by Tamara White
Once Zane is sure they are gone, he beckons me over to the cushion he’s seated on. I sit down in front of him and wait for whatever comes next.
Zane rubs his hands together to warm them before placing them against my temples. A slight zap runs through me at his touch and I flinch.
“Just hold still, Val. It will tingle a bit, but it shouldn’t hurt. If it does, just tell me and I’ll stop.”
I nod my understanding, letting him caress my face. Then I feel what I assume is magic seeping into my mind. It feels like there are doors being opened one by one, doors that I didn’t even know were closed to begin with. One at a time, memories come rushing back to me.
Images from my childhood of Mom and Dad fighting, the two of them even going so far as throwing fire at each other. I had snuck down the stairs and watched in horror as my mom threw a particularly large blast at my father. I rushed to help him and stepped in the way of the fire, somehow sending it flying back to her.
My tenth birthday, when my powers caused the electricity on the entire street to go out. Afterwards, my mother looked at me like I was a steak she wanted to devour. That was when my father stopped leaving us alone.
Then, when I found out Dad was leaving. I cried and cried until my mother came into my room. She started screaming and threw anything she could at me. I created a dome to protect myself before passing out.
The night of the accident. Her stroke wasn’t what caused the car to crash. No, she crashed it on purpose in an attempt to kill me.
When I was eighteen, she hovered over my bed with a knife, after having drawn symbols over my scarred chest. When she went to plunge the blade in, my eyes snapped open and magic swelled up around me, sending her flying.
The night of Natalie’s death.
My mother was standing in the middle of the road, barring the way with her body. I remember hearing Natalie’s sweet voice. “If I survive this, Val, I’ll explain everything. If I don’t—I love you, babe.” Then she proceeded to throw fireballs at my mother.
My mother retaliated, flinging rocks and other things, as if she only had to think and the earth would obey her command.
Natalie knocked my mother back with a wave of purple magic and I found the energy to rush to my best friend’s side. Then I dragged her to the safety of the car.
“Come on, Nat, let’s go!” I begged.
She shook her head sadly. “I can’t, babe. Some things happen because they have to. There’s nothing we can do to change that.”
“What are you talking about? Let’s get out of here!”
Her eyes showed an acceptance that baffled me, and one that I couldn’t bear. It was as if she had been expecting this to happen, that she knew it would always come to this.
Power rose up within me and I stood, summoning as much of it as I could. Then I spoke the words that sealed my friend’s fate.
“I invoke all the power I hold and call upon the fates. Let my friend live. I offer myself as payment.”
At the last part, Natalie’s mouth dropped open in shock. Then a loud pop sounded and she disappeared in front of my eyes.
In the next moment, a lifeless body appears in her place, resembling my best friend so much that it frightens me. But I know Natalie is safe. I don’t know where she is, just that she’s safe, which is all that matters.
My mother rose to her feet and looked over at me with smugness in her gaze. “I guess I win after all. Now I just need your power.”
Then she threw a wall of flames at me, but before I could even think of defending myself, a woman appeared in front of me, one that I know recognize even though I didn’t at the time. Hecate.
She smiled at me, then turned to my mother. Hecate flicked her fingers and my mother passed out cold, falling to the ground. At first I thought she was dead, but then I noticed the slight rise and fall of her chest.
“Who are you?” I asked, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Her smile, while seeming genuine, also held an edge of cruelty. “I’m your mother, Valerie. I’m extremely sorry about this, but until you meet your guardians, it’s too dangerous for you to know about your power.”
After that, I remember the night I met Justin, what happened in the blank spots of my memory. It’s all coming back.
When I open my eyes, not realizing I had even closed them in the first place, tears stream down my face, a mixture of happiness and sorrow.
Zane moves his hand to caress my cheek, obviously concerned. “What’s wrong, Valerie? Did I hurt you?”
“No. Sorry, I’m just so happy. Natalie is alive. I saved her.”
“What?! That’s great news! What happened?”
I recount what I saw in my memory and the expressions on his face go from excitement, to fear, to shock, before finally settling on awe.
“You saved someone who had seen a prophecy foretelling their death? Holy shit!” he breathes, his thumb still gently running along my cheek.
My eyes go to his lips and he senses the change in my mood, his eyes turning from concerned to lustful. “Val …”
I don’t let him finish whatever he was going to say, instead leaning forward and pressing my lips to his. He moans and kisses me back, his tongue diving in to taste me.
We continue to kiss for a few minutes before a cough breaks us out of the moment. I pull back, surprised I don’t feel embarrassed to have been caught kissing one of them. At least until the person speaks.
“Now, I know you’re twenty-one and, as a goddess your hormones are in overdrive, but if you could hold back from pawing my son for a minute, there is much we need to discuss.”
Holy son of a bitch. Sure enough, when I climb off Zane’s lap with as much dignity as I can muster in the moment, it’s to see Zeus standing in the doorway, with Cassandra and my father standing just behind him.
Oh shit.
They all walk in and take seats around the room. Zeus chooses a single chair over in the corner, keeping his back to the wall. Cassandra and my father, on the other hand, decide to share a love seat on the opposite side of the room.
After they settle into their seats, the other guys come into the room and I fight the blush at the knowing smirks they give us. Zane has moved back a little, obviously to give me some space, but I don’t want to be far from him right now, so I end up sitting in his lap, with my legs hanging over him. Then Jaxson sits down beside the two of us, pulling my feet up into his lap. If they weren’t so huge, I could easily fit between them on the couch, but something tells me they need to hold me close right now.
Carter and Cooper seem to feel the same way, as they both sit down on the floor in front of me, pressing their into the couch to be close to me. I feel safe, protected from the people who might hurt me. Sadly, that includes my father, because I suspect he knew about my mother all along.
After everyone sits down, I notice out the corner of my eye a crow sitting on a bookshelf in the corner. Everyone seems to be oblivious to its presence so I ignore it too, all the while hoping its not some hallucination.
Zeus, or Coach Daniels, whatever he likes to be called, leans forward in his chair. “Valerie, I want to apologize if I scared you earlier. I just needed you to be aware of your powers because I’m going to need your help, and experiencing real fear is the easiest way for you to gain access your powers.”
Wait, what? Zeus needs my help?
“There has to be some kind of mistake. I only just found out about my powers, and while it feels like I’ve found this missing part of me, I doubt I could be of any help.”
Zane runs his hand up and down my arm soothingly, helping me to stay calm.
Cassandra watches me with a smile, her expression radiating happiness. “Yes, Valerie. Zeus is asking for your help, but you can always say no.”
No sooner does she finish speaking than a loud pop sounds, leaving my ears ringing. When I recover enough to look up, I see the goddess Hecate, my mother, standing in the middle of the room with a tall man at her side who seems vaguely
familiar.
Where do I know him from?
“Hello, Valerie. I take it you are well?”
The man meets my eyes. A mirror image of my own stare back at me and I realize just who he is. I can feel the connection and my power feels close to him, even without really knowing him. “You’re my father, aren’t you?”
Jaxson snorts from beside me. “Don’t be silly. That’s Ares, God of War. It’s impossible for two gods to have children,” he explains when I turn to glare at him.
Zeus rises to his feet, looking between Hecate and Ares for a long moment, before finally turning back to me. He’s trying to hide his shock, but his eyes scream anger and confusion.
I turn back to Hecate and Ares and I just know, undoubtedly, that they are my parents. After a moment, Zeus speaks. “Actually, Jaxson, Valerie is correct. Ares is her father. I can see it now.”
My four guys look at me, shock and newfound respect in their eyes, but I don’t miss the fear there either. If I have two gods as my parents, what does that make me? I can’t be a demigod.
“Yes, my dear, I can see you’re putting the pieces together. You are not a demigod as everyone assumed, but a minor goddess.” Hecate smiles at me warmly. “I know you must still have a million questions. I promise we’ll sit down and have a nice long talk as soon as this matter has been resolved.”
Zeus turns his attention to me. “I need you to accompany me to the Realm of Light and train with my top commanders. I want you and your father to lead my army.”
My instincts scream at me to run from him. After the story the guys just told me, I have to wonder if everyone here has lost their mind. Isn’t Zeus the one who killed Poseidon and his son? And didn’t he plan to build some army to go against Hades? What if this is that same army?
“Uh, as much as I appreciate your offer to help you lead your army, I think I’m going to decline. I’ve only just found out about my powers and this world. I have no idea what I can do and would like the chance to learn more about all of this before committing to anything,” I explain, trying to remain diplomatic.
His expression turns violent at that, but I do my best to stay calm.
“Very well, Valerie. I understand you don’t know much about us yet, so I will leave it to your parents to explain exactly what happens to those who deny my requests.”
Zeus grins wickedly at Cassandra as he gets to his feet. “Why, Cassandra, I had forgotten how beautiful you are. I have missed you severely.”
She scoffs and narrows her eyes at him. “From what I heard, you and Persephone have been doing just fine without me.”
After that, they stare at each other. Then Zeus strides over to and out the door without another word.
I don’t get it. He just left his sons without even talking to them.
What a complete ass!
“Can we have some privacy to talk with Valerie?” Ares asks the room. Silence greets his request and all eyes turn to me, leaving the choice up to me.
I sigh and give a node, wanting to know as much as I can. “Yes, that’s fine.”
With that, everyone gets to their feet, leaving me alone with my biological parents and my father, who stays behind. It’s not until the sitting room door is closed that I realize the bird is still in the room. He flies down from his perch and lands on the back of my chair, clearly warning my parents not to try something.
“So, why did you give me up?” I ask in a small voice.
Hecate sighs and her visage changes from a put-together woman who could take on the world to a woman who looks utterly defeated.
“I didn’t give you away, Valerie. You were taken from us. Aphrodite stole you after I gave birth. My body was only just able to handle the pure power you released during your birth. I passed out and when I came to, Aphrodite told me you had died.
“But then when you were six months old, your father felt your War power calling to his own. He hunted you down and found you living in a human home. He took you and brought you back to me. The moment you were in the Realm of Light, though, Zeus was alerted to the presence of a new power.”
Ares takes over, his shoulders drooped. “We took you back to the human realm, where we ran across Hades. We asked for his advice on what to do.
“We had planned to live in the Earth Realm with you, but if a god spends too much time in the Earth Realm they begin to weaken, eventually dying. But instead, Hades advised us to find a family who could raise you as human while we watched over you from afar. And that’s what we did,” he explains, before turning to my father, waiting for him to pick up the story.
“Melissa and I are witches who were given power by Hecate. Most witches of Hecate’s line are designed to serve her if called upon. But just like with all people, some of them have evil so deep in their heart they can’t help but let it control them. That’s what happened to Melissa. She was once a white witch, but being in close proximity to your power turned her heart dark. She wanted what you had and it drove her mad that she kept being thwarted,” he explains as a tear falls from my eye.
“There’s still one teeny, tiny problem with that, Dad. Why did you leave me there? Why not bring me here when you moved? I still can’t believe you left me alone with that bitch! How could you?” My voice rises with each word.
Then the bird behind me caws loudly, grabbing my attention. I reach out and touch his feathers, feeling a wave of calm emanating from him.
“He didn’t leave you alone. You had your friend.” Hecate nods her head towards the bird.
I laugh abruptly. “Oh yes. Father of the Year Award goes to the man who left a damn bird to watch over me.”
The bird in question nips my finger. I snatch my hand back and glower at it.
Hecate just laughs and walks towards me. “Your bird wasn’t always a bird. Here, let me show you.”
I stand up, curious by what she might mean. I watch in fascination as she waves at the bird. A purple mist covers the creature for a moment. Then it clears, leaving a woman standing in its place. A woman I know.
Twenty-Six
“Where is she?! You were supposed to deliver her to me by now! I’m getting tired of waiting.”
I bow my head, knowing I need to move my plans up. There are gods in the human realm now. They will all be so distracted with each other, that no one would notice her disappearance. They’d probably just think she was overwhelmed and ran away. Yes. Today is the day.
“Give me a few more hours; then you will have the power you dream of.”
“Natalie? Oh my fucking god!” I practically push Hecate out of my way in my rush to get to my best friend, who is standing in front of me, naked as the day she was born.
We grip each other tightly and laugh. I’m just so relieved to see her, and to learn that I didn’t kill her after all!
“I’m so, so, sorry,” I murmur against her hair as she sobs into my shoulder.
She pulls away with a glare on her face, and I wait for her to berate me for doing what I did. After all, I turned her into a crow!
“Don’t you dare be sorry for saving my life. Do you know what happens when you get a vision of your death? You die. There’s no way around it. My vision showed me dying that night, but thanks to you, I’m alive right now.”
I let a relieved smile cross my lips and am about to respond, but then a sudden thought strikes her. “Though, maybe next time, how about making me something cool like a wolf or a giant bear? I heard that ass talking so much shit about you that I figured I’d shower him in literal shit, but if I was a bear, imagine the damage I could have done to his car?” Her eyes mist over as she thinks about the possible destruction and I can’t help but laugh. This is my best friend. The one who would do anything for me, just as I would for her.
“Wait, Jaxson was talking shit about me?” I ask.
The smile gives in response tells me she’s on the same page I am. We’re going to hunt that ass down and confront him.
Damn. I forgot how much I loved Natalie. She bring
s me out of my shell and makes me feel normal for being weird.
“Right. While you two are plotting the demise of one of my daughter’s guardians, there are other pressing matters to attend to. Maybe you want to go get your friend some clothes, Valerie?” My biological mother suggests with a small smile.
“Shit! Good call., I can’t exactly have her walking around naked in front of my boyfriends. I’ll meet you all in the kitchen in five.”
Wasting no time, I throw a spare blanket over Natalie’s body and drag her out and to my room. She digs through my clothes and gets dressed in a pair of dark wash jeans and a bright green tee while I have my back turned. When I turn back to face her, I can see the weight of the world on her shoulders and I don’t like the look of it one bit.
“What’s wrong, Nat?” When she shakes her head, I see the tears welling up in her eyes. I pull her into my arms and let her cry out her fear and frustration.
“My parents think I’m dead,” I hear between sobs.
Shit. I didn’t even think of that. What kind of selfish friend am I?
I pull away and look into her eyes, wanting her to see I mean what I’m about to say. “When we finish downstairs, the first thing we will do is call your parents and tell them you’re okay. I promise.” I hold my pinkie up and smile when a giggle escapes her. That’s always been our thing. No matter how old we get, a pinkie promise is still binding.
“Okay, let’s go deal with this god stuff. I still kinda can’t believe you’re really a god. I always just assumed you were a witch. That’s why Sally, Jess and I thought we were all drawn to you. Now, though, I guess we know it’s something much stronger than that.”
“Minor goddess,” I correct as we walk out the pool house. Then her words register. “You’re a witch?!”
She grips my arm and turns me to face her. She studies my face closely, for what I’m not sure. “Val, forget about witches right now. Did you even listen to Zeus? Your bio parents are both gods, something that has never happened, like, ever. That makes you more than just a minor goddess. Especially if you inherited both your parents’ powers.”