This piece of shit was relentless and repetitive. Why was he so insistent on taking Atalanta away from us? What was his game?
I glanced at Jason, who was studying his uncle, and caught him saying something, ‘—her? What about Atalanta is making you push so hard on this, but not my father?’
My eyes flicked back to Calder to try and catch his response. ‘I’m simply doing my best to assure our continued survival. Atalanta is female, and she must be protected.”
Something was just off, though, and Jason clearly felt it too. He was shifting from one foot to the other and fidgeting with something in his pocket. Probably his phone. Calder, however, seemed to be calmer the longer time passed. His posture had eased, and his annoyed frown had slowly morphed into a downright villainous smile.
“Listen, Calder. I’ll see if Atalanta will talk to you.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I can’t promise anything.”
There it was. This flicker of worry crossed over Calder’s face. Jason spotted it too as he quickly pulled out his own phone and put it to his ear.
‘What have you done, Uncle?’
Assuming Jason was calling Atalanta, I dialed the FaceTime on Hip’s cell. It went to voicemail moments later. I tried the others and nothing.
Calder watched us, his face having settled back into that creepy smile of his.
“What did you do, Calder?” I asked, putting power behind it.
Calder’s lips pulled up in a snarl. ‘How dare you try and push me?’
“What did you do?” I pushed harder.
He stumbled but didn’t budge.
I looked at the guard who had kneeled to me before and he shook his head vigorously.
“This meeting is over.” I glared daggers at Calder and the guards who stood so cockily behind them. “If she or her father have a single injury, I will make sure you suffer immensely before your deaths.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Atalanta
“Is it just me, or do all hospitals have really shitty coffee? Like it’s some sort of requirement along with their subpar food,” I chuckled as I took a sip of the hot liquid.
“Should we be concerned that you’d been at enough hospitals to draw up this analysis?” Hip asked, looking concerned.
“I plead the fifth.” I grinned and put the cup to my lips, trying to look innocent.
The four of us sat in the hospital's cafeteria. When I woke up that afternoon, Jason and Hip had swapped places. I could say I was rather annoyed at them. Not only letting me fall asleep in my father’s hospital bed, but not waking me up in time for school. Hip assured me that he pulled some strings. Did I want to know what that meant? Not really, but as long as I got my diploma, I supposed there was no real harm done.
Eventually, Ajax and Percy showed up to keep us company.
It was almost surreal. An important part of my life was spent in hospitals, and sitting in one with the guys was an interesting experience.
After a couple of hours sitting in my father’s room, Hip got antsy and wanted to explore. The two of us got up and roamed all of the areas of the small hospital that we were permitted to see. I was nervous walking around in the open with my eye uncovered, but no one seemed to take notice, all the nurses and doctors distracted with their work and families wrapped up in each other. It was nice.
I hadn’t checked yet, but I was sure that some of the scales on my forearms and legs were still there.
Eventually, Ajax and Percy found us secluded in the corner of the cafeteria, Hip practically shoving food down my throat.
“If I can guess which card you picked, you have to eat another bite of pasta,” Hip said, shuffling the deck of cards he had been using to get me to do stuff all day.
My jaw dropped. “This is highway robbery.”
“I believe you are using that idiom incorrectly.” Percy took a sip of my coffee and scowled, he and Ajax sitting down across from me and Hip at the table.
I snorted. “That’s only because you haven’t played a single round with him today. He cheats.”
Hip gasped, putting a hand to his chest. “I take affront to that statement.”
“He cheats,” Ajax confirmed after taking a large bite of one of the sandwiches Hip had gotten for me.
“Then I’ll just take my punishment.” I shoved some of the bland pasta in my mouth.
Hip grinned and shuffled the deck of cards. “Good girl.”
“So, Theseus and Jason are meeting with Calder?” I said around a bite of food.
Percy checked his watch. “They should be talking with him right about now.”
“And the reason the three of you are here is…?”
“We like you,” Ajax grunted.
I giggled. “I think I know that, but seriously.”
“We want to make sure you stay safe. Calder isn’t above underhanded tricks to get what he wants.”
“You seemed to know him well.”
Percy readjusted his glasses and scowled. “We were acquainted when I used to live in Anthans.”
I frowned. “Anthans?”
“Oh, right, we never told you the name. Anthans is the Mer city nearest to Argos. Capital city of the Kingdom of Attica, one of the twelve Mer kingdoms.” Percy said.
“Twelve? Jeez. Okay, when things settle, I demand some sort of class on all the things I don’t know.”
Were there other mythical creatures? How may Mer people walked among us? If Mer were basically immortal, how old were the guys? Really, questions I should have asked before.
Percy gave a genuine smile. “Sure."
“Our kind seem to like the letter A,” Hip mumbled.
I snorted. "No wonder you all flocked to me.”
Hip opened his mouth to make a comeback when he was interrupted by a loud click and a woman’s voice coming over on the loud speaker.
“Security call to north wing. We have a Code White. Code White in the north wing.”
I shot up, my chair clattering to the floor behind me. “She just said Code White?”
The guys all stood up too. Their eyes wide, alert.
“I believe so.” Percy said.
I looked at my guys, concerned. “Code White means there’s danger.”
“Your father!” Hip gasped.
I took off down the hallway back towards the north wing and my father’s room. If the guys followed behind me, I didn’t notice.
Please, be okay.
A group of people were gathered at the entrance to the north wing. A couple of security guards were trying to block anyone from getting into the wing.
When the guard stopped me as well, I begged. “Please, let me through. My father is down this hall.”
“Miss, please stay back.” The guard said blocking my way.
With tears in my eyes, I tried again. “Let me through.”
The guard’s eyes glazed over and he began to move aside before his partner glared at me and shook the guy’s shoulder. He blinked and looked back down at me. Had I just syren voiced a man?
“It’s for your safety.” The second guard said.
This was BULLSHIT!
The guys caught up behind me.
Percy walked up next to me and said with authority, “Her father is down that hallway. What’s going on?”
The man, who I suspected to be a Mer, straightened when he looked at Percy. “Sir, there is a hostile.”
“What kind of hostile?” Hip asked.
The guard nervously looked around at the other people in the hall before coming forward and whispering in his ear. “Councilman Calder has sent guards, and they are looking for you, miss.”