Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

“Like a Reverse Harem?” Chris asked.

She turned to him now. “Fuck you.”

“What’d I say?”

“I think it’s the way you said it,” I offered, really having no idea.

“No,” Goldi motioned to one of the bears. “Are you part of a harem?”

He scrunched his nose, then chuckled. “Sure am.”

“There you go,” Goldi turned back to me, then Chris, as if she’d just proven her case. “Did I have to say ‘reverse’ in there? No, don’t be stupid.”

“It works with books,” Chris mumbled.

“Genre shit,” she replied. “Not real fucking life. Don’t try to label my lovers ever again. You, you’re not invited. No bear invite for you.”

Chris opened his mouth as if about to reply, but a glance from Mirna got him to shut up.

Without another look our way, Goldi turned back to Red and said, “I’m doing this for me, to be clear, but when this is over, we’re square. Good?”

“Agreed,” Red said, ignoring the curious glances her way. She turned to Hekate and nodded. “Make it happen.”

“Oh, well…” Hekate frowned. “You do realize I can’t open a portal to the pyramids?”

“What?”

“Up there—I can’t. It’s impossible.”

“So how do we do it?” Elisa asked.

Hekate and Mirna shared a look. “Those of us who can fly…. Fly.”

We all looked around, realizing this wasn’t going to let all of us go.

“Good fucking plan,” Goldi said.

“That mean… who, exactly?” Sharon asked, eyes roaming over all of us.

“I’m good at falling,” Red said.

“She’s real good at going down,” Pucky added. “Sorry, couldn’t help it. I’m—me too, I’m also good at that. Does saying so make my joke go away, or make it worse?”

“Worse,” Elisa said, shaking her head. “Honestly, I think I can get up there with the help of my brother’s power, but barely. Hekate?”

“I can fly, but just me,” Hekate replied.

Goldi had her arms folded, shaking her head, clearly about to lose confidence in the plan. With that in mind, I had an idea.

“Roar.”

Everyone turned back at me. One of the bears arched an eyebrow, then smiled and said, “Roar back, big guy.”

“Sorry, I mean—my lion. I call him Roar.”

“Lions don’t fly,” Goldi countered.

I chuckled. “Mine does.”

“And might be able to carry one more,” Elisa said. “We’ll need what we can get—so looks like it’ll be you and Goldi on the lion, Hekate to keep the tracking spell going, and me… to kick ass when necessary.”

“That’ll have to do,” Goldi said, eyes roaming over me.

“Keep your hands off of him, or when you get back you’ll answer to me,” Pucky said, glaring at Goldi.

“I wouldn’t let her,” I said.

“It’s not you I’m worried about.”

Goldi frowned, then sighed. “I promise not to try and sneak any fondling sessions with your boy while we’re up there saving the world.”

I coughed, trying to get that image out of my head real fast. We all turned, moving outside and preparing to make for the pyramid that the golden light was pointing to—one out of our current line of sight.

“Wait here, or meet back at the mansion?” Red asked.

“My mansion,” Elisa replied. “Mirna can get you there, and we’ll go with Hekate.”

Chris grinned wide. “I miss that place.”

“Oh, no.” Elisa cocked her head, then added, “Red, Pucky, show them the guest room and burn the sheets when they’re done.”

Mirna laughed, and shrugged. “Yeah, if we have down time, we’re probably going to get nasty. It’s just a fact of life.”

At least it was good to know we weren’t the only ones like that.

Without further ado, Hekate held out her hand and made a broom appear from the thin air while Elisa braced herself, about to call on her brothers’s power to propel her.

“On you,” Elisa said to me.

I put my hand on my chest, nodding for Goldi to join me, then called on my lion. He burst out, wings spread wide and nearly knocking over one of Goldi’s bears. He roared, looked around, and then settled his gaze on me. As if knowing my thoughts, he lowered himself so that I could climb on and pull Goldi up behind me.

“Watch those hands,” Pucky growled.

Goldi was behind me, but I imagine she made some sort of lewd gesture because a moment later Pucky was charging for her and Red had to step in to break it up.

“Pucky, dear,” I said, hand caressing the lion’s neck to show him we were ready. “If I feel her hands anywhere they don’t belong, I promise to chop them off myself. We’ll send them down in a nice little package, bow tie and all.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet,” Pucky said, blowing me a kiss.

“I don’t think it’s sweet at all,” Goldi hissed, and then we were in the air with a mighty leap from Roar, Elisa bursting up in an explosion of white light a moment later, and then Hekate appeared on her broom.

Next stop: crazy pyramid home of some god or whatever the hell it was.

64

I had to imagine it was a spell from Hekate or one of the others that allowed us to reach the pyramid without being attacked. Whatever the reason, I was relieved to find that we were flying up and into an opening, none of the gods there noticing.

“Don’t move, and they won’t,” a voice said, and I glanced around to see that Goldi was looking pointedly at each of us in turn. So it had actually been her, and even now we were cloaked. There was more to her than simply picking locks.

We were passing all manner of so-called gods, some with their togas and animal forms from Greek mythology, others with colorful African clothes, one even holding an actual lightning bolt that sizzled in his hand.

One of the gods started to turn our way, but Goldi motioned back and we floated off from the main area and into a passage. From there we were able to see that god step forward, look around, and then turn away again.

“Figures Loki would be the one to almost see us,” Goldi said with a grin.

“She’s always had a crush on