“What would you do without me?” she asked.
“Be far more inconspicuous,” Hades replied.
The garage felt humid and smelled like oil and gasoline, and while it was lit by rows of fluorescent lights, there were dark pockets throughout the warehouse-like shop. Hades imagined they concealed various illegal goods.
Now and then, the sounds of an engine revving or a car squealing interrupted the chatter of the workers.
Acacius was working under the hood of a red car. Hades recognized him even before Giorgos called out his name.
“You have visitors.”
Acacius kept his back to them, continuing to work beneath the hood of the car. He was taking his time to greet them. It was the behavior of a man who believed he had both time and power, and Hades supposed that, as of right now, that was still the case. Beside him, Hecate grew impatient, and when he felt her cast another spell, he gave her a warning look. He needed this to unfold as naturally as possible.
When Acacius finally straightened and turned to face them, he had a cigarette in his mouth, which he removed only to blow smoke in their direction. He was a round man with a swath of dark, curly hair. His lips were thin, and when he spoke, he revealed a set of uneven, oddly spaced teeth.
“I don’t return payment,” he said, then his eyes shifted to Hecate. “So you and your friend can go back the way you came.”
His soul was almost as unpleasant as his exterior, the only bright spot being the dedication he had to his family.
“I haven’t come to seek repayment,” Hades replied. “Your prediction was right.”
“So what? You want to strike another deal?”
“Of sorts,” Hades replied.
Acacius stared and was either smiling or scowling. Hades could not tell which. Acacius placed his cigarette in his mouth and spoke as he turned to close the hood of the car.
“Let me guess. Another horse race?”
“Not quite.”
The man turned, narrowing his oily eyes at Hades. He stepped closer and took the cigarette from his mouth. This time, he blew the smoke directly in Hades’s face.
“Your gambling habit is low on my priority list, got it? So unless you have something far more valuable to trade, I suggest you leave.”
Hades had already sensed that they were surrounded—the mechanics in the shop had formed a circle around him and Hecate.
“How adorable,” she said, her covered head moving from left to right.
“They’re trying to threaten us.”
“Shut your friend up,” Acacius said, poking his fingers in Hades’s face.
The best thing about this disguise and why Hades had wanted to wear it was that Acacius and his gang would underestimate him, which made the next few seconds more satisfying than ever.
The god snatched Acacius’s fingers and bent them back. A crisp, clear snapping sound preceded Acacius’s pained screams.
Simultaneously, his men jumped into action. Hecate whirled, throwing off her hood, sending a wave of magic through the air that halted everyone in their stride.
Hades stepped toward Acacius, who knelt on the ground, cradling his hand. As he approached, he smothered the mortal’s smoldering cigarette with his boot and knelt face-to-face with him. With his stern expression gone, Acacius looked younger—a boy playing a man’s game. Hades was about to show him just how unprepared he was to deal.
“Now, about that bargain.”
“Wh-who are you?”
At that question, Hades let his glamour fall away.
Acacius’s eyes widened, but he did not tremble, and Hades wasn’t sure if that was something to be respected or concerned about.
“Hades,” Acacius breathed his name, and the god rose to his feet. The mortal remained on the ground, lifted on his elbow so his bruised and broken fingers were visible. “What do you want?”
“Nothing too taxing,” Hades said. “Just your cooperation.”
Acacius made his way to his feet before he asked, “In exchange for what?”
He was a foot shorter than Hades, yet still managed to appear hardened and unafraid in the face of death.
“Let’s not pretend you have anything to bargain with,” Hades replied.
“We both know I could dismantle your empire with a snap of my fingers, so what will it be?”
“Depends on what you want from my cooperation.”
Hades stared, unamused. “The audacity,” he said, though he had expected this behavior. “I know you possess some kind of relic. Something that allows you to see the future. I want it.”