Page 37 of Hooked on a Witch
“I had a run-in with Ericthonians a few years ago over an item I acquired. She hasn’t sent them after me since then. So, their appearance this time must be about you. Why’re you interesting to her and a lot of other magical shitheads? Are they after you to get the scrying glass?”
Great. Now Athena was after her too. “I hoped to use the scrying glass to find an item. Athena and the others might think I’ve got it already, but I don’t have it. I swear I don’t. I need it, though. The glass might’ve helped me find it, but I didn’t know it required killing someone. I wouldn’t have done that. Maybe I can find one that doesn’t require something evil to power it.”
“What does Athena think you have?”
“Poseidon’s Trident.”
“What?” He put both hands on the table and leaned forward, eyes wide. “Are you shitting me?”
“He thinks I stole it.”
“Poseidon...this is the water god we’re talking about? He threatened you?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have it?”
“I just said I didn’t.”
“Why would everyone think you do?”
“Everything about this is ridiculous.” She buried her face in her hands. “No, it’s worse than that. It’s fricking catastrophic.”
“And deadly. Athena’s minions will be back. There’s nothing she’d like better than to have the power of the water world. She’s not a goddess who likes to lose.” He leaned back. “Why don’t you start at the beginning. Explain what’s going on.”
Shannon released a frustrated breath. “A creature who works for Poseidon appeared to me a few weeks ago. He said if I don’t return the stolen Trident by next week, they’ll kill me, every other Pleiades descendant and wipe out all evidence of our bloodlines.”
Merck took a sip of coffee. He didn’t seem impressed by her revelation. “That’s interesting.”
“What’s interesting about everyone I know getting erased?”
“I’m not talking about your people dying. I’m pretty sure Poseidon doesn’t want to wipe out your bloodline. I refer to them thinking you have the Trident. No one can waltz into Poseidon’s underwater fortress and steal it. I’m not sure anyone other than Poseidon can touch it. Well, Zeus or Hades probably could, but it’s not as if either would care enough to get off their golden thrones to steal it. I think the Trident’s power can only be controlled by Poseidon or another very powerful god.”
“Like Athena?”
“Maybe. You’ve touched the Trident, though, and it didn’t kill you, but you’re not a god.”
“I just told you I’ve never seen it. That means I’ve never touched it. I don’t have it.”
“Its essence is…” He waved his hand her way. He stood and moved around the table to kneel by her, his hand hovering over her midsection. “I don’t understand how it’s possible, but Poseidon’s power feels as if it’s here somewhere.”
She flinched when he touched her stomach over the ugly scar. She pushed his hand away. “How would you know that?”
“Hard to explain, but it calls to me as I suspect it would other water creatures or powerful gods.”
“Are you a powerful god?”
“I’m not a god. Let me see.” He tugged up the edge of her T-shirt.
She yanked down the shirt before he saw anything, face flaming. “Please, don’t.”
“Why not? What’re you hiding?”
She released a shaky breath and exposed the magical scar, which although healed into a tangle of mutilated skin, still burned off and on.
“What did this?” He traced the edges of the scar, gently probing.
Heat flared through the scar as if someone poked her with a hot skewer. She gasped, grabbed his wrist and jerked it away from her.
