by S. E. Babin
I’d really like that.
Chapter 10
I wore brown from head to toe, my hair, a dead giveaway to Zeus, concealed underneath the scratchy hood. The robe was horribly uncomfortable, but it would work well. It was the least of my worries. I'd been practicing touching and releasing the spell so much even Clotho had come down to the yard. Sensing the continual shifts in magic, she padded over to me, sat down and tucked her legs underneath her skirts to watch.
She said nothing, her face rapt with attention. It was making me a little nervous, but if she sensed anything wrong, she didn't say anything. When I'd finished up, she said not a word and left me staring after her.
That little minx knew something. She was never that stoic.
I ran after her.
"Clotho!"
Her steps sped up and she rushed into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.
"You can run, but you can't hide," I screamed after her. I turned the knob only to see the witch locked me out. With a growl of frustration, I channeled a small amount of magic and busted the lock off of the door.
She was waiting for me in the kitchen with a cup of hot coffee.
I skidded to a stop and swayed in front of her.
"So dramatic," she admonished.
"Then why did you run?" I asked her, confused as hell.
"Because it was funny to see you get all crazy."
I took the coffee from her. "You moving in here was the worst idea I've ever had," I grumbled.
She snorted. "Uh huh. I can think of about ninety other ideas of yours that were the worst you ever had, and the idea you have spinning around in your head right now is heads and shoulders above the worst. It's one of the dumbest things I think you've ever come up with."
I stared at her agape. "How is that? I have the spell down. I have my disguise. All is well. It's going to be just fine."
"Well, first of all, you look stupid in that robe. Since when has Olympus hired Benedictine monks?"
With a glare and a snap of my fingers, the robe disappeared, leaving me clothed in head to toe black.
She sighed. "And now you look like you're going in to rob someone." She stared at me, wiggled her finger, and I found myself dressed like a dryad. A half-naked one.
"Clotho! I look like a prostitute!"
"Exactly."
I sipped my coffee waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, I tilted my head. "Aaannndd, I look like a prostitute whyyyyy?" I drawled the words out like Clotho was a hard of hearing old man.
"Becauuuussssse," she said, "prostitutes are reallllllly popular in Zeusssss' housssseeee."
I almost choked on laughter, but I still didn't get it.
Clotho shook her head. "If you go in there looking like an Ewok, you're going to attract unwanted attention."
I crossed my arms. "First you said I was a Benedictine monk. Which is it? I'm getting identity confusion."
"Sometimes you make as much sense as an Ewok," she grumbled under her breath. "There are prostitutes all over the palace, Abby. If you want to fit in, you dress like one of the common denominators."
There was a flaw in her plan, though. "And what if someone takes me by the hand and..." I waggled my hand. "You know?"
"Then you better be ready to play," she said in all seriousness.
I squawked in outrage. "Clotho!"
She laughed over her coffee. "I suggest you don't linger long enough to catch the eye of any randy boys, then, wouldn’t you agree?"
Looking down at my barely there attire I knew I was going to get chafed. I sighed. "I hate when you're right."
A smirk peeked out from beneath her mug. "That's the extent of the help you're going to get from me. I still think you're making a huge mistake."
"And why is that?"
Clotho rubbed the side of her eye. "Because there are secrets in that place that won't be good for anyone to find out."
And of course, there was my friend, the cryptic sage.
"I'm only looking for one thing," I told her.
With a long look, Clotho's eyes flashed silver. "I know."
And with that loaded remark, she disappeared before my very eyes.
"I hate it when you do that!" I yelled to thin air.
About an hour later, I stood on the side of the castle, wearing a cloak. No one could see me, but my power signature was evident. Hopefully Zeus didn't get too curious. Moments later, Hermes appeared, looking golden and handsome as ever. He gave my weird robe a second glance. "You look like an E-"
I held up a hand. "I know," I hissed. "I'm wearing something underneath this. I'll take it off when we get into the castle."
I could see the first hint of a smile peeking out. "And what is it exactly you're wearing under it?"
"Shut up, Hermes. Just get me inside."
He motioned me on but rubbed his hands together with glee. "Oh I can't wait to see this."
I rolled my eyes and followed behind him. He led me to a small door tucked into a nook I'd never noticed before. Go figure. Hermes probably knew all the ins and outs of the place trying to avoid his dad.
He held open the door, and I had to duck to get in.
"Drop your signature, now. My father will notice if you get much farther in."
I took a deep breath and touched that specific magic like my mother had taught me. Hermes sucked in a deep breath.
"You're going to have to teach me how to do that," he said as he ushered me forward.
"I think you have to die or something equally strange."
"Maybe not then," he said with a chuckle.
We fell silent as he stepped in front of me and led the way. He eventually stopped at an old scarred wooden door. I'd been down in the palace's tunnels before, but circumstances had been much different then. I didn't recognize this place and when Hermes opened the door, I realized why. He'd led us right to his bedchamber. When I stepped in, he shut the door behind us and concealed it with a spell. Where there once was a door, there was now a bookshelf loaded with disorganized books.
"Smart," I said with genuine admiration.
"Necessary," he told me.
"I can't imagine the amount of spies running around here."
"Now that my father is back, there's been no end to the constant disruption to my private life," he lamented. "I can't even visit the toilet for a moment's peace."
Sympathy bloomed in my chest for him. "Maybe soon all of this will be over," I said, more to myself than him.
Hermes snort of disdain was his answer. "My father will never stop until he regains control of Olympus. Being in power is what he craves. He needs it." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Whereas I would just like some calm and maybe a night of uninterrupted sleep." Worry shadowed his eyes. "Perhaps I am not cut out to be a leader."
I reached out a hesitant hand and laid it on his arm. "The best kings have doubt, friend. If they didn't they would be tyrants."
A smile ghosted his face. "My father never has doubts."
"Exactly," I said.
"Right," Hermes said with a sigh. "We cannot wait any longer. I've scheduled a dinner with the rest of the Olympians and my father. Part of it is to try to work out a peaceful resolution to his blatant throne grab and the other is to allow you the time you need to find the answers you seek." He reached into the pocket of his linen pants and pulled a long skeleton key out. “This leads to my father's study. The servants do hourly checks, so you just missed the last one. You'll have right at forty minutes to get there, search, and get out."
I pocketed the key. "What about Hera?"
He grimaced. "She is supposed to be attending the dinner with us, but one never knows with her. I will try my best to keep her occupied but stay wary. If she doesn't show up this evening, I do not know where she will be. And...she still hasn't forgiven my father for his last transgression so..." One shoulder shrugged and a sheepish smile crossed his face. "I did my best."
"Freaking Hera," I muttered under my breath. While I no longer found h
er as terrifying as I used to, she was still a force to be reckoned with, and I didn't think she'd take too kindly to finding me snooping around Zeus' study.
"Disguise your face and hair, Abby. And -" he gave me a lecherous waggle of his eyebrows, "let me see what's under that Ewok robe."
With a snort of disgust, I dropped my robe and changed the structure of my face to resemble the bark covered skin of some of the dryads.
Hermes swift intake of breath told me my attire had the desired effect. I returned the eyebrow waggle and let the disguise creep across the rest of my skin. My hair turned from blonde to a deep hickory color and my eyes to a mossy green.
Once he'd recovered himself, he offered a perfunctory nod. "Good, but take care not to get pulled into a bedchamber. That outfit is a...little more risqué than some of the others around here."
My mouth dropped open. "Seriously? Freaking Clotho."
Hermes chuckled. "It's not entirely out of place, but I daresay you'll be the hit of the palace tonight if you don't make haste."
I grumbled a curse. With a spark of magic, I disposed of the robe and headed toward the door, but paused before I turned the handle. "What is everyone going to think if they see a prostitute leave your chambers?"
He stared at me, those whiskey eyes telling me way more than I wanted to hear, "Then they will be glad I've broken my self-imposed celibacy."
I nodded once, swallowed hard, and headed out into the hallway of the palace.
It was game time.
Chapter 11
There was no easy way to navigate through the sheer amount of people. The dinner party Hermes scheduled was both brilliant and a serious pain in my ass. And speaking of my ass, there were an inordinate amount of hands making lusty grabs for it as I politely tried to make my way through the crowd. I was going to have to find a quiet corner to tuck into when I made it past everyone. There was no way I could be seen heading into Zeus' chambers right now.
Once I saw an opening, I veered sharply to the right and headed into a small alcove with a marble pedestal and a vase loaded with a hideous floral arrangement. I leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, and studied the crowd, waiting for it to diminish. I knew where Zeus' chambers were and they weren't far, but since the first servant check had to be done, I had to be careful being seen or at least have a really good excuse if I was stopped.
My forty minutes dabbled down to thirty before I saw my opportunity. The chimes rang in the great dining room, sending people to their chairs like cows through a slaughter hatch. Once the last stragglers made their way in and the golden gilded doors closed, I slipped out of the cove and into the hallway, keeping my head down slightly. Prostitutes did not walk proudly through the halls. Or at least this one didn't. When I heard no more noise or conversation, and I knew I was close to his chambers, I lifted my head looking for anyone in front of me.
No one. I did a quick glance beside me and behind and when there was no one, I hurried the few steps over, slipped the key into the door and made my way inside.
I leaned against the door for a moment, giving my heartbeat some time to slow down.
I'd been in the chamber before, but it was nothing like I was used to, which meant Hera must have gone into another decorating frenzy mode. Garish red walls screamed at me along with the hideous artwork peppering the entire room. Scenes of bloody battles and gruesome deaths were scattered in my every line of vision. If Hera wasn't trying to send a message here, you could start calling me Huckleberry Finn.
I blinked away the red haze in my eyes from all the violent decor and let my gaze sweep the rest of the room so I could figure out where to look first. This was Zeus. There was no way he was going to just leave something out for prying eyes, especially if he had servants coming in every single hour. Seemed like a little bit of overkill to me, but this was Zeus and I'm sure there were lots of people gunning for his head.
There was a dresser, a couple of nightstands, a packed to the brim closet and pretty much the normal furniture someone has in their bedroom. I started by looking under the bed and was pleasantly surprised to see nary a dustball in sight. Not that Hera would have allowed it, but I cringed to think about what was under my bed. Nothing but bare floor here. I searched through the night stands and underneath those drawers looking for any hidden compartments.
Nothing, and it turned out to be the same for the closet and everywhere else I looked. I'd been here for 15 minutes already, so I'd used up half my time.
"Crap," I muttered. It had to be a magical concealment spell or something hidden either in the ceiling or somewhere in the walls. I crept around and peeked behind each of the pictures. I finally hit paydirt at one of the particularly violent battle scenes. Behind it rested a hidden safe with a combination lock. It seemed awfully easy.
I closed my eyes, concentrated on it, and finally felt the small pulse of a powerful ward. Who'd ever done this had not wanted it found.
So how did I break it? I thought about just powering into it and shattering it, but that would bring too much attention and I wouldn't be able to get out of here safely. Plus, I bet as soon as I started messing with it, it would somehow signal Zeus that something was wrong.
I tapped my fingers against the wall.
"Need assistance?" a familiar, bitchy voice asked.
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I spun around, my mind scrambling to figure out how in the hell I was going to explain this.
To Hera.
Who was standing right in front of me with a curious expression while lifting one pale blonde eyebrow.
"Errrmmm," was all I could think of. "I'm just dusting, Miss!" I wanted to slap myself repeatedly.
"Truly?" Hera inquired. "I would think a woman of the night had more important things to do other than dusting behind pictures."
Crap. I'd forgotten I was a prostitute. "It's part of what the man likes. Breaking and entering and then cleaning in places where I am not supposed to be!"
A delicate snort of amusement was Hera's only answer. With a wave of her hand, my glamour fell away and left me standing there dressed like the slave Princess Leia.
"Why am I not surprised?" Hera sighed.
But...the thing was...she didn't seem angry. In the slightest. Which meant I might still have a chance.
"I need something," I told her. I didn't really like to lie to people, but I'd do it if necessary. I just wasn't sure it was necessary yet.
"Obviously," she said. She lifted one pale shoulder and sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. She wore a strapless gown of emerald green and her hair was tied up in an intricate chignon. She was the epitome of cool grace, and I was like an exuberant walrus next to her. "What is it this time?"
"The Rules."
She tilted her head. "Ah. You plan to win the games."
"I'd at least like to not be married off to someone I don't want."
"Darling," she sighed as she studied one perfect cuticle. "We're Olympians. That's what we do."
"No," I said softly. "That's what everyone else does. I'd like to choose."
She studied me then, her ice blue eyes curious yet implacable. "You're serious."
I nodded. "I mean I broke into the palace upon threat of certain death, so I'd have to say yes."
"Why should I not kill you where you stand?" she asked, her voice as cool as her personality.
"Well, because I guess I hope you don't want to?" My nose crinkled as I stared at her with naked hope in my eyes.
"I do find you rather entertaining, but you know if my husband finds you in here, you're as good as dead."
It was a weird, weird day when the person you always thought would be the one to kill you ends up being your only salvation. I nodded.
"Do you think you can beat him?" she asked and then laughed softly. "I know you don't think you're competing against him, darling, but I can assure you even though he has no plans to step onto the floor of the games, he is the one you're fighting against."
"I'm aware. I jus
t need to know what I'm up against."
She stood, walked over to me, and plucked the picture off the wall. "Honey, if you can dream it, you're up against it. You're going to need a miracle."
I watched as she deftly disabled the spell, opened the safe, and pulled out its contents. But she didn't hand them over right away. "Has anyone ever told you some secrets are never meant to be revealed?"
"Ahhh," I said dumbly because Clotho had basically said the same damned thing less than a couple of hours ago. "Maybe?" I shrugged and then sighed. "Yes. Definitely."
She rested a cool hand against my shoulder. "This is going to rock your boat. But I don't want to be your mother-in-law. Nor do I want you related to me in any way shape or form." She raised a hand up. "No offense."
"None taken," I said quickly, praying she wasn't going to change her mind.
With a long look that said she was unsure about what she was going to do, she handed over the documents and left the room, quietly clicking the door shut behind her.
My hands shook as I held the papers. I wasn’t sure why I was nervous. I shouldn’t be. These were just the rules of the game, right? I had less than five minutes to get the heck out of here. I didn’t have time to thumb through everything. With a deft hand, I tucked them into the crook of my arm and slipped out of the door. I kept my head down again and headed straight to Hermes’ bedchamber, but before I could get there, a man stepped out from what seemed like thin air.
He was dark, handsome, swarthy and...Ares.
I sighed. Crap. So not what I needed right now. I hadn’t seen him in awhile, but I knew he was still around causing total havoc. It was just what he did.