Stone Cold: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Gods & Monsters Book 1)

by Kate Nova

  “What do you want?” I asked Athena with an exhausted croak in my voice. “If you just came for forgiveness, then fine. I forgive you. Go unfettered forever—enjoy your freedom from guilt.” A freedom I’d never know. And now that those jerks had ruined my mother’s journal, the last thing I had of hers, the guilt would never truly fade, I knew.

  Without my mother’s words of poetry to comfort me, without that version of her to remember, I’d only ever imagine her as she was in the end—cold and quiet and made of stone.

  “I’m here,” Athena said, “for more than just your forgiveness, though I cannot say I’d blame you if you withheld it from me. Seems pretty swift of you to dismiss me with your acceptance of my apology.”

  “That just shows how badly I want you to go away,” I muttered.

  Athena raised one eyebrow but didn’t challenge me. Interesting, I thought—so I guess she had developed some character in the last three thousand years.

  “As I was saying,” she said, “I’m not simply here for forgiveness. I’m here to offer you redemption.”

  She let the word hang in the air and while I tried to interpret exactly what she meant by it, my eyes followed the length of her legs down, down to a pair of gold braided sandals on her perfect feet.

  Gold sandals which were exactly like mine.

  Exactly like the ones that …

  The realization dawned on me and I gasped.

  “You,” I said. “It was you?”

  Athena had started nodding before I even said it. “Yes,” she said.

  My mysterious benefactor. The one who’d rescued me from my imprisonment in my sea cave. The one who’d situated me here at Terras. The one who’d instructed me on how to get back to Mount Olympus—it was Athena.

  “Now do I have your attention?” she asked and I had no choice but to answer honestly. “I’m listening,” I said.

  Chapter 11

  Medusa

  “Orcus, the keeper of the beasts?” Athena asked as if I wasn’t intimately familiar with the man who’d been my jailer for literal millennia. “He’s up to something.”

  I took that in, leaning out of the pool in the shallow end, keeping my bottom half still submerged. I was nearly finished reeling over the current facts. Athena was my mysterious benefactor. Athena was the one who’d gifted me the gold sandals, which meant they likely had some miraculous function I didn’t yet understand. Athena was the one who’d rescued me from that cold, damp sea cave. Athena was my savior. And if I was able to get to Mount Olympus after all this, she’d be the one I owed my gratitude to.

  After I processed all this information, I glanced up at my former goddess of allegiance. “What do you mean, up to something?”

  Athena gracefully moved her toga so it wouldn’t show any more skin than was necessary as she took a seat on one of the lounge chairs. I couldn’t believe it. Athena, goddess of wisdom, was sitting on a plastic chair beside a chlorine-filled swimming pool. She would’ve looked more at home on a boulder beside an ocean-sprayed shore. But then again, so would I.

  And yet, here we were.

  “For so many years, I’ve heard Orcus speak about his monsters as if they were thorns in his side. I’ve seen him whip the beasts, chain them to the rocks, mistreat them. And everyone on Mount Olympus has heard him complain about his lot. I know he harbors ambitions to move beyond his station.”

  I bristled at this, unsure of what to say. Every mortal knew the gods fought and squabbled over who would be in charge of what. The story went that Zeus and Poseidon had cheated when they drew lots with Hades for the supreme rule of the skies and the sea, leaving Hades with the charge of the underworld. And every other god and goddess that I knew of longed to widen their own circle of influence and power. So there was nothing suspicious about this behavior to me, if it was truly coming from Orcus.

  Sounded just like another god, in my opinion.

  Athena must have sensed the thoughts which ran through my mind, because she shook her head. “This isn’t your run-of-the-mill power grab. It’s bigger. Some time ago, he strolled into the Hall of the Gods with his chest puffed out and a sneer on his face. He managed to convince Zeus himself that he’d promised divinity to all the monsters of the ages.”

  I snorted. “Zeus would never fall for such a line.” A green leaf blew into the pool; I plucked it out and cast it to the cement.

  Athena didn’t share my mirth. “Zeus did,” she replied flatly. “He did fall for it. Orcus convinced him he’d said it and the records were called for. Hermes opened a scroll and said he’d found it, but when I went back to check the scrolls later, I found no such conversation in the archives.”

  Hmmm. Interesting. “Would Hermes have taken a bribe?”

  Athena rolled her eyes. “Would the most corrupted official in Zeus’s court take a bribe from even the lowliest beast-keeper? Absolutely.” She tossed her black hair behind her shoulder. “There isn’t a god or goddess who hasn’t paid off Hermes for their own gain, except me, of course.”

  “Of course,” I said in an exaggerated tone and she glanced down at me with a clearly impatient expression.

  “I’m serious,” she said. “I never have. Though … I suppose you could argue that I’ve never had cause. So there’s that.”

  Yes, Athena probably had always believed she was the modicum of integrity on Mount Olympus—that was why she’d done what she’d done to me.

  Integrity.

  “Orcus wants his beasts on Olympus,” she went on. “There’s no doubt about it. For him to release them into the human world for this test? He’s trying to get them into position for something. This is how you’re able to be here. When Zeus agreed to release the creatures to prove their worthiness, he meant all of those who were imprisoned … including you. So the only good thing that came from all this is that I was able to petition for your freedom as well.”

  “It was you who released me, not Orcus.” It was a statement, not a question.

  Athena nodded. “He didn’t want you to be released. Of all the creatures he had to watch over, you’re the one he fears the most.”

  I growled. “He hardly watched over me. I was lucky to be given enough rations to survive. I was left to live in the shadows. To die. You left me there.”

  “I know,” Athena replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I was wrong to do that to you. I’ll be forever sorry and I will do everything I can to make it up to you.”

  I sighed. Nothing she could ever possibly do would make up for the centuries of torment I suffered being alone, and for all that I’d lost, but now wasn’t the time to hash that out. “What do you think Orcus is planning?” “I don’t know.” Athena fixed her gaze on me. “But I know how we can find out.”

  There it was, then. The whole reason why she’d decided to spring me from my sea cave was so I could spy for her.

  “So that’s it,” I replied, my eyes narrowing. “That’s why you want me here. You need me to figure out what Orcus is doing.”

  Athena looked extremely uncomfortable and for a moment, I let myself bask in it. That was twice tonight that the goddess of wisdom, who’d undoubtedly been the subject of so many of my revenge fantasies over the years, had looked like she was eating crow.

  I enjoyed seeing Athena like this. I delighted in it. In fact, I’d be replaying the sound of her saying “I’m sorry” over and over for the next three millennia. But the look on her face now told me all I needed to know.

  “You’re not really sorry,” I hissed. “You only sprung me from my prison so you could have an insider. I can’t believe you’d give me all that shit about forgiveness—”

  “I told you, I am sorry!” Athena’s voice rattled the bricks of every building on campus. I’d bet even the stars heard her cry. “Medusa, please. If there’s anything else I can do to show you my remorse, I’ll do it. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll tell you that I attempted to spring you from your sea cave the moment I learned the truth about Poseidon. Perhaps y
ou remember the incident with the lightning storm?”

  The lightning storm—one mention of it and I was thrown back in memory. Some eight hundred years ago, a huge white bolt struck the seas and caused a massive storm. The waves lapped against my cave, flooding it and, as I remembered, a rather persistent marine iguana tried to squeeze in through the gaps—

  “That was you?” Not a single critter was allowed in my sea cave during my imprisonment; Orcus had been very clear about this.

  Athena smoothed the front of her toga. “I’d never attempted to swim as an iguana before,” she said with a shrug. “I’m afraid I was a little too clumsy. By the time I finally managed to use my claws, the storm had died down and Orcus was back patrolling your cave.”

  So Athena had tried to rescue me before this. I wasn’t sure if I should believe her, but I didn’t really have a choice.

  I was already here at Terras. Athena’s decision to shroud her identity as my benefactor had been a smart one. I likely wouldn’t have agreed to come with her if she’d showed up as herself and told me her plan.

  “Medusa,” she said now, desperation edging her voice, “please. I know I’m the last person you want to help and I know that I have … I have caused you immeasurable pain.”

  “So fix it,” I hissed, my eyes brimming with tears. “Undo it with all your godlike powers. Turn me back.”

  For a moment, I thought of my former human self. Normally, I didn’t like to think of what I looked like before Athena’s curse. Far too painful—but now, I held onto the image like a talisman.

  My skin, once smooth as the salt of the ocean, white and glassy, tinged with pink.

  My face, once a lovely priestess’s face with a simple nose, full lips, a smart chin and my neck, elongated down into the body of a siren—but on land—with legs, tempting the merchants and the farmers and the craftsmen—

  But I was for none of them. I’d devoted my life to serving Athena as a priestess in her temple and how had she repaid me?

  With a curse.

  “I can’t,” she whispered. “If I could undo it, I would … but you can. You have the power to restore yourself back to your former self. You have to get to Mount Olympus and you have to stop Orcus, whatever he’s plotting—do those things and you’ll be the person you were before Poseidon.”

  Before Poseidon? Was it really so easy to scrub away the scars left behind from years of pain and suffering? The loss of my mother, the one woman who’d ever loved me? The haunted, gut-wrenching memories of what Poseidon and his men had done to my temple, my work, me?

  No. Athena may have been the goddess of wisdom, but she had no idea what she was talking about.

  Even if I got my old face back, I would never, ever be the same.

  Poseidon and his cronies had made sure of that. Athena had made sure of that.

  “I’ll do it,” I replied, my voice hitching in my throat. “In exchange for a favor.”

  Athena frowned. “Haven’t I already done you a favor? I brought you out of that gods-forsaken sea cave—”

  “And I’d be perfectly happy to spend the rest of my days alone in that cave, so feel free to put me right back if this deal doesn’t appeal to you. Trust me, I’m more used to being alone than being surrounded by other beings. This exodus you think you’ve provided me, so far, is more of a trial than you think.” I meant every word. If she wanted to call this whole thing off and toss me back into solitary confinement for the rest of eternity, fine.

  At least there, it would be quiet.

  “All right,” Athena murmured with wary eyes watching me, “I’m listening.”

  I watched a ripple made by my movements grow, larger and larger, replicating itself across the length of the pool and I answered, “I want Poseidon.”

  Athena tilted her head. “What do you mean, you want him?”

  The smile I gave her was a practiced one. It was the smile I’d so often given to men over the years, just before I turned them to stone. “I want to bring Poseidon down. And you’re going to help me.”

  I let the gravity of that settle on her shoulders. It was a massive ask, more than just a favor. I was essentially asking her to replace whatever Orcus’s plotted coup was with this one—but I didn’t want to take down all of Mount Olympus. I just wanted to make one god pay.

  The god who’d made my life monstrous even before Athena lay her curse on me.

  And I wouldn’t be granting Poseidon forgiveness.

  “I know you cannot bring about another god’s downfall,” I pressed. “But he burned down your temple. It wasn’t an accident—I was there. He brought torches. He set fire to your tapestries. He laughed when the huge statue of you tumbled down onto the sandy beach. He watched your house of worship turn into ash.”

  “I’ll help you get your revenge,” Athena finally said. “When the time comes,” she added, making it very clear that I wasn’t to even dream about my vengeance until after everything was settled with Orcus.

  And that was good enough for me.

  “Agreed,” I told her. “So, I suppose all there is to do now is make it through this school year then head on up to Mount Olympus and keep a bent ear …” I trailed off as the goddess of wisdom shook her head.

  “No, I’m afraid you’ll need to do more than that.” Athena leaned forward, as if suddenly afraid someone might have been listening in to this entire conversation. “Orcus has put many of his beasts in this school, but I have it on good authority that three of them are his accomplices, his right-hand men. They alone know what his plans are. I need you to infiltrate their confidence and uncover what he’s up to.”

  My stomach sank. Even before she said their names, I knew exactly who she was talking about.

  “A griffin, a giant, and a sea monster,” she went on, oblivious to my disquiet, “in the bodies of humans. They’re the secret weapons of Orcus’s plot. They’re the ones he’s trying so hard to place on Olympus. They’ll be his heavy-hitters. Break them and you’ll expose his plan.”

  Griffin, Liam and Callan—tools of Orcus, the beast master—why was I not surprised? Of course, they were. Why else would they be so nasty to me? Why else would they be so desperate to get rid of me?

  Orcus must have given them some sort of warning, that if Medusa showed up, she’d knock them flat on their backs and make garden decorations out of them. So they had to chase me away.

  Scare me off before I could kill them—where had I heard that line of thinking before? It was awfully familiar.

  A door opened somewhere and a group of voices sounded beyond the building. Students were coming into the gym. Athena stood, the folds of her toga already folding up into wings.

  “Stay the course, Medusa,” she cautioned. “I chose you to help me for a reason. Please, find out what Orcus is planning before it’s too late. Do this and I’ll help you with the vengeance you deserve to inflict.” She looked down at her feet, at the gold sandals that were identical to the ones I’d been wearing around the school and when she peered back at me, there was fire in her eyes. “Poseidon will burn for what he did to you.”

  Before I could say another word, Athena flapped back into an owl and soared off into the night. I pulled myself out of the pool and scurried back to my building where I sat on my bed, still as stone, going over everything that had happened.

  Athena was my benefactor. Athena brought me here to help her bring Orcus, the beast-keeper, down.

  Athena was going to help me bring a curse on Poseidon’s head—a fitting punishment, I decided, since that’s what befell me, thanks to his cruelty.

  And in exchange, I had to befriend, terrify, or seduce the three meanest guys in school to get information from them that I could pass on to the goddess of wisdom.

  I suddenly understood why so many students thought college was hard and why Zeus thought this would be a worthy test for the monsters of the ages. I had to balance all of this with schoolwork, and I had lunch duty this week as punishment for my little cafeteria mishap. Things
sure were easier in the sea cave.

  But the prospect of revenge on Poseidon was certainly exciting. To finally make him pay for what he’d done to me and the temple where I’d worshipped was all the motivation I needed. Now I just had to figure out how I could possibly get information from Griffin, Liam and Callan when all I really wanted to do was punch them in the face.

  What a tricky situation, indeed.

  Chapter 12

  Medusa

  “So …” my hair collectively hissed as soon as I rolled out of bed Monday morning. “What are you going to do?”

  It had been a long weekend. I’d spent it mostly in my dorm room, getting a head start on the homework I’d been assigned, but I was distracted. I kept turning the situation over and over in my head like a coin, trying to figure out if there were any holes or tangles I was missing.

  Athena had brought me here to Terras to help her spy on Orcus, the beast keeper. She wanted me to get back to Mount Olympus for my own redemption, yes, but she also wanted me to figure out what Orcus had planned. She was certain it was something sinister. Something that would affect not only every god and goddess on Olympus, but all the humans down here on Earth, as well. The biggest crises always did.

  In exchange for my services as a spy, Athena would help me get revenge on Poseidon, the man who’d destroyed my life all those years ago—a revenge I had been dreaming about since I was first locked inside my sea cave.

  But in order to get information about Orcus, I had to start digging in the unlikeliest of places.

  Griffin. Liam. Callan.

  If I wanted to uphold my end of the bargain with Athena, I had to figure out how to get them to talk. Which led to my hair’s extremely important question: what was I going to do?

  “As far as I can tell, I have two options,” I mused out loud as I dressed. “I can either beat them, blow for blow, and squeeze the information out of them.” I imagined becoming not just a snake-eyed girl, but some sort of constrictor, wrapping my coils around all three men until their faces were red and their tongues were loosed. “Or … I can try to be more … sneaky.”