“I appreciate that you made an effort,” Jason said stiffly. His gaze touched briefly on Diana. “You look nice. All of you.”
“Very smooth,” said Nim. “You’re lucky you’re rich, or you’d never get any action at all.”
Diana waited for Jason’s sharp retort, but instead that broad grin reappeared, his dimple flashing. “You’re forgetting how good-looking I am.”
Alia rolled her eyes. “Can we just get this over with before I have to find a potted plant to throw up in?”
Jason straightened his cuffs, his sober demeanor returning as quickly as it had vanished. “Yes. But that’s the last eye roll for the next hour, deal?”
“Wait, I need one more. You can’t just cut me off like that.” Alia rolled her eyes theatrically. “Okay, I’m good.”
Jason’s mouth pulled up at one corner, as if he was fighting not to grin again. “I expect smiles and an attempt to look like you’re happy to be here.”
“That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“Alia—”
Alia threw her shoulders back and pasted a cheerful smile on her face. “Better?”
“Slightly terrifying, but yes.”
“Hold on,” said Nim. “You need powder.”
As Nim touched up Alia’s makeup, Diana took the opportunity to murmur to Jason, “I saw the armed guards posted at the eastern and southern doors, as well as the entry.”
“But—”
“They’re spaced too evenly against the wall.”
“I’m not a fool,” said Jason. “There are members of the security team dressed as partygoers as well.”
“Two by the buffet, one by the musicians, and at least three near the western perimeter.”
Jason started, his surprise evident. “How the hell did you spot them?”
Diana frowned. It was obvious, wasn’t it? “I can tell they’re carrying weapons by the way their clothes hang. And they hold themselves differently than the other guests.” Jason’s eyes scanned the crowd, and she wondered if even he could tell where his people were. “Just stay alert,” Diana said. “If I can spot them, our enemies may be able to as well.”
She was prepared for a rebuke, but Jason simply nodded.
“Um, and you guys may want to keep moving,” Diana said as a nearby waiter shoved another waiter, knocking his tray of food to the floor. “Don’t stay in any one spot for too long.”
She still didn’t understand the limits of Alia’s power or how it worked. It could reach across worlds, but proximity did seem to matter.
“Understood,” said Jason.
“Are we doing this?” said Alia. “?’Cause I’m thinking about drowning you in the punch bowl and just making a break for it.”
Jason nodded and offered her his arm. Under his breath, he said to Diana, “Keep us in your sights.”
“I’ll try not to get in your way,” she murmured.
He stiffened and then she saw the corner of his mouth twitch again. Still an imperious bully, but at least he could laugh at himself—and maybe he’d begun to realize she was an asset. She didn’t want to fight him every step of their journey to the spring.
Diana spent the next half hour drifting through the partygoers with Nim, making sure to keep Alia and Jason within view. It wasn’t easy. The room was crowded, and the way voices bounced off the stone set Diana’s teeth on edge. She also felt like she was trying to read too many signals at once. She’d successfully picked out most of Jason’s security team, but the party itself felt unwieldy.
On the surface, it didn’t look radically different from the celebrations on Themyscira. Though the clothes might be cut differently, it was still a collection of people in silks and satins, glasses in hand, some bored, others eager. But there was something odd about the way the crowd separated and then re-formed. The men would step forward to greet each other as their female companions hung back, then a moment later the women would engage, shake hands, possibly embrace. Power moved in its own way here, driven by unseen currents, and it eddied and flowed primarily around the men.
I don’t belong here. The thought echoed loudly through her head, but she wasn’t sure if it was her voice or the Oracle’s that spoke with such conviction. She shoved the thought away. In an hour, she’d be on her way to Greece. By this time tomorrow, they’d have reached the spring and her quest would be at its end. For these few moments, she could let herself enjoy the newness of this place.
She noticed Nim murmuring names under her breath. “Do you know everyone here?”
“No, but I know who they’re wearing.” She reeled off a series of Italian-sounding names.
“More trivia?”
“Information. Design is all about conveying information. This whole room was built to convey messages you don’t even know you’re receiving. The sightlines, the way the tiles are laid into the floor.”
“You see the world differently.”
“Seeing is easy. The hard part is being seen. It’s why I’m always trying to get Alia to go out more.” Nim plucked a skewered shrimp from a passing server. “When I started at Bennett, it felt like everywhere I went people weren’t seeing me. I mean, they saw me. Boy, did they see me. But I was just the short, fat Indian kid who brought weird food for lunch.”
“What changed?” asked Diana.
“Alia. She was the first person to look at my designs and tell me they were good. She even wore one of the first dresses I made to a dance. It was truly hideous.” Diana had to laugh, but that did seem like something Alia would do. “She’s always been the one to prop me up,” said Nim, “and make me stick with designing.”
“What about your family?”
“Please. They have to tell me I’m a good designer. That’s their job.”
Diana thought of her mother saying, I didn’t expect you to win. “Not necessarily.”
“Oh man, do you have one of those tough-love families? I just don’t buy into that.”
“Why not?” Diana asked cautiously.
“Because the whole world loves to tell us what we can’t do, that we aren’t good enough. The people in your own house should be on your side. It’s the people who never learn the word impossible who make history, because they’re the ones who keep trying.”
The very air seemed to crackle around her as she spoke. Diana considered telling Nim she’d make a great general, but opted for “Alia is lucky to have you as a friend.”
“Yeah, well, we’re both lucky. I don’t know many people who would put up with me.”
Alia caught sight of them by the reflecting pool and separated herself from the couple she and Jason were speaking to, scurrying over to them as if afraid Jason would snatch her back.
“Please kill me,” she moaned. “My cheeks ache from smiling, and my toes are throbbing in these shoes. I swear this is the longest hour of my life.”
“Boohoo. Big party where everyone wants to meet you,” said Nim. “And don’t you dare speak ill of those shoes. They’re perfection.”
“I can’t tell if your brother is pleased,” Diana said, glancing over at Jason, who was listening intently to someone and nodding his agreement. He seemed at ease, his posture relaxed, but Diana could see the tension in his shoulders. He held himself as if on guard, unsure of where the attack might come from, but certain it would come nonetheless. “He doesn’t like these parties, either, does he?”
“You noticed?” Alia said, scanning the crowd. “I hate who he becomes at these things. It’s like he’s an actor in a play. He smiles and chatters, but I know he hates every minute of it.”
“Speaking of hating every minute,” Nim said, her expression turning sour. Theo was headed their way. “I cannot take his nonsense right now. I’m going to go ask Gemma Rutledge to dance.”
“Is she gay?” asked Alia.
“Who cares? She’s wearing Badgley Mischka. I just want a better look at the dress.”
“Aw,” said Theo as he approached with two full flutes of champagne, “I chased Nim off. Such a shame. I swear that girl gets worse and worse.”
Alia pursed her lips. “Leave Nim alone.”
“Will do. All alone.”
“And what are you doing with champagne? None of us are old enough to drink.”