Out of Cake Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 6)

by S. E. Babin

  “She doesn’t.”

  “Father. Please.”

  He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Fine. Fine, Luc. But I know your heart as well as you know it and I know that there is something about that woman who just left that sets you on fire.”

  Our gazes met.

  “Do not allow Persephone to extinguish that blaze for that is what keeps your humanity alive.”

  “Father -”

  He held a hand out and stood up. “I am ancient. I may refuse to believe some things or I may not acknowledge them, but know that when it comes to your best interests, my eye is keen and my sight is wide.”

  With a wink, he disappeared and I knew that I was in a whole world of shit.

  He wouldn’t stop until he figured out why I was continuing to pursue Persephone but keeping Abby at bay. The Goddess of Love couldn’t have had worse timing for a visit if she had tried. I rubbed a hand over my face and groaned.

  “Why me?” I muttered.

  Chapter 7

  Abby

  “Idiot.” I smacked myself in the forehead. “Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.” Hades was going to fire me or worse and I would deserve it. Because I’m an idiot.

  Clotho reappeared in my living room in a fresh change of clothes. “Sounds like whatever you did went well.”

  “Just peachy.”

  Clotho sat down beside me, reached over and plucked a chocolate chip out of my hair.

  “Oh my Gods,” I whimpered. “Could I be any more of a dork?”

  “No,” Clotho answered.

  “Thanks.”

  She patted my knee. “I want to thank you for including me in your human ritual.”

  I snorted in amusement.

  She glared at me.

  “It was kind of you. But I do know your initial visit was to request assistance for Artemis.”

  I perked up. My pity party was leaving my friend in the hands of a tiny, winged man and I really needed to get on the ball.

  Sensing my interest, a smirk appeared on Clotho’s face. “It is not yet true Halloween, yet everyone knows Cupid loves parties.”

  “He does?” I asked stupidly.

  “Most people know that.” Clotho sighed and shook her head.

  “Okay?” I wasn’t sure where she was going with that.

  “Oh my gods, girl, do I have to spell everything out for you?”

  I pretended to think for a moment. “Yes.”

  “Sometimes I think your need for friends is greater than mine.”

  “Words hurt, Clotho.” I’d said that to her before, but she always seemed to forget.

  She ignored me. “Zeus throws an annual ball every year. Cupid will be there. He always goes.”

  Disappointment filled me. Hermes was keeping the annual ball alive this year in Zeus’ absence. “There’s no way he will invite me this year.”

  Clotho produced an invitation out of thin air. “This was in your mailbox.”

  I plucked it from her thin fingers. “No, it wasn’t.”

  She turned those freaky silvery eyes to me and I bit my lip.

  “Mmkay,” I mumbled. “Thanks for checking the mail for me.”

  “You’re welcome. Try to maintain some decorum in your costume of choice this time, my dear.”

  “Duly noted,” I said as I plucked open the invitation. By the time I looked back up, she was gone.

  I nodded in satisfaction at the mirror. I’d put a lot of thought into this costume and, with the help of Clotho and a handy herbal supplement, she’d also managed to muddle my power signature enough to confuse anyone in the room. It wouldn’t fool any of the Twelve Olympians, Zeus and Hermes included, but it would fool the majority of people there. Which is exactly what I wanted.

  I slung the bow over my shoulder and snorted. I was taller, thinner, my cheeks were tanner and hollowed out than they were before and I had long glorious hair spiraling down my waist. In short, I was gorgeous.

  But I’d always thought Artemis was gorgeous.

  I walked out of the bedroom and heard Clotho’s gasp.

  “Right?” I grinned at my friend as I twirled around. The leathers Artie normally wore were a lot more comfortable than I had expected them to be.

  “The resemblance is uncanny.”

  I shrugged. Glamour and illusion were two of my hallmark powers. I just never used them quite this specific before. Normally it was a tweak here or there. More hair, less hair, a little more tan, a little taller. Never had I tried to appear as another one of the Twelve. I’d never had a reason to.

  It had the potential to get me killed, but pretty much everything I did these days almost got me killed. I was trying to save my friend and that was worth the risk I was taking.

  Clotho walked around me in a circle, her gaze narrowed in concentration as she took in my appearance. She lifted up my hair, ran it through her fingers, pulled my eyelids open making my eyes water, but when she started to pull open my vest to look down my shirt, I stepped away.

  “Clotho!” I barked. “No one is going to see me naked. It’s fine. I’ve...duplicated her body as exactly as I could.”

  She harrumphed. “The way you’ve been going someone is bound to see you naked sometime soon, right?”

  A crimson blush started up my neck.

  Clotho chuckled. “Incredible.” She handed me a small baggy of earth-colored pills. “Do not lose it. They will mask your power signature for the next several hours. If someone finds them -”

  Her expression said it all.

  “I will lie my teeth off.”

  Clotho nodded. “I am breaking some rules doing this for you. You must not speak of this.”

  I reached for and took her hand. “I promise.”

  “If you have any left, destroy the pills when the task is done. Even once the spell has broken, the leftovers still hold a piece of my power.”

  “Done.” I stuffed the small bag into the pocket of my leathers. “Ready or not, Olympus here I come.”

  Clotho squeezed my hand and stepped away. “Good luck, child.”

  “I’m going to need it.” I disappeared in a shower of pink and silver magic, the result of a weird melding of my own powers and the powers Clotho restored after she revealed Hecate’s prophecy. I’d been careful not to touch the new magic sitting within me because it still felt weird. Discontented. I hadn’t felt quite myself lately with the new power, so I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with it.

  I appeared in front of Zeus’ palace. The last time I was here the place was under attack and I thought Zeus might be dead. Turns out he’s a wily sort of guy and was able to make it out alive. Just my luck. There was no sign of the prior destruction or any disarray. It was the old Olympus, the one I’d known before. And the one I hated so much. I slipped the invite out of the front of my vest, nodded to the crowd of people milling around the bottom of the steps, and made my way up to the entrance.

  It was time to play the game.

  At the door stood a giant of a man, dressed only in a leather loincloth and high laced up leather boots. His arms were crossed and his expression thunderous. I didn’t recognize him which was slightly surprising because I knew almost everyone around here, but I pegged him immediately as a Titan. I tilted my head up to stare, struck by handsome he was and how completely unaffected he was by me. I frowned until I remembered who I was supposed to be, then frowned even harder because Artie was hot and who was this guy to ignore how smoking she was?

  “Invitation,” he boomed.

  I shook off those maudlin thoughts because it struck me how comfortable I’d gotten with being the center of attention and my arrogance squicked me out a little bit. I handed the invite over. I plastered a friendly smile on my face and decided to mess with the guy who obviously wasn’t interested in Artie’s goods. “Are you the entertainment tonight?”

  He didn’t even deign to glance at me. So, of course, I tried harder. “Have you ever heard of The Chippendales?”

  Nothing.
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br />   “They’re this group with all of these hot pieces of tail and they sell out to crowds of thousands of women who pay to watch them gyrate on the stage.”

  Bright green, surprisingly intelligent eyes met mine. “I. Don’t. Gyrate.”

  I waggled my eyebrows at him. “You should. I’d totes pay to see that.”

  His massive upper body moved as the chuckle burst from his chest like an earthquake.

  “You are in an extraordinarily good mood, Huntress. Please enter.”

  I grinned at the guy even as I reminded myself to tone down the smart ass remarks. Artemis was not nearly on the same level as I was with sarcasm. “Chippendales, good sir. Look into it.”

  He stepped to the side and let me pass, but before I could turn around and be on my way, he winked, put his arms behind my head and hip thrust at me three times. Laughter bubbled from my throat. I fanned myself and pretended to swoon. “You could make millions, darling. Sleep on it.”

  “Farewell, young lady.”

  The grin didn’t leave me for several minutes. I needed to find out who that guy was because I was pretty sure I liked him.

  I wandered into the party, careful to keep my face stoic just like Artie would. She had a great sense of humor, but she wasn’t one to be overly social or even show up at these parties. Unless she was with me.

  Hmm. Maybe I should have thought this through more. That really seemed to be the theme of my life right now.

  I steeled my shoulders and stopped abruptly at the sight of the main hall. A wide, happy grin stole over my face at the site. Zeus or Hera, but it had to be Zeus because Hera had a terrible sense of humor, had transformed the normally sedate hall into the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Hermes must have allowed his father in to the palace because both of them were currently banished. Or…someone else had done it. I craned my neck up and around looking everywhere at once.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” A voice next to me murmured.

  “Incredible.” I didn’t recognize the voice, but right now I was too involved in staring at the wonder above me. Floating candles danced slowly in the air, giving the room an otherworldly dimly lit look. Starlight winked in the air made by the wings of tiny fairies hovering above us. Normally we didn’t see too many fairies around here so whoever hired them paid handsomely. Of that, I had no doubt.

  “I’m surprised to see you here, Artemis.”

  A slight frown touched my brow until I remembered where I was and who I was supposed to be with.

  “I felt like being social tonight,” I said cautiously and turned to see who stood so close to me. I didn’t recognize him but I wasn’t surprised to find him breathtakingly handsome. Most of the immortals were. Upon his wheat-colored hair sat a small crown beset with jewels of amber. It was strange enough to see someone wearing a crown, especially in Zeus’ palace, but what was even stranger was no one had stopped him or called him out for the insult. His face screamed aristocracy, but his lips curved with good humor. He wore a one-shouldered garment which hit the tops of his thighs and while he should have looked ridiculous, his powerful tanned legs looked yummy. I really needed to come back to Olympus more often so I could desensitize myself to the sight of men in chitons. The men on Earth rarely wore anything this skimpy so every time I came here and saw one I was like a teenage girl sandwiched in the middle of the football squad.

  This person was someone of obvious importance. Someone my friend knew and someone I had never seen before.

  Life - 1. Abby - 0.

  I pasted a cautious, friendly smile on my face while inwardly my panic was rising. How well did she know him? Was she sleeping with him? Was he just a coffee date friend? Oh gods. What if I had to make out with a total stranger in order to keep this ruse going?

  He made a noncommittal noise, but I saw the slight twinge of curiosity and suspicion that touched his face for a moment.

  “Do you know who created this?” I asked in order to make the silence less awkward.

  He shrugged. “If I had to assume, I’d say it was my mother. I’m surprised you didn’t draw the same conclusion.”

  Shit. Balls. This was supposed to be a brilliant idea! My friend was a hermit. She rarely got out. Now the first person I speak to seems to know Artie on an intimate basis and I have to pretend to know his mother? Who would have done such a thing? Who would be in tune enough with human culture to do this sort of thing? I racked my brain in the few seconds that followed and decided to take a stab in the dark. Or, in this case, the starlight some unknown goddess created in order to stump me and possibly ruin my life.

  “I should have known. Very few people understand the magic of Harry Potter. Gaia is an incredible woman.” I gathered magic as subtly as I could, hoping against all hope I was correct.

  Relief touched his expression and I saw him relax.

  Thank the gods. Our family trees were screwed up enough, but one thing I knew about him was that he was important. He was ballsy. And no one around here was bothering him or even that concerned about the crown he was sporting.

  This guy had to be Typhon’s brother. I just wasn’t sure what his name was or who his father had been.

  “She and Zeus are on better terms right now. I’m not sure how long it will last, but for right now we can all breathe a little bit easier.”

  Curious. Those two went at it like cats and dogs. I knew why. Zeus was still in love with her, but he was married to Hera. I had my moments with Hera and while about 80 percent of the time I thought she was a monster, the other twenty I saw flashes of true humanity and emotion in her. I still didn’t like her, though.

  Gaia was a different story. I couldn’t say we were exactly BFF’s, but she had shared a piece of her magic with me in order to help squash some of the uprisings around here. Without that temporary power, I’d probably be dead. True dead with no capability of rising from the dead. But it was gone now, banished by Hecate’s magic.

  “That’s good news,” I said quietly. I had to figure out a way to get away from him before he figured out I wasn’t Artemis. It was a lucky guess with Gaia, but if he started talking about anything too personal, I was toast. I’d have to rib Artie later about not telling me about this delicious hunk of Titan.

  “I hope you forgive my forwardness, Huntress, but I must speak to you about the Goddess of Love.”

  I kept my eyebrows from shooting to my forehead, but just barely. “What has she done now?”

  He chuckled a deep and rich throaty chuckle that made me smile. If Artie wasn’t into him, she was crazy.

  “I admire the friendship you two share; although I am more admiring of the remarkable patience you’ve shown for her various exploits.”

  The blush threatened to creep up and it took all of my resolves to quash it. “She’s a trouble magnet, isn’t she?”

  “Indeed. Though her trials have brought some peace to us and have tamed Zeus’ temper down a bit.”

  Interesting. “I don’t know that anyone can truly tame Zeus.”

  “I agree, but since she has been around, things have been a little bit calmer.” He clasped his hands together and an earnest expression stole over his face. “Which, I must admit, is a perfect segway into my request.”

  A Dryad passed by holding a tray of sparkling liquid. I stopped her and snagged a crystal flute from the tray. “What is this?” I asked her quietly.

  A sparkle shone in her eye. She, too, had been to Dionysus’ parties before. We were at Zeus’ now, but one couldn’t be too safe.

  She bobbed her head and leaned in. “Straight champagne, Miss,” she whispered.

  I smiled gratefully and took a sip. She offered my mysterious friend a drink, but he declined.

  Artie was good at being imperious and kind of a know it all so I went for that. “And your request would be?”

  A dimple appeared in the corner of his mouth. “And there you are. You were acting quite different tonight.”

  I snorted. He had no idea. “It’s been a rough week.”

&nb
sp; “I am here under the direction of Demeter, mother to Persephone and mother-in-law to Hades.”

  My heart dropped down to my toes and I fought to keep my face neutral. Calm. Cool. Collected. Do not lose your shit, Abs. Keep it together.

  He continued. “We ask that you do everything in your power to ensure the Goddess of Love returns Persephone to her rightful place as Queen of the Underworld.”

  Well...that didn’t sound difficult and that was my plan anyway. So why was he here being so official about it?

  I stared at him in curiosity for a moment before I spoke. His expression remained somber. There was something I was missing. Who was this guy?

  “I believe that’s her plan,” I said finally.

  He cringed. “Forgive my step into uncharted waters, but what we do know about Aphrodite is that her best-laid plans often go sideways.”

  I choked on my laughter. This guy. “No offense taken. I’m sure my friend is well aware her penchant for shenanigans often ends in unexpected results.”

  His chest rumbled in amusement. “The stories of her setting up the paintball game in the Asheville woods have become legend in my temple.”

  I snorted in amusement. “Just one of the many ways things have gone sideways.” I lifted up my flute. “However, in the end, she prevails.”

  A smile still touched his full lips. “Yes, Demeter must insist on her prevailing. Persephone, in spite of her wayward tendencies, must resume her role as Queen of the Underworld. The sooner the better.”

  That sounded ominous. I probed for more information. “That sounds a touch dramatic, don’t you think?”

  He shrugged one powerful shoulder. “It is not my place to speculate, Huntress.”

  “But you have,” I guessed. “If you wish me to relay a message to Aphrodite, then you must provide me details.” I paused as I thought about what to say next. “She has...issues with authority and will not hesitate to go the opposite way if she thinks you are trying to fulfill an agenda.”

  “I have heard that about her. I cannot go into specifics, Artemis. I will tell you that Demeter has a vested interest in seeing her daughter returned safe and sound.”