Page 19 of Crimson Skies

They stepped out of the elevator on the tenth floor of the Argonaut building moments later. The bullpen was packed with agents. Cassius stared.

The shrill ringing of phones barely masked the fraught brouhaha. The clamor abated a little when the harried agents noted the Goddesses’ presence in their midst.

“What’s going on?” Morgan asked Zakir Singh.

“All the doomsayers in the state have crawled out of the woodwork. They’ve been calling nonstop to confirm the exact date and time the world will end.” Singh studied Atropos and her sisters warily. “Hmm, hello.”

The Goddesses dipped their heads graciously.

“Keep up the good work,” Atropos said.

Singh’s face glazed over at her smile. The agents behind him flushed.

“Six days.”

Atropos’s smile froze. Cassius swallowed a groan.

Singh stared at Orena. “What?”

“When the world will likely end,” Orena elaborated helpfully. “It’s in six days.”

“It’s only a possibility,” Atropos added hastily as blood drained from Singh’s face. “One of many.”

“Oh.”Orena shot a guilty look at Tenebra.“Was it wrong to tell them?”

The Black Fate sighed. “A little bit. The hysteria in the air is definitely thickening.”

“Six days,” Singh repeated numbly. The agent sat down heavily in his chair. “Ha ha.” He dropped his head in his hands. “I should call my mom.”

Morgan scowled at Orena as several agents started hyperventilating. One swooned and had to be carried to his seat.

“They were going to find out sooner or later,”the Goddess said blithely.

They bumped into Julia and Adrianne on the way to the conference room where they’d arranged to meet with Strickland.

“Where are Zach and Bailey?” Morgan asked curiously.

Adrianne clenched her jaw. “They’re on babysitting duty.”

Suspicion darkened the demigod’s eyes. “Why, is that weasel from Puerto Rico threatening to run again?”

Julia and Adrianne had picked up Ortega at his request earlier and brought the mage to the Argonaut bureau. Tisiphone and Victor had accompanied them.

“Not exactly,” Julia muttered.

“Santiago is a valuable ally, Ivmir,” Atropos berated him gently. “You should treat him as such.”

Morgan failed to show any sign of remorse at her reprimand. Raised voices reached them as they approached the meeting room. They entered it in time to see Zach restrain a struggling Ortega.

Bailey had his arms full trying to stop a cursing Zhao Yuan from hurling a spell bomb at the Colombian mage.

Tisiphone put out Yuan’s magic with a snap of her fingers where she sat at the table. “Not that this isn’t hilarious, but how about you two pipe down? My sisters are here.”

Yuan sobered when he registered the new Goddesses’ presence.

“She’s right.” Wallace observed his fellow Level One mages with a benevolent look. “All this hostility can’t be good for your blood pressure.”

“Mind your own business, cowboy,” Ortega snapped.