The suspicious gleam in his eyes faded. “I’m sure he will be along shortly. Isn’t that right, Aphrodite?” he asked, sounding amused. Alucard and Gunnar grunted as the goddess of sex materialized out of thin air a few paces away from Zeus. Judging by their reactions, I realized that they had never seen her before. Either that, or they weren’t getting enough attention at home. Thankfully, they didn’t actually begin drooling, although Alucard did lift his sunglasses for an unimpeded professional assessment.
She didn’t meet my eyes, but I caught her glancing at my clothes, pointedly, instantly making me feel self-conscious. What had that meant? What had she done to my clothes? I gave her a polite nod, acting as if we’d never met before.
The marble columns lining the perimeter of the pavilion made me feel like we were trapped in a bird cage, even though there was no ceiling. Beyond the marble pedestals was open, turbulent sky, meaning we were actually trapped up here unless we wanted to fly. I felt no sense of vertigo, even as the wind slapped and pushed at me. Then again, I had fucking wings, so it almost sounded exciting to peer off the edge of the world and take a flying leap with both middle fingers held high.
Between one second and the next, Nate Temple stepped out of thin air onto the Temple crest. I stared, momentarily impressed that he’d managed a Gateway without any of us sensing his magic. Then I recalled the coin Hermes had given Gunnar, and my wounded pride faded to realize that I had given Nate too much credit.
He no longer wore his Titan Thorns or he would have looked like a two-handed Peter. I bit back a smile, realizing I could sense his magic in addition to our Horseman bond. If he’d broken the Titan Thorns, did that mean he’d found his true love? If so…where was Kára? Or had he given his heart to someone other than the Valkyrie? Maybe she was keeping an eye on Ryuu and the other hostages. That made me feel better.
Nate wore an impeccable suit with his satchel slung across his chest, and the top few buttons of his white dress shirt were undone, revealing two necklaces tucked against his flesh. One of them was the Sensate and the other was a familiar coin—his Horseman’s Mask of Hope. He looked relatively unharmed, but his eyes were dark, menacing, and committed.
He was the glint of light on Death’s scythe, and the instant tightening of Zeus’ eyes told me he sensed it as well.
Nate turned to look at us and discreetly shook his head—so faint that I could have mistaken it for a trick of the eye. His eyes were screaming at us, reminding us to maintain our roles while Nate led us down the rabbit hole. I knew things were about to get exceptionally strange, especially violent, and that I would have a lot of questions after the fact since I was not up to date on all things St. Louis.
That was fine. I was, primarily, here for Ryuu, but a close second was fulfilling my role as a Horseman and supporting my friend, the man who had given me the job in the first place. Nate was our brother in arms.
The leader of the Dread Four. Tonight was our official debut, and it was expected to be a doozy.
Nate completely ignored Aphrodite and turned to Zeus, seemingly unfazed by the god’s smile. Zeus’ eyes were calculating, confirming my assumption that this was going to be a long, confusing night of schemers getting their scheme on. Zeus didn’t look remotely surprised to see that Nate no longer wore his Titan Thorns, but he did look mildly annoyed that the first small win of the night had gone to his foe. He’d also anticipated a bigger reaction to Aphrodite’s presence.
Nate gave him nothing. Instead, he focused on Peter with a wicked grin. “Deja vu,” he said. “So weird. Reminds me of the time you betrayed me to work for Alaric Slate,” he said, glancing back at Zeus with a pensive expression.
Zeus stared back at him with a small, insincere smile. “I am so glad that you made it, Temple. I just heard the most troubling news from your Horsemen. That this man,” he said, pointing at Peter, “abducted several of your friends.”
“He’s pretty much the worst,” Nate agreed. “I had to teach him to keep his hands to himself, which is ironic since that involved taking them away from him,” he added, chuckling like a psychopath. So…Nate had severed Peter’s hands. Apparently, he’d had an eventful afternoon and had wasted no time in punishing his old friend, Peter. No naps for Hope.
Zeus’ face remained perfectly calm, but his eyes were a window into madness.
“I’m sure—as a gesture of goodwill—the Horsemen would appreciate you handing,” Nate paused to aim a cruel smile at Peter for the bad pun, “him over to their custody.” Peter narrowed his eyes at Nate in a hateful glare, but he didn’t make a sound.
Aphrodite eyed Nate’s suit with a pointed look, and I could see that it had bothered him. Had…she made a set of clothes for Nate as well? She’d given my clothes a similar look. Zeus shot Aphrodite a dark glare. “I too know something of betrayal, but I think we’ve come to an understanding,” he growled.
She nodded stiffly at her father, refusing to look at anyone else. What familial dysfunction had we stumbled into? I wondered if any of this was going to make sense any time soon. I resigned myself to listening and acting stoic. Nate needed us here for a fight; the rest was just two cocks fighting over a chicken coop. Empty pageantry as they got a better read on their opponent before the final battle.
Zeus smiled. “I must applaud you on incapacitating this criminal,” he said, indicating Peter. “It bodes well for our future partnership. Loyalty is vital.”
“Cool. Why isn’t he walking past me yet? The Horsemen are right there,” Nate replied, pointing a thumb at us.
“Maybe he needs a hand,” Alucard drawled, lifting his sunglasses as if to get a closer look. Then he chuckled.
47
Zeus pursed his lips. “I have a few questions for him and then he is all yours. It seems my sons are missing, and I believe he might know where they are. Hermes is looking for them as we speak. Once he returns, the criminal is all yours.” Peter’s eyes widened in shock, but he still didn’t make a sound. Not even a muffled one. Judging by the pain in his eyes, he should have let out some kind of agonizing groan, or at least a deep breath, by now. Zeus must have gagged him—which actually served to validate our ruse, now that I thought about it. Peter couldn’t deny Nate’s allegations about kidnapping our friends. Unless…Zeus already knew that had been a lie.
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be here any minute…” Nate said with a shit-eating grin.
Aphrodite looked up sharply and Zeus’ smile slipped for a second.
“I spoke with Hera, believe it or not. Boy, is she a talker,” Nate continued, shaking his head and walking a few steps away from the crest, appearing to scan his surroundings in an absent, half-handed assessment of potential danger. But Nate hadn’t looked surprised at our location, so I was betting he knew it well and needed no threat assessment. Nate never did anything without a purpose, so I watched him very closely while pretending to look annoyed and impatient. Nate set his hands on his hips and squinted up at the raging skies with a distant smile. “This is so beautiful. The red on black. I swear I’ve seen it before…”
Zeus’ eyes may have well been daggers, still hung up on the fact that Nate had taken his wife out for a date. “Oh?” he asked. “Did my wife—”
“How about we just cut the shit, Zeus,” Nate interrupted, turning to face him with absolutely zero respect in his posture or tone. I felt goosebumps on my arms, mentally preparing for the inevitable fight. “You’re going to give me the girl back. Then we can discuss our partnership.” Nate actually spit on the ground after saying the word partnership.
“Do you mean Alice?” Zeus asked, frowning. “You brought her here yourself. To keep her safe,” he said in a faux puzzled tone. Nate narrowed his eyes, obviously having done no such thing. In the confusion, I motioned for Gunnar and Alucard not to react, one way or another. The slightest miscue could ruin whatever games Nate and Zeus were playing. Zeus turned to Aphrodite like a stage manager directing a play, finally revealing why Aphrodite was present.
S
he waved a hand, and Alice was suddenly standing between her and Zeus. I sucked in a sharp breath of relief to see the child entirely unharmed. She wore a cute little yellow dress with white tights and shiny black flats. Alice blinked, momentarily confused at her surroundings, and then she saw Nate. Her eyes lit up with joy like a kid seeing Santa.
“Nate! You’re back!” she squealed. “Look!” she giggled, excitedly. “Freya helped me make a magic purse so I can be just like you!” she said. A bright blue shoulder purse suddenly appeared at her hip. She caressed it with all the love and affection a purse deserved. Freya had made her an invisible purse.
Nate was so shocked and relieved to see her healthy and unharmed that he didn’t even complain about Alice referring to his satchel as a purse. Although she was currently safe, she was obviously a hostage, and she obviously believed that Nate really had delivered her to Zeus, which was strange. Alice could see through almost any illusion. She was, in fact, a Seer. A startlingly powerful one. How had Zeus managed to trick her?
“It’s beautiful, Alice. I’m so glad you’re safe,” Nate finally said, and I could tell his mind was racing with half-cocked ideas on how to get her out of Zeus’ reach where he could keep her safe. As much as it hurt, I kept my face blank, occasionally shooting hungry, murderous looks at Peter—as if that was the only reason I was wasting my time here. Gunnar and Alucard did the same, following my lead.
Zeus placed a hand on Alice’s shoulder in a gentle but possessive manner. Alice smiled up at him. “Safe?” she asked, turning to Nate with a slight frown. “Safe from whom?”
Nate pointed an accusatory finger at Peter. “He was abducting people I care about—”
Without waiting for Nate to finish, Alice promptly clutched the hem of her dress and shuffled up to Peter to kick him in the kidney. My eyes widened in surprise and Gunnar actually coughed. Alucard chuckled, nodding his approval. Peter groaned in utter silence, proving he really was gagged with magic. He didn’t move from his spot or fall down on his side, either, which meant he was also restrained. Alice turned her nose up at him. “Bully!”
Even Zeus looked surprised by her reaction. “Good job, Alice. He is a terrible, terrible man,” he said, squeezing her shoulder and meeting Nate’s glare with a mockingly kind, grandfatherly smile.
Alice took one look at Nate’s scowl and she frowned, nervously. “Are you mad at me?” she asked in a soft, scared voice. Nate immediately shook his head, but I saw a strange look pass over Alice’s face, as if she’d just seen something in Nate, using her Seer powers. Then she let out a sharp gasp. “Oh! Don’t be scared. I’ve kept your Catalyst book safe. It’s in my magic purse,” she said, sounding on the verge of tears as she reached inside to pull out a tattered book.
I froze, not liking the sound of that one bit. The fucking Catalyst book? A text that probably described, in great detail, why Nate was so important for the upcoming Omega War. Pretty much the entire reason Nate’s parents had fucked with everyone’s lives? Well, shit.
Before anyone could stop him, Zeus calmly reached over her shoulder and plucked it from her grip with a hungry grin. “Finally,” he breathed with a rapturous smile, staring down at the book and dropping all pretenses that he cared for Alice. This was what he had been waiting for—why he’d abducted Alice. To get leverage on Nate and, ultimately, the Dread Four.
“Hey!” Alice snapped, kicking the god in the ankle. “Give it back, you big bully! That’s mine!”
Zeus cursed in surprise, but rage swiftly took over and his face morphed into a visage of violence. “Move even a finger from that spot, or utter another syllable, and I will end your miserable existence, you wretched creature,” he snarled, his eyes suddenly crackling with electricity. Alice froze at his startlingly abrupt change in demeanor. “You can’t count the number of times I almost threw you off the cliff to cease your endless babbling,” he muttered. “This makes it all worth it,” he said, smiling at the deadly book.
Alice hung her head, her shoulders shrinking. Then they began to tremble. She sniffled…
I cringed, discreetly checking up on Nate, fearing that he was about to kick off the Omega War right here, right now. The raw pain and molten fury in his eyes made my heart skip a beat and I felt Gunnar and Alucard shift their feet behind me. “No,” I breathed, firmly, but only loud enough for them to hear.
Zeus gave Nate a triumphant grin, not seeming to notice Alice’s reaction. “This will be of great help in the upcoming war. Knowing how the Catalyst ticks.” A shadow of fear settled over me. If Zeus could control the Catalyst with that book, he really would single-handedly control the Dread Four. “The book you found in Fae,” he mused. “The book that got her parents killed. The book about the Omegabet and the Catalyst.”
Nate stared back at him and I saw his eyes narrow ever so slightly, as if he’d had an epiphany of some kind. I wasn’t sure anyone else saw it because it was gone almost the moment I saw it. His attention shifted to Alice for a brief moment, and then he licked his lips, nervously.
“One step closer and I’ll burn it to ashes,” Zeus warned, staring straight at me for some reason. “You need it just as much as me, Temple. That much I know. Right, Alice?” She nodded stiffly, still sniffling.
Despite everything, Gunnar growled loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’m here for my kids. That scumbag will pay for what he’s done,” he snarled, glaring at Peter. Alucard echoed his agreement, forcing me to do the same or attract suspicion.
“Let’s make a deal, old man,” Nate said, reaching into his satchel and pulling out—
I gasped. And I wasn’t the only one. Nate held Pandora’s Box in his hand. What the fuck was he thinking?
Zeus frowned suspiciously, and then he licked his lips at the opportunity to seize even greater power and control. “She’s inside?” he asked, warily. Nate nodded. “I will not be handing over my leverage, Temple,” he said, dryly, lifting the Catalyst book. “With this, I can make you do what I want.”
Nate shook his head. “Keep the book. Give me Alice.”
Zeus grunted. “Why? A vile slip of a girl for Pandora and her Armory? That’s foolish.”
Nate shrugged. “Think about it, Zeus. All the scary stories you’ve heard about me…the stories that keep you awake at night. I did all of those things without the Armory,” he said with a chilling smile. “I don’t need the trinkets within to be the Catalyst.”
Zeus reconsidered the exchange in silence. “One condition,” he finally said, crouching down and beckoning Alice closer. She shied away from him, careful not to move her feet due to his earlier threat.
“Touch her and the Omega War starts now,” Nate snarled, clenching a fist.
Zeus scoffed. “I need a quick favor, is all. I will not touch her. Consider it rent for her visit. I had to send Hermes to buy crayons just to get her to shut up for more than five minutes.” Speaking of, I wondered where Hermes was right now.
“Alice?” Nate asked, offering her the choice to make her own decision on the matter before he agreed. She nodded nervously, putting on a brave face as she gave him a weak thumbs up.
Brave girl, I thought to myself, mentally preparing myself for the worst.
“Fine,” Nate muttered.
“Come here, child,” Zeus said, smiling like a snake. I saw Nate slip his hand into his satchel, preparing some form of attack, but he didn’t look my way for back-up so it obviously wasn’t a discreet signal for us to raise mayhem. Alice walked up to Zeus and the god bent down to whisper in her ear. I shot Alucard an inquisitive look but he shook his head. He hadn’t been able to eavesdrop.
Alice slowly turned to look at Aphrodite, her eyes growing distant and dazed. Then she glanced at Nate for a moment before turning back to Zeus. “I can see that your daughter is loyal,” she said.
I felt my blood run cold. Wait…if Aphrodite was loyal to Zeus, things were about to get very fucking complex.
Nate looked just as confused. One thing I knew about a Seer was that they
could read a person so clearly that they could often accurately determine their intentions and innermost desires. Yet she hadn’t seen through Zeus’ false hospitality. What was really going on here? Had Alice just lied, or had Aphrodite been lying to both me and Nate?
Aphrodite smiled, looking relieved.
Two bodies suddenly slammed into the pavilion and slid across the marble floor, leaving a fresh slug-like trail of ichor emanating from the Temple Crest design. Everyone jumped in alarm, equally shocked by the sudden comets.
I risked a quick glance to see two horribly beaten, bloody men whimpering and groaning in agony, unable to stand. Mist rose up from their clothes like they were smuggling dry ice.
I couldn’t even make out who they were through all the blood and dirt covering their faces, but the golden ichor told me one thing—they were gods, and probably Olympians. I remembered Zeus saying he was waiting on Ares and Apollo to arrive, and I took a wild guess.
They had just fucking arrived. And we were two bodies closer to war.
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Zeus scowled at his sons with a disgusted look. “Incompetent pieces of shit,” he growled.
“The box for the girl,” Nate reminded him.
Zeus studied Nate with a calculating eye. Then he shrugged. “I can’t say they didn’t deserve a little payback,” he admitted, unconcernedly. Talk about fatherly love. “And if the two of them couldn’t get the best of you while you were shackled and tied to a table, they deserved what you gave them.”
I frowned, glancing at Gunnar and Alucard to see if they’d known anything about Nate somehow beating the hell out of two Olympians all by himself. He had to have done it since we last saw him. Had he whooped the shit out of Hermes as well? Maybe Aphrodite’s advice had been spot on—don’t trust any Olympian. Even Aphrodite. Gunnar and Alucard shook their heads, just as surprised as me.
Trinity: Feathers and Fire Book 9 Page 27