Chapter Eight

Hermes took us to his bedroom, and I tried not to gawk at the floating bed. It wasn't magic, mind you. Or maybe it was. With the way Hermes had his territory set up, sort of the opposite of a fantasy movie set, what looked to be a modern human piece of technology could very well be magic. Odd, but that was what he thought was edgy—hiding magic as technology. In this case, it was one of those beds that hovered via magnetic repulsion. Repulsion? Propulsion? Whatever, you know what I mean. The bed had powerful magnets on the bottom, and they pushed against the magnets on the floor. It was circular and surrounded by velvet curtains that hung from the ceiling, combining that modern bed with antique touches that made my head hurt.

The rest of the furniture was equally baffling, with intricately enameled Chinese pieces set beside sleek leather chairs, and paintings done by Monet hung near a Jackson Pollock. I guess the artists were both impressionists in their own way, so fair enough. Let's just call Hermes's style eclectic and be done with it.

What was most noteworthy was how we had to go through his bedroom and past that floating bed to reach the safe. And Hermes's safe was hidden behind a wall panel. Whoever had taken the Caduceus had known where to look. But here's the thing—the trickster had known where the Ark was kept and had gotten his hands on Lucifer's pitchfork as well. It had made us suspect someone in that pantheon. But it wasn't.

Then again. I suppose it could be. We still didn't know the trickster's true identity. That being said, if he was in the Christian Pantheon, it might explain how he knew where the Ark and the Devil's pitchfork were, but not where Hermes kept the Caduceus. Of course, this line of thought was only relevant if this thief was the trickster.

I took a sniff, switching to my dragon senses. Instantly, the room bloomed with color, scent trails becoming visible in a way my partially human brain could understand. I saw Hermes's scent immediately. It was all over the room, soaked into the furnishings and even the walls. A glance at him verified that it was his. Among it were other trails, but they were faint and none of them went near the safe.

The safe was a walk-in number with a door that would have been appropriate for a bank vault. I wasn't surprised by it. Or by the Batman way it swung out from the wall. I followed Hermes into a large space lined with wooden shelves and cabinets. I was impressed. Even his safe was paneled in wood and had a glass case in the center that was museum quality.

Kirill and Trevor came in behind me, sniffing the air.

I turned and shook my head at them. “Forget it. There's only Hermes in here.”

“How is that possible?” Hermes demanded.

From the safe's doorway, Odin cursed and drew back through the crowd. Yes, crowd. Not only had the Squad followed us, but so hadHermes's children. I frowned at them. Would one of them take their father's snakes? But no. If it had been one of them, there would have been a scent trail. I could see their scents. None of them had the power to mask them.

“The trickster,” I said. “Remember, we told you that he doesn't leave a trail? I think we can conclude that he took your caduceus.” I grimaced. “Unless someone close to you—someone who knows where you keep the Caduceus—has learned the same trick and can mask their scent.”

“I guess that's possible,” Trevor said. “But unlikely. I think this is the work of the trickster.”

“So, what do we do?” Hermes asked.

“Honestly, there's not much that can be done,” I admitted. “There's no way to track him. Last time, we had to follow the clues . . .” I trailed off and looked at my husbands.

“The clues!” Trevor said. “If this was him, he would have left a clue.”

“Probably clue to next theft,” Kirill said.

I spun to face Hermes. “Where was the Caduceus kept?”

“Right here.” He motioned at a shelf that was empty.

The other shelves bore multiple items, but this one looked special. It was on the far wall and centered both horizontally and vertically. There was a good three feet between it and the shelf above it. I went closer. It wasn't entirely empty. A gold stand stood in the center of the shelf. It had a domed bottom supporting a slender metal pole with hooks at the top. Perfect for holding a scepter. I picked it up, and like a game of cups, revealed a prize.

“What is that?” Hermes drew closer, then picked up the item. “It's a shell.” He scowled as he looked up at me. “Why did the thief leave a shell behind?”

I sighed. “This is definitely the trickster. He always left clues for us to follow. It's part of his game. Granted, this is a little more vague than his usual clues. May I?”

Hermes handed me the shell.

“It's pretty,” I said. “I like how it's cut in half so you can see the spiral inside. Maybe there's something within the spiral.” I peered at the creamy interior and turned the shell, hoping to see a hidden message. There was nothing. Nothing except for the type of shell. “Hold on. This is a conch shell.” I ran my hand along the edge, lining the tapered shape. “The Hawaiians would blow through one end to create a trumpeting sound.”

“Do you think this is a reference to Hawaii?” Trevor asked. “Or maybe a connection to you?”

“If it is, it's very abstract. I didn't even recognize the shell right away because I've never seen it sliced in half like this. Here, pass this along to everyone.” I handed the shell to Trevor. “Maybe someone else will see something that I don't.”

Trevor and Kirill inspected the shell and then we left the safe. Kirill handed the shell to Re on his way out. The entire God Squad inspected it as we left the bedroom and headed back to the dining room. I thought we were out of luck. Maybe the trickster was being harder on Hermes because he didn't like him. I mean, totally understandable. But then Blue got a turn at the shell.

I heard him gasp just as we entered the dining room.

“What is it?” Hermes ran to Blue.

But Blue looked at me.

“What do you see?” I asked.

“It could be a coincidence,” Blue said.

“Knowing the trickster, it's not.” I strode over to him. “He left us this shell for a reason. So what is it, Blue?”

“This shell is very similar to the one Quetzalcoatl wears.” He glanced at Eztli, his expression tender and a bit remorseful.

With good reason. Eztli had a history with Quetzalcoatl. Bad history. Something about him chasing her out of her village because she had become a vampire. And she had become a vampire because Blue made her one. The first vampire .

But that woman was made of sterner stuff. Eztli didn't wince at the mention of her tormentor. Instead, she leaned in and looked at the shell.

“Yes, this is very similar. But Quetzalcoatl's breastplate is much larger and flatter. In addition to the giant conch shell being sliced in half, it also has a slice taken from its back so that it sits flatly on his chest.”

“Interesting,” Odin said. “May I see the shell again?”

Blue passed Odin the shell.

Odin turned the shell over and brought it up to his eyes. He made an impressed chuckle, then took the domed back of the shell between his fingers and twisted it. The dome slid to the side, revealing another hidden clue—this one a written message.

Odin unwound the paper tube that had been hidden in the back of the shell and read, “The coyote puffed and puffed, but he couldn't blow the beaver's house down.”

“Coyote?” I asked.

“Beaver?” Re added.

“Re,” I chided. “Please, don't get nasty.”

“I wasn't,” he said in an offended tone.

“I will,” Pan said. “The guy is talking about blowing a beaver. And isn't a house usually the shape of a box? So . . .”

“Pan!” Hermes shouted. “This is not the time for your filth!”

“Sorry.” Pan's shoulders slumped.

“But what if he's right?” Viper asked.

“What is wrong with you people?” one of Hermes's kids muttered .

“No, seriously. You never know with this guy. And he did kind of have a thing for Vervain. Plus, there's the Hawaiian connection.”

Everyone looked at me.

I cleared my throat. “Uh. I don't think it was like that. It was more of a friendly admiration.” I frowned. “At least what I remember of it.”

“What does that mean?” Angelia asked.

“One of the times we met, he told me some stuff, then made me forget it.”

“So, he has the magic of Forgetting?”

I looked at Odin, my eyes going wide.

“How could we forget that?” Odin asked.

Another of the Messenger God's kids snickered, then said, “I think you just answered your own question.”

“But he enchanted Vervain, not us,” Odin protested. “And she told us as much as she could when she returned from that interaction. As much as she could until she forgot.”

“Well, he did save all of you from that pit,” I said. “That would have given him the opportunity to whammy you with forgetfulness.”

“Perhaps.”

“It was so subtle that we didn't notice,” Re said.

“None of us remember it,” Thor added. “Do you know what kind of power you'd need to enchant that many gods all while you pulled them out of a pit?”

“I don't know, maybe the power of all the gods of Naraka?” Re drawled. “The same power the trickster took from Katila. ”

Thor grimaced. “Yeah, that would do it. Shit.”

“So, we're back to playing his game,” Odin said as he tossed the message on the table, then set the shell beside it.

“But we don't know what this clue means,” I said.

“It must be a reference to Quetzalcoatl,” Blue said. “I don't know what this thing about a coyote and a beaver means. It's obviously a play on that nursery rhyme, but I don't know what that has to do with anything god related. All I know is that with the back removed, the shell is even more similar to Quetzalcoatl's breastplate.”

“Oh no,” I whispered. “Is this breastplate powerful? Is it important to Quetzalcoatl?”

“Yes. He's the God of Wind and Wisdom.”

“Wind and Wisdom,” Viper said. “Love the alliteration.”

Blue went on, ignoring him. “His Wind Magic is magnified by the breastplate.”

“Magnified by?” I asked. “Are you sure it doesn't stem from the breastplate?”

Blue glanced at Eztli, then said, “Quetzalcoatl never says much about it.”

“Wind!” Torrent exclaimed. “It's a shell that makes wind!”

“Why is that remarkable?” Hermes asked.

“Because the clue refers to blowing,” I said. “Maybe the reference to a coyote and a beaver will come up later. For now, we need to speak to Quetzalcoatl.”

“I will take you to see him,” Blue said. “But only you, Vervain. He'll be upset if I bring a group this big into his territory. He may not even appear if I do that. ”

“Why her?” Hermes asked. “I want Pan to go.”

“Quetzalcoatl has met Vervain,” Blue said. “He likes her. He will be less upset by her presence.”

“Wait,” Viper growled. “He likes likes her or he just likes her?”

“These people are insane,” another of Hermes's kids said. “We should conduct our own investigation.”

“By all means, do so,” Odin said. “But it's the trickster who is insane. To catch him, you have to think like him.” He looked at me. “Go, Vervain. We will wait here and discuss this further.”

“No one has answered my question,” Viper said.

“He likes her,” Blue said with a shake of his head. “As a person.” He kissed his wife's cheek. “Stay here, my love. I won't be that long.”

“I can handle seeing him again.” Eztli lifted her chin. “He's apologized to me.”

“I know, my love. But we really need to speak with him and seeing you may spook him. So, please, stay here.”

Eztli grimaced but nodded.

“I'll drive you back to the tracing chamber,” Pan said to me. He sounded as eager as I was to leave.