Fallen Reign (Sins of the Father 1)

And go nuts he did. By even the end of the first day, I was sure that the Nicola Arboretum would pale in comparison to all the space Florian would manage to fill up with all sorts of greenery. It just looked so damn impossible, grape vines growing right next to coconut trees, which themselves were huddled right next to pine trees, all of which teetered on the edge of a sandbar. I sidled up to him partway through the process, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Be sure not to drain all your power,” I murmured. “Gotta save some of that to make Dionysus’s drinks.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Florian growled, eyeing the piles of furniture that I was still working my way through. “You just worry about your half of the job.”

I’ll be honest, it was tougher than I thought, mostly because of the heat. I’d stripped off my shirt by the time I finished building the sixth chair, stuffing it under my waistband. By the looks of it, Artemis had bought enough stuff for a dining table that could seat ten, several bookshelves, and a computer table. I looked around the domicile, wondering where the hell she was even supposed to stash all this stuff. Oh. Oh, man. Was she expecting me to put up entire structures, like huts and stuff? That was way out of my wheelhouse, but the prospect and the challenge got me all kinds of excited anyway.

But with the heat and the expenditure of energy came a natural need for rest, and hydration. Lots and lots of it. Neither Florian nor I had thought to prepare anything for refreshment, much less any snacks or food. Rookie mistake. I went looking for Artemis, finding her swinging gently on a hammock tied between two coconut trees, huge sunglasses covering her eyes.

“Hey, Artemis? Sorry to bug you about this, but I guess we weren’t really aware of the scale of the job. We kind of didn’t bring any water.” I scratched my forearm, searching the grounds. “Is it safe to drink from that stream over there?”

She stretched out on the hammock like a cat, sighing. “Of course it is. But I’ll do you one better.” Artemis sat up with some effort, balancing a coconut shell in one hand. “Do you boys want cocktails?”

“I really shouldn’t be drinking at all. Plus I don’t think we should drink on the job. Construction work and everything. Water’s fine, really. Do you have, like, mugs we can use?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Artemis said, waving di

smissively. She cupped one hand over the side of her mouth, calling out towards a copse of tropical trees. “Priscilla.” Nothing. She pursed her lips, cupped a second hand to her mouth, like a megaphone, then yelled louder. “Priscilla!”

The treetops shuddered, birds went flying out from among the vegetation, and I swore I felt the earth tremble, just a little. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but a full-sized gorilla came stampeding out of the undergrowth, eyes wild and mouth frothing as it screeched, tearing its way directly for Artemis, and the hammock, and me.

It was wearing a frilly pink apron.

The creature called Priscilla came to a stop just feet away from us, then pushed its huge fists into its waist. Then it started hooting and jabbering, specifically at Artemis. I realized that it – that she was complaining.

“I’m sorry,” Artemis said. “Yes, I know you’re busy cooking, but – okay, yes, but we have guests and – right, right. Sorry. Listen, could you fetch the boys a couple of coconuts? Yeah, just split them open. They can drink the juice out of the shells, then – yes, that’s right. Yes. I’m sorry.”

Priscilla turned to me with an unimpressed glare, then produced a young green coconut from somewhere under her apron. I reached out to take it, but she snatched it away.

“Ook,” she said.

“Um. Sorry.”

“Ook ook.”

Priscilla approached a nearby rock and smashed the coconut against it. Somehow the coconut split into two neat halves, its whitish juices dripping out of the seams. Priscilla thrust the mess out at me, and I accepted gratefully, the shell smooth and cool in my hands.

“Ook,” she said, pantomiming and instructing me how to drink the stuff, holding an invisible bowl up to her lips.

I did as I was told, spilling some of the coconut water down my chin and the front of my chest, but getting most of it in my mouth soon enough. It was cool, and sweet, and delicious, the most refreshing thing I’d tasted in ages. I could feel the energy returning to my body.

Priscilla’s last “Ook” before she nodded at me was filled with approval.

“Once you’re done with that, you scoop out the meat and eat it,” Artemis said. “Then you can use the shell as a drinking bowl.”

“That’s pretty clever,” I said.

“Coconuts are amazing. Every bit of the plant is useful. Swiss Army knives of the plant world.”

Priscilla pulled a second coconut out from under her apron, turning away to deliver it to Florian when Artemis called her again. Priscilla wheeled on us, screeching another wordless chastisement. Call this a hunch, but from her body language – and the fact that she was wearing an actual apron, you know, like a cook would – my guess was that she was eager to get back to the kitchen before whatever she was making burned. I peered over to the copse of trees where she’d come from, finally spotting the curls of smoke rising from behind them. Geez. Did she have an entire gas range in there somewhere?

“I’m sorry!” Artemis said. “I just, could you freshen my drink? Yes. Another piña colada would be perfect. Yes. Thank you, Priscilla. I love you, Priscilla. Aww, don’t be mad.”

Priscilla took off, trampling across the grass towards an understandably frightened Florian. It took a little while, but Artemis and I watched as she chased him, tackled him to the ground, then gently offered him the coconut, smashing it open for him the way she’d done for me.

“Priscilla,” I said softly.

Artemis nodded. “Yup.”