacing, approachable, and powerful at the same time. Despite the color in his cheeks, his skin held the pallor most commonly found in hospitals. Pinning Thomas with an a.s.sessing look, the man crossed one knee over the other and waited.

The double doors on the other side of the room burst open. A statuesque woman crossed the threshold in a rush. She made a beeline for Nia, and smothered her in a hug, crooning soft, delicate words only Nia could hear. Shutting her eyes, Nia's face transformed from cold and hard into the visage of a woman who knew she was loved. Thomas suffered a pang of emotion at the idea that he wanted to be the man who put that look on her face.

The woman patted Nia's back, and then nudged her away to turn toward him. "You must be Thomas Wilde. I'm Gaia, Nia's mother." Her voice tinkled like delicate wind chimes, and her green eyes danced as she regarded him.

He shot a startled look to Nia before continuing. "Gaia, as in Mother Earth?" Accepting the hand she offered, Thomas felt instantly at ease. "Pleased to meet you."

Gaia beamed while Nia bit her lip. "That's right. You do know your mythology. Allow me to introduce my consort."

Walking across the carpet felt like walking on a cloud, soft and light. Glancing over his shoulder Thomas discovered Nia had remained behind. Gaia's hand on his arm was firm as she drew him across the room. "This is Zeus, Nia's father."

He had to work to keep his jaw from dropping. Nia's dad was named for the king of G.o.ds? Was the entire family delusional? Except...that tiny voice in his skull chided him to look beyond reason. h.e.l.l, he was in an entirely different setting than he had been two minutes ago. Zeus extended his hand, and Thomas took it, rubbing his fingers on his temple with the other. He needed to shut down that voice fast. He wasn't going to get sucked into this lunacy.

"Have a seat, son," Zeus invited, patting the cushion next to him.

Thomas sank onto the couch, crowding back into the corner. Nia's posture looked agitated as she paced to the French doors on the far end of the room. She spun and marched back the opposite direction, fists clenched at her sides.

Zeus cleared his throat, claiming Thomas's attention. "I realize this is all hard to take in, but you must trust me, every word Nia spoke is the truth."

"It's a little far-fetched." Seemed like Thomas vied for the t.i.tle King of the Understatement.

Zeus's laughter filled the room. "Life used to be much simpler. Mortals really believed in our existence. We were not far-fetched in the least in ancient times."

Gaia laughed with him, while Nia tossed him a glare and Ken smirked as he lounged against a sideboard.

Zeus continued. "Son, we need your help."

Tossing his glance between the older man and Nia, Thomas waffled on his stance that the entire episode was a bad dream. "I can't imagine what I can possibly do to save the world. I'm one man."

"But you're the man with the key. Pierus's hostile takeover of my corporation is a sure thing if you won't at least consider the possibility. Mayhem will be unleashed if Nia fails. And she'll be closely followed by the rest of the troubles we've held in check for centuries." Zeus leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees. The man's intense blue stare bore into Thomas, bruising a path to his soul. "Nia's life would be forfeit. And so might your Hailey's"

"What?" Cold dread gripped the base of Thomas's neck.

"For the love of the G.o.ds, Zeus. I hadn't gotten to that part yet," Nia yelled.

"Brutal honesty is called for, daughter. Atlas informed me of his difficulty in rehanging the moon."

Thomas shot off the couch. "Are you threatening my niece?"

"Thomas, no!" Nia exclaimed. "Pierus added an aspect to my challenge. I must persuade you to believe in magic, or not only is my life forfeit, but the life of an innocent hangs in the balance. I believe that innocent might be Hailey. But I don't know. I only know I mustn't fail." Anguish filled her eyes, but Thomas refused to be swayed.

Clenching his hands into fists, Thomas glowered at Nia, then swept the room with his gaze. "Attempting to drag me into your delusion is one thing. But no one better lay a finger on Hailey." He took a menacing step toward Nia to show he meant business.

Ken leaped in front of Nia, cutting Thomas's approach off. Using his broad shoulders, he muscled Nia behind him.

"Thomas, according to Pierus's challenge, it seems Hailey is likely to be a great contributor in alleviating suffering in the poorest nations. We plan to consult Lachesis to find out exactly what her destiny is." Ken crossed his arms over his ma.s.sive chest.