Zeus stared at me. “Heroes are, if nothing else, dependable in how they do things. They have their tried-and-true methods; I’d be surprised if he varied from his.”

I pushed to my feet, said, “Thanks for the drink,” and strode away from the table, through the club, and out the front door. There had to be a way to stop Achilles and save Tad. I refused to believe otherwise. Jimmy tried to grab me as I went by, and I spun around and hissed in his face, spit flicking from the tip of my tongue. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”

My skin prickled down around my neck, and Jimmy backed away, his mouth flapping. “You’re a Supe.”

“You bet I am. And not just any Super Duper. I am a bona fide monster that could snap you like a twig if you don’t do as I say.”

The crowd sucked in a gasp as a unit and Ernie groaned. “Maybe not the best moment to claim your title.”

“Shut up, Ernie,” I snapped, then strode through the line, pushing men out of my way where I had to, glaring at those who dared to meet my gaze, to where I’d parked my car. I didn’t know if Zeus was telling the truth, but I couldn’t take the risk that Ernie would turn on me. Or that he’d been leading me astray deliberately.

He popped into existence in the passenger seat. “Where we going?”

I revved the engine and backed out. “We aren’t going anywhere. Thank you for your help, Ernie. But I’ll do the rest on my own.”

“What? Why? What did Zeus say to you?”

“Nothing that concerns you. This is my deal, not yours.” I pulled onto the main road and headed north. To the Wall. There was only one person left I could tap into. And seeing as he’d put me into this mess, he owed me. Besides, he had my welcome package.

“Where are you going?”

“Get out, Ernie. I don’t want you to be part of this, I don’t know whose side you are on.” I clenched the steering wheel and pressed my foot into the gas. We shot down the highway, Officer Jensen right behind us. I’d almost forgotten about him. A thought clambered to the front of my brain: I needed to pull the troops I could trust together. Which meant only Jensen at the moment. I pulled over to the side of the road, popped the car into park, and got out. Officer Jensen was out of his car in a flash.

“Is everything all right?”

I stepped in front of him, reached up, and touched his face. My plan that had been slowly forming kicked into high speed. “Do you have a walkie-talkie?”

“Yes, why?”

“Get one for me.”

He hurried back to his cruiser and dug around in the front seat for a moment before bringing me back a black heavy-duty walkie-talkie. “What’s the range?”

“Close to forty miles.”

And the stadium where Tad was being held was about twenty from the Wall. “I want you to go to the stadium, the new CenturyLink Field. Wait for me there and report to me on the activity. People in, people out. Anything you see.”

Ernie fluttered closer. “What are you doing?”

I spun and faced him, clutching the walkie-talkie behind me. “I need you to leave, Ernie. I can’t risk anyone finding out what I’m planning. Please.”

“Without me, how are you going to know things?” His eyes darted from me to Officer Jensen. “He’s just a human, there’s nothing he can do.”

“Ernie. You’ve been great. But I have to do this on my own. I have to. I would feel awful if you got hurt.”

“But not if Officer Jenny there gets hurt?”

Good grief, was Ernie pouting? Looked like it. I smiled at him, trying to think of a way to soften things. “He’s doing surveillance for me.”

“I could do that for you.” Ernie brightened. “I can get Hermes to run messages between us.”

I thought for a minute. Zeus said not to trust Ernie, but maybe I could work that to my advantage. “Go watch Zeus. I think he’s up to something, I don’t think he told me the truth at all.”

Ernie’s eyes widened. “What did he tell you?”

I leaned close, beckoning him to me, the lie forming with an ease that frightened me. “Hera. She wants me to work for her, so she’s testing me.”

Ernie nodded. “That makes sense, she likes the powerhouses to be on her side. Okay, I’ll go watch Zeus. Hera would be good to you, Alena. She’s tough, but”—his eyes darted to the side—“I’ve worked with her. She’s been a good boss in the past.”

My heart fell, but I smiled at him. “Keep an eye on Zeus. Send me a message only if he moves toward the stadium.” Which I was almost positive he wouldn’t do. “I can’t have him trying to help me.”

Ernie saluted and was gone with a small puff of feathers.

I turned back to Officer Jensen. “Stadium. Go.”

He saluted and ran back to his car. I flicked on the walkie-talkie and slid the clip over my waistband. This was just like running the bakery. Plan. Rally the troops. Implement. Deliver the goods. I could do this.

I had to or Tad was going to die for real this time.

A huge sigh slid out of me as I drove away from Jensen and Ernie.

Two hours later, after about as much planning as I could manage as I drove, I came to the Wall, and the only official entry point on the southwestern side. The border crossing was only two lanes. One in and one out. In theory. There was no traffic to speak of other than the two large Supe Squad vehicles that sat to either side of the gate. I slowed the car and rolled my window down.