Read Online Rise of the Blood by Lucienne Diver - Free Book Online
Authors: Lucienne Diver
Tags: Speculative Fiction
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it’s been far too long.”
Nick rescued us then, turning from the bar with our drinks in hand and passing them around. He asked what Uncle Hector would have, but he held up a flask all his own and wrapped an arm around Nick to move him away from the bar as he would have tried to pay.
“The whole thing’s on me,” he said proudly. “Have to impress the investors, you know.”
“Investors?” I asked, pings of curiosity driving away the jet lag that was starting to tug at me.
“You know about the film, yes? A romance, and it opens at a wedding! We have a wedding, the film has a budget, and voila ! We kill two birds with one stone.” Before I could ask any of my million questions, he exclaimed, “Ah, here’s one of our investors now!”
We turned to follow his gaze—straight into the smiling face of Hermes. Of course . I’d been wondering what he was up to at the party. Apparently, he’d been up to helping bring Apollo to Greece and partially financing his new film. But what motivated him—mischief or patriotism? It was hard to believe that he’d invest for completely unselfish reasons. Setting a blockbuster film among Greece’s impressive sites would certainly stimulate tourism and help the floundering economy, but I doubted he was free of ulterior motives. There had to be something in this for Hermes. Were the financial rewards enough? Or did he have something more mischievous in mind, perhaps tapping Christie for a role in the movie, to cozy up to her or to make her indebted to him. Gods thought like that—sacrifice, tribute, tithes. Debts.
“Surprised?” Hermes asked, seeing the look on my face. Before I could respond, he turned to glad-hand my uncle. “Hector, it’s good to see you.”
They did the whole hail-fellow-well-met greeting, shaking hands, pulling in for a chest bump, kissing on both cheeks. And yes, it was a lot of physical contact for a country where the forecast generally called for hot and sweaty with a better than even chance of deodorant fail. But the nice breeze blowing across the terrace made the heat bearable. Truthfully, it was a gorgeous night and, unlike in L.A., you could actually see some of the stars that had appeared in the sky as the sun went down.
“Where are the man and woman of the hour?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Tina and her fiancé.
“Apollo and Serena?” Hermes asked. “Probably still,” cough , “freshening up.”
“I meant the bride and groom,” I said wryly, refusing to let him tweak me.
“Oh,” Uncle Hector answered, “they’ve gone on ahead to Delphi to meet with the set designers and dressers. It all has to be perfect for the big day, you know.”
Apparently, that was Serena’s cue to stumble into the party and collapse into Uncle Hector’s arms, her face drained of color, eyes rolling like a spooked horse.
Chapter Six
“Two things a man will always catch—a cold and a swooning woman.”
—Yiayia’s words of wisdom
Uncle Hector was trying to revive her when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my cleavage—there’d been no place else to put it in this dress, and I’d forgotten a cute little evening bag—and answered it.
Apollo .
“Tori, I need you. Not like it sounds. I need you down here. Now. Room 527.”
“Does this have anything to do with Serena in a dead faint?”
“Just get here. You’ll see.”
“Okay, we’re on the way.”
“No!” he said, an edge of…panic?…to his voice. “Just you.”
I looked at Armani, who was listening in.
“Go. I’ll try and get the full story here,” he said, looking toward Apollo’s leading lady.
I quirked an eyebrow. “Okay, but if you have to do mouth to mouth on her, you’re not allowed to enjoy it.”
His lips twitched. “Deal.”
I went. The number of times Apollo had come when I’d called, the least I could do was return the favor. Plus, the curiosity was killing me.
I raced to the stairs and down them, nearly flattening a man
Nick rescued us then, turning from the bar with our drinks in hand and passing them around. He asked what Uncle Hector would have, but he held up a flask all his own and wrapped an arm around Nick to move him away from the bar as he would have tried to pay.
“The whole thing’s on me,” he said proudly. “Have to impress the investors, you know.”
“Investors?” I asked, pings of curiosity driving away the jet lag that was starting to tug at me.
“You know about the film, yes? A romance, and it opens at a wedding! We have a wedding, the film has a budget, and voila ! We kill two birds with one stone.” Before I could ask any of my million questions, he exclaimed, “Ah, here’s one of our investors now!”
We turned to follow his gaze—straight into the smiling face of Hermes. Of course . I’d been wondering what he was up to at the party. Apparently, he’d been up to helping bring Apollo to Greece and partially financing his new film. But what motivated him—mischief or patriotism? It was hard to believe that he’d invest for completely unselfish reasons. Setting a blockbuster film among Greece’s impressive sites would certainly stimulate tourism and help the floundering economy, but I doubted he was free of ulterior motives. There had to be something in this for Hermes. Were the financial rewards enough? Or did he have something more mischievous in mind, perhaps tapping Christie for a role in the movie, to cozy up to her or to make her indebted to him. Gods thought like that—sacrifice, tribute, tithes. Debts.
“Surprised?” Hermes asked, seeing the look on my face. Before I could respond, he turned to glad-hand my uncle. “Hector, it’s good to see you.”
They did the whole hail-fellow-well-met greeting, shaking hands, pulling in for a chest bump, kissing on both cheeks. And yes, it was a lot of physical contact for a country where the forecast generally called for hot and sweaty with a better than even chance of deodorant fail. But the nice breeze blowing across the terrace made the heat bearable. Truthfully, it was a gorgeous night and, unlike in L.A., you could actually see some of the stars that had appeared in the sky as the sun went down.
“Where are the man and woman of the hour?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Tina and her fiancé.
“Apollo and Serena?” Hermes asked. “Probably still,” cough , “freshening up.”
“I meant the bride and groom,” I said wryly, refusing to let him tweak me.
“Oh,” Uncle Hector answered, “they’ve gone on ahead to Delphi to meet with the set designers and dressers. It all has to be perfect for the big day, you know.”
Apparently, that was Serena’s cue to stumble into the party and collapse into Uncle Hector’s arms, her face drained of color, eyes rolling like a spooked horse.
Chapter Six
“Two things a man will always catch—a cold and a swooning woman.”
—Yiayia’s words of wisdom
Uncle Hector was trying to revive her when my phone rang. I pulled it out of my cleavage—there’d been no place else to put it in this dress, and I’d forgotten a cute little evening bag—and answered it.
Apollo .
“Tori, I need you. Not like it sounds. I need you down here. Now. Room 527.”
“Does this have anything to do with Serena in a dead faint?”
“Just get here. You’ll see.”
“Okay, we’re on the way.”
“No!” he said, an edge of…panic?…to his voice. “Just you.”
I looked at Armani, who was listening in.
“Go. I’ll try and get the full story here,” he said, looking toward Apollo’s leading lady.
I quirked an eyebrow. “Okay, but if you have to do mouth to mouth on her, you’re not allowed to enjoy it.”
His lips twitched. “Deal.”
I went. The number of times Apollo had come when I’d called, the least I could do was return the favor. Plus, the curiosity was killing me.
I raced to the stairs and down them, nearly flattening a man
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