Goddess Academy: The Complete Reverse Harem Collection

by Clara Hartley

  I meandered around the new straw house, wondering how the building managed to stand despite looking so flimsy. The walls felt more like drapes, and the beams that held the straw ceilings up seemed like they might snap in two if a gust was too strong. The structure wasn’t going to last Aphrodite’s boredom, anyway. It’d probably be transformed into something else by the next morning.

  I found her sitting in a room with no doors. It was made of straw, just like the rest, but unlike the others, this one had extra decorations—arrows that hovered all across the room.

  I stared closer, then blinked at her outfit. It was a robe, completely black. She was a personification of war—an unfitting image, since she was meant to be the gentle goddess of love. Guard bracers curved around her shoulders. Sharp spikes poked from the bracers, the armor almost looking like a weapon itself.

  Unease crawled its way down my spine.

  Seeing her like that made me doubt my initial impression of her, and the vassals’ warning that I’d been too trusting rang louder in the back of my head.

  As soon as her eyes reached mine, she greeted me with a warm grin. She was folding paper into arrows and hanging them around the room.

  “Come, sit,” Aphrodite said, gesturing for me. Her invitation softened my heart, and I wanted to trust her. Perhaps it was her beauty. Who was I kidding? I knew I was lying to myself, but I didn’t want to face the ugly monster of truth.

  I wanted a mother.

  Always did.

  Aphrodite gave me hope, a chance, a future with a family of blood-kin, and despite the risks, I wished to take the leap of faith.

  Dumb belief, mine in particular, was going to be the death of us all. Dressed like that, she looked like death itself. But would it be too bad if death was on my side? Maybe that was why the goddesses all lived for so long: because they’d grown close to the goddess of death, Hel.

  “Why arrows?” I asked, taking my place next to the pile of paper she kept beside her. I picked a piece up and fiddled with the edges. This one was red. The same crimson as the bracers around Aphrodite’s shoulders. I thought I’d try following my mother, folding the paper into arrows, but she was so adept at the art that my eyes couldn’t even keep up with her movements. I tried watching more intently, but instead, I zoned out. I turned to the questions that wouldn’t stop running through my thoughts. “Why the straw house? Why summon me here now? Couldn’t you have cared for me through Lydia?”

  “Were you lonely?” Aphrodite asked. “Being on your own throughout your childhood couldn’t have been easy.”

  I snorted. “It was difficult as hell.”

  Aphrodite finished another arrow. She opened her palm, then blew softly. The arrow floated from her hand and joined the others that surrounded her. Soon after, she proceeded to pick up another sheet from her stack of paper. I wasn’t sure why she was doing this. As entertainment? It seemed meaningless.

  Aphrodite didn’t look up from her folding. She answered my question as if she’d heard my thoughts. Was it a mother thing? Good mothers could often sense what their children wanted, right? Or, at least, I’d heard that from somewhere. “It’s your father’s symbol. One of many, anyway. We goddesses are often quite sentimental about our symbols. We think they bring us good luck.”

  “Looks ominous,” I said, knocking my knees together. “Too much red all over the place.”

  “It’s his favorite color.”

  “Oh?” I asked. “The color of blood?” Or his eyebrows.

  She chuckled. “Of passion. Fire. Fury.” A look of pure adoration spread over her face. “Ares is an incredible individual, and that’s what drew me to him. I see him in you, my love. Maybe that was why I wanted to hold you so close.”

  “Still,” I said, “you let me go.”

  “And still I did, because if I didn’t send you out to the realms, I would have smothered your flames. That would be a waste, wouldn’t it?”

  I scrunched my nose up. “Flames,” I murmured. I was pretty sure she meant that metaphorically, but my mind reached back to the many times I’d set things on fire. Those times scared me. I didn’t want my flames to come out.

  They should stay inside me.

  Hidden.

  Safe.

  They belonged to her. The demon in me I refused to acknowledge.

  Part of me wished to give a good impression to my newfound mother, and so I bit my tongue and left those incidents a secret. I’d let her believe I was awesome and all that. That I could be fearless and trusting and wise.

  All the things I wasn’t.

  Glancing down, I sighed. My attempt to mimic her had failed miserably. My paper was crumpled, bent at the wrong edges, and it looked nothing like an arrow. I crushed it into a ball and placed it next to my thigh, away from her sight.

  “What do you need luck for?” I asked, watching the arrows bob around the room. Each time Aphrodite sent one out, it seemed to take on a life of its own, moving or vibrating at a different pace to its peers. One of them seemed livelier than the others. It darted back and forth, bumping into the other arrows, shoving them aside without have a shred of remorse.

  I liked that arrow. It didn’t let others get in its way, keeping true to itself.

  “Why do we need luck?” Aphrodite asked. “We always need it. Even those with higher powers. Life is unpredictable. I’m thankful for that. It makes it fun, but it also creates a sense of dread. Enemies lie about, my sugarplum, and if I lose Ares or you because of them, I don’t think I could live with myself.”

  “Enemies?” I asked. “In the Otherside?” Aphrodite might need to get her eyesight checked. There was nothing around here.

  “I want to keep my family safe,” Aphrodite said, “as all mothers do. I simply hope the universe treats us well.”

  “Clotho, you mean.” I recalled her saying that, as a sister of fate, she was one of the creators of all things. “You wish that Clotho treats you well.”

  Aphrodite laughed, sounding like a nightingale. “Clotho? She has no dominion over the fate of us goddesses. We are too powerful for her. Humans? Yes. They are weak and easily manipulated. But she cannot abate the unpredictability of all that surrounds us. She didn’t see the destruction of the chiasma coming, so take what she says with a pinch of salt.”

  “Huh.” I cocked my head, doubting the power that Clotho proclaimed she had, choosing to trust Aphrodite instead.

  Aphrodite’s smile fell, and suddenly, her features drew taut. “But there is something I must ask of you, Caramel.” Her voice became low and controlled. “And it would help me greatly if you agree.”

  I swallowed thickly, bothered by the sudden tension that permeated the air. “What is it?” I asked.

  “You recall that I created you as the bridge, yes? You are to join the Otherside with Haven, and are our escape from this dreadful place.”

  I blinked at Aphrodite. She wanted something from me. But of course, she did. A sinking sensation weighed down my stomach as doubt began to course through my mind. Was Aphrodite truly concerned for me? Or did she simply want to use me as a means to an end?

  The serious look on her face broke as soon as it came. “You would do that for me, wouldn’t you?”

  “Details first,” I said, eying my mother warily. I liked her—she gave me hope for a close family—but that didn’t mean I was about to chop my hand off for her.

  She nodded and waved her hand in front of her, and out of nowhere, a chalice appeared in her grasp. “I only need some of your blood. It contains your essence. With that, we can carry out the ritual to reopen the door to Haven, and we can be free.”

  “Ares did start a war in Haven. The goddesses didn’t seem too thrilled about it. Lots of death, you know? Inconvenient stuff.”

  Aphrodite shook her head, her grip still firm on the chalice. “That was Hephaestus.”

  I’d never heard that name before. She must have sensed my confusion from the strange look I gave her.

  “He was also one of my vassals.
One who loved me greatly. He crafted the greatest weapons.” Her eyes grew distant. “They weren’t just functional, but also works of art. Ares… he is influenced easily. A little push drives him. Hephaestus wanted his weapons to be used, and so he started filling your father’s head with stories, telling him of how great vassals would be if they were gods instead. He roused a sense of injustice in your father.”

  “So what you’re saying,” I said, “is that you’re peace-loving folk and that we should just blame this one dude? Ares did start the war, right? Push or no push.”

  Her nostrils flared. “What I’m saying is that Hephaestus is gone now. My other vassals, too. They died in the flames of the last Vassal War. Your father is all I have now, and if I feed him with love, he will find no trouble.” She lifted the chalice, offering it to me. “The Otherside looks idyllic, but it is no place for us to be. You don’t want to be trapped here, Caramel.” Why was she using my name so much? It felt like she was purposely utilizing it to win my favor. “We can start a new life as one. A big family. Me, your father, Deimos, you. I promise that the goddesses won’t even know of my presence once I return.”

  “My vassals, too.”

  “Hm?”

  “The four of them. I want them to join us in this new life.”

  “Ah, yes. That too. They can join us.”

  Carefully, I weighed the options. Just a drop of blood, right? It shouldn’t be too bad. Kids in teen movies offered that shit all the time.

  Then again, in those movies, things always exploded in their faces whenever they tried dealing with magic and sacrifices and gates. I hummed as I deliberated. Maybe I should talk over this with my vassals first.

  “Please,” Aphrodite said. “There would be nothing to lose, and much happiness to gain.”

  I sensed the pressure of her request closing in on my chest.

  “It’s an easy decision to make,” she continued. “One that doesn’t require much deliberation. Just say yes.”

  “Yes,” I blurted. I probably shouldn’t have spoken so hastily, but I wished to get it all over and done with.

  As soon as I gave my consent, Aphrodite snatched my hand. A knife appeared in her grasp and she punctured my skin, slicing it open. Blood seeped from it, flowing into the chalice. A drop? That was not a drop.

  “Crazy woman!” I shouted.

  When I looked up at her, the smile that broke her face was almost chilling.

  She masked the fervor quickly, but I’d already seen it.

  “Thank you so much,” she said. She summoned a towel, then wrapped it over my bleeding hand. She added pressure to my wound and a slicing pain shot up my forearm. “With this, we won’t be prisoners anymore.” She kissed me on my temple. “I will treat my daughter well. I won’t fail you any longer, my sweet. We’ll be happy. Together. In Haven. I’ll make sure to protect you, just as a mother should.”

  Her last promise made my heart quiver. That was all I’d ever wanted to hear.

  I stared into her warm eyes, sensing hope rise in me once more. Craziness? Did she really show that? Perhaps seeing that was a result of my own delusions and insecurities. This woman wished the best for me.

  Right?

  Six

  In the late afternoon, before the sun dipped beneath the horizon, we traveled to the chiasma’s peak, a tall mountain with a winding path that ran around it. The climb looked unimaginably long at first. I hadn’t even begun the trek, and my legs already felt sore.

  But we had to get to the top.

  That was where Aphrodite and Ares stored the energy they’d stolen from the chiasma. Aphrodite told me that they’d had to find a specific, magically strong location to place it, because the power of the chiasma often corrupted and ripped apart its environment.

  Aphrodite’s laughter rang through the air. “Careful! Don’t be too reckless with your wings.”

  She’d said that three times now. I didn’t think that goddess moms could be nags. I loved that I was getting nagged, however. Growing up, I did stupid shit without anybody holding me back. It led to many bruises and embarrassing situations. Like that time with the banana. I shuddered just thinking about it. I’d repressed that memory, hidden it in the darker recesses of my mind. I glanced at Aphrodite, inspecting her soft, gentle, and caring face. She was supposed to be the personification of love. It was nice to have a mother to care for me.

  I flapped my wings harder, and they took me another five feet off the ground.

  “Cara,” Hansel said, cupping his hands over his mouth. “Don’t overestimate yourself.”

  “I’d be at the top now if I weren’t holding anything back,” I replied to the nags. “I’m being cautious.”

  “Either that,” Theo added heartily, “or facedown after falling.”

  I harrumphed and sped up a bit, getting more used to my wings. The sensation of them flapping on my back felt nice. It created soft winds that flipped my hair up and around. I climbed higher and higher, then looked down.

  Fucking Grecian tits.

  The fall looked long as hell.

  I tucked my hair back before deciding that I shouldn’t risk the fall. I lowered to the ground. Deimos lifted a brow at me.

  I shrugged. “What? I gave it a shot. The adventure quota for the day has been met.”

  “You would be up there now if you knew how to properly use your wings,” Deimos said with a blank expression. I wasn’t certain if he was trying to tease me. If so, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

  As we trekked upward, Aphrodite cradled the chalice in her hand. It was filled with my blood. A stark red. I could smell the metallic scent. She treated it like a precious gem, looking at it with more reverence than me. As we walked up the winding path, Liam pulled me aside. We strode faster, until there was a lengthy gap between us and the gods. “Hey,” he said, “are you sure about this?”

  “What’s there to question?” I asked. “My mother wants a better life for us. I’m working with my family for a better future.”

  “That’s the thing.” His voice dropped to be even quieter. More ominous. “You never know who you can trust. And I definitely wouldn’t put my eggs into this basket. They’re war starters. They’ve done horrible things that you can’t even begin to fathom. Don’t let their fake smiles and false promises draw you in so much.” Liam wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He leaned in and kissed my jaw. I was confused about where his sudden affection came from. Still, he often projected such a tough exterior that moments like these caused my belly to turn in a good way. Liam twined his fingers around mine. “I love you, Cara. And you look happy.”

  “I’m always happy.”

  “Tough, more like. You don’t let the small things get you down. Instead, you grit your teeth and go through life’s challenges like a strong woman might.”

  I scratched my head. I hardly thought of myself that way. I knew I could be ditzy. Clumsy. Sometimes a bit shallow.

  Strong?

  Nobody had ever used that description on me.

  “Which is one reason why I was so drawn to you in the first place.” Liam sighed before running his hand down his long ponytail. “I just want to warn you. It’s when you’re filled with hope like this that you have too much potential to be let down. And the higher you climb, the harder you fall. I don’t want to you to hurt.”

  “I know what risks I’m taking.” I just hoped they weren’t going to blow up in my face.

  “Do you, really?”

  The chilling warning swept over me, making my feet cold. I backed away from him. I knew what he’d said was the truth, and I didn’t want to face it. Aphrodite offered me a fantasy with her promises. A vision that seemed warm and comfortable and peaceful.

  Too good to be true, perhaps.

  I still needed to ask her about the deaths at the Sanctuary. Did she even care that, due to her actions, the girls there had to die? Would she return the stolen chiasma to save them?

  While blinded by my need for acceptance, I’d almo
st forgotten my cause.

  “I was thinking,” I said, still speaking softly so that only Liam could hear me. “Even if she were lying, getting them back to Haven wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

  “Oh? And why is that?”

  “It’ll get them closer to the goddess and Clotho. I’m assuming they’ll know how to use the chiasma’s power. And hopefully, they’ll comply and return the missing pieces to the chiasma. It won’t be angry anymore, and the half-bloods won’t need to be sacrificed.”

  “Is that how you see things?” Liam asked.

  I nodded. “Why not?”

  “It’s too positive.” He dragged his hand down his face. “Do as you wish, Cara. It’s my job to support you through every step, catching you should you fall.”

  His pledge to protect me was filled with conviction. A sensation of safety swelled over me, wrapping me with a feeling of warmth. I threw my arms around Liam, then placed a kiss on his cheek.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “I just really wanted to kiss you.”

  “Be more careful,” he said. “I don’t see a reason for kisses, not when it causes you to pay less attention and be more prone to slipping off the edge.”

  “Yeah,” Theo said, sneaking up behind us. “Why is Liam getting so much attention?”

  “Jealous?” I teased.

  Theo grunted. He pulled me away from Liam, then claimed my mouth. The trek halted. All due to male possessiveness and jealousy. I reveled in feeling wanted. Studying Aphrodite, I realized that a lot of a woman’s power could come from being wanted. Seduction could start wars, raze cities. In my case, I had the ability to get two hulking men to punch each other in the face.

  Of course, I didn’t want that. Not at this moment.

  Aphrodite looked at me with her eyes twinkling. “I know that the lot of you are still young and easily excitable, but let us finish creating the bridge first. I promise I’ll let you guys have all the alone time you need once we’re done.”