“Are you Enola Jackson?” The tall, thin man looked at me with a smile that was almost gentle, yet carried a hint of innate sarcasm.

  “No…” I returned the exact same smile. “I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

  Calmness, confidence, and a smile are essential elements for becoming a perfect liar.

  The man tilted his head, squinted his eyes, and then gave a confident smile.

  “Your lies may work on others, but they won’t fool me… my dear daughter.”

  “Daughter?” George looked at me with a horrified expression. “When did you get a father?”

  I should scream, right? A strange man who doesn’t look much older than you shows up at your door and claims to be your father. Most people would yell and call the police, but I just shrugged.

  “I don’t know!”

  George’s shocked gaze darted back and forth between me and the man, as if trying to scan our faces for a detailed comparison.

  “Jesus, you two look almost identical.”

  “Not at all,” I said sternly, and the man copied me, almost making George burst out laughing.

  Just as I was about to retort to my friend, a voice came from behind me. “George!”

  We both turned around at the same time, and there stood a man in his early twenties, looking at George with childlike excitement. He leaned in close, cupped his face, and examined him carefully. “Damn, you’ve grown so much.”

  George looked at me, then winked sharply, as if to say, Who is this guy? All I could do was wink back.

  “Oh, my lovely grandson!”

  “Grandson?” This time, I turned my head to George and raised my eyebrows.

  “I don’t even know you have a grandfather… and he looks just twenty.”

  Now it was George who gave me that look. “I don’t know!”

  “Oh, I didn’t introduce myself, did I? I am Hermes.” Hermes gave a slight bow. “And this is Loki.” The dark-haired man blinked.

  Hermes? If I remember correctly, Hermes is the Greek god of messengers, commerce, and thieves, and Loki is the god of mischief in Norse mythology. Who would name their children after mythology? I mean, can you imagine a teacher calling roll in class and the first name being Zeus or Athena or something like that?

  “Well, we can talk about this later.” Loki completely ignored our protests and pushed open our door without permission. “But we need to talk about the commission first.”

  “Hey!” I yelled at him. “This is trespassing! I didn’t say you could go in!”

  Loki stopped, turned to face me, and raised an eyebrow. “Hmph. But that’s not a problem for your dad.”

  He whistled, ignoring my angry glare, and hung his coat on the coat hook in the entryway. “He might really be your dad,” George teased, raising an eyebrow. “He behaves just like you.”

  I glared at him. “Shut up. You have a twenty-year-old grandfather.”

  “Hm, looks like you’ve made quite a bit of money… Two teenagers can afford a place like this.” Hermes smiled excitedly and closed the door behind him.

  George casually added, “Actually, we rented this—hey! Don’t touch that!” George yelled as Hermes reached for a round ornament. “That’s a miniature bomb.”

  “Miniature bomb?” Hermes raised an eyebrow, amused. “You put something like this here?”

  George swallowed hard. “Uh, I control it, but I’m afraid I might accidentally detonate it… if you keep touching it.”

  “Are there any other… miniature bombs here?” Loki sprawled on my sofa like a child, but his sharp eyes betrayed his seriousness.

  “No…” I squinted and leaned against the cabinet opposite him.

  Loki raised an eyebrow, clearly knowing I had lied again, but he didn’t seem to intend to expose me. “Um, let’s get straight to the point. Do you have an employer?”

  “We don’t work for anyone,” George answered.

  “Good, because I think you may not be able to accept other commissions in the short term.”

  I gave a cold laugh. “What makes you think I’d accept your commission?”

  “Well, I know you will.” Loki gave me a cunning smile, exactly the same one I wore when I was about to pull the trigger of my sniper rifle. “Because you have to accept it.”

  “Well, well, let me explain.” Hermes interrupted Loki, who was about to say something.

  “I know it sounds ridiculous, but the Greek gods and Norse gods are real,” Hermes said with a confident smile. “As you know, I am the messenger god of Greece.”

  “And I am the Norse god of mischief.” Loki gave me a thumbs-up.

  “What?” George’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? Those are all just ‘myths.’”

  “Well, for you, they’re just myths… but for us, it’s real.” Loki shrugged at George.

  I squinted. “Prove it.” My tone wasn’t a request, but a command. “Prove to me you are gods, or I’m calling the police right now.”

  “No! Nola, we can’t call the police!” George squeaked, then lowered his voice. “They’ll find your sniper rifle and my workshop.”

  Loki raised an eyebrow at me, his expression saying, See? You can’t do anything to us. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth.

  “We’ve come here to ask for your help in eliminating an organization.” Hermes produced a scroll from seemingly nowhere. “‘Veritator.’ Ever heard of it?”

  We had certainly heard of Veritator. It’s an anti-religious organization founded in recent years by three teenagers around our age. Its mission is to encourage people to stop blindly believing in doctrines conveyed by religion and mythology, to abandon the gods, to follow their own hearts, and to become their own masters. Frankly, I quite agree with their ideas. If those mythical gods really existed, how could they remain indifferent to human tragedies?

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  “We want you to kill the three leaders of this organization.” Hermes paused for a moment. “If you complete the mission, we will cover all your future expenses.”

  George and I stared at him, wide-eyed.

  “Wait—our whole lives?” George’s eyes were wide behind his glasses, and his jaw nearly dropped.

  “Yes, your whole lives.” Hermes nodded with a sincere smile.

  “My God…” George rubbed his cheeks as if he couldn’t believe it. “A lifetime! Enola, think about it! We’ll be financially free before we even start working!”

  George was right. If we completed this task, we wouldn’t need to worry about anything afterward. And for us, it wasn’t even a particularly difficult mission. But—

  “Why?” I narrowed my eyes, tapping my fingertips lightly on the table. “If you really are gods, why can’t you solve this yourselves?” My tone held a hint of anger. “And why do you call me your daughter, while Hermes calls George his grandson?”

  A pause.

  “Because I still don’t see any obligation on our part to help you.”

  “Wow. Good question. Really is my daughter.” Loki smiled with satisfaction.

  “I didn’t accept that I’m your daughter,” I said. “Or, to be more precise, I don’t trust you yet.”

  Loki immediately lowered his head and pouted like a disappointed puppy, which made it even harder to believe he was my father.

  “To answer your first question,” Hermes said calmly, “this may sound a bit abstract, but the existence of us gods is based on belief.”

  “What?” George squinted, completely bewildered.

  “Does that mean if no one in the world believes in the existence of gods anymore, the gods will completely disappear?”

  “Yes, clever girl.” Hermes raised an eyebrow, then lowered his voice. “No wonder Odin wanted her head.”

  Loki’s face contorted immediately. “Shut up,” he whispered, and for a moment, I swear his eyes looked like a snake’s.

  “Come on, Loki, they’re just kids. They don’t understand.” Hermes waved his hand and turned back to George and me. “As for the second question… George, didn’t your dad tell you?”

  “Dad? Uh…” George spoke cautiously, seemingly afraid of hurting the winged man in front of him. “He told me I don’t have a grandfather.”

  “My Zeus!” Hermes clutched his chest, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. “After all these years, Todd still hasn’t let go?”

  George blinked awkwardly, then began fidgeting with the collar of his dress with his fingers. (Oh dear, I forgot he hadn’t removed his makeup.)

  “Your father is my child… which means he’s half god, half human. In short, like your best friend.” Hermes nodded in my direction. “And your mother is a descendant of the royal family of the lost city of Atlantis.”

  I bet George’s jaw was going to dislocate today.

  “What?” he stammered. “Atlantis? I thought it was just an ideal utopia from Greek philosophy!”

  “Don’t you ever wonder why you possess such sophisticated weapon-making technology?” Hermes chuckled, sounding just like in EPIC: The Musical. “Those legends are real. The elite technology of Atlantis runs in your blood.”

  “As for you…” Hermes turned to me and gave a dangerous smile. “You should know you have the ability to transform, right?”

  I didn’t answer. I simply lowered my head. Of course I knew—I’d read Norse mythology. Loki has the ability to shapeshift; he can transform into any animal, and one of his most notorious feats was turning into a mare and giving birth to an eight-legged steed.

  “This is from me…” Loki’s gaze met mine—those emerald-green eyes that were exactly the same as mine.

  In that instant, an image flooded my mind: blood… screams… those green eyes… and that venomous man with blue eyes…

  “Enola?” George frowned and moved closer to me. “Enola? Are you alright? You look pale—”

  My world suddenly began to spin, and the sounds around me blurred. The only clear sound was the rapid pounding of my heart.

  “Ugh…” I couldn’t breathe. I opened my mouth, but my lungs felt stuck, and no air would come out.

  “Oh, damn it…” George’s eyes widened as he grabbed my arm with one hand and patted my back with the other. “Enola, take a deep breath… okay? Relax. I’m here. I’m here.” He pulled me into his arms, and I gasped for breath, yanking at my hair as my shoulders trembled.

  “Do you need some of this?” Hermes asked with a smile, pulling out a flower-shaped candy.

  “Don’t even think about letting my daughter do drugs!” Loki shrieked, jumping to his feet and marching over to Hermes.

  “That’s not drugs—that’s Holy Moly!” Hermes blinked, looking offended.

  “Still the same.” Loki crouched down until his gaze was level with mine. “Panic attack?”

  I glared at him, clenched my teeth, and reluctantly nodded.

  Loki stared at me for a long moment, then sighed. He reached out and gently cupped my face, tracing a lightning-bolt symbol in the air with his finger. The symbol glowed a dazzling gold before melting into my forehead. Instantly, a warm current spread through my body, flowing into my limbs. My breathing gradually slowed, and the fingers gripping George’s clothes finally relaxed.

  “The effect might not be very strong, since this rune isn’t my specialty… but it’s better than taking medicine.” Loki brushed imaginary dust off his legs and stood up.

  “What was that?” George’s eyes widened, his face a mix of shock and awe.

  “Runic magic,” Loki said casually. “A basic trick every Norse god knows. Though this sun symbol isn’t my forte.”

  “Don’t expect me to accept you as my father because of this,” I said through clenched teeth.

  Loki turned his head away, a flicker of hurt flashing through his green eyes.

  He remained silent for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh and forcing a smile. “As for the last question…” He blinked. “When no one believes in the gods anymore, we disappear. And if we disappear… you disappear too.”

  “What?” George and I looked up at the same time.

  “Think about it.” Loki raised an eyebrow at me. “If your father disappeared, your mother would never have met him, which means you wouldn’t have been born…” His voice dropped. “And your mother wouldn’t have died either.”

  “And if Atlantis disappears, your entire family disappears as well,” Hermes added.

  George and I exchanged glances.

  This wasn’t just about money anymore. Honestly, I’d rather spend the rest of my life working at McDonald’s than work with this guy who was supposedly my dad—okay, he was my dad. But now, it was about survival. Standing by meant risking our existence, and the gods—weakening from lost belief—needed help from mortals like us.

  “So…” Hermes smiled. “What do you think? Accept the commission, or wait to disappear?”

  All I wanted to do was slap him.

  “This is a threat, not a request,” George protested.

  “I know,” Loki shrugged. “But there’s nothing we can do about it.”

  My head began to throb again. “Get out,” I hissed.

  Hermes and Loki both froze.

  “Get out,” I repeated, lifting my head, my tone even harsher.

  “I said get out!” I roared. In that moment, my voice sounded exactly like my father’s when he told Hermes to shut up.

  Loki studied me for a long moment, then sighed softly. “Alright. Contact us when you’ve made up your mind.”

  Hermes tossed me a coin engraved with an owl. “A drachma. When you want to find us, throw it into the rainbow and say our names.”

  George took the coin from my hand skeptically and slipped it into his pocket.

  “Good luck.” Hermes winked before flying out the window. Loki glanced at me once more, then transformed into a bird and followed him.

  George and I sat in silence for a long time.

  “Enola,” George finally said, breaking the silence. He turned to me, his brown eyes filled with hurt and reproach. “Can you explain why Hermes said you could transform?”

  I paused, then looked away. “I don’t want to talk about this right now,” I said quietly as I walked toward my room.

  “Enola!” George shouted.

  “I said I don’t want to talk about this right now!”

  I slammed the door shut.