Olympic Cove 2-Breaker Zone

by Nicola Cameron

  Nick thought of some of the homeless people he’d seen in Chicago, huddled on stoops or over heating grates as they stared dully at the people walking by. How many of them had been displaced gods? “That sounds horrible.”

  “It is. Which is why a desperate few have even chosen to give up existence entirely, returning their spirits to Gaia rather than struggling along in a life that no longer has meaning.” Poseidon sighed. “I’ve neither seen nor heard from Asclepius in over three thousand years, and I fear he may be among those who have returned to Gaia.”

  The news settled on Nick like a concrete coat. “I’ll do what I can, sir, but you have to remember I’m not a god,” he pointed out. “I’m mortal, and I’m pretty sure Thetis isn’t going to let me stroll up to her and scan her with the Rod. If she doesn’t have one of her sea wolves kill me, she can always drown me.”

  The tall god turned to face him. “I believe I can help with that,” he said slowly. “You haven’t mated with your agapetos yet, have you?”

  Yet another reminder of Aidan and Liam’s supposed status in his life. “No, and I’m not saying that I’m going to,” Nick said, his calm fluctuating. “At least not until I get to know both of them better. And I still don’t know if I buy this fated mate thing.”

  The corner of Poseidon’s mouth quirked. “I can’t blame you for your doubts, Nick. Most individuals, mortal as well as divine, struggle against their fate. But since you haven’t joined with them yet, there’s still time for me to give you a boon.”

  “What kind of boon?”

  “I can make it impossible for Thetis to drown you. My kiss can give mortals the ability to live in water as if it was air.”

  Nick gaped. “You mean I’ll be able to breathe underwater?”

  “And speak to your mers while under water, yes.” Poseidon gave him a shrewd look. “You don’t seem upset about the prospect of kissing me. I find that surprising, especially in this day and age. It seems many males of your culture would rather die than suffer a kiss from another male.”

  “Yeah, gay. Kissing another guy is totally fine.” With some effort Nick shoved thoughts of his mers to the side, considering the man—male—god—whatever, in front of him. Beards weren’t normally his thing, but he was willing to admit it looked extremely good on Poseidon. And the god had the sleek body of an Olympic swimmer, with sinewy arms and broad shoulders tapering down in a delicious V to a narrow waist and long, long legs. His gaze bounced back up to Poseidon’s hips, noting a very nice bulge behind the trouser fly.

  Dammit, no cruising a god. He quickly looked up, hoping he wasn’t about to be turned into a smoking grease spot. Or a fish. Because that would really suck. “Uh, sorry.”

  To his relief, Poseidon smiled. “I’m not offended. Quite frankly, it’s flattering to be admired by a handsome mortal, especially at my age.”

  “Yeah, not even touching that one.” Nick licked his lips, wiping suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. “So, how do we do this?”

  The god’s blue eyes glowed with the setting sun. “Come here and I’ll show you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Trying to make himself relax, Nick stepped closer to the God of the Sea. “What do I do?”

  “Nothing. As mortals say, let me do the driving.” Poseidon reached down and cupped his face in two broad, warm palms. A buzzing sensation flared across his cheeks, the same one he’d felt when the god had taken his hands back in Ian’s living room.

  “I can feel your heart racing, you know,” Poseidon murmured. “This won’t hurt, I promise.”

  Nick was acutely aware of his heart pounding like Keith Moon’s kick drum. Being this close to the raw power of divinity, especially in the form of a tall, dominant (and yes, extremely hot) redhead, was sending his submissive side into seizures.

  “I know.” His voice cracked embarrassingly, and he coughed, trying again. “I know. Let’s do this.”

  The taller man smiled, then bent down and brushed his lips across Nick’s, making them tingle. “Open to me, Nick.”

  Helpless, he did. Poseidon shifted minutely, and their mouths fitted together. A wave of something huge and powerful gushed into him, through him. His lungs burned—no, they stung, as if he’d taken in a deep breath of ice-cold salt water. The cold crept down his throat, chilling his gut, his limbs, even the buzzing warmth in his cheeks. His mind went numb, and his knees unlocked, dropping him—

  Strong arms wrapped around him, keeping him upright and pressed against a masculine, muscled body. Whining softly, he let his tongue slip forward until it brushed soft lips, testing the soft, spongy texture just inside. After a moment, another tongue met his, stroking it with skillful, teasing intent.

  His cock began to harden, and he pressed roughly against that wonderfully strong body, aching for contact. Please, yes, take me, make me, use me—

  And then the mouth was gone, and he gasped for air. Shivering, he realized he was in Poseidon’s arms. More precisely, he was in Poseidon’s arms and hermetically sealed against the god’s body from chest to hip, his erection grinding against Poseidon’s hipbone.

  And oh sweet mother of Cthulhu, something hard, hot, and very large was pressing back against him. Swallowing hard, he looked up into the face of the sea god.

  “It has been a very long time since I’ve held a mortal in my arms,” Poseidon said softly. “Especially one who yielded so sweetly. I know your fate lies elsewhere, but if it didn’t, know that I would strip you naked, lay you on the grass and take you until you were hoarse from screaming my name.”

  The words lit an aching, tangible desire in Nick, his thighs trembling with the urge to drop to his knees, yank down that simple zipper, and—

  Poseidon.

  The god shuddered, then sighed. Reluctantly, he pushed Nick away. “I hear you, Gaia. I will not go against the weaving of the Fates.”

  A wise decision. The voice seemed to come from everywhere, thrumming through his body with the pressure of something enormous. It drove away the mindless need, and his head ached with the whiplash of shifting emotions.

  A large, warm hand settled on his shoulder. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Nick,” the god rumbled in regret. “This was my fault. And for that, I apologize.”

  Desire is not wrong, Poseidon. And Nick, though mortal, is worthy of you. But as you already pointed out, his fate lies elsewhere, as does yours. The earth goddess paused. That being said, his unclaimed status does allow you to give him an additional protection beyond your kiss.

  Poseidon frowned at the encroaching twilight. “I would gladly do this, you know that. But you just said I mustn’t infringe on his mating with the mers.”

  No, you mustn’t. But Nick’s bond with Aidan and Liam is rooted in his soul, not his body. So if I make a simple substitution…

  Nick was abruptly shoved to the side. Dizzy, he looked back to see who had shoved him.

  And saw himself, still standing in front of Poseidon. He tried to look down at his body, but couldn’t. “What the hell?”

  Calm yourself, Nick. The pressure around him changed, feeling more like a hug now. This is the only way you can get the additional protection you need without running afoul of the Fates. And it allows me to right a wrong.

  Nick watched as his body shivered, sucking in a deep breath. His entire stance changed, becoming younger, more open. “Lord Poseidon?” Even his voice was different, faintly accented and, yes, damned sexy.

  Poseidon stared. “Nerites? Chaos, is that you?”

  “It is.” “Nick” stepped back, throwing his arms wide. “Oh, you have no idea how good it feels to have hands and feet again.” He spun in place, laughing. “Damn that jealous bastard Helios, anyway. He never could take no for an answer.”

  Nerites was a minor sea god and Poseidon’s lover, Gaia explained. He learned how to drive Poseidon’s chariot, and was much admired for his skill and beauty. Unfortunately, the god Helios wanted Nerites for his own. When Nerites rejected him, Helios turned him into a shellfis
h.

  Nick felt a sudden kinship with the laughing demigod currently occupying his form. “Okay, that must suck. But why did you put him in my body?”

  So that he could assuage Poseidon’s lust in your place. Divine seed carries its own power that can protect mortals from injury and illness, as your friend Ian can attest to.

  “Whoa, wait—divine seed?” Even bodiless, Nick imagined he could feel his blood pressure rising. “He’s going to have sex with Poseidon? Using my body?”

  A soft sigh. Nick, it has been millennia since Nerites was last in human form. Can you find it in yourself to be generous and give him this boon? If he does anything you do not approve of, I promise you I will stop it instantly.

  Somehow he could feel an overwhelming sense of longing from his own body for the sea god. And if he was honest with himself, there was something darkly appealing about the thought of watching the tall, hunky sea god have sex, even if it was with him. Kind of. “Dammit. All right, but if it starts getting weird I’m stopping it.”

  Agreed. Now watch.

  Nick did as Poseidon swept Nerites into his arms, kissing the demigod deeply. “Mm, I missed having lips, too,” Nerites said, nuzzling Poseidon’s mouth, then wriggled experimentally against the god’s lower half. “Oh. You missed me, too, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” Poseidon said, grabbing Nerites’s ass and squeezing it. “Why didn’t you come to me for help, you little brat? I searched everywhere once I heard what Helios had done, but I couldn’t find you.”

  Nerites ran his palms along the sea god’s shoulders, gently outlining them. “You were married to my sister, sweet, and I didn’t want to hurt Ammie any more than I already had by dragging you into the argument. I thought I could handle Helios on my own. Obviously I was wrong.” He shrugged. “Although it hasn’t been all bad, spending the last few millennia as a shellfish. At least I got to pick which kind.”

  “Which was?”

  Nerites grinned evilly. “A mantis shrimp. I’m one of the most bloodthirsty, insanely dangerous creatures in the ocean, sweet. Plus I have a stunningly beautiful carapace and a rather impressive harem. I have to admit, I’m quite content.” He squeezed Poseidon. “Although I have missed this. Earth and air, you feel so good.”

  Poseidon stared at him longingly. “Gaia, are you sure about this?” he murmured. “What does Nick say?”

  He’s given his approval as long as his form receives no damage. Enjoy yourself, Nerites.

  Nick watched his body with Nerites at the helm drop to his knees onto the soft grass, fumbling with Poseidon’s trousers. “Such complicated garments. I prefer tunics—ah, here,” he said, finding the zipper tab and pulling it down. “Oh, there’s my beauty.”

  Slipping a hand inside Poseidon’s fly, he extracted a beautifully thick, hard cock that was already flushed dark red, and licked playfully at the tip. “Delicious as always, sweet,” he purred, before wriggling closer and taking half the shaft in his mouth.

  Nick felt his own jaw drop in shock. “How the hell can he do that?” he muttered to Gaia. “I can’t do that, and he’s using my body.”

  It was always one of Nerites’s favorite tricks to spring on a lover. The goddess sounded amused. As for how he’s doing it with your body, I suspect he’s simply better at relaxing his throat muscles than you are.

  He felt an illicit little thrill when he saw Poseidon’s hands resting on “his” skull, encouraging Nerites’s ravenous mouth without actually guiding him. “Shit. I love it when a guy does that,” he muttered. “Is it wrong that I kinda wish I was actually in on that?”

  They are rather passionate, aren’t they? Gaia sounded approving. As for your wish, I won’t mention it to your mates if you won’t.

  Images of Aidan and Liam tumbled through his mind—Aidan splashing in the cove, Liam apologizing with tears in his eyes, the two of them facing down Barnard’s bodyguards. “So they’re really my mates?”

  He felt a gentle chuckle go through him. Of course they are. And do not worry about your need to submit. Liam is quite dominant, I assure you. And Aidan is what you would call a switch. Between the two of them, they’ll more than satisfy you.

  He felt the question bubble up before he could stop it. “Is it wrong that I like being dominated?”

  No. Human sexuality is a spectrum, and that spectrum contains a great deal of shading when it comes to how and where one finds sexual pleasure. You enjoy submitting to a dominant male—or males in your case—because it allows you to give up the life-or-death responsibility you carry every day in your profession. As long as everyone is in agreement and no one is being harmed—which is a completely different thing from being hurt—there is nothing wrong with it.

  The tiny knot of guilt he’d carried, the one that whispered there was something broken in him for wanting what he did, dissolved. “Thank you, Gaia.”

  You’re quite welcome, my child. Ah, I believe they’re almost finished.

  Nick turned his attention back to the scene on the grass. The sea god threw his head back and bellowed as he came, stomach muscles tensing over Nerites’s bobbing head. Nick could see “his” throat muscles working as Nerites greedily swallowed, sucking and slurping around the rigid flesh in his mouth.

  Finally, a panting Poseidon pushed his lover’s head away. “Enough, love. Enough.”

  Nerites licked his lips, beaming up at the god. “Delicious as always, sweet. Modern life agrees with you.” He got to his feet, brushing blades of crushed grass off his knees. “But I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Do give my love to Ammie when you see her next, please? She always was my favorite sister.”

  Poseidon was tucking himself back into his trousers, but stopped at Nerites’s words. “Amphitrite and I … we don’t speak very often these days,” he admitted. Nick could see the afterglow in his expression dimming. “It’s complicated.”

  “Ah.” Nerites stepped closer, rubbing his upper arms. “Our lives always were,” the demigod said sympathetically. “It’s why I prefer to be a mantis shrimp these days. Eat, fuck, and fight. It’s so much easier than being a god.”

  “Brat.” Poseidon caught him in an affectionate embrace, kissing him again. “Take care of yourself, Nerites.”

  “You, too, my love.”

  Nick found himself shoved again, this time back into his body. Knees aching a bit, he stared up at the sea god. “Um, hi.” He realized he still had the flavor of divine semen on his tongue. It held none of the bitterness of human spunk, tasting oddly savory.

  Poseidon’s expression shuttered, becoming more formal. He dropped his arms and stepped back, smoothing his shirt. “You should now have a fairly extensive protection against physical injury and illness,” he said somewhat stiffly. “Between that and my kiss, I believe you’re adequately armed for the battle ahead.”

  Nick didn’t like the sound of that, but bowed his head. “Thank you, lord.”

  “You’re welcome.” The sea god frowned. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t make what just happened widely known, especially to my sons. Our relationship is somewhat … fragile at the moment.”

  And the fact that you just got a by-proxy blowjob from your brother-in-law probably wouldn’t go over well. “I won’t say anything if you won’t,” Nick said, echoing Gaia.

  “You have my word.” The god studied the setting sun. “I think it’s best if I get you back now before your mates grow concerned.”

  ****

  Nick blinked in the sudden light. They were back in Ian’s living room.

  “Wow. Okay, I could get used to that,” he said, squinting. “How long were we gone?”

  The mers glanced at each other. “What do you mean, gone?” Aidan asked cautiously.

  “You didn’t go anywhere,” Ian said, then paused. “Did you?”

  “I took Nick to Olympus and showed him some things he needed to know,” Poseidon said smoothly. “To your eyes, it would have happened instantaneously.”

  “Wait, that was Olympus? Nic
k said, whirling on the sea god. “The actual Mount Olympus?”

  “One and the same. Mortals don’t do well there, even with a god as their companion, so we couldn’t stay long.” Poseidon brushed at invisible lint on his shirt, far more composed than he had been a few minutes ago. “And now that we’ve concluded our business, Bearer, I should be off.”

  “Do you want me to tell By and Aph anything?” Ian asked.

  A spot of color appeared high on Poseidon’s cheekbones, but he shook his head easily enough. “I’ll speak to them soon enough. Bearer,” he nodded at Nick, “good luck with your studies.”

  The god disappeared in a sparkling splash of blue light. “Gotta admit, the man knows how to make an exit,” Ian said.

  “Are you all right?” Aidan asked, putting an arm around Nick’s shoulders. Liam stayed where he’d been standing, but watched them both worriedly. “What did Lord Poseidon tell you?”

  Nick licked his lips, tasting a last hint of the god’s seed. “It’s more what he did to me,” he hedged, worried that one or both of the mers would get upset. “He kissed me. He said it would let me live in water like it was air.”

  Aidan’s eyes went wide. “You received Poseidon’s Kiss?” he said. “Baby, that’s an incredible honor!”

  “And extremely useful, especially for a human,” Liam agreed. “It means you can breathe underwater, and be able to move between depths without suffering the bends. You’ll also be able to see the way we can in the ocean.”

  Aidan grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the kitchen door. “Come on, we’ll show you,” he said eagerly.

  “Hold up there, tadpole,” a voice barked. “I’ve got a bone to pick with your boyfriend.”

  Nick winced. He’d completely forgotten Chiron was in the room. The centaur had his arms folded across his brawny chest, glaring at him. “What did I do?”

  “Apart from almost get yourself kidnapped by your crazy ex?” the centaur snapped. “I almost had a damn heart attack when I found out where you went. And considering that I don’t have a heart anymore, that took some doing.”