Sirenz Back in Fashion Read Online Free PDF Page A

and call.”
    I slammed my hands on the table, and the glasses, dishes, and silverware jumped. “This is completely, totally, and absolutely unfair!”
    â€œSpare me the dramatics, Margaret. I have it in writing.” An unfurled scroll hovered over the table, our signatures at the bottom. Hades sighed heavily. “Where and How Sirens Are Placed is at My Discretion; Section One, Paragraph Six. Now, you can continue your tantrum about this, or we can go over the particulars and I can send you on your merry way. We shouldn’t keep Jeremy waiting.”
    Instantly, all was silent. The tinkle of silverware on plates and the constant chatter of people around us ceased. The woman at the next table, who was sitting almost at my shoulder, sat as still as a statue, the fork she’d twirled with pasta stuck midway between her plate and her mouth.
    I turned back to Hades. There was no way out of this; I had no other choice but to comply.
    â€œWhat do I need to do?” I said, closing my eyes and letting out a long breath.
    â€œThat’s more like it,” he said, snapping his fingers. Sound returned to the world. I had to remember not to push him too far; Shar and I were caught in his nasty little web. I sympathized with the fly, doomed just because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
    â€œYour next assignment is to deliver Paulina Swanson to me.”
    â€œAs Shar would say, Hello? Paulina sounds female—the Siren powers won’t work on her. I won’t be able to do it.”
    Hades tsked-tsked. “There you go with that negative attitude. You can. You must.” He ran a hand through his auburn locks. “Besides, you’re not going to need your powers anyway. I have something else in mind.”
    He rose and picked up his linen napkin from the table. After a delicate dab on his lips, he shook it out, then snapped it in a fluid motion, and a marble statue—minus arms—appeared on the sidewalk next to our table. Draped around its shoulders was a short and shimmering coat of golden fur. It was fluffy and made the statue look broad and puffy.
    â€œFur is murder, no matter what color it is,” I said, disgusted.
    â€œIt’s not fur,” Hades huffed. “Show a little respect. Few mortals get to lay their eyes on this. Behold, the legendary Golden Fleece!”
    â€œFur or fleece, that has got to be the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.”
    â€œHow dare you criticize one of the most revered objects in ancient myth!”
    â€œWould you wear that?” I asked, pointing to it.
    â€œMy taste leans more to the modern classics,” he snapped. “But that’s irrelevant. You’ll need the fleece to complete your mission.”
    â€œThe ram you got it from was sacrificed, wasn’t it?” I asked, trying to remember the story. “That pelt probably has eons of bad karma attached to it.”
    He picked an imaginary speck off the sleeve of his suit jacket. “Yes, the fleece has a long history. The ram was the son of Poseidon, and so the fleece has divine powers. It was the price of Jason’s kingdom; he had to brave many dangers to retrieve it and regain his throne. But don’t worry about the ram—Zeus turned him into a constellation.” He grinned mischievously. “Now he’s a star!”
    â€œI don’t want to touch it.” I crossed my arms over my chest, emphasizing my defiance.
    â€œYou’d better get over your aversion, Margaret. The fleece is the only way you can send Paulina to Tartarus, thus freeing Sharisse.”
    I looked at him like he was insane. “What do you want me to do, smother her with it?”
    He stared at me with dark, piercing eyes. “Anyone who dares to wear the Golden Fleece is immediately dispatched to Tartarus. All you need to do is get Paulina to put on the fleece—”
    â€œWhich she won’t do, if she has any sense of style or ethics,”