by S. E. Babin
Hestia grinned with malice. “Death.”
“Uh,” I spoke up. “Hell, no.” I walked toward Hestia. “First off, you home wrecking bitch, you started this entire thing and now you’re pissed because Artie wiped the floor with you. Then you come into my home and break my front door instead of picking up the phone like a normal person?” I could feel my voice getting shriller as I spoke. “Why does everyone think they can just come into my gods be damned home and break shit?” Everyone by now had stepped away from me, including Zeus. I could feel power spiking in my veins.
Hestia paled as I stepped into her personal space. “You take your crazy hair and your crazy tongue and get the hell out of my home. You and Artie can settle the score at a later time. But be warned, she will wipe the floor with you again. And again. And again. And every time she does I’ll be standing over you gloating. You know why? Because you’re an ugly, spiteful monster and why in the gods you were made Goddess of the Hearth, I don’t know. Someone played a cruel, cruel joke on you, Hestia, because you’re not good for anything except being a cold, hateful bitch.”
Hestia took a step back. I vibrated with anger and as I raised my hand to force her out the door, she raised a placating hand. “I’ll go.”
“Now,” I said.
She turned away, but as she walked out she looked back at Artie. “You and I still have a score to settle.”
Artemis looked bored. “Yup,” she said. “By the way, your cakes suck.”
Hestia hissed in an angry breath as she rushed out the door.
“Her cakes are awesome,” I mused, staring at the broken remnants of my once beautiful wood door.
“Yeah,” Artie said wistfully, “they are. Too bad she’s such an asshole.”
15
Chapter Fifteen
I could see the ruins of my front door from my peripheral vision, and I swore it pissed me off more than the thought of our utter destruction by Dionysus and Typhon. People were going to see my spine soon if they thought they could keep coming into my home and destroying it. I was not like the other gods. I was not content to get in the middle of petty squabbles and other such ridiculousness. I was too old and too tired to play their games anymore.
I felt Zeus’ eyes on me. I suspected he knew it, too. A low simmering rage began to make my blood boil. I closed my eyes, trying to find my center, but I was afraid if I didn’t get out of here my temper was going to boil over, and I might lose a friend or two. It wasn’t their fault entirely, but with the presence of Hermes, Ares, and Zeus my normally sweet demeanor was slipping into crazy bitch territory.
I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. “I will fix your door, Aphrodite.” Zeus looked around at the rest of my house and I felt his hand tighten. “And the rest.”
I tilted my head to look into his concerned eyes. I smiled tightly and removed his hand. “I need some time,” I said and felt the temperature of the room drop at least fifteen degrees.
My eyes swept the horrified gazes of my friends. “Now?” Hermes asked with disbelief.
I felt my lips thin. “Now.”
Artie stepped forward, her concern evident. “I’ll hold down the fort here.”
I choked out a laugh while trying not to cry. “It’d be nice if my house was still standing when I get back. The way it’s going now I fully expect it be a pile of rubble when I return.”
Zeus turned me to face him. “I can give you only twenty-four hours, Aphrodite. Do what you must and return.” Understanding mixed with something I couldn’t define flickered over his face.
I nodded, closed my eyes, and disappeared from the room in a burst of magic. If I shot a bit of extra power and hit Ares in the groin, then smiled with satisfaction at his pained grunt, it was an accident.
I stood on the white sand shores of the Aegean Sea and took my first full breath in what felt like days. I was blissfully alone, the only sound that of the ocean crashing in waves against the shore. I felt my shoulders drop, my mind clear, and a sense of long missing peace fill my body.
I loved Asheville. So much. But I didn’t like crowds. And I didn’t like the feeling of struggling between two men when I’d already chosen. Zeus had known exactly what he was doing when he forced Hermes to stay at my house. Marshall might not understand our politics, but he was intelligent enough to realize it as well. Everyone was pushing me to Hermes. Everyone except for Hermes.
I knew what I was signing up for when I took Zeus’ offer, not that I could have said no and walked away. I was in it for life. I sighed and sat down, my bare feet sinking deep into the sand. I allowed my glamour to slip and watched as my legs lengthened into long golden limbs, tanned by my immortality and by the years in the Mediterranean sunshine. My hair fell across my shoulders, tumbled past my waist, and spread across my body into the sand around me. My clothing fell away from me, leaving me bathed in sunlight and the reflection of the water beating against the shore.
I was home.
And I was free.
I felt a presence before I saw a shadow fall over my body. I shut my eyes, stifling the urge to cry. Olympus was intruding again. All I’d wanted was a few hours of blissful peace.
“I’d forgotten how beautiful it is here.”
I revised my thought process; if anyone had to show up and interrupt my much needed break, let it be anyone but Hera.
I muttered a noncommittal response and sat up, gathering my hair around me and twisting it into a tangled knot. She looked the same – cool patrician features and the same cold slide to her mouth. I wasn’t afraid of her anymore, though I probably should have been. We had a moment after the Eris debacle, and I saw a woman beaten down by millennia of challenges.
Hera and I had more in common than I’d like to admit. I inclined my head. “Hera.”
Her lips twitched. “Aphrodite. Or should I call you Abby now since we seem to be on a little different terms?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Whatever you’d like.”
“Abby is such a peasant’s name. But I shall give it a try since you seem to find it agreeable.” She twisted one of the numerous heavy gold bands around her fingers.
She was like a mother-in-law, managing to combine a compliment and an insult in the same breath. I snorted in amusement and turned my head to stare at her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked, and even managed not to sound sarcastic. Bully for me.
She didn’t meet my eyes. “It must be difficult to have so many people relying on you.”
I stiffened. Why couldn’t I be more politically savvy and read people’s subtle nuances? She was going somewhere with this, and I had no idea where. “It is what it is,” I said and sighed. I couldn’t get any lamer if I tried.
A rare grin crossed her face and I again reveled at how pretty she looked when she smiled. She reached up and loosened the clip holding her cool blonde hair away from her face. It fell in a straight sheet against her body. Hera, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, allowed her smart pantsuit to fall away and replace itself with a turquoise bikini.
My mouth dropped. “Uh,” I said.
She pointed at me and I felt material wrap around me. Clever Hera. She’d wrapped me in a purple bikini. And it was flattering. She must be in an extraordinarily good mood.
“Stand, goddess,” she said and motioned for me to follow her. She stood gracefully, displaying long, lean limbs and a Gisele Bundchen set of abs. I clumsily followed, tripping over the hair that fell out of its knot.
She looked back and rolled her eyes at my fumbling. “For the most beautiful woman in the world, you’re a hot mess sometimes. You are aware of that, right?”
I used a burst of magic to tame my wild ass hair. “Every. Single. Day,” I huffed as I hurried to catch up with her. She walked gracefully to the edge of the water.
“Do you ever get tired, Abby?” Hera lifted a lean leg and dipped her toe into the receding water.
I stopped beside her. “Are you kidding? I’m tired all the time.”
Hera r
olled her eyes. “I don’t mean physically. I mean –”
“I know what you mean,” I interrupted. “My answer is the same. I’ve been tired for thousands of years. I feel the weight of the world every time I wake up in the morning.” I bent down to pick up a seashell. Pink and white shimmered on its surface. I hefted it in my right hand and threw it as far as I could, watching it twirl end over end in the air.
“Me, too,” she confessed. Hera’s presence here unnerved me. She wasn’t the kind to have sitcom bonding moments. I studied her, the proud lines of her face as she watched the waves roll against each other, and I gestured toward the water.
“Fancy a swim?” I stepped calf deep into the water.
She hesitated. “I think Poseidon is still pissed at me. I’d hate to die by drowning. Always imagined I’d go out in a more spectacular way.”
I choked on a laugh and sent a warning burst of magic through the water. Poseidon knew I was here. And he knew to stay away for the moment. He and I existed in an uneasy truce. We didn’t exactly hate each other, but we were wary of each other. I waved her in.
“All’s well.” I gestured to her when she gave me a dubious look. “This is also my domain, Hera. I will protect you.”
She nodded and stepped forward into the water. I tried not to smile. I’d never seen her nervous and even though she was trying not to show it, Hera was seriously freaked right now. It was a new side to her and my heart softened even as my head screamed about me being played.
After a moment she fell into step beside me and we swam out deeper. I was quiet, waiting for Hera to make it known why she was here with me. I didn’t bother to ask how she had found me. The gods have their ways and Hera was sneakier than most of us. Once we were floating deep in the Aegean Sea, Hera spoke.
“I’m afraid we will not survive this. Do not let Zeus’ gruffness make you believe he has a plan. I don’t believe he does. I know him like I know my own soul. He is more worried now than when Typhon first began to walk the earth.” She dipped her head back into the sea and lifted it up. Water ran in rivulets down her face as she stared at me with guileless blue eyes.
I wasn’t sure what to say to make her feel better. The truth was, we didn’t have a plan, either. It made me feel a teensy bit better about Zeus not having one, even though I think it probably should have made me feel worse. None of us were prepared to take on Typhon. We weren’t prepared the first time, and we were probably less prepared now.
I floated on my back as I chose my words carefully. “Typhon will not succeed. This time it’s different, Hera. We battled him once and won. We can do so again.” So why didn’t I believe anything I was saying?
From the gay laughter tinkling beside me, Hera didn’t believe me, either.
“Abby, this is not Eris. Typhon is not ruled by emotion. He is ruled by power. He cares not whom he kills in the process of achieving what he wants.”
I understood what she was saying, but I was proof of Typhon’s leniency. My stomach turned as I remembered waking up missing several hours of my life. Why hadn’t he killed me? It had been the perfect opportunity to take out one of the Twelve Olympians. But he hadn’t taken it. I wished I could take an inside out shower because the dirty feeling inside of me had yet to go away.
“Do you know why he walks again?” I asked.
Hera sighed as she floated next to me. “I wish I did. Dionysus’ involvement has me even more concerned. He is not one to get involved in things like this. And,” her eyes flashed, “I’m not sure if I believe Typhon is the true enemy this time.”
She turned a glare on me when she heard my snort of disbelief. “It’s true. Dionysus might hate us all, but he is more concerned with self-preservation than anything else. Trust me on this. He talks big, but if I had to guess, Dionysus is as scared as the rest of us.”
I thought about her remarks concerning Typhon. “If Typhon is not our enemy, who is?” I mused aloud.
“That is the million dollar question,” Hera said.
The words she said rang true, but as I thought back to our meeting in that hotel room, I wasn’t sure if I should believe her. Dionysus was caught up in this game he was playing, and somehow Typhon was involved.
“Dionysus loves someone, you know.” Hera interrupted my thoughts.
I gasped in disbelief and lost my balance in the water. My head sank below and I inhaled sea water. Coughing and gasping I choked out the water and looked at her. “Dionysus? Doubtful,” I said.
“It’s quite true.” An amused smile played on her lips as she watched me try to right myself. “Her name is Ariadne.” At the mention of her name, the smile fell from Hera’s lips.
I was unfamiliar with her, but Hera didn’t seem to be a big fan. “Do you think it has anything to do with his involvement with Typhon?”
Hera paused. “She is…difficult. I suspect Dionysus is not the only one who holds her heart. And –”
I straightened and began to paddle water. Why did I think I wasn’t going to like what she said next? “And…?” I probed.
“And no one has seen Ariadne for the last few weeks.”
I groaned. The timing of her disappearance was suspicious. “So you think Dionysus is being manipulated?”
Hera nodded. “He and I have a difficult history, but over the years I have come to know him as a man.” She turned to me, her gaze calm and serious. “And as a son.”
I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. To say their history was difficult was laughable. Hera and Dionysus were like Tyson and Holyfield. They’d been fighting pretty much since Hera had found out Zeus had failed once again to keep it in his pants and had knocked up a moon goddess. She’d chased her innocent stepson all over the lands, succeeding in killing him once. When she found out he had lived due to Rhea’s interference, she found him again and drove him to madness. Zeus, tired of the murderous shenanigans, finally ordered Hermes to step in and protect him.
I started swimming back to shore. Twenty minutes of bonding time with Hera was way more than enough for me. There had to be an ulterior motive here. No way after all that craziness did I think she actually cared for Dionysus. I was the Goddess of Love, but I wasn’t a complete moron.
“Stop,” Hera said. I felt my limbs freeze in position. I cursed under my breath. That’s what I got for being decent.
“This is not the way to make friends and influence people!” I shouted, unable to turn myself to look at her.
“One more smart comment and I’ll release my hold on you. You’ll sink to the bottom, alive, and unable to tell a soul. How does an underwater eternity sound?”
Pretty good right about now, I thought. “Now there’s the Hera we all know and love.” She wouldn’t dare sink me to the bottom. Zeus would have her tied up by her ankles and flogged her, and she knew it.
“Listen to me. Please.”
The plea in her voice softened my resolve. I sighed. “Release me, then.”
The bonds immediately loosened, and I floated closer to her, warier this time. “I’m still not even sure what you’re doing here. I came out for some peace and quiet. Instead I get you.”
Her lips thinned. “The older you get, the more impertinent you become. Zeus should have corrected you years ago.”
I rolled my eyes. “Start talking or I’m out of here.” I turned to swim away. “I’m headed back to shore. Stay or go. I don’t care.”
The peace I had wrapped myself in was long gone. The short break was over and it was back to politics again. Once the water was shallow enough I stood and walked onto the beach with Hera close behind. I dried my bikini with a short magic burst and chose a violet sarong to wrap around my body. Hera, being Hera, chose something much more formal. Apparently painting our toenails time was over.
“It doesn’t matter what my reasoning is. You need to realize Dionysus is not your problem. It may not be Typhon, either. Focus on the magic used to raise him and others powerful enough to assist. I believe the answers lie in the power base.” Hera
fastened her hair with a jeweled clip. “It would be wise to gather Gaia to your side.”
It was the second time someone had suggested it. I wasn’t quite on board with that plan yet. “You really think Dionysus is a pawn in this?” I rested my crossed arms on my knees. “I have trouble seeing someone like that being wrapped around someone’s fingers.”
Hera patted me on the shoulder before she stood. “All these years and you still can’t understand the lengths people would go to for love.” She shook her head. “You have much to learn, fair Aphrodite.”
I was well aware of the things people could do when love was involved, but some people seemed incapable of feeling that emotion. I was afraid to say I’d placed Dionysus in that category. Perhaps I’d judged him too hastily. I thought about the threat he’d left me with the last time I saw him. Whatever he was, Dionysus wasn’t exactly a good guy.
Hera inclined her head. “You have much to think about. Do not linger here long.” Her blue eyes turned gray for a moment and her gaze became unfocused. “You will have visitors soon,” she said. “Not the kind you’d like to invite over for tea. Use that extra magic flowing through your veins to deter them.”
I stiffened. Her eyes cleared, and her lips twisted. “I’ve known for a while, Abby. Take care not to get too lazy with it lest someone decides to try and wrest that new power away from you.”
With that she winked and disappeared in a twinkle of light. I lay back against the white sand and shut my eyes. What I wouldn’t give to be away from all of this. To be confident when I woke up each morning that I wouldn’t have to keep getting in mud up to my neck when it came to Olympus. I’d give anything to be free.
But I knew it would never happen. I had stolen power coursing through my blood, both a blessing and a curse. I had a human sort-of boyfriend who would be so much better off without me. And I had a handsome god waiting somewhat patiently on the sidelines for me. Oh, and a monster walking the earth possibly having wild sex around Asheville and impregnating all the locals. If it were true, the future population would be one for the record books.