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

Beware the dolphin (Part 1)

Kai blinked us back into the courtyard of Maia's house.

My friends had set up shop in her laundry room.

The washing machine had been pushed to one side. Other than that, the room contained a sink and a shelf holding a small radio, now tuned to a English Eurotrash dance station. Oh, and a container of cookies that had been liberated from a kitchen cupboard.

All of them turned to me as one with the same worried expression.

"I'm fine. Really."

"Told you," Festos said. He shoved at Theo. "You're such a drama queen."

The boys had opened the portal. Festos stood in front of a big glowing hole muttering to himself. Through the portal, I could see a tropical island bathed in moonlight.

Theo perched nearby, arms crossed, staring into the hole with an intent expression.

Hannah sat on the washer, now barefoot. She waved me over.

I shot her a quizzical glance.

"Jack's private island. In Thailand. Crazy, huh?"

Whoa. "Impressive secret tunnel."

"They've already undone three wards. We think this is the final one."

I leaned against the washer, watching them idly. The radio turned to its "on the hour" international news update and one particular story caught my ear. I reached over and cranked up the volume.

"... on Vancouver Island off the west coast of Canada. The earthquake hit about an hour ago in the Cowichan Valley, registering about a four on the Richter Scale. And while there were no injuries and only minimal damage, scientists were surprised at the small radius of the quake zone ..." The announcer continued with brief details.

This was no natural disaster. It was Zeus and Hades, showing me that they could cause destruction in my life if they so chose. A warning. I clenched my hands. My cheeks flushed.

"Don't let them win," Hannah said, in a hard voice.

I almost missed the next item, reassuring her I wouldn't.

"... Sassy Lass makeup stocks are up 200 percent after It girl Bethany was spotted wearing their latest lipstick in a video that went viral only hours ago. Riots broke out at makeup counters everywhere as women from fifteen to fifty clamored for the brand to emulate this new web sensation. Seventeen were reported injured."

My ribbons shot out. It was all too much. I wanted to destroy something.

"Easy." Kai clasped my hands in his to keep me from doing damage.

"When reached for comment," the newscaster went on, "B had this to say."

It switched to a clip of Bethany speaking. "While it's empowering to wear feminine shades like those in the Sassy Lass line, if you are not up to the quest of seeking that treasure, then do us all a favor and stay home. Reward is for the mighty."

I was stuttering by this point.

"Wise words for us all," the newscaster finished up.

"Could do with a touch more subtlety in her approach," Festos said.

"Jack is certainly milking Bethany for all she's worth," Theo said, glancing at his phone. "Guess who the majority owner of Sassy Lass makeup is?"

I couldn't help myself. I ripped my hands from Kai's grasp and blasted the radio to smithereens. I'd never hated anyone like I hated Jack. Between the mommy head games and the Bethany world tour? He was one serious son-of-a-bitch.

Kai put his arm around my waist, holding me in an iron grip. "Calm down. You're just exhausting yourself."

"What's Jack's deal?" Hannah wondered. "He can't need the money he'd make off Bethany."

"It's not about the money," Festos explained. "He's not in Aphrodite's league, looks-wise."

"Who is?" Hannah asked.

Festos looked at her like she was stupid. "Moi. Anyhoo, this is Hermes' way of leveling the power dynamic between them."

"Relationships are never equal," said Theo.

"You can't believe that?" I looked around at all of them. Theo's gaze challenged me, Festos looked rueful, Hannah seemed neutral, and Kai, well, I couldn't read him. Poker face king.

There had to be some relationships that were based on equality. I thought through all the ones I knew. Fine, those might not have been the best examples, but I'm sure that somewhere out there were two people who loved each other on an even footing.

Theo's phone rang. An old school rotary phone briiing. He handed it to me.

The screen read "Aphrodite." I tried to shove it back at him but he refused to take it. With a glower, I answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Youse found him yet?"

"We thought we did but he was just messing with us."

"Sheesh! A'course he's messin' with ya. He's God of Tricksters. Don't you know nothin'?"

I hissed with fury and Kai took the phone away from me.

I snuck a look at him, watching covertly as he slid down against the wall until he sat on the floor. His head tilted back, legs sprawled. He caught me staring and rolled his eyes, holding the phone away from his ear as Aphrodite continued to natter away at him.

"Enough, already. Where's Jack? Is he on his island?" Kai said, cutting right back to our mission.

"Tres sexy. I like his 'don't mess with me' voice," Festos whispered to me.

"Me too." Mercy. I didn't want to give Kai the satisfaction of seeing me fan myself so I ate another cookie instead.

Kai tilted his head and regarded me with half-lidded eyes as he listened to Aphrodite. Later, he mouthed.

"This date is over," Theo said, coming to stand beside me.

I elbowed him in the ribs. "It's. The. Arrow."

"Please," he scoffed. Then he sighed, resigned. "If you need to do him, I'll help you. But we'll try to contain you to one time. Just to bind you two. For the good of the universe."

"There's a mood killer," Festos said.

My eyes widened at Theo's presumption. "If that ever happens, you won't be there 'containing us,' you perv. Go watch porn online like a real teen boy."