Sell you a Bridge chapter 44

The Clock Tower July 16th 2010 8:00 PM EDT

I  had been confined to the tower since the incident with the crazy Talon.  Jim forbade me from leaving and honestly I was mostly with him, until I  though about how much fun I'd had with Zee yesterday and started  feeling a bit of cabin fever. Luckily Jim had finally got in touch with  Circe and arranged for her to meet us here tonight so hopefully this  nonsense would be over soon. In the meantime I had been texting Zee more  than usual today.

Artemis  noticed my small smile and matched it with a smirk of her own "Well  someone seems chipper today. Good to see you so upbeat, might I ask  what, or possibly who has you in such a chipper mood?" I noted she went  out of her way to avoid mentioning Annabel which I appreciated. I'd  actually debated using my power to get some kind of therapy video to get  you over grief but something about that seemed wrong. Still having  something else to focus on besides my possible impending death was a big  help.

I  couldn't help but flush a bit at my best friend's gentle teasing. "I  uh...was just talking to a friend. I met her a month or so ago and we've  been texting ever since." That was technically correct (the best kind  of correct) but didn't give away who Zatanna was. Not that I worried  about Artemis but I wasn't sure Jim would approve and letting the truth  about our friendship get out with so much going on seemed like a bad  call anyway. "So how is Wally? He must be bummed about you being in  lockdown."

Her  expression fell and she groaned "Don't remind me. We were supposed to  go to the pool this weekend. He lives in Central City but he has an  uncle in town so he spends weekends down here all the time. His school  is year round like Gotham Academy, but they're on two week break right  now. I got a new bikini for our day out an everything and now I'm stuck  in this drafty old tower with you and Reggie instead of ogling my track  star boyfriend wet and shirtless." She was actively pouting now and it  was hard not to laugh, but I managed.

A  loud throat clearing came from across the table where Kit was balancing  on two chair legs reading. "Hey, what am I, chopped liver? But  seriously my condolences. Got any pictures of your guy? He sounds cute."  A cane swung down and smacked the table from out of nowhere and she  squeaked and fell over smacking into the ground with a groan. She sat  up, glaring at the now visible Jim "Ow! Bitch! Was that necessary? I've  been studying for like seven hours and it's a Friday night. If I can't  go out at least give me a ten minute break to look at cute boys with the  only other girl here." She rubbed her head as she stood up, righting  her chair.

Jim  just huffed "Oh fine. Circe will be here in a few minutes in any case  so I doubt any more studying will get done in any case. The woman is a  hopeless show off and always needs to be the center of attention." He  subtly adjusted his tie  and I had to hide a smirk at his obvious  attempts to clean himself up"In any case you should all prepare  yourselves for a whole lot of dramatic nonsense." Despite his words, his  tone was fond, and he seemed excited to see her. Jim seemed to be quite  the ladies man, which made me a bit worried about how much attention he  paid my mom.

Reggie  came in with a bag of food and dropped it on the table. "Dinner. Don't  ask me what's in it I have no clue other than knowing it's Mexican food.  I was able to use some binoculars to extend my range a bit and  translocate that bag of food off the counter of a taco stand when  someone turned around. It looked pretty full so I thought it would be  enough. I swapped it for Artemis's hair dryer." As soon as he said that I  felt a shift in the world around me and then I was sitting where he'd  just sat down, and Artemis was lunging at me.

Luckily  for me, my reflexes made the likelihood of her catching me even after  teleportation incredibly slim, and I shifted into shadow form as she  sailed over my head. Reggie started laughing as I reappeared back in the  chair glaring at him. He just shrugged "What? She said not to use my  powers on her, she didn't mention her stuff. Besides I was hungry, and I  owed her one for that swirly, so you, know, two birds." His grin was  pretty smug for someone who had just opened Pandora's Box.

However,  it wasn't my business if Reggie was stupid enough to think this would  end so easily. Artemis was going to make him suffer, but she wouldn't  actually hurt him. Not badly at least. I wasn't worried in any case.  With my reflexes I should be able to avoid getting caught by any of  their pranks by accident. I was honestly kind of looking forward to this  whole thing, it would be a nice break in the monotony.

Jim  stood abruptly, drawing all of our attention with the quick movement.  "Ready yourselves, she's here. My wards were just breached, and not many  can do that so casually. Before she arrives, a few rules. Be  respectful, no need to fawn but politeness is mandatory. Be direct, she  hates beating around the bush. And most important of all do not allow  her to get a hold of any pieces of your hair or clothing. Even moreso  than most magic users Circe is dangerous when she has an anchor to  affect you with, her ability with curses is unmatched."

A  low, bass chuckle rumbled through the room, almost shaking the  floorboards with its sensual purr "You always did say the sweetest  things James dear." With literally no warning a column of fucking purple  flame erupted from in front of us, bathing us all in a rush of heat and  light and the smell of...lavender? Then the leg stepped through. I say  the leg because it was a slow movement, she started with her leg and  took a long, rolling step into the room. I couldn't help but admit Jim  had been dead on with his drama comment.

He'd  also undersold how gorgeous she was. I mean sure she was a goddess, it  was to be expected, but the level of hot I'd seen in my life did not  prepare me for this woman at all. It wasn't exactly one thing. I mean  sure, her tits were huge and very perky, her hips were curved and her  stomach was flat and slightly muscled, and from my view of her from the  side I could see she was rocking an ass that would make most men weep.  Her face was heart stoppingly beautiful and her eyes burned with purple  light set off by the cascade of violet curls tumbling down around her  shoulders.

All  these things were amazing in their own right, but it didn't make her  what she was. The whole was so much more than the sum of her parts, she  was just...bigger than her body. There was this oppressive sense of more  when I looked at her. Like I could keep looking and finding new amazing  things to adore about her and never run out. It was a jarring  experience, though not an entirely unpleasant one, and judging from the  reactions of everyone else possibly not a natural one.

Jim  tipped his hat in a circle in a way we always somehow knew meant he was  rolling his eyes. "Really Circe, must you always be such a show off?  You're ravishing as always love, you don't need to crush the poor little  ones with your godly presence." He rapped his cane once on the floor.  The crack of the cane making contact echoed weirdly in the room,  bouncing off the walls like it was coming from a long way off, and a  chill rolled through our bodies, chasing away the heat of Circe's  beauty.

She  flipped her hair, still gorgeous but no longer suffocatingly so, and  giggled. "Oh, you're no fun. Fine, I suppose I can play nice with your  kiddies. Now I heard you've been putting the word out hard on the  streets, what could the great Gentleman Ghost need little old me for?  Unless this is a more...personal call, but then I suspect you wouldn't  have brought the rugrats." She bit her lip as she said that last part,  making it clear she wouldn't have minded if that had been his intention.

Jim  shook his head "Sadly not, love. I do wish this was under better  circumstances, and perhaps we might carve out some time in the near  future, but for the moment I was hoping to get in touch with you. I need  something from you. A vial of venom from Ladon, the dragon who guards  the garden of the hesperides. I'm willing to pay a fair price, but the  need is urgent, would you be able to supply me with the goods?" He kept  his voice carefully professional, clearly trying to give the impression  this was all about business.

Circe  looked halfway torn between amusement and disdain. "Please. As if every  fool in the magical world hasn't heard about what happened to your  precious Nimue. I'm not a fool James. I know what you want the venom  for. But fear not, I won't make things too difficult for you. It just so  happens someone in this room has something I want as well. If you can  get it for me I'll give you the venom. No muss, no fuss." She gave us  all a cheerful smile that somehow did not make me feel any better about  the situation.

Jim  grunted in surprise but seemed pleased. "I must admit I expected more  resistance, I know the two of you aren't on the best of terms. Still I  do appreciate the help, if your task is something we can accomplish I'm  sure a bit of quid pro quo won't be a problem at all. So, what is it you  want me to get you?" He put on a charming voice but I could hear in his  tone he was as worried about this unexpected development as I was. This  didn't really match up with what we had been told to expect and that  was almost never a good thing when dealing with supervillains.

Circe  smiled, the expression slow and vulpine as she tutted, shaking her  finger at Jim. "Oh no James, I don't need anything from you. I want  something from him." She pointed at me, and giggled at my surprised  look. "Oh you should see your faces. But yes, you Morgan O'Malley. You  see I need to find something, a book of mine that contains some of my  most valuable spells. It's in the city and you can get it. Well yourself  or your cousin, but I suspect you'll have a better chance."

I  raised an eyebrow "Ok, what book do you want that I can get but Jim  can't? I can't imagine there's anywhere around here I would be able to  break into if he's locked out." I wasn't being modest either, powers or  no, Jim was to thievery what Mozart was to music. He was the fucking  Dalai Lama of taking other people's shit from them, if he couldn't steal  it it couldn't be stolen.

Circe  giggled and grinned at me even more fiercely. "Oh you don't need to  steal anything. Se my book went to auction a few years ago and was  bought up by a man named Luigi Maroni." I heard a gasp from behind me  and Circe laughed as someone figured something out. "Oh yes, my book was  last seen in the possession of the man who killed the founder of the  Maroni crime family, the most terrifying and prolific killer in Gotham's  history. The Holiday Killer knows where my grimoire is. So what do you  say Morgan? Up for a little visit with a fellow black sheep of the  Falcone family? I have a feeling he'd love to talk to you."