CHAPTER 19
Lia looked up, hoping to see Trinity. Instead, an older woman approached with a cane.
Lia rushed to the door and embraced Agnes Hanover. “How did you get here?”
Zack came around the corner and tipped the brim of his purple hooligan hat in her direction. “I brought her over.”
Lia raised a brow as she turned to Agnes. “How did you meet Zack?”
Agnes glanced at Zack and back to Lia. “He’s just moved in to the Village. We were playing a game of backgammon when Steve Garcia called. I’m Cooper’s emergency contact at work.” Agnes made her way to Cooper’s bedside and hung her cane on the railing before taking his hand. “Will he be all right?”
“I don’t know.” Tears welled in Lia’s eyes. “I hope so.”
Agnes turned, her gaze haunted. “I stood by my son when he buried his daughter. I can’t outlive my grandson, too.”
“Cooper is a fighter. We just have to give him time to heal.” Gods, she wanted that to be true so bad. A tear rolled down Lia’s cheek as she wrapped her arm around Agnes’s bony shoulder.
Agnes sniffled and dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief. “What happened?”
“I was attacked at the theater tonight. Cooper saved my life.”
Zack came further into the room. “Saw a newsflash on the television while we were playing. They arrested a madman screaming about muses.” His eyes met Lia’s. “Did he think you were one of them?”
“Muses?” Agnes tipped her head to the side slightly. “Like the Greek muses?”
Lia nodded. “Yes.”
“And he came after you? He thought you were a…” Agnes grabbed her cane. “I think I need to sit down.”
Lia helped her to a chair. Zack settled in the other one, his chin resting on top of his cane, with his white beard hanging in front. Once she had Agnes seated, Lia went into the hallway in search of another chair.
The elevator opened, and Trin stepped out. Lia hurried over, hugging her roommate tightly. “I was worried.”
“Sorry.” Trinity pulled back. “Ted is…conflicted. I think?” She lowered her voice. “But he told me that Pamela Costas isn’t exactly human. And she wants us dead.”
Lia’s brow furrowed. “The philanthropist?”
“Yeah. Apparently, she’s had eons to amass her fortune.” Trinity looked down the hallway in both directions to ensure they were alone. “I need to find Clio. Maybe Pamela is the Philyra chick Clio was talking about.”
“But she wasn’t the one who attacked me tonight.” Lia’s voice faltered. “They arrested the guy, and he’s very mortal.”
“I think he was working for Ted and the Order, but Ted sent him because Pamela forced his hand. It turns out Mikolas is trying to put an end to the Order killing muses.”
“Cooper had a theory that if Kronos was among us, he might be disguising himself as the Greek billionaire heading up the Order. He got involved after the explosion on the rig. But if he’s trying to stop the killing…maybe it’s not Kronos after all.”
“Who knows? At this point, anything is possible.” Trin finally looked over at Cooper’s room. “How’s he doing?”
“Not good.” Lia blinked, struggling to keep her voice even. “This morning we said ‘I love you’ for the first time before he went to help Mason on the theater and I went to the salon. I didn’t know those might have been our last words.” Trin pulled her into another hug, and a sob escaped Lia’s throat. “I can’t lose him.”
Trin stepped back. “Don’t give up. Love is a powerful thing.” Lia met her eyes, and Trin tucked her hair behind her ear. “And don’t forget that laughter is the best medicine, right? If anyone can lure him back, it’s you.”
Lia sniffled and smiled. “I hope you’re right.”
“Okay, I’m sorry, but now I’ve really got to find Clio so she can start researching all of this. But if you see Pamela Costas, you run your ass in the other direction, understand me?”
Lia gave a soft laugh. “I’m all over that.”
“Good.” Trin got in the elevator. “I’ll call you soon.”
The doors closed, and a familiar tune floated out from Cooper’s room. As Lia got closer, she recognized “Shall We Gather at the River.” The tone was a heartbreaking mix of hope and pain, and the warbled, aging vibrato of the singer’s voice added to its haunting quality. Lia stepped into the room quietly. Agnes was standing at Cooper’s bedside, her back to the door. She was the one singing. Zack still sat in the same chair he was in before. He looked up at Lia and wiped a tear from his cheek. She pressed her lips together and went to stand beside Agnes, praying for Cooper to open his eyes.
Agnes finished her verse and looked at Lia. “Thalia isn’t just your name, is it?”
Lia frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Don’t play games with an old woman.” Agnes lifted her chin. “I don’t have much time left.”
Lia glanced at the other chair, but Zack was gone. She shifted her gaze back to Agnes and whispered, “You know, don’t you?”
Agnes patted her hand, her blue eyes welling with tears. “All these years, I thought I was the only one.”
Lia’s jaw nearly dropped. Agnes was a muse? “You never found your muse sisters?” Lia’s heart clenched. What if she had never met the others? Would she have questioned her sanity?
“No. I tried, though.” She cleared her throat and looked at Cooper. “I was in college when Polyhymnia…bloomed inside my soul.” She chuckled. “I wasn’t raised in the church, but after that, I found one and joined. The hymns stirred my emotions. I needed them, ached for them. They called to me in a way I didn’t understand.”
“Did you work in a Sunday school?”
She shook her head. “I changed my major and became a choir director. I taught music at Crystal City Middle School for thirty years.”
Lia’s mind was racing. “You were here all along.” Lia ran her hand up Cooper’s lower leg. “When he wakes up, we’re going to have to take you to see our theater. We’re reopening Les Neuf Soeurs, the Theater of the Muses. It’s not much right now, but it’s going to inspire the world.”
“Does Cooper know?” Agnes asked.
Lia nodded. “Yes.”
“And he believes you?”
“Yep. He didn’t take it well at first, but he’s on board now.”
Agnes turned and embraced Lia. “I knew you were a light the moment you walked through my door, but I didn’t recognize the muse inside.” She watched Cooper’s face. “I tried to tell his grandfather once, but he never truly believed me.” She stepped back and reached for her cane. “Where is Zack?”
He came tottering around the corner. “Had to find a bathroom.” He smiled at them. “Ready to go home, Agnes?”
“Not really, but I’m too old to sleep in a hospital chair.” She looked up at Lia. “You’ll call if he wakes up, right?”
“When he wakes up”—Lia squeezed Cooper’s knee as she glanced over her shoulder at his grandmother—“I’ll call you right away.”
“Thank you.” Agnes stopped at the door and turned back. “I love you, Coop.”
Agnes disappeared down the hallway, but Zack came closer to the bed. He rested his worn hand on Cooper’s ankle, and a tremor shot through Cooper’s legs. Lia reached for the call button.
“Wait,” Zack said, patting her hand. The trembling stopped, and Lia relaxed. “Give him time. He’ll pull through.” He winked at Lia. “He needs your faith more than their medicine.”
“From your lips to the gods’ ears.” She sniffled. “I hope they’re still awake up there.”
He hesitated near the door. “The gods never sleep.”
Lia turned around to reply, but he was already gone. Lia frowned. There was something odd about Zack. While he seemed old and frail, his spirit was anything but.
She took a few steps to the head of Cooper’s bed. “He moves fast for an old guy.”
She pressed a kiss to Cooper’s forehead, grateful his skin was back to a reasonable temperature. “I have no idea if you can hear me, but I wish you were here right now. Your grandmother is a muse, like me. We lost Polly in the fire, so this generation’s Polyhymnia—the Muse of Harmony and Hymns—is gone, but last generation’s is still here. Your grandmother was here all this time and never found the other muses.”
Lia sighed. “Crap. Talking to yourself is a sign of mental illness, right? But after surviving tonight, I really should get a pass to lose my shit…”
His lips twitched.
Lia frowned and wiped her eyes. “Did you just move?”
Nothing happened. She must have imagined it.
Her heart sank as she took his hand. “I can’t believe I’m going to sleep in a hospital chair for you again, but I’m not leaving without you, so if you really love me, you’ll wake up soon before I have back problems for the rest of my life.”
Did his mouth just curve? She leaned in closer. “Can you hear me?”
Nothing.
She tried once more. “Cooper, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”
The seconds ticked by like hours as she held her breath and waited. Nothing.
She sighed. “Well, I better get some sleep. And you need to rest and heal, too. I’ll be right here if you wake up, okay?”
She started to release his hand, but his grip tightened. Lia gasped, leaning over him. “You can hear me. Can you open your eyes?”
Apparently not.
“Do you know who I am?” she asked next.
He squeezed her hand, and her heart pounded in answer. She bent to kiss his lips. He didn’t return it, but he squeezed again. Lia smiled. “I love you, too.”
A week had passed since the blood oath. Ted rubbed the wound on his hand. There would definitely be a little scar, but otherwise, he was healing up nicely.
“Excuse me, Ted?” Marion’s voice interrupted through the intercom. “There’s a gentleman here to see you.”
Ted glanced at his clear calendar and frowned. “Who is it?”
“Kevin Elys. He’s a friend of your father’s.”
Strange. His father had very few friends, and Ted thought he knew all of them. They were in the Order. “I’ve got ten minutes. Send him in.”
A tall man with silver, slicked-back hair, and a well-tailored suit entered Ted’s office. He was in his sixties—maybe—and his dark-green eyes sparked with energy. He took a seat in the chair opposite Ted’s desk. “Good to finally meet you.”
Ted tried to place the man’s face, but nothing was coming to him. Could he be from the country club? “How did you know my father?”
“I’ve known your family since he was a child. I was sad to hear he passed away before I was able to see him.”
Ted nodded. “It was a shock to all of us. What can I do for you?”
“I just got into town,” the man answered, “and I was hoping you would show me around your fine city. I’d like to get a lay of the land.”
Ted tensed. Why would a long-lost friend of his father’s want to spend time with his son? Did Kevin need money? Ted cleared his throat. “While I’d love to help you, Belkin Oil keeps me very busy. Maybe Marion can find a tour company for you. I’d be happy to pick up the cost.”
He waved his hand. “You don’t have to do that. Just wanted to get to know my friend’s son, that’s all.”
So he didn’t need money. Interesting. Ted was certain he’d never met the man before, but there was something about him. He couldn’t place it yet, but he would. “Maybe this weekend.”
Kevin’s eyes brightened. “The weekend would work.”
Ted put Kevin into his calendar and got up to walk him out.
“Thanks for your time.” He shook Ted’s hand in a tight grip. “Your father raised a good man.”
Ted held back the scoff that wanted to escape. “I’m not sure he’d agree with you, but thanks.”
Kevin pressed the elevator button as Ted went back into his office. It had turned out to be more than a weird day, but the past week had been a series of unbelievable events. He’d had sex with an immortal, and then she had nearly killed him. He’d made a blood oath with his enemy to work together to figure out a way to control Pamela. And Trinity had somehow inspired him to see her as more than a target, rekindling a strange bout of conscience.
And he couldn’t stop pondering Mikolas’s question. If Kronos was released into their world, what would he want?
Ted had been so blind with ambition and the desire to be immortalized in history that he’d forgotten that the gods were—what did Mikolas call them?—fickle, powerful, and vengeful.
He’d seen it firsthand with Pamela.
His entire life, he’d been raised to believe that one act—freeing Kronos—would bring about a second Golden Age of Man, when peace and harmony prevailed. The earth would again provide abundance for mankind. No more hunger or war, but nothing was simple anymore.
He logged out of his computer and grabbed his briefcase. “I’m out for the day, Marion.”
She nodded. “Have a nice evening, sir.”
He hit the elevator button and stepped inside. When he got out on the ground floor, he almost slammed into Mikolas. “Sorry.”
Mikolas shook his head. “I was looking for you anyway.”
“What is it?”
“The paramedic is still in a coma. If he dies, we’ll lose the chance to offer restitution, he won’t be able to drop the charges, and they’ll escalate the charges from hit-and-run to murder.”
“Bryce was behind the wheel.”
Mikolas raised a brow. “Will he call you out as an accomplice?”
“I don’t think so.” Ted lowered his voice. “He was conditioned to follow orders without question.”
“Brainwashing?”
“One of the doctors from the Order handled it for me.”
Mikolas raked his hand through his hair with a frustrated groan. “And your father approved this?”
“We didn’t exactly tell him.” Ted sighed. “I can’t undo the past; I can only move forward.”
“I’ll have my lawyer arrange for me to make a statement to the detective. I’ll explain that I forgot Bryce was taking my car for maintenance. Then they can match his DNA against what they found in the car.” He paused and added, “In return, you need to focus on Pamela’s true identity. Until we know that, we have no hope of discovering her plans or controlling her.”
“Even if we find out, is it possible to stop a goddess?” Ted crossed his arms. “Or a god. I can’t quit pondering your question about Kronos. What do you think he’ll want when he’s free?”
“I think he’ll want what he always hungered for and feared losing.” Mikolas stared into the distance, his voice deep and intense. “Power.”
For the past week, Lia communicated with Cooper through hand squeezes. She bounced jokes off him, forced him to listen to family stories, and updated him on the Order and Pamela Costas. The doctors were baffled by his recovery. Apparently, his scans showed what appeared to be areas where his brain was rewiring itself to bypass the parts that had been too damaged by the power surge he’d received from merging fully with Apollo.
The doctors didn’t know about that last part, of course.
She got up and glanced at the liquid food hanging from Cooper’s IV stand. “Yum. Bacon and eggs, and Belgian waffles.” She teased. She couldn’t pronounce what was actually in it. “No wonder you won’t wake up.”
He coughed. But the coughing sounded more like a chuckle. She came closer and noticed the corners of his mouth twitching.
Her eyes welled with tears. “I have better jokes than that.” She leaned in closer, tenderly kissing his forehead. As she pulled back, Cooper opened his eyes. Lia grinned. “There you are.”
His voice was barely a whisper. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Thanks to you.”
“Good.” His eyes drifted closed again. “I couldn’t heal you fast enough. I had to call him.”
She kissed his forehead. “I know.” She straightened. “But if you pull a stunt like that again, I’ll kick your ass for real, not just at pinball.”
His lips curved into a smile, and his heavy eyelids rose slowly. “Sorry I scared you, but I would do it all over again if I had to.” He swallowed, his voice getting a little stronger. “You can’t give me a taste of happiness and then expect me to go on living without it.” He managed to shake his head on the pillow. “The world needs you in it, Lia.”
She took his hand, lacing her fingers with his. “And I need you.”
“It’s decided, then. No dying.”
Lia laughed harder than she had in weeks. “Cooper Hanover, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He smiled as his eyes closed again. “And you did not kick my ass at pinball.”