“Okay.” I sighed deeply. “So, Sekhmet is living in the new city of Dwarka—not submerged—and has provided information about the old city of Dvārakā—submerged but possibly rising—and we are supposed to do what exactly?”
“Stop it from rising, of course,” Re exclaimed, and then looked confused. “Isn't that what you Squidders do?”
“Squadders,” I corrected. “The God Squad; which you are a member of, Re.”
“Yes, La-la, whatever you say,” Re said in a patronizing tone.
“I'm going to kick your golden ass if you don't watch yourself,” I growled.
“Watch myself do what?” Re looked intrigued.
“You're such a pervert.” I sighed again. “I have no idea why I love you.”
“That makes two of us,” Odin muttered.
“Hey! Mind your manners, young man,” Re snapped at Odin.
We all stared at each other in shock before bursting into laughter.
“I suppose we should gather the others,” Odin said. “Do you have any more information for us, Re?”
“No, but Sekhmet does,” Re said. “I thought it best if we all went to hear it together.”
“Then we'll ask everyone to meet us there,” I said. “Where is 'there' exactly?”
Chapter Five
Re took Odin and I to Sekhmet's home, which was actually on the island of Bet Dwarka; about nineteen miles from the coast of Dwarka. Oh, so many Dwarkas. After we arrived, Re texted everyone a picture of Sekhmet's home so that they could use the image to trace there.
“Why haven't I thought of that?” I grumbled as I watched Re send the message. “All this time, we could have been sending pictures instead of tracing in big, prayer circles.”
“The only reason I bought this phone was to text you.” Re waved his cell phone at me. “So, you're partially responsible for me figuring this out.”
“You've taken well to human technology,” Odin noted as we followed Re to the front door.
“It's not as if it's hard to understand after working with Atlantean technology,” Re said.
“I've never thought of it like that.” Odin's expression lightened. “Perhaps I'll buy a computer.”
“You don't need a computer,” I huffed. “You have Santa TV.”
“Santa TV has its restrictions,” Odin said and then groaned. “Damn it all; now you've got me calling Hlidskjalf that ridiculous name.”
“I slip into your brain slowly,” I said as I fluttered my fingertips together deviously. “You don't even known I'm there and then; blammo!” I blasted my hands apart. “You say something in Vervain vernacular... Vervaincular.”
“Oh, yay,” Odin said dryly, “another new word.”
“I love it!” Persephone declared as she walked over to us. She gave me a big hug. “Hey, girl. We brought Hades' daughter with us; I hope you don't mind.”
“Hades has a daughter?” I asked in shock.
“From a brief liaison pre-Persephone,” Hades explained as he walked up with a stunning brunette. He waved to the woman and said, “This is my daughter, Macaria; Goddess of Blessed Death. Mac, this is Vervain, Godhunter; and a whole list of other things.”
“Hey,” Macaria—aka Mac—said as she reached out to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you. Dad has told me a lot about you.”
Macaria's eyes matched her hair; a nice, normal brown—so she didn't take after Hades in that respect. She was slim and tall, with porcelain skin and a sassy look to her face that was most-likely due to an eyebrow that seemed to arch higher than its partner.
“Yeah; nice to meet you too.” I gaped at her. “Sorry; I'm just a bit thrown. I had no idea that you existed.”
“I get that a lot.” She smirked and shrugged. “I like to keep a low profile.”
“I feel Death among us,” Azrael intoned dramatically as he walked up with my other husbands (all except for Arach, of course—he was in Faerie with our sons).
“Yeah; that's you, dude,” Trevor huffed.
“No; I believe he means me,” Macaria announced as she turned toward the men. “What's up, Death Angel?”
“Hello,” Az said with a frown. “Do I know you?”
“Auntie Mac!” Morpheus exclaimed.
Our other winged member of the God Squad came rushing past Az to hug Macaria.
Then Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams, turned to speak to everyone, “This is my Father's sister, Macaria. She's the Goddess of Blessed Death.”
“She's your aunt?” I looked from Morpheus to Hades questioningly.
“On her mother's side,” Hades explained. “I had one child with Nyx, but she had many children with Erebus.”
“Erebus...” I nodded as I recalled meeting Morpheus' grandfather on Olympus. “Okay; I think I get it now.”
“Oh, you,” Azrael's expression lightened as he continued to stare at Macaria. “I've felt you before.”
“Excuse me?” I gave Az a horrified look.
“He means that he's felt my death energy before,” Macaria explained. Then she turned back to Az. “Yeah; I think we crossed paths once in Italy.”
“The Spring of 1348,” Azrael murmured. “Black Death. You were collecting some Greek souls in Florence.”
“You remember!” Macaria said as if it were a party they'd both been to. “Yeah; that was me.”
“I met my wife during an outbreak of the Black Plague as well.” Azrael smiled brightly.
“What a coinkydink,” Macaria said merrily.
“Am I only one who zinks zis is veird?” Kirill asked as he eased up beside me.
I shook my head, but it was Odin who answered, “Nope; not the only one.”
“Sam is vatching Lesya,” Kirill whispered to me before he kissed my cheek. “She said to take our time; zey're going on picnic.”
“Thanks,” I whispered back. “I need to get that
