Out of Excuses Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 8)
Page 19
Epilogue
The atmosphere was somber, but we ate, we drank, and occasionally we laughed. Several hours later, exhaustion began to catch up with me, so I stood from the table and excused myself.
Hermes offered to walk me back to the house, but I waved him away and gestured for Atlas to follow me. A quizzical look crossed my face, but he stood and was at my side. As we walked I made small talk until we were out of hearing range.
He opened the door and held it as I stepped in. When the door was shut I turned to him. “Atlas?”
“Hmm?” he asked, his attention most likely on the brunette beauty waiting on him outside.
“Are you familiar with Nemesis?”
My heart fell as his face went white as a sheet and he took two steps back. So it was true.
“I was forced into a bargain with her. You are in danger, and I’m not sure what I can do to help you. Suffice it to say, she’s here and she’s ready to collect her pound of flesh.”
Without saying a single word, Atlas disappeared from the house.
“Well,” I said to empty air, “one more thing to worry about, I guess.”
I sighed and trudged my way upstairs, ready to sleep for a week, but as I rolled onto my side, something poked me in the chest. I sat up and dug through the shirt I hadn’t bothered to change. Inside of the pocket lay a brilliant blue stone.
Skystone.
Hades, you sly, crafty man.
I had no idea how he’d done it, but at least one good thing had come from this.
I stood in a nursery, decorated in soft greens and pale yellow, looking down at the dark haired little boy staring up at me with wise, wide blue eyes.
Hades was not standing behind me this time.
“I will fix this,” I whispered to him fiercely. “Your father will be here soon. Very soon. I will not raise you alone.”
He blinked at me and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Silvery blue power beat off of him and enclosed the room. My mother stepped into the nursery and put a hand on my shoulder.
“He understands you, you know.”
I sighed. “I know. Why is he growing so fast?”
My mother laughed softly. “He is the byproduct of a mixed blood goddess and the most powerful fallen angel in the world. Are you surprised?”
“Hades is missing this.”
My mother’s grip tightened.
“If all goes well, he will miss nothing.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
My mother sighed. “Abby -”
“No, Mother. It has been months. I need to start being realistic.”
Hecate reached down in the crib to stroke my son’s cheek. “Realistic was never in my Abby’s vocabulary.” Her silvery gaze met mine. “You give hope to the kingdom. To the world.” She dropped her eyes. “To me. Do not let this seemingly overwhelming incident destroy that.”
She left me standing over the crib, tears streaming down my face.
I woke up abruptly, gasping for air, my hand on my rapidly growing stomach. I had a plan. A wildly improbable plan and one that would put us all in grave danger.
I grinned to myself.
I would get Hades home to me, no matter how ridiculous I had to be. He was my husband, and I was his wildly impetuous, unpredictable, slightly insane wife.
I slid out of the bed, threw my robe over my nightgown and rushed down to the kitchens to tell my friends what I had come up with.
There was no me without him.
There was no Olympus without us.
And there was no us without the support of everyone who loved me.
“IMMORTALS ASSEMBLE!” I screamed as my feet slapped down the stairs.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling author S.E. Babin has a passion for writing books with a paranormal twist. Whether it's romance or mystery, she loves taking the norm and turning it into the extraordinary. Her love of reading turned into a curious exploration to see whether or not she could write her own novel. Beginning with discarded pages of angsty novels and a slightly popular reimagining of Beowulf's Grendel in her high school English class, Sheryl spent way too much time in the library, killing any chance of her becoming a cheerleader or anything even remotely cool.
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Also by S.E. Babin
The Goddess Chronicles
Bloom & Gloom Mysteries