Out of Excuses Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 8)

by S. E. Babin

  “Pass the bread,” I said as I nudged him out of the way and began to make a sandwich. He complied in a hurry and was just about to step out of the kitchen with his lunch when I stopped him.

  “So,” I began, “what’s going on with you and the Huntress?”

  I saw his adam’s apple bob and his gaze slide to the door as if he were calculating the odds. Fortunately for his sake, he turned back to me. “Nothing,” he said and winced.

  “So you normally have naked immortals in your room on a regular basis? Are they there to play Monopoly or…?” My voice trailed off.

  He blew out a breath of frustration. “She’s gorgeous and last time I checked I was a man.”

  I blinked. Once. Twice. I was unprepared for that level of honesty.

  “So...this is a one time thing?” I was trying really hard not to get angry.

  Atlas glared. “She is one of the high Olympians. Do you really think she’s going to walk away from everything for me?”

  I blinked again. “Atlas. She’s becoming human. She won’t have anything to walk away from soon because she won’t have a choice.”

  “The Fates will help her,” he said stubbornly.

  “They’re trying,” I said, my tone gentle. “But this could be beyond their magic.”

  He stared at me, confusion all over his expression. “So she will stay on Earth?”

  I shrugged. “She will stay wherever she wants. But she has a business on Earth. It’s not up for me to say.” My face softened. “She is a wonderful person. Do not trifle with her heart.”

  He let out a strangled laugh. “I think Artemis is the one you need to say this to. She’s keeping me at arm’s length right now. She gives what she can.” He turned imploring eyes to me. “Do you think I have a chance?”

  I held up both hands. “Whoah. I have no idea. Artie is...complicated. Be wary of how this progresses, Atlas.”

  I slapped lunch meat and cheese on top of a slice of bread and slathered mayonnaise on the top of the other slice. Normally I liked both sides covered with the condiment, but I was too hungry to take the time. I closed the sandwich and took a massive bite.

  “Mmmm,” I said.

  Atlas gave me a last look and walked out of the kitchen.

  This was not the last of Artie and Atlas. I could feel that deep in my bones. They were an odd couple for sure, but look at me and Hades. Pretty sure we got the trophy for the weirdest couple.

  Bed time finally rolled around after the longest two days ever. I didn’t have the energy to dress myself so I sent a soft cloud of magic over myself and seconds later I was wearing a plush cotton nightgown. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and knotted my hair up in a bun. Then I padded over to the the small writing table in the room and sent a message to God.

  He wouldn’t respond tonight because he was an old arrogant cuss. He liked to make people wait on him. This was exactly the reason I waited until tonight. I could get in a full eight hours sleep and not be waiting on him.

  I crawled into bed less than ten minutes later and was asleep almost instantly, thoughts of Hades at the forefront of my mind.

  Eight hours was a pipe dream. Perhaps the old Abby got eight hours, but I was the new, perpetually confused and frightened Abby. This new Abby averaged three to four per night if she was lucky. Tonight she was not so lucky.

  The banging on my door started almost exactly two hours after I crashed into bed and wouldn’t cease until I got up to answer it.

  When I did, I almost slammed the door shut.

  God stood there, a smirk on his friendly face.

  “I hate you,” I muttered.

  “Now,” he said in his booming voice, “is that any way to talk to Grandpa?”

  “Don’t make me maim you, old man.” I went to shut the door so I could get dressed, but he promptly blocked it.

  “You’re fine the way you are. You have something to say? Let’s hear it.”

  I let out a slow deep breath and counted to ten in my head before I spoke. “You are aware it’s one in the morning?”

  “Heaven doesn’t run on UTC time, Aphrodite. You’re the one with the internal clock issue.”

  I frowned. Perhaps he had me on the one. I stepped away from the door and grabbed the robe I’d slung on the back of the chair. I shrugged it over me and stepped outside of the room. “Let’s go into the kitchen,” I said, painfully aware that we had fired all of our servants and he was sure to notice it, especially when I had to serve him.

  Seconds later, “Where is everyone? A palace like this isn’t usually run without a huge staff.”

  “We have new staff coming next week,” I said, lying through my teeth.

  His soft chuckle told me he didn’t believe it, but I didn’t care. I pushed through the doors, pointed out the table and headed to the coffee pot.

  “Regular or decaf?” I asked him.

  He gave me the hairy eyeball. “Always regular, Abby. I’m not a savage.”

  “Says you,” I said under my breath as I popped the mug under the spout, popped the cup in and pressed brew.

  I carefully removed the cup and slowly began to pour cream into his coffee, my mind a whirling dervish of thought. Had Hera returned? How in the world would I know if she had? God hadn’t given me an extra second to myself. I picked up the mug and squared my shoulders.

  I would have to pretend like she had and hope he didn’t call my bluff.

  I handed him the mug, made a cup of my own and sat down across from him.

  His merry blue eyes twinkled. I swear he looked just like Santa Claus. Except a whole lot crueler.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked. “Or is this a social call? Should we talk about baby names? Maternity clothes? Your swollen, aching feet?”

  I glared at him. “Just for the record, I would never, ever make a social call to you.”

  He laid a hand over his heart. “You wound me, daughter in law.”

  “Yes, well, you’ve tried to kill me a few times now so it’s doubtful you’re high on my list to be nice to.”

  “There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

  God quoting Shakespeare. Would wonders never cease? “I fully understand some things are beyond my puny little woman brain to comprehend, and the inner workings of your mind are too vast and complicated for me to grasp with my limited learning ability, but to me, if you show up on my doorstep and declare war, there isn’t much to wonder about.”

  God frowned at me.

  I made a +1 on my mental scoreboard.

  “But I didn’t call you here to talk about that. Not completely.”

  Interested sparked in his gaze. “Oh? Do tell.”

  From his tone I knew he knew exactly what I was going to ask him, but I swallowed my pride and did it anyway because it was Hades. “I’m searching for my husband.”

  A wide grin split his face. “Married barely a few days and he’s already straying? Well, that’s a new record.”

  I could not punch God in the face. I could not punch God in the face.

  Instead I grit my teeth together. “Well, I’m sure his home influence really shaped the man he grew to be, didn’t it?”

  His eyes sparked with anger.

  +2. The way I was going my chalkboard was going to be full in less than a couple of minutes.

  “And why should I tell you anything?” He crossed his arms over his powerful chest and leaned back in his chair.

  “Because I’m your daughter-in-law?” I said hopefully.

  His outburst of laughter told me I was both hilarious and an idiot.

  “You forget I’ve already had one daughter-in-law.” He sniffed. “Sometimes I liked her better.”

  I bit my tongue and did not tell him that she was carrying Michael’s child, a nephilim or as Hades called it, an abomination. If I thought about that too hard, I’d probably get my feelings hurt, because I was kind of in the same boat. Granted, he was different than Michael, but he wa
s still technically an angel. So what did that make Baby Draco? Stop thinking about it. If Michael hadn’t gloated about it already, then there wasn’t a chance in hell God knew. Michael had kept mum about it, which meant there was a good chance Persephone was still in danger from him.

  Something to think about another day. I could feel God’s word sorcery coming on and I had to be on my toes. Hard to do at one a.m.

  “I’m sure she was a sweet, biddable girl,” I said.

  God laughed out loud. “No, she was a complete monster. I only liked her better because she didn’t run stupidly headfirst into danger all the time.”

  My mouth thinned. “Can’t say I’ve had a whole lot of choice about that.”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Why should I tell you anything about Hades?”

  “Because he’s my husband,” I said simply. “And I am carrying his heir.”

  “Still not good enough.” He studied his immaculate nails. “Hades’ return was...unexpected. I find that I can get a lot of use out of him right where he is. I’d forgotten how good of a strategist he is.”

  My gaze narrowed. “What have you done to him?”

  “Nothing he didn’t want.”

  “That doesn’t tell me anything. Tell me where my husband is!”

  God stood and towered over me. He leaned over and whispered, “No.” The smile following his words was terrifying.

  The kitchen doors slammed open and a massive burst of magic bowled us both over. A high pitched feminine scream rang out just before a body appeared at our feet.

  I sank to my knees and brushed blond hair away from the delicate face.

  Hera. Gods, what had I done?

  I leaned over her to make sure he was breathing. Her hand reached up to clutch my arm. “Secure,” she whispered. “In the magic dampening cells below the castle.”

  I gave her a quick nod and brushed my fingers over her cheek before I whispered the words to teleport her to the clinic. My magic was growing stronger everyday and now that I had Hades’ to pull on, I could feel the power humming through my veins.

  She was gone in an instant.

  God was brushing off his now dusty clothing, glaring at me. “This shirt was just laundered.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I’m afraid our business here is concluded, my dear. You want something from me, yet you have no bargaining tools.”

  He raised his hand up to leave, but I interrupted him.

  “I never said I had nothing to bargain with.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Who was that woman?”

  I shrugged, doing my best to seem super casual about Hera. “No one of concern. Just a servant. She was sent out to gather some supplies from town and...it’s apparent the townspeople are still a little miffed at us.” Hera’s face had been swollen beyond recognition so unless he was paying serious attention, he wouldn’t realize who she was. I knew it was her because of her hair and the clothing she was wearing the last time I saw her.

  “I want you tell me where my husband is. If you don’t, one of your archangels dies.”

  He frowned. His eyes grew stormy right before they cleared and he burst out laughing. “Pray tell how you were able to capture one of my archangels.”

  I smiled sweetly. “Not one. Three.”

  The silence fell like a shroud over the room.

  “Prove it,” he whispered, menace dripping from his tone.

  “I don’t have to. When you return home you will see they’re gone. Perhaps when you do, you’ll come to your senses.”

  “And if you have somehow managed to capture them?”

  “Then my door is open to bargain.”

  God disappeared from the room.

  I stood in the kitchen and finally allowed my hands to shake. But I had to laugh because wasn’t it just typical? You find an amazing man to marry and then...you meet his family. Granted most family members weren’t psychotic omnipotent world rulers, so I guess I was just lucky.

  Super, duper lucky. That was me.

  I took some deep breaths, felt the baby stir inside me, and rushed out of the kitchen and down the hall to the clinic.

  I burst through the doors only to see Asclepius look up from Hera and glare at me. Par for the course.

  “Is she okay?”

  He gave me a grim shake of the head. “Celestial magic again. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing here, Abby, but it’s a dangerous one.” He felt Hera’s side and she gave a soft moan of pain. “But I think I can stabilize her, at least for a little while. My suggestion would be to find the source of the magic and coerce it into revealing what can help her.”

  The source of it was probably rotting down in my basement. I nodded and stepped over to Hera. I leaned down. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  She didn’t respond.

  I left the clinic and hurried down to the cells.

  I’d been here a few times and was never very comfortable with them. I could feel the deep smothering of magic beating in at me on all sides. I found it hard to breathe and the smell hard to stomach. Stale water, damp air, and despair all came with every single breath I took.

  I found the three archangels side by side in separate cells. Fortunately for them, they looked worse than Hera did.

  I stepped up to Gabriel. I wasn’t sure which ones the other two were because I’d never seen them before. I was careful not to get too close to the bars.

  “Welcome to Olympus,” I said because I was great at saying really dumb things to people I’d just met.

  Gabriel gave me a gimlet eyed stare. “Charmed, I’m sure,” he said in a clipped and cultured accent. Sarcasm. Okay, I could deal with that.

  “I am Aphrodite. You are here as leverage against your ruler. Once he gives me what I want, you will be released.”

  Gabriel, through his one good eye stared at me appraisingly. “And what is it that you want?”

  It couldn’t hurt to give him a little info since he was behind bars and unable to escape.

  “I want to know where my husband is.”

  A painful smile graced his handsome face. “Gone, Aphrodite. Your husband is gone.”

  I stilled. “What do you mean, gone?” Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

  “God does not take kindly to those who leave the loving shelter of his arms.”

  That sounded slightly...sarcastic. But he was one of God’s right hand men, so that couldn’t be right. Could it?

  “Are you telling me my husband is dead?” My heart pounded and my mouth grew dry. I didn’t think he was dead. I felt like I would feel it if he was, especially since we were sharing magic now.

  Gabriel and the other archangels laughed, low and sad. “God would never dispose of a toy so quickly, Queen. He is not dead. He might wish he was, but as of yet, he still lives.”

  “Is there no family loyalty, Gabriel?”

  He shifted and winced in pain. “We do not have the same definitions of family as others do. Family is loyalty and pain, uniformity and violence.”

  I studied him trying to understand him and what made him take. “And are you loyal?” I asked after a silence that had dragged on too long.

  He laid his head back on the small cot within the cell and gave a soft laugh. “If I were not, I would much worse off than I am now. Although, after today, I’m not sure what will happen.”

  I let out a harsh breath. “Shit,” I muttered.

  “Yes, Queen. Shit is an appropriate word, although I could go for something stronger.”

  “Can you give me any specifics of where Hades is?”

  The archangel shook his head. “Doing so would not be loyal. What I can tell you is that God has him and has no plans to let him go.” He turned his head and stared. His eyes were ancient...sad. “Cross him at your own peril, Queen. He does not take kindly to those who try to take what he considers belongs to him.” His gaze narrowed and drifted down to my stomach. “You are carrying a…” He paused. “No. Not a nephilim. Something else.” His
mouth widened into an O. “You carry the child of Lucifer,” he whispered. “Oh Heavens no.”

  I bristled. “I’m sure it’s not so bad.”

  A strangled laugh burst from him. The other two archangels shifted uncomfortably in their cells.

  “You have brought Hell down among us all,” he whispered and turned his face away.

  I stepped closer. “I - I don’t know what that means.”

  A deeper, musical voice came from the other cell. “God will not be pleased to know of the mating between an Olympian and one of the Fallen. The Fallen.”

  “Raphael?” I inquired.

  He shook his head. “Raphael is the blonde. I am Uriel.”

  His feet hung off the side of the cot, so I knew he was tall. He had lighter brown hair and honey brown eyes. He resembled one of us. The fine features, patrician nose, finely sculpted muscles.

  “God knows,” I said.

  The angels exchanged a look. “Then it all makes sense now. You should prepare for your doom, Queen. He may seem occasionally friendly and even jovial, but our God is no man to trifle with. He will allow no one to stand in the way of power. Maybe just marrying our Fallen would have been allowable, but to have a child with him is...unforgivable. A child born of an immortal and Fallen is destined to destroy the Heavens.”

  Baby Draco flipped in my stomach. I touched a hand in the spot where he moved. “I don’t see how that is possible. He’s just a baby.”

  “At one time wasn’t Jesus just a baby?”

  I frowned at him. “I’m not well versed in your lore,” I said.

  “I won’t bore you with our theology, Goddess, but one man changed the world many thousands of years ago and continues to change it to this day.”

  “In a positive way, I assume?”

  “Aye,” Uriel said, “but he carried no true magic of his own. His was gospel, words, and charisma. The child you bear will be a being of immense power and strength, capable of rivaling our God. It will not go unnoticed.”

  “You’re saying God will kill my child.”

  Uriel’s mouth thinned. “I am saying you should be wary of your next moves, Queen. Tread these waters very lightly. Perhaps let Hades find his own way instead of stepping directly into the den of a spider.”