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Double caramel macchiato, heavy on the foam.

[Mason grabs a cup and a sharpie and makes a note on the cup, passing it over to a girl behind him.]

We're having a reopening special. Get a free cookie with every order. Want one?

[Free mortal food? Always.]

Any white chocolate?

White chocolate and macadamia nut work?

Perfectly. Many thanks.

[Mason grins and goes into the display case and pulls out the cookie.] Girl at the end will ring you up. If you need anything else, I'm Mason.

I do appreciate it.

[The deity extends a cordial hand.]

Pleasure, Mason. I'm Apollo.

[He takes his hand and gives it a firm shake, grinning wider.] Like the god?

[Which is returned in kind.]

Exactly like, in fact. Even for the Romans.

[Apollo chuckles a bit.]

I've always been a bit proud of that, actually.

It's different. I like it.

I'd love to know where Mother came up with it. I'll have to ask her next time I visit Delos.

Well, my hunch is you were named for the Sun God. But that's just a hunch. [Oblivious mortal is oblivious.]

[Apollo blinks, then laughs.]

You might be right.

[It's hard to believe mortals these centuries were dulled to the presence of divinity. Sad, but true. Nevertheless, the deity nods and heads to the cash register, not-quite-so-surreptitiously spinning currency out of the air to pay for his coffee.]

Was there much damage?

Some water got inside, but we moved the important stuff out before the storm hit. Just took time to get power back.

It's good you didn't lose anything.

Nothing but a few days and it could'a been a lot worse. Did you have to go through the storm?

I did. And the earthquake.

And the plague of locusts that they're calling for next week?

I think it's unavoidable at this point.

What comes after locusts? Is it frogs, or rivers of blood? [Mason's a bit of a lapsed Catholic.]

[And Jen doesn't even qualify as lapsed.] I'm not sure, but if I had my choice, it'd be frogs.

How bad was it?

Not as bad as it could have been. We moved out most of the important stuff a couple days before. Had to clean out some water and we were without power for a few days.