My Date From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2)

Oh, to have popcorn! (Part 1)

"As if," I scoffed. "There's got to be someone who hates Zeus and can do magic. Even I've got my ribbons of death. Stranglers. Dusters. No, that sounds like a housecoat."

"Ignoring the fact that your power name is pathetic, I preach the truth. Innate abilities are different from magic. None of us gods are turning princes into toads. Very few cast magic as seen on TV. Magic takes a toll. On the giver and the receiver."

I thought about it. "Yeah. Delphyne did magic and she was certifiable."

"Exactly. And then undoing a magic spell? There are a couple ways. You either have to find the person who did it to you in the first place and get them to undo it. Or option deux, use beings capable of just that. Undoing complex magic spells. It takes years of specialized training. Didn't have much call for them, so the few that even existed are dead now."

"And you can't just teach someone?"

"It's not like there's an online tutorial for that level of skill. Besides, there are rules around this kind of thing. Procedures." He looked at me sternly.

"Pierce said he could do it."

Festos looked doubtful. "I can't see how. He hasn't taken the seminars."

"Geez. Well. We wouldn't want someone who hadn't taken a seminar to practice on me." I sounded vaguely hysterical.

Festos stood up and smacked me across the face. "Snap out of it!"

I raised a hand to my sore jaw and did a double-take. "Did you just Moonstruck me? I love that movie."

He grinned in delight and turned off the annoying Greek soundtrack. "Yes, Cher, get over yourself and lose the hysteria."

"Vague hysteria. What else am I failing to remember that could be important?"

Festos raised his hand and waved it around energetically as I began to pace. "Ooh. I know. How about whoever it was that tried to kill Persephone sixteen years ago?"

He lowered himself back into his chair, grabbing his cane before it fell over.

I nodded vigorously. "Exactly like that. I won't even recognize them if I run into them, because I don't remember! Like Kai and that knife trick he did before killing Delphyne? I saw someone else do that when I lay there bleeding out as Persephone. But would I remember who? No!"

I ran out of steam and looked at Festos, who watched me expectantly.

"I just remembered something, didn't I?" I asked.

"Bing! We have a winner," he mocked, adjusting his fedora for maximum rakishness.

"Whoever tried to kill me as Persephone did some weird move with a knife as they stood over my body."

Festos twirled his finger to indicate I should keep going.

"And Kai did that same move back in the cave before he cut off Delphyne's head."

Festos stared at me expectantly.

I scrunched up my face in dismay at the logical conclusion. "Kai might have been the one who tried to kill me when I was Persephone."

"Waa waa waa waaaaa ..." He imitated a sad trombone.

Of the many things I had or ever would believe Kai capable of, murdering Persephone was not one of them. I found it really hard to imagine.

Festos looked worried. "Are you going to want to do the girl thing now? I don't do that. Not unless alcohol and Adele is involved and you don't look legal, which means ice cream and sharing, so I'm out."

"Thanks for the compassion." I thought about the whole undoing of magic. "Do you know who Bethany is? She's become really popular—"

"And gorgeous," Festos added.

I shot him a look.

"I'm gay. Not blind. The camera melts ten pounds off that girl. Very impressive."

Ignoring that. "It's magic. Bethany is what she is because of a tattoo, even though the dragon who gave it to her is dead. But what if I blasted it off? Would that work?"

He shrugged. "In that case, it might. Pretty low level of power involved in the tattoo spell. Basic glamour and compulsion yadda yadda. 'Course you also might kill her."

I mock pouted. "And wouldn't that be a tragedy."

Festos laughed.

"I tried to blast my memory spell out," I blurted.

His laughter quickly turned to a wince.

"Yeah."

Festos jabbed me in the gut with the tip of his cane. "Don't do that again."

I rubbed just above my belly button where he'd nailed me. "Then it's up to your machine." I slung an arm around him. "Fire this baby up again and let's see what else I can remember."

But in the end, despite running the machine several more times, I had nothing.

"Again," I panted.

Festos shook his head. "You look wan. And not as in Obi."

"Okay, but there's this one section. I've almost nailed it." If I couldn't lift the memory spell, at least I wanted to get through the damn sequence.

"No, you haven't. And even if some miracle of rhythm occurred and you did, it still wouldn't help you remember." Festos shook his head. "Those puppies are buried in you deep."

Looked like I was going to have to go with Pierce and his dubious Plan B. I really hoped the pain wasn't a blinding fourteen. My stomach knotted up at the infinite torturous possibilities and I grasped the bar behind the dance platform as any adrenaline I'd been coasting on evaporated and my legs buckled.

It really would be nice to have just one calm day instead of the never ending wild ride that my life had become.

Festos stopped the machine, balanced himself on his cane, then with one hand, ripped the wires off my head and slung me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. Impressive, especially since for a god, he was remarkably human-sized. Moved crazy fast too, given his foot.

He carried me over to the lounge area and dumped me on a low sofa.

I lay there, feeling the burn in my legs as I traced my fingers over the myriad of buttons on the red leather couch.

"I'm sure whatever Pierce has in mind will work great," Festos said, still sounding doubtful but at least trying to be reassuring. "You'll remember all the important details and save the world."

Except I still needed to find Kai for that part. "Maybe I'm just being really stupid about Kai," I said, staring up at the hip, silver, pressed tin ceiling tiles. "Like 'girl thinks stalker is nice guy then ends up as a corpse on news at eleven' stupid. But I don't believe he tried to kill Persephone. He loved her."

"That he did. Wow, gotta suck knowing if he does love you, it's 'cause he has to. And if he doesn't, then bye-bye humans." Festos pulled a "yikes" face.