Out of Excuses Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 8)

by S. E. Babin

  “I cannot leave my husband to die,” I said, my voice like a whip.

  “Then you are a fool,” Gabriel said.

  The third archangel stared at me with brilliant blue eyes but said nothing.

  “Raphael?” I inquired.

  Nothing but that haunting stare.

  “Do you agree?”

  Gabriel snorted from his cell. “Raphael only speaks via prophecy. Rarely does he engage in any conversation that deviates from his doomsday point of view.”

  Raphael didn’t even blink. “In times of war, a golden woman with shining hair and a heart of stone will step forward and lay waste to the bright kingdom. Mountains will fall and men will crumble and no one will be safe until her goal is met. Friends will die and enemies will rise and woe be unto the man who steps in her way. Honor bound and revenge driven, the golden woman strips us all bare.” He turned away from me and laid on his side facing the wall.

  The only sound in the cells was the dripping of water onto the concrete floor.

  “Well,” Uriel breathed, “can’t say I’ve heard that one before.”

  Gabriel grinned at me, his teeth bright through his dirty face. “Assuming you’re the golden woman, I’d say good luck on your journey.”

  I would have laughed if Raphael hadn’t been my enemy. “I can’t be the golden woman,” I protested, but the sound was hollow. “Plus, that’s your prophecy, not ours. I’m supposed to be destined to unite the kingdoms, whatever that means.”

  Gabriel and Uriel exchanged a look.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Some of the best civilizations have been built after total decimation.”

  I huffed out a breath. “I’m not really into the whole decimation movement.”

  Raphael shifted on his cot.

  “A man who made a promise will return. A man who disappeared will save you. A man will stay your hand. A man will die.”

  “They make antipsychotic drugs you know.”

  “He is a prophet, Aphrodite. He might not make sense right now, but everything will be clear soon enough,” said Gabriel.

  “No one is dying if I can help it,” I said.

  “No one can help the tides of battle,” Uriel added.

  “So none of you are willing to tell me where he is?”

  “No,” they all said in unison, even Raphael.

  One of my eyebrows rose. “Well, I guess that’s that. Hope you like mush for dinner.”

  “We’ve had worse,” retorted Uriel.

  My shoulders slumped. “For the record, I am sorry it had to be this way.”

  Gabriel waved me away. “Valkyries do not apologize for the corpses scattered across the battlefield.”

  “I’m no valkyrie.”

  “Ah, but you wear the mettle of a warrior even under that ridiculous garb you’re wearing. It’s in the set of your mouth and the strength of your spine. I look forward to sparring with you in the fields of war.”

  I sighed and left the cellars behind.

  Archangels were weird.

  Chapter 28

  I didn’t have to wait long for God to pop back in. To say he was enraged would be the understatement of the year. He was apoplectic and jittery, but he was also very confused. How could a slip of a girl like me find his archangels so suddenly and gather all three of them up?

  I had no idea how Hera had done it, and she wasn’t in the shape to ask, so I had to pretend to be aloof and cool. Inside though, my brain was involved in a party of proudness, which probably wasn’t a thing, but that’s what it felt like.

  However, God didn’t say any of this, but I could feel that his stare had gotten a little sharper. He watched me closer than usual and he was more careful with his words. Dangerous. He felt more dangerous than usual.

  I was drinking my fourth cup of coffee when he popped into the kitchen. This happened often enough these days that I no longer jumped. “Yes?” I said, when he came into clear view.

  “Where are they?” he growled.

  “Safe,” I said. “Well, safe enough,” I added. “They took quite the beating yesterday.”

  His nostrils flared. I was finally getting under his skin.

  “What is it that you want?”

  I didn’t think it would be wise to tell him about the Skystone. He would use it as leverage or try in some way to trick me. I’d have to find it once I managed to get in.

  “I want my husband.”

  “That wasn’t part of the initial talks. You said you wanted his location. I will give you that in exchange for my angels.”

  “Not good enough,” I said, hoping I wasn’t pushing him too far. “One of your angels for his location.”

  God fell silent, contemplating me. “What is it you want for the other two?”

  I wasn’t going to tell him about the Skystone, but I could at least try to bargain for Keto. “My friend’s wings restored.”

  God shook his head. “Never. He betrayed me and the archangels by choosing to wear the guise of one. His intent was to shift blame from the Olympians to us. It cannot be forgiven.”

  I knew it had been a long shot.

  “Fine. Tell me how to fix them.”

  God smiled. “You can’t. Only I can.”

  “Not good enough. I know there has to be another way. Tell me how and I will release Uriel.”

  His smile told me he was enjoying this. “A mineral that can only be found in Paradise.” He shrugged. “Good luck with that.”

  At least I knew Keto’s hunch had been correct. Skystone would do the trick.

  “Your husband is in Paradise as well.” He chuckled. “Though I’m sure it isn’t his idea of paradise.” His eyes sparkled with amusement. “And your price for the third?”

  I offered him a shark’s mile. “Nah. I think I’ll keep Raphael. He might come in handy.” I disappeared from the room, but not before hearing his roar of rage.

  I blinked immediately to the cellar and raised a protective shield around myself. All three angels still lay on their beds in what seemed to be the same position I’d left them in hours ago.

  “Gabriel and Uriel, you are free.”

  Gabriel sat up slowly, favoring his left side. “Why not Raphael?”

  “His prophecies might come in handy.”

  Uriel shook with rage. “If any harm comes to my brother -”

  I held up a hand. “Relax. If it’s any consolation, you’re lucky you wound up with me. I don’t make it a habit of torturing people.”

  Gabriel didn’t look any more relaxed. In fact, he looked even more frustrated. “Raphael has some...limitations.” He looked ashamed to admit it.

  Color me curious. “What kind of limitations?”

  Uriel stiffened. “Gabriel,” he said in a warning tone.

  Gabriel lifted a hand. “If she is to keep our brother, she should know.”

  “Know what?” I asked, panic beginning to flutter in my stomach.

  “He cannot communicate well,” said Uriel grudgingly.

  “Errmm,” I drawled. “I kind of got that one.”

  Uriel glared. Gabriel sighed. “We have to force him to get up and interact. Otherwise he will remain utterly uninterested in things and people around him. He knows he scares people so he tends to retreat in his shell.”

  I pressed my lips together. “Okay.” Even though I wasn’t sure at all how I was going to handle this. “Anything else?”

  “Yes,” Gabriel said with a grin. “He prefers blondes.”

  I opened my mouth and shut it. Plenty I could say to that, so I just chose to say, “Duly noted.”

  I stepped forward to unlock their cells. When both men stepped out, I had to crane my head up to look at them. “No hard feelings?” I said sheepishly.

  Uriel looked heavenward and let out a harsh scoff. Gabriel chuckled and bowed. “Until we meet again, Queen.”

  Both disappeared in a flash. A single white feather fell from the ceiling.

  I picked it up and tucked it into my bra. Y
ou never knew what could be used for leverage later. I was beginning to hate myself for learning how to play this game.

  “Two go and one is left behind,” Raphael said. “One lonely soul amongst the men and women who play deadly sport and call it games.”

  I sighed. This was going to be a tough few days.

  “I’ll have someone come back down with food,” I said as I left the dungeon.

  I found Keto in one of the guest rooms. He’d brushed off Asclepius and limped and groaned his way down the hall before finding an empty bed and face planting in it. I couldn’t blame him. The mood of Asclepius ranged from cranky to crankier. The only time I’d seen him crack a smile was when something was going horribly wrong. I figured you could take the measure of a man by how he reacted to the events around him. It seemed horribly wrong he was our only doctor because of that and because he kind of creeped me out. However, we were stuck with some of the people Zeus had left behind. While the staff was out, we’d left behind the doctor and a few other mainstays, like our other resident monster, Hera.

  I knocked gently on the door and pushed it open. Keto was bare chested and propped up in front of several pillows. His color had improved somewhat but his disposition was still pretty foul.

  “Hey.” I shut the door behind me.

  Keto gave a noncommittal grunt.

  “I confirmed that Hades is in Paradise. So Heaven on steroids I guess? The part no one is supposed to reach?”

  He nodded. “Abby, I think you’re underestimating the difficulty of this.”

  I chuckled. “I always do.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t make light of this. Granted, you’ve seen and experienced some things most of us can’t imagine, but this...this is different.” He swallowed hard. “Being with you for all those years was one of my greatest blessings. Even though I - “ His nostrils flared. “Betrayed you, I can’t bring myself to be unselfish enough to wish I hadn’t done it. Because I would have done it all over again if it meant being out from under God’s thumb.”

  Tears swam in my eyes. I was hurt, yet also touched by his candor. “It’s water under the bridge.” Especially now when he’d come back and sacrificed so much for me. For us.

  “You asking me to do this will put all of us in grave danger, especially your unborn child.”

  “I cannot leave Hades there, Keto. Don’t ask me to.”

  He smiled sadly. “I knew you would say that. I’ll tell you about the veil and the magic surrounding it. You must talk to Hecate and see if there’s a way to make it fall.”

  I nodded and sat in the chair beside his bed.

  Keto began to tell me all he could about the veils and the horrors it put people through.

  By the time he was finished, my teeth were chattering with fear.

  Chapter 29

  “There is no way to destroy the magic. Sometimes the only way to get around something is to go through it.”

  I frowned at my mother. “I really don’t have time for life lessons. I need to get in and get Hades and get the hell out of there as fast as I can.”

  She turned those ancient eyes to me. “Everyone has time for a life lesson. You underestimate God, darling. There is a reason he has been the ruler for millennia. Even though he might not rule us, he still possesses powerful magic and a formidable kingdom. You would be a fool if you rushed headfirst into it simply because of love.”

  This time I gave her a full-on glare. “Mother, Hades and I just took over a kingdom and I am pregnant! I can’t leave him there. I need him. The baby needs him.”

  Her face softened. “Of course you do. I never meant to imply otherwise, but you have a proven track record of doing first and asking questions later.”

  I huffed and sat down in one of the old rickety chairs she had in her makeshift potions lab. She wasn’t wrong. “This is different,” I insisted.

  “How is that?” she asked. “Someone you love is in trouble. You drop everything and risk everything to save them. You make deals. You make people angry. And in the end it comes back to bite you in the ass. If it sounds like a potato, it is a potato.”

  I blinked at my mother.

  “Well?” she demanded.

  I sighed. “Are you going to help me or not?”

  She huffed. “Of course I will. I would never deny you anything. But I will offer advice. This plan is terribly stupid, Aphrodite, and I think you have no idea what you’re walking into.”

  “Of course I don’t. I’ve never been there before.”

  She rolled her eyes. “When you need someone’s help, you should probably save your sarcastic comments for after they’ve provided the assistance you need.”

  “Yes, Mother,” I said contritely.

  Hecate sniffed. “I’ve heard of this so-called veil. It is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Some of us have the ability to hear thoughts and sense feelings, but few can go picking through someone’s mind and pluck specific details out of it. This...veil can do that and more.”

  I nodded. “Keto said no one can keep secrets there because everything is revealed when you step through.”

  She tapped a finger on her chin. “I don’t think I can drop the veil.”

  I sighed in annoyance and she sent me a side-eyed glare.

  “But...I might be able to shield you for long enough to get you through it without suffering undue stress.”

  I tilted my head. “Seriously?”

  My mother shook her head at me. “You are a doubting Thomas, my dear. You should realize who your mother is. Before I died, I was...how do you say it? The bomb.” She smiled.

  I groaned. “Your slang game is weak. Please never say that to me again.” Hecate frowned, but I held my hands up and laughed. “I get it. You’re amazing and wonderful and all of the terrific magical things. How soon can it be ready?”

  Hecate tsked. “Get out of my shop and get some rest, child. The gods know you need it. I’ll wake you when it’s finished.”

  I nodded and left her tinkering with glass jars and odd colored liquids. As much as I didn’t want to go to sleep, I knew I had to. I stopped into the kitchen, grabbed a quick snack and headed back to my bedroom. When the lights flipped on and I saw the rumpled sheets on Hades’ side, my breath left my chest and an overwhelming sadness took its place. I’d lost Keto, Hermes, possibly Artie, and now my brand new husband. While Keto had come back, it wasn’t the happy reunion I wanted it to be. We still had issues, but those were on the backburner. He’d risked everything to help me, and I was about to risk everything to help him.

  Everything was coming full circle. We’d helped Hermes secretly abdicate his throne and took on a responsibility neither one of us wanted exactly. Artie was leaving us slowly but surely because she had no other choice, and my husband had taken the fight to his father only to get stuck there. Knowing Hades, he’d gone to reason with God only to wind up betrayed.

  God seemed like he would be that kind of father.

  I put on a pair of lounge pants and a tank top and slid under the sheets of the cool bed.

  Moments later, in spite of everything going on, I was fast asleep.

  Hecate was pretty casual about keeping her promises. I woke up the next morning, refreshed and very annoyed. She’d promised to wake me when she was finished, yet here it was at least 8 hours later and I was still in my pajamas. I flung open the door to my bedroom and was about to go raging into her shop when the smell of pancakes hit me square in the face. I was angry but...pancakes. I turned the other way and plodded into the kitchen hoping against all hope it would be Hades standing at the stove flipping breakfast and wearing nothing but pajama pants.

  Pancakes could wait if that was what I walked into.

  I stepped in only to see my mother there, thankfully clothed, and a person I had missed sorely.

  Clotho saw me and opened her arms.

  I stepped forward slowly. “Are you going to try to kill me?”

  Hecate snorted under her breath. Clotho gave her an annoyed lo
ok. “No, your mother gave me this.” She pulled a silver necklace from under her shirt. A charm I didn’t recognize hung from the end of it. Shaped a little bit like an upside down anchor, it glowed with a soft silver light.

  “What is it?” I asked as I leaned forward to peer closer at it.

  “Sort of an anti-possession charm. Nothing can get through it as long as she wears it. No foreign magic. No poison. Nothing like that.”

  I looked at my mother. “You can do that?”

  She shrugged. “If I choose to.”

  I turned back to Clotho. “Glad she chose to,” I said, frowning.

  “Me too.” She tucked the necklace back into her shirt and sat back down on her stool. “Your mother tells me you have some plans.”

  I didn’t want to look into her eyes and see that silver telltale mark of prophecy there so I carefully avoided her gaze. “I do,” I said, but I didn’t elaborate.

  “Uh huh. And do these plans involve breaking into God’s most precious and secretive city?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “You are aware that even you have your limitations?”

  This time Hecate didn’t bother to hide her amusement. “I keep telling her that but she refuses to listen! She’ll be a crop duster going up against an F-16!”

  We both stared at Hecate.

  She shrugged a shoulder. “What? I like airplanes.”

  I wasn’t terribly sure I knew what an F-16 was, but it sure sounded cooler than a crop duster. “I don’t intend to go in there raging. I intend to get in, get my husband, and get the hell out.”

  A sad smile crossed Clotho’s face. “Abby -”

  I stood up from the table abruptly. “No. Do not tell me this is impossible, Clotho. I do not care.”

  She studied me. “It’s not...impossible. But it will be extraordinarily difficult.”

  “I’m aware.” I couldn’t help the note of annoyance that crept into my voice.

  “No,” she shook her head. “You have no idea. Hades is trapped. It’s not a prison per se, if you think of a prison made of stone and metal. It’s a mental prison. God has trapped him in his own darkest thoughts.”