“Deal. Okay, so we have a sort of plan. Do you want to call this Alexios? I’m dying to meet him.”

Marina reached for her phone and Halcyon grabbed her arm.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” her sister asked.

Marina stared, confused.

“Pants,” Halcyon said. “Unless you’ve undergone a complete personality change, I’m assuming you don’t want to talk to a man wearing a tank and your underwear. Especially that underwear. Basic cotton is not a sexy look.”

“Alexios swings the other way.”

“Interesting. Then he’s probably got on better underwear than you. I still recommend pants.”

“Of course I’m going to put on pants. I just forgot.”

“Maybe a sports bra!” Halcyon yelled as she hurried into the bedroom.

Marina pulled on a sports bra, then grabbed the first pair of capris she could find in a clothes box, which left her wearing a bright red tank and turquoise pants. At least all the important—or potentially embarrassing—things were covered.

She sent Alexios a text as she was exiting the bedroom and seconds later, he walked into the cabin. He gave her an up-and-down look and his nose twitched a bit, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Are those cinnamon rolls?” he asked.

“Yes,” Marina said. “Do you want one?”

“More than life itself,” Alexios said and leaned over the box before inhaling. “But I’m doing keto.”

“Were you lurking on the porch?” Halcyon asked.

“There’s this condo thing,” Marina said. “I’ll explain later. Anyway, Alexios, this is my sister, Halcyon. I’ve brought her in as a consultant of sorts.”

“More like a partner in crime given the situation,” Halcyon said.

“What do you mean?” Alexios asked.

Marina explained their theory about how to find the ring and the potential legal fallout that could arise. He nodded.

“Yes, the laws of your world are often a hindrance to our business here. Humans seem to cling to rule-following.”

“Have you ever popped out of that condo and into a prison?” Halcyon asked. “There’s a reason we cling.”

“Anyway,” Marina said. “We’re going to be careful, but there’s a possibility of trouble. I was hoping you had a way to handle anything that might crop up on that end.”

“I’m sure I could figure something out if needed,” he said. “If I can’t, my boss would be willing to help.”

“He’ll just strike everyone with lightning,” Marina said. “The point of looking for the ring is to avoid the apocalypse. I don’t want a small one right here in Last Chance.”

Halcyon raised her hand. “But if he was interested in a mini apocalypse, I could provide a short list. Well, maybe not too short.”

“Zeus would like you,” Alexios said. “Your theory about the ring being an heirloom is interesting and something I hadn’t considered.”

“What we need to know is what it looks like,” Marina said.

He nodded. “I can show you the original design, of course. But we believe that Drakos disguised the objects as he sent them to earth. We tried the usual things with an actual rendering—posted signs with big rewards, even got it onto television once—but we never got so much as a thin lead.”