Harvest of the Gods by Amy Sumida Page B

with the bulbous buttocks that are bright red?”
    “ Bulbous bright buttocks!” I clapped my hands in delight. “That's wonderful, I have to remember that, and yes, I am.”
    “ That's fairly offensive,” he frowned.
    “ Yes, that was the point, keep up. Now anyone else? Don't you have a god list or something?”
    “ No, Vervain, I don't have a telephone book of the gods. You could probably Google it. Go ask Torrent.”
    “ That's actually not such a bad idea,” I raised my brows.
    “ I don't want you getting hurt just because Samantha wants a baby,” Odin got serious again.
    “ I have the emerald,” I lifted the emerald pendant he'd given me, that had the power to siphon the magic of a god into the earth. “If I do get a chance at Demeter and the power becomes too much for me, I promise I'll release it, just let it flow through me like with Eris and Iktomi.”
    “ Okay,” he sighed. “I guess that's probably the best I'm going to get from you.”
    “ Taking Demeter's magic would kill two birds with one stone; one of them, a big golden booby bird.” I laughed, picturing the uptight goddess as a fluffy bird.
    “ Just make sure the second bird isn't you.”
     

Chapter Thirteen
     
    I had just finished pouring myself a cup of coffee when an unknown man walked into the kitchen. Without even thinking about it, I shifted my hands into claws and sank into a defensive position.
    He immediately started to scream and my mouth fell open as he flung his hands up over his head and backed away from me, out into the hallway, until he hit the far wall. Then he just stood there cowering and screaming.
    “What the hell?” I eased forward a little a peered at him.
    “ Griffin!” Teharon came running down the hallway toward us. He took the guy by the shoulders and shook him gently until the man finally stopped screaming and lowered his arms. “It's okay, you're safe here. I promise you, you're safe.”
    “ Teharon,” I waved a hand at the man. “Who is this and why was he screaming bloody murder?”
    “ This is Griffin,” Teharon continued to use a calming tone and I noticed his hands had a light glow about them where they touched Griffin. “He's one of Demeter's victims.”
    “ Oh shit, right,” I groaned. “I forgot, I'm so sorry, Griffin. I didn't know who you were and you kind of surprised me.”
    Griffin looked over at me, his bright blue eyes widening as they fixed on my claws. He cringed and began to whimper. I cursed under my breath and changed my claws back to regular hands.
    “There, see,” I held up my hands. “All better.”
    “ I'm going to take him back to his room,” Teharon started easing Griffin down the hallway.
    “ How many of them are left?” I frowned when Griffin hunched his shoulders and started crying. “Are they all like this?”
    “ No, most of them are fine,” Teharon grimaced, “a little damaged but nothing time won't heal. They're all still here but they should be on their way soon, they all have families who are missing them. Griffin is the worst case, I'm not sure I can heal him.”
    “ So we may have to commit him?” I followed them down the hall. “I really don't want to do that.”
    “ Neither do I,” Teharon sighed. “Hold on a second, let me get him settled.”
    Teharon walked Griffin over to a chair in one of our guest rooms. The man fell heavily into it and instantly covered his beautiful but stricken face with his hands. He ran them up his face and into his blond hair, spiking it out in all directions.
    “I'll go get you some lunch, Griffin,” Teharon said gently. “You just wait here.”
    He came back out into the hallway and closed the door behind him. His demeanor changed immediately, the soft look on his face turning brittle with frustration. He gestured back toward the kitchen and we started walking.
    “She has totally destroyed his mind,” Teharon huffed. “Griffin is barely able to speak and when he does, it's usually to beg to not be hurt