A Court of Ice and Wind (War of the Gods Book 3)

by Meg Xuemei X

  “How unusual!” Artemis was still shocked. “You’re so young.”

  “Well, it’s complicated,” I said. “And I’m not that young. You became an adult right after you were born. Though I was a late bloomer, I matured at the age of nine. I’m nearly seventeen now in my timeline and twenty six in human years.”

  Artemis nodded, pride glinting in her eyes. “I actually helped my mother deliver my twin as soon as I was born. He was a little brat.”

  Apollo looked at his sister sourly. “I’d rather you not tell everyone that old-dirt story.”

  “Nonsense,” Artemis said. I could tell from her attitude that she was used to bossing her brother around. “Any story is good, especially since I’ve got a new goddess here to listen to all the things I’ll say. But I’d rather hear Cass’s complicated story. I have all the time in the world.”

  When she had walked in, she’d known my name. She hadn’t asked me or her brother about my origin, as if she knew exactly what I was.

  Apollo and Ares traded a dismayed look, and that look quickly darkened with a hint of impending violence. Before I could warn Artemis, she sent both gods a casual, warning glance.

  “Stop it, Ares, Apollo,” she purred. “You know you can’t kick me out easily. Haven’t you studied your history lessons? Besides, I was sent here as a messenger this time. If I don’t return, or if I return with a missing piece, you won’t like the consequences. And before you can try anything funny, I’ll just snap my fingers, and my good pals Demeter and Athena will be here right away. You’re hard to track, little brother, but you don’t want an army on your cute ass. You, too, God of War. If father finds out what you two are plotting, he’ll kill you this time.”

  I laughed.

  Wow, I should learn how to threaten like this little girl.

  Ares and Apollo shot me a baleful look, as if I was a rattle snake.

  “We are not trying anything,” Apollo snapped. “You’re my twin after all, so you should stay on my side. And there’s no need to get Athena involved. Ever.”

  “So we’re all good.” Artemis turned to me, smiling at my admiration toward her and rage toward the two male gods. “Let’s sit at the table, shall we? Cakes and tea are my favorites!”

  She liked cakes just like me. And now that she was here, seemingly on my side, I might try the cakes again and bond with her. I stepped closer to her. As she moved, I moved. Artemis looped her arm around mine, and I beamed at her like her adopted, doting sister.

  She was my only ticket out of here. I wouldn’t let her go.

  Artemis waved a hand, and an ivory table with two fluffy chairs appeared by the window. She took a seat, and I lounged next to her.

  Apollo sighed and waved his hand. Two more chairs appeared for him and Ares to sit across from Artemis and me.

  The servants immediately brought steamy tea, wine, and cakes to the table. Apollo held a glass of white wine, and Ares chose red wine. They twirled their glasses, eyeing Artemis and me warily.

  As the immediate threat was temporarily thwarted, I remembered my mission. Before I fought for my freedom again, I should gather more intel from the gods. Artemis had just provided the best opportunity.

  She snatched a red velvet cake with ermine icing before I could stake my claim on it. I could smell the rich buttermilk and cocoa, but I restrained myself from giving her the stink eye since offending her would surely end my last chance of escaping.

  She stuffed it in her mouth. I looked at her with certain envy and dragged the plate that had a spice cake on it toward me.

  “I thought gods didn’t eat mortal food,” I said.

  “Most gods don’t, but I do,” Artemis said. “That’s why I always feel more connected to the mortals.”

  She eyed my spice cake with certain interest, so I quickly took a huge bite out of it. There, she couldn’t have it.

  Apollo and Ares, despite being the most despicable beings I had ever met, had no interest in our cakes, which I approved of.

  “I want to hear how you ended up with four hot lovers, Cass,” Artemis said.

  “Mates,” I corrected her.

  She waved a hand. “Fine. But first, tell me how you ended up here.” She scooped up a portion of my cake and put it in her mouth before I could stop her. My spoon lashed out and got a chunk of her red cake. I didn’t hesitate to stuff it into my mouth and let the cake melt on my tongue.

  Artemis laughed. “We’re kindred spirits, Cass.”

  “Yes, you’re both the most immature goddesses and love to play pranks,” Apollo murmured. “That’s what is.”

  Artemis and I glared at him, and he raised both hands in an offering of peace.

  Hope warmed my insides. I believed this Artemis chick could get me out of here.

  “Apollo pretended to be someone he wasn’t and disguised himself as Noah, the head of the mages,” I said. “He then kidnapped me from the Academy and dragged me along the slipstream while I was wet and cold. He claimed the slipstream is a path only gods can travel. Is it true?”

  Artemis sighed. “I’m afraid so. But I’m the stealthiest and most skillful huntress, so I often remain invisible. I’ll teach you to hunt if we can hang out.”

  “I’d love to hang out,” I said, eager to capitalize on the opening. “We can also go shopping. Do you want to go to the malls right now? I can take you to the best mortal mall, and then we can sneak into a theater—”

  “Slow down, little Cass,” Apollo said. “You’re not leaving here.”

  I trained my eyes that burned with dark fire on him. “You had no business kidnapping me. You need to let me go or one day I’ll burn your house down and worse.”

  Artemis rubbed her temples with small, elegant hands. “Unfortunately, abduction is the tradition of males in our race.” At my look, she added, “It’s distasteful, I know.”

  Ares narrowed his eyes at the virgin goddess, and Apollo cleared his throat in warning.

  “Aren’t we going to do something to stop it?” I put down my spoon as I made my demand.

  “If you know our race’s history, you’ll know the king started it,” Artemis said. “My father Zeus literally raped Persephone. To cover up his act, he helped Hades abduct the daughter of the Goddess of Plants and Fertility, smuggling her to Hades’s Underworld. Persephone hasn’t been the same ever since.”

  “Having fun flaunting our family’s dirty laundry in front of Cass?” Apollo asked in an acid tone. “Talk about distasteful!”

  Artemis fixed on me, her bright green eyes sharpening, becoming an ancient abyss that nearly swallowed me. “You aren’t Persephone’s daughter, but you’re Hades’. How did that happen?”

  “The fuck I know,” I said. “I don’t want to be his daughter, or any god’s daughter. You must be mistaken. I have nothing to do with Hades, Zeus, or any of the fucking gods. And no one can really pinpoint my heritage.”

  “The truth of your birth was hidden from you,” Artemis said, sympathy softening the edge in her eyes.

  I blinked. I’d thought the god race was nothing but a collective pantheon of psychopaths. I hadn’t expected any of them to have the capacity for empathy. I shouldn’t hold prejudice against any kind. Just like Amber said, there were always good guys and bad guys in every race and species.

  Artemis glared at me, as if suddenly realizing something.

  I jerked my chin at her. “What?”

  “You shall not curse, Cass!” she said sternly.

  Right, she was the virgin goddess. She couldn’t allow a word like fuck to pollute her ears, and, while I needed her more than anything, the last thing I wanted was to alienate her.

  “Uh, sorry?” Though I didn’t sound too sorry. I pointed two fingers at the two hostile gods sitting opposite me. “They did me wrong and made me uncivilized. If you’d come earlier, you’d have seen the horrific scene of how the two of them manhandled me. Apollo tried to force himself on me, and, when Ares showed up, the God of War taunted me endlessly to humiliate me. Apol
lo then nearly melted me with his sun power when I said no to them.”

  The gods stared daggers at me.

  Ares growled. “No other women have ever accused me as such. They love me!”

  “Then go get them. No one’s stopping you,” I said, gesturing at the door. “Please, you’re free to go.”

  As I’d said, it’d be easier to beat one rapist than two.

  Ares kept his godly ass glued to his chair.

  “The males in our race have been disappointments since the beginning of time,” Artemis said. “They haven’t evolved one little bit. We call the other species uncivilized, but in fact we are the most barbaric race. That’s one of the reasons I’ve kept any male away from me.”

  “Maybe you should consider finding a mate, or mates, in other races,” I said. “I know some handsome, loyal, and caring fae males. You can pick any of them, except for my mates. My captain Hector and his awesome cadre, all four of them, would be thrilled to be in your harem.”

  They would, right?

  “I’ll think about it,” Artemis mused.

  “I’d be more than happy to introduce you to them,” I said, pleased with myself that I was good at pimping. I then gave her an onceover. “You might want to grow taller and have bigger boobs. You gotta look at least twenty-one. A little younger, and you won’t even get in a bar. They check a driver’s license. But I can help you out if you go with me. I can get the bouncers to overlook your physical age. They’re very tough, but I personally know two of them.”

  “You’re giving my sister, the purest and only virgin goddess, the most ridiculous, corrupt advice I’ve ever heard,” Apollo said, his green eyes burning with rage, but his green wasn’t that impressive anymore now that Artemis had come on the scene. “Do you know the great lengths I’ve gone to protect my sister’s virtue?”

  “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.

&
nbsp; “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.