Chapter 104 Mercenary.

Chapter 104: 104 Mercenary.

I leaned against the sterile glass wall of the hallway, dissecting that sudden feeling. I’d never really had to look after other people before.

Being a freelancer meant that I worked alone, barring the occasional logistical help from Steve.

I’d never needed to really put myself out there or worry about anyone else’s survival. I’d liked that, truth be told, and this new underlying anxiety wasn’t exactly a feel-good moment for me.

But it was a perspective I realized I was going to have to come to terms with. Psyren, Glacia, Rhea—they were my responsibility now, like it or not.

It was my job to help protect them. Not only against rogue streeters, god-complex heroes or rival villains like Delirium, but also against the common pitfalls of the industry: poor clients, sketchy contracts, and general assholery.

I tilted my head back and gazed at the ceiling, wondering for a moment just how the hell I had gotten here. Not just mentoring the heir of supervillain royalty, but managing a psychotic psychic, all while trying to protect a mad scientist from her dick of a former boss. I blew out a heavy breath.

Fuck.

Things had gotten complicated indeed.

To help distract myself, I let my powers slowly expand, feeling the reverberations of the metal all around me in the building.

You can never really let down your guard when your job involves taking hits from supers.

Since stepping onto Edna’s floor, I hadn’t been paying too much attention, but while I waited for Psyren to finish her fitting, it was probably a good idea to double-check the perimeter.

I closed my eyes for a wider range, there wasn’t much of a threat, although the sheer volume of high-end metals in the building made the base of my skull tingle.

A lot of reinforced titanium weaves, carbon-steel shears, gold and silver jewelry, electronics, structural supports, and...

Oh. What’s this?

I blinked as I sensed something new approaching. Not just me, but the building.

It would take a lot of dense metal in motion to catch my attention so easily at a distance.

My eyes squeezed tighter as I heightened my senses, zeroing in on the signature. It wasn’t hard to get a bead on it.

It wasn’t modern circuitry or industrial steel. It was the distinct, heavy, vibrating resonance of ancient enchanted metal. The exact same humming magnetic signature I’d felt when I ripped that Amulet of Horus off a certain someone’s neck.

I opened my eyes to see the strange, yet now familiar, starry night of the cosmos, which could only mean one thing—Khonsu was here.

Ah. Interesting.

I straightened up as the mass of enchanted iron and gold entered the building and stepped into the elevator.

I could practically map the route through the architecture as the car came up to the top floor and the doors hissed open.

Coming right my way, hm? I momentarily considered relocating, but I needed to wait for Psyren. Besides, I was off the clock. I had nothing to hide.

Right on cue, I saw Khonsu round the corner and start coming down the hall, one of Edna’s interchangeable, terrifyingly chic assistants clicking nervously beside him on high heels.

Finn was in his full "Lord of the Moon" getup—towering at nearly eight feet tall, his face half-wrapped in pristine white linen, his ethereal robes somehow billowing despite the complete absence of a breeze in the climate-controlled hallway.

But then I saw, much to my chagrin, Divina walking right beside him.

She was back in her red and gold mythological swimsuit, her amulet firmly reattached to her neckpiece, and her hand resting menacingly on the pommel of her sword.

I pushed off the wall as they spotted me. Divina instantly stiffened, her eyes narrowing with enough righteous fury to melt a hole through the floor. Yeah, fuck you too, sister.

"Finn," I said, giving him a brief chin nod.

"Polaris," Khonsu replied, his voice vibrating with that manufactured, booming divine resonance he always used in public. "We seem to be crossing paths with alarming frequency these days."

"Small world," I said, gesturing vaguely to the blast doors behind me. "I’m just here for a costume fitting."

"A coincidence. As are we."

I had suspected as much, but I was still a bit surprised to hear it. "You’re getting gear from Edna? I thought you Mythics just spawned your own divine armor out of thin air."

Khonsu crossed his massive arms. "Even divine armaments require... modernization. And the mortal known as Edna understands the structural integrity required for celestial combat. She is no servant of Set or Apophis. I have no quarrel with her craftsmanship."

Well, I supposed that was fair enough. Edna didn’t exactly care about pantheons or myth cycles; she only cared about silhouette and utility. To her, an Egyptian moon god was just another client with an obnoxiously tall inseam.

I looked at Divina, who hadn’t stopped glaring at me as if she were trying to mentally set me on fire since arriving. "And it’s her costume you’re arranging for?"

"Indeed," Khonsu said. "She has the urgency to become a heroine, and the raw power. She merely requires... refinement."

"She sure has the drive," I said dryly. "And a solid right hook against sedans."

"I require no compliments from a wretched fiend!" Divina barked, her face flushing bright red, clearly remembering the fire escape cage and the trunk of my Toyota.

I shrugged. "I’m only a fiend if they pay me enough."

"You are a mercenary!" Divina accused, taking a half-step forward. "A scoundrel! You fight neither for honor nor truth, but for mere gold and the thrill of your petty trickery!"

"Well... yeah," I said.

Khonsu sighed, the booming, godly resonance slipping just a fraction in his exasperation. "Though Polaris is indeed a villain, child, he is not our foe today."

Well, that was almost a compliment. "I’m not here to break the law right now. Just here to deal with tailors."

"You merely got the drop on me in that alley!" Divina hissed hotly, ignoring both of us. "You used cowardice and warped iron to deny me a proper duel, wrapping me in a cage like a common beast!"

Fucking hell, it was like dealing with a toddler with a superiority complex. I looked past her to Khonsu.

"Are we really going to do this here?" I asked him. "Next to the complimentary espresso machine?"