He nodded unashamedly. “Yes.”
“Who are you going to kill?”
His eyes glittered with desire. “Someone very important. Everyone will know soon enough. I will share the details once the deed is done.”
His children looked anticipatory—and not in the way that implied they already knew the target. They were just as in the dark as me, and it rankled them.
“My friends will be able to see through the illusion—through the character of the man using my face. They know me well enough to understand what I will and won’t do. They will know that your actions don’t match up with your appearance—”
Electro-Nate burst out laughing and I cringed at the sound of my own voice mocking me. “Everyone is absolutely terrified of you, Master Temple—especially your friends. You said it yourself. No one knows what you will or won’t do when your back is against the wall. What lines you will or will not cross. Maybe they knew once, but you are no longer the man they befriended.” He smiled devilishly. “You have gone through ascension. Apotheosis. You are more god than mortal—and I’m talking about your moral code, not your body’s ability to withstand harm. You are the monster to the monsters. There is nothing you wouldn’t do. Why do you think I like you?”
His words hit his children like a punch to the gut. Each of them grew still.
I stared back at him in silence, feeling sickened. I knew that I always had the best intentions, but I sure spent a lot of time trying to convince my old friends that my purposes were for the good of all. I had even taken to hiding my actions from them so as not to have to deal with their judgmental looks. Which…
Was exactly what Zeus meant. Damn it.
Even worse, the more loyal the friend, the more sympathetic they might be to whatever Electro-Nate was cooking up. They would argue that I had to have a good reason for doing what I was doing, which would convince everyone else. Gunnar would assume the best of me, and the rest would fall in line.
Still…
“The moment you open your mouth, my true friends will see through the ruse. We have too many past experiences for you to be able to pull this off as genuine. The moment one of my friends makes a comment that you don’t respond to in the right way, they will all close in on you.”
Electro-Nate nodded absently, not looking even remotely concerned. “Your friends will receive Hermes for an official meeting. He will inform them that the Olympians are helping to search for you ever since you went missing after rescuing Fenrir. Then I—as you—will likely make a few casual appearances to flesh out the story, if necessary. Then, if they see the real me wandering around, they will assume I am working with you and they will aid me. Once they learn that you not only escaped your abduction but that you are actively hunting another target, they will clamor to your call, praising Zeus and his mighty Olympians for helping you. Greeks flood to your city already, and the Olympians rally behind you. It is almost poetic, when you look at the big picture.” I stared at him incredulously, finding hardly any flaws in his plan. “It is no secret that Hermes has helped you in the past, so they will believe him. As I intended so long ago when I first ordered him to give you that coin. To establish trust.”
I felt a cold shiver run down my neck again. The first meeting with Hermes and his help with the coin had been…a set up? All the way back when the Minotaur had given me Hermes’ coin to fight the dragons? Zeus had been playing the long con this whole time? That was…
Wait for it…
Inconceivable.
Then again, if he had the Sisters of Fate wrapped around his finger, it was entirely plausible that he had been watching me this whole time, moving me around as he saw best for this future Omega War.
The fact that he had not punished me for killing Athena told me he wasn’t an unconditional love kind of god. No one made plans this perfectly without great amounts of help.
Like the Sisters of Fate. But I’d already sensed a lie or two, and knew that he was afraid.
I simply couldn’t decide which part of his claim was the lie—whether he truly had set all this up long ago or whether he was merely capitalizing on the current situation. He either had the Sisters of Fate under his thumb, or he absolutely did not, and he was scrambling to work around them in some way I couldn’t comprehend. Was that even possible—to defy fate?
He chuckled at the look on my face. “I have thought of every angle, Master Temple. I am not one to sit idly by. I study my enemies and allies in equal measure. I have considered every weak link in the chain and set up contingency plans for every possibility. For example, one contingency should matter above all others. If I sense your Horsemen plotting against me, I will kill them all. I will not grant them the chance to explain themselves. I will simply end them. Hermes has already set up enough firepower to destroy every single person you have ever loved within one moment of my signal. I will have them under surveillance at all times. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of your own friends turns the others in—thinking they are being loyal to you.” He pressed a thumb against his chest, enunciating the last word to remind me that he meant my doppelgänger—himself. “You will sit here, locked away, and watch them all die, knowing that their loyalty demanded they make the call, thinking they are actually helping you, not that they are doing anything wrong.”
I stared at him, shaking my head. “An alliance would have worked so much better,” I whispered—not out of fear, but speaking entirely honestly. I also realized that I had subconsciously spoken in the past tense, as if I’d already made my decision.
Zeus shrugged. “Alliances are for negotiations. This is an ultimatum.” He brushed his hands together. “I suggest you get some rest. It will be sunset in several hours, and if Aphrodite has any say in the matter, you have a long night ahead of you.” He chuckled raucously. “You should be thanking me. The audacity to believe you are a prisoner when you get to fuck the Goddess of Sex as much as you could possibly handle.”
He didn’t even have the dignity to look at his daughter, so he didn’t catch the brief glimmer of fury in her eyes. It was gone so fast, I almost hadn’t caught it myself.
He was talking about his own daughter as if she was a salaried family whore. Even if she was okay with her job, the fact that her dad was so callous about it…well, it told me a lot about their family dysfunction. And that maybe Aphrodite was more independent than she seemed.
I wisely kept my mouth shut. Sex was not happening, no matter what she thought. “I’m pretty sure my time with Apollo and Ares will balance the scales of pleasure and pain.”
Zeus shrugged. “You brought down their ire upon yourself. A godkiller must endure and carry the consequences of his actions for his entire immortal life. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” he added with a dark chuckle. “I imagine you will be quite formidable when you are ready to work with me. When you see what is at stake. In two nights, to be precise, I will require your answer. There is supposed to be a truly epic storm that night—if I have anything to say about it,” he chuckled absently at his funny little joke. His eyes grew distant. “I do not seek your friendship or good favor, Temple. Gods and godkillers cannot afford such whimsy. I hold you to a higher standard—that you will do whatever is necessary, despite your personal feelings—for the betterment of existence.” He stared out at the clouds, a euphoric look on his face. “Zeus will save the world, and everyone will worship me again,” he breathed, looking as if he could already hear the billions of humans—or however many survived this upcoming Omega War—chanting his name. He was drunk on his own power.
I stared at him for a few moments, knowing how dangerous unchecked arrogance could be.
“I have a friend who named his dog Zeus. Little terrier or something. One of those yapping, obnoxious, shoe-sized little rodents.” Zeus’ knuckles crackled dangerously, but he didn’t rise to my bait. “There was an epic storm one night, and he got run over by a car much bigger than him. Mine.” Zeus clenched his fists but didn’t turn to look at me. “Fu
nny how the world turns,” I added. “Come on, Carl.”
Carl nodded and followed me as I turned back to head to our cell.
What the hell was I supposed to do now?
Zeus muttered something, and his children were quickly falling into place to escort us back. Ares and Apollo took the lead while Hermes and Aphrodite picked up the rear.
My neck itched to have Hermes at my back, but I managed not to twitch. My mind raced with plans, most of them epic failures. Hermes—although mostly silent—was the scariest one of the bunch. He made my skin crawl. And he was the one who had supposedly tried to help me up until my abduction. He’d warned me not to trust any Olympian. Even himself.
Except Hermes had been playing me from the very beginning. Him and his fucking coins—
Wait a minute…
10
As we made our way back down the tunnel, I let my crazy plan percolate, wondering how to incorporate it. Our Olympian escorts kept themselves at a safe distance, obviously troubled by some of Zeus’ comments. I could use that.
I leaned close to Carl. “Give me a distraction. Now.”
Carl suddenly got right up in Apollo’s face. He had his hands clasped behind his back to signify he meant the Olympian no harm. I knew that if Carl tried to hit Apollo, the manacles would prevent him from actually making contact—an annoying little limitation of the cuffs. I’d almost forgotten about that, and was now doubly thankful that I hadn’t tried taking a swing at Zeus or his ilk.
Apollo tried to step back and Carl followed him, maintaining his invasion of Apollo’s personal space.
“Make him stop, or I swear I will kill him,” Apollo whined in a nasally tone. He stepped back and Carl pursued him, not lessening his proximity for even a heartbeat. “Ares! He’s trying to attack!”
Ares grinned, suddenly amused. Aphrodite seemed similarly curious. Hermes flicked his mercurial eyes from face-to-face, watching everyone.
Everyone but me. Perfect.
I’d given the watcher something to watch.
“I am not touching you, sunshine man,” Carl said, calmly. “But I am thinking about thrusting my claws into your chest cavity—as slowly as a lover’s first mating session—while I drink down your fear and wrap myself in your dying screams. How my claws will carefully detach your heart and slowly pull it back out. How your blood will moisturize my scales for decades to come. Ichor makes the best lotion, you know.”
Apollo blanched, breathing rapidly through his nose—both transfixed by and furious with Carl’s melodic, almost hypnotic threat. “I will roast you alive—”
“And I will let you try,” Carl interrupted calmly, matter-of-factly. “I will purr at your futile attempts to harm me, embracing them like a lover’s arms around my shoulders.”
“That’s it. I am going—”
“To die, godling,” Carl interrupted again, in a voice like a loving father’s lullaby. “You are going to die. In my arms. Tonight.”
I grinned. “It must have been something you said,” I chuckled. No one paid me any attention. Everyone was staring at Elder Carl in very real fear. He’d been so fucking quiet this whole time that they believed ignoring him had worked to dial back the creepiness.
But Carl had no chill.
His creepy dial didn’t go any lower than eleven. That was his starting point.
Carl flicked his tongue out, almost hitting Apollo in the nose. “After I finish feasting on your still-beating heart, I will lovingly carry your cold corpse to the Boatman,” he said in a dreamy tone. “Yet I shall not pay him. No. Because killing you would be a charity to the world.” Carl leaned closer. “I will do this thing, sunshine. I swear it.”
Ares coughed and Aphrodite stared at the Elder in absolute horror.
Apollo stared at Carl with a nauseated look on his face, unable to pull his gaze away.
Poor Hermes didn’t see me coming. I tripped into him, accidentally knocking loose the pouch of coins hanging from his belt. Olympian gold spilled everywhere, jarring everyone out of their staring contest with Carl.
“Shit,” I cursed, wobbling on my feet dazedly and clutching at my head. “Sorry. I’m feeling a little dizzy.”
Hermes glared at me and Ares laughed.
“Maybe if you imbeciles actually gave them enough food and water, he would be able to stand on his own feet for more than an hour,” Aphrodite growled. “Now he’s wasting my time.”
“I said I was sorry,” I mumbled, bending over to begin scooping them up. I made a show of collapsing to my knees with a groan, fumbling about with the coins.
Hermes wasted no time, slapping my hand away as he bent down to do it himself. I realized the moment he saw the four coins I had palmed between my fingers.
Mainly because he suddenly hoisted me to my feet and slammed me against the door to my prison cell, snarling at me from so close that our noses almost touched and my feet dangled a few inches off the ground.
“I bet you four coins that I can beat Zeus,” I breathed before he could say anything.
In his eyes, I saw a split-second of hesitation, but his face remained furious. “You dare touch me again and I’ll take my turn at torturing you, boy,” he snarled. Then he very openly plucked the coins from my hand. “But try to rob me again, and I’ll cut off your fingers. I’m the god of thieves, you fucking moron.”
Then he reared back and clocked me in the jaw hard enough to send me to my knees. He bent down, scooped up his coins, and stormed away.
Ares and Apollo opened my cell door and ushered Carl through, first. He was chained back up and I was being dragged by my boots into the cell before I managed to clear the stars from my eyes. I heard the snap of chains as they connected to my Titan Thorns, and I climbed up onto all fours, shaking my head in both pain and true dizziness this time.
The door slammed shut and I spat out some blood, tonguing a loose tooth.
“It almost worked, Master Temple,” Carl said, softly.
I glanced over at him and then slowly reached into the pocket of my jeans. I pulled out four golden coins and grinned at him. “I don’t play almost, but I do like to place bets,” I croaked.
Carl’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared with hope.
“Not much help, since they only take us to the pavilion, but better than nothing.” And I told him about the impromptu bet I’d placed with the world’s most dangerous bookie after I’d failed to rob him. Talk about a stroke of luck.
The real question was why Hermes had slipped them into my pocket when he’d pinned me up against the wall. What fucking game was he playing now?
Regardless, my plan had worked. He was the god of thievery and trickery and gambling. He also favored mortals, historically. So, he had chosen to place a bet, putting his purse where his mouth was. This in no way helped me, but it could result in him dragging his feet when Zeus made a request of him. I’d found a fissure in their ranks.
A crack in their foundation.
Well, they hadn’t exactly hidden it. I’d just exploited an obvious weakness. To be fair, Hermes wasn’t risking all that much, and his potential for gain was very high. I analyzed the situation, murmuring to Carl that it was very likely our cell was bugged, so we should definitely be discreet in our conversations.
He nodded without hesitation and promptly went to his cot to rest.
I sat in the center of our cell, analyzing the situation. Now, how did I crack the foundation of the Olympian household even further?
Zeus ruled his crew with fear and infighting. Distracting them by pitting them against each other. He also used leverage to keep them in line—at least in a few cases, like Hephaestus over Aphrodite, then using Ares’ jealousy over Aphrodite. I wasn’t sure about Apollo and Hermes. They were wild cards. At least where it concerned how Zeus was controlling them. What motivated them? Apollo had a self-image weakness. He wanted everyone to know how important, pretty, valuable, blah, blah, blah he was. But he obviously had a fragile ego.
While I ruminated
on the various pathologies of the goon squad, Carl decided to take a nap, but there was no rest for the wicked.
Zeus was drunk on his own name. True to Zeus’ claims, I sensed alarming parallels between the pair of us. He was obviously at the furthest end of the narcissism spectrum, but I was close enough to bake him cookies and show up unannounced on his front porch—like a good neighbor. So, the real question was…
How would I beat myself? With Zeus now looking like my doppelgänger, it wasn’t too hard to imagine. I had to put myself in his shoes, much like he’d put himself in my skin. If I went all-powerful Nate, what would be my greatest weakness?
The people I loved. Especially the kids. I felt my skin flush at mental images of Calvin and Makayla or Alice.
My allies, obviously. Then, the people I considered beneficial as leverage over my foes—those I knew who had value in the short-term but not the long-term.
Loyalty was the most important factor when considering an ally, and thinking of betrayal—justifiably so, thanks to my parents—kept me up most nights. The fear of deceit.
Fear. I needed fear.
And a few very frightening ideas began to simmer in my mind as I started considering beneficial allies who would likely terrify Zeus. Or those who were at least strong enough to put a chink in his armor that I could slip a blade through.
If a man thought so highly of himself that he thought he could remake the world into a better place—in his own image—well, that never ended well. Zeus was beyond irrational and already imagining the merchandise sales of his rebounded worship.
He thought he could win that worship by using me to win the Omega War for him.
None of this mattered if I couldn’t get out of these damned Titan Thorns and get out of here. I’d have to play along with his plan to get a chance to take him out. I had to find a way to earn his trust. Even after that, I couldn’t go to my allies or Zeus would kill them. I also seriously doubted that I was strong enough to go head-to-head with Zeus on my best of days.
Carnage: Nate Temple Series Book 14 Page 7
