by S. E. Babin
I cursed under my breath. Zeus was a problem. Always at the root of things. I couldn’t get away from him no matter how hard I tried.
“Temporarily?” I asked with way too much hope in my voice.
She snorted in amusement. “Not so much.”
She sat down beside me on the bed, a broken woman. Empathy filled my heart, but I was still wary. Hera wasn’t an easy woman to like. She was having a single moment of weakness. This was not the time to misjudge her strength.
“He’s an idiot,” I said. It was a super unhelpful statement, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“He’s not,” Hera said, much to my surprise.
I gnawed on my bottom lip, dying to ask for details but refraining.
A slight grin appeared on her face. “I know you’re dying to know.”
“I am. Maybe he’s having a midlife crisis.”
Hera chuckled. “His mid-life came a few thousand years ago if we’re talking about numerical age. But we’re immortals. Do we even have a middle age?”
“Guess not.”
“He left me for another woman.”
Gaia. It had to be Gaia. Danger, Aphrodite, Danger! I remained silent until I felt her curious stare on the side of my face.
“That’s awful. Perhaps it’s just a fling?” I turned my head to look at her.
Hera was and always would be a classic beauty. Straight patrician nose, full lips and crystal blue eyes, she was like the Christy Brinkley of Greek Gods. But on the other hand, she was sadistic and cruel and rarely showed any signs of true humanity. When I thought about it like that I had to shake my head. Why should we show humanity when none of us were human? She and Zeus had always been together. But this time, seeing how broken she was and how desperate she must have been to just show up on my doorstep, it felt different.
Hera shook her head. “He’s been in love with Gaia since the dawn of time. I knew this and still chose to stay with him and fight.” She studied her fingers, clasped so tightly in her lap her knuckles turned white. “I would have saved us all a lot of heartache if I’d let go sooner.”
There was nothing I could say to her. She was right, of course. Not many people knew about Gaia and Zeus...or, at least knew the true depth of their feelings for each other. Zeus had been a notorious womanizer, but his wandering ways cooled over the years until he and Hera seemed to present a united front. Like many things in this world, it was only perception. I just hadn’t expected Zeus to pull the trigger on a new life. But things weren’t going his way lately and I was responsible for a lot of that. I sighed and ran a hand through my tangled hair, scratching my ear as I thought about what to say.
“Sometimes when we love something the only way we can hold on to it is to fight.” My thoughts drifted to Hermes. I hadn’t tried to fight for him because it didn’t seem like he wanted me to. He’d moved on almost immediately with Dike, the goddess of morality and justice. Which when I thought about it was kind of hilarious. Dike ended up being under a love spell and Hermes was just a horn dog taking advantage of her. I frowned. When I thought about it that way, Hermes didn’t sound like much of a catch.
But we all had our flaws, especially when we were immortal and had eternity to make mistakes. Then again, I wasn’t much better. Once I’d seen Hermes and Dike making out, I’d magicked Hades into a pretty epic makeout session that quickly turned awkward for the both of us.
Total fail on my part.
Hera stared at me in curiosity. “What a profoundly deep sentiment coming from you.”
I snorted. The old Hera was already starting to rear her head. The passive aggressive comments with her were normal business. “I can make sense on occasion.”
She reached over and patted me on the knee. “I was quite sorry to hear about Hermes, although I always wondered if you two kids would make it. You’ve shown quite the spine lately, haven’t you, my dear?”
I stared at her like she’d grown two heads. Another passive aggressive comment mixed in with something that sounded almost like a compliment. Who was this woman and where was the real Hera?
“Thanks,” was all I could say to that. “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”
Hera snorted. “That saying is such drivel, Aphrodite. If you want it, go out and take it and make it yours.”
My gaze met hers and it was on the tip of my tongue to ask her how that was working out for her. She took it and had it. For a little while.
At my look, she flung herself backward on the bed with a loud groan. “My life is complete shit.”
A surprised laugh broke from me. “I think we’re in the same boat, at least for a little while.” Our situations were similar on the surface but profoundly different at the core. But I could commiserate with how she was feeling.
I stood. “Would you like some breakfast?”
Hera flung an arm over her eyes. “And face the judgmental stares of your motley group of friends down there?”
“Rule number one when staying in my house. You are not allowed to use the word motley to describe my friends.” I lingered at the door. “Going once...going twice.”
“I smelled bacon. Is there bacon down there?” Hera lifted herself up on her elbows and stared at me with a hopeful expression.
“There’s always bacon here.”
The bed springs squeaked as Hera hoisted herself out of bed to come downstairs. Clotho and Artie were waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. At Artie’s inquiring glance, I told her with my eyes to shut her trap, hoping she’d get the hint. Hera rounded the stairs and followed me to the kitchen. Silence reigned for the next few minutes while I handed Hera a plate and allowed her to serve herself. I poured her a cup of coffee, settled her in at the island and made my way into the living room where my friends sat.
Artie looked like she was bursting with questions. Clotho looked serene, as always.
Seconds later, Artie began to pepper me with questions.
“Why is she here? What is she doing? You know you can’t trust her. Can you? Oh gods don’t tell me you’re going soft. Abby, why are you doing this -”
I held up a hand. “Stop,” I whispered. “Hera will be here for a few days. She’s...going through some things.” The sheer absurdity of that statement was astounding because when I stopped to think about it, once word got out about this, the entire power structure of Olympus would go haywire. No one expected Hermes to stay in power forever, but most of us thought it would be for at least the next few months until Zeus’ banishment was over. Probably longer because Hermes was proving to be a solid ruler.
But with Hera, who seemed to have a soft spot for Hermes, gone there was no telling what would happen once the banishment was over and Gaia moved into Olympus. If that was even their plan. I had no business trying to decipher what any of the other immortals were thinking because half the time I didn’t even know what I was thinking.
Artie stared at me like I’d lost my mind. Which...when I thought about this thing too hard, maybe I had. “Everyone goes through some things,” she sneered. “Hera is evil personified.”
I glared at her. “I. Know,” I said through clenched teeth. “Don’t we all deserve some compassion?”
Artie snorted, incredulous. “It’s your funeral,” she said and stomped back upstairs to her room.
“Lunch is at one!” I called up to her.
“I’ll be there,” she grumbled.
“She’s just as dependent upon regularly scheduled meal times as I am,” I said to Clotho.
“Obviously.” Clotho stretched out on my couch, her legs straight in front of her. “Zeus has left her, hasn’t he?”
I blinked at her. “I should have known you’d know.”
She shrugged. “It was foretold.”
“Of course it was.” I rubbed my hands over my face and tried to quiet my scrambling thoughts. Hera’s presence here was unexpected, yes, but I wondered what consequences of it would come my way. It couldn’t be as simple as offering her a room.
It never was.
“Hera will not be the only guest you have this holiday,” Clotho said as she stretched out and scratched her head.
I laughed in frustrated amusement. “Is your hair about to go all windy and your eyes all swirly?”
“You know, I’ve killed others for making fun of me before.”
“Yes, but have those people ever made you hot chocolate or invited you to stay for Christmas dinner?”
Her non-answer was all I needed. I would live another day.
“Any chance you could elaborate on who’s coming to dinner?” I asked, hoping she’d slip up.
Clotho clucked her tongue. “You wish.”
“Right,” I said and stood to go check on Hera.
Hera was staring at my sink like it was a viper and her its next victim. I approached with caution and gently extracted the plate from her hands.
“It’s called a faucet.”
Her mouth curled in distaste. “What does it do?”
Laughing would get me a face full of magic. I bit my bottom lip to stifle my amusement. “It provides water for drinking and washing.”
“Washing your body? It’s very small.” Hera leaned in closer to examine it.
“No. It’s for washing dishes or any number of things.”
“Why would you wash dishes?”
I sighed and couldn’t offer any explanation that would make sense to her. She’d been queen for millennia. There was never a need for her to wash any dishes. Her staff must have kept those mundane tasks concealed from her. I needed to remember not to let her out on unsuspecting Asheville. Heaven forbid she sees the wonders of a working oven.
“It’s what the humans do,” I said after a moment.
Her expression cleared. “Ah. And you choose to defile your life by performing these same actions?”
Having Hera as a houseguest was going to be just awesome.
Chapter 3
After a super awkward lunch and an even more awkward time trying to watch Supernatural together where Hera kept peppering us with questions about rock salt and where she could get a shotgun, I decided to try something else. After forcing Artie to promise she wouldn’t try to murder Hera, and pleading with Clotho to keep an eye on both of them, I headed out to try to find Hermes. He didn’t want to see me, of that I was positive, but if anyone could help, it was him.
I was going to have a nice, normal Christmas dinner this year if it killed me. This was my first time celebrating it and I just wanted one small thing to go right. Was that too much to ask? In my universe, probably.
I blinked into the kingdom of Olympus and stood staring at the massive castle. The prior damage was gone and it once again stood tall and proud against the backdrop of the cloudless sky. As beautiful as it was, I didn’t want to be here. I needed to make sure the ham was defrosting fast enough, plan out the rest of my menu and make sure I had everything I needed from the store. Yes, I could whip it all up magically, but I was trying to turn over a new leaf. The new and improved Abby. The one who could serve up a normal dinner to her friends.
And one unwanted houseguest.
I walked up the stairs to the huge doors and waited. I had no doubt Hermes knew I was here. I also had no doubt he’d make me wait for him.
I was still waiting an hour later and becoming spectacularly annoyed when the main doors finally opened. A mountain of a man stood in front of me and I was forced to tilt my head to look up at him.
“Chippendales guy!” I shouted in delight.
A booming laugh came from his massive chest which was rapidly replaced with confusion.
Oh. Oh crap. I’d showed up here disguised as Artie on Halloween and had recommended he try out for the Chippendales. I was wearing my own form now so I shouldn’t have known about it.
“Artemis told me about you!” I gushed, trying my best to sound sincere and not at all like I was lying through my teeth.
His gaze narrowed for a second. “How is the Huntress?”
“Very well,” I said. “She’s at my home for Christmas.”
Confusion clouded his gaze and I choked back my sigh. Of course. Dude has probably never been out of Olympus. “It’s a human holiday,” I tried to explain. “Where we come together and celebrate, family, friends and loved ones -”
“And the birth of a deity none of us believe in,” said a dry voice to the right of me.
“That’s pretty sacrilegious,” I said in an even tone. If I had God in my living room a few months ago and Hades was living with the trapped soul of Lucifer, I tended to think anything was possible. I wasn’t so quick to dismiss things out of hand just because it didn’t fit into the worldview I’d known for so long. I’d seen too many strange things these days.
Hermes shook his head in annoyance. “You are naive.”
A tight smile graced my face. “I see we’re back to being the best of friends.” I wiped a hand across my brow. “Pshew. Had me worried for a bit.”
His expression was glacial. “What do you want?”
I wanted a lot of things. For him to stop being so handsome and so cold to me. I wanted to be left alone so I could enjoy my Christmas ham and leave the drama to the rest of these yahoos. I wanted a waffle cone full of rocky road ice cream.
“Abby!” His sharp reprimand knocked me out of my thoughts.
“I was thinking!” Geez.
The mountain man was biting back a grin and I had the urge to burst out laughing. “First, introductions. Who is this tall drink of water I’m standing next to?” I asked.
If possible, Hermes’ expression went even more frigid. I have to admit this made me quite happy.
“Atlas,” he snapped.
My gaze flew back to the man standing in front of me, and I slowly looked down and saw it. A thin, golden chain pulsing with magic locked around one of his ankles. I’d heard tales of this man’s exploits and knew of his battles with Zeus. For a long time, Zeus forced him to hold up the skies, a punishment unusually cruel because the skies didn’t need to be held. Once Zeus tired of seeing him do that it seemed he made him his errand man. Hermes seemed to have no problems continuing with that theme.
I bowed low. “Aphrodite. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” I ignored the growl in Hermes’ throat.
Atlas’ expression was blank, but his gaze sparkled with curiosity. This man was clever. I had a feeling he now knew who he’d been speaking to the night of Hermes’ Halloween party. “The pleasure is all mine,” the big man said as he took my hand and swept low to kiss it.
A plan so devious occurred to me that I had to swallow down the grin that almost came with it. I affected a look of worry and asked Hermes to escort me into the palace so I could speak with him on matters of the utmost urgency. Hermes stared at me, suspicion written all over his face, but when I didn’t back down, curiosity got the better of him and he motioned for Atlas to open the palace doors. I allowed Hermes to walk in front of me and once his attention was off me, I turned back to Atlas and winked. His head tilted in curiosity and a small smile played upon his generous lips.
After all, I’d been through I knew a good person when I saw them. Come hell or high water, I was bound to have Atlas on my team.
Hermes escorted me to the throne room and placed himself upon the dais and peered down at me, a sneer on his face.
Oh Hermes, I thought. I miss the old you.
I bowed and waited for him to hear me out. When moments passed and he hadn’t told me to rise, I peered up at him through the haze of my hair. His brows knit together as he stared at me intently. When he saw me looking, he cleared his throat and spoke.
“I will hear you.”
I rose and stood before him, mere feet away yet worlds apart. “There is an...unwanted guest in my home.” I had to go about this carefully if I wanted him to bend to my will. “She has nowhere else to go.”
I dropped my gaze. “I do not feel….safe in my own home.”
The rustle of his clothing told me I’d gotten his atte
ntion. When I looked back up, he was sitting straighter in his seat and a gleam of interest sparked in his gaze. “And what guest is this?” he asked.
I paused for dramatic effect. My lower lip began to wobble and I thought about the time I’d lost my Berrylicious lipstick during a rave I’d gone to only to find out when I’d gotten home the color had been discontinued, so tears began to fill my eyes. “Hera.”
Shocked crossed his face but he schooled it quickly. “And why has she suddenly taken more of an interest than normal in you?”
I clasped my hands together and silently prayed I was the first to bring him this news. “Zeus has left her. She is staying in my house and I’ve come to -” I paused. I had to play this just right. I swallowed hard, making sure he could see it. I lowered my voice. “I’ve come to ask for your protection.”
His gaze narrowed as he examined my words for sincerity. Hermes knew of my history with Hera, and he knew I’d been terrified of her once. If I could get him to see the extent of the issue and get him to free Atlas into my custody, today would be a good day.
“And how would I be able to protect you?” He crossed his arms over his chest and I was again struck by how powerful he looked. Being a king suited him.
“I would ask for someone of strength and character. Someone who would be loyal to me during their time of service. Just until Hera is gone.” Or until I could figure out how to free Atlas from the golden cord binding him to Olympus.
I could practically see the thoughts spinning through his head. Immortals couldn’t be trusted. Or at least most of them couldn’t. He still cared about my well being otherwise he wouldn’t have been even pondering it. He had to be thinking about sending Ares. He knew we had close to a hate/hate relationship. And he wasn’t sure if Ares was still out to kill me. I wasn’t sure of it either, but after the debacle with the dungeon, I knew he was partially responsible for helping me out of it. So I didn’t think he was actively trying to end me right now. Small favors.
Moments later I could tell he’d come to a conclusion. Whether it worked in my favor was yet to be seen but if his thoughts went the way I thought they would, he would send Atlas. This wasn’t my goal coming here, but I was a sucker for a big strong guy unjustly punished for doing his job.
