by S. E. Babin
“And that’s all? Your visit couldn’t wait until morning time? We do love our sleep around here.” I smiled politely to soften my words, but the smile slipped off of her face.
“You do know me too well, don’t you, Aphrodite?” She killed the wind in a short power burst, the sounds of more broken glass tinkling around me. I saw one of my precious rock specimens teeter precariously before tumbling off the side of the table and shattering. My heart skipped and a slow, evil smile slid over Athena’s face.
If I had ever desired someone dead, it was her. I smiled again. “Of course I do, Athena. Now please enlighten us.”
“As you wish,” she said. “Should we sit?”
I snorted. “Not sure where. It appears you’ve done a fine job of destroying the house.”
Athena grinned. “You do know how I like to make an entrance.”
I wished I had something to club her over the head with. My fingers itched to blast her into an alternate universe, but for some reason Zeus loved this daughter of his and showed her more affection than I’d ever seen him give Artie. I watched as a white burst of power came from her. The couch righted itself and the cushions knitted back together before my eyes. She left the rest of the living room in complete shambles. Nice of her, I thought.
Keto was back to his normal self. His hawkish nose stood out against his face, his wings safely hidden inside his skin. It wouldn’t be good to let others know of Keto’s true nature just yet. His power was dangerous and scary, and if Athena or anyone else knew he was a daemon, he’d be running from constant threats. He’d kept his nature hidden for millennia. We just needed to make sure we all kept his secret.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs caused my heart beat to speed up. Marshall.
Athena’s hawk-eyed glance watched as he rounded the corner. “I did hear rumors of you taking up with a mortal, Aphrodite, but I didn’t believe them. Now,” she said in a breathy voice, “what do we have here?”
Marshall stopped in surprise as he glanced around at the destruction of the living room, his eyes lighting upon me first, then the creature standing next to us. “Abby?” he finally said in confusion. He looked so handsome standing there in an old pair of blue flannel pajama pants, his dark hair sticking up everywhere and his chest bare. I’d kill Athena if she gave him more than a second glance.
Athena sent out a tendril of magic toward him. It wrapped around his chest, forcing him closer to all of us. She seated him and walked around him, examining him from all angles. “I do have to say you have fine taste in mortals,” she said.
My heart was beating erratically. “Thank you,” I said dryly. “Mind letting him go?” Keeping the peace was the fastest way to ensure everyone made it out alive. She lifted an eyebrow.
“And if I do mind?” Athena reached up and caressed his jaw, making me grit my teeth in jealousy and frustration. Marshall didn’t look afraid right now, merely curious and a little irritated.
“Well,” I said in a light tone, my anger overriding my good sense. “I’d hate to have to kill you.”
Athena’s eyes widened a fraction. I smiled sweetly as the tendrils of magic surrounding Marshall slowly evaporated. He stood there, unharmed, but rubbing his arms where Athena’s light had touched him.
She studied me for a second. “Something is different about you.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, getting my ass kicked by Eris and almost dying will change a girl a bit. Marshall is none of your concern, Athena. Let’s sit down and discuss whatever it is that’s so important so we can all get back to bed.”
“Fine. Shall we sit?” She glided her way across the room and sat on the couch like it was a throne. Even surrounded by the chaos she’d caused didn’t seem to affect her.
Keto shrugged. Artie’s face looked mutinous, but we all still trudged over. I righted the loveseat, knitted the cushions together and let Artie fix the reclining chair. Marshall sat beside me on the loveseat, Keto on the chair and Artie sat next to her sister, her arms folded.
“It looks like Typhon will be walking the earth again if Gaia has anything to say about it,” Athena said with no hint of humor in her voice.
I inhaled sharply and choked. “Typhon?” I finally bit out. If I had entertained any doubts that Athena was a little loony tunes, now I was sure. Typhon was safely ensconced underneath a mountain, put there by Zeus. He was the deadliest monster in all the mythology stories, but it was one of the legends that was actually true. If Typhon was loose upon the world…well, I didn’t even want to think about it. He almost had defeated Zeus the last time, and Zeus had been saved only by Hermes’ quick thinking and Athena’s bullying.
Zeus knew how deadly the monster was and had been willing to run away from him and give up Olympus. Athena had shamed Zeus into taking up the fight. Though he almost had lost, Zeus finally had been able to imprison the beast under Mount Aetna, but not without great loss. I studied Athena’s face, willing there to be some sense of whether she was telling the truth, but with her somber look, she seemed to believe the story she was telling.
And now with Gaia awake and walking the earth again, Typhon being free wasn’t all together so out of the box. “Why do you believe Typhon is awake?” I asked her.
“For someone so old, you are still so young, Aphrodite. Artemis has felt the stirrings of the woods, the unnatural storms lighting up the sky. If you have not sensed something by now, you are remiss in using your powers wisely.”
I’d never thought I’d be chastised by someone like her, but she was right. I was so clueless and bent on living my life as normally as possible, I’d missed all the signs.
Keto coughed politely, and I knew it was a dig at me. “I guess I don’t understand why you’re here telling us. Shouldn’t you be in audience with Zeus?”
She laughed merrily. “Zeus already knows that Typhon stirs. Don’t we all remember what happened last time? He almost ran with his tail tucked between his legs, willing to give up everything to escape with his life.”
I remembered. It was one of the darker times in our history. “And how, if what you say is true, are we supposed to battle it?”
Athena clasped her hands together. “His slumber has increased his power. He walks the earth in human form now, unaware of his past or future. Find him before Gaia does. Weaken him in this form. If he casts aside his mortal shell and walks as Typhon, this world and ours will perish.”
“Wait, he’s in mortal form?” Artie’s eyeglasses slid down her nose as she regarded her sister. “How did he escape from his prison without Gaia?”
“I’m with her on this one,” I told Athena. “If Gaia didn’t get him out, who did? And why does he not remember anything? It seems like a huge gamble to let someone with powers like his loose upon the world, even if he’s wearing mortal flesh.”
Athena looked tired. “I am unaware of who released him. It doesn’t matter in the long run.”
I disagreed wholeheartedly but chose not to argue with her. Whoever had released Typhon had to be yet another enemy of Zeus. “Does he possess powers while in human form?”
Athena nodded. “They are…diluted.” She hesitated for a moment and spoke again. “In this form, he has all the powers of the normal gods and goddesses. With what I assume to be a memory block, he cannot access the rest of his powers.”
The whole thing sounded fishy. Why would someone let the worst enemy in history out unless it was to get back at Zeus? I could understand Gaia letting Typhon out…he was her son after all. But to think that someone else, who had knowledge of the last battle, had let him out knowing the destruction he was likely to wreak? I didn’t understand the reasoning behind it. I glanced over at Keto. His brows were knit together and his mouth a harsh, thin line. Marshall sat stiffly next to me, his face carefully blank. I knew him well enough to know that his brain was working furiously toward a solution. But I didn’t know if there was one. A blooming headache was beginning to form, a weird side effect I’d been experiencing since absorbing Eris’
magic.
Suspicion was starting to bloom as well. “And why are you here telling us all of this, Athena? I never pegged you for a humanitarian.”
She grinned maliciously. “Oh, make no mistake, I’m not. But Olympus is my home. We all have an interest in protecting it. And Zeus is not as powerful as he once was, is he?”
I stilled, schooling my face to stay perfectly bland. Several of us knew about Eris and the apples. It wasn’t a stretch to think something had reached Athena’s long hearing ears, but only a few of us knew about Zeus storing his powers in them. “I’m sure he’s as powerful as he’s always been. I do agree we all have a stake in the outcome, but I think going in half-cocked is a quick way to get us all killed.”
Keto nodded and spoke up. “You might not think it’s important to know who freed him, but I think that might be the most important tidbit of all. Finding out who’s pulling the strings will help us cut off Typhon’s support at the knees. If we can find whoever that is first, we can take care of the problem. Permanently.”
Athena stood, brushing off her skirts like being on our furniture was incredibly distasteful. Her silver hair swayed with her movements, mesmerizing…like a snake before it struck. I blinked once and stood up as well. “Thanks for coming by, Athena. We’ll put our heads together and figure out a plan. Can we count on your assistance?”
Athena raised one eyebrow. “I’m sure you understand my reluctance to team up with a band of misfits like you.”
I heard Marshall’s sharp intake of breath, so I held up a hand to stop him from making an already tense situation worse. “And I’m sure you understand your distinct lack of loyalty to anyone but yourself will be shared with Zeus.”
Athena’s mouth thinned. “You’ve always been impertinent. Be careful, Goddess of Love, before I squash you like the bug you are.”
I smiled, malice oozing from my pores. I felt the strength of my magic begin to swirl, the tendrils of silver and gold intertwining to twist sinuously around my body. Her eyes widened, the first curl of fear flickering in them. She burst out of the room in a shower of bright, white light.
Keto cleared his throat from behind me. “I’m not sure that show of power was wise.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding since I’d discovered her in my living room. “It wasn’t. But maybe now she’ll think twice before she shows up here like this.”
Artie looked around at the destruction of the room. “Maybe it would have helped to have that show before she did this.”
I hadn’t quite processed the damage done to my house. Even though everything could be fixed, it was the principle of it that made my blood boil. How dare Athena show up and destroy something that wasn’t hers? I’d need to have Zeus tighten up the wards on the house. If she could find us, I wouldn’t be quick to think others couldn’t.
Marshall slipped an arm around my waist. I leaned my head against his shoulder, marveling at how well we fit together. He kissed the top of my head. “Should I get the broom?”
I snorted in amusement. “No, we got this. Go on back to bed and get some rest.”
He gave me a squeeze, nodded to Keto and Artie, and walked back up the stairs. I watched until I heard the soft click of our bedroom door. “How do you think Athena knew about Typhon?” I asked.
Artie shrugged her shoulders. I saw the magic pour down from her arm through her fingers. She swept up all of the shattered glass and with a flick of her wrist, the remnants of it twisted and shifted until they were back in their original shape. Priceless vases and cheap but meaningful knickknacks found their way back to their original homes. “I never question where Athena gets her knowledge. I will say if she deigned to show up here and warn us, she’s worried about the outcome.”
I allowed some of my magic out to stitch up the Oriental rug lying in tatters in the middle of the floor. My rug…seriously, Athena? “If she’s so worried, it would sure be helpful if she did more than utter dire warnings.”
“Athena is worse than Ares, Abby. She’ll never get her hands dirty if she can help it. Speaking of Ares, one of us should talk to him about Athena’s visit.”
“Not it!” I called, watching my priceless rug knit itself back together.
Keto leaned against the wall. “He’ll listen to you more than any one of us, Abs.”
I groaned. “Let’s just get this fixed up first before we talk about depressing things.”
If only there were an air freshener to rid the air of other people’s magic…
I woke up late the next morning in a surprisingly good mood. Until I padded downstairs in bare feet and my old robe and saw who was sitting in my kitchen, that is. A familiar long, lean golden god of a figure sat in my favorite chair, sipping coffee out of my favorite mug. He and Keto were chatting like they were old buddies. I cleared my throat.
“Hermes,” I acknowledged.
“Abby.” He nodded his head once and I caught my breath at the depth of feeling in those familiar whiskey eyes. A pull began low in my belly and I shut my eyes trying to clear my head of the long suppressed emotions he always stirred up when he was around. I hadn’t seen him since before we took Eris down. It was probably a good thing since I couldn’t trust myself around him. I’d chosen Marshall over him, something I didn’t regret. But I wondered whether it had been the right thing to do, especially with the outcome of Clotho’s predictions hanging over my head like a scythe.
I turned away from him and poured myself a cup of coffee. I needed a moment before I could face him. The silence in the kitchen was suffocating. I heard the soft shuffle of Keto’s feet as he left the kitchen without a word. I finally turned back around and met Hermes’ eyes.
If I knew him like I thought, I knew he hadn’t looked away from me. I padded over to the table and sat across from him. “What brings you here, Hermes?” Better to get right to the heart of business.
His mouth quirked in the smile I’d missed so much. “Really, Abby? That’s all I get?”
I sighed. “Hermes, we didn’t part so well the last time you were here.”
A sharp bark of laughter came from him. “You think I don’t remember that? You stomped on my heart and cast me aside like yesterday’s newspaper. Actions not fitting from the Goddess of Love, if I do say so myself.”
“I never cast you aside, Hermes.”
He slammed a fist down on the table. Coffee sloshed and spilled as my mug lurched precariously to one side. Our eyes locked. Anger, then resignation flashed in his. He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them, they held a scary blankness inside. “It no longer matters. You’ve chosen. I am not here to rehash old memories. I apologize for bringing it up.”
I said nothing. I wiped the spilled coffee off the table, noting with detachment the angry red mark on my skin where it had burned me. I waited for him to continue, but he surprised me by reaching for my hand. Amber gold magic sparked from his fingertips as he healed the burn he’d caused.
“Forgive me, Abby,” he said and cleared his throat.
I nodded, tears pooling in my eyes.
“I am here at the behest of my father. He is aware of your early morning visitor and wishes for you and your motley entourage, his words not mine, to make a visit to his throne in Olympus immediately.” He let go of my hand and stood.
“That’s it?” I asked him.
He smiled sadly. “Oh, goddess. There is so very much more I can say to you.” He bowed. “But that is all from my father. Make haste. I will return in the morning to escort you.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Why do we need an escort?”
His mouth twitched. “I suspect it’s mainly because my father likes to torture me. But his reasoning is that danger lurks around every corner.”
I smiled softly. “My apologies, Hermes. I’ll speak to Zeus if you wish.”
He raised a hand up, gold light showering around him as he prepared to depart. “Don’t make it any worse, Abs. Farewell, lovely goddess.” He disappeared, but I wished he�
�d taken the ache in my chest with him.
6
Chapter Six
I kissed Marshall goodbye and stood in the front yard next to Keto and Artie waiting for Hermes to return and escort us to Zeus. From the look on his face, he was none too happy to hear about our handsome escort but said nothing as he walked back into the house.
The atmosphere was tense between everyone this morning. Keto and Artie still hadn’t made up, and although they were talking, their conversations were limited to necessary topics and their sentences were short and clipped. All in all, it was turning out to be a really crappy day. A shimmer caught my eye and I watched as Hermes came into view.
I cursed my traitorous heart as I watched him walking in our direction dressed in a chiton of forest green. Golden gladiator sandals wrapped up the sides of his tawny legs, stopping at mid-thigh. He was heart-stoppingly handsome. My thoughts drifted to the man inside, the man I loved. The man who would never fully understand my world. And it made me sad for him. And for myself.
Hermes stopped in front of us, greeting Keto and Artie with a wide smile and me with only a nod. He placed a warm hand on my shoulder and clasped hands with Artie. Keto touched Artie’s fingers and in a quick flash of light we were standing at the bottom of Mount Olympus. The last time I had been here Zeus had given me a house. Oh how I wished this visit would be as good as that one. I imagined Zeus dressed up in a suit, pointing at me and shouting. “Abby, you have just won a BRAND NEW CAR!” The audience would go wild and I’d jump up and down with elated excitement.
“Abby?” Artie stared at me with concern.
I snapped out of it. “Sorry,” I mumbled. “Do you ever wonder if Zeus watches game shows?”