“I only need its power to save Cassandra,” Alex said. “By the River Styx, I have no intention of keeping it. I’m only trying to save my daughter.”
Ares stiffened at the unexpected oath, and then he clamped a heavy hand on Alex’s shoulder. “You have a noble reason for war, little Alex,” he said. “Not that you ever need a reason, but it’s good to have one nevertheless. But what makes you think this is a war you can win?”
“Athena and Artemis have pledged themselves to our cause,” Alex said. “They both seem convinced others would join, especially if the two of you do as well.”
“And how do you plan on winning?”
“I think if my wife can survive and enlist the help of Achlys, she’ll be able to defeat Zeus,” Alex said. “Especially if he’s without that ax.”
“Yes, the ax,” the God of War said with an approving nod. “I could wield it.”
“Does this mean we can count on your support?”
Ares was about to answer with a resounding yes when Aphrodite interrupted. “What happens after?”
Alex dropped his brow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, who gets the throne?”
“Whoever has the ax gets the throne,” Ares rightly pointed out. “And since both you and I went to war against Typhon, we should be the ones to rule. What other couple is there? Hades and Persephone? He has the underworld to take care of already.”
Aphrodite soured her disfigured face, and Alex could tell she still felt conflicted. “True, but still…”
“Still, what?” asked Alex.
Aphrodite sighed heavily and shook her head. “It’s not a betrayal, is it? From me, I mean, if I topple his reign.”
“No, it’s not,” Alex reassured. “He has to answer for his crimes.”
“Then why do I feel like it is?”
“Because all of this sucks,” Alex said.
“It will suck less when we have the throne,” Ares said, his face bright with anticipation. “Think of it, love. The wars we could wage together would be legendary, and our children’s children could conquer the stars in our name.”
Aphrodite leaned her head against her lover. “Hades and Poseidon will stand with him, though,” she said. “I’m not sure anyone can stand against those three working in concert.”
“I wouldn’t be so certain, especially if Athena sets herself against them,” Ares said. The God of War glanced to Alex. “Fear not, little Alex, we will honor your wife and her glorious sister, Stheno.”
Aphrodite tensed at the gorgon’s name but didn’t speak anything of it. “First things first,” she said, pulling away and smoothing out her chiton. “We need to get that ax.”
“No time like the present,” Alex said with no small amount of relief.
“Quite.” Aphrodite rose on her tiptoes and kissed Ares on the cheek. “Go find Dad. Keep him busy for a while.”
With that, Ares kissed her back and headed out the door. Aphrodite found a nearby mirror, fixed her hair, her chiton, her hair (again), and led Alex out of her estate.
* * *
It took longer than Alex would’ve thought to get to the vault, mostly on account of how cautious Aphrodite was in being sure they weren’t seen by anyone. As nerve-wracking as she made that trip to be, his anxieties increased tenfold when they reached the entrance to the vault.
“You’re sure you can open them?” asked Alex, his eyes focused on the double doors which towered above. They seemed every bit as imposing as Alex remembered them, and the air crackled with three times the energy.
“Yes,” she said.
“You hesitated.”
“Yes, I’m sure, Alex. Would you like to try in my stead?”
“No, but you haven’t even stepped a single foot forward,” he replied. “I found that curious, is all. Not trying to tell you how to do your job. Merely pointing out a tiny little observation.”
Aphrodite ignored his comment. She lightly clapped her hands together several times while nodding to herself, as if she were trying to win an argument that only she was privy to. “Okay, I can do this,” she finally said, rolling her shoulders back. “I can do this.”
She didn’t.
She stood there, unmoving, as if even the slightest wayward breath would cast her into oblivion.
Alex tilted his head. “Aphrodite? Are you okay?”
When she didn’t answer, Alex eased around the goddess so he could face her directly. Her eyes, the only things about her that remained perfect in a mass of scars and missing features, stared out to infinity.
“Hey,” he whispered. “What’s going on?”
Aphrodite’s gaze darted over to him, and she glared. The façade, however, fell in an instant. “Is she pretty?” she asked, voice trembling.
“Is who pretty?”
“Stheno.”
“Oh…Oh,” Alex stammered, feeling stupid.
Aphrodite laughed and shook her head. “That’s a yes.”
Alex didn’t know what to say. Should he lie? Should he simply say no? It would certainly be the truth for many. Did she want her feelings spared? Or would patronizing her only make her more upset? All this flashed through his mind in a couple of heartbeats before he realized saying nothing would be the worst choice of them all. “She’s pretty.”
Aphrodite dropped her shoulders. “Tell me what she looks like.”
“I don’t—”
“Tell me!”
Alex twisted his mouth to the side and rubbed his chin, trying to find the words. He opted for the most sterile approach he could, figuring it would be the safest. “She has red snakes, not green like Euryale’s. Stands a little shorter, but not by much. Long nails and—”
He stopped when she shot him a displeasing look. “Not like that.”
“Like how?”
“How does this see her,” she said, tapping Alex square in the chest. “If you didn’t have your wife, if you saw her for the very first time and knew nothing about her, tell me, Alex, how your heart would see her.”
“She…” Alex’s voice drifted away, and he cursed under his breath. Gods, how was he going to do this? It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but even with the history he had with Aphrodite, the last thing he wanted to do was cut her as deeply as this was going to. “She has a beauty that could send legions of men gladly to their deaths if they caught even a wisp of it.”
Aphrodite swallowed and nodded. “Go on.”
“Fiery red hair, or snakes if you will, cascades over slender shoulders that strike the perfect balance between power and grace,” he said, closing his eyes and trying not to think about the consequences of what was being said. “Her eyes pierce a man’s heart and make him forget to breathe, and her bronzed skin carries the aroma of countless nights spent making love.”
“How does she walk?”
“Like she commands the world,” Alex said without thought. “It wouldn’t surprise me if one day that were true.”
Alex stopped there, praying to the Fates he didn’t have to go on. Aphrodite didn’t make him, but when she spoke, he wished more than anything she had.
“And me?” she asked.
“Say again?” Alex said, even though he’d heard her perfectly.
“And. Me,” she growled. “What do you see when you look at me?”
Alex inched back out of pure reflex and immediately regretted the action.
“Alex,” she said, her voice intense and dominating. “If you don’t tell me this instant what you see when you look at me, you will never—ever—get in this vault. Do you understand?”
Alex nodded. “I do.”
“Then tell me.”
“I see someone who paid the hefty price of war,” he said, picking his words carefully. “I see someone who fought for those she once hated, who found strength she didn’t know she had, who proved her doubters and naysayers wrong by her tenacity and bravery.”
Aphrodite snorted. “But I’m not pretty.”
“It’s the in—”
Alex nodded and sighed in resignation. “No,” he finally said. “You’re not pretty. Not like you were.”
“Thank you for finally deciding to be honest.” She then turned away and shooed a crippled hand at him. “You can stop gawking at me.”
“Sorry,” Alex said. “I wasn’t trying to.”
Aphrodite shook her head with a huff. Alex thought she was about to make her way to the vault doors when her whole body slumped. “I thought I was finally good enough and that I wouldn’t care how scarred I was,” she mourned. “You’d think I’d stop learning to delude myself by now.”
Alex inched forward and carefully took her by the hand. Her skin felt leathery, and what bones remained in her stubby fingers seemed as if they’d crumble if he barely gave them a squeeze. Aphrodite stiffened at the unexpected contact, and he held his breath, expecting a rebuke or even a curse slung his way.
Neither came.
“This isn’t you,” he said, thumb gently massaging the back of her hand. “This is only a shell, a shell that will heal eventually, right?”
“I know, Alex,” she replied. “That’s my point. I am not good enough. Ares wants a shell. A pretty, sexy little shell to parade around.”
“But he’s been with you nonstop.”
“Out of curiosity, nothing more,” she said.
Alex shrugged. “Maybe you’re wrong.”
“I’m ugly, Alex,” she spat. “I’m not stupid or blind. What the hell do you know what goes on between us anyway? Are you there in the bedroom? Have you written down all the things he once said to me and now no longer does? Did you even see the glint in his eyes when he talked about…about her?”
The fear and anger in Aphrodite’s voice were palpable, and for the third time in this exchange, Alex was at a loss of words. He was beginning to think anything he said wouldn’t solve a thing. And in truth, what could he say that would fix it all? Nothing.
He did notice, however, that she hadn’t pulled away. Her hand still rested in his, despite the resentment etched in her face. “I’m sorry,” he said, the void of silence finally getting to him.
“I don’t want your pity.”
“I know,” he said. Cautiously and with as much care as he could manage, he pulled her hand. To his relief, and a little bit of shock as well, she inched forward. Alex slid his hands up her arms and across her shoulders—perhaps a little more sensually than he’d intended, but nothing came of it—and hugged her.
Aphrodite tensed before sinking into the embrace, resting her head against his chest. She trembled slightly, and then even more when he leaned his head on the top of hers. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Me either.”
“That’s not very hero-like of you, Alex,” Aphrodite said with a pained laugh. “You need to work on that.”
“No one’s perfect. Not even me,” he replied. He felt her relax some, and though he couldn’t see her face, he imagined her smiling, too. As the room quieted and the moment stretched, he stood there with her in his arms and let her be.
Eventually, the goddess raised her head just enough so she could look in his eyes. “Is this real?” she asked, voice barely a whisper.
“Is what real?”
“This,” she said, not moving. “You being nice to me. Or are you using me to get what you want?”
“It’s real.”
“I don’t understand that,” she confessed, sinking back into his chest. “Everyone’s always wanted something from me. Everyone.”
“One day I hope you do.”
Aphrodite found the sides of Alex’s face with her hands, and the moment they did, she pressed her lips against his with unmatched fierceness and passion. An energy flowed from her into him that sent goosebumps racing across his skin and freezing his breath in his chest. Without thinking, Alex cupped her shoulders and squeezed, which in turn caused the goddess to press into him harder.
When they parted, she did so hesitantly and with a longing sigh. “I won’t forget this,” she said, before kissing him hard again. “Or that.”
Alex, stupefied, didn’t know what to say or do, even more so when the devastating weight of guilt crushed his soul. It had all happened so fast.
“I’ll tell her,” Aphrodite said, reading his mind like an open book.
“Say again?”
“I’ll tell her,” she repeated. “It’ll clear that guilty conscience of yours.” Alex tried to protest, feeling as if this was something he had to do, but she put a finger on his mouth.
“Shush,” she said, now sounding like her old playful self. “She’ll listen. I promise. And if she ends up hating me, I don’t care. It’s not like she hasn’t before.”
“I still shouldn’t have.”
“We’ll have to agree to disagree. Now come on, let’s get into that vault,” she said, starting toward the doors.
Alex ran his fingers over his head, fearing that this was the start of disaster. He hadn’t planned on kissing her, and she kissed him, right? But he didn’t exactly fight it off, either. Alex tossed the internal argument when he knew he had other things he had to focus on, namely getting inside the vault and getting that ax.
After a few quick steps, he caught up with Aphrodite and stood before the vault doors. She ran her hand across the purfled edges of gold and platinum before turning her attention to the handprint indentations on the side. After taking in one last breath and holding it a moment, she placed her palm on the print that was hers and spoke.
“Phylathion gryallaros ionine myrmonia otephone.”
Alex wasn’t sure if anything was supposed to happen, but as wrinkles of worry formed across her brow, he had a feeling this wasn’t going as planned.
Aphrodite shook her head and kept her palm pressed into the wall. “Dadenor tygros thekate aryx tagamemnon.”
Nothing.
The goddess blinked, pulled back, and cursed under her breath before trying again. Though she placed her hand in the same spot, this time it slipped a little, as she was no longer a perfect match. Aphrodite snarled at the realization and spoke all the words of power a second time. “Phylathion gryallaros ionine myrmonia otephone. Dadenor tygros thekate aryx tagamemnon.”
Her tone was stronger, more confident, almost to the point of being brazen, but as before, the doors remained closed.
“Maybe he changed the password?” Alex offered. “Try adding a one at the end.”
Aphrodite dropped her arms as what was left of her spirit plummeted. “That’s not it,” she said as she stared at her feet. “That’s not it at all.”
“Then?”
Aphrodite pressed her scarred lips into a tight line and held up her mutilated hand. “It doesn’t fit, Alex.”
“Right,” he said. “I was kind of hoping you’d say something else.”
The harshness in her face and voice faded away. “If only.”
The ringing of an Olympi-phone ended the pity party. It rang with light, upbeat music that Alex realized was going to be stuck in his head for the next week. Aphrodite fumbled to pull it out of her chiton, and when she did, she ended up dropping it. It hit the marble steps with a quiet thud, ringing away, and the goddess scrambled to pick it up.
Her attempts weren’t successful, thanks to her stubby, rigid fingers being unable to get a good grip on the device.
Alex dove for the phone, scooping it up, praying to the Fates she wouldn’t be insulted, and pushing the answer button before slapping into her palm.
“I’m such a cripple,” Aphrodite muttered before her face drained of color. Alex could see Zeus on the screen, ax resting across his shoulder. Aphrodite jumped in fright and mashed the screen, turning off her camera.
“Aphrodite?” his voice called out through the speaker. “What’s wrong?”
“Where are you?” he asked, sounding impatient. “And why is your camera off?”
“I don’t want it on, that’s why.”
“You will turn that camera on right now, or Fates help me…”
Aphrodite’s face flushed, and her nostrils flared. “No, I will not turn it on,” she shot back. “I’m sick of people looking at me!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” she spat. “I’m grotesque. I don’t need you, or anyone else, giving me those looks. So, you can shut your damn mouth on this and deal with it, Dad, because I’m not turning this camera back on.”
“Fine,” Zeus said reluctantly, “but I expect you to be in the Great Hall at the top of the hour.”
Aphrodite glanced to Alex, who could only shrug. “Why?” she asked. “What’s happening?”
“Euryale has declared war on Olympus,” he said.
Aphrodite’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“She is in league with Cronus,” he said, slowly and full of ire. “She’s gone to Achlys for something terrible to wield against us all.”
Aphrodite’s jaw dropped. “This has to be a mistake,” she said. “Why would she do that?”
“This is no mistake!” he roared with such intensity that Alex jumped back a couple of feet. “She sent a letter! She signed it! She’s out to burn the city to the ground!”
Aphrodite glanced to Alex, who could only shake his head and mouth ‘that’s not true.’ The goddess snarled. “I knew it,” she spat. “That lying bitch. I knew it!”
“Knew what?”
“I took her to Nyx,” she explained. “She said there would be a price for bringing Euryale back, but I swear, she never said it would be anything like this. I was trying to stop Typhon. You know I’d never, ever, do anything to threaten our home.”
Zeus growled, sounding like a legion of thoroughly pissed off dragons. “I know,” he said. “An unfortunate, but honest, mistake.”
Aphrodite exhaled. “What now?”
“You meet us in the Great Hall so we can hunt the gorgon down swiftly,” Zeus replied. “And needless to say, if you cross paths with her husband, Alex, I want him in chains the second you see him.”
A Storm of Blood and Stone (Myths of Stone Book 3) Page 22
