For The Love Of A God by Rosanna Leo (ebook reader for comics .txt) 📕

and sat on the side, right next to her father's rigid arm. His hand was tightly fisted, and she tried to gently pry his fingers apart so she could hold it. She succeeded in moving his index finger a little and spied what seemed to be a rolled-up wad of paper in his hand. “Eryx, look."

Frowning, he approached. “Step away, Maia.” She moved and he loosened the rest of Jim's fingers. He retrieved the paper and flattened it.

The note simply read, “Come to the museum tonight and bring the girl. If you don't, I'll curse her with an eternity of agony. A pain so intense she'll scream for death."

The flowery script was one he knew well. He'd known it for eons. He folded it up and put it in his pants pocket before Maia could peek over his shoulder and read it.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just a scrap piece of paper.” He stared down into her dark, trusting eyes, hating he had to deceive her. But there was no sense terrifying her further, not with what had to come. She'd be dealing with enough as it was. The least he could do was spare her another little bit of heartache. He held her against his body and reveled in the feel of her melting against him. “Do you trust me when I say I'll keep you safe, baby?"

She gazed up at him. “I trust you with my life."

He smiled. “And tonight you'll get your life back."

Clinging to Eryx and surrounded by Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysus, Maia entered the museum as she'd never done before.

As mist.

It occurred to her that it felt just as she expected it might. Floaty and ethereal and light. She didn't feel the weight of her body, even as she held onto Eryx's stronger, heavier body. She only felt air upon air, and then they were inside the massive front doors. As they materialized, she felt a slight jolt, as if all her bones and muscles were popping back into place. There was no pain, but her head spun a little.

Eryx grinned down at her, happy he'd given her another little thrill.

"We should split up. Easier to spot the little bitch,” drawled Dionysus, looking fierce in his old-fashioned Grecian get-up.

They all looked intimidating, thought Maia. All except her. Whereas she'd dressed for comfort, in her leggings and favorite pink Converse sneakers, the four gods were brilliant in all their glory. Each was dressed in the robes and sandals they'd worn in her apartment, and each was armed with weapons fashioned to kill. Between Eryx's sword, Dionysus's daggers, and the harshly glittering arrows of the twins, they looked scary enough to take on every evil movie monster she'd ever seen flicker to life in a dark theater.

Beautiful, but definitely scary. And real, unlike all those celluloid creatures.

"No,” said Eryx, his arm looped possessively around Maia's shoulder. “We stay together. We hunt together. If we split up, she'll attack Maia. I'm not letting that happen."

She looked up at him, feeling sick to her stomach. He was going to battle for her. The gods of Olympus were going to battle for her. The fact it was going to occur in her beloved museum filled with precious artifacts didn't even cross her mind. Eryx was going to fight.

For her.

It didn't seem right.

"Tell me again why you can't just use your powers together to defeat her. There are four of you and just one of her. The odds do seem a little stacked in our favor."

Apollo smiled at her, as he would to a child. “I know it must seem that way, but we all have to be careful. Despite the fact we are gods, for lack of a better word, none of us is completely invincible. There are ways to take each of us down.” He paused, as if she might need time to let that the information sink in. “Maia, when we were ... created, we were all given unique abilities to help us perform our roles, but we each have limitations too. Yes, we are all strong. We are basically immortal. We can all change shape. Artemis and I can shoot an arrow. Dionysus can drink you under the table. And Eryx ... well, I'm guessing you've experienced his special talent."

She felt her body color from head to toe.

Eryx turned her from the knowing gaze of the others. “The thing is, because Nemesis is goddess of vengeance, she was given a few extra tricks so she could fulfill her duty."

"So,” Maia ventured. “You guys can't just summon a flood to wash her away?"

Eryx grinned. “We're not that good. Some of the old myths may have exaggerated our abilities."

"The elders might be able to do something like that,” said Dionysus. “The only one who has power over us all is the big cheese, Zeus. But no one's seen him in years. Last I heard he was farming cattle somewhere.” He rolled his eyes. “He's always been curiously fond of cows."

"Then why are we even doing this? If none of you can actually kill Nemesis ... and if she can't exactly kill you..."

"There are fates worse than death. Yes, we can live forever, but an eternity of pain and torture is not a desirable thing, little one,” Artemis said.

"I'm not little,” Maia murmured, perturbed. What was it with these gargantuan deities and their superiority complexes? The twins talked to her as if she were the village idiot and their wino pal insisted on looking at her as if she were dangling from a stripper pole. Eryx was the only one who didn't dismiss her intelligence. She had her Master's in conservation, for Christ's sake. She wasn't a bimbo.

Eryx squeezed her shoulder and whispered into her ear. “You may be little but you have the heart of a lion to be here."

"I'll never leave you."

His green eyes crinkled in a way which made her insides roil with apprehension. She had no idea what they were planning to do here tonight, and didn't even