Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
And then I saw it: a thunderbolt finding its mark as it raced down from the heavens, and even though I knew there was nothing I could do, and that if our positions had been reversed, she probably would have let Zeus’ murderous bolt spear its target –
I could never wish a person dead.
“Tamara, look out!”
But it was too late.
Tamara’s lips parted in a soundless scream of agony as the bolt tore through her body.
Fire claimed her in the next second, and I knew the exact moment she died.
We all knew.
Impossible not to, when the stormy skies vanished at her last breath, and the wind gods fell from the skies, released at last from Zeus’ orders of pillage and destruction.
Apparently, the antidote we were looking for was nothing more than Agent Tamara Gries’ death.
Chapter Thirteen
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? Did Zeus dump you? Is that it?
You bitch!
Uh, no, that would be you, I think?
I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!
And you’re psychotic, I swear, I absolutely swear you are.
Dike hit the Stop button, and the screen froze just as I fell out of the window. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how not to negotiate with a potentially psychotic opponent.”
I wanted to shrink in my seat as every CSI agent of the department turned to look at me.
“Then again, Agent Vavrin was a huge help in preventing the end of the world so all’s well that ends well. Let’s give her a round of applause.”
The other agents started to clap.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Our division director waved towards the doors, which again flew open under her command. “Dismissed.”
I stood up with the others, but I had only taken a few steps when I heard the Daughter of Justice say coolly, “Except you, Agent Vavrin.”
Brooms and sticks. Was I in trouble?
A week had passed since Agent Tamara Gries’ death, but the mood in headquarters remained somber. Many of us, myself included, remained shell-shocked at the deceased agent’s crimes, the full extent of which had been revealed by a memory post-mortem conducted on her remains.
Zeus’ refusal to make her immortal had been a serious bone of contention between the clandestine lovers, and the thunder god dumping her for another woman had been the last straw. The Craigslist posting had allowed Agent Gries to hire Amanda to poison Zeus, but when the siren had come to collect her money, Tamara had paid her off with a bullet to the temple and buried Amanda in her own backyard.
After that, she had pulled several strings to ensure she was the one Dike would approach to represent CIA in handling Zeus’ case. She had planned to provide misleading evidence from the start, which was why it had angered her greatly when Paul had pulled rank on her and insisted on working only with me.
Tamara had also been the one who shot at Paul, hoping to discourage his interest in the case, and when that didn’t work she had sought to befriend me instead.
As for Zeus, the dosage Tamara had Amanda administer wasn’t lethal or designed to permanently impair him, after all. It was only enough to last for a week, a period of time that Tamara believed was sufficient for the Olympian to lay wreck to most of New England. By the time the poison’s effects wore off, thousands would have long died in Zeus’ hands – the perfect revenge for the god who, despite his many weaknesses, had always loved mankind best.
“Now, Agent Vavrin...”
I automatically straightened in my seat as Dike’s coolly pleasant voice drew me out of my thoughts.
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
Tomorrow was a Saturday. We weren’t supposed to have work on Saturday. Or were we? “I, umm—-”
“Cancel it.”
“Absolutely.” I might be some hotshot neophyte in other agents’ eyes now, but Dike would always be Dike, and I’d never be stupid enough to stop being afraid of her.
“I’ll expect you to be here before 0800H,” Dike instructed, “and we’ll depart for Mt. Olympus at 0810H.”
My jaw dropped.
“Zeus wants to meet you.”
My jaw kept dropping.
Dike’s gaze narrowed. “Whatever happens, do not disappoint me.”
I couldn’t answer. My jaw was still doing its best to reach the floor.
“Agent Vavrin!”
Okay, that would work. The Daughter of Justice’s sharp tone had me recovering from my shock, and I said quickly, “Understood, Director.”
“Dismissed.”
I walked out of the conference room in a daze, wondering if I had dreamt the past five minutes. I would be visiting Mt. Olympus tomorrow. Mt. Olympus! It was an immortals-only zone, and it had been so for centuries. How in the world did I end up suddenly being invited to the mythical dwelling of Olympians?
Tristan and Maria were waiting for me by my cubicle, and Maria burst into speech as soon as I collapsed on my seat. “What did Dike tell you?” she asked eagerly. “Did you get a reward? A promotion?”