The Nine Muses

In “Revenge”, a story in The Deadliest Deceptions, Giovi consults with Miriam to find out what caused his son’s death. The magistrates had ruled the death a case of apoplexy. Although the term is now ambiguous, its earliest meaning referred to a sudden death that began with the loss of consciousness.

Moreover, that cause was believed to be familial. Giovi himself had observed his son’s “sudden collapse, his head rolling back, his featured fixed in a malignant expression of horror, his limbs swelling, and his sightless eyes wide open,” but refused to accept the diagnosis because his cousin, who’d died the same way, was not a blood relative.

And so, Miriam goes to see Professor Jason, the one physician at the medical school who’ d challenged the magistrates’ findings. His massive limestone building, part of the Museum overlooked the surrounding park, its botanical gardens, and ornamental pool with the statue of the Muses.

The Muses began their lives as nymphs that manifested as whispers in the ears of those who invoked them. My favorite, of course, is Urania, the Muse of astronomy and astrology. She is often shown wearing a crown of stars with a slew of mathematical instruments at her feet. And, of course, the planet Uranus is named after her as well as the Greek god Uranus.

So how did Giovi’s son die? Try invoking the Muses, but if that doesn’t work, click here.