I waited a moment, willing Red to say something. Because while I’d been given the broad strokes of this plan, suddenly it seemed hopelessly simple. Like…foolishly simple. Like…we were morons.

When Red didn’t offer any convincing arguments, I said as much.

“You are in a unique position,” Red said as we headed out of town. Beautiful, rolling hillsides filled in around us. “Your magic is feared the world over, but you’re a dunce regarding the magical world. It makes no sense. You’re this superpower who can create puppets out of living people, and you’re hopelessly clueless about almost all things. It’s endearing.” I frowned at her. “Then there is the fact that Magnus is your father, Demigod Aaron wants to rule you and will kidnap you to do it, and everyone is desperate to get their hands on you…” She glanced back at me. “See the connection?”

“No, I just see a whole lot of backhanded compliments…”

“He’ll identify with your story,” Bria said. “He’s basically in the same boat. Add in the fact that you went to see him behind Kieran’s back, and we have a winner.”

I rubbed my head as we wound our way into the mountains. “Was I drunk when I agreed to this?”

“Drunk on fear, yeah. Remember? You caught the spirit of Demigod Lydia lurking in your flower garden,” Bria said. “You would’ve agreed to just about any sort of bulked-up defense at that point.”

That night came rushing back to me. At that point we’d already been attacked by two of the Demigods of Hades, my father and Aaron, so I hadn’t been pleased to see the curvy shadow figure standing in my zinnias. I’d known from the exaggerated bust that it had to be Demigod Lydia, the only female Demigod of Hades’s line. She was checking me out, just as the others had, likely not expecting the extravagant team of spirit sentinels that loitered around my house twenty-four seven. They’d sounded the alarm, and Kieran and I had chased her away.

The very next day, Demigod Lydia had called Kieran’s office to apologize and ask for a meeting. A meeting Kieran had not agreed to yet, wanting Henry, one of his Six, to compile a list of all her allies to make sure it wasn’t a setup.

I knew Kieran was hopeful Lydia would become an ally against the other Hades Demigods, but shortly after Lydia showed up, a few of my spirit sentinels disappeared, Mia among them. Just vanished, without a trace. John said there had been a lot of talk lately of spirits heading to their final resting place, but I’d tried to pull one or two of them toward me, just to make sure (and to get a proper goodbye!), and they hadn’t shown up. Sure, they could’ve gone beyond my reach, but the timing was too close to be a coincidence. Lydia might be playing nice right now, but I worried something sinister waited underneath the cooperative exterior.

Either that, or another of the Hades Demigods was messing with my spirits without my knowing. It was entirely possible. Aaron and Magnus had both been unnaturally quiet. It didn’t bode well. I was terrified when they’d pop up next, and what they would do.

Bria was right, though. The incident with shadow Lydia had freaked me out. The Demigods of Hades could waltz through my neighborhood at any time. Even in their shadowy spirit form, they were more powerful than I was. So far, the Demigods had all “visited” in the dead of night, when Kieran was home. Someday they’d show up when he wasn’t.

Adding a giant to our arsenal, especially one with power known across the globe, would greatly help our chances. Or so I’d thought. Now I wondered if it would help escort me into the spirit realm.

“We probably should’ve told Kieran,” I said as we wound our way higher, the hillside becoming increasingly rocky. “What if this goes badly?”

“It won’t. Or not any worse than if Kieran had come. Hopefully it’ll be better, though. Much better. I don’t want to end up like Jack any more than you do.”

“Oh yeah, real nice,” Jack mumbled, looking out the window. “If I had a body, I’d turn this car around so fast…”

“Don’t worry, though,” Bria went on. I didn’t bother to tell her what Jack was muttering. “I left him a message. On paper. He’ll get it when he gets back to the Airbnb. By then, we’ll have recruited a new member of his entourage without having lied about anything.”

Jack stuck a hand out Bria’s way, looking incredulous. “Does her absolute conviction against the odds not set off warning bells? Lexi, come on—she’s always been crazy, but this time she’s just turned off reason altogether.”

I passed that one on.

“Demigod Kieran won’t admit it,” Red said as she slowed the car to a crawl. The SUV rocked badly, a tire going over a large rock on the road. The bottom scraped against another. “But if he wants to turn heads in a major way at the Magical Summit next spring, he’ll need some wow factor. He’s got you, and you wear his mark—that’s a good step in the right direction. The people he’s picked up recently are powerful. Another step. But he needs more key players, the kind of people no one else could get. And not by accident, this time, like he did with you. If he can get even a few of the talents on the list Henry, Bria, and I compiled, he’ll be in prime shape to show up at the Summit in six months with guns blazing.”

“They compiled a list?” Jack asked, leaning forward a little as though Bria held that list right now. “Why didn’t I know?”

I had the same question. This was news to me.

“Because Demigod Kieran hasn’t seen it yet. He doesn’t have a chance at recruiting the people on that list,” Red replied. “He does great with magical workers who care about earning a place of prominence in the magical world. Those people like being charmed, and beneath his flattery and manipulation, they can tell he’s a fair and just leader, as well as a good man. But it’s different with the people who have flipped the bird to the magical world. They will hear his candied words, and they’ll want to kill him for it. He’ll remind them of the people they were desperate to escape. Henry agrees, Lexi—Kieran is no good for guys like this giant. He needs help, and thankfully, he’s got an ace in the hole.”

“Who…me?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Bria answered. “Kieran needs your help, and you’re going to prove it to him by winning over the giant. You’re perfect for this role, Lexi. You’re the snake charmer of weirdos. You are not even remotely part of the normal magical society, even when you try. It’s pretty clear to anyone who meets you.”

“Neither are you,” Red told Bria.

“There’s a difference. I know the rules—I just don’t care to follow them. She blindly stumbles along, willy-nilly. She might get herself killed at the Magical Summit because of it, but when dealing with other nutters, she’s going to shine, just you watch.”

“I already said her quirks were endearing,” Red said dryly.

I shook my head and looked out the window, anxiety coiling tightly within me. I didn’t want to think about my ignorance or how things would go at the Magical Summit. I couldn’t, or acid would eat through my guts. I needed to focus on the here and now. On the moment. And in this moment, we were going after a dangerous giant who might kill and then eat us.