Aphrodite's Secret by Julie Kenner Read Free Book Online

Council had been tasked with locking in ancient catacombs those things that went bump in the night. When released, though, these “Henchmen” were loyal to a fault. And Hieronymous had used them on more than one occasion.
    I’ll get you out of there
, Jason promised, still not sure exactly how to do so without endangering the whale or his son. There was, after all, only one of him. And this was probably a trap. From what Shamu said, there was at least one Outcast and two Henchmen. Probably more.
    From his perch atop the staff dressing room, Jason cursed, his mind going a million miles a minute. How could he do this?
    A bolt of lightning streaked across the perfectly clear sky, followed by a clap of thunder so close it shook the stands. Jason’s eyes went to the stage at the front of the orca’s pool. There, a man had appeared front and center, his back to Jason.
    Jason noted the invisibility cloak now crumpled at the man’s feet, and he tightened his jaw, desperate to attack—but not so desperate that he forgot his training. Until he either understood the situation or assessed that Davy or Shamu had to be saved immediately, he was going to wait and watch. Most likely, the Outcast would make a mistake he could use to his advantage. He ducked down, flattening himself on the rooftop. His lack of his own invisibility cloak was an irritation; hopefully, it wouldn’t become a liability.
    The masked man nodded toward Davy, his polite gesture to the boy contrasting his decidedly evil intentions. “Please forgive the pyrotechnics,” he said, his voice polished and proper, with the hint of an accent. “They were necessary to serve my purpose.”
    Definitely not Hieronymous, but... the voice was somehow familiar. Clearly, Hieronymous had directed one of his Outcast flunkies to this task, while the big dog himself called the shots from somewhere else. Jason snorted; that was just like the H-man.
    Never quite willing to get his own hands dirty. That was why he was still allowed to roam freely, because there was never enough evidence to imprison him.
    “Not that you care about my motives, of course,” the masked Outcast said. “But there are other ears listening and other eyes watching. I’m betting on it.” As he spoke, his hand drifted to his ear, and he nodded ever so slightly.
    Jason frowned, wondering what the Outcast was up to. The reference to other eyes and ears had to mean the Council; even if they weren’t monitoring at the moment, this whole afternoon would be played back from the recordings the Council’s satellites made on a daily basis.
    He crouched lower, maneuvering to the edge of the roof as he pondered the best plan of attack. At the moment, he believed Hieronymous’s flunky didn’t know he was there. A good thing, too. He needed the element of surprise. It was his only advantage.
    His fingers itched with the desire to grab his cloak and zoom down to Davy’s rescue. But that would be foolhardy. He didn’t know how many Outcasts or other Henchmen were lurking about. And while he relished the opportunity to thwart one of Hieronymous’s schemes, he could never intentionally do anything that might put Davy further at risk.
    He had to think of another approach. A subtler one.
    Clenching his fists, Jason looked at the smaller holding pool behind Shamu’s tank. Maybe if he freed Shamu, the whale could somehow help him free his son.
    Armed with a plan, Jason dropped back behind the building and ran to the holding pool.
    As he did, the masked man continued speaking. “So many secrets,” the Outcast said. “About family. About alliances. Of course, it all boils down to politics—the bane of all adults’ existences. But you, Davy, are the key. Such a lucky, lucky little boy.”
    Jason frowned, trying to process the words that sounded more like a rehearsed speech than a passionate diatribe.
Politics? Secrets?
What did this guy mean? Was Hieronymous’s flunky referring to the ongoing treaty negotiations