War of the Gods Complete Series Boxed Set

by Meg Xuemei X

  “Wow, I didn’t realize you were the one keeping her from having a real life,” I said. “I won’t allow you to exploit Artemis anymore. It ends today.”

  “I used to like your cuteness and snarky personality. After spending a couple of hours with you, all you’ve done is grate on my nerves. You might not be worth it.”

  I was giddy that I wore him out. I wore most people out, and gods weren’t exceptional. I whistled. “I’m so not worth it. Why are you still keeping me here, again?”

  Before I could say another snide word, Apollo raised his hand to send me his intense light. I ducked behind Artemis. With the damn torque on my neck, I didn’t have my darkness to shield me.

  “Apollo!” Artemis warned, putting up both hands. “You don’t want to hurt Cass. You don’t want to go to war with me.”

  “You’d defend her over your twin?” Apollo asked incredulously. “Think of all the things I’ve done to protect you, but you won’t even let me shut the brat up!”

  “Hold your horses, Apollo,” Ares said, staring at me with a new fascination. “Cass has a unique mind. In fact, I think she’ll fit right in with us, if we know how to point her in the right direction. I begin to see the appeal of her wild charm.”

  He meant he’d figure out how to manipulate me.

  Good luck with that.

  I might say dumb, outrageous things—mostly intentionally—but my mind was sharper than my words.

  Even my mates couldn’t manipulate me, and I had a soft spot for all of them.

  Since Artemis didn’t even mind telling her dad’s dirty deeds, she might be willing to spill more. I needed to get control of the flow of the conversation. And I bet the trio wouldn’t put up a strong fence to keep out such an immature brat like me who annoyed the shit out of easy prey.

  “Why did the gods return?” I asked. “There are a gazillion planets with intelligent life out there. I bet other ETs are more interesting and entertaining and accommodating than the earthlings. What is it about the insignificant Earth that you guys had to return?”

  “Little Cass now wants to learn all of our trade secrets,” Apollo said, twirling the brim of his tall wine glass. “Planning to spy for your former lovers? You know you’ll never leave us, right?”

  Ares winked at me, and all I wanted was to give the two clowns a black eye.

  “Our race has been in stasis for too long,” Artemis said. “We know something is wrong with us. Time also affects gods. We’re neither in it nor outside it, but in the timeless eternity, our powers start fading, which threatens the very core of our godly essence. We can’t see our own future. Then we remembered Earth, the hunting ground of our youth. We remembered our first footsteps here after Zeus led us to kill the Titans—our all-devouring, monstrous grandparents. The second and third generation of gods also left their feuds on Earth an eon ago. So maybe we need to settle an old score. Maybe we have other unfinished business here. Or maybe we believe when we travel down memory lane, we might be able to pick ourselves up and remember who we truly are as a godly race.”

  “We aren’t as lost as you thought, Artemis,” Ares said. “You never understand war and politics, so you remain thirteen. All we need is a new power structure to break the stasis. Our father knows it, too. The dick just doesn’t believe he’ll ever lose. And he’s more than willing to sacrifice a slew of gods and all mortals to boost his kingly power and strengthen his rotten regime. We came to Earth to play a new game of The War of the Gods. The earthlings have never been our interest. It’s no different than an eon ago—we use them as a prelude to fight each other, but this time we’ll rise.”

  “The throne can be passed only between Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon—the originals,” Artemis said, “or all the gods’ powers will be stripped, and our race will fade further away.”

  “An eon of thoroughly crafted lies!” Ares growled.

  My mind drifted away for a second while the gods and goddess argued.

  The humans and supernaturals had believed that the Olympian gods were hell-bent on enslaving them, and that if they couldn’t rule Earth, they’d destroy it. Only I had a chance to catch a glimpse of their endgame.

  Earth was never their focus. It was the next battlefield they chose to fight their own war. Earth, and all that lived on it, was just collateral damage.

  “You gods are worse than the monsters,” I said.

  “Can’t blame us for being at the top of the food chain.” Ares shrugged. “The livestock—lambs, cows, chickens, and pigs in the slaughter house—would call mankind a worse monster than us if they were given a voice.”

  “It’s a matter of time that humans are going to bomb each other into oblivion,” Apollo said. “Supernaturals, including all your barbaric lovers, will eventually be the collateral damage of humanity’s ultimate nuclear war. If you allow yourself to see us in a different light, you’ll realize that we’re actually the good guys who are stopping their apocalypse.”

  “You’re young, little Cass,” Ares said. “In time, you’ll see humans’ true nature. The mortals and supernaturals are all self-serving, self-righteous, greedy, and violent. Yes, we burned part of Earth’s cities, but they burned the rest. And now what’s left on Earth is mostly scum. So who are you fighting for?”

  “The few good,” I said. “I’m fighting for the few good that are left, and I’m fighting for those who can’t defend themselves. I’m Earth’s last defense.”

  Artemis sent me a strange look, but didn’t make a comment.

  Apollo sighed in exasperation. “Her former lovers poisoned her mind. It’ll take some strenuous work to undo the damage to our future bride.”

  “The debate about humanity is intriguing,” Artemis said with a yawn. “But it can’t continue. In fact, I haven’t stated the true purpose of my visit. Now that I’ve had enough cakes and chatted with Cass, I have to inform you two that you’re being summoned by father.”

  Apollo eyed his twin suspiciously. “But summoning has always been carried out by the Goddess of Rainbows.”

  The messenger of the gods was rumored to have a human face with a phoenix’s body. I wanted to see how she looked one day.

  “Well, Iris is busy. I’m helping out,” Artemis said. “Father said it was an emergency and every major god’s presence is mandatory.” She rose with another yawn. “The timing is now. You two don’t want Zeus’s elite guards on your asses, do you? They might find out what you’re up to.”

  “You should have said so when you first walked in, sis,” Apollo said. “Now what are we going to do with Cass? We can’t just let her roam free. Who knows what mess she’ll leave behind this time!”

  “She’s got a torque on her neck,” Artemis said. “And you have an impressive legion of sentinels milling around. I’m sure they won’t idly watch her burn the house down. ”

  I stared at her, bitterness flooding me. I’d thought she would at least bargain for my freedom, even if she wouldn’t fight for me. In the end, I was just an amusement and a topic for tea.

  It was stupid to think that some goddesses might be good and awesome.

  “Sorry, Cass,” Artemis said, swinging her bow back to her shoulder. “We have family business to attend to. See you around.”

  “Behave, Cassandra Saélihn,” Apollo said sternly. “Don’t cause any trouble. We’ll be back before you know it.”

  I prayed they all dropped dead and never returned.

  “And we’ll continue our unfinished business,” Ares added.

  They would force me to marry them in secret, which was their unfinished business. I’d rather die than allow them to violate me, but they might force some date-rape drug down my throat and make me comply.

  I’d better come up with a plan and get the fuck out of here before the psychos returned.

  “We have to go to Mount Olympus now!” Artemis urged. “Father won’t be pleased with our tardiness. You all know how cruel he can be when he’s livid.”

  The trio vanished from the hall.


  8

  __________________

  I counted to one hundred before storming out of the hall.

  The same five sentinels who previously escorted me strode into formation around me, with Aurora scrambling to my side.

  I wouldn’t be able to take down any of the minor gods without my power. If I ran, sentinels all over the Amethyst Palace would give chase.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m just going for a walk! I’m not a prisoner here. Haven’t you heard? I’m Apollo’s precious future bride. If you offend me, I can have your head when I officially become queen!”

  As if that would happen.

  The sentinels didn’t answer but kept a blank look as they continued trailing me. Reys’s elite guards were much more fun than this unresponsive bunch.

  “Do you need some fresh air, Goddess Cass?” Aurora said.

  “Yes, yes,” I said. “Take me to the entrance of the palace where Apollo and I came in.”

  The palace was vast, and shifting halls kept me lost and confused.

  If I could get to the slipstream, I could escape through it before the two obsessive gods returned.

  Urgency kicked me in the gut. They could be back at any time. I had to get back to my mates. I couldn’t stand one more minute away from them. I’d been gone for… I couldn’t even tell how long I’d been gone.

  “Of course, Goddess Cass,” Aurora said, and, thank goodness, she glided ahead.

  “No one’s looking at your graceful gait right now, Aurora,” I told her. “If you hurry up, there’ll be rewards.”

  “Yes, Goddess Cass.”

  She didn’t ask what kind of rewards, though, unlike I would have done. She was easy. I’d always ask. There were crooks in this world, and I didn’t like to be cheated.

  My spirit lifted when I spotted the entrance ahead, only to sink again as I saw the stream of white flame encircling the gold double-door.

  “This is my limit, Goddess Cass,” Aurora said, pausing a few feet from the door. “I’m an in-house servant, so I don’t have access outdoors. I hope you inhale a lungful of fresh air.”

  She didn’t question if I could pass through the door, because I was a goddess in her eyes. She didn’t seem to grasp the concept that I was Apollo’s captive.

  I halted before the fire, studying it. The white flame seemed alive, and so different from my own fire.

  Fuck it!

  No flame would stop me from getting back to my mates. I’d stepped through it unscathed before. I would do it again.

  Just step through the door, Cass, and leave this place for good.

  My pulse racing, I kicked open the door. Sparks of fire fell on my hair, yet none burned me. I charged out before the door swung back, not caring if they hit the sentinels’ faces.

  I had hoped they were limited to the house as well, but all five sentinels followed me through the doorway in stony silence.

  Fine, I might not be able to take them down, but I could certainly outrun them. The torque bound my power, but it couldn’t suppress my natural strength and speed.

  Jolting to an abrupt halt at the scene before me, I realized this wasn’t the same as what I’d remembered. When Apollo first hauled me here, the slipstream had been a clear path with infinite clouds on either side of it.

  Where was the slipstream?

  “This isn’t right,” I said, glaring at the sentinels over my shoulder. “The garden wasn’t here last time!”

  “It doesn’t matter, Goddess Cass,” a silver-haired sentinel informed me. “The view changes according to His Lord God’s mood and intention. The landscape shifts all the time.”

  The ringleader was gorgeous and built large, like all the minor gods, but his power grade was below Phobos. He must be a third-tier god.

  “Then where is the edge of this place?” I demanded.

  “There is no edge,” he said, “in a sense.”

  I couldn’t believe this. Refused to accept it. I had seen the Amethyst Palace floating in the air, so there must be an edge. If I could find it, then I could get to the slipstream. All I needed was to pick one direction and stick to it.

  I closed my eyes and centered my mind to listen to the wind, to determine its direction. Then I heard the burbling of a river. If Apollo’s lair was a fucking maze, I’d follow the stream out of the maze.

  I picked up my pace and jogged toward the stream, passing by a lush garden of living rainbows that were kaleidoscopic blossoms.

  The Amethyst Palace was beautiful, yet I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here. I hadn’t thought beauty could also be a nightmare, but there it was.

  I followed along the pale blue stream and started running.

  The sentinels didn’t try to stop me, instead they raced after me. I zoomed toward the far distance, as did they, but I was faster. I didn’t know how long I sprinted as if hellfire was catching my tail, but the river lasted for miles and miles, and the plain bank in front of me extended forever.

  Finally, I halted, panting a little now. I might have run hundreds of miles.

  “Just as I said,” the silver-haired sentinel said as he caught up with me, “there’s no edge. Should we return, Goddess Cass?”

  Rage beat an angry drum in my chest. I wouldn’t admit defeat. But running forever wasn’t the solution. I had to figure out the mechanics of Apollo’s realm, but it currently evaded me.

  “Hello, little Cass. Long time no see,” a familiar, vicious voice boomed.

  Phobos, in a brand-new armor that encased him from neck to toe, appeared in the sky, and another god descended alongside him.

  The new god had the same violet eyes as Phobos, but he looked younger, and if possible, meaner. He didn’t cover all his skin like Phobos but wore a fashionable dark-golden armor that showed off his bulky biceps and thighs, which weren’t that enticing since he vibrated with imposing fear and nothing else.

  I instantly knew that he was Phobos’s younger brother, Deimos, the God of Fear.

  Just as I realized it, a cascade of fear slammed into my chest with brutal force, knocking the breath out of my lungs in a gasp of pain. I had once neutralized Phobos’s terror strike—though that was before I had a torque on my neck.

  I straightened my spine, hissing, pushing back, and shoving out every last ounce of fear and terror writhing in my insides.

  Apollo’s sentinels, except for their silver-haired leader, doubled over, their features distorting, reflecting fear and terror.

  “Greetings, Phobos and Deimos,” the sentinel captain said. “Please withhold your power in God Apollo’s home. And Goddess Cass shall not be harmed.”

  Phobos clasped Deimos’s shoulder, and they both reined in their powers.

  “Who said I’d harm Cass, Thy?” Phobos said. “We’re old friends. I just want to have a nice chat with her, catching up, you know. Shall we, little Cass?”

  I narrowed my eyes. What was his game?

  “How did you even get here?” I asked. “I don’t see the slipstream!”

  “Still so demanding, aren’t you, little Cass?” Phobos said. “Of course you can’t see the slipstream. You aren’t officially initiated into the godhood, so the path isn’t open to you.”

  What the fuck? How was I going to escape then?

  “I can see how your little mind whirls and twirls. How amazing. It’s always busy.” He chuckled, but his left eye twitched. He was still nervous around me, though he tried hard to cover it. He turned to nod at Deimos, and his brother snapped his thick fingers.

  A dome-like, bronze structure materialized a dozen yards ahead of us.

  “You should not alter God Apollo’s domain,” Thy said. “My Lord won’t be pleased.”

  “Take it easy, Thy,” Deimos said. “My brother just wants to get reacquainted with Cass, and then I’ll erase the dome in no time. I’ll lend you a power grade after we’re done. You can join us if you want, and you can report back to Apollo about the inside trade, but the rest of your guards must stay outside and guard the do
or.”

  Thy looked hesitant for a second, and then he nodded curtly. A power upgrading was irresistible for a minor god. “The meeting can’t be long,” he said.

  “Shall we, little Cass?” Phobos gestured to the entrance of the dome.

  “Ladies first,” Deimos added.

  “I’m not getting in that tomb with you,” I said. I didn’t trust the brothers.

  “Then you’ll rot in this jail,” Deimos said.

  I snorted. “Why do you care?”

  “I don’t give a fuck if you rot, but Phobos wants to talk to you first,” Deimos said. “My brother is the sentimental type. I bet you’ll gain more than we stand to from this meeting, considering how helpless and powerless you are now. How do you like the torque? It looks exquisite and fits you perfectly.”

  I flipped him the bird.

  But he was right. The brothers’ coming here did provide me with a chance to flee. I’d thought Artemis was my last straw, but I had been wrong. The virgin defender had abandoned me, even after I’d befriended her.

  I needed to know more about the slipstream, and the brothers were the ones to give me answers. I could probably just initiate myself into the godhood and ride the slipstream home.

  “If you want to talk, talk,” I said.

  “Do you really want us to share secrets out in the open, little Cass?” Phobos said. “I thought you were clever. I might have to take back my high opinion of you.”

  “I don’t give a fuck of your opinion,” I said. “I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks about me. You don’t pay my bills. No one pays my bills except for my mates.”

  Deimos glared at me, and a shockwave of fear slammed into me, but I shoved it back with determination.

  Thy looked uncertain. “Maybe you should return to your chamber and wait for God Apollo, Goddess Cass?”

  Like hell I would do that. My hope of ever leaving this gilded prison would be smashed once Apollo and Ares returned. They’d force me to wed them, probably tonight. I doubted Artemis could be of any help.

  “You two enter the room first, then Thy,” I said. “I’ll go last because I don’t like this lady first tradition.” If I didn’t like what I saw inside, I could always jump back and use Thy as a shield. He was assigned to guard me anyway, even though I was a prisoner.