Grace of Gods Boxset: Reincarnated Greek Gods YA/NA Series

by Kyleigh Castronaro

  Standing up I quickly made my way down the aisle looking for the next book. I wanted to know more; I wanted to know why Charlotte or Athena hated me and why Royce-Hephaestus one moment would be there for me, and the next, turn his back on me.

  I found my answers in the next volume, which chronicled the children Hera had borne for Zeus. One of them was Ares, which explained why Zane had come over to me with Royce earlier to protect me from Griffin. Athena, as it turned out, was a child solely of Zeus.

  He had created her from his head and coveted her above all his other children. Charlotte must have sensed that but taken it the wrong way, pursuing him instead as a mate. And Hephaestus had a rocky relationship with his mother.

  When he was born, he was crippled in both his legs and Hera’s shallow tastes led her to throwing him off Mount Olympus hoping to forget all about him. A while later he returned in the form of a golden throne, which he sent as revenge toward Hera. When she sat down in it, the chair took on a life of its own and chained her in it. It was only with the help of Dionysus who got him drunk and convinced him to free her, that she could get out.

  One reoccurring theme was that Hephaestus returned to Hera when she needed help against others that threatened her or her family.

  The more I read the more I realized how accurate everything that had been happening to me with the other Gods was. I was meant to be jealous of Nicola because Paris of Troy had chosen her as the most beautiful Goddess of all, even though it had been Hera for centuries that had held that title until Aphrodite’s birth.

  I devoured the book late into the night until the sun had already risen from its bed and awoken the new day. I closed the book and set it down beside me thinking about everything that was going through my head. I had a lot of decisions to make regarding this second chance I’d been offered.

  Allying and staying with Zeus entailed a lot of personal grief if history were to repeat itself. It would challenge me to be able to accept myself for who I was and try not to find fault in myself for his failings. And while Hera might have been able to do this I wasn’t sure if I could. She was, according to history, a lot more beautiful than I was and no doubt had to be to return Zeus’ straying eyes to her every time.

  But I wasn’t like that; I couldn’t believe myself capable of holding such power over a man. Not to mention how much Zeus took advantage of her. Could I handle letting someone walk all over me for the rest of my life because I was the inferior sex? If I was going to be Queen of the Heavens I wanted to do at an equal level with my partner.

  Aidan’s words about how he would choose who he wanted at his side rung through my mind. While I knew it was his choice to pick his Queen, wasn’t I the obvious choice?

  Also, I was the only one he ever felt comfortable opening up to. Twice now in less than two days he’d opened himself up to me in such a vulnerable way that as far as I could see it, the choice was obvious.

  But then again, I wouldn’t put it past Aidan to choose someone else if only to hurt me. He didn’t want to be obvious; he didn’t want history to repeat itself as much as I did. He said he feared his fate being decided for him...perhaps, while all the signs were there, he would choose someone different to turn history on its head.

  Behind me something fell off a shelf and hit the ground. I spun around in the cushion and looked around me for the source of the noise. There was a small scuffle and then silence returned. Frowning to myself I stood up and found a book lying on the floor. I moved quickly toward it, bending down to pick it up when I spotted it – a pair of shoes hiding behind the shelf, barely visible between a hole on the bottom rack.

  A frown burrowed itself in my brow as I straightened up and marched around the shelves and pausing in my step when I saw who it was.

  “Are you spying on me?” My tone was a lot more accusatory than I meant for it to be as I set my hands on my hips. “What are you doing here?”

  “What are you doing here?” He replied, as if I was the one who’d been skulking behind the books this entire time.

  Crossing my arms, I glared at him, “I asked first, and we’re not playing this game. Are you spying on me?”

  “Why would I want to do that?”

  “I don’t know... it probably has something to do with your depravity though.”

  He scowled more at me, coming out completely from behind the shelves. Lumbering over me, as if to reassert his power and regain control of the situation. He came to a stop right in front of me, I was forced to stare up at him. I wanted to believe I was better than his petulance but I knew I had the tendency to be petty when I was being defensive like him.

  “Please. Why are you full of yourself, Queenie? The world does not, in fact, revolve around you. I have no interest in what you were doing nor was I looking for you.”

  I was half amused by the fact he was growing overly defensive, bringing up things I hadn’t asked about, nor even considered before he mentioned it.

  “That’s funny coming from you. You walk into the room and expect everyone to drop what they’re doing and bow down to you. And you know what, I don’t think it has anything to do with being Zeus I bet you did it even when you were still completely mortal.“ Naturally, he smirked, which only managed to infuriate me more.

  “It’s not that I acted that way but that people instinctively bowed down to me. I once had this coworker who started wearing the same clothes I had worn the day before, copying my mannerisms… He literally tried to be me, he worshiped me desperately.” His words and his face made me want to hit him; I wasn’t in the mood for this, especially not after how he left things last night.

  I was supposed to be trying to get over all this the constant bickering, the low blows to try and garner response from one another. I didn’t want this and even with hundreds of smart remarks edging to the tip of my tongue, I looked up at him ready to tell him I didn’t care one way or the other. He could call me arrogant all he wanted when I knew the truth.

  “I obviously got a restraining order. People like that get desperate fast, I couldn’t risk anyone endangering any of… this.” He carried on, not even realizing I wasn’t paying attention to him. His hand swept the length of his side, motioning to his physique and my eyes naturally followed the progression.

  In that moment, though, I suddenly felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water down my spine, causing me to shiver involuntarily. Something changed, I was still myself but there was a distinct sense it wasn’t me.

  With a shock, I realized: this was Hera.

  I was there, mentally present, but I wasn’t in control of my body. Akin to being drunk: aware but everything moves around you in a haze, you feel like you can’t do anything to change or stop it. You want to react but there’s literally nothing you can do except give in and let the chips fall where they may.

  I let her have her way, not that I had much choice, until she returned the control to me.

  “As the modern mortals say: get over yourself, husband. This sense of grandiose only exists in your own reality and it is not a truth. No one here cares for this petulant act.” She turned away, impressively and started to return to the tome I was reading. I was both amazed by her self-restraint and concerned that she hadn’t taken control over me to say something I was completely capable of saying for both of us.

  She bent down and collected the book I had left on the cushions, she held it like it was evidence in a courtroom and approached Aidan where he stood frozen in disbelief.

  “For centuries you’ve abused your power, believing yourself to be untouchable because you alone held the final say in the heavens.as you’ve always taken everything I’ve ever given you for granted. Not once have you realized the kind of wife I was for you, while you were off cavorting with other women, undermining me and encouraging the likes of Athena to believe I was weak willed.

  The struggles I have suffered have been nothing more than the painful reflections of your own treatment of me by our siblings and our children. While I am mo
cked, and made to bear the brunt of it all… you get the love, the adoration, the loyalty and I’m left with shambles of those things. They are nothing more than pieces that don’t fit together in a puzzle that isn’t mine.

  All you’ve ever done is take advantage of me without much as thanks or an apology and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of how easily manipulated you are by the female flower; you cannot help but to sniff everyone. You’re a gluttonous pig; if your sexual appetite were reflected in your form you’d be bloated and repugnant. No woman would touch you because you’d reek of everything foul.

  She had waved the book around like it was Holy Scripture, telling him everything that had been boiled up inside of her for centuries with a few flourishes from my own realizations. I didn’t fully understand why she chose now, of all the times we’d run into each other, to express her feelings. Reading about her past and perhaps worrying about her future had driven her to a point of uncertainty and now seeing that her husband, or at least her husband’s vessel, was no different from the original.

  Aidan was staring at me intently as the words flew out of my mouth, the look in his eyes told me he was listening and someone, either him or Zeus, was taking these things into consideration and listening closely. I wanted to shy away from his scrutiny and the strength in his eyes as they bore down on me. But Hera was steadfast and refused to remove us from the inevitable line of fire. She didn’t want to show any insecurity or weakness because I knew that both Aidan and Zeus preyed on that.

  The intensity of his gaze was unlike any other he had directed at me; it made me want to curl up in a protective ball. It was nonsense to feel that way when I knew he’d never do anything drastic to me but then again, this wasn’t all Aidan and even he had expressed his fear of what his God might can do.

  “Do you ever hear yourself woman? There you go again on about yourself and how you feel. It’s all you ever think about, though you pretend that you’re selfless and thoughtful when it comes to other people. You’re focused on all the negative things in your life that you hardly ever acknowledge the good things that happen to you. Besides, why would you? You can’t play the victim when someone tells you you’re beautiful or that they think you’re the most perfect being in the entire universe. There’s nothing to contend with in those statements, but the moments when my eyes stray to appreciate someone else for a fraction of a second I’m the

  unfaithful husband, the cruel master or whatever else it is you label me!” That wasn’t Aidan, and this wasn’t about us. Yet here we were, both forced to participate in a marital feud.

  I was utterly helpless in my own body while Hera turned our once innocent argument into this: centuries and centuries worth of pent up marriage counselling material.

  “I label you unfaithful because that’s what you are! If it was straying eyes then I could handle that! But it’s the fact that you act on your libido and go out of your way to get what you want. You say I’m selfish but you can’t even handle the idea of not getting what you want even if you know you shouldn’t have it! I think it’s the fact that you know you shouldn’t have it that makes you go after it. You’ve never once had that sort of passion for me.”

  “How dare you! You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved; you’re the only one I ever come home to. I’ve never sought any of those other women.“

  “And men!” I countered, my face reacting to this revelation while Aidan’s did before the Gods returned to their full control.

  “One time! It was one time.”

  “And you made him your hand servant, when I wanted something I had to look him in those beady little eyes and know that you desired him more than me.”

  “That isn’t true if you let me finish for once instead of always opening your mouth and talking for the sake of arguing. After thousands of years with you, I truly believe you continue to speak over me because you don’t want to hear the truth, you’d much rather believe in your delusions you may play the martyr.”

  He paused for a moment, waiting for her to retort but curiosity got the better of her. She was genuinely interested in what he wanted to say.

  “Well, if you have nothing to say to that I’m going to continue if you don’t mind your majesty.” I scowled at him, “perhaps I’ve turned to other women in the past because I knew you would accept it. You forget whom you are speaking to, sister; you forget that I know you as well as you know me. I know your weaknesses and I know that no matter what I do, no matter whom I lay in bed with and sow my seed into you will always want and need me. But, you are the only one I ever consistently came back to. You are the only one toward whom my desire has never waned. Those others were merely flings; I never saw them again when I was finished with them. Their only importance was the heirs they provided me.”

  He moved toward me, outstretching his hand and I could feel Hera wanting to give in. I could feel the desire she still held for him and how torn she was to let him win but knowing it wouldn’t change anything.

  I understood that conflict, I experienced it myself every time I spoke to him. He was right, I couldn’t change him but at the same time I wanted to believe he could change for me. It would never happen though, such trouble it was, loving the King of the Gods. It was amazing how he could be cruel but kind at the same time. Surely it was a talent unique entirely to him and it infuriated her. She hated that she didn’t know what to say to him, she hated that she believed what he said because there was a certain truth behind it. But most of all she hated the fact that she wanted to feel his arms around her, making them one once more. Instead, being the prideful creature she was, I felt my limbs relax and Hera moved us away from them.

  She was running away.

  Chapter 18

  Aidan was there in mere steps, reaching out and grabbing our arm we were facing him.

  “Don’t walk away from me.” He said, perhaps a bit more intensely than he meant because it only made her more defensive.

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” She said, ripping her arm out of his grip and turning to go again.

  “You’re my wife.” He argued, making to grab her again when she turned on him once more.

  “Yes, wife, not property. You can’t tell me how to act and how not to act.” I stood there, staring at Aidan for a moment my chest rising and falling quickly as the heat of my passion made me pant softly in effort.

  She willed us to stare at him as intensely as he was staring at us. Then I don’t know what happened next except that Zeus swooped down to my level. His hands cupped my face and he kissed me.

  I wanted to believe it was Aidan kissing me, days of pent up feelings released in a single gesture. I felt my hands move to respond, gripping the cotton of his shirt in my fists as he backed me up against the end of a bookshelf, pinning me there between his large body and the wooden unit.

  His hands slipped down my body leaving a trail of fire on every surface they touched, curling about my slight waist and in one heave he lifted me from the ground allowing me to wrap my legs around him. The sensation of his lips against mine made my head spin and the dizziness of passion clouded every sense except the fire he ignited within me. Hera had my full support here on out, my own desire for Aidan joining the passion she already exalted for her husband. Whether Aidan was looking for a wife or a girlfriend or whatever, it obviously didn’t stop the underlying feelings we both had for each other. Because I can’t imagine he would’ve let Zeus continue without his full support.

  We both wanted this and I could feel the electricity of our chemistry between us. His hands slid back up my body, tugging at the loose cotton of my dress to collect it. While my own hands ran up his shirt, not caring whether I took it off or not desperately seeking the sensation of skin upon skin.

  His lips pressed heatedly against mine, sucking the air from my lungs and injecting everything he felt about us back into my heart.

  Perhaps this was Zeus’ way of showing his wife how he felt: as a man who was poor with words but good with his lips. The message
was clear he never kissed another woman the way he was kissing me. Then again those were also Aidan’s lips and I had no doubt he was as good with them.

  The intensity of his passion had me lightheaded after a moment and almost as if sensing my growing distress, he pulled away, allowing me the opportunity to catch my breath. Aidan's eyes looked up and met mine, the bright blue of his irises burning with passion as we held each other's gaze for a moment. Then all at once we were kissing again, his teeth catching my bottom lip and tugging on it. The sting of pain was nothing as his tongue flicked out to sooth the swollen flesh quickly afterwards. His lips already working to make their way down my jaw in light feathery kisses.

  His nose pressed against my skin, inhaling the scent and nuzzling the spot where the rhythm of my heart pounded hardest against my flesh. A growl rumbled from deep within him and he nipped at my skin.

  "It's been too long, wife, let me satisfy you." His mouth had made its way to my ear, the words whispered huskily against it. It sent shivers of desire down my spine and goose bumps to rise on my flesh. He teased my lobe, tugging gently on it before moving away once more, causing my eyes to flutter.

  I was desperate to keep them open, to be able to see everything and burn it to memory while the rest of me wanted to give in and relax completely as he had his way with me.

  The words he spoke meant little to me, I wasn't Aidan's wife, but the idea of having a God pleasure me, no doubt in ways mortal men couldn't, was enough to have me agree.

  "You're the only man who ever could..." She responded equally as husky, our hands reached down, touching and memorizing every bit of exposed skin we could. I didn't want to ever forget the way his chest felt against mine, the way his hands maneuvered over my body with delicious roughness than sent courses of pleasure through my nerves and veins.

  He made me gluttonous and frenzied. My body had been craving this for long and despite my attempts to ignore it I couldn't misplace the longing that ached through me now as he touched and teased. My hand slid up the curve of his muscles and tiptoed into his hair at the nape of his neck. My fingers slid through the locks, coiling around them and my nails scratched at the flesh hidden beneath as I coaxed him on.