“It’s different,” Callie said diplomatically.
Before I could interject myself in the conversation, Lucien, who was sandwiched between me and the newly and happily matched couple of Todd and Mary Beth, began speaking about the homecoming dance. Mary Beth was on the committee and was speaking of possible themes. I perked up. I never missed an opportunity to dress up and show off my assets.
“Well, we’ve been tossing around a dozen things, but I’ll tell you guys what’s going on the ballots because…well…we’re among friends, and you’ll find out Friday anyway.” She squeezed Todd’s hand lovingly. Good old Archer went all out for Todd, making Mary Beth love him back. She might have anyway, without love’s poison. I gave Archer a look, and he smiled in full understanding of my thoughts. He was adorable when he wanted to be. Bratty as he was at times, I loved him only as a mother could: unconditionally.
“Well some of them are ridiculous. My idea was lovers in literature. You know, Wuthering Heights, Romeo and Juliet, and such. That’s on the ballot.”
“That’s a great idea,” Todd said, with eyes only for her. What a relief he didn’t annoy me anymore. To him, I no longer existed, when only days ago, he was a slobbering, obsessed mess. Mary Beth was unfazed by his clinginess.
“You have themed homecomings?” Callie interjected. “I thought that was only in the movies.”
“Oh no, we do this every year. Prom’s normal, of course,” Mary Beth told her. “Another one on the ballot is red-carpet couples, but everyone will dress up the same—Hollywood glamorous—and it’ll be just like prom.”
“The others?” Lucien asked, half-interested. He was bored. That’s why he wanted to leave. Boredom was dangerous for our kind. When one lives forever, boredom can lead to depression. Every now and then, we had to go home. To Zeus and the others, I mean. Living among the mortals forced us to hide every part of our nature. It was like constantly acting, playing a role 24-7. Every few decades, I had to go somewhere where I could be myself.
“Oh, mobsters and vixens, like the 1920s and 30s; Classic icons, like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, which will be a disaster. Oh yeah, and gods and goddesses,” Mary Beth rambled on. Her last three words were highly intriguing.
Lucien choked on his latte and almost spit it out on the table. I gave him a thwack on the back, and he coughed to clear his throat.
“What was that last one?” I asked.
“Gods and goddesses. You know, everyone wearing togas and fig leaves,” Mary Beth babbled.
Archer laughed loudly, too loudly, but I admit, it was quite funny. Fig leaves? What a foolish girl. They were laurel leaves, first of all, and were very renowned back then. Like the diamonds and platinum of today.
“There’s more to it than togas,” Callie countered.
We all regarded Callie in a new light. What could she possibly know about the gods? This could be a really hilarious conversation to joke about with the boys later and to bring Callie down in Archer’s esteem. I couldn’t wait for her to make a fool of herself in front of them.
Callie blushed. “Well, I think it’s an interesting idea. Were they thinking along the lines of Greek or Roman?”
“I dunno. I don’t know much about it.” Mary Beth said.
“Well, Greek would be better. The Roman gods were counterfeit copies of the originals,” Callie mused. “They were the same peop—I mean, icons. You see, Rome became the center of civilization, so all things Greek were adopted by the Romans.”
This all seemed surreal, as if Callie was onto us. She almost said “people,” like she was aware the gods actually existed. But how could she possibly know we all moved to Rome and changed our names? That was impossible. Any leak of our existence into the mortal world would have been immediately dealt with. Lightning would strike, and a mortal would die.
Lucien, Archer, and I all exchanged quick glances, questioning one another. Did this mortal mean more than what she was saying? Or was this a simple coincidence? Was she just intelligent? All of our eyes revealed to one another these questions. Archer imperceptibly shook his head to tell us it was not his doing.
I wondered how to figure out the extent of her knowledge without prying. I could just read her mind, but that took concentration, and it would be a little odd if I spaced out on all of them.
“Would you come to the homecoming committee meeting after school tomorrow and give them ideas, like all the gods and such?” Mary Beth asked Callie. “It was Amber’s idea, but she didn’t know much about it.”
“Oh, uh…I dunno.” She suddenly got bashful. I thought she had been a bit too cheeky for her own good, but here she was with this contrasting timidity. Either she was a hypocrite or complex for a human. I couldn’t quite get her yet.
“Please? Sounds like you’re practically an expert on it.”
“I suppose I could just for one meeting, but I can’t come all the time,” she said noncommittally.
“That’s great!” Mary Beth smiled happily.
“Greek gods, how interesting,” I said innocently. All of us remaining silent would be a bit suspicious.
“Every girl will want to be Aphrodite, I suppose, which proves no theme is perfect,” Callie said.
“Oh, really?” I raised my eyebrows, loving the compliment.
Lucien rolled his eyes at me. I wanted to smack the sardonic grin off his lips. I deserved to be worshipped.
“I’d be Hades,” Archer said, suppressing a smile and enjoying the inside joke the mortals were ignorant of. Hades wasn’t a bad guy if you stayed on his good side.
“Oh, you’re wicked, Archer!” I laughed back.
“Was that the drunk one?” Todd began. “I’d be him. God of alcohol.”
“No, that was Dionysus, Todd.” Callie frowned. “I feel bad for Hades.”
“Why’s that?” Dan asked her.
“Well, he’s just doing his job, isn’t he? Someone has to do it. Like a lawyer defending a guilty client.”
“Hold up here, are you defending the Devil?” Dan asked, astonished.
“No, Hades isn’t the Devil. Oh really, if you don’t know anything about mythology, then never mind.” Callie sighed, frustrated.
Dan was crestfallen from her reproach.
“You do seem like an expert on the subject, Callie,” Lucien pried. I was hoping the purveyor of truth could lead us to answers.
“I guess I do. I’ve been bred to know all of ancient Greek history. If you only knew.” Callie laughed, drinking her latte. Archer gave her a quizzical look, but she shrugged. “Long story. I’ll tell you later.”
I wanted to press, but Archer anticipated my thoughts and gave me a quick glance that said, Let it go. I’ll find out later. This was unnerving. Her comment sounded coded like one we gods would make to each other in front of mortals.
“Anyway, you pick a character for me, and we’ll go together,” Dan said to Callie.
I froze. Archer froze, his hands tightening dangerously on the table. I hoped he wouldn’t dent it and raise suspicions. Callie almost knocked over her coffee.
“That’s kind of you, but I can’t make any future plans. I don’t know what life will be like in a month. Actually, I shouldn’t even be here…” Callie gathered up her purse and went to stand up. Archer pulled her hand to urge her to sit down again. Callie was clearly puzzled but neither removed his hand from hers nor attempted to stand again. She awaited an explanation from him.
Archer’s beautiful face contorted into a grimace, most likely suppressing what he wanted to say. I was ready to interrupt if he was about to say something irrevocable. His eyes pleaded with her to stay. If she left, he’d feel physical pain. Archer’s greatest physical flaw was his easily exposed emotions. You could see how he felt in his eyes and hear how he felt in his voice. But these were things mortals never perceived.
“Don’t go,” he told her. The simple statement was filled with complex subtexts, so much so that I marveled at his ability to say so much with so few words.
Callie took her hand out of his and picked up her coffee but appeared to obey him.
“I don’t get it. Why can’t you go to homecoming?” Dan asked stupidly.
“Oh, Dan, you really are thick sometimes,” I said to him, playfully scolding.
Dan turned toward me, his cute brow furrowing. I winked at him and put my fingers to his lips for him to be quiet. He crossed his arms like an angry child.
“Thought we were going together?” I said quietly.
Dan didn’t answer me but, instead, stared at Archer bitterly. This had to stop and very soon. The little witch had him spellbound. Both of them. Come to think of it, Lucien watched her a lot too. What was going on? Who was this mortal, and how was she doing this?
“So, Callie, you a god expert or something?” Todd spoke up, trying to restore the light mood we had lost. It was the last thing we wanted to talk about in light of Callie’s possible knowledge. However, if Callie was onto our existence, then she would be dealt with, and I would no longer be aggravated by her existence. The thought of Zeus smiting her made me smile.
“Oh, no.” She forced a weak smile. “My father…” her voice cracked. She took a deep breath. “My father sort of is.”
Dan watched her like a sad puppy that had been reprimanded. It made my blood boil.
“He’s a mythologist,” Callie said.
“Is that a real occupation?” Lucien asked, abashed.
“Well, that’s what they call him. Call it what you will: historian, archaeologist, expert on antiquated literature, anthropologist. He’s got a lot of degrees,” she babbled on, almost teary.
Oh, really! Little strumpet, get over it. Every mortal dies.
“Dan, you ready to go?” I pushed, tired of the whimpering creature enrapturing her male audience.
“Yeah, fine,” he said stubbornly, glaring at Archer again.
Once we were outside, I stopped, tugging roughly on Dan’s hand. I must have pulled much too hard, for Dan gaped at me, stunned. Gods are much stronger than mortals, part of our genetically superior makeup. He noticed I was too strong, so I spoke to distract him. “How could you embarrass me like that?”
“What?” He stared at me as if I were insane.
“Asking Callie to homecoming when you’ve been insinuating the entire time that you and I were going together.”
“Funny how you kept leading me on until another girl came along. You’ve been treating me like crap, acting like you’re too busy to hang out, like you’re too good for me, and you were all about Todd. And now you suddenly care?” He scoffed, opening the car door for me.
I stood there, staring him down. “Are we going together or not?” I laced the question with an ultimatum.
“Well, she said no, didn’t she?” He glared at me. “So, I guess so.”
“What?” I flared out with a temper that would impress Ares himself. “I’m your second choice? Forget you, Dan! I can do much better than you!” And I stormed off, not knowing where I was walking except away from him. I had to use all my willpower to remain at human speed—another genetic advantage is that we’re fast, really fast.
“Aroha,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry.”
“Why?” I glared at him, choking on angry tears. I wanted to throttle him, but it would most likely kill him. I reigned in my temper.
“Why what?”
“Why do you like her more than me?”
“Aroha,” he pleaded.
“Answer me!”
He sighed and then said, “Callie’s sweet and nice and beautiful—”
“More beautiful than me?”
“No, not at all! She’s just...different. Nicer. Much nicer to people than you are. I mean, Aroha, you order me around, yell at me, treat me like a doormat. You strung me along while you were with Todd. There’s only so much a guy can take.” He turned away with a frustrated sigh. When he turned back to meet my gaze, he appeared torn. He rubbed my shoulder gently. “I’m sorry.”
“I won’t be second best.”
“Then we shouldn’t talk anymore.”
“Fine!” I glared at him and walked off, ignoring his entreaties to at least get a ride home from him. He sped off like all mortal teenage boys, recklessly trying to show off—this time, he was showing me his anger.
I turned around after a moment and went back into the café, where Archer and the little usurper were both lost in each other’s eyes without speaking. They were content just gazing at one another, something only pathetically-in-love couples do. Was my boy so far gone already? I definitely had to sit him down and talk some sense into him. He barely knew the girl!
I surveyed past the lovebirds to see Todd and Mary Beth kissing in public, oblivious to the people around them. Lucien, downcast and lonely, was the only one who noticed me enter. He cleared his throat to warn Archer of my approach, but it was too late.
“Archer!” I said with my maternal voice of command. He almost jumped out of his skin, breaking his gaze from the strumpet. He glared at me a bit petulantly, as he had when he was a child on the brink of throwing a fit.
“I want to go home,” I ordered. Archer scanned me with probing eyes but decided not to ask about Dan.
“You ready?” he asked Callie.
Callie’s gaze darted from him to her unfinished coffee.
“I’ll see she gets home.” Lucien stepped in. He gave Archer a warm smile, too warm. He was trying to get Archer jealous. I swear, the games these boys play.
I could see Archer struggle with the decision, which wasn’t right. I was his flesh and blood. I bore him, bred him, gave him every advantage possible, and here I was, about to be cast aside.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Archer asked her, trying to hide his disappointment.
She nodded, smiling shyly. “I’m sure we’re bound to run into each other.”
Archer smiled at that and left with me. I couldn’t help but notice that he touched her shoulder gently as he walked away. He better not have kissed her first.
“You’re quite pathetic,” I scoffed as we headed to the car. “Didn’t we learn our lesson last time?”
“Shut it,” he growled at me defiantly. “Just because your mortal prefers her—”
“You know nothing!” I punctuated my words with a slap.
Mortals passing by gaped at us, shocked. I’d hit him with inhuman strength. Archer’s jaw tightened, and he used his hand to realign it, which made a grotesque clicking sound. I had broken his jaw, which was good because he wouldn’t be able to speak for a second. I didn’t need to feel guilty; he’d heal in a split second, which was yet another fabulous immortal trait. Instead of speaking, he gave me a glare, his eyes literally lighting up with indignation as he climbed into the car. I followed. The ride home was in complete silence; so was the elevator ride up the thirty stories. The entire time, I could feel his fuming anger. Once we were inside, and I dismissed Miss Whittle for the evening—assuring her our “mother” would be pleased with the place—I turned to him.
Archer glowered at me as I locked the door.
“You will do me a favor,” I said.
“I will do you no favors!” he spat back, his face reddening from anger. His eyes shone with that eerie power he’d inherited from his deadbeat father.
“You really look like your father when you’re angry, and it’s not becoming,” I said, taking dinner out of the oven, where Miss Whittle had left it warming. I was trying to stay busy enough to avoid his glare.
“No wonder he doesn’t want to be with you. You’re an evil, spiteful, angry, jealous woman!”
“Jealous?”
“Yes,” he said, calming down, sitting at the table smugly. “You’re angry because Dan is in love with Callie. To think I almost united them just the other night. Hadn’t a clue you were choosing Dan. Or did you choose Dan after you found out he was in love with her? Do you have to have everyone love you?”
“Dan is not in love with Callie. She’s just the shiny new toy the little boys will disc
ard when she loses her luster.”
“No, he loves her. I saw it.”
“He can’t.” I couldn’t help my voice from quivering. Then again, why would he lie to me? “Make her fall in love with someone else,” I added.
“Don’t worry, she doesn’t love him.”
“Who’s she love, you?” I raised my eyebrows.
“No one. Her dad’s dying. She doesn’t think of love. But I could change that. I could make her love me,” Archer said with a smile. The thought made him too happy.
“I think that’s too dangerous for you. You’re already falling for her. Shoot yourself again?” I scoffed.
“No, I haven’t.” He rolled his eyes.
“I want you to make her fall in love with the vilest creature we know. Ooh, Vinnie Petreck.”
His face contorted. “Not this again. That’s hardly fair, to punish a beautiful, innocent girl because one of your boy toys fancies her. Punish Dan.”
“It will be good for you as well. Self-discipline, Archer. Wait a minute. Did you call her beautiful? Surely, she isn’t more beautiful than me. She’s a mortal.”
He shrugged.
“Archer?” I pressed.
“You’re my mother. I can’t look at you like that. But Ma, she’s the most beautiful being I have ever—”
“That’s it!” I’d had enough. “I leave tomorrow to deal with our dysfunctional family. When I get back, I expect that vile little creature to be in love with Vinnie.”
I put his dinner in front of him and stormed into my room, so he couldn’t protest. The thought of Callie and Vinnie made me smile. I brushed my hair a hundred strokes like I did every night, thinking the entire time of beautiful Callie with pompous, pimple-faced, pedantic, halitosis Vinnie. He was one of the boys who should’ve been humble about his awkward face, bony weak frame, horrific skin and breath—one would cringe to gaze upon him. However, he thought of himself as a lady-killer, thought he was Zeus’s gift to mankind. The thought of him and little “innocent” Callie gave me shivers of pleasure.
Chapter 7Lucien
I hadn’t seen such drama as that created by Callie, since the Middle Ages. Back then, it had been Aroha who—per usual—kicked up all the fuss, creating commotion where, before, all had been calm. Perhaps I lingered all these years with her and Archer because it was entertaining. Something always happened with Aroha around. This year had great promise of turmoil concerning, of course, the drama queen herself but Archer as well. The god of love in love? It was too ironic. But I had to admit, there was something about Callie, an uncanny attraction that drew me in inexplicably. I wasn’t quite infatuated, but highly intrigued. Her character demanded that attention. Callie was as beautiful as a goddess yet, being mortal, was modest, humble, shy, and the terrible situation with her father gave her a grave, mature air of solemnity that improved her appeal. What really added to her character was her innate confidence. She could look the gods in the eye as an equal and did not turn into a giggling mess or swoon when we spoke to her like most mortal girls. Yes, her beauty turned my head, but her personality made me stare. It was easy to see why Archer was falling victim to her natural charms. It was as if his own weapons had been turned against him. Everything about us gods was molded to attract women, and now things were reversed for him. For both of us. I couldn’t remember the last mortal woman who interested me the way Callie did. Mila, my latest mortal conquest, had quickly become a distant memory.
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