Callia reached for a clipboard, jotted notes. “You can sit up now.” As Isadora pulled her green sweater down and swung her legs over the side of the exam table in her half sister’s clinic, Callia added, “Heartbeat’s strong. You’re measuring right on, and I don’t sense anything out of the ordinary. How’s your appetite?”
“Like a bird,” Demetrius said.
Isadora shot him a shape up look, then glanced back at her sister. “Better. The nausea’s mostly gone.”
“Good,” Callia said. “You’re in the second trimester now. Your energy level should perk up too.” She winked at Demetrius. “You might want to rest up, big guy. This is the honeymoon phase, when a pregnant gynaíka needs plenty of sex.”
His cheeks turned red and he darted Isadora a holy hell, tell her not to say stuff like that look.
Isadora laughed, her pulse definitely back in the relaxed range. Gods, she loved this Argonaut.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Callia called.
Zander poked his head into the room. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”
“No.” Callia’s face brightened as he stepped in and closed the door. “We’re done here. Miss me already, did you?”
With a cheesy grin, the oldest Argonaut of the bunch moved toward his mate and kissed her cheek. “Always, thea, but it’s not you I’m here for right now.”
Callia’s brows lifted. “Oh, no?”
“No,” he answered, looking toward Isadora. “It’s you I need, actually.”
Isadora’s smile faded as her feet dropped to the floor and she stood. Beside her she felt Demetrius tense. “What’s happened?”
“We have visitors who are requesting an audience with the queen. They’re with Theron at the castle.”
“Why does that sound ominous?” Isadora asked as she took the cardigan Demetrius handed her and they headed for the door.
“Because it is,” Zander mumbled, stepping aside to let Isadora pass.
“Zander?” Callia asked.
“It’s okay, thea, but you might want to tag along too. Just in case Isadora needs you.”
Isadora didn’t know quite what to expect when she reached the castle, but when she stepped into her father’s old office, which was now Theron’s headquarters for Argonaut business, she realized just how accurate Zander’s comment had been.
The two females standing on the great alpha seal in the middle of the floor turned when she entered the room. Theron, the leader of the Argonauts, stepped past them and greeted Isadora. “Thanks for coming right over, Your Majesty.”
Isadora let his formality pass without correcting him as she normally did. They’d grown up together. Theron had been her father’s most trusted confidant amongst the Argonauts. And at one time they’d been betrothed, though there’d never been a love match between them. Thankfully, Theron had found his soul mate Casey, Isadora’s other half sister, before they’d been bound. Which had given Isadora the time she’d needed to realize that she was Demetrius’s soul mate. But at their core they were friends, and she respected and admired Theron now as they worked together for the good of their world.
Tension hung like a thick cloud in the room as Isadora moved forward to greet their guests. Both women were close to six feet tall, one with curly red hair, the other with chestnut locks. And both were dressed like warriors, with leather breastplates that bore the stamp of the gods, arm guards, and knee-high black platform boots.
Sirens. In Argolea. This couldn’t be good.
“Your Highness,” the redhead said as they both inclined their heads in a brief bow. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”
“You’re most welcome,” Isadora answered, very aware the observers in the room were as curious about this meeting as she was.
“This is Rhebekkah,” Theron said, gesturing to the redhead, “and Khloe. They’ve come with a request from Athena.”
Isadora didn’t need to catch Casey’s skeptical look on the far side of the room to read her sister’s mind. She and her two half sisters shared more than just their father the king’s royal blood. They shared a link to the Horae, the ancient Greek goddesses of balance and order. She had no doubt that Casey and Callia’s Hora markings were vibrating just as hers was, indicating a major imbalance.
“It’s not often we get a request from Olympus.” Isadora moved toward Theron’s desk and leaned back against the aged mahogany. Theron stepped up on her left, Demetrius on her right, flanking her with their size and support, both staying far enough away to let her take the lead. “What can we do for Athena?”
“We bring Athena’s condolences on your father’s passing,” Khloe said.
A small space in Isadora’s chest pinched at the mention of her father, who’d finally passed from old age not more than a month ago. He’d been a great king but a lousy father. They’d never been close, but he’d instilled within her a love for their realm and an honor to serve, and for that she would always be grateful.
“Thank you. That means a great deal to me.”
Both Sirens nodded.