Jacen couldn't find it in him to laugh. "Recall what you did to Adonis." Would the Boeotian ever find a nymph to determine if Pan's curse amounted to anything serious?
Snorting, Pan asked, "Would I do anything like that…on purpose?"
"You might. You do have a reputation of being a trickster. Not all of the myths were complete bullshit."
"You wound me. And here I am stalking the Fates for you. They see me coming every time and started leaving riddles for me to find. They're amused. I'm not."
If not for the fact the Fates had information on London's bloodline Jacen needed to know, to find out if there were nymphs in her family tree, he'd think their toying with Pan was humorous. For what it was worth, he found it disheartening. "Speaking of Adonis," he said to change the subject. "Did anyone think to give him some of Nestor's magic anti-arousal pills? I know he was denied a set of panpipes. Hermes said a while back he was much improved once he got away from Dionysus and his wine, and the frequent headaches stopped."
Pan growled. If Jacen stood in front of the god, he probably had glowing red eyes at the moment. "You know what he almost did to Lily, all to hurt his brother who had never done a thing to harm him."
Jacen knew all right. "So, we're going to punish him forever when he's apologized to everyone involved and Hermes says he wants to make amends? Besides…if we don't try to help him, Theron may find him first. The last thing we need is another enemy who believes we've done them a personal wrong."
There was a long pause, and then Pan said, "I don't like it when other people are right and not me."
"That's not surprising considering your very own mother is the goddess of hubris."
Pan gasped and joked, "I know where you sleep."
"Yeah, well, we all know you're a pervert, so that's not surprising either."
Pan laughed and Jacen took a look around. Where was he? Another side street judging by the lack of businesses opening to the street and the gates leading to trash bins, but he wasn't sure where exactly.
"I should probably get back so Melancton and I can start our search."
"Of course. I'll tell Nestor about Chrysander's promotion and offer to give him a bigger space to work. He'll be ecstatic." Then he added, "I'll be in town probably tomorrow. If you haven't found the Boeotians by then, I'll flush them out. Before they have time to do anything with that false ambrosia."
Jacen nodded even though Pan couldn't see him. What did they plan to do with it? It couldn't hurt Calix, at least it shouldn't, and Theron wanted to torment and kill Calix more than anything. After saying his goodbyes, he slipped his phone in his pocket and turned back in the direction he'd come from. Once he made it back to an intersection, he could figure out where he was and get back to the inn.
Only, that possibility didn't look good.
A door had opened behind him when he finished his call, and he hadn't noticed it then. Three Boeotian satyrs stood in a dark doorway, malicious smirks crossing their features. He'd found Theron, Maron and Elek.
Fuck.
Unfortunately, he was outnumbered. He could run away or face them, and either scenario did not give him a very good chance. He tossed the bag with London's gift against the building and raised his fists. "You know I'm not going down without a fight."
Theron stepped out to the street, horns proudly on display. His jeans covered most of his hooves, but they were loud as they clopped against the asphalt. He'd pulled his shoulder-length brown hair back into a ponytail, and he rubbed the indent on the bridge of his nose where the feature had been broken one too many times before he'd become frozen in immortality. Jacen wished he hadn't hung up the phone before turning around.
The other two came out and flanked his sides. Maron with his short black hair gelled into spikes, and Elek looking like he'd just rolled out of bed, his dark eyes full of aggression. Jacen sized them up, and he didn't like his chances with three against one. Maron grinned as if he knew the precise thought crossing Jacen's mind.
"Get him," Theron shouted, and his two lackies surged forward. Jacen's fists connected with flesh over and over, but he was quickly brought down to the ground. He couldn't even tell which one struck the blow to his temple that knocked him out.
8
Sage paced the living room, a frown weighing down her face. Every part of her wanted to storm out of the house and go home. Would Adonis chase her again? Would he make her stay? She glanced down at her phone, which had thankfully not been ruined by her bag's untimely demise in the mud. It had been—mostly—waterproof. Yet another missed call from Darcy.
If she didn't respond soon, her roommate would call the police and report her missing and Sage would have to tell the cops what she had been up to. She wasn't embarrassed that she had thought she was a witch—because it had made sense, damn it!—but that was not a news story she thought her family would particularly care for. Especially once the truth came out that she hadn't been abducted or anything horrible.
No, Mom, I didn't get kidnapped. I willingly stayed because a satyr didn't want to go around sexually assaulting people since he couldn't have sex with me during the lunar eclipse. Just call me Mother Freaking Theresa over here.
It sounded like bullshit. It really did. And if Sage hadn't experienced her own powers firsthand to know the supernatural was real, she'd never believe any of it. Okay, so his hooves might have convinced her…
Her phone vibrated again with a voicemail.
"You can talk on the phone, you know. You're not a prisoner." Adonis sat on the couch with one hand cradling his
