An Imperceptible Ruse Indeed (The Gods' Executioner Series) Page 11

  The Void marks retract back across my shoulder, into my artificial arm, and up to my fingertips, where my hand sits beside my head. Silver replaces the black as my fingers return to normal, the claws warping back to round tips. My vision snaps back as Cheza starts crying and wraps her arms around me.

  “Oh thank goodness! I thought I’d lost you!” Cheza sobs into my ear.

  I get an image of Cheza freaking out and telling Natasha to call Pinga. Pinga shows up and ports the girls to Niflheim, where Cheza meets up with Jason. Jason ports Cheza to Persephone’s palace in Hades. Persephone proceeds to port Cheza to Mount Olympus before they rush to the town, through Iris’s gate, and to the palace. So that’s how she got here. I lift my arms from the sides of my head and wrap them around her.

  “She’s gone, Cheza… Tia’s dead…” I quietly say as I’m vaguely aware that the lightning has stopped and my tendrils have rescinded with the Void.

  “I know, Cole… I saw…” Cheza replies as tears stream down her eyes harder than before. A few tears slip from the corners of my eyes as I cry with her.

  “It’s my fault she’s dead… Loki wanted to hurt me so he did it by hurting Tia…” I tell her. Cheza stands up and gets off of me.

  “Come on, Cole. Let’s go home.” Cheza quietly says and helps me up.

  “Sorry for the trouble everyone… I wasn’t myself.” I announce.

  “Don’t worry about it. So Venus killed your sister?” Diana asks.

  “Yeah… she was helping Loki with a vampire rebellion, partially in an effort to take out the entire Aztec pantheon to kill Tia, which was all to hurt me. Tia went to talk to the leader of the vampire rebellion about how three of the Aztecan heads were killed last night, and Venus killed her with a Void dagger.” I reply.

  “Where is the Void dagger now?” Diana inquires.

  I walk over to Tia’s body and reach under my jacket with my left hand. I reach into her chest cavity and pull out the dagger. My arm flushes black as I slam the dagger into the tile until it breaks.

  “AUGH!” I scream through gritted teeth as the shards of the dagger sink into my hand and my nerves are set on fire.

  “It’s gone.” I inform Diana while breathing heavily and without turning around.

  I place my left hand on Tia’s cheek; knowing what I have to do next doesn’t make it any easier… Cheza steps up behind me and places her hand on my shoulder.

  “Goodbye Tia.” Cheza sadly whispers.

  “Goodbye, my sister.” I say. I lean down and kiss Tia’s forehead before her body loses substance, turning into black smoke as it disperses.

  Chapter 12: Melancholic Aftermath and the Holidays

  Cheza takes my hand and we walk through town, back to Mount Olympus’s gate. My jacket loosely hangs over my shoulders, Tia’s scent still clinging to it. Cheza and I port to the house in Arizona; I pause and take several deep breaths before opening the front door.

  “Hey Cole, nice timing. I just finished patching up Cheza’s suit. Oh, hey Cheza.” Sara says as she comes around the corner from the kitchen.

  “It looks like you’re going to need another pair of armored jeans and a new sleeve for your jacket…” Sara comments before trailing off.

  “Cole? What’s wrong?” Sara inquires.

  I swallow hard but I’m unable to stop a tear from falling. Concern becomes the most prominent expression on Sara’s face.

  “Cole… Where’s Tia?” Sara asks with an inkling of realization. I few more tears fall down my face upon hearing her name.

  “She’s gone, Sara… We lost her…” I quietly say while trying to swallow the rock in my throat.

  Sara goes into shock for a moment before quickly clearing the distance between us. She throws her arms around me a starts crying into my chest, the frames of her glasses leaving an imprint in my skin. I wrap my arms around her and hold her as a few more tears slip from my eyes. We stay like that for a several minutes before I pull back.

  “Sara, go pack anything you need. You’re going to stay with us for a while.” I tell her. Sara sniffles and nods.

  “Come on, Sara; I’ll help you pack.” Cheza says and leads Sara back to her room.

  Now all I have to do is make a report to Quinn… but how do I even contact him?

  (The simplest thing would be to port to Aztlan)

  “Yeah, but that would require a picture of the place or me having been there before.”

  (You can port there now that you have Tia inside of you, but more than Tia’s core was in that dagger)

  “What? Who else?”

  (Tezcatlipoca)

  “One of the three heads of the Aztec pantheon that was killed? What about the other two?”

  (They were not killed with that Void dagger)

  “Damn… do you think that any of the vampires at the compound were responsible for it?”

  (Doubtful. Loki wouldn’t entrust such a thing to a normal being)

  “So we’ve got at least one, most likely two, missing Void daggers… Can I get to Aztlan by just saying the name and touching my triskele?”

  (That should work)

  “Cheza, I’m going to go make my report to the Aztec pantheon.” I think.

  “Okay, I’ll help Sara pack. Be careful, Cole…” Cheza replies with concern.

  “I will be. See you guys in a little bit.” I close the connection.

  “Aztlan.” I say aloud and touch my triskele.

  I arrive at a stucco gazebo on the edge of a town that is surrounded by tropical forest. Stucco buildings line the stone street on both sides, leading up to a large staircase. I head down the street, avoiding the questioning looks from the demigod passersby. I climb the large stone staircase that seems to go on forever. About halfway up, I’m exhausted so I stop to rest when realize that I can just fly up the staircase. My left arm and right leg flush black, but it doesn’t extend into my skin. I float up to the top of the staircase where I’m halted by two guards. They say something to me, but I have no idea what language they’re speaking.

  “QUINN!” I shout, hoping that he can hear me. I wait for a minute before he appears, says something to the guards, and turns his attention back to me.

  “Where’s Tlazolteotl?” Quinn asks and I turn my head towards the ground.

  “She’s fallen…” I report while trying to keep it together.

  “…How?” Quinn asks, not looking all too surprised, but I guess he wouldn’t be fit to be a leader if he fell apart over the death of one of his subordinates.

  “In the same manner as the three heads. I obtained the dagger that killed her and Tezcat… something, and I destroyed it after killing its wielder.” I reply.

  “Only Tezcatlipoca? What about Xipe-Totec and Huitzilopochtli?” Quinn questions.

  “They weren’t killed by the same person. I’ll keep investigating to find their killers, but you should be safe now.” I inform him.

  “How can you say that?” Quinn inquires.

  “Because I discovered that the entire reason that the person pulling the strings wanted all of the pantheon heads killed, was all in an effort to kill Tia.” I reply.

  “But why? What purpose did all that effort to kill a minor goddess from a Category 3 pantheon serve?” Quinn asks.

  “To hurt me… it was all in an effort to hurt me… and that bastard Loki succeeded. We should name the god that will be the new head of the pantheon now. Do you have anyone in mind?” I ask.

  “To be Tezcatlipoca’s replacement? Hmm… let’s go to my quarters.” Quinn says and snaps his fingers. We appear in a lounge area of what appears to be a library.

  “I think Mictlantecuhtli would be the best fit as a replacement.” Quinn tells me.

  “Whatever you say, I just need him here to transfer power.” I reply.

  “Alright, I’ll head down to Mictlan and bring him back momentarily. Feel free to make yourself a drink.” Quinn says as he walks over to a large globe and opens the top half to reveal a variety of alcohol in crystal
glassware before snapping his fingers.

  I walk over to the globe and open several containers, sniffing their contents. I find some scotch and pour it into a crystal glass before sitting down. After finishing my drink, I look around to try and distract myself from thoughts of Tia. Quinn has an impressive collection of books; quite a few are written in scripts that I don’t recognize.

  “Cole, this is Mictlantecuhtli. Do you need anything to transfer the power?” Quinn asks from behind me. I turn around and seen a tan, bald man that is lethally skinny and has his eyes closed.

  “No, I don’t require anything else.” I reply when I see that Mictlantecuhtli already isn’t wearing a shirt; his torso looks like a mummified corpse…

  I move around behind him and place my left hand on his back as my arm flushes black, glad that I have no sense of touch. I close my eyes and the panel opens up in my mind. I quickly drag over the Tezcatlipoca folder of Obsidian, Night, Divination, Sorcery, and Jaguars to Mictlantecuhtli’s folder to join Death, Underworld, and Lord of Mictlan. My eyes shoot open and the old nerve-burning sensation that accompanies the transfer lasts for thirty seconds.

  “All done. I need to get going.” I tell Quinn and he snaps his fingers, porting us to Aztlan’s gate.

  “I’ll let you know when I find out more about the killers. Bye.” I say.

  I step into Aztlan’s gate and port back to the house in Arizona.

  “Hey, we’re going to be staying at Jason and Reyna’s over the holidays.” Cheza informs me when I arrive.

  “Alright… are you two ready to go?” I solemnly ask.

  “Yeah, we’re going to need your help with the bags though.” Cheza thinks.

  I walk down the kitchen hallway, focusing on Sara’s door on the left and avoiding the opposite side. I enter Sara’s room and see three large suitcases on the floor.

  “Okay Sara, grab those two suitcases and Cheza grab that one.” I tell them.

  They do so without asking questions, I grab both of them by their shoulders, and picture us standing in the living room of Cheza’s and my house… the one that Tia bought for us…

  “Okay, now pick out the stuff you actually need for a few days stay in Niflheim.” I glumly say and walk into the kitchen.

  I search the cabinets before realizing that we’re out of alcohol. I return to the living room and see Sara holding a single bag while Cheza is holding two of her own.

  “Oh, right… I’ll go pack.” I monotonously announce and start to head for the stairs.

  “I already did.” Cheza tells me.

  “Alright, thanks.” I reply and grab both of the girls before porting us to Niflheim.

  Natasha, Reyna, and Jason are standing in the kitchen upon our arrival. No one says anything as I walk over to the liquor cabinet and take in the wares. I spot a jug of Captain Morgan so I grab that and head for the stairs. I carry my jug upstairs, into the guest bedroom that I had previously occupied, and slump down into the leather chair that rests in the front right corner, to the left of the bed. I crack open the 1.75 liters of rum and take a drink before I hear two gentle knocks at the door.

  “Cole? Are you al—…” Cheza starts to ask before she realizes the answer to her question and can’t think of anything else to say.

  “I’ll be fine… I just need some alone time.” I tell her.

  Cheza gives me a sad nod and softly closes the door. I screw open the jug and take another drink.

  …

  [December 24th]

  “I think we should do something about Cole. He hasn’t come out of the room in the past twenty-four hours.” I hear Cheza say down in the kitchen.

  “I know; he should’ve at least come down for a refill on the rum by now.” Jason says.

  “I thought he’d come down for a refill this morning! When I went to bed last night, I found him passed out in the chair and the bottle was empty.” Cheza replies.

  “He went through a jug of rum in less than three hours?” Natasha asks.

  “Wait, then what has he been doing all day? If he’s out of alcohol then he’s not drinking.” Reyna says.

  “I don’t know… I think he’s just been sitting in the corner…” Cheza responds, concern apparent in her voice.

  “So he’s been in that room for the last twenty-four hours and he’s not drunk? This is more serious than I thought.” Jason says.

  “I’m upset about Tia too, but it isn’t good that Cole has just been up there fixating on it…” Sara chimes in and the door to the bedroom suddenly opens.

  “Uncle Cole?” Alice asks while peeking her head around the door.

  “What do you need, sweetie?” I reply as amicably as possible.

  Alice walks into the room dragging Dynamite by his paw, closes the door behind her, and moves towards me. She stands in front of me and holds her arms up so I lean over, pick her up, and place her on my lap. Alice rises to her knees, which she thankfully puts on my thighs and not elsewhere, and wraps her arms around my neck, smacking Dynamite into my right ear.

  “I love you, Uncle Cole.” Alice softly says and I hug her back.

  “I love you too, Alice.” I whisper as I fight back my tears.

  “I’m sorry, Uncle Cole… I know there’s something wrong, but I can’t hold back anymore.” Alice tells me.

  “It’s alright, sweetie.” I reply and feel a set of tiny fangs pierce my neck. I bring my right hand up and stroke the back of her head as she drinks. I suddenly feel tears hit my neck.

  “What’s wrong, sweetie?” I ask and Alice pulls back to look at me.

  “I don’t want you to go anywhere, Uncle Cole! I don’t want you to leave!” Alice cries.

  “I’m not going to leave you, Alice.” I reassure her.

  “Promise?” Alice sniffles.

  “I promise.” I say and hug her tighter.

  “Uncle Cole? Can you wait up for Santa with me?” Alice sheepishly asks.

  “Of course I can.” I tell her and lift her up as I stand, only to have my legs give out. I’m able to react quickly enough to turn so I thump down onto my back instead of falling on Alice.

  “Uncle Cole!” Alice exclaims.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  “I’m fine… do you have any owies?” Alice asks.

  “I’m okay, sweetie.” I reply.

  “Cole, are you alright?” Cheza asks as she opens the door.

  “Yeah, my legs just fell asleep; seems like I’ve been sitting for too long. Now, I believe that Alice and I have to go wait up for Santa.” I say as I stand up and walk past Cheza.

  I carry Alice downstairs and sit us down on the couch. I turn on the TV and we start watching the movie about Dr. Seuss’s green monster, played by the actor that used to be stupidly entertaining when he was playing a pet detective. About half way through, I scoot down the length of the long couch and lie down. Alice yawns and looks over at me before crawling across the couch. She positions herself on my torso, sets her head on my chest, and goes back to watching the movie.

  “We’re going to bed so here are some milk and cookies for—” Reyna starts to say as I look down and notice that Alice is asleep so I hold my finger to my lips.

  “These are for Santa.” Reyna whispers with a wink as she sets a plate of cookies and a glass of chocolate milk on the table.

  “Why chocolate milk?” I ask at a whisper.

  “We’re out of the regular kind.” Reyna whispers back.

  “Well, Santa would appreciate it if you could replace half of his chocolate milk with peppermint schnapps… or gin.” I reply. 5

  Reyna smiles at me and carries the glass back to the kitchen. I grab a cookie and take a bite while watching Alice’s adorable sleeping face for any signs of her waking up as everyone quietly heads upstairs.

  “Goodnight, Cole.” Cheza thinks as she stops on the stairs.

  “Night, Cheza. I love you.” I reply and Cheza gives me a suspicious look before continuing up the steps. How like her… I spontaneously proclaim
my love for her and she immediately thinks I’m up to something.

  “Is Mrs. Claus getting jealous because Santa is sleeping with one of the elves?” Natasha thinks with a sly grin.

  “I saw this one coming.” I reply.

  “Remember that daunting evidence I was referring to?” Natasha asks.

  “Goodnight, Natasha.” I think in response and Natasha walks upstairs to one of the other guest bedrooms. Reyna comes back and sets my drink on the table.

  “Goodnight, Cole.” Reyna whispers and heads upstairs.

  I take a sip of my drink and see that Reyna went with the schnapps. I finish one and a half more cookies and drain the rest of my drink before seeing Jason come downstairs.

  “Forgot about the stocking.” Jason whispers.

  “Right… wouldn’t want Alice thinking that Santa is just some guy that breaks into people’s houses to steal their milk and cookies.” I whisper back as Jason snaps his fingers and candy appears in Alice’s stocking.

  “Want a top-off?” Jason asks while pointing at the empty glass.

  “That depends… do cops ever pull over jolly old fat guys for flying a magical sleigh while intoxicated?” I question.

  Jason smiles at me and snaps his fingers in response before giving a quick glance to Alice’s rabbit on the other end of the couch.

  “I heard you talked Alice into naming her rabbit Dynamite… awesome, just awesome. Night, bro!” Jason whispers and heads back to his room. I finish my drink as I watch the Grinch.

  …

  [December 25th]

  I wake up a while after midnight with the TV on and I realize that I’m lying in a puddle. Crap… first I pass out and now I’ve pissed myself… I’m never drinking schnapps again.