Page 86 of Lovesick Titan

“Okay…so the amplifiers are for after we get Ludgate into the real world,” Danny said, trying not to feel nauseous over the many unknowns to this plan. “Meaning, we start with Joey’s and my idea, create a fun house out of town too tempting for Ludgate to resist—”

“Whilethe Miasma Maker is on,” Andre interrupted.

“And when we’re ready, we turn it off,” Danny said, understanding where they were going now. “Ludgate shows up, we close off mirrors as needed to limit where he can go with Mal and Helios’s amplifiers, then we just need to get him out of the mirror world before we seal him off for good. It’s perfect.” He smiled at the engineer and technician before him. “So how do we lure him out of the mirror world?”

Andre and Priestly shared a pinched expression before both shrugged.

“We’re still working on that part,” Priestly said.

Danny’s mind spun with the many moving parts and team effort that would be required to pull this off. The plan wasn’t foolproof, but they were working on it—together. Team Zeus and the Titans, even Captain Shan and a few too many civilians. A sense of liberation accompanied the culmination of this support, even with Ludgate still on the loose.

Released from Lynn’s care, Danny scarfed down the quick breakfast she handed him, feeling better by the minute just from a few normal calories hitting his stomach that an IV could not replicate. Through the door out into the main room he saw John talking with Shan again. Andre and Priestly had fallen into a tense discussion about ways they could trick Ludgate out of the mirror world, while Lynn busied herself with Danny’s test results, muttering about how miraculous his metabolism was.

It was only then, as Danny was finally ready to take a shower, brush his teeth, and change into fresh clothes to feel something like a normal person again, that he realized Mal had left some time ago and was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter23

Danny felt a dull ache in his stomach as if his food had solidified, a sense of urgency to find Mal now that he’d finished getting ready. He’d looked for Mal on his way to the bathroom with an armful of clothes from his stash at the morgue, but John said he’d headed off to catch up with Joey and his ‘tour group’.

Now that Danny was clean and refreshed, he wanted to find him. They deserved some time alone, however brief it might last. Mal was probably upset with him for not listening about staying out of the fight. Danny would have preferred to keep Mal out of the fight too, but he knew better than to think that would ever happen.

It was hard to get used to the entire morgue and its hallways being painted in matte finishes, the lack of reflective surfaces making Danny self-conscious about how much his hair might be sticking up, even washed with some of his gel combed through it. Not that he was complaining; mirrors were overrated. But he still ran his fingers through his hair in a nervous tick.

“Danny!” Michael called from down the hallway.

Looking up with a flush of excitement, Danny expected to see Mal too—only to see just Joey, Stella, Carla holding baby Mai, and Michael barreling toward him.

Danny fought to not let his disappointment show as Michael dove into a hug he had to crouch down to accept, laughing as he held the boy to him. “Wow, that’s quite a welcome. Get a good tour, Michael?”

“Yeah!” he smiled widely as the others caught up to him. “Your brother’s really cool. He knows all about this place.”

“He does, huh?” Danny raised an eyebrow at Joey, who shrugged.

“Your sister’s cool too, but I already knew her.”

“Wait, what?” Danny blinked before turning his surprised expression to Stella.

As his sister shared a smile with Carla, it dawned on Danny why asocial workermight know this family. “It wasn’t my case,” she said, “but I handled some of the paperwork and met these two several times down at the office. Even saw them at the shelter once in that neighborhood they live in, which I’m guessing is an area you are intimately familiar with these days.”

Danny had to laugh, but at least the cosmic joke being played on him wasn’t all sinister.

A gentle tug on his shirt drew his attention down again. “Zeus?” Michael said, then frowned. “I can call you Zeus when we’re in your hideout, right?” he dropped his voice to a whisper.

Danny smiled at Carla’s fond eye-roll. “Yeah, buddy, you can. Everyone here knows my secret. You’re part of a very exclusive club now.”

“Slightly less exclusive than it was a few weeks ago,” Joey muttered, just as baby Mai stirred and started to fuss.

“Hey now,” Carla said, hoisting the baby up on her shoulder, “did we dare stop moving, your highness?”

“Zeus,” Michael tugged on Danny again. “Mom made me a doll like you. Wanna see?”

“Sure,” Danny said, watching Carla bob her way to an open doorway, and when he peeked in, he saw it had been filled with what he assumed were Carla’s actual possessions, crib and all. Hermes—Oz—had been busy. Danny didn’t even remember what the room had been before as Michael dashed in past him to retrieve his toy.

“You okay?” Stella rested a hand on his arm with the same gentleness as Michael’s tugs.

Danny flashed her and Joey a smile, then reminded himself they didn’t need to be coddled for his sake. “Better being out of the mirror world. I thought Mal was with you.”

“He was,” Joey said. “For a while. But just to check in. Went down to help with the mirror trap, I think.”

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