Out of Sorts Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 2)

by S. E. Babin

  “Sometimes the people we think we should trust are those we should be the most wary of.”

  My head felt fuzzy. He knew something he wasn’t telling me.

  Typhon smiled a secret, sad smile. “Someone is not as they appear to be. The sooner we find out who, the sooner I can stop living in hiding.”

  I frowned. “Didn’t you try to kill all of us? Why would that change?”

  His eyes held a world of sadness. “I am my own man now. Mostly,” he amended. “When the last battle happened, I was under the control of my mother.”

  “She came to me, you know.” I rubbed the center of my chest where Gaia’s “gift” sat like a lump of coal.

  Typhon’s sharp gaze found mine. “When?” he demanded.

  “A few days ago,” I said, wondering at his sudden attention.

  “Did she do anything to you?” His gaze raked over my body, any hint of desire long gone.

  “Yes,” I said slowly. “She said she gave me a gift. I still haven’t figured out what it is.”

  Typhon’s mouth drew together in a thin white line. “Beware of anything my mother says is a gift.”

  “You seem to have a complicated relationship with your mother.” I had escaped difficult familial relationships, but sometimes I missed not having any siblings to bicker with or parents to offer guidance. Although, thinking about Athena and Artie made me wonder if it was too much hassle to deal with. Those two were the very definition of dysfunctional.

  “I think your memory might be faulty. My mother is the same person who set me upon Mount Olympus to destroy Zeus.”

  I hadn’t forgotten. I was just having trouble with this new version of events. For my entire life I had heard terrible stories of Gaia and Typhon. But now that I had experience with both of them, I couldn’t seem to place them squarely in the evil box. This was the way with most of our kind. We could be good, bad, gray, or plain evil, but there was almost always motivation involved for all of our actions. I tended to stay on the side of lazy, but my most recent foray into crime solving tipped me over the edge into the somewhat good. Zeus held a good deal of responsibility on his shoulders. He should know better than to screw with someone of Gaia’s caliber.

  “I didn’t forget,” I said. “I guess I just understand it a little better now.”

  He slid a warm hand over mine. “I had a wonderful time tonight, fair Aphrodite.”

  “You didn’t answer any of my questions!” I didn’t want him to go.

  “Oh, but I have. I haven’t tried to kill you in hours. We grinded to 90’s rap and I haven’t even asked you to go home with me.” One of his eyebrows rose. “What kind of monster does that?”

  Someone who wasn’t a monster. “Why did you take me back to that hotel the first night we met?”

  He blinked in surprise. “I didn’t.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Are you really going to deny that? Why didn’t you hurt me to send a message?”

  Typhon laughed without humor. “Are we back to this again? I am not the monster here. The monster you’re looking for is elusive and does not have a face. But I’m telling you. I did not take you anywhere at any time, Abby. If I had, you’d remember it.”

  I sighed and twisted my hair up into a messy bun. “Just when I was starting to think you were charming. So who was it then?”

  “I have no idea, but I can say with utmost certainty that I have an airtight alibi.”

  I pondered this as best I could as my head swam with ambrosia. “I need to think about this some more.”

  He grinned and held out a hand to help me up from the stool. I held it and tried to control my swaying. I grabbed my purse and allowed him to lead me outside. The cool wind hit me as soon as we stepped into the chilly Asheville night.

  Typhon escorted me over to a waiting cab. “I can blink myself home,” I said.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you not to use your powers while under the influence?” He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “All kinds of things can go wrong.”

  Delicious tingles spread down my body. “Will I see you again?”

  He smiled enigmatically. “Sooner than you’d probably like, darling. I’m not a bad guy, but I’m certainly no good guy, either.”

  He pulled me closer to him and brushed my windblown hair from my face. “It has been thousands of years since I’ve held a woman.”

  The way he was making me feel made it seem like I’d been walking through the desert for a week with no water. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

  He ran a warm hand down my jaw. “I am not your enemy, Aphrodite. Remember this when your hope is gone.” He pushed me gently toward the cab. I got in and turned to say goodbye, but Typhon had disappeared.

  24

  Chapter Twenty Four

  My thoughts spun all the way home. Everything I thought could be wrong. Or Typhon could be the world’s kindest supervillain. Gaia’s words drifted back to me – trust no one. Her son walked the earth. Zeus was convinced Gaia was not involved with it. Why had we been so adamant about his memories being gone? And why were women disappearing from Asheville?

  There were so many questions and so few forthcoming answers. Typhon might be here, but I didn’t think he was the one responsible for all of this madness. Not that one drunken night should have convinced me of that, but there was something raw and vulnerable about Typhon that drew me to him. I felt like we’d gotten exactly nowhere. So convinced had we been about Dionysus, Circe, and Typhon, we’d followed that line without looking at anything else. Someone had Ariadne, but who? Was it possible Dionysus really was working with someone to control Typhon?

  I felt a brow wrinkle coming on, and with the ambrosia still swirling through my veins, I wasn’t sure I could trust my rusty powers of deduction. The cab pulled into my driveway, and after pressing a wad of money into his hand, I stumbled out and up to my front porch. It was late, but all of the lights were on.

  Aphrodite was late for curfew, and Mom and Dad were about to ground her. I snort giggled and tried my best to plaster on a somewhat sober expression when I walked in the door.

  Artemis sat rigid in a chair she had turned to face the front door. She was in her pajamas, no makeup, and wearing a messy bun on her head. For someone who almost had desecrated a body earlier, she looked awful young.

  “Care to tell me where you’ve been all this time?” she said, her voice prim.

  “Nope,” I said and start walking up the stairs.

  “Abby!” I heard Artie get up so I started walking as fast as I could while trying not to trip on one of the stairs.

  “Talk tomorrow,” I shouted.

  “Oh my gods. You’re drunk!” I could hear her plodding up the stairs behind me, not bothering to keep it down.

  “Whatever, Mom.” I opened the door to my room and tried to shut it before she could get in. Not that it could have stopped her, but it might be enough to make her second guess whether or not she should come in. Instead she placed her bare foot in the doorway and I accidentally shut the door on it.

  “Ow! Motherfu –! Abby!” Artie pulled her leg out and hopped up and down in pain.

  “Sorry,” I said contritely. “Now leave me alone.” I shut the door on her outraged screams and stumbled over to my dresser to get some pajamas. I rummaged through the drawers flinging out silk nighties, trying not to let my fuzzy brain dwell too long on the last person who’d seen me in them. My hands came to rest on an old, soft cotton pair of blue and white flannel pants. I threw off my clothes, shoved those on, and slipped into an old tank top I found thrown over the back of my reading chair.

  I threw myself facedown onto my bed and fell asleep with the lights on.

  The next morning I awoke to find a pair of angry violet eyes in my face. “Go away,” I mumbled and tried to turn over to get some more sleep.

  “You slammed my foot in your bedroom door last night. Aren’t you going to apologize?” She poked me in the shoulder.

  “Said foot was shoved into the door
I was trying to close. Collateral damage, dude.” I squeezed my eyes tightly willing her to go away.

  “I’m not going away until you tell me where you were last night.”

  I groaned. “I am not seventeen, and you are not my mother!” I pulled the covers over my head, but Artie ripped them back off.

  “I know that, but I am your best friend. You came home in a taxi cab. A taxi! Like you’re some random drunk girl out for a night on the town.”

  My thoughts drifted to Typhon and his statement about not using my powers when I was intoxicated. I was sure Artie wouldn’t appreciate words of wisdom from our friendly neighborhood monster, so I kept my mouth shut. “I was some random drunk girl,” I said sleepily. “And I had fun. So sue me.”

  Her tone softened. “Abs, we were worried sick. We knew how upset you were about Marshall, and when you didn’t come back after a couple of hours, we thought the worst happened.”

  “I’m fine. Can I sleep a bit longer?” I pulled the covers back over my head and prayed she’d vacate the premises.

  “Fine,” she sighed, but I felt the bed move as she got up. The door clicked open. “We’re having breakfast in about an hour. Big day ahead of us. Ares, Dionysus, and everyone else are downstairs. We need to discuss the Typhon issue and make our move.”

  I was going to have to confess about last night soon. I mumbled “okay” to Artie. The door clicked behind her, and I lay wide awake burrowed under my cozy blankets wanting to do anything else but get up and face everyone. Last night had been weird. Now don’t get me wrong, most things that happen to me weren’t exactly normal, but last night took the cake. I had danced with someone who had almost murdered every single one of us, and I had enjoyed it. Immensely. Typhon made me feel like I was just a woman. And it was nice.

  The big question now was who had released Typhon and why? If he’d had nothing to do with the women of Asheville, then who had? All kinds of possible theories spun through my head. I knew what needed to happen. I just had to be discreet. I flung the covers off and swung out of bed. I was feeling surprisingly chipper this morning even though I knew in my heart things were about to come to a head.

  I dressed using magic and twisted my hair into a complicated updo. I slipped on my favorite sandals, adjusted my sapphire blue chiton, and blinked out of my room. I was on my way to see Zeus, and I needed to do it alone.

  25

  Chapter Twenty Five

  I stood in front of Zeus’ bedroom quiet as a mouse. If Hera had known what I was up to she’d have me skinned and hung upside down in the town square. I placed my hand on the heavy wooden door and concentrated. In a flash I was inside. Zeus stood by the window looking outside, his hands crossed behind his back. He was dressed casually today, which made me feel overdressed.

  “About time you showed up,” he said.

  I startled even as a rueful smile made its way onto my face. “How do you always know?” I whined.

  “You don’t get into power and stay there by being jumpy. Plus Typhon told me to expect you.”

  I almost swallowed my tongue. “Typhon?” I echoed. I was torn between pretending to be dumb and peppering him with questions.

  “Yes. I know your curiosity must be killing you.” Zeus turned away from the window and stared at me. His unearthly beauty always took me by surprise. Today he wore faded jeans and a t-shirt with the slogan I visited Greece and all I got was this Lousy t-shirt. I almost burst out laughing because he looked so frumpled and adorable. I wanted to ask him to the prom and make out with him in my car after the dance.

  My lips twitched. I couldn’t help it. “Laugh once and I’ll make you very, very sorry,” he said, but I could see his eyes twinkle with amusement.

  “I’ve never seen you look this laid back.” I paused. “I like it.”

  His eyes softened. “You’re so easy.” Zeus held out his hand and motioned me to come forward. “We need to get the hell out of here before Hera finds you in my bedchambers.”

  I took his hand and in a shower of emerald light Zeus transported us to the gardens. I’d been there once before when Eris had stolen the apples, but the part of the garden we were in now wasn’t familiar. In front of us stood a large, silent fountain. The water inside was a murky green. Zeus, still holding my hand, brought me toward it.

  “Look,” he commanded as he released me. He swept one hand across the water and images poured forth. Zeus and Gaia appeared, younger and obviously in love. Her red hair spilled across her waist and a radiant smile graced her face. Zeus, without the weight of the world on his shoulders, looked carefree and happy. They embraced and the images spun forward – Zeus and Gaia locked in a passionate embrace, lying on a field of soft grass and flowers, children born between them. The story spun forward until I saw Hera enter the picture, her face twisted in a jealous rage. A baby lay calmly in a crib as she stood above it. I couldn’t hear what she said, but I saw her magic pour forth into the baby’s chest – an awful sickly blue green spell that pulsed inside of him. She watched him for a moment until the light went away. With a sick smile of satisfaction on her face, Hera assumed the form of Zeus and walked out of the baby’s room.

  My heart stuttered. It couldn’t be. The next images showed Gaia in a rage, clutching the baby to her chest, magic pouring from her as she tried to save it. The baby’s form twisted and turned, shifting from human to other, immune to Gaia’s wails of grief. Her anger and rage soon turned to Zeus, and I saw him there, his face devastated as he tried to understand why someone he loved so much had turned against him. His pleas fell on deaf ears. Whatever had happened to this child, Gaia blamed him for it.

  Soon Zeus left her and the baby and returned to Mount Olympus. Images of the child came forth, a handsome blonde child with eyes of forest green. Gaia’s magic had kept him in human form, but the toll on her had been immense. The water scene shifted to battle. Mount Olympus was on fire and Typhon was at the center of it all, controlled by his mother to do maximum damage. I watched as Zeus tried to plead with Gaia and Typhon but to no avail. I saw as Athena tried to reason with Zeus, and now I realized Zeus wasn’t running away because he was scared, he was trying to run to avoid murdering his son and breaking the heart of the one woman he appeared to love more than life itself.

  The water stilled. “Oh, Zeus,” I said, my voice trembling.

  “I have never loved another as much as I loved her. And I have never cherished a son more than I did Typhon.” His shoulders bowed and lines of grief touched his face. “Do you see now? Typhon is not responsible for what is happening. I have awoken him and restored his form to human. Gaia’s magic weakened over the years, especially when she used Typhon all those years ago to try to destroy me.”

  “Does she know what Hera did?” I touched his shoulder.

  “It wouldn’t matter,” he said.

  “I think it might, Zeus. Her love for you was evident. I felt its power.”

  Zeus shook his head. “I have learned over the years to be careful of crossing Hera. Too many people have been hurt. Our children. My children. I cannot risk her wrath again.”

  Hera was a cruel, vain woman who could not let someone go. To release Zeus would have meant giving up her seat as the Queen of Olympus. He was right. She would never stand for such a demotion in power.

  One thing caused me to pause. “How did you wake him?”

  His face took on a grim look. “The only way I knew how. Circe.”

  I felt my blood chill. We’d found our missing link, and it was in the form of an evil sorceress. Just what we needed.

  Zeus raised his hands in supplication as he saw the dismayed look on my face. “He is the only thing more powerful than what is coming after me. It’s something dark, Abby. I can feel it. Someone is a traitor. I just don’t know who it is yet.” He stared into the murky water as if it would offer a solution.

  “I think you have more than one traitor. Count Circe in that category.”

  Zeus let out a humorless laugh. “Already done.
I’ve never trusted her. I needed her to perform a job, plain and simple.”

  “If I was a betting woman, I’d say that Circe has made herself or her accomplice busy around Asheville. Typhon has been seen around the city picking up women all over the place.”

  Zeus blinked in surprise. “He’s been here for the majority of time, hidden away in the palace.”

  “Exactly. I suspect Circe has been plotting with someone against you and using Dionysus as a pawn to throw suspicion off of who it really is.”

  He looked thoughtful. “Interesting. I trust you have a plan to get to the bottom of it?”

  Who was he kidding? I never had a plan. I nodded. “Of course I do.”

  Zeus raised one eyebrow, but didn’t call me out on my lie. He sighed. “Typhon is a complicated person. Raising him was a risky decision, but I missed him. I needed to get to know him.”

  I smiled. “From what I know of him, he’s a wonderful man.”

  I felt his eyes on me. “How would you know that?”

  “We danced to 90’s rap and drank too much ambrosia last night.”

  His deep, booming laugh rang out through the garden. “I should have known. If I ever wished for certain traits in a daughter, Aphrodite, they would be some of yours. Your fire makes people come alive, dear. Don’t ever lose it.”

  My “fire” kept me in pretty constant trouble I wanted to say, but nodded instead. “I’m a little lost. I don’t know who to believe anymore. I can say with an almost utmost certainty that Typhon and Gaia are both innocent. Someone you know and trust appears to be at the heart of this. Someone is building an army against you and hiding using subterfuge and camouflage.”

  He nodded, his shoulders stiff. “I am aware. I have too many enemies to narrow it down. I’m jumpy and paranoid, looking around corners, checking my food. It’s maddening.”

  I pressed my lips together. Our past actions would always rise up to bite us. Zeus knew that so I kept my mouth shut. In his case, he was lucky to be walking around still. Even I had many reasons to hold a grudge against him, but as I’d gotten to know him better, that anger slowly had dissipated. Instead of viewing him like an evil overlord, my opinions were now a bit grayer.