Hate

by Gemma Brocato

  “So the bird on the guy’s shoulder was one of his daughters?” Finn blurted the question out before he could stop himself. He wasn’t sure about the protocol of interrupting a king, but he was pretty sure it shouldn’t be done. For fuck’s sake! I’m really buying into this whole insane story. But so far, he couldn’t figure out the angle. What they were after?

  “That was his daughter, Hate.” Aerie chewed her lower lip. Finn wanted to lean across the desk and ease the sting with his tongue. Just the thought had his dick thickening.

  She continued, “Usually, Pierus sulks and hides away with his kids, but every couple of thousand years he resurfaces to challenge us in an effort to free them. But believe me, the world does not want them free. Those girls are aptly named, like Hate, Mayhem, Doom, Strife, Hunger…you get the idea. If they’re free to roam the Earth again, they will unleash their special scourge on mortals.”

  “Hang on, every couple of thousand years? How old are you all?” He swung his gaze between the four of them.

  “Zeus and Mars go back before the eighth century, BC. They’re true immortals.” Aerie pointed to the blond guy standing quietly by the door. “Phillip and I are twenty-six. But we’ve lived something near one-hundred and twenty lifetimes. At the moment, that’s not important. What matters is that Pierus has chosen this century to challenge my sisters and I for his daughters’ freedom.” She shoved to her feet, like remaining seated might kill her.

  She continued speaking as she paced. “This challenge has been different. Pierus has a bigger goal than freeing his children from their existences as birds. He’s out to take over Olympus. And he means to kill Zeus. The stakes are higher, because he managed to structure the challenge so that our failure would lead to us trading places with his kids, becoming magpies. The world would lose our gifts of inspiration. Nothing but calamity and evil would remain. This isn’t something we ever want for mortals.” She paused next to the dude she claimed was Zeus and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “We have loved and protected humankind for centuries from true evil,” Zeus explained. He laid his hand over Aerie’s. “We’ve had wars on Olympus that would have destroyed fragile man. I do not wish to see that destruction rained down on the Earth. This is why we can’t allow Pierus to succeed.”

  The room fell silent as Finn processed the details. Oh, shit…he couldn’t believe he believed. “What’s my role in all this?”

  Aerie reclaimed her seat, reached into her desk drawer, drew out a sheet of paper, and slid it across the surface to him. “This is an email we received from Pierus a couple of months back.” She nudged it closer and he picked it up.

  Finn scanned the words then re-read it while the room remained deadly still. The crazy dude had challenged the Muses to individually battle the birds. Nine challenges, nine Muses. “You believe I’m the mortal you’re meant to team up with to stop, um, Hate?” He lifted his gaze to find Aerie studying Mars, and Mars studying him. He shifted in his seat.

  Zeus answered. “It would be our preference to not have to involve mortals, but Pierus left us no choice. To defeat Hate, Aerie must lead you back to a belief in magic. If she fails, my daughter must trade places with Hate. She’ll transform to the body of a magpie for the rest of eternity.”

  Aerie as a bird? Before he had a chance to really know her, the way he wanted. Not on his watch. He indicated the paper he’d tossed to the desk. “And what magical what if am I supposed to discover? For the record, not much of a believer in magic.”

  “I’m sorry, Finn,” Aerie swiveled her gaze back his direction. “These challenges don’t really come with instructions. So it’s hard to pin down what I need to make you believe in again. But, and I’m guessing here, I’d say I’m supposed to make you believe in the power of love, the best magic of all.”

  “Love’s a fallacy. A bigger myth than all of you.” Finn pointed a finger at each of the gods and goddess in turn. “I’m a cop. I see nastiness and evil all around. It’s easier to expect people to be assholes than believe in some innate goodness. That’s a lesson I learned from my parents. I lost the capacity to love years ago.”

  Aerie tipped her head to the side, a puzzled frown drawing her brows together. “I don’t believe that. Finn, I saw you with the Winstead boys. The affection between you three was palpable. You love them like sons.”

  That made him pause. He did like Lily’s kids and would do anything for them. He enjoyed being there for them. But love? “No, I’ve helped them and occasionally play catch with them, or take them camping to give Lily a weekend off. But I don’t love them.”

  “Disagree. The way you were with them was innate. The power to love exists in every person. Some people just bury it deeper. You’re one of those people.”

  “Can we table whether or not I love those kids and get back to the challenge? I need to know what to expect.” It was a smart route to go even if he woke up and figured out this was really all a dream. He risked a glance at Mars, to find the dude studying him.

  “You’ll help?” Aerie leaned forward, her shoulders drawn up.

  He shrugged. “I’m on the fence, but I haven’t got anything better to do at the moment.”

  She chewed her lip for a moment, as if deciding whether his answer made her happy or sad. She dipped her chin and regarded her hands splayed on the desk.

  “Each challenge is different.” Zeus stood and stepped toward the window, stopping when he came abreast of Mars. The pair exchanged a look before Zeus pivoted to face Finn once again. “In the first challenge, my daughter Clio, Muse of History, required help to stop a build-up of aggression by The Five Nations Block. With her help, a ninth hour diplomatic solution was implemented, averting Tyranny and a potential world war.”

  Aerie picked up a pen and fiddled with it but remained silent. It clattered on the surface as she stretched forward, sliding her hand on the desktop, reaching toward him. He longed to lay his hand over hers, but instead laced his fingers together over his stomach. A shadow flitted across her expression, gone in an instant. He’d hurt her feelings. She flicked a gaze over his shoulder. He twisted his head to see Phillip gently smiling at her. He sure as shit didn’t like that. He didn’t want any other man looking at her.

  Mars cleared his throat and took over the explanation. “The second challenge fell to Nia, Muse of Astronomy. Pierus teamed up with another deity and caused an eruption on the sun, which nearly freed Mayhem. Riots broke out all over the world. To win her contest, Nia had to convince a man who debunks myths that we were real. For a time it appeared she might lose. Things got a little hairy at the Founder’s Day celebration at the Helios Institute, but she did win. Then Polly faced Greed, and with her help, many poor nations now have drinkable water.”

  “And the last challenge paired my junk food addicted sibling, Lia, the Muse of Comedy, with a man who’s never eaten a French fry.” A small laugh erupted from Aerie, like she found that particular situation highly entertaining. “In that challenge, Pierus somehow managed to blight the world’s food supply. Olympus Enterprises played a vital role in saving the world from starvation.”

  He recalled the brief food shortages. He’d been on duty at Helios on the day of that picnic, but didn’t recall anything getting out of control. “So hold on. Olympus is run like a corporation? Not a kingdom?”

  Zeus beamed proudly. “We’ve run it this way for the last two hundred years. It’s been a way for us to fit into the modern world. Would you like a tour sometime?”

  “Um…”

  “Zeus, we have no time for corporate office tours.” Aerie clenched her fists together. “We need to determine Finn’s what if. And how to go about defeating Hate. I didn’t want him to know he was helping. Pierus messed up my plan.”

  She didn’t want his help? “Why? I mean, why wouldn’t you want me to know I was helping you?”

  “You’re…” Delicate pink rose up her neck and into her cheeks. “I figured it was better to keep you in the dark. Honestly, I’m not sure I
can work with you. You are an angry man.”

  There wasn’t anything he could say or do that could negate the fact he was hotheaded. The only assurance he could offer was that since he’d been in their presence, not once had he truly felt like he was slipping into a blackout. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt calmer and more in control than he had in a very long time. Maybe it was because enough delusional people surrounded him, making him the sane one for once. Or maybe his overwhelming attraction to Aerie was holding him in check.

  The thought brought a smile to his face. “I can try to do better. I’d like to help. I’m all about defeating the bad guys. And this Pierus dude and his wicked offspring seem to be bad from way, way back.”

  Aerie held his gaze, her blue eyes soft and a little suspicious. But she dipped her head a miniscule amount, acknowledging his offer to help.

  The slight lingering fear over the chance of a blackout evaporated. “Thank you,” he voiced softly. “I’ll do what I can to earn your trust.”

  Mars lifted his chin toward Phillip, his neck at an unusual angle, exposing a splotch of some sort below his ear that Finn hadn’t noticed earlier. Finn idly wondered whether the ink on an immortal’s tattoo would fade with age. He shook his head, wondering what he should say when the men from the funny farm showed up to claim him.

  Phillip inclined his head and touched two fingers to his forehead. “Aerie, I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

  “You’re cooking, right?” She sent him a cheeky grin.

  At home? Were they together? Jealousy flickered beneath his heart and it was a feeling he didn’t care for.

  “I put a roast in your Crockpot this morning,” Phillip said. He slipped out the door.

  Aerie looked at Finn, the smile fading from her face. He’d give anything to put it back on her kissable lips. Lips he’d swear he’d kissed before. He’d have to ask her if he had. And if he were mistaken, he’d rectify that as fast as he could.

  “We’ll have daily briefings at Olympus on the challenge.” Mars skirted the desk and went to Zeus’s side. “My admin assistant will contact you with a schedule. Please make as many as possible. Aerie can escort you there through the Hollow, if necessary.” He assisted Zeus to his feet. Finn stood as well, out of respect for a king. Sheesh.

  Zeus extended his hand toward Finn, grasping his elbow. A surge of warmth flooded Finn’s arm, settling in his chest. Zeus’s eyes resembled the hotly burning blue flame at the base of a gas outlet. “I appreciate your willingness to help save my daughter. She is stubborn, and believes she could have won without help, but I believe Pierus will pull an underhanded trick. He has always been a cheat. Erato will require help from a steady man like you.”

  Snorting, Finn replied, “Don’t believe anyone has ever called me steady.”

  With an appraising look, Zeus arched an eyebrow. “You are steady and so much more.”

  He released his grip on Finn, took a step away, then he and Mars rose six inches off the floor, turned to mist and evaporated before his eyes. He stared at the vacant space, off kilter. He scrubbed his hand over the back of his neck, shaking his head.

  “Finn?”

  It was just he and Aerie in the room now. He padded around her side of the desk. She eased back in her chair, watching him warily. He rested his hip on the edge, holding her gaze. “So, we’re a team now.”

  She nodded. “I know you have questions. I’m happy to answer them as best I can. Perhaps you’d like to join Phillip and I for dinner. Sounds like it’s a meat and potatoes kind of meal.”

  Curiosity got the better of Finn. “He lives with you?”

  “Temporarily.”

  “He mean something to you?”

  She paused, stretching out the time until he wondered whether she’d answer or kick his ass out the door for being nosy. With a sigh, she replied, “He’s my bodyguard and business associate. That’s all.”

  “Then when I give into the urge to kiss you, he won’t suddenly get territorial with me.” Finn leaned down, putting his lips near her ear. “Because I mean to kiss you.”

  “Again?” she whispered against his cheek.

  He’d known it. They had kissed previously. Narrowing the gap between them, he slanted his lips over hers. He instantly recognized soul deep the taste and texture of her. He prodded his tongue between her lips, cupping a hand around her neck. As he stroked his tongue along hers, he slid a finger over her delicate collarbone. Her skin was silky under the calloused pad of his thumb. He slipped under the strap of her bra, but made no moves south, resisting overwhelming desire to explore further. In response, she pressed her palm to the center of his chest, her fingertips spread out.

  He ended the kiss before he succumbed to the need to drag her flush against his body, and spill them over the edge of desire. Aerie’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze befuddled.

  “Yes, again. And I promise you, it won’t be the last time.” He swept his thumb over her cheek as her eyes refocused. “But it will be the last time tonight. I’m meeting my partner at the gym.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” Aerie nuzzled her face into his palm.

  Everything in him softened then hardened with the affectionate gesture. He blew out a breath, striving to beat down the intensity of his reaction to her. “Sorry to have to say it. I’ll write out my questions, but is there anything I need to do to help immediately?”

  Her shoulders slumped at the reminder. She pushed away his hand and stood. The crown of her head barely reached his chin. “Right now, we’re in a holding pattern. Pierus will move when he’s ready. We’ll just have to be quick to respond. As I said before, these challenges don’t come with an instruction booklet.”

  “We’ll have to develop a plan when the time comes. But let’s get together soon to get me completely up to speed.”

  Maybe then, he’d get her up to speed on his desire for her.

  Eleven

  For the past ten minutes, she’d only picked at the roast Phillip had prepared, pushing the succulent meat from one edge of the plate to the other. She dragged her fork through mashed potatoes, swirling in the gravy until it looked like a road map. She wished Finn and this stupid challenge came with directions. Feeling out of her depth and a little sick at heart, she pushed the dish aside.

  Phillip frowned, first at her plate, then at her.

  “Sorry, I’m just not very hungry.”

  “I refuse to feel insulted.” Phillip drew her meal toward him, placing the dish on top of his. He carried both to the sink. He leaned against the counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at her. “Want to talk about it?”

  Talk about an undeniable attraction to a man she found too angry for words? “Not really.”

  “Yeah, you do.” Phillip chuckled. “Spill it.”

  With a huge sigh, she tried to explain. “I hate this challenge. A man like Finn would never have been someone I’d consider hanging out with. Now, it seems we’re to be attached at the hip.” She slouched in her chair, her tailbone aching on the hard surface.

  “You did kiss him.”

  She jerked her head up. He knew she’d kissed Finn in her office? The shreds of her resistance to the enigmatic man had been blown away at the touch of his lips. The other night he’d been wild and frenzied, and she’d liked it. But today, his touch had been soft, sensual and oh-so-stirring. Tingling started low in her body and swept toward her heart.

  “If you didn’t want him to know about the challenge, you shouldn’t have kissed him last night.”

  Oh, he was talking about last night, not the most recent kiss. Still, according to Polly, the Muses’ every move was being monitored. Phillip could know and just chose to remain discreet. “He kissed me. It wasn’t like I had a choice. Wait. Are you jealous?”

  Phillip’s face had been a hard mask that now cracked a little under his sudden grin. “Aerie, I like you, but jealous? No offense, but I have my eye on someone else.”

  Eager for something to talk about other than
the ridiculous challenge, she pounced on his words. “Who?”

  Phillip scratched his nails over his forehead. “Emma Jordan.”

  “Ben’s sister?” Ben had fallen in love with Lia during her challenge. Pierus had threatened Emma, so not only had he been brought into the Olympian pantheon, but so had his younger sister. “That’s awesome. But when have you had time to get acquainted with her?”

  “I was temporarily assigned to her security detail while she stayed in the mansion. You weren’t on the hot seat at the time, and extra guards were needed for Lia, so Mars asked me to pick up a couple extra shifts. Trust me, it wasn’t a hardship.”

  “Lia wasn’t happy about her extra guards, but they did come in handy. I guess all around, huh?”

  Aerie’s laughter was cut short with the sudden stab in her brain. Mars had sent an immortal communiqué to her and her sisters all at the same time. Clutching her fingers to her scalp, she attempted to alleviate the harsh burning sensation. Jesus, she hated the widespread broadcast option. Why couldn’t he just send a group text? Being fed new information through a group supernatural link stung like a bitch

  Phillip shoved away from the counter. “We gotta go. Trouble in Achilleion.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” With one hand Aerie rubbed her temple, and with the other, she snatched her phone from the table. “Be sure you shut down your GPS,” she reminded him. After Pierus had kidnapped Clio, Mars had insisted all the Muses leave the function on except when they traveled through the Hollow. With the challenge, they were all at on call all the time. Unexplainable GPS coordinates would be a nail in the coffin of their efforts to stay hidden.

  Phillip stood next to her, his hand on her shoulder, and together, they lifted off the floor and misted into the void.

  Traveling this way was the fastest option. The sunny yellow of Aerie’s aura was like a beacon inside the grayed out Hollow. Phillip’s aura was cobalt, like all the other partisans. Mortals were silver in color, and retained their physical shape while traveling in this dimension.