SSS(SS) - Part 14

“Why are you so defeated?” Athena asks bluntly, putting her muffin down to lean on the table. “The thing with the money wasn’t great, but it doesn’t make you Thanos. And I know that I called you out for being seen with me, but it’s not fair to beat yourself up about how it played. Their response to what you did wasn’t proportionate. Nobody would expect you to be ready for that.”

Sal already knows all that.

“You really want to know?” she asks.

“A little,” Athena replies with a smile.

“Meri. I thought she really liked me.” Sal’s world didn’t crumble because of Meri; it was just one more small feeling of rejection that broke the camel’s back.

“She probably does,” Athena says frankly.

“But she likes you more.”

Athena laughs. “She likes a lot of people, Sal. Ever since she got with that other blonde, the nerdy one.” Athena shakes her head. “Ever since then she’s just… been a lot.”

“I didn’t mind it.”

“What goes up must come down.” Athena shrugs, still wearing that warm smile. “But you wanted me to get to the point. I’m frustrated with how this is working. It’s been this way for a while, where the University and the town use CCL as their politically convenient boogeyman whenever they need to do performative stuff or distract from whatever they’re doing wrong. I want it to stop. Meri will almost certainly be in my chair soon. I don’t want her to inherit this cold war.”

“You’re going to change Gurlberg’s politics?” Sal arches an eyebrow.

Athena sighs. “No. Nobody can do that. But instead of waiting around to see what they’re going to do next, I want to think about going on offense. We’re an easy target. We have to change that.”

“You want to pull the skeletons out of the university’s closet?”

“No. I want to make us so popular that the university won’t dare bother us,” Athena replies.

“One neat trick. Conservatives hate it,” Sal says dryly.

“It’ll take manpower. Our little business treaty and the relationship with the bikers has helped the finances, but we never recovered from what Amy did. And we won’t. Not anytime soon. I have twelve girls in this house. Half of them might be helpful. The other half are only good for dues.”

“And amusing Meri,” Sal cuts in.

“Yes,” Athena says patiently, nodding. “They’re good for their charms. But we need manpower.”

“Interesting choice of words.”

“Spare me.”

“You want my girls to be the labor for your so far completely unexplained plan to make CCL popular,” Sal says slowly. “And in return, I guess you’re saying that if we reduce the university’s power base, I might get my house back?”

“No. What you get is a new house. At least temporarily,” Athena says. “One that doesn’t cost you anything. And I can explain the plan. It’s not as exciting as you might think. It’s just business. The work is shared and the PR will be too. It’s a two-way street, Sal.” Athena picks up her coffee and gives Sal a sly smile. “It doesn’t have to be you getting used by me. Mutual using. You should try it. You might like it.”