light-blue tie matched his eyes. Neatly trimmed dark-brown hair and beard emphasized his chiseled features.
Even sitting down, he radiated power. His presence filled the room like an invisible current, washing over me and making the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose or not. Either way, one thing was clear: you don’t screw with the King.
Hera, Zeus’s wife and Queen of the Gods, stood to the right of her husband. Her tight white dress showed off some fairly nice curves. Diamond jewelry glittered on her wrists, neck, and fingers, and her black hair was pulled into a severe bun. You could slice your finger caressing her razor-sharp features. I wanted to check Zeus’s hands for scars.
“Greetings, Mr. Jones,” Zeus said, his voice deep and commanding. “It’s nice to see you again. Please, have a seat.”
I sat on the couch and nodded at Hera. “Ma’am.”
She sneered at me. Charming.
“Would you care for something to drink?” Zeus offered.
I shook my head. “No thanks.”
He nodded and laced his fingers. “Hermes tells me you were out with my son the other night. How is Hercules? He and I rarely speak nowadays.”
“Herc’s fine.”
Zeus smiled proudly. Hera rolled her eyes.
“With all due respect, Mr. President, can we just get down to business?”
Zeus stood and looked through the glass wall behind his desk, beyond which lay a spectacular view of New Olympia. Then he began to pace back and forth. Hera continued to watch me. Her gold eyes were daggers.
“Where are my manners?” Zeus said. “I haven’t even thanked you for coming on such short notice.”
“Well you didn’t leave me much choice, did you?” I said. My voice showed every bit of the agitation I felt.
“You forget yourself, mortal,” Hera snapped. “You are in the presence of Gods. One more outburst, and I’ll have the flesh stripped from your bones.”
“Calm down, my love,” Zeus said. “Mr. Jones can’t help us if he’s dead, now can he?”
Hera crossed her arms and tilted her chin. Her diamonds flashed in the sunlight. “I suppose not.”
I waited until the tension in the room had eased. “There was no need to bring Alexis into this.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, I’m afraid,” Zeus said. “You were my best agent. Quick on your feet, able to find solutions in the most unlikely places. Your talents were invaluable to our organization. We need them again.”
“I appreciate the compliments, Mr. President. I really do. But I’m just a modest PI. I don’t have the resources to conduct an investigation of this magnitude.”
Zeus summoned me forward. He took a check out of his suit pocket and slid it across his desk. I picked it up. It was double his original offer. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw all the zeros.
“Will this be sufficient?” he asked.
“I believe so.” I tried to sound nonchalant. I folded the check in half and slipped it into my back pocket.
“In that case, let us move on. The enemy you face has the power to kill Gods. Being mortal places you at a disadvantage. But I have something that might help.” He pressed a button on his intercom.
A woman’s voice issued from the speaker. “Sir?”
“I need you in my office.”
“On my way.”
Seconds later, the door opened, and in came Chrysus, Zeus’s personal assistant and director of the Treasury. She was also a certifiable bombshell, in a gray skirt suit that showed off a good amount of thigh and breast. Her thick blond hair was pinned back, revealing perfectly applied makeup. The glasses were a nice touch. I’ve always been a fan of the naughty librarian look.
She bowed her head to Zeus. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Chrysus.” Zeus gestured toward me. “You’re familiar with Mr. Jones?”
Chrysus regarded me with a polite smile. “Of course. How are you, Mr. Jones?”
I gave her a thumbs-up. “Super.”
“Mr. Jones has agreed to help
Even sitting down, he radiated power. His presence filled the room like an invisible current, washing over me and making the hair on the nape of my neck stand on end. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose or not. Either way, one thing was clear: you don’t screw with the King.
Hera, Zeus’s wife and Queen of the Gods, stood to the right of her husband. Her tight white dress showed off some fairly nice curves. Diamond jewelry glittered on her wrists, neck, and fingers, and her black hair was pulled into a severe bun. You could slice your finger caressing her razor-sharp features. I wanted to check Zeus’s hands for scars.
“Greetings, Mr. Jones,” Zeus said, his voice deep and commanding. “It’s nice to see you again. Please, have a seat.”
I sat on the couch and nodded at Hera. “Ma’am.”
She sneered at me. Charming.
“Would you care for something to drink?” Zeus offered.
I shook my head. “No thanks.”
He nodded and laced his fingers. “Hermes tells me you were out with my son the other night. How is Hercules? He and I rarely speak nowadays.”
“Herc’s fine.”
Zeus smiled proudly. Hera rolled her eyes.
“With all due respect, Mr. President, can we just get down to business?”
Zeus stood and looked through the glass wall behind his desk, beyond which lay a spectacular view of New Olympia. Then he began to pace back and forth. Hera continued to watch me. Her gold eyes were daggers.
“Where are my manners?” Zeus said. “I haven’t even thanked you for coming on such short notice.”
“Well you didn’t leave me much choice, did you?” I said. My voice showed every bit of the agitation I felt.
“You forget yourself, mortal,” Hera snapped. “You are in the presence of Gods. One more outburst, and I’ll have the flesh stripped from your bones.”
“Calm down, my love,” Zeus said. “Mr. Jones can’t help us if he’s dead, now can he?”
Hera crossed her arms and tilted her chin. Her diamonds flashed in the sunlight. “I suppose not.”
I waited until the tension in the room had eased. “There was no need to bring Alexis into this.”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, I’m afraid,” Zeus said. “You were my best agent. Quick on your feet, able to find solutions in the most unlikely places. Your talents were invaluable to our organization. We need them again.”
“I appreciate the compliments, Mr. President. I really do. But I’m just a modest PI. I don’t have the resources to conduct an investigation of this magnitude.”
Zeus summoned me forward. He took a check out of his suit pocket and slid it across his desk. I picked it up. It was double his original offer. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw all the zeros.
“Will this be sufficient?” he asked.
“I believe so.” I tried to sound nonchalant. I folded the check in half and slipped it into my back pocket.
“In that case, let us move on. The enemy you face has the power to kill Gods. Being mortal places you at a disadvantage. But I have something that might help.” He pressed a button on his intercom.
A woman’s voice issued from the speaker. “Sir?”
“I need you in my office.”
“On my way.”
Seconds later, the door opened, and in came Chrysus, Zeus’s personal assistant and director of the Treasury. She was also a certifiable bombshell, in a gray skirt suit that showed off a good amount of thigh and breast. Her thick blond hair was pinned back, revealing perfectly applied makeup. The glasses were a nice touch. I’ve always been a fan of the naughty librarian look.
She bowed her head to Zeus. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Chrysus.” Zeus gestured toward me. “You’re familiar with Mr. Jones?”
Chrysus regarded me with a polite smile. “Of course. How are you, Mr. Jones?”
I gave her a thumbs-up. “Super.”
“Mr. Jones has agreed to help
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