(This is the scene written based on the assignment here:https://authoramiegibbons.wordpress.com/2014/10/24/hey-baby-whats-your-personality-type-writers-hub-assignment/, and the personality portrait here:https://authoramiegibbons.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/personality-type-assignment-portrait-of-an-enfj/ and is a part of The Gods Defense in my Law and Magic series.)
“Gods? Actual magical beings that could squish you with a wave of the hand, gods? And you just… act like they’re normal people with magic and hang out with them, chat with them, hell, you insult them!” Millie leaned over, sipping her Christmas-tini till the liquid dropped far enough for her to pick it up without spilling the candy red confection. “Want to know the number one rule of dealing with deities in pretty much every ninth grade mythology reading? Don’t ever get on their radar. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us a freaking god has been head hunting you.”
Millie leaned back, lifting her face to the sun, the weather that Southern mildness that allowed for outdoor dining in December with a sweater or a jacket. The Corner Pub was a Midtown staple, a squat square building with picnic tables in the back, squished between a road that was never meant to get as big as it had to to accommodate the Vandy traffic and a five story slab of a stone building that was furnished studio apartments not so affectionately known as grad school dorms since only grad students who didn’t know better ever rented them.
“I only insult Apollo,” I said. “And he deserves it.”
“But you’re asking us to help him?” Tyler asked.
I wrapped my hands around my coffee. I wasn’t cold but it gave my hands something to do. “Well, the gods in general, but yeah. I don’t trust Apollo, I’m pretty sure I hate him right now, but these gods trying to defect are bad. I don’t need to like or trust the Greeks to know in my gut they’re on the side trying to help humanity. Those gods trying to defect will make life… I don’t know, something bad, for humans if they suddenly have ten times as much power as anyone else.” I took a sip. “And they backed out of their deal.”
“They keep each other in check,” Tyler said, brushing a red lock off her face.
“Your gut isn’t proof,” Millie checked back into the conversation. “Do you have anything tangible to point at to tell you for sure there’s not a basis for… I can’t believe I’m saying this, for Ravena’s claims?”
“Spoken like a scientist.” I smiled at her. “I’ll put it this way. It may be part of my psychic abilities, or just intuition, or based on a ton of tiny things I can’t articulate, but the gut is real. I know Ravena and his people do not have the best interests of humanity in mind. If that means I have to put up with liars and users on the other side to stop them, I’ll do it.”
“Also, if they’re all diminished at the end of this thing, it’ll be a lot easier for humans to keep the gods in line,” Tyler said.
“Tyler, if there’s one person in this country who could pose a threat to the gods, it’s you. So please don’t let them know that when we meet with them.”
“They’d kill me if they just though I’d be a threat?”
“In a Nashville minute.”
Tyler nodded, toasting me with her scotch. “Respect.”
I shook my head and laughed. “I’d be worried if I didn’t know you’d never be so stupid. You’d never… advertise that you were going to go after anyone. You still haven’t told me what you did to the judge.”
She just chuckled.
“What did Apollo do to you?” Millie asked, little forehead wrinkled up as she stared at the ugly apartment’s side like she was asking it a question instead of me.
“Millie,” Tyler said as I searching the air around Millie. “Remember how we talked about things you don’t ask, this is one of them.”
She didn’t look away from the building, frowning, her eyes sad behind her glasses. I squinted and hazy grey formed around her head, a cloud above little blots of white and red around her chest.
“Why?” she asked, finally looking at me.
I scooched over on the bench and wrapped an arm around her, hugging her into me. She leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Should we just burn that building down?” I joked. “I’m sure we’d be doing the people who live there a favor.”
“Say the word and it’s gone,” Tyler said. “Or, you know, let me go after the reason you hate that building.”
“Or I grow up and get the hell over that jackass because it’s been years,” Millie said, sitting up and grabbing her drink. “We’re supposed to be talking about you.” She took a long sip. “And you’re avoiding the question.”
I laughed, putting my head on the table.
Tyler must’ve given Millie a look because she said, “What? What am I missing? Did they have sex or something?”
I sat up. “I’m torn between wanting to not get into this and wanting to help poor clueless you understand human interactions.”
“Haha.” She stuck her tongue out at me, a gesture so much funnier coming from a grown woman lawyer. “Just tell me, do we hate him?”
“I…” I wasn’t sure what to say.
The stone wall of the apartment building exploded in front of us.
Dust and chunks and God knew what else blew out, pieces smacking the Pub and the ground almost in slow motion before I realized I was moving through the air. Huh, the blast must’ve blown us backwards. I blinked once, the dust getting in my eyes, and the world went dark.
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