“You can't!”
“I can,” Athena assured him. “And I will if you don't start talking.”
“I don't know how he did it,” Cephissus growled.
“Narcissus must have told you something,” Athena insisted. “How do you get in touch with him?”
Cephissus clamped his mouth shut and glared stubbornly at Athena.
“Put him in a cell,” Athena said to the gods who had brought Cephissus in. “Perhaps the dungeons of Olympus will loosen his tongue.”
Cephissus' eyes went wide, but he kept his silence. The guard gods grabbed him by his upper arms and pulled him from the room. As Cephissus passed me, he gave me a vicious smirk. It sent chills down my spine.
“He knows something,” I said after he was gone.
“I don't doubt it, but he's not talking, and I'm not feeling up for torture,” Athena said and then sighed deeply. “I'll get back to him later. What were you about to say before he was brought in, Vervain?”
“Oh, I wanted to take a look at the area where you last saw Hestia,” I said.
“Of course.” Athena motioned to the doorway. “I'll take you there.”
I followed Athena out, and everyone came with us. It was a large group; too big for even Olympus' elevator to fit us all. And yes, Olympus has an elevator; it runs from the boat dock in the cavern below to the peak where Athena's palace rules. We took it down one level to the main plateau where the other Greek Gods of Olympus live. We had to split up to go down, but my men came with me. Athena didn't wait for the others once the elevator let us out, she immediately started heading into the maze of palaces, courtyards, and gardens with a confident stride.
Athena took us to one of the smaller gardens that spotted the plateau. A construction I would have called a gazebo, except for the fact that it was made of marble, stood in the center of the verdant square. I suppose it could be called a pavilion. Around it, spindly trees spotted the area and other assorted foliage grew in controlled disorder. It was a good location for an ambush; hiding places abounded. Athena took me to the hideout her and Hestia had been using; a nook behind thick bushes and under the cover of a collection of lemon trees.
“Right here.” Athena pointed to the spot. “That's where I was, and Hestia was over there.” She waved a little to her left.
I went to where Hestia had been and took a deep sniff. Trevor did the same. My dragon senses outperformed his wolf, but it never hurt to have backup. I let my dragon rise inside my mind and change the scents into visible trails of color. There were only two traces left in the area strong enough to have been made recently, and I recognized one as Athena's. The other had to be Hestia's.; a buttercream yellow that glowed softly. I followed it back further into the trees where another scent loomed up.
“Narcissus!” I hissed.
“Yeah; that's definitely him,” Trevor agreed.
“He was right behind me?” Athena gaped at us.
“And he took Hestia.” I nodded. “Their scents mingle.”
“How did he manage to take her silently?” Athena asked.
“I don't know but I don't see signs of a struggle,” Trevor pointed out.
“Hestia would never have blithely walked away with him,” Athena scoffed. “If there is one woman who can resist Narcissus, it's her.”
“And Vervain,” Trevor added.
Athena lifted a brow at me.
“He's not my type.” I shrugged.
“I'd ask if you didn't like gorgeous men but your taste is not in question.” She waved her hand at Trevor.
Trevor gave her an angled head-bow and a pleased grin.
“Narcissus is too pretty and not pretty enough,” I said.
“What does that mean?” Himeros asked; his group had just caught up to us.
“He's effeminate,” I explained. “And not nearly pretty enough to make me ignore that.”
“My wife prefers masculine men.” Trevor grinned wider.
“Regardless of his face.” I waved it aside as I started following the trail. “There is nothing attractive about Narcissus as a person. Definitely nothing worth betraying your pantheon over, and I'm certain Hestia would agree with me. He had to have compelled her in some way to follow him.”
“His only magic is water-based,” Triton pointed out. “As a water god myself, I can assure you that there's nothing I could do to coerce someone into following me against their will. At least nothing that would be silent and leave no trace behind.”
“They went this way.” I didn't bother to comment on Narcissus' abilities. I'd save that discussion for after I found the end of the trail.
We wandered over the pristine avenues, Greek Gods stopping to stare as their leaders passed by in the wake of the Godhunter and her werewolf husband. I ignored them and focused on the trails instead; Hestia's pastel yellow and Narcissus' silvery gray. I tried not to be bothered or distracted by the fact that Narcissus' trail appeared almost reflective. I hadn't analyzed his scent inside the mirror—only cataloged it—so I didn't know if it had looked the same in there or if it had changed when he'd been set free. He certainly smelled the same; like hot asphalt after a heavy rain. Steamy and a little metallic. I suppose silver was an appropriate representation.
“That's Hestia's home,” Athena said as I turned up a walkway.
I glanced back at her and nodded. I had figured as much. I hurried up the steps and into Hestia's palace. The door was unlocked, but I doubt the Greeks ever locked their doors. It wasn't as if they were going to steal from each other. Although, after this, there might be a few deadbolts installed.
Hestia's home swept back from the front door in an open and airy style that a lot of Greek gods gravitated toward. A sort of ancient minimalism. It contained a few pieces of scattered, simple
