SEVENTEEN
“How did this happen?” Psyche asked Garrett, her face creased with worry. Russell, Sebastian, and Garrett sat together in the three chairs in front of her desk, all shell-shocked at the events of the evening.
Garrett shook his head. “It could have been a multitude of things, but nothing – nothing – indicated this was happening when she died. There was no life in her at all. I was there the whole time, even while she was prepared for burial.”
Psyche sighed and looked out the window, which was black with night. Alex was back in her room with no less than a half dozen Guardians. To maintain her sanity, Glen and Evans were with her. “It goes from bad to worse. First we kill a mortal, and then we create a demigod, which is strictly forbidden by Jupiter.” She closed her eyes briefly before looking back at Garrett. “I’ll be informing Cupid, and then both of us will inform Jupiter. I need every medical record you have on Alex. Find her records from the mortal doctors too.”
Garrett nodded. “I sent for those before I started on her treatment. I will give you both.” He rose to his feet, bowed slightly, and then left the room.
Psyche waited until he was gone before addressing Russell. “How is she?”
“Pretty shaken up. To be honest, so am I. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Psyche smiled. “Well, you wouldn’t have. The last demigod was Hercules, and that was thousands of years ago.”
Sebastian cleared his throat. “So if she’s a demigod, she’s not immortal.”
“That’s right. She’s still mortal, but she has immortal powers. Usually the powers a demigod form are closest to skills they have as a mortal. At least, the demigods in the past took on the best of both parents, immortal and mortal. Since she was a professional actor, her powers of persuasion are honed, and it would not surprise me to see that she has persuasion over both solid objects now and eventually people.”
Sebastian exhaled. “I thought demigods were only born, not created. I can assure you she’s not my kid.”
Psyche smiled. “There’s no doubt of that. However, the immortal blood , her prolonged exposure to it, seems to have changed her DNA. I’ve never heard of it happening before. The thing is…” Psyche cleared her throat. “Someone made a mistake.”
Russell and Sebastian exchanged glances before Sebastian turned to look back at his mother. “What do you mean?”
Psyche rose and moved to the front of her desk, sitting on the edge to look down at her sons, who tried not to twitch in their seats. “This must not leave this room.”
Russell and Sebastian swallowed, waiting. Whenever Psyche had that expression, she need never say the words. The look was command enough, and neither of them would have ever considered uttering a word to anyone else. Sebastian shook his head, and Russell spoke, “Of course not.”
Psyche nodded once, briefly. “Very well, then. After we learned of Alex’s death, the Guardians started going through the biohazard containers from Alex’s room. They took the IV bags from the containers and ran tests on them. Only one of the transfusions was done with mortal blood. The other was immortal blood.”
Sebastian and Russell both swiftly inhaled, glancing at each other. Russell leaned forward. “What does that mean? Did Garrett make a mistake?”
Psyche placed her hands in her lap, looking down at them. “Garrett has not been informed. According to his medical records, he instructed the nurse to administer mortal blood, type B positive. According to the nurse’s log and serial numbers on the bag, it should have been mortal blood.”
Sebastian blinked. “So there was a mistake when the blood was collected?”
Psyche shrugged. “Possibly. Or someone tampered with the bag before it was administered. We do not keep mortal blood on hand. It has to be shipped in, and it would be highly irregular if the mistake happened during the collection of blood. Obviously, mortals and immortals don’t exactly donate in the same places. Immortals donate their blood at Temple. Mortals donate in blood banks.”
Both men took a moment to adsorb this information. Sebastian looked up first. “You suspect tampering, don’t you?”
Psyche nodded. “Yes, I do. It’s the simplest explanation.”
Russell threw up his hands. “But…why? Why would someone mess with a mortal’s blood?”
Psyche stood and moved back behind her desk. She sat, straightening her skirt as she lowered herself into the leather desk chair. “I have a few theories, but nothing I can prove. It could be whoever switched the blood didn’t realize the effect it would have on Alex, but we were, after all, treating her for exposure to immortal blood. It is only natural someone who knew what she was being treated for would assume more exposure to immortal blood…”
Russell scowled. “Would kill her.”
Psyche nodded. “Precisely. So then we have to consider who would want to kill her.”
“Mars,” Sebastian and Russell said in unison.
Russell nodded. “Remember the look on his face when she called him out? The sooner the eye witness is gone, the better.”
Psyche sighed. “The problem is Mars and Rogan have both been under lock and key, and Aspen was being held hostage. There is no way for Mars and Rogan to get out of Hans’s circles until he deems it. Their rooms are guarded night and day. They must have someone working for them, if they are the culprits, and there were no other Lead Arrows in Temple at the time of Alex’s death but the two of them.”
Russell swallowed, remembering something. “Oh, shit.”
Sebastian and Psyche turned to him with interest. Psyche speared him with her eyes. “What is it, Russell?”
Russell’s eyes were large, glancing quickly at Sebastian. “I ran into Victoria in the hall before we ran to get Aspen. I was really out of it, but she almost ran me over. She was coming from Hans’s corridor on third.”
Sebastian sputtered. “You can’t…it isn’t possible…” His face started to get red as he struggled to defend his sister.
Psyche lifted a hand. “Stop, Sebastian. Russell is not accusing anyone here, but we need to know what he knows.”
With a great deal of effort, Sebastian settled back in his seat, but his face was still hard. Russell hesitated, but went on. “She was…like I said, running from the end of the corridor. I stopped her and asked her what she was up to, but she just pushed me off. I thought she was acting funny, but she insisted I was just being silly. To be honest, I had been awake all night, up with Glen.” He looked up at Psyche. “I don’t think she would team up with Mars against her family, but…” he glanced at Sebastian. “…I do think she is hiding something. I didn’t press it at the time. I regret that now.”
Psyche nodded. “We need to find her, talk to her. I also do not think her devotion to the Golden Arrows would waver, but perhaps she’s being blackmailed.”
Sebastian and Russell stared at their feet, their emotions at war with one another. Psyche cleared her throat, and they both looked up at her. “This is not an interrogation. No one is being accused. With Aspen coming back into Temple in the state she did, along with what she found in Seattle, there is a great amount of doubt of Mars’s involvement.” Psyche turned to look at the clock on the wall behind her. It pointed to ten minutes to ten o’clock. “As it stands now, we are meeting with the visiting Lead Arrows from Mars’s Rome Temple at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. You both need to be there, as well as Aspen. I think Glen and Alex should stay out of it for now. There is already controversy enough with us holding Mars, pending possible charges, let alone us accidentally creating a demigod. I just hope your father gets back here in time to help me sort it out.”
Psyche suddenly looked very tired, and Sebastian and Russell both felt sorry for her. “Don’t worry,” said Russell. “We’ll go talk to Alex and Glen, calm them down. If we see Victoria, we’ll talk with her.”
Psyche smiled. “You’re both excellent sons.” She gave them each a peck on the cheek before she walked them toward the door. “I will see you both in the morning.”
After the door closed and Sebastian and Russell had walked out of the earshot of the Guardians, Sebastian slipped a glance to Russell. “You think Victoria had something to do with this?”
Russell could hear the tightness in Sebastian’s voice. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying she’s hiding something. Maybe she’s being bullied. Do you want to let Mars bully her?”
Sebastian shook his head. “Honestly, I just hate that she’s hiding anything.” He sighed. “Sorry I was rough on you.”
Russell laughed. “Rough? That wasn’t rough. I remember the time you put ink in my coffee for hitting on Rosa Perkins in Nashville. That was rough.”
Sebastian laughed, looking over at Russell. “Alright. What first? Alex? Victoria?”
Russell sighed as the two of them reached the top landing on the stairs. They hesitated there as they looked down the hall. Alex had been moved to guest quarters since she wasn’t sick anymore. “Whatever we do, we had better tackle it together. You know how women are when you ask them about shit. All emotional and defensive.”
Sebastian groaned. “How could I forget? I’ve only had a week off. Memories don’t fade that fast.” He considered, looking down the hall. “Let’s talk to Alex first.”
Russell nodded, and they made their way to her room. Two Guardians were stationed outside. When they entered, they saw another four were in the room along with Evans and Glen. Alex was sitting on the bed, looking scared out of her wits. She looked relieved when they came in. Russell looked at the Guardian closest to him. “You can all leave now.” The Guardian raised his eyebrows. “We need to talk to Alex, and we can’t do it with you here. Go.”
The Guardians had no choice but to leave, though they did it hesitantly. Russell had no doubt Hans would be informed immediately.
“Hey, Alex.”
Alex sat on the bed with her knees cradled in her arms, pressed against her chest. She had showered and changed into a sweat suit. “Hey, Russ.”
Russell approached the bed and looked down at Glen, who said, “Hey.” Glen looked a lot worse for the wear. Evans stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder.
Russell sat on the edge of Alex’s bed. “I suppose you have a lot of questions.”
Alex shrugged. “Evans answered some. I want to know how it happened.”
“We’re looking into it. Basically, instead of your body rejecting the immortal blood, it changed to accommodate it. You became a demigod. Normally, this only happens in childbirth. Trust me when I say we’re just as surprised as you are.”
Glen snorted. Russell looked down at him, frowning. Glen met his eyes “Sorry, but you’ve been saying that an awful lot lately.”
Russell rubbed his eyes. Sebastian stepped forward. “We’re doing the best we can with what we’ve got. When we have more information, we’ll tell you. We don’t know for sure what happened or why. We have to pull all of the medical records, go through them. It takes time.”
Alex looked up. “Evans said demigods are forbidden.”
Russell glanced at Evans before looking back at Alex. “It’s true. Jupiter decreed it to be forbidden thousands of years ago. Basically, if a mortal and an immortal have a child together, it’s a demigod. Demigods are mortal, but their powers are that of an immortal. The heartbreak for the immortal parent at losing a child to the mortal world is too much. Jupiter decided demigods would only result in heartbreak. He forbade them to be created anymore.”
Alex looked up. “But I wasn’t created in childbirth.”
Russell nodded, placing a hand on her arm that lay across the top of her knees. “I know. We don’t know what Jupiter is going to say to all this. It’s new.” Alex looked terrified and little in her bed. Russell leaned forward. “He’s not mean, Alex. He’s a very compassionate, loving god. He’s the same “God” you pray to.”
Alex shook her head. “I don’t pray.”
Russell grinned. “Maybe you could start. It couldn’t hurt your case.” Alex snickered. “On the other hand, you’re the coolest mortal in the world right now!”
Glen looked up. Alex glanced at them all. “I haven’t done it again…since earlier.”
Russell hopped up. “Why the devil not?”
Evans stepped forward. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”
Russell rolled his eyes. “Why not? We give her awesome powers and tell her not to use them? Hell, it’s the only thing she has going for her right now.” He looked down at Alex. “And it is super cool.”
Alex smiled a little and blushed. “I am a little cold, so…” She lifted a finger, and her robe came flying to her bed from the hook on the bathroom door.
Glen inhaled. “Wow.”
Alex laughed. “That’s so neat.” Sebastian and Russell laughed while Evans smiled. Alex looked up. “This is something you guys see all the time, isn’t it?”
Sebastian shrugged. “Around here, yeah, but never from a mortal.”
Russell crossed his arms and grinned at her. “You may as well practice. It can be a very good defensive tool for you.”
Alex nodded. “In the combat room?”
Russell shrugged. “Sure. Glen knows where it is. He’s been spending some time there. It’s definitely the safest place to try something new. Just don’t get into the weaponry with this new talent yet. If you don’t know how to use it, you’re just gonna hurt someone.”
Alex’s eye lit up as she gazed at him. “Will you teach me?”
Russell’s face registered surprise. “I’d better ask Mom first, but I don’t see why not.”
Alex sobered again. “When do we talk to Jupiter?”
Sebastian cleared his throat. “We have to talk to Dad first. Then I think he and Mom will speak with Jupiter. Rest assured, nothing bad is going to happen to you.”
Alex looked back at Russell. “Promise?”
Russell nodded. “Promise. Jupiter is very fair. This was not intentional. In any case, you wouldn’t be the one in the frying pan.”
Glen chuckled. Sebastian and Russell looked down at him. He grinned. “I just find it a little funny you guys might actually get in trouble for something.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, while Russell punched Glen’s arm. “Only if we get caught.”
Evans yawned. Sebastian looked at her, and then the others. “You all need some rest. We have business to attend to in the morning regarding another matter. We’ll leave you to go to bed.”
Alex stood as they turned to leave. “Are you sending those men back in?”
Russell shook his head. “No. I’ll talk to Hans.”
Alex smiled, her face registering her relief. “Thanks.”
Russell nodded and left the room behind Sebastian. When they were in the hall, Sebastian turned to the Guardians. “No more supervision is required inside that room. If Hans has a problem with it, just ask him to see me, okay?”
The Guardian closest nodded as Russell and Sebastian walked further down the guest corridor. Russell raised his eyebrows as he turned. “Victoria?” Sebastian nodded. They approached Victoria’s door, knocking gently. There was no reply. Turning the handle, Russell called out, “Victoria?” looking in. Her room was empty, the bed made. Russell took a few steps into the room. “Well.” He turned to look at Sebastian. “I didn’t see this happening more than once in a week, did you?”