Out of Sanity Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 7) Read online

  Out of Sanity Aphrodite

  The Goddess Chronicles

  S.E. Babin

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  A Sneak Peek at a brand new series!

  25. Deadly Confections

  26. Chapter Two

  27. Chapter Three

  About the Author

  Also by S.E. Babin

  Copyright © 2017 by S.E. Babin

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  For all those YouTubers out there who spend hours compiling instrumental movie soundtracks that I spend hours listening to. You. People. Are. The. AWESOMEST.

  Shout out to coffee, too.

  Chapter 1

  Hades was staring at me. And not in a sexy I want to rip your clothes off kind of way. More like in a what the hell are you even talking about kind of way. I, Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, was very used to this look.

  “I don’t see what the big deal is,” I said, sipping the tea his friendly, hovering, not-at-all creepy ghost had just served me.

  Hades threw his hands up in the air and shook them, his mouth opening and closing. Nothing came out. He shook his head once, his nostrils flared. Finally, he picked up his tea cup and held it, white-knuckled and annoyed with me.

  Like I said. I get that reaction a lot.

  So we sat there like that for awhile, me chill as a cucumber, Hades attempting to stifle the steam about to boil out of his ears any moment now.

  “It’s not a big deal.” I was repeating myself. I knew that. I couldn’t help it. Hades was super pissed at me right now, and I wasn’t all that sure I had the ability to calm him down. Especially since I wasn’t planning on changing my mind.

  His eyes glazed over. He slowly set his teacup down, but it cracked anyway which told me he might have been squeezing it just a wee bit too hard. “You try my patience, woman.”

  I blinked. “Are we just now acknowledging that?”

  “I don’t know why you have to go through with this.” Hades calmly grabbed a napkin and wiped off the drop of ichor that formed on his finger from the broken teacup. He wrapped it around the digit and regarded me, his eyes a silver whirl of aggravation.

  We’d been over this eleventy bajillion times. “Yes, you do. I am honor bound to complete this pact. I was honor bound to it before you and I ever became -” I waved my hand, “whatever we became.” I still wasn’t quite sure what we were. I knew I was head over heels for the dude and he tended to spout love poetry when I was around, so I suspected he was kind of into me, too. But...we still hadn’t exactly defined what we were going for here. Part of it was my fault. Typhon’s challenge lay over my neck like a scythe ready to drop, and who would want to start a new relationship when it was very possible you’d be shipped off like cattle to marry someone else sooner rather than later? Not me. It was the bad thing about the Olympians. Most of us were dirty, sneaky little liars, but very few of us would turn our backs on an oath.

  So. That’s where we were. Hades angry with me because I refused to back down from the deal I made with Typhon, and me hell bent and determined to see it through. I was not without my womanly ways. I had some ideas up my sleeve, and Artie was right there beside me and with her brain...we could take over the world. Well...her more than me because she was way smarter than I was, but I had more charm and a smarter mouth. We worked well together usually.

  And this is one of the times where I needed her more than ever. While a lot of this was due to honor, I couldn’t help but be honest with myself. Typhon could have died when he offered to help me. He didn’t have to. With Zeus as his father, he probably could have forced me to marry him anyway. But he hadn’t. He’d stuck his neck out for me, and I’d accepted the terms of his deal.

  I was allowed to have a champion, someone who could assist me in winning the games of Old, and other people were allowed to challenge Typhon for my hand, but if Typhon won, I’d agreed to extend my hand in marriage and bear his heirs. Granted, I could do a lot worse than the half Titan. Typhon was super extraordinary California surfer smoking hot. He cared about me. He had a body that wouldn’t quit, except when he morphed into his monster form (because that scared the total bejeezus out of me), and he was fun. Plus, he’d saved me. Twice now. And I’d done nothing but spurn him.

  As apprehensive as I was about him actually winning, I knew I had no choice.

  As an added bonus for me, Typhon had also allowed me the possibility of winning the games. If I won, I could walk away, free and clear. No marriage. No heirs. No nothing. Just me and glorious, glorious freedom.

  Of course, there was always the possibility of someone else winning. We were Olympians after all and weird shit travels after us like a virus. But I didn’t want to think about that. At all. Heaven forbid I wind up with someone like...Ares. Or basically anyone except Typhon.

  Or Hades.

  I sighed. I wanted it to be Hades. But the way he was staring at me made me doubt he was going to lift even one of those elegant fingers to help me out.

  Hades leaned forward, his silvery eyes pinning me to my seat. “You. Are. Mine.” He enunciated every word slowly and clearly like I was a complete dunce. And as adorable as his caveman chest pounding was, it annoyed me.

  Greatly.

  I leaned forward, so close we were almost nose to nose. “I. Am. No. One’s. Property.”

  His nostrils flared and we sat there for a few moments in an Olympian standoff. Finally, he sat back, his eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “Fine.”

  I blinked, still leaning forward. “Fine?” I echoed.

  “Yes. Fine.” He waved a hand at me. “I don’t own you. Woman power. Blah blah blah. Hear you roar. Watch you marry someone else.” His gaze flashed ice. “Just fine.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, paused, and shut it. A frown trickled across my face before I could stop it. “Are we fighting?” I finally asked.

  His deep sigh told me everything I needed to know.

  We were fighting. Holy crap. Like an old married couple.

  Or not like a married couple. Like two people who weren’t a couple and who couldn’t seem to get their shit together.

  I stood. “Well, I guess that’s it then. I’ll see you soon, Hades.”

  His lips thinned. I knew he wanted to say something else to me, but he didn’t. There were so many things I wanted to say to him.

  But I didn’t either.

  Chapter 2

  Atlas was in the kitchen when I arrived home. He’d finally gotten over his anger at me after I’d left him behind on the last case in Tennessee. He wanted to go, but I said no. He’d just been released from servitude with Zeus. Well, not really released. Transferred more like it. He was now in my servitude, but I didn
’t like that term, so basically he was free to do whatever he wanted to. So far all he wanted to do was to be helpful.

  I appreciated it. I really did, but I had too many people around me now and too many enemies. I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt.

  However, Atlas didn’t agree with me, and he told me he’d make life very difficult for me if I left him behind again. So...now I had an enormous blond man living in my house temporarily while he adjusted to the human world. And he knew about the deal with Typhon.

  I’d have to thank Clotho for that one later.

  “Goddess,” he said to me and inclined his head.

  “Abby,” I corrected him for the umpteenth time. “Just call me Abby.”

  “No,” he said politely and handed me a cup of coffee as I walked in.

  As long as he continued to provide me with caffeine I supposed he could call me whatever he wanted. “Thanks,” I muttered as I collapsed onto one of the barstools.

  “I take it the visit didn’t go well?” Atlas poured himself a cup and leaned on the counter across from me.

  I shrugged. I wasn’t even sure why I’d gone to the Underworld. I wanted to tell him about my plan, but Hades seemed to have done a 180. He kept telling me not to worry about the games, and I thought it was because he had some brilliant plan brewing in that devilish mind of his. Turned out I was pretty sure he thought I’d just walk away. Typical man solution. Ignore it. “We are on our own,” I told him as I saluted him with my mug.

  Atlas didn’t seem terribly concerned by that. He amused me. I’d never met a dude so chill with life before. Especially one who’d been treated like he had. As soon as the bonds Zeus had him in broke, he was super zen. Nothing got him flustered. Nothing worried him. None of my crazy ass life ever made him blink an eye.

  I wish I had that kind of chill factor. I worried about things to the extreme. I worried about them so much even my worry was worried.

  “Okay,” he said and eyed me over his mug. “You got this.”

  I snorted. “How are you this laid back? You’re an Olympian for crying out loud. You should be peeking around corners and hiring a poison taster. We don’t survive by relaxing.”

  Atlas shrugged. “I was a slave. I am no longer. Your perspective changes.”

  But he was still a slave. I gave him a long look, but he just winked at me. We both knew he was tied to me. I just hoped he knew how much I didn’t want him to be. I think he did, but I promised myself I wouldn’t take him for granted. I straightened my shoulders. “You can help. If you want.”

  The grin spread across his handsome face and, in spite of myself, I smiled back.

  “There’s a high probability of grievous injury,” I added.

  “That’s not a deterrent,” he responded.

  “Causing trouble again, I take it?” The voice came from the kitchen entryway. I spun around to greet my friend and Fate.

  “How’s it hanging, Clotho?” I gave her a wink over my coffee mug.

  “You young people have no respect anymore,” she grumbled as she made her way into the kitchen and to the coffee pot.

  Atlas, on the other hand, still wasn’t sure what to think about my easy relationship with the ancient Fate. “Mistress,” he said and stepped out of the way to allow her access to the java.

  She reached up and patted his face. “Such a sweet boy. You should emulate him a little more, Abby.”

  “What fun would that be?” I asked her.

  Clotho sighed, poured herself a cup, and made her way to my side of the kitchen bar. She sat beside me and sipped her coffee, all the while never taking her eyes off me.

  Her perusal grew uncomfortable.

  “What?” I finally asked her.

  “You are having domestic trouble,” she said after a moment.

  How in the hell did she already know Hades and I had a fight?

  “It’s all over your face.” She tapped her temple. “Plus...I’m magical.”

  If it were possible for my eyeballs to get stuck in my head from rolling them, it would happen now. But I knew dishonesty with Clotho wasn’t an option. Actually, it wasn’t an option with anyone in my circle anymore. Not after all we’d been through. But...I still had some secrets, and I had to keep those close to the vest for a little while longer.

  Mainly that mortality spell Zeus had given me some time ago. And the vision the Fates had shown me about motherhood.

  Okay...so maybe dishonesty was somewhat of an option. For now. It wasn’t exactly a lie. It was more of a secret I didn’t want to tell anyone.

  “Hades thinks I should bow out of the games.”

  Atlas’ eyebrows rose almost to his forehead. “And forsake your honor?”

  Good to know he was old school.

  “Yep. I tried to explain some of the reasons why, but it’s like he just doesn’t want to understand. I thought maybe…” My voice trailed off.

  “Child,” Clotho interjected in a gentle voice. “He can’t fight for you.”

  I lifted my gaze to hers, clamping my lips together to keep them from trembling. “Why not?”

  She smiled at me and reached over to pat my hand. “Because Hades is a being unlike the world has ever seen. He is more powerful than Zeus. More powerful than Typhon.” Her eyes darkened a shade. “Perhaps more powerful than the Fates.”

  I blinked as her logic sank in. By stepping into the games, he wasn’t giving anyone a fair shake. He’d be seen as a bully. Or, even worse, as a tyrant. And that wasn’t like him. At all.

  I blew out a shaky breath and nodded. “Of course. I don’t know why I didn’t realize.”

  I should have. I knew how powerful he was. Or...I suspected at least. But if Clotho said he was more powerful than even her and her sisters, perhaps I’d misjudged him. Horribly.

  “Well, crap,” I muttered.

  “Exactly,” Clotho said and let go of my hand. “Be at ease and know he considered it, even knowing what it would cost him.”

  I set my mug down and blinked out of the room.

  Chapter 3

  Hades was in the kitchen making a grilled cheese sandwich when I popped back into his domain. I knew he knew I was there, but I didn’t say anything. I just watched him standing at the stove basting butter onto two enormous slices of toast.

  Good Gods. That man was deliciously handsome. Muscles played in his back as he flipped the sandwich to the other side. He wore a black t-shirt and a pair of dark gray lounge pants. His feet were bare.

  He looked like a college student from the back.

  But when he turned around and speared me with those silvery eyes, my mouth went dry.

  He was ageless. Ancient. Powerful. Everything.

  And…”You are mine,” I blurted.

  Confusion rippled briefly over his features until he realized what I was saying. The plate he was holding crashed to the floor, and he took three strides over to me, scooped me up like I weighed nothing and pushed me against the wall.

  “Say it again,” he murmured his face inches from mine.

  “Mine,” I whispered and touched my fingers to the rough edge of his jaw.

  “Again.” His forehead dropped to touch mine.

  “I belong to you.”

  His eyes lifted to mine then and a heat I’d never seen before sparked a fire. Without saying another word, he tossed me over his shoulder and stalked from the kitchen, one large hand resting on my rear end to keep me from falling and my hair swaying against the back of his knees.

  “Caveman!” I shrieked with laughter as I bounced against his back.

  “Me like blonde woman,” he growled and smacked me on the rear end.

  Seconds later, he kicked open the door to his bedroom.

  Then things got very, very interesting.

  Hades and I stared at the singed ceiling in disbelief. “That...was unexpected,” I said in a massive understatement.

  A short bark of laughter burst from him. I lay cradled against his chest, my hair everywhere around me, spir
aling down all over Hades. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, the hand that wasn’t curled around my shoulders played with the long and twisted strands.

  “We literally set the house on fire,” he murmured.

  And indeed, we had. Paint from the ceiling curled and dropped around the room as it smoldered. We could repair it with magic, but if it kept happening, there was no point.

  “Perhaps we should try it again and see if the walls catch this time?” Hades asked.

  “Mmmm,” I agreed. “Or maybe just take the roof off?”

  “This is Hell, darling. There is no roof.”

  “Valid point,” I admitted. I was warm, content, and well loved. I was no stranger to the pursuit of passion, but neither was I an expert. But Hades...well, nothing had prepared me for the experience of taking him for a lover.

  Nothing.

  I lifted my eyes to study his face as I laid against his chest. Was I destined to have a child with this man? It was the only part of the vision I hadn’t seen. I had a child, yes, but the father remained a mystery, even though I knew Hades was involved in my life. I so hoped it was him.

  But with the games coming up, I had to admit anything was possible.

  And it was a massive elephant in the room.

  A big, enormous, pink dancing elephant.

  Hades sighed. “You’re going through with it, aren’t you?”

  I stroked my fingers down his chest. “I have to.”

  He captured my fingers with his own. “Not if I don’t let you out of my bed.”

  I grinned up at him. “What a pleasurable prison that would be.”

  With a quick jerk, Hades pulled me on top of him. He reached up and grasped my face gently with both hands. “Come back to me.” His dark hair lay mussed and a five o’clock shadow played upon his strong jaw. But there was a vulnerability in his eyes I’d never seen before. “I will burn the world down for you, Aphrodite, regardless of what it costs me.”