My Date From Hell (24 page)

Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t matter. Jackie wants you.”

“How marvelous,” Jack murmured. “You’re jealous.”

She flung her shoulders back, making all her soft parts jiggle. “Ridiculous,” she scoffed.

He sidled up to Aphrodite and slid his arm around her waist.

She fluttered her lashes as she leaned into him. “Maybe I do miss youse a bit.”

Spare me the dysfunction. “Great. Kiss and make up. Where’s Pierce?”

Aphrodite giggled, now in Jack’s arms.

Jack waved his hand at the rest of us. “Out.”

And in a blink, we were banished, no closer to finding Pierce or retrieving Persephone’s memories then when this all started.

I’d have been totally discouraged and depressed except I had one final, faint hope.

Time to pimp out my best friend.

Twenty

Luckily, Jack had sent us to Festos’ place and not to the moon or an underground submarine. The familiar surroundings and security made it easier for me to guilt trip my best friend. We needed to find Pierce and have Hannah declare her love to convince him to defy Aphrodite.

“How I feel about Pierce is irrelevant,” Hannah protested. She sat on the rug, her arms wrapped around her knees. “I have no idea how to contact him.” She turned to the guys. “Don’t any of you know where he lives?” We had taken up residence in Festos’ lounge.

“Aphrodite banished him,” Theo said. “He could be anywhere.”

“She’ll simmer down,” Festos assured me from his spot beside Theo on the loveseat, “especially if Jack isn’t running a stupid Sophie campaign.”

“Of course he’s not,” I said, mostly certain. “I’m sure that was just to annoy her.”

Kai perched on the back of the sofa. I leaned against his legs as he absently played with my hair. Just because I no longer felt compelled to touch him, didn’t mean I didn’t still enjoy it. Obviously, he felt the same.

Theo glanced at his watch. “Just under an hour. We may need to get you back to the meeting, give Aphrodite time to cool off, and approach her again in the morning.”

I shook my head, incredibly frustrated. “Every second that I don’t have Persephone’s memories, that I don’t know the ritual location? It’s time that Zeus and Hades have to discover it for themselves and destroy it.” I looked at Hannah. “You have to go all damsel in distress.”

Her patent disbelief was highly entertaining. “What?”

“Scream. Call for Pierce as if your very life depended on it. Which, it kinda does.”

Hannah crossed her arms. “That’s one of the stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard.”

“Kai,” I turned to him. “Do you or do you not know when I’m in trouble?”

He nodded. “If I’m not unconscious? Yeah. I get this feeling.”

Hannah huffed in dismissal. “That’s because you two are bound together. Prophecy, the kiss, whatever.”

“A curse,” Theo added with a bright smile.

Festos shook his head. “Not an ounce of romance.”

Kai smirked at Theo. “That’s a major burn if Festos is admitting Sophie and I are romantic. Being as jealous of me as he is.”

“Or he just doesn’t like you,” Theo said. “I don’t.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re a pissy baby.”

I doubted Theo and Kai were ever going to truly get along. I’d have to settle for “tolerate each other for my sake.” I flung my arms out between them to push them back to their corners. “Fee.”

He shot me a suspicious glance.

“You took up residence in Seattle knowing it was just close enough to where Theo was.”

Festos scowled and laid his cane across his lap. “I keep telling you. I like Seattle.”

Sure. “I bet you’ve known where Theo is this whole time. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you kept tabs on him. Fess up.”

Theo stared at Festos, dumbfounded. “Is this true?”

“Whatever.” Festos waved him off.

“No.” Theo leaned forward toward him. “Have you been keeping tabs on me?”

Festos shot me a glare of death. Then he turned to Theo with a stubborn chin tilt. “Yes. Going to get a restraining order now? Tell me I’m a stalker?”

He sounded so defensive. Looked so vulnerable. I felt a tiny pang of guilt at exposing Festos. But we had to find Pierce, and Hannah had to get with the program.

Festos was so stiff, he looked like he might snap waiting for Theo’s answer.

But Theo did the last thing I ever expected. He leaned back and shrugged. “I knew where you were, too.”

There was a collective gasp from Festos, Hannah, and me.

“Didn’t see that coming,” Kai muttered.

“Enough proof for you?” I asked Hannah. “No doubt, Pierce is very aware of you. And if he senses you’re in trouble, he’ll come running.” I put my hands together in a begging motion. “Please. The worst that happens is you humiliate yourself. And god knows that would be a pleasant change between us.”

“Fine,” Hannah muttered. “I’ll fake distress.” She took a deep breath and straightened up. “Help,” she mewled.

“I’ve had paper cuts eliciting more emotion,” Festos said. “Again.”

She glared at all of us and then let out a blood curdling scream that made us all jump.

Instantly, Pierce appeared. He lunged for Theo.

“No!” Hannah screeched.

Pierce grinned, his hand around Theo’s neck. “No?”

“Very funny,” I said.

Pierced laughed and dropped his hand. “It was, rather. Good scream.” He moved to Hannah like a moth to a flame and sprawled on the ground beside her. “How about this? I’ll give you my number, email, whatever for next time. Much easier on the vocal cords.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. With a bonus kick to my leg.

“Thank you for defying Aphrodite,” I told Pierce.

“Haven’t decided if I am.” He cocked his head at Hannah. “Am I?”

Hannah hesitated.

“What’s wrong, love? Not enough data collected yet?”

“You knew about that?” She blushed furiously and landed another kick.

“Ow!” I rubbed my shin. “I didn’t tell him.”

Pierce smiled serenely. “I’m just a keen observer of human nature. And yours was of particular interest to me.”

Hannah blushed harder.

“Is everyone else loving this as much as I am?” Festos asked.

I shot my hand up and waved it around. “Over here.”

Kai and Theo looked amused.

Pierce focused on Hannah. “Well? Am I about to mutiny?”

Hannah mumbled something.

Pierce cupped his hand to his ear. “A little louder, love. My powers don’t include super sonic hearing.”

I knew this was going to be so hard for Hannah. And so important. Because as much as she cared about Theo and me, she’d never let a straight guy get close to her before. Nevermind a god.

Flustered, she raised her eyes to meet his. “Yes. I would like that very much.”

Pierce’s smile was such pure love that even the hardened cynics among us
—
i.e. Kai and Theo
—
kind of melted in its wake. “Right then, let’s do this.”

I screwed my eyes shut, mindful of the “fourteen” level pain he’d promised me. “Be gentle.”

“What’s with the screwy face?” Pierce asked.

I cracked one eye open. “It’s my pain management. You know, for the fourteen.”

Pierce laughed. “It’s not going to hurt now.”

“Why not?”

“When we first discussed doing this, you and Kyrillos weren’t in love. There was still all this pain and baggage. Now we’re good.”

“Good how?” I asked, completely mystified.

“What
exactly
is Sophie supposed to do?” Theo asked.

“She and Kai have to kiss now that they’re in love. I won’t have to override her objections. The ‘fourteen’ part.”

I felt Kai tense.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” I couldn’t believe it.

“No,” Pierce said, sounding surprised at my outburst.

It was bad enough the stupid ritual hinged on Kai and I being in love. But this too?

I couldn’t help myself. My light vines flew out toward Pierce.

Hannah threw herself in front of him, making me abort. “Don’t you dare. I’ve never had a half-decent date and you’re not going to kill the one guy who could give it to me.”

Pierce gave her a fond smile and pulled her into the crook of his arm. “My champion.”

I took several deep and even breaths. The bodice of my dress felt like a torture chamber and I wanted to rip it off so I could get enough air into my lungs.

But that would have been crazy.

“Explain,” I said with a forced smile, to show how calm I was.

“Too many teeth, kitten,” Hannah murmured.

I stopped smiling.

Pierce gestured with his hands as he spoke, keeping Hannah close against him. “Your first kiss started the process.”

“How fairy tale,” Festos said.

“Yeah, I’m not digging being downgraded to Disney prince status,” Kai said.

“Your ego is astounding,” Hannah said.

“Like much of me,” Kai agreed, deliberately misunderstanding her.

“Really? Because it’s not really working for me,” I said.

“Like you’d prefer me modest,” he scoffed.

Fair enough.

Pierce sat forward, speaking insistently. “That kiss should have happened with the two of you in love. Proper liplock, proper awakening.”

“Except, we’re not in love.” My shoulders were bunched up around my ears with tension. “All this pressure is just making everything harder. I like Kai but I can’t rev my emotions up because we’re on a timeline.” Gawd this was so frustrating.

“Use the arrows on them and let’s get the location already,” said Theo.

Pierce shook his head. “First off, they
are
in love, so I’m not sure what the big deal is. And second of all, even if they weren’t, it doesn’t work that way. I can’t just magic them into being in love.”

“But that’s what you were going to do with Bethany,” I said.

Pierce tilted his head, not speaking.

He’s thinking
, Hannah mouthed at me.

A few moments later, he looked at me. “It’s like this, yeah? Aphrodite gets her power from love. But she can’t
force
people to fall in love. All she can do is find two people with potential and then have me provide the spark that she hopes they turn into a flame. I have to provide a lot of sparks before we get a love that takes. Savvy?”

“How would that have been such a misery for Bethany?”

Pierce glared at me. Yikes. I reconsidered angering this god. “Did you or did you not experience an exceedingly intense attraction to Kyrillos?”

Kai turned to me with a blatantly curious look.

“Yes,” I muttered. “And you did too, so shut up.”

He grinned.

“And that was when you were on such high alert that my arrow couldn’t even spark you properly. Due to your goddess side, and Kyrillos being a god, you were both able to mitigate the effects somewhat.”

He crossed one foot onto the opposite knee. “Pure humans are helpless in my wake. Right, so now try to imagine the feeling if it had consumed you. Amp up what you’d felt by a factor of a billion. And make it one-sided.”

I winced. That would have been unbearable. Had I known, I’m not even sure I would have wished that on Bethany. Well, maybe.

Pierce smiled. “Now you get the picture.”

“What about ‘love at first sight?’” Hannah asked. She leaned in to Pierce, a rapt look on her face. For Hannah, having Pierce explain magic love “scientifically” was like foreplay.

He shrugged. “Brilliant PR. Aphrodite plants the idea enough, people believe it. For those susceptible? I spark them and whoosh. The more they think they’re in love, the more they work at it. The more they work at it, the more they’re in love.”

“Self-fulfilling,” Hannah said. “Clever.”

“She has to be,” Pierce replied. “Aphrodite isn’t powerful like Zeus. She comes across like a right ditz, yeah, but she’s managed to keep how her power really works a secret.” He looked at each of us sternly in turn. “I need to know I can trust you.”

We all nodded. Even I wasn’t going to out Aphrodite like that.

Pierce continued. “What you must realize, is that whether Aphrodite provides a spark or not, in the end, only the two lovers can fan the flame. Can make that leap from spark or crush or attraction
—
whatever you want to call it
—
to love.” He smiled. “That part is never magic. It’s all heart.”

“That’s so sweet,” Festos dabbed at his eyes.

Pierce stood and shook out his legs. “It is. And that’s how Aphrodite has survived in people’s minds and hearts where a lot of other gods faded away.”

I thought Pierce was being pretty profound. Given the adoring look on Hannah’s face, she did too.

“You might think you’re skeptical of love but you’re brimming with it. Look at how deep it runs for your friends,” Pierce said to Hannah, his gaze warm. He reached out a hand and pulled her up. “That’s why Aphrodite went crazy for you.”

“Just Aphrodite?” she asked with a coy look.

Pierce’s grin widened.

Hannah blushed.

It was hilarious to see her all rattled. But I was still screwed. “What are we going to do?”

“Kiss her,” Pierce ordered Kai.

“It won’t work,” I protested.

Pierce looked at me sharply then motioned at Kai. “Kiss. Her.”

“If you insist.” Kai kissed me.

It was a really fine kiss.

I mean, wow. Like a ten from the Russians and a lot of hooting from my friends. Except Theo, whose very audible “grrr” rated it minus a billion.

This kiss was the fairytale kiss of pure romance. Soft and sweet, with no doubt that it was cementing a happily-ever-after. The kiss of every girl’s dreams.

But it didn’t retrieve squat.

Kai pulled back. He looked into my eyes, searching.

I shook my head.

Disappointment flashed in his eyes.

“That should have worked,” Pierce said. He sounded stunned.

The ache in my chest was definitely only because the clock was ticking and the memory spell was still in place.

“Is there somewhere Sophie and I can talk? Privately?” Kai asked.