“This is not a job you can resign from,” Freya said in a stern, yet concerned tone. “I mean that literally. If not a Valkyrie, you are just a soul.”
Kára nodded stiffly. “I am aware of this. Before the first horn of war, a warrior accepts that she might die this day. That does not stop her from clasping on her armor and kissing her axe.”
Freya sucked in a breath, looking as if it had been a blow to her heart. “I know that the exact details of your death were concealed from me, but that the main premise I was given was true. You saved a life when you died. Before you, I have never accepted a Valkyrie without their complete story unfurled before me. Yet I agreed not to press you on the matter.”
Kára nodded woodenly, looking about as guilty and heartbroken as ever. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Freya, which was why she’d tried to shrug off her duty by pointing out her failures in the very beginning—to make Freya’s decision simpler. “I—”
Death suddenly appeared out of thin air, slamming his scythe into the ground between Kára and Freya. Both women leapt back, wielding wicked spears on reflex. I don’t know where the hell Freya had pulled hers from, but it looked deadly enough to castrate an interrupting Horseman.
Death remained motionless, assuring them that he was no direct threat. Then he turned to Kára. “You. Will. Be. Silent.”
“You have no authority here, Horseman,” Freya said in a cool tone.
“The dead are my responsibility. I give you information on souls with potential and certain qualities you desire. You accepted Kára at face-value, and those consequences are yours to bear.” He dipped his chin to show her he meant no disrespect. “That, and your conversation is not as private as you may think,” he said, his hood hanging low to conceal his face from the two women.
And I felt his eyes lock onto me, unbeknownst to them. In that brief look, I sensed pain and conflicting emotions—a man forced to choose between two terrible decisions.
His next words struck me like a knife. “Some people do not realize how dangerous it is to spy on a god without their body to protect them. They do not understand that there are things worse than death, reserved specifically for nosy, wandering souls.”
Both women spun towards me and, for the briefest of moments, I thought Kára might have seen me, because her eyes widened in disbelief. But I had already fled, not desiring to bet on the age-old question.
Does a spear fly faster than an apology?
19
I slipped back into my body and collapsed as pain suddenly overwhelmed me. I’d forgotten all about how beaten up I was. It was easy to forget when astral projecting. I groaned, climbing to my feet, trying to make sense of what I’d just seen.
Who had Kára once been, and why had the details of her death been hidden from Freya?
Why had Death interrupted her answer, only to turn around and save me?
And what would now happen to Kára?
When Aphrodite opened our door and slipped into our cell, I had moved to my cot, attempting to get some genuine sleep before my next big adventure.
I smelled her familiar perfume and groaned as I looked over at her.
The door softly clicked closed and she shuffled towards my cot on slippered feet, not making a sound. She knelt by my bed, wincing at my current state. My eye had swollen even more while I slept, and my nose felt like it was the size of my entire face. My head pounded something fierce.
“Oh, good. I bet family dinner was a real hoot,” I mumbled.
Rather than answering me, she forced a drink from her flask to my lips, waiting until I downed it all. I gasped in relief as the Ambrosia instantly went to work healing me. As my muscles and bones knitted and clicked back into their proper place, she worked on Carl.
Aphrodite knelt back down by my cot, resting a hand on my chest. “What were you thinking? They are furious. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen them so…rattled. Especially Ares,” she added with an unhappy tone.
I chuckled unashamedly. “I tried getting him angry in other ways, but you were the hot button he responded to the most.”
She smirked faintly. “I do know how to inflame the…hearts of men,” she admitted with a proud grin. “But why did you do this? Why not just let them torture you and be done with it?”
I shook my head. “I needed them to go hard. Hard enough that they realized they’d gone way too far and decide to skip a session or two to harden their mental defenses against my superior ability to infuriate them.”
She watched me thoughtfully. “Why? We need only moments to leave.”
I reached out to settle my hand atop hers and smiled warmly. “You’re risking your life for me. I need at least one Olympian to see that I’m willing to risk my life for theirs. Give you enough time to make a clean break.” She shuddered, nodding stiffly…in gratitude? It hadn’t been that big of a risk, not with their Ambrosia and Zeus needing us alive. I didn’t point that out, of course. “If I hadn’t, they might have decided to take turns every hour on the hour. I needed to guarantee that they did such a complete job that I also had the chance to buy myself the most time for my plans once I’m out of here.”
Aphrodite nodded again, seeming to have regained her own composure, but I could tell that my actions had earned me a significant level of respect from her. “Well, it took me some time to calm Ares down and convince him to take the night to come up with a better plan. Apollo banged on my bedroom door for an hour before giving up,” she admitted with a shameless smile. “Apollo left the mountain, apparently. Ares and Hermes went to look for him and find out what the hell you said to him, leaving me in charge. I complained about the responsibility dumped onto my lap, of course,” she admitted with a smile, but I’d seen the curiosity in her eyes when she’d mentioned Apollo leaving.
“I told him you three were scheming to rope me into your—Zeus’ plans—giving him the hint that he was being left out. Maybe something about his father mocking his incompetence and his siblings laughing about it. I imagine Ares and Hermes will not receive a…sunny reception.”
She grimaced. “Well, it looks like I’ll definitely be leaving soon as well. The moment you disappear with me as the only prison guard, I’ll either be punished for my involvement or my failure. I’d considered staging the cell so that it seemed you had found your own way out, but that sounds contrived after you single-handedly mind-fucked my brothers.” She didn’t sound reluctant. Just resigned.
I nodded, resting my forehead against hers. “Thank you, Aphrodite.”
All I could do now was hope the seeds of chaos I had planted took root. At least I was no longer crippled with pain. I could even see clearly and breathe through my nose. It was going to be a good day. “Well, we should probably get the hell out of here, eh?”
She nodded, pulling me to my feet. She closed her eyes and touched the chains connected to my manacles. Her fingers began to glow with a vibrant pink light, and I felt a steady hum in the air. The chains hissed, recoiling from her touch even as the crimson runes and symbols flared brighter. Then they abruptly winked out of existence. I grunted, cocking my head.
“Um. That didn’t happen last time,” I said, fearing she might have triggered a silent alarm.
She nodded. “Temporarily unhooking them from your Titan Thorns is simple. Untethering them from both the Titan Thorns and the cell is entirely different. They returned back to a safe lock-up in Hephaestus’ workshop, out of dangerous hands.” She looked surprisingly drained, her face pale and gaunt from her effort.
I nodded idly. It made sense. “How did you do it?” I asked, wondering if any of her brothers could be pinned for my escape.
She approached Carl and placed her hands on the chains, answering me without looking. Carl watched her, and he looked surprisingly nervous. “Love,” she whispered back as I spotted a similar pink glow, the runes flaring with crimson light and a keening hiss. “The chains repel…love,” she mumbled drunkenly. They winked out of existence and she instantly stumbled, her legs giving
out.
I shouted, but Carl swept her up in his arms, catching her and holding her horizontally, with a panicked look on his face. Her head rolled dazedly, leaning against his shoulder for a moment before she snapped back into focus, blinking up at him in confusion.
“You fell,” he said, gently. “And you did not adequately satisfy Master Temple last night, so I did not want you damaged until you resolved the matter.”
She was silent for a moment, but I was too busy fighting down my embarrassed blush. “Fucking Carl,” I muttered. “You don’t say things like that. I told you I had it under control.”
Aphrodite burst out laughing. “I…see. I think I can stand on my own now, Elder Carl. Thank you for catching me, and for…looking out for Nate’s best interests,” she said, not bothering to hide her grin.
Carl set her down with a satisfied nod, but remained close to support her if she fell again.
I scowled at the pair of them for good measure, and then I turned to my satchel. I still had no magic, but at least I wasn’t chained to a wall. I walked over and scooped up my satchel as nonchalantly as possible. I might not have magic, but I finally had my bag of tricks.
I didn’t want her to see how frantic I was to get my hands on it. As much as I trusted her…I didn’t fully trust her. She was now on Zeus’ shit list, and she might be angling for an insurance policy to put herself back in his good graces if things went south.
Right now, the contents of my satchel were my only means of self-defense. If I cackled like a mad lunatic, she might just change her mind about helping me. I deftly slipped Hermes’ coins into the satchel, pretending to check one of the straps. I’d been relieved to find the golden Gateways still in my pockets after Aphrodite had shredded my clothes. The real question was, had she seen them? She hadn’t said anything about them, but she’d sewn the clothes up with magic. Paranoia was the spice of life. I didn’t know what I was going to do with them yet. Maybe I would toss one into a fucking volcano and turn this shithole into a tower of ash.
I grabbed Carl’s shredded jacket and tossed it to him. “Do you love anyone unconditionally?”
He tensed and grew unnaturally still, his face blank. “No.” Then he slipped into his coat, zipped it up forcefully, and caressed the filthy pink material with his claws, smiling delightedly.
Aphrodite frowned at his strange reaction—especially his adoration of the tattered pink coat.
“Where will you go?” I asked her, leaving Carl to his secrets.
A ghost of a frown crossed her face. “Hide until our next meeting and hope you can come up with a way to stop my Father.”
I nodded. “I hope I can.”
“That’s all anyone can do.” She flashed me a smile. “Especially you, Horseman of Hope.”
I mirrored her smile. “Can you make a Gateway to Grimm Tech? I need to go shopping.” Other than my satchel, I also had a company with a hefty research and development department. It was time to play Batman, and I even had a pale, scaly Robin. Despite everything, my heart began to lift with hope.
Aphrodite frowned. Some of the color had returned to her cheeks, but she still looked exhausted. “Not the Armory? You need protection, not paperwork.”
I shrugged, keeping my face neutral. “I left a key to a safe house there. It’s stocked up for emergencies,” I lied.
She watched me for a few moments and then finally nodded. “As you wish.” She waved a hand, creating a hazy Gateway. I couldn’t see through to the other side; it just looked like a vaseline-coated window hanging in mid-air. I could make out the other side of the cell through it. “Jump through. I will come for you as swiftly as I can.”
“Good,” Carl said, nodding in satisfaction. “As long as you reciprocate.”
I groaned, wanting to throat-punch him. Especially when Aphrodite smiled at him. “I think I like you, Elder Carl. You’re…lively.”
He cocked his head. “Well, I’m also deadly,” he said with a frown.
She grinned even wider, patting him on the shoulder. “I have no doubt, Elder Carl,” she reassured him. Then she turned back to me, winking. She assessed the Gateway, nodded, and then pointed at my Titan Thorns. “You should be immune to tracking, but I wouldn’t depend on it. Be vigilant.”
I frowned, not having even thought of Zeus tracking me via my manacles. I’d have to find a way to resolve that. Luckily, I’d had plenty of time to think about it and already had an idea. “Then we need to set up a time and place for our…lessons, right?”
Carl watched the two of us curiously. “Do all humans schedule sex in their calendars?”
Aphrodite smirked. “Only malicious wives aiming to break their husbands into a shallow grave or a hollow affair.” I narrowed my eyes, realizing that her example made me the malicious wife in our relationship. She smiled playfully. “Do not worry. I gave you a talisman so I may find you. Check your pockets, my lamb,” she said mysteriously. I did, and found a short pink and purple bow tied from a silk ribbon. I slipped it back into my pocket with a faint smile. “A happy bedroom is all about the unknowns and the potential for surprise. No schedules, no inhibitions. I will find you when you least expect it.” She eyed me up and down, enjoying the shy look on my face. “Be sure to stay hydrated, Temple. You are going to need it…either way. Resisting is harder than releasing,” she said, clearly enunciating the last word in another euphemism.
“I will make sure he is ready for you,” Carl promised in a solemn tone. “It is my duty.”
She beamed brightly, curtsied at Carl, and then she simply disappeared.
Carl flinched, staring down at the empty space where she had been standing, looking more surprised that her Gateway still remained. “I like her, Master Temple.”
“Let’s go before one of her brothers returns.” I leapt through the Gateway, hoping this wasn’t all some trap Aphrodite was setting up for us—her own form of torture. Without the ability to see through, it was a gamble. Better than a second longer in my prison cell, though. I hoped.
I glanced back and frowned, unable to see Mount Olympatraz. I couldn’t see the Gateway either, just the same barely noticeable haze to the air, like a mirage. Carl appeared out of the center, and the haze evaporated behind him like a popped bubble.
I scanned our surroundings, wondering where, exactly, she’d sent us. I quickly found that we were concealed in a stand of trees just outside Grimm Tech. Thankfully, it was also night here. I let out a sigh of relief, glad that she hadn’t somehow been able to send us directly inside. That would have meant the building was compromised—and similarly, all the experimental magitech items within.
She had expected to send me to the Armory. Could she have done so? I shivered. I needed to warn Pandora about the unfolding situation, but not until I knew I wasn’t being tailed. As much as I appreciated Aphrodite, I was cognizant of the fact that she could teach me all about love and still stab me in the back for her father. Or her husband. Or anyone else. She could be playing me much like she’d claimed to be playing her father. Much like I was playing all of them.
Carl leaned in uncomfortably close. “The red heels you bought me,” he whispered, flicking my ear with his tongue so that I jumped. “I love them unconditionally.”
I arched an eyebrow and stared down at his cuffs. Nothing happened. “Shoes are not the same as a person.”
He nodded sadly. “They are better,” he whispered reverently. “People hurt you. People do not make you feel pretty. They make you feel self-conscious.”
He was staring off into the distance as he said it. I was surprised at the depth of his statement. I frowned sadly. “You didn’t need to be self-conscious about that, Carl. You could have said that when I first asked.” He looked down at his feet, not meeting my eyes. “If we make it out of this, you’re getting a new pair of shoes,” I promised him.
He looked up, grinning happily. “Yes!”
“First, we have to rob the local billionaire of his extremely volatile, experimental gadgets. Shoes
are for winners.”
Carl’s eyes narrowed competitively. “Then we must fucking win. For shoes and glory.”
I sighed. “Yep. That.”
20
I reached into my satchel and pulled out a velvet Crown Royal pouch. I opened it and knelt in the grass, carefully spilling a collection of glass marbles out before me. I began sifting through them, inspecting the markings on each one. “Okay, Carl. We’re going to break in and I’m going to grab a few things. I need you to be on look-out because we have to be stealthy. Security cameras are everywhere, and I’m not sure if Ashley or Othello has any permanent guards on duty.” I frowned, unable to recall where Ashley now fit into the hierarchy of Grimm Tech. Othello had taken a more active role recently, where Ashley kind of coasted on the day-to-day operations, much like me.
Some CEO I was. I shook my head, realizing I didn’t give a shit. The revenues were good and I trusted them. Whatever system they had was working better without me nosing into it. Also, when that same CEO was currently planning on robbing said company, it wasn’t very rational to criticize the management structure.
“There might be werewolves and wizards on duty. Maybe some Shift students as well. We can’t hurt them. They’re just doing their jobs. And we can’t knock on the front door or else everyone will hear that I’m back and Zeus will thunderbliviate the complex, and maybe all of St. Louis.”
Carl nodded, unfazed. “Can I make them bleed? It might be necessary.”
I winced. “I’d rather they not even see us, to be honest. We don’t want them recognizing us. An Elder is obviously an Elder. Well, you might pass as a shifter dragon in the right lighting,” I mused, eyeing his silhouette in the moonlight. “But we do have to get out of here cleanly, so if we have to hurt a few in the process, we will. But no serious harm. If we hurt any of them and they recognize us, we’re fucked long-term. They will think I turned against my own people.”
Carnage: Nate Temple Series Book 14 Page 14