His value wasn’t in his magic, however. He was a highly intelligent charmer, able to get information most people couldn’t, and had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Whatever he learned went into that big brain of his, which helped him deduce and decode highly classified and extremely useful information. Or so the guys constantly said in something close to awe.

I pulled out the drawers in my desk, checking to see if anything was missing. Unfortunately, the cat pens and little kitten postcards were still there, the desk not properly cleaned out after the last resident’s departure, like the office itself. I really should’ve seen to it, but I wasn’t going to be here long.

“The thing is…” Bria stood against the only bare part of wall in the whole office, where a window showing blue skies and palm trees had been inexpertly painted. “Three of the four Demigods of Hades are males. One is so old he doesn’t count. He’s politically retired and basically just waiting to die. One is married, but everyone knows Demigod Aaron screws everything that’s willing. He’s the sire of the last Soul Stealer.”

I paused. “I thought the last one worked for the pope? And wasn’t he middle-aged when he died? Which was fifty years or so ago.”

“He did, and yeah, that’s right. Why is that confused look on your face?”

“Well…” I straightened up. “Why would a Demigod’s son work for the pope, who is non-magical and believes in the Catholic God instead of the legendary magical gods of myth? And I thought Demigod Aaron was mortal. Why does he look so young if his middle-aged son died fifty years ago?”

“Oh, I see.” She nodded. “You’re living with your head in the sand, as normal.”

I frowned at her and moved to the filing cabinet. Only half of one drawer was mine, and I’d had to displace info on cat shelters to clear it out. I didn’t want to know what was in the rest of the cabinets.

“Aaron didn’t know about him until after Demigod Zander killed him and traced his lineage. DNA testing—it’s informative. Anyway, unlike you, that dude didn’t evade the magical testing machine, which led to routine training. The pope, who has as many spies as a Demigod, heard about the kid first, brought him onto the payroll, erased his previous records, and probably brainwashed him somehow. He took the guy’s training in a different direction, and voila, he had an incredibly efficient, high-level assassin.”

“But how did the pope get him training? Obviously not through the Hades Demigods if they didn’t know about him.”

“That’s the million-dollar question. I don’t know. He clearly knew the right sort of people, unlike Kieran. And in answer to your question, Demigod Aaron is mortal, which you should know means he still lives for, like, five hundred years or whatever. That dude is still in his prime baby-making years, which leads me to why he might have paid you a visit. He might think you’re his. He’s got a history of illegitimate children, after all.”

“Illegitimate children? How about he’s got a history of walking away from his responsibilities and should be castrated.”

“Wow. Yeah, sure, I’d be down to help with that. I’ve never liked that jackass. He hit on me once. That was a big nope. He’s a pig and looks like a little troll with a fat gut. On the other hand, he’s a Demigod, and powering up children isn’t always a bad thing. Some of his…dropped responsibilities have gone on to do great things, even if they did end up with daddy issues. Regardless, he must know by now that he and Magnus were at the same San Francisco summit twenty-five or so years ago. The timing is close enough to raise eyebrows. I mean, obviously, right? That’s where Magnus must’ve met your mom. She was on record as working that summit.”

I turned away from the file cabinet slowly. “What’s this now? My mom is on record?”

Bria gave me a flat stare. “You work in the government building and you haven’t snooped into your mom’s past?” After a silent pause, she shook her head. “You are, quite possibly, the least curious person I have ever met in my whole life.”

It hadn’t even occurred to me. I had no idea why, other than I couldn’t imagine her with a life other than the one I had lived with her. “What was her magic? She never actually told me.”

“Level—”

A knock at the open door cut Bria off. Red stood in the doorway, all six feet, two inches of her. Her flaming red hair fanned out from her head and a splash of freckles covered her nose and cheeks.

She was one of Kieran’s assistants, although she did less assisting and more scaring people away from his office. The joke was that she was Medusa’s heir, only she didn’t turn people to stone, she made them wet themselves before buggering off. I didn’t know anything about her magic, but she did a damn fine job of shooing away all the drooling pretty ladies who wanted to take my place in Kieran’s bed.

“Miss Price, the Demigod requests your presence,” she said, more formal than normal.

“Oh shoot.” I plucked out the nearest file—a prop to sell my utter busyness. I knew Kieran’s game. This was another attempt to convince me to govern with him. I preferred my anonymity and the few small projects I’d kickstarted. “I have a charity meeting in…like…nowish.” Which was true enough. “That’s the only reason I’m here. At the government building, I mean.”