Styx & Stoned (The Grim Reality Series Book 2) (3 page)

“So—” Nate’s hands lifted in
question, his eyes boring into Tabris. “What do you need from us?”

Tabris reclaimed his chair.
“Convince Charon to return to work.”

“Convince him?” My eyes rounded at
his request. “Why not just order him back to work?”

“I wish it was that easy.” Tabris
tapped his index fingers together with a steady, slightly nervous, beat. “There
are a lot of nuances in the afterlife, one of them being that even though GRS
monitors and manages soul transportation on the River Styx, Charon is more like
an independent contractor because of his deity status. We own the ferry but not
the boat captain.”

“So get another boat captain,” I
chimed in, thinking the answer was obvious.

“Nobody else is qualified.”
Tabris’s amber gaze held mine.  “Not yet, anyway. The easiest solution is to
convince Charon to return to work.”

“How are we supposed to do that?”
Nate asked.

“Carefully.” Tabris shook his head
“There are a lot of obstacles to overcome.” His gaze settled on me again,
making me flinch. “The first one involves you.”

I tried to look away but couldn’t.
I was able to work up a solid glower, though. “Me? What have I got to do with
this?”

“Nothing directly,” Tabris said.
“Indirectly, everything.”

Some of my defensiveness melted.
“Meaning?”

“Your porter is Hal Lee Lewya,
correct?”

“Yes.” My porter may have looked
like a drag queen circus master with his shiny pantsuits and array of hats, but
he was dangerous and unpredictable. We had an understanding—I’d bring him
souls, and he’d transport them to where they needed to go. If something went
wrong with the reap, we’d handle it. I didn’t tell on him when he broke the
rules, and he didn’t drag me to the ninth circle of Hell. It worked for us.
“Why?”

“Because…” Tabris stood and paced
again. “As of yesterday, Charon’s ability to move freely between the physical
plane and Styx expired. If we’re able to convince him to go back to work, Hal
is the only one who can transport him.”

Cam groaned and rubbed his face
with his hand.

Mara gave a humorless laugh. “Good
luck with that.”

My gaze darted between Cam and
Mara. “Pretend I have no idea what’s going on,” I said. “First off, why is Hal
the only one who can transport Charon?”

“Because Charon is a mystical being
and it takes an equally powerful being to transport him back.” she said, drumming
her fingers on the arm of the chair. “Hal is the only porter who is his match.”

“I know Hal is stubborn.” Boy did
I. The guy rarely made my reaps easy. The better I got, the craftier he became
about transporting my souls. “But, if you tell him he has to do it then he
will—right?”

A heavy sigh heaved from Tabris.
“Again, no.”

“Hal and Charon hate each other.”
Nate shook his head. “Big time.”

“That’s why we need you, Lisa.”
Tabris edge toward me, stopping a foot away. He towered above, his copper gaze
swirling like a tiny galaxy of stars, compelling me to do as he asked.
“Convince Hal to transport Charon.”

Compulsions were a sensation I was
very accustomed to and I immediately recognized Tabris’s attempt. Every time I
turned around Hal was trying to make me do his bidding. Out of instinct, I
clutched the raven pendant hanging around my neck. It was my connection to
Fletcher, my raven familiar, and my shield against Hal’s compulsions. Though
Tabris’s pull lessoned slightly, it didn’t vanish completely. In Alaska,
Fletcher usually found a way to be around when I needed him. Now he was
thousands of miles away. That’s probably why the power of my pendant was weak.
Good information if I’d end up dealing with Hal.

“Slow your roll.” I stood and
walked a few yards away, trying to break his influence. “What makes you think
Hal will do what I ask?”

“He seems to genuinely like you.”
Tabris paused and nodded. “That is no small accomplishment, Lisa.”

“Really?” My gaze narrowed on our
fearless leader. I didn’t care if he was the big GRS boss, my gut told me he
was keeping something from me and I wanted to know what. “Why is Hal liking me
something special?”

“You know how he is.” He attempted
one of his dazzling smiles, but the effect fell short. “In general Hal hates everybody.
Even my bosses were surprised with how easily you two took to each other.”

“Obviously our definitions of
‘easily’ are very different. I’ve got the bruises and nightmares to prove it.”
Again, I folded my arms over my chest. “If your superiors are so surprised with
Hal and me, why did they pair us up in the first place?”

“As reapers go, you were the best
option.” His smile widened. “Your partnership could have gone either way and we
credit you for its success.”

My mouth sagged open and I turned
to glare at Nate. “Did you and Constantine know about this?” I held up my hand,
stopping him from answering. “Of course you did. That’s why you freaked out
when you learned he was my porter.”

“Partly,” Nate said, “but mostly
because I knew Hal got assigned very specific reapers—ones who were skilled.”
He grimaced. “I didn’t even think you’d make it through the physical testing.”

“Thanks, partner.” Nate’s
skepticism about my reaper skills had never been a secret, but hearing him
admit it still sucked. “I feel like one of those piglets at the zoo they
wrapped in tiger skin and set in the mother tiger’s cage. Will she adopt them
or will she eat them?” I raised my fist to the ceiling. “Hooray, she adopted
them.” I refocused on Tabris. “If I get Hal to agree—and that is a gigantic
flippin’
if
, which will probably require a lot of promises I don’t want
to make—” I inhaled. “Who’s going to convince Charon?”

“You four will work as a team to
locate and persuade him he’s needed back at work.” The way Tabris stated this
brooked no argument. “None of us have a choice in the matter. If we don’t get
the ferry moving again, the ethereal shit is going to hit the fan.”

“Is that why the GRS Convention was
pushed up a week?” Nate asked.

Nodding, Tabris said, “Yes, we’re
almost certain he’s here. Personally, I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“Meaning?” Cam sat forward, his
gaze riveted on Tabris.

“Meaning, I think Charon purposely
chose Vegas because the convention would be here.” A sigh huffed from him and
his shoulders sagged a fraction. “But I have no idea why. Maybe after you talk
to him we’ll have a better idea about his true motives.

The group fell silent for a minute,
the tension humming between us.

“What’s he living on?” When they
all stared at me with the same confused expression, I clarified. “For money?”

“Ah.” Tabris nodded. “The gold he’s
collected for millennia from his tolls.”

“So, basically a bottomless
supply.” I rubbed my hands up and down my thighs, trying to cull my nerves. “I
was hoping he might run out of money, but that didn’t seem likely—at least no
time soon.”

“No chance of that,” Cam said,
standing. “The gold
is
bottomless. Before the dead can pass through the
arch to Styx, they pay the toll.”

“Exactly. Until he officially
retires, he’ll continue collecting,” Tabris added.

“Just like Disney World,” Mara
said. “So even if Charon isn’t ferrying, he’s still getting paid.”

“Gee, how do I get that job?” I
laughed.

Mara cocked her head. “You said
Charon was the only one qualified, but I know the river. Why not let me ferry
souls until we get Charon back on board?”

“That’s generous, Mara, but you
can’t.” Tabris’s gaze darted to me, held a few seconds, and then cut back to
the demon. “Only a handful of people are capable of commanding the ferry, but
none of them are available right now.”

“Then time is of the essence,” Nate
stood and pointed to the group. “Our first challenge will be finding Charon. Do
you have any idea where he is?”

“He’s been moving around, so
locating him won’t be easy.” Tabris strode to the gold desk and plucked a slip
of paper off the top. “Here is a list of places we know he’s already been.” He
handed it to Mara. “Maybe take a quick look at those hotels, but my gut tells
me he’s moved on.”

Cam leaned in and scanned the
paper. “The Venetian isn’t listed.” He straightened. “Let’s scope out the
casino here tonight and if we don’t find him, we can regroup tomorrow, come up
with a plan, maybe divide and conquer.”

“I’m a hundred percent in.” At that
second my stomach released a loud, protesting growl. “But I need to eat first.
The only thing I’ve had since yesterday were two tiny pretzel packs and diet
soda.”

“Eating. Great idea.” Mara clapped
her hands together and rubbed. “I’m starving too.”

“You’re always starving,” Cam said.

She shrugged. “It’s the secret to
keeping my curves.”

“Me, too,” I said. “Except my
curves look nothing like yours.”

“Your curves are perfect, Lisa.”
She locked her arm through mine and looked over her shoulder. “Coming, boys?”

I liked her. A lot. Anyone whose
appreciation for food matched mine was okay in my book—even if she could
probably burn my soul to cinders with just a touch. Yeah, Mara was definitely
friend material.

The list of Italian options
stretched along the giant menu, but my eyes zeroed in on my favorite dish.
“I’ll have the four-cheese fettuccini with chicken and a side salad with
ranch.” I handed the waiter my menu. “Plus a big glass of the house merlot.”

Nate’s brows lifted. “Is that all?”

“Oh, and garlic bread,” I added.

“Sounds good.” Mara held out her
menu. “I’ll have the same.”

I nodded my approval. “I’m sensing
a real connection here, Mara.”

“Scarier words were never spoken.”
Nate turned to the waiter. “I’ll have the halibut and rice pilaf.”

“I’ll have the halibut, too.” Cam
handed off his menu. “Thank you.” After the waiter left, he eased back against
the chair. “So, is it just me or does this whole Charon-Hal situation seem like
a disaster waiting to happen?”

“Definitely,” Mara agreed. “It will
be a miracle if we can even locate Charon, and if we do, there’s no way he’ll
agree to let Hal transport him. Or vice versa.”

“What’s up with Hal and Charon?” I
leaned forward and laid my arms on the table. “Why do those two hate each other
so much?”

“That’s a long story, Lisa.” Cam
peered at me over his water glass and sipped. I waited, enjoying the way he
said my name and the few seconds I got to stare into his mesmerizing eyes under
the guise of listening. He swallowed. “They didn’t always hate each other.”

“Were they friends?” Even though I
asked, I couldn’t imagine Hal being friends with anybody.

“More than that,” Mara interjected.
“Brothers.”

My mouth dropped open and then
snapped shut as I wrestled with the information. “Brothers? As in the same
parents?”

“Yes, they’re the offspring of Nyx
and Erebus,” Nate said. “Nyx is the primordial deity of night and shadows.
She’s beautiful, but extremely powerful and ruthless.”

“Erebus,” Cam continued, “is also
one of the first primordial deities of darkness—and Nyx’s brother.”

I scrunched up my face. “That’s disgusting.”

“I know, right?” Mara said. “A
whole lot of weird stuff went on back then. Anyway, that’s how Charon and Hal
came to be.”

“Hal’s real name is Thanatos,” Nate
said.

“Wait.” After becoming a reaper I’d
researched all I could about superstitions of death and remembered seeing that
name. “Wasn’t Thanatos the original Death?” All three of them nodded. “Then I’m
confused. Why is Charon the ferryman?” I asked.

“In the beginning Thanatos ran the
ferry and was the only grim reaper.” Shifting, Mara crossed her legs and folded
her hands in her lap. “That was thousands of years ago. Times were simpler,
fewer people. Being a reaper was less corporate and more…hands-on. In those
days Thanatos personally retrieved and transported the souls.”

The waiter arrived with our drinks,
stopping Mara’s explanation. Under the table, I tapped my foot, mentally
hurrying the waiter along.

“Your salads will be out in a few
minutes,” he said.

“Great.” My mouth stretched into a
smile I didn’t feel. Once he was gone, I swung back to Mara. “And?”

“One day the soul of an old man
came due, but when Thanatos arrived to take him, his daughter, Katrina, didn’t
have any gold to ensure safe passage across the river Styx. Instead, she
offered herself as payment to Death.” Mara paused and took a deep sip of wine.
“Mmmm, that’s good.” She set her glass down. “Where was I?”

“She offered herself,” I said,
glancing at Cam and Nate, who appeared equally enthralled by her story even
though they probably knew it.

“Right.” Mara leaned back again, settling
into her tale. “So Thanatos accepted, because even though he encountered
hundreds of people every day, they were dead. He was lonely and Katrina was
filled with life.”

An ache pushed against my chest.
This wasn’t some ancient fable Mara was retelling. This was Hal, my porter, the
crazy transvestite-looking guy who scared the hell out of me. Though I didn’t
know how the story ended, I knew it wasn’t good. Hal and his brother hated each
other and he no longer ferried the dead. Nor did I believe Katrina was part of
his life. Though Hal and I had never braided each other’s hair and gossiped
about the people we once loved, I got the distinct impression he was a loner.

“Did he take her to Styx?” I asked.

“Oh, yes.” Mara nodded but didn’t
smile. “And they fell in love.” She inhaled, then slowly let out the breath.
“But the thing about the Underworld and the banks of the River Styx is that
they’re for the dead. The living can’t survive there.”

A sinking feeling pushed down on
me. “What happened? Did she die?”

“That would have been a blessing,”
Cam said, frowning. His eyes were so full of sorrow it made my entire being
ache. “She wasted away, her soul fading until there was nothing left but an
empty shell—neither dead nor alive.”

“But still Thanatos couldn’t let
her go.” Despite her steady voice, Mara’s eyes softened. “He loved her too
much.”

“That is so sad.” My words came out
as a whisper. “Poor Hal.”

“Katrina being in the Underworld
offset the natural balance of things,” Cam said. “And finally, Nyx had to step
in and handle the situation.”

“What did she do?” I absently
sipped the merlot, my attention riveted on the angel.

“At that point Katrina was more
dead than alive, so Nyx did what Thanatos couldn’t and reaped her, sending her
on to Hades,” Cam said. “In his mother’s eyes, Thanatos had done the
unthinkable. Because she couldn’t trust him to do his job, Nyx replaced him as
the ferryman with his brother, Charon.”

“I don’t know what other
punishments she inflicted on Thanatos, but I heard they were brutal.” Mara
sighed. “Charon had always been in competition with his brothers and took every
opportunity to rub Thanatos’s nose in his failure.”

“Sounds like a real jerk.” An
uncharacteristic wave of protectiveness toward Hal surged through me. My
mission was to get Charon back to Styx. I just hoped I didn’t throat-punch him
first. “No wonder Hal wouldn’t want to transport him.”

“That is some seriously messed up
family dynamics,” Cam said.

“Yeah, and we have the pleasure of
tip-toeing around it.” I drained my glass and held it up. “I’ll be needing
another one of these.”

Our meals arrived and even after
listening to Hal’s tragic history, I managed to enjoy my delicious fettuccini.
Not only did I savor every bite, I cleaned my plate and still had room for
chocolate mousse.

After dinner, the four of us
strolled out of the restaurant and rode the escalator down to the casino level.
Bells from the slot machines increased in volume the closer we got to the lower
level, sparking the dull ache in my head again. What I really wanted was to go
to bed, but knew Nate wasn’t going to let me off so easily. “Where to now?”

“Let’s split up.” Mara stepped off
the rolling steps. “Lisa and I will go this way.” She pointed to the left. “Cam
and Nate circle around to the right. Be sure the check the high stakes rooms.”

Nate looked as if he wanted to
argue but said nothing. I appreciated his protective nature—or maybe he wasn’t
convinced we’d stay on task.

I smiled, enjoying his struggle
over not being lead dog. “Great. Let’s meet back here once we’ve made the
rounds.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cam said.

Not waiting for my partner’s
approval, I turned and strolled with Mara along the gleaming inlaid walkway.
Ornately patterned carpet stretched throughout the casino and massive crystal
chandeliers, taller than the walls in my house, hung over the gaming table
area. Nearly everything was gold and reflected off the chandeliers’ prisms. I
scanned the area, my gaze sweeping over the people. Suddenly, I realized I
wouldn’t know Charon if I saw him. “What does Charon look like?”

“Dark hair, dark eyes, but he can
take on any form he wants.” She lifted onto her tiptoes, straining to see into
the center tables. “It’s better to look for a man surrounded by a group of
women or a fawning entourage. Charon is very vain and loves his admirers.”

“I keep imagining him decked out
with thick gold chains and a lot of chest hair.”

An exaggerated shudder rippled
through Mara. “Don’t say that too loudly. It might give him ideas.”

We wandered in and out of the
gaming areas but saw no sign of the ferryman. By Las Vegas standards it was
still fairly early, but the people were starting to filter into the casino. One
thing I did notice was and inordinate amount of men ogling Mara, but either she
didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“So,” I said, attempting casual
conversation, “again, I want to apologize for that succubus comment.”

She gave an absent wave. “Really,
don’t worry about it. I get that all the time.”

“Is that because people don’t
understand demons?” I was dying to know more about Mara and her world, but at
this point I wasn’t sure which questions were politically correct and which
were taboo. “I mean…you’re the first one I’ve ever met.”

“Are you asking if demons are
misunderstood?” She gave a noncommittal shrug. “Sort of, but in a lot of ways
people are wise to be afraid of us.”

Goosebumps skittered across my
skin. “I’ll be honest, when someone says demons, I think of the Exorcist.”

“Oh, my God!” Mara halted, her cool
demeanor tightening into a full-on grimace and cringy spasm. “Scariest movie
ever!” She held up her hands as if warding off evil and shuddered. “Scared the
hell out of me, and that is saying something.”

“I don’t feel like such a wuss now
that I know the movie scares actual demons.” I mimicked Mara’s shudder. “And
I’m not proud of this, but I don’t know if I would have stayed in the house
after finding my kid floating three feet above her bed, looking and speaking
like that.” It was my turn to hold up hands in defense. “Just sayin’.”

“I would have left a trail of fire
behind me,” Mara added. “Anyway, those demons do exist, but they’re
usually
bound
to the lower realms of Hell because they’re so hard to control.”

I crossed my arms over my chest,
trying to ward off the creepy chill running up my spine. “What do you mean…usually?”

She shrugged. “Well, nothing is a
hundred percent certain.”

“Great, there goes my peaceful
night’s sleep.”

“Don’t worry.” She placed her hand
on my shoulder, sending a wave of warmth through me and extinguishing the icy
fear. “You’ve got friends in high places.” Her hand slipped away and she
smiled. “And now low.”

“A year ago I would have never
believed I’d be friends with a demon.” I nodded. “That’s pretty cool.”

“Damn right it is.” Pursing her
lips, Mara scanned the casino area again, and then sighed. “Come on, we’d
better finish looking for Charon or I’ll never hear the end of it from Cam.”

“Our bossy partners—yet another
thing in common,” I added.

Mara nodded. “Isn’t that the
truth?”

“Geez, there’s a lot of spirits
around here.” We veered to the side, avoiding a group of old lady ghosts. All
of them sported blue T-shirts, Bermuda shorts, and fanny packs, and I had to
wonder if they’d died all at once on one of those elder’s trips, or if they’d
made a pact to meet here after they’d passed. “Why hasn’t somebody reaped these
people?”

“I was wondering the same thing,”
Mara said. “There seems to be a lot more spirits than usual, but that’s not our
problem right now.”

“Right.” It wasn’t like I had an
overwhelming urge to reap the loitering ghosts. Being an overachiever wasn’t
really my style. Though I could multi-task the crap out of homework, making
dinner, and holding a conversation with one of my kids, when it came to reaping
I took it one assignment at a time.

We wove our way in and out of the table
area, along the back walls near the giant slots and through the bars, but saw
no sign of Charon.

When we finally made it back to the
meeting point, Nate and Cam were already waiting. “See anything?” Cam asked.

“No.” I rubbed my temple, trying to
relieve the dull, irritating headache. “Relatively speaking it’s pretty quiet
down here.”

“We didn’t find him either.” Nate
shoved his hands in his front pockets. “What now?”

A yawn pushed against my lips and I
was helpless to prevent it from slipping out. Covering my mouth, I stopped
fighting it. “Sorry.”

“You poor thing. You must be
exhausted.” Mara turned to the men. “I don’t think we’re going to have much
luck here tonight. Why don’t we let Lisa get some sleep?”

“Good idea.” Cam’s smile was filled
with understanding and patience. It became clear why he was the Archangel of
Tolerance. “We’ll put feelers out tomorrow at the conference. Maybe someone
knows where the best party is.”

“Thanks, guys.” Relief washed
through me. I’d gotten my second wind before dinner but the big cheesy meal put
the kibosh on any delusions of rallying. “I promise, after eight hours of
sleep—maybe ten—I’ll be a new woman.”