Page 10 of Patron of Mercy

“Your boat?” Thanatos echoed. “That would take days, Lach.”

“Only, like,aday. She’s amagicboat.”

She was, in fact, the best boat in the entire world. Misericordia became whatever he needed her to be—a skiff, a yacht, his preferred sail boat. Built by Hephaestus for Poseidon, she was everything anyone could want in a ship, and fast as hell to boot.

“Uh huh. Where did you get your magic boat?”

“Poseidon gave her to me.”

“Hegaveher to you?” Thanatos sounded skeptical. With his arms crossed, he somehow managed to stare down his nose at Lach even though he was the shorter of the two—by only a hair.

“Yes, he gave her to me. I helped Nerites get away from some whalers.”

“Right.”

Lach’s nose flared. He wanted to be angry at Thanatos for doubting him, but he couldn’t afford to. Thanatos had every reason in the world to question him, and Lach was in a precarious position already. With his teeth clenched and his jaw aching, he huffed through his nose.

“Maybe you can’t take me to New York, but I can take you,” Lach offered. “On the boat. That Poseidon gave me. For saving Nerites.”

Thanatos laughed aloud. “Not a chance.”

The blood rushed out of Lach’s head. He’d said no to Thanatos’s offer because it meant this would be over too fast; instead, he’d inadvertently ended it sooner. “Sorry?”

“I’m not getting on a boat with you, Lach.”

“Why not?”

“I’m a god. I’m busy. I don’t have time for drawn out sailing trips.”

“Oh.” He had something of a point. There were plenty of mortals. Lach didn’t even know how many died in a day.

“Yeah.”

“But don’t you think we should, you know, travel together and come up with some kind of game plan? Aren’t there things I should know about Prometheus before I meet him?” Lach was stretching. They both knew it.

“Oh, Lach, you’ve got your charm.” While the words weren’t cruel, there was underlying snideness that coiled in Lach’s gut, turning his greasy pizza to a block of dirt. “You’ll be fine.”

Thanatos was the first to uncross his arms and relax—probably because this meant less to him. “I’ll see you in New York, Lach. The Hunt Building.”

Lach had heard Persephone too, but what business Prometheus had with vampires was completely beyond him.

Before he had the chance to come up with a better excuse to stick together, Thanatos was gone.

“That could’ve gone better,” he mumbled.

It was dark out, and the tourists had retreated from DC’s streets. He dragged his feet down blocks to the metro. He’d left his boat docked at a marina at the fork of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. Without any super special god powers, it took Lach the better part of an hour to get back.

Misericordia was the closest thing to a home he’d had in centuries. He slept wherever they docked and spent most of his time far out at sea. She held everything he owned, including his embarrassingly large collection of nineties sitcoms on DVD.

Before he stepped onto the deck, he undid the ropes so they could sail out. The best thing about a sentient boat: she could sail for him while he slept. Okay, maybe that was the second-best thing. She was also sort of like family, though he’d probably get locked away for saying something like that.

“Just you and me tonight, pretty miss.” He slid his hand over the tiller.

If only she could talk back to him, he’d be set.

Not wanting to be rude, he took the time to guide her out to sea. No one, not even a boat, liked to start an adventure alone. But soon, the river fell away in a swath of navy water under a dark sky. The stars weren’t visible with all the light pollution, but if he sailed far enough out, they’d be magnificent. “We’re headed to New York. You think you can manage?”

No response. But like always, she’d do magnificently.

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