“You need to rest,” Demeter replied, smiling. She loved to use my own words against me.
The others were already fast asleep. They’d earned their rest. They’d been so brave. I was so proud of them.
I shut my eyes, but I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about Justin. And Ekhidna. Ekhidna. And Justin. My thoughts spun in circles, and that only made me more and more frustrated. Finally, when I was about to explode, I gave up and opened my eyes.
Everyone else was still asleep. I watched them for a while, but with no clock, the seconds felt like minutes, and the minutes felt like hours.
I just sat there, exhausted and bored and tired of thinking. I didn’t want to think anymore. In fact, I needed not to think anymore. Thinking didn’t give me any answers. Just more questions. More doubts.
I spotted Sarah’s bag. One of the others must’ve grabbed it when we fled the apartment. Poking out of the bag, glass bottles gleamed in the dim light of the basement. They were lovely.
I bit my lip. It’d worked for Beth. I just needed something to shut up the thoughts for a second, maybe even help me sleep.
Sighing, I reached for one of the bottles. It was cool in my hands. I untwisted the cap. The smell burned my nostrils. I pushed it away.
But after what felt like an eternity of waiting and thinking the same old thoughts, I took the bottle again. This was strictly therapeutic. Medicinal even.
Steeling myself, I took a small sip. Just enough to get a taste. To my surprise, it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected. It was sweet, with a bit of a burn at the end. It tasted oranges. I liked oranges.
I sipped again. It seemed to burn less the second time. But I didn’t feel any better. Maybe alcohol didn’t work on gods. Just my luck.
So I sat. And I sipped. Small sips. I didn’t know what was taking Justin so long. Stupid Justin with his stupid eyes.
I was so very bored.
I got up. I swayed. My leg must’ve fallen asleep. I took a couple of steps, hoping to work the feeling back into my leg, but instead, I started to fall. I flung myself the other way to compensate, but instead I toppled over with a loud thump. Thankfully, it didn’t hurt much.
“Are you all right, my queen?” Hermes asked. I must’ve woken him.
“I’m . . . fine,” I assured him, as I got back to my feet. I began to sway again, and he quickly stood up and steadied me.
Hermes cocked his head and sniffed the air.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked. He sounded . . . amused.
“I told you I’m . . . fine,” I said, blinking.
“Have you . . . been drinking?” he asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I had some . . . sips . . . of the . . .” I gestured vaguely in the direction of the empty bottle. Then my eyes went wide. “I . . . I’ve been poisoned!”
Hermes laughed. No one had ever laughed at me before. I got ready to smite him.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” he assured me, his lips twitching. “You’ll feel better soon.”
I punched him in the arm.
“What was that for?” he asked.
“I smote you,” I said. “For laughing.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “Why don’t we sit down? I’ll make you something to feel better.”
I sank down against the wall. A strange lassitude was flowing through me. The alcohol was working after all.
Uh-oh.
Justin came down the stairs, pizza boxes stacked on his arms.
“That smells amazing!” I exclaimed.
My stomach growled.
Justin sat beside me, and Hermes joined us. He opened the top box. I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed a slice. It was gone in seconds.
Justin and Hermes watched me, wide-eyed. I reached for a second slice.
“What?” I demanded, between mouthfuls.
They exchanged a look.
“Nothing,” Justin said.
Hermes pointed at the empty bottle beside me, and Justin’s jaw dropped.
“Eat up,” Hermes said.
“I am eating,” I snapped.
“Well, she’s still in there,” Justin said.
“Of course, I’m . . . What, what is, what is . . . going on here?” I demanded.
“I think you’re drunk,” Justin said.
“Well, I . . . think you’re stupid,” I shot back. “And you have stupid eyes.”
“Case in point,” Justin muttered.
“You’re a . . . case in point,” I said.
“This is going to get old,” Justin murmured.
“I couldn’t disagree more,” Hermes said.
He pulled another glass bottle from the bag.
“No way,” Justin said.
“Why not?” Hermes asked. “There’s a good chance we’re not going to survive this disaster. Might as well enjoy ourselves. Drink tonight, die tomorrow. It’s all very Greek. Trust me.”
“We . . . will survive!” I declared imperiously.
I fell over. But I sat right back up again.
Hermes laughed. “In that case, let’s celebrate.”
He opened the bottle and took a long swig. He made a disgusted face, but then he smiled. “As bad as I remember.”
“This is insane,” Justin warned.
“Of course it is!” Hermes said enthusiastically. “But it’s also a once in a lifetime--no, in an eternity—opportunity here.”
He looked at me meaningfully.
I scowled back at him. “I, I am . . . your queen!”
He ignored me. I tried to smite him, but he moved.
“I’ve waited millennia for this,” Hermes continued. “And no traitorous god, or juiced up mortal, or stinking harpies, or--”
“Pythons,” I added.
Hermes nodded at me. “Thank you. Slimy pythons--”
“You always forget the pythons,” I told him.
“I do not,” he replied, offended. “Wait. What? What does that even mean?”
“And giants,” I said. “You forgot those, too. You forgot two things. You’re really bad at this.”
“Are you going to let me finish?” he demanded.
“You, you can’t . . . talk to me like this!” I got to my feet. On my third try. “I . . . I . . . I--”
“Am my queen?” Hermes suggested.
“That’s right,” I said.
And then I fell over. Hermes burst out laughing, and I joined him. He tried to pass me another bottle.
“I think you’ve had enough.” Justin warded off the bottle that Hermes held out to me.
“And I think . . . I think you, you should, you should just . . . shut up,” I said.
“You’re not very nice when you’re drunk,” Justin replied.
“I’m not very nice . . . ever,” I said.
Hermes and I burst out laughing again. It felt good to laugh. Not with bitterness or irony. Just laugh. I wasn’t sure I’d ever laughed this way before.
“And why is that?” Justin asked.
“Drink first,” Hermes interjected. “Then she’ll answer.”
My eyes lit up.
“Yes!” I agreed. “A game!”
Justin looked at me, then back at Hermes. Sighing, he took the bottle and knocked it back.
“Swallow,” I ordered, watching him carefully.
Justin rolled his eyes, but he obediently tilted back his head.
“Open!” I demanded. He opened his mouth and wiggled his tongue at me. “You’re disgusting.”
“I wouldn’t talk,” Hermes advised. “You have cheese on your face.”
I swiped at my cheek, and sure enough, a strand of cheese was on my hand. “You can’t, you can’t talk to me this way . . . You are so getting punished for this.”
“I’m really betting on you not remembering,” Hermes replied dryly. “So . . . I believe Justin asked you a question. Why so bitchy?”
I gasped.
“I did not put it that way,” Justin said quickly, horrified.
I laughed. I was laughing a lot. I liked it. “I guess . . . stress? I mean, I’m queen of the freakin’ Universe. I kinda run everything. That’s a lot to handle. And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s not going so great. And my marriage is an even bigger mess!”
“It’s not over yet,” Hermes told me, though I couldn’t tell if that was supposed to make me feel better or not.
“I, I don’t want to talk about serious stuff anymore,” I declared. “Besides, Justin and I already talked about this. Remember? When we were looking for the Oracle? And you were saying all that stuff about Zeus and how badly he treated me, and how you understood me. It was very sweet. You’re very sweet. Have I ever told you that? You know, sometimes I think, I think if things were different, like, really different--”
“Could you maybe give us a sec?” Justin asked Hermes. He was mortified.
“Hell, no, I love drama,” Hermes replied, eyes bright.
Justin gave him a steady look.
“You’re no fun,” Hermes complained as he stood. “You should take a lesson from Hera. I guess I’ll go check on Artemis.”
We watched him go. Well, I watched him go. Justin just drank. He was not taking small sips.
“He’s just going to turn invisible and listen,” I guessed.
“I think we need to talk,” Justin said.
“About what?” I asked.
Justin blinked. He took another drink. “About you. Me. Us. Kissing in the Dreamlands. Any of this ringing a bell?”
“Of course,” I said.
“Well . . . what, what does it mean?” he asked.
“Why does it have to mean anything?” I countered.
He was starting to make my head ache.
“Because it happened. Because you kissed me. Because you wanted to stay lost in a dream world and live a fake life. With me,” he said. “Come on, Hera. Don’t act like I’m crazy. I’m not the only one feeling this.”
“What do you want me to say?” I asked. “That I’m going to leave my husband? Or better yet, cheat on him the way he’s been cheating on me? Is that what you want?”
Silence.
“That’s what I thought,” I said.
“There has to be a way for us to be together,” Justin insisted stubbornly. “There has to.”
“Well, when you figure one out, let me know,” I said. “Until then, I’m going to go find Hermes and Artemis.”
I started to stand. I wanted to leave before he could stop me. Or before I changed my mind. His eyes were so big, so magnetic. He was looking at me again. And the longer he looked, the longer I wanted him to look. The more I wanted to look back. I needed to get out of here.
“What’s going on?” Demeter asked groggily.
Justin and I just stared at her as she sat up. Neither of us knew how much she’d overheard.
“Are we having pizza and beer?” she asked hopefully, eyeing the boxes.
“No beer,” Hermes said, coming down the stairs.
Demeter grabbed the bottle from Justin. It was nearly empty.
“Close enough,” she said, gulping the rest down. She didn’t flinch. “Is there any more?”
Hermes pointed to the bag. She grabbed the remaining bottle and cracked it open. She paused. She looked at me. It felt like everyone was doing that lately.
“Did you get my sister drunk?” Demeter demanded, eyes narrowing.
“Technically, she got herself drunk,” Hermes replied.
“Don’t . . . be mad,” I told her, taking her hands in mine.
“I’m not mad,” she said. “I’m jealous.”
“What?” Justin replied.
“We’re all wound so tight, we’re about to explode,” Demeter said. “This is all way too much for anyone to handle. If the monsters don’t kill us, the pressure will. We could use a little harmless oblivion.”
“No harm in letting off some steam,” Hermes agreed. “Very . . . open-minded of you, Demeter. I didn’t even know you drink.”
“Even I need some time off,” Demeter said, burping. She didn’t seem at all embarrassed.
“Yeah, we call it winter,” Hermes replied.
“Don’t start,” she warned. With that, she drained a good portion of the bottle. “I hate pythons.” She drank again. “I hate giants.” Another drink. “I really hate harpies.” Another drink. She passed the bottle to Hermes. He gulped the rest down with a shudder.
“So, this is it?” I asked. “We just . . . drink our sorrows away?”
“That’s what mortals do,” Hermes said.
“That’s what some of us do,” Justin replied.
“Them,” Hermes corrected. “You’re one of us now.”
“No, he’s not!” I said.
“He’s more like us than them,” Hermes insisted.
“Whatever he is,” Demeter added. “He might as well drink. It’s now or never.”
“Enough!” I said sharply. “There will be no more, no more, talking . . . like we’re already dead. We’re not. We are alive. And we are going . . . to stay that way.”
Silence.
“Up!” I ordered, standing. “Everybody, up!”
“Why?” Hermes asked, as he unsteadily got to his feet.
“We’re going out,” I said.
“Artemis will have a fit,” Demeter warned me. She giggled.
“A fit now and then is probably good for her,” I sniffed, beginning to tackle the stairs. One stair. Two stairs. Three stairs.
“What if something happens?” Justin asked.
“I’m sick of what ifs,” I replied, opening the door at the top of the stairs. I turned to face them. “I’m sick of hiding in a hole, waiting to die, like a rat. Or a frog. Or--”
“I don’t think frogs live in holes,” Hermes interrupted.
“Some do,” Demeter assured us confidently.
“Regardless,” I continued. “I’ve never lived in fear before, and I refuse to--”
When I turned back around, Artemis was standing in the doorway. She sniffed the air and cocked an eyebrow.
“We’re going out,” I told her, a bit defensively.
“Why?” she demanded, crossing her arms.
“Because . . .” I hesitated. I didn’t know what to say. Demeter elbowed me from behind. “Because I said so. That’s why!”
“Are you sure that’s . . . wise?” Artemis asked carefully. She didn’t budge.
“Probably not.” I exhaled, exasperated. “But I’m drunk! I’m not supposed to be wise.”
Artemis didn’t seem particularly impressed by my shocking confession. I was a bit disappointed.
“In that case, you should obviously stay here,” she countered.
“Obviously you’ve never been drunk . . . obviously,” I retorted, pushing past her. Well, I inserted myself between her immovable body and the doorframe and sort of squeezed through as regally as possible. Which wasn’t very. It would’ve helped if she’d moved, even a little.
“No, I haven’t been drunk,” Artemis said. She turned to Justin. “This is your influence.”
She glared at Justin, who spread his hands helplessly, eyes wide. But he was fighting a smile.
“Do you have a particular destination in mind?” Artemis asked.
“Not really,” I admitted.
“I see,” Artemis said. Which meant she didn’t. No one ever said that if they actually did.
“Don’t worry,” Hermes added. “We’ll be careful.”
“No, you won’t,” Artemis replied severely. “But I will. I’m going with you. We’ll go somewhere crowded. Somewhere open, with lots of witnesses, so monsters can’t attack in their true forms. If things get rough, you’ll bolt, and I’ll cover you.”
“I know where we can go,” Justin offered. “There’s a birthday party we could crash. Lots of people. Right out in the open. At the field near the school.”
“Lead the way!” I declared imperiously.
“Wait for me to wake Apollo so he can watch the others,” Art
emis said.
“Lead the way when she gets back,” I amended.
Artemis returned quickly. She seemed surprised we’d actually waited. “Between him and Sarah, the others should be safe. Long enough for us to get back if something happens, anyway. Assuming we’re not going that far.”
She looked at Justin.
“Twenty-minute walk,” Justin promised.
“You can run that in ten,” I assured her.
“I can fly it even faster,” she replied.
“You’re actually going to let us go?” I asked suspiciously.
“You’re my queen. I don’t let you do anything,” she reminded me. “And, to be honest, if anyone needs to let loose, it’s you. You’ve needed something like this for centuries. You just have terrible timing.”
My eyes narrowed. “And what’s the real reason you’re letting us go?”
“Being unpredictable is exactly what the enemy doesn’t want. It’s the only way we’ve made it this far. And it’s the only way we’ll win,” Artemis answered. “Maybe this will throw them off. Maybe even flush them out, if they try to take advantage of your . . . current state.”
“You’re using us as bait!” I accused.
Artemis shrugged. “Feel free not to go. It’s all the same to me.”
“But you can’t take on our enemies all by yourself!” I protested.
“Watch me,” she returned evenly. “But if you decide to sober up, I won’t say no to a little help.”
“Fine,” I said.
“Fine,” she replied.
“Fine,” I snapped.
“So . . .” Hermes interjected. “We’re going to the school?”
“The football field,” Justin replied. “Bonfire party.”
“In a football field?” Hermes echoed.
“Isn’t that bad for the field?” Demeter asked.
“There’s this guy, Derek, and it’s his birthday. His dad is some police bigwig, so as long as things don’t get too rowdy, they let it slide,” Justin explained.
“To the football field!” I declared.
Justin opened the door. “Wait.”
“What now?” I demanded.
He looked me up and down so openly, I almost slapped him, just on principle.
“Justin!” I gasped.
“Your clothes!” Demeter realized.
“What’s wrong with them?” I asked.
“Apart from the fact you’re wearing Justin’s shirt,” she said, “And it’s been torn to pieces?”
Hera, Queen of Gods (Goddess Unbound) Page 24
