“Shall I make us lunch?” Narcissus offered.
“Yes!” We all shrieked.
Narcissus laughed and waved his hand. A blanket appeared beneath us and a spread of food between us. Dishes worthy of royalty cast their alluring aromas up to me; roasted chicken, rack of lamb, prime rib, and a whole salmon all done up fancy on silver platters. Bowls of steaming sides nearly outshone the main entrees; vegetables, mashed potatoes, and hot rolls crying out to be consumed. There was even a cool, crisp salad. But my hand immediately sought one of the four pitchers of water first. I barely managed to get it in a glass before I lifted it to my lips.
I moaned as I drank and similar sounds came from my husbands.
Narcissus laughed as he filled his plate. “That's the one thing here that I can guarantee is real. I manifest the water myself.”
“That's why your visitors don't die of dehydration,” I said when I came up for air.
“Just so,” he said.
“Man, you should have mentioned that earlier,” Trevor huffed.
“Sorry.” Narcissus gave Trevor a guilty look. “I didn't think about it until now.”
I contemplated Narcissus. His speech still carried a bit of a modern twist, but he'd toned it down. I had a feeling that his exclamation the night before had been a slip. So had the bikini, but the chance to see a woman nearly naked had undoubtedly been worth the risk to him.
After we quenched our thirst, we took our time easing our hunger. I savored the rich and complex flavors of each dish. If I hadn't known about the illusion magic, I wouldn't have suspected. They even filled my belly with warmth and satisfaction. I laid back with a groan after I finished, my pregnant belly bowled out firmly. Damn; I hadn't even considered how my starvation and dehydration could have affected Vero. I rubbed my hand over my stomach protectively.
“I've made a glutton of myself,” I declared. “Now, I can't move.”
“A nap is in order,” Trevor agreed as he stretched out beside me.
Kirill took up a position on my other side, and Narcissus laid out where he was and crossed his arms behind his head. It felt very companionable, and I forgot my suspicions as I settled securely between my husbands. Sleep overtook me quickly. One moment, I absently listened to my husbands' deep breathing and the next, I joined them.
My little siesta proved more restful than the full night's sleep I'd had the night before. I think my mind needed the respite even if my body didn't. As a goddess, I could do without sleep if I had to, but I didn't do it often. Sleep provided more than healing for my body; it healed my mind too. And this particular slumber delivered additional benefits; someone was waiting for me in the Dream Realm.
“Morpheus,” I said happily as I walked across the surface of the Moon toward him, my feet crunching on the dry soil.
The Greek Dream God grinned as he inspected the scenery. “Interesting dream, V.”
“Well, I am a moon goddess after all.” I shrugged. “And I should have remembered that you're a dream god and could reach me here. Did Odin send you?”
“Yeah.” Morph shook his head with sympathy and disbelief. “This is a new level of messed up, even for you.”
“It's not my fault,” I said immediately. “Re's the one who gave me that damn mirror.”
“He's pretty broken up about it.” Morpheus grimaced. “Odin, Azrael, and Toby are giving him heaps of hell.”
“I told Odin not to do that,” I growled. “Well, kind of. I gave him a stern look.”
Morpheus mushed up his mouth. “As a man who's been a recipient of one of your stern looks, I'm shocked that Odin wasn't instantly cowed into obedience.”
“I don't think there's a force in any realm that could make Odin obey,” I huffed.
“So, I should tell the guys to knock it off?” Morpheus asked.
“Yeah; it's not Re's fault either,” I said. “He was only trying to be sweet. We all make mistakes.”
“They haven't been able to find Aunt Nemesis yet,” Morpheus said with a cringing expression. “She went on sabbatical after her Mom was executed.”
“Shit,” I whispered. And then I caught what he'd called her. “That's right; she's your aunt, and Nyx was your grandmother.”
“Yep.” Morph nodded. “Don't worry, V, when we find Nemesis—and we will—I'll get her to end the curse. You've done a lot for us, despite the toll it's taken on my family, and she owes you. If nothing else, she owes you assistance for your position as one of the Twelve. Well, they're not Twelve anymore since you killed so many of them, but you know what I mean.”
“I thought Nemesis might be mad at the Olympians since we executed Nyx,” I completely ignored his comment about my killing other Olympians.
“There wasn't a lot of love lost between Nyx and Nemesis.” Morph shrugged. “I think that might be what's bugging Aunt Nem the most. But it wouldn't matter if she was mad at you; the Olympians must be obeyed, and if one of them is in danger, they must be assisted. Period. Any Greek god who can help you, will.”
“That's a relief to hear.”
“Is everything okay in there?” Morpheus asked. “Odin wanted me to make sure that you were safe. You're not being tortured or anything, are you?”
“No; we're fine,” I assured him. “Narcissus is a little strange and creepy, but we're safe enough I think.”
Morpheus ' eyes went twitchy. “Aunty Nem doesn't curse people lightly, V. He's in there for a good reason. Humans killed themselves for Narcissus, and he didn't care. In fact, he delighted in it. He was worse than an incubus. At least the Incubi sleep with their victims and give them some pleasure before they suck up their life force. Narcissus gave nothing, only took.”
“Are you saying that Narcissus took the suicides as sacrifice?”
“Of course,” Morpheus said with a pessimistic puff. “That was Narcissus' justification;
