Out of Cake Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 6) Page 3

  Now I was interested. “What is his name?”

  “What did he want?” she asked.

  “He wanted me to deliver a message. To me.” My lips twisted. “I am aware of how that sounds.”

  “A message about what?”

  “Demeter has a vested interest in seeing her daughter restored to the Underworld.”

  Her brow knit together. “Well, duh. She’s his wife.”

  “Yeah, something smells about this entire thing.”

  “Besides the fact that the Fates have predicted your death?”

  “Fate,” I corrected. “Just one.”

  “Only because the others haven’t been to visit in awhile.”

  “Thank the gods for that,” I murmured. I waved my hand at her. “But we are getting off track. Who was Mr. Handsome blond man?”

  “You say he was there as a messenger for Demeter?”

  I studied her. “I didn’t say that at all. Now cough it up.”

  Artie sighed. “Trip.”

  “Trip?” I echoed. “On what?”

  “Triptolemus,” she corrected, her voice laced with annoyance.

  I racked my brain trying to figure out where I’d heard that name before.

  “He’s a priest of Demeter.” She pointed to her head and whirled her finger around. “I saw those gears working and didn’t want to wait for them to grind to a stop.”

  “You’re cruel to me sometimes.”

  “Just honest,” she grinned sweetly.

  “Spill the rest.”

  Her expression closed down. “There is no rest.”

  I leaned forward and stared her down. “Yes. There is. Spill it. Otherwise, I’ll tell you the ending of Supernatural this week. I know you haven’t watched it.”

  Her eyes flashed with magic. “You wouldn’t.”

  I waggled my eyebrows, “Sam and Dean met God and it turned out to be -”

  “Aaaaggghhhh! Stop! Okay, okay!”

  “Spill.”

  “Trip and I had a one-night stand several years ago and I left and never called him.”

  I gasped. That was so unlike Artie I couldn’t even stand it. “You wild, little minx!” I looked at her like I’d never seen her before.

  Her head drooped. “I know.”

  “I’m so proud of you.”

  Her head picked up a little and she gave me a what the hell expression.

  “You never do things like this. Unless it’s violence related. I’m proud of you for letting go a little bit.”

  “It was a huge mistake,” she admitted.

  I stepped closer to the edge of the bed and sat down. “You like him.”

  She shook her head, but the tell-tale flush of her cheeks told me everything I needed to know.

  “Why didn’t you call him?”

  She shrugged. “I couldn’t look at him.”

  I reached over and took her hands. “You adorable little prude. It’s just sex.”

  She sighed. “You are aware I’m supposed to be a virgin goddess?”

  “We all know that’s bunk. Trip isn’t a human. But he appears to be super into you.” He hadn’t done anything untoward during the party, but I was no fool. Demeter’s priest wanted Artie like a kid craves an ice cream cone when he hears the familiar music in his neighborhood.

  “I can’t do it,” she said.

  I wasn’t going to push her…just nudge her a little. “You should.”

  Her violet gaze met mine. It was filled with trepidation and regret. “I never do things like that but there was something so…” she shuddered. “Primal about him.”

  Okay. I didn’t quite get that vibe from him, but then again I wasn’t Artie. “How long has it been since Keto?” I asked her.

  “Months now.”

  “And no one else has been on the horizon since?”

  She shook her head. “I started hanging out with Keto right after Trip. I felt...dirty. Like I needed to be in a relationship.”

  I slid off the bed, into the chair she was sitting in, and right onto her lap. She groaned but wrapped her arms around my waist. “You weirdo.”

  I hugged her hard. “You are the virtuous little weirdo. Sex is normal for us.” I thought about Zeus and his legendary exploits. “Hell, it’s normal for everyone and everything.”

  “Not for me.”

  I patted her head. “I think you should call him.” A plan formed in my head. A devious little plan that would enrage her. “In fact, consider this my last wish.”

  She stilled. “You are a horrible person.”

  I ruffled her long hair. “I am. But I’m also about to die, and I think you should call Trip.” My love senses were tingling. “And you should do it while that hunk of man meat is still available.”

  She squeezed me tighter. “You aren’t going to die,” she mumbled.

  “But wouldn’t you feel guilty if I did, and you hadn’t fulfilled my dying wish?”

  “I hate you,” she said.

  “You loooooove me,” I said and slid off her lap. “I have to leave today. I expect it will take me a week or so to convince Persephone to hightail it home. So you have seven days to call Trip and get your freak on.”

  She glared. “I might call him to apologize, but I won’t get my freak on with him again. Your words are so...modern.”

  I wiggled my hips at her. “I see clothes flying in your future.”

  “Shut up, Abby.”

  “I love you, Artemis,” I said and stared at her hoping she could see just how much this was true.

  Her lower lip wobbled and she launched herself at me. I stumbled and we fell against my dresser both laughing hysterically.

  “Give me a few days, and I’ll come find you,” she said.

  “No. I have to do this on my own.”

  “You don’t.”

  I sighed, ruffling her hair. “If things go really sideways, I will call you.”

  Her bony arms squeezed me tighter. “Promise me.”

  I crossed my fingers. “I promise.”

  “Uncross your fingers.”

  “Damn it, Artie. I’m trying to save you.”

  “Uncross them, jerk.”

  I huffed out a breath and uncrossed them.

  “Now promise again.”

  I let go of her, lurched for my suitcase, and blinked out of my room.

  Chapter 4

  It was cold in Franklin. I was immune, but the longer I lived on Earth, the more I began to feel some physical human feelings and even more of their emotions. It was weird, but I’d signed up for all the experiences so here I was.

  I rubbed my hands over my arms and shivered. Now that I was here, I sent out a tendril of magic searching for anyone of our kind. Specifically Persephone. She was the only one I expected to find here. I allowed my magic to filter in all of the buildings of the town, searching for the blond haired, errant wife and goddess.

  Nothing.

  I frowned. That was weird.

  Unless she was cloaking herself from my magic somehow. Which would be even weirder. Supposedly Demeter and Hades both knew where she was so why would she bother to hide?

  I stomped my feet to knock the snow off of them and made my way into the first restaurant I saw.

  I wiped my feet on the rough mat and pushed open the large wooden door. The smells of old-fashioned country cooking hit my nose, and I smiled. That was one good thing about a small town.

  Chicken-fried steak.

  A pretty brown-eyed waitress met me at the door. “Table, honey?” Her voice was smooth as molasses and southern as fried pickles.

  I nodded and let her lead me to the back. My boots crunched in the sawdust and peanut shells covering the floor. Country music twanged out of the speakers and spoke to my heart about the ills of a woman done wrong.

  Preach it, honey.

  She set a menu down, took my drink order and moseyed away, her ample rear end swaying in her light wash, bedazzled blue jeans.

  I opened the menu and scanned looking for
anything fried and delicious. Turned out, in Tennessee, most things were fried and delicious. Thank the gods for an immortal metabolism.

  A few minutes later the waitress came back, snagged my order and brought me a glass of liquid gold, also known as sweet tea. I chugged it down, feeling the sweet brew slide down my throat and sighed in delight. The task I had ahead of me may not be pleasant, but so far it wasn’t starting off too bad.

  I studied the people in the place. The men were of a rugged sort - outdoorsy and lean. The women leaned toward large hair and even larger rings, but some of them had a more natural look - windblown and fresh. But one thing I knew right away is some of these people came from real old southern money. I could smell it. Like fresh laundry but with an underlying hint of sour. Beautiful on the outside but with a rotten candy center.

  My gaze fell on one beautiful couple. She had skin like porcelain, perfect teeth, and glossy dark hair. Her smile was too wide, her eyes a little bit too right.

  Pills, I thought. It had to be pills.

  I inhaled a little bit deeper. Her heartbeat was too fast. Her fingers drumming a little too fast. Not pills.

  “Meth,” I whispered and blew out a low breath.

  Something stank in the town of Franklin, but maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. A small town like this and meth was bound to be somewhere. It happened everywhere. Even in the best of places.

  Voices from a few tables over caught my ear.

  “That Lacey is one gorgeous girl, isn’t she?” The woman speaking was a little older, possibly in her 40’s, though she was glowing with health.

  The other woman beside her harrumphed. “I’m telling you there’s something off about her. No one can be that happy one-hundred percent of the time.”

  “Well, with a man like Hamilton can you blame her for being happy?” The first woman fanned herself.

  “You are incorrigible,” the second woman admonished but chuckled in spite of herself. “When do you think the wedding will be?”

  “He hasn’t asked her yet, Margie.”

  The second woman gave her a knowing look. “With a beauty like Lacey we both know it’s only a matter of time.”

  The first woman leaned in and murmured something I couldn’t make out. Was it possible Lacey was Persephone? It couldn’t be. She was already married. Why would she be out here courting a mortal when she had Hades waiting at home for her?

  At that point, my waitress returned and plunked down a steak the size of my face, and I decided that maybe my questions could wait. The two women left the restaurant, and I watched as they both got into a massive SUV and sped away.

  This town wasn’t that big. I would be able to find them again with no issues if I needed to.

  I dug into my steak and slurped my sweet tea until my plate was empty, and I was close to being diabetic. When the waitress came over with the check, I tipped her heavily and left the restaurant, again wishing I’d brought a heavier coat. On my way out the door, I bumped into a ridiculously handsome mortal - a dark-haired gentleman with crystal blue eyes who took me by the elbows and steadied me.

  “Excuse me,” I said, embarrassed.

  He grinned at me then, a dimple peeking out by the side of his mouth. “No need to apologize. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” His drawl was slow and honeyed and I wanted to listen to him talk for the next ten years. Color me charmed.

  We stood there grinning at each other for a moment too long. The sound of a throat clearing and heel tapping broke us apart.

  The gentleman colored and stuck out his hand. “Ah, Hamilton,” he said. “Hamilton Vandemeer.”

  Hamilton? I couldn’t get that lucky, could I? I reached for his hand. “Abby,” I said. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  Those blue eyes sparkled. “I assure you the pleasure is all mine.”

  “Hamilton, darling.” A soft voice intruded. “Introduce me to your friend?”

  A blond head appeared from behind Hamilton’s shoulder. The hair was perfectly curled, blonde strands swirling down the woman’s slim shoulders and waist, bobbing in perfect loose curls at the end. Her face was the stuff of myth, beautifully proportioned, eyes so crystal green they looked like glass and her lips full, soft and painted a pretty pink. High cheekbones spotted with color.

  With anger.

  Directed at me.

  Her eyes were like shards of ice shattered on the ground. Her mouth, while smiling, was tight with rage.

  Hades’ wife was staring, and she was not very happy to see me.

  I opened my mouth and gaped like a fish. I almost spoke her name, but Persephone reached over and grabbed my hand and squeezed, her long fake nails digging into my wrist in warning.

  “Lacey,” she said, her voice pleasant enough but I could hear the murderous undercurrents inside of it.

  I squeezed her hand back and sent a warning trickle of magic through it. She loosened her grip a little but not entirely. “Abigail,” I said with a frozen smile.

  She tilted her head in curiosity. “Oh, I thought you said Abby,” she said.

  “That’s what my friends call me,” I said and smiled back at her.

  Hamilton went rigid beside me before laughing uncomfortably. Persephone aka Lacey, however, didn’t think my jab was very funny.

  “Well, as pleasurable as this has been, Hamilton and I have a prior engagement. We must be off now.”

  She released my hand. My wrist stung where her nails had dug into my skin. I’d pay her back for that and warn her about the dangers of using acrylics over her natural nails.

  I put a hand on Hamilton’s upper arm and pushed on a little bit of my glamour. My voice dropped an octave or two. “It was very nice to meet you,” I said. “I hope to see you around again sometime...Hamilton.” I gave him a dazzling smile and brushed past Persephone on my way out.

  I could feel her dagger-like stare on my back as I walked away.

  Once I was safely outside, I collapsed into one of the rocking chairs outside of the restaurant and let the tension seep from my body. That went about as well as could be expected. I thought maybe Persephone would be a little bit nicer, but it was obvious she did not want me around her.

  I probably hadn’t helped things when I turned on the charm with her fake boyfriend. But I couldn’t help myself. She was a first-rate jerk, and I had passive aggression issues.

  I was about to stand up and leave when the bell above the restaurant door clanged, and the woman herself stepped out and headed right toward me. I sighed and stood, preparing my magic just in case she got weird.

  She held up a hand as she approached. “Relax.”

  Both of my eyebrows flew up. “Relax?” I echoed. “After that show?”

  “We can’t get into a fight here. It will draw too much attention.”

  “Oh, so that’s the only reason?” I sat back down but kept a wary eye on her.

  She sat beside me. “Why are you here, Aphrodite?”

  “Abby,” I corrected.

  “Right,” she said and her smile was more sneer than smile. “I heard you’ve been busy adapting to the ways of the mortals.”

  I jerked a thumb behind me. “Seems like you must be following in my footsteps. You’re hooking up with a guy named Hamilton? Seriously?”

  Color flushed her cheeks. “Hamilton happens to be a nice man.”

  I snorted. “I’m sure being filthy rich doesn’t hurt any.”

  “Again I ask. Why are you here?”

  I sighed and studied her. She really was beautiful. We were both blond, but there was something ethereal about Persephone. She looked like a woman who would let down her hair to the prince if she was ever caught in a tower.

  I was more the girl who would braid hay for years and stuff it into a cavern in the wall until it got long enough to get me out of there. Who needed a prince?

  But when I thought about it, maybe her way was easier.

  “You’re intelligent, Persephone. Why do you think I’m here?”

  She sat
back and watched cars drive down the road for a moment before she responded. “I’m not going back to the Underworld.”

  I chose my words carefully. “Hades seems like he’s a good person.” Handsome as sin, poetic, a great kisser. All those things I couldn’t say.

  “Hades is a lonely man trapped in a lonely place. I am tired of being lonely with him.”

  “You are his wife,” I said, master of the obvious.

  She nodded. “And?”

  I blinked. “And when we make a pact with someone immortal we are bound to it. If we break it, we die.” All of this was true. One of the reasons I wasn’t itching to march down matrimony lane again anytime soon.

  “I don’t plan on breaking it,” she said.

  I sat up straighter and peered at her. “I don’t understand.”

  She turned to me, those wicked green eyes glinting with malice. “An Earth marriage isn’t recognized in Olympus. The pact won’t be broken.”

  Persephone stood then, leaving me sitting in shock. She bent close to me, her hair swinging over her shoulders. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of my way.”

  “You would leave your husband like this?” I whispered. “What happened to you?” Something massive must have transpired between the two for her to never want to see Hades again.

  “Abby, he wants me back for a reason, and it isn’t because he’s head over heels for me. I intend to find out why.”

  My brow furrowed. “He wants you back because you’re his wife, and he cares about you.” But I heard the truth in Persephone’s words and knew them to be true because I suspected the same thing.

  She laughed then, a beautiful, tinkling sound. “You don’t believe that, Abby. I know you have some intellect rolling around in that mostly vacant head of yours. He never showed this much interest in me after my mother forced our marriage. Why would he suddenly want to proclaim his love?”

  She stood and loomed over me, blocking out the sunlight. “I won’t go back to that cold damp place, and if you try to drag me back I will fight you.”

  Oh, Hades. What have you done? I sighed. “I’m sorry, Persephone. I have no choice.” I had the feeling this was something I couldn’t walk away from. Something larger than me was at play. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.