Turning, he brought it back up to the
counter. “Hey, look what I found.”
Ian was fastening a chunky silver
bracelet around one wrist. He gave the staff a suspect look. “
You planning
on hiking while you’re here?”
“Yeah, ha ha.
It’s a rod of
Asclepius.”
“A what?”
“Asclepius was the Greek god of healing
and medicinal arts,” Heather said helpfully. “His rod had a snake wrapped
around it as a symbol of rebirth and healing. It’s the traditional symbol of a
physician.”
Ian studied the staff. “I thought it was
supposed to have two snakes and wings.”
“No, that’s the caduceus, Hermes’s
staff,” Nick said. “Doctors have a running joke that if you see the caduceus on
a medical company’s logo, you know they’re in it for the money.” He hefted the
staff again, admiring it. “This is really gorgeous. Someone put some serious
effort into carving the snake—you can even see individual scales. How much do
you want for it?” he said to Heather.
She winced. “Don’t take this the wrong
way, but I was really kind of hoping to sell it to a doctor,” she said
apologetically.
“Nick’s a doctor,” Ian said.
“Emergency medicine.”
“Really?”
The store owner
squinted at Nick. He had the strangest feeling that he was being evaluated somehow.
After a long moment she said, “Huh.
Well, in that case I’ll take $30 for it.”
“You got a deal,” he said, pulling out
his wallet and pulling out three tens. As she rang up the sale, he studied his
purchase. He’d never been big on primitive art, but he’d always had a fondness
for the story behind the medical symbol. And just holding the
staff made him feel
better.
If nothing else, it would make a pretty good blunt weapon.
“Are we done?” he heard Ian ask.
“Yup,” Heather said, handing over a
receipt for Nick to sign. “By the way, I’m still keeping an eye out for that
item you’re looking for.
No sign of it yet.”
Another slanted
look at Nick.
“Um, yeah, thanks,” Ian muttered. “Dude, you want to hit Starbucks and pick up
some coffee?”
“Are you nuts? They’d throw me out of
the doctor’s union if I turned down caffeine.”
****
Heather watched the genially bantering men
go, waiting until the door closed behind them before moving out from behind the
counter. With each step her appearance changed until the funky antique store
owner was gone and a beautiful Nereid stood there, white tunic flowing over her
immortal body.
She went to the fountain, touching her
fingertips to the surface. “Sister,” she said, “to quote Apollo 13, we have a
problem.”
The water’s surface shimmered for a
moment,
then
cleared, showing the face of another
beautiful brunette. “Has Thetis returned?” Amphitrite, consort of Poseidon and
goddess of the sea, asked.
“Not yet. Which makes me nervous in
itself, but I’m not calling you about that. Your son-in-law was just here with
a human friend, a physician. He found the Rod.”
Amphitrite’s eyes widened.
“Oh, no.
Tell me you didn’t just leave it lying about the
shop.”
“Ammie, I’d totally forgotten I had it.
I almost choked when I saw him with it in his hand.” The Nereid shook her head,
long dark hair waving. “But he shouldn’t have been able to see it in the first
place, you know that. Unless—”
“He’s the Bearer,” Amphitrite said,
rubbing her forehead. “Damn. We really don’t need additional complications right
now.”
“I agree, but at least he’s a friend of
Ian’s,” Heather said. “I got the impression that he’s staying at Ian’s cottage
for awhile.”
“That’s a dreadful idea. Ian needs to
work on his new powers,” the sea goddess said in irritation. “He shouldn’t be
playing host for human friends right now.”
“Yes, but if Nick is the Bearer, we’ll
want to keep an eye on him anyway, right?”
Amphitrite tsked. “You have a point. All
right, I’ll have a word with Poseidon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for
Thetis.” A brief flash of sorrow flickered across her face. “I doubt she’s
going to give up quietly.”
Heather bowed her head in shared sadness
for their lost sister, the First Nereid. “I doubt that very much,” she said.
“Take care of yourself, Ammie.”
“You, too, dear heart.”
Heather touched the surface again, and
her sister’s face disappeared.
****
Lattes in hand, Nick and Ian wandered
around Olympic Beach for a bit, with Ian pointing out some of the places he
remembered from his childhood.
“And there,” he said, pointing out a
clump of sea oats near the public beach, “is where I kissed a guy for the first
time, during a kegger.”
Nick eyed the brush.
“A
little summer lovin’?
Nice.”
“Yeah, until we
had to go home, anyway.
We’re still friends. He’s married with kids, now.”
“In denial?”
Ian’s mouth
quirked.
“No. We had a good time, but he was always more into girls.”
“It’s the age for experimentation,” Nick
agreed. “So was he your only boyfriend?”
“Nope.
I dated a guy
in college, and there were a couple of guys before Diana. And no, she wasn’t my
only girlfriend, either.”
Nick held up a hand. “No criticism from
here. Considering what floats my boat, I’m in no position to throw bi stones.”
He kicked at a clump of sand. “Do the guys know about Diana?”
Pain crossed his friend’s face, sharp
and quick.
“Yeah.
They’re okay with it.”
“You don’t sound like
it’s
okay?”
“It’s not them.” Ian blew out a harsh
breath. “I found out Diana was having an affair the summer before she died.”
“What?” Stunned, Nick staggered to a halt.
“That’s bullshit. She
loved
you.”
“That’s what I thought. But I have proof.
She came down here and spent a week with someone at the cottage.” Ian waved at
the wave-capped water. “She lied to me, told me she had to help out her cousin.
I don’t know if it was just a fling or something more. And I still don’t know
how to feel about that. I didn’t think we had any problems, but obviously I was
wrong.”
Nick shook his head. “Look, I don’t know
what she was thinking, but I do know she loved you,” he said firmly. “I used to
see the way she looked at you, like you were the only other person in the
world. I’d kill or die to have someone look at me like that. If she did fool
around, it had to be a one-time thing.”
“Was it?” Ian said bleakly. “Maybe this
was just the only time I found out about. There were times I went on business
trips, or she went out of town with her friends. What if she was with him
then?”
Nick wanted to say he couldn’t see Diana
doing that, but the fact that she had cheated on Ian at least once made it
pointless. “Sometimes people do stupid shit, and they regret the hell out of it
later,” he said gently. “Trust me, I know.”
“Yeah.
I just wish I
knew why she did it.” Ian sighed. “I don’t even know who the guy was.”
“It doesn’t matter. Look, you only know
of one time for sure. And you’re the one she came home to, right?”
The other man nodded.
“All right, then. She loved you. You
know that, I know that. Yes, she made a mistake. But you shouldn’t ignore ten
damn good years for one mistake. My advice is, forgive her for being human and
focus on the good times you had.” Nick paused. “And tell
By
and Aph that if they cheat on you, you’ll roast their balls over an open fire.”
Ian grinned faintly. “That may have been
mentioned, yeah.”
“Good. Okay, enough with the dispensing
of wisdom. Let’s get back to the cottage before Norma decides to get creative
with your couch cushions.”
Nick wanted to laugh at the look of
dismay on his friend’s face. “I thought she wasn’t wrecking furniture anymore,”
Ian said.
“She’s not wrecking
my
furniture anymore,” Nick pointed out. “I can’t guarantee yours.”
“Shit. Let’s go.”
****
Stripped down to a t-shirt and cargo
shorts, Nick lay on a lounger behind the cottage, enjoying the late afternoon
warmth. Despite the clear skies overhead, he could see lavender and blue
smudges gathering near the horizon, a bed of storm clouds running ahead of the
oncoming twilight.
As it turned out, Norma had been dozing
on the intact couch when they got back, much to both his and Ian’s relief. But
the terrier woke up happily at their return, bouncing up for head scratches and
attention. Nick decided to take her out to the beach for a walk and some
splashing in the waves.
After a half hour of communing with
nature, his city girl decided she’d had enough for the day and herded him back
to Ian’s place, submitting to a brief rinse at the outdoor shower and shaking
off the excess water in an impressive shimmy. On the cottage porch she curled
up at the feet of a busily typing Ian while Nick smeared on sunblock and headed
back to the lounger, letting the balmy air lure him into a doze.
He woke up when he heard voices. Opening
one eye, he saw the twins walking up from the water in matching swim trunks. “I
really don’t like these,” he heard Bythos mutter to Aphros, sliding a thumb
under his waistband and adjusting it.
“I know, but it’s just—hello, Nick. Having
a good day?” Aphros said brightly.
He rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, thanks. You
guys going for a swim?”
“Just had one.
By has some
more work to do, and I’m going in to get dinner started. Hello, love,” he said
as Ian rushed out from the porch. “Hope you’re hungry.”
Ian stopped and stared at his
boyfriends.
“I, um, yeah.
Nice suits.”
Bythos rolled his eyes while Aphros just
winked.
“Anything for you,
agapetos
.”
The twins ambled into the cottage,
leaving Ian frowning after them.
“
Agapetos
?”
Nick asked.
“It’s Greek.
Means
beloved.”
Still distracted, he turned and peered at the horizon. “We’re
getting some rain later on. Feels like a mid-sized thunderstorm.”
Before Nick could ask how weather could
feel mid-sized, Ian added, “How are you doing?”
“Hella relaxed. I even fell asleep for a
bit.” He touched the shallow rise under his t-shirt where the gauze was. “And
this isn’t hurting anymore. I’ll give Barnard this much, he knew what he was
doing.”
Ian scowled. “You need to see a plastic
surgeon. You can’t wear that fucker’s initial like some kind of brand.”
Nick gave a half-shrug. “There’s nothing
a plastic surgeon can do about them. The incisions are too fine for any sort of
scar revision. I’m a doctor, I should know.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.
But it could be
worse. The bastard could have finished writing his name.”
“Gentlemen?”
The two of them turned to see Aphros
leaning out the porch door. “Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes,” the
redhead announced. “Steak, baked potatoes, and salad sound good?”
“Sounds fantastic,” Nick said sincerely.
“If you ever get tired of short stuff over here, I’ll be happy to marry you.”
Aphros beamed at him and the
mock-glaring Ian. “I’ll keep that in mind. Love, would you mind setting the
table?”
“Can’t say no, now, can I?” Shaking his
head at Nick, Ian headed back to the cottage, grabbing Aphros and kissing him
soundly at the door. “Anything else
I
can do to make you happy, gorgeous?”
Nick watched as Aphros slipped a hand
around Ian’s hip, cupping his ass and squeezing it. “Oh, I can think of a few
things,” he said with a grin. “But we can talk about them later. Set the table
first.”
“Yes, dear.”
Nick made a whip-cracking noise, snickering
when Ian shot him the finger.
“You’re just jealous,” Ian catcalled.
“Damn skippy. Now go set the table,
dear.”
****
Nick was shooed out to the living room post-dinner
with Bythos while Aphros and Ian did the cooking cleanup. Overhead, the
threatened storms had finally shown up as the sun set. A heavy rain beat down
on the windows, intermittently lit by lightning.
“Ian said that you and Aph work for your
dad doing pollution remediation?” Nick said, taking one of the armchairs.
“That’s got to keep you busy, especially these days.”
“Yes, it does,” Bythos said, stretching
out in the other chair with a contented noise. “I’m afraid I can’t go into much
detail about what we do—non-disclosure agreements and all that. But one of our
seawater filtration projects is turning out to be very successful.”