Hooked [Complete]

23. Breaking Up Is Easy To Do

"Your disposition?" Lana repeated, shaking her head at him with a grin.

"Yeah, you make me much nicer," he murmured, nuzzling her neck. "Especially now that you will claim me in public." He nodded to the table of their classmates, good-naturedly flipping Leander off, who had been shouting at Finn for a few minutes and imitating cracking a whip, implying that Finn was "whipped."

"Hmmm. Obviously," Max intoned, clearly bored with Finn and Lana. Carrie, however, was snickering into her Sambuca. Finn and Lana were a source of endless enjoyment to her. They reminded her a bit of her and Hearne, in the early days.

"So how do you two know each other?" She gestured with the glass between Mercury and Finn.

"He works for the family business," Mercury said tersely.

Carrie lurched forward, examining Finn like she'd never seen him before. "Not...your son?"

"No. We are...more distantly related."

Carrie nodded understanding. So Finn was godspawn...probably the umpteenth great-grandson of some demi-god that Mercury had made in his hey-day. And Finn apparently knew exactly who Mercury was...working for the "family business" meant Finn was in servitude to the Pantheon.

Well, well, well. Sabit was full of surprises.

Finn met Carrie's eyes. Yes, he knew who she was, too. Carrie's eyes darted unconsciously to Alanna, and back to Finn. He shook his head slightly. He hadn't told her. This web of gods and mortals was getting complicated. Gods rarely claimed their godspawn more than a couple of generations from their source, because they were much more human than divine. If Mercury was claiming Finn as "family", he was special. He must have some godpower. It wasn't surprising then, that he was attracted to Lana, who was a powerful witch.

Carrie sighed. She would have to formally indoctrinate her priestess soon. She wondered if Hearne would allow her to continue her relationship with Finn. Unknowingly, Alanna was sleeping with enemy.

Carrie sighed. Thinking these thoughts made it impossible to deny the truth. Finn was a guppie, whereas she herself was knowingly sleeping with a much bigger shark. Dammit.

"So you've really been working the last couple of days?" Lana asked Finn, an openness on her face that Carrie wished she would guard. Lana was fierce, in every way except for Finn.

"Yeah, of course. I told you that, darlin'." Finn looked at Mercury, an obvious plea for him to corroborate.

"Yes," Mercury said wearily. "Finn has been setting up a base of operations for an advance planning team. I'll be here for the foreseeable future, implementing that."

Carrie sat down her glass and swiveled toward Mercury. "You're kidding."

"No. The field report I sent in cinched it. The...Board...has determined that we should...pressure the competition arising in this area, with a serious technological upgrade."

Carrie flicked her eyes at Tandie, impressing upon her a sudden urge to call out to Lana and Finn, which she immediately did. Lana turned to wave her off, but Carrie grabbed her hand. "Why don't you guys go hang out with the gang, and give Max and I minute, okay? Tom, will you send the front table a round on me, please?" Carrie asked.

Max sighed wearily, but he dismissed Finn with a nod, "Go. Don't get too drunk. I need you first thing in the morning." Finn nodded and dragged Lana away, eager for a beer and apparently, to have his wild and beautiful girlfriend ensconced on his lap. Lana really was doing good things for Finn's disposition. But family loyalties ran deep, to Romans. It was one thing that Mercury had played her, she would not have her priestess's heart broken by a conflicted Roman godspawn.

"Listen, Mercury—"

Mercury cut her off. "Don't start with me Cerridwen. I'm in no mood. I did NOT intend to get stuck in this backwoods a minute longer than necessary, and now I am here indefinitely."

"You lied to me! You are here to spy on Hearne!"

"Of course, I am here to gather intel on Hearne, but I've hardly manipulated you to get it, have I? You should really learn to be more discreet. When you told me Hearne had resumed hunting, I could hardly keep that information from Jupiter, could I? Although I almost wish I had. Now, Jupiter is heaven-bent on ensconcing a modern legion of godspawn in this gods-forsaken place to keep Hearne in check. And guess who gets to command them?" He gestured at his chest with his glass and knocked back another resentful shot.

"You used me," Carrie's hair was crackling with energy and her eyes were nearly transparent with fury.

"Careful, mortals are watching," Mercury said wearily, forcing another drink into her hand. "I am sure when you calm yourself, you will see that our use of each other is entirely mutual. The sex is...adequate—better than most humans, anyway—and you do give me a certain vantage point to Hearne's recent activities, while I give you a way to pain him with jealousy, no?"

"That's not what I'm doing," Carrie grimacing into the horrible liquor.

Mercury laughed bitterly, "If we are to continue fucking, Cerridwen, you will have to learn to lie to me as convincingly as you lie to yourself."

"We're done, Mercury. I wouldn't sleep with you again if you were the last god in the heavens."

Mercury shrugged, not even looking at her. "Just as well. Did you know, when you are about to climax, your glamour slips? It's very...unbecoming."

Carrie slid from the barstool. She felt her nails drawing blood in her own clenched fists.

"Go to hell, Mercury."

Mercury grabbed the bottle and poured another slug of Sambuca. "I'm already here, my dear."

Carrie stormed out of the bar, ignoring the questioning looks from Hearne's students. She wished fervently that she had had the presence of mind to grab a bottle of whiskey from the bar...the Sambuca was souring on her stomach. But she hadn't, and she didn't dare risk dispelling magic from her glamour to summon one...not with the horror of Mercury's insult still stinging like a slap across the face.

How dare he leverage her most vulnerable moment against her? What did he think he looked like in the moment? Like someone was extracting his fingernails with pliers, that's what. Stag, he was such an asshole. Why had she given him a moment's time? But it had been so long since she'd been with a man...

Everything she'd said to Hearne about the multitudes of mortal men had been a lie, meant only to goad him. She'd been with a few, over the thousands of years, but it was just too hard. She could never stay with them for long. She'd never told a human who she really was, never gotten that close. They aged, she would not. She would not let herself fall in love with a mortal who would die and leave her, like Hearne did. And unlike Hearne, she'd never found one she thought was match enough to diefy. She wasn't even positive that she could deify a mortal as Hearne had done to her, but he always claimed it was the love they shared that made it possible. Hearne thought he could find that love again with Dru, and the power to create another goddess with it.

Was there no one for her? Was Hearne the only being that would ever truly know her?

Almost in response, she heard something she did NOT expect to here. A familiar voice. A voice calling to her by real name. She scanned the students milling in the street, but he was not there.

Then she realized, the voice was carried not through the air, but on the flame of a candle, on the breath of a prayer.

Sean Faraday was praying to her.

A/N: The next chapter is quite...revealing. Hold your horses, publishing today! I won't leave you hanging...do me a solid and vote, please! Thanks!