Out of Cake Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 6) Page 4

  She nodded, sadness washing over her face, and I suddenly felt bone-deep tired. “Then prepare for battle, Aphrodite.”

  I watched her walk away, her shoulders rigid and stiff.

  I’d just made an enemy and I wasn’t even sure why.

  Damn you, Hades.

  Chapter 5

  I checked into a small motel run by a rosy-cheeked woman who assured me the sheets were clean but the television was from the 1980’s. She shrugged apologetically. I waved off her concerns knowing I could watch whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to. Not that I would have much down time after that showdown with Persephone. I had to figure out a way to insert myself into her life in a way where even she couldn’t get rid of me easily.

  The woman handed over old-fashioned keys and showed me down the hall to the room. I unlocked the door, smiling at the quaintness of it all and bid the woman goodbye. She didn’t seem too enthusiastic about leaving me to my business, but I shut the door in her face and breathed out a sigh of annoyance.

  I flipped on the light beside me and frowned. The room was somewhat clean, but it looked like I’d stepped onto the set of The Brady Bunch. Terrible floral wallpaper lined the walls and the carpet was a thick green shag.

  “Gross,” I murmured and set to the task of making the room a little more acceptable. I would have to remember to cast an illusion when I left but no big deal. With a quick burst of magic, I extended out the size of the room, enlarged the bed to a queen size, dropped a new mattress in there and removed the hideous wallpaper. I upgraded to a 50-inch television complete with Netflix and Youtube and sat back and smiled at my handiwork. When I would have time to Netflix binge was beyond me, but it was there when I needed it.

  I dropped my bag in the hall closet and collapsed face first on the bed. My first meeting with Persephone hadn’t gone well at all. I chalked it up to this being my first solo mission. Usually, I had friends with me to prevent me from making stupid mistakes.

  I rolled over and stared at the ceiling for a little while, my brain spinning with how I planned to get under Persephone’s skin long enough for me to talk her into going back to the Underworld. At least long enough to convince her to talk to Hades and work out their problems.

  But she didn’t seem to like him very much.

  I wondered if she truly knew his background. If she knew he was soul bound with Lucifer. So many questions. So few answers.

  And how did Demeter fit into this whole thing? She had to be aware of how unhappy her daughter was. I groaned in annoyance, sat up and glanced at the time.

  Barely 7 p.m. I got up, straightened my hair, cast an illusion over the room, and headed back out to the front desk to see if I could gather some more info.

  The clerk waved at me excitedly as if she hadn’t seen me just ten minutes ago. I waved back and headed to the hotel bar. Bar being a generous word for the small shelf of alcohol and the tired woman working wiping down counters. I snagged a newspaper and flipped to the society pages, knowing if Hamilton was as rich as Persephone said he was, he was bound to be listed in here somewhere. Small towns always had events and as I turned to the second page, I found him, Persephone on his arm. Both were smiling at the camera.

  The headline read, “Franklin’s Most Eligible Bachelor off the Market Soon?”

  “Not if I have anything to do with it,” I murmured to myself.

  A quick scan of the pages noted the two had been dating for several months which made me frown because I guess I didn’t realize exactly how long Persephone had been missing from the Underworld. The two were active in their community and had just recently moved in together.

  I tapped my finger on that paragraph. Hamilton had a mansion on the edge of town, a sprawling place which meant one thing - he needed helpers. A grin found its way onto my lips. I knew just the person looking for a job.

  I set the paper down and headed back to my room. Hopefully, I could get a good night’s rest.

  I had a job to apply for tomorrow.

  Chapter 6

  I stood gaping at the entrance to Hamilton’s mansion. Sprawling wasn’t exactly the word I would use to describe it. This thing was almost as big as Zeus’ palace. Obviously, Hamilton wasn’t just rich. He was Croesus-rich. Filthy, dirty, ridiculously rich. I reached up and rang the doorbell, praying Persephone wouldn’t answer.

  Not that she would. I bet they had a butler.

  I’d taken care with my appearance this morning. I’d darkened my hair to a rich chocolate brown, and tanned my skin just a smidge. Freckles were scattered across my nose and part of my cheeks, and I had lengthened my lashes about half an inch. I looked like an adorable girl next door and not a blonde vixen. In short, I was perfect for the maid job I was applying for.

  Moments later, a tall thin man opened the door and stared at me with disdain. He wore a dark suit with a bow tie, and his shoes were shined to perfection. His hair was scooped back from his head, revealing a high widow’s peak and intelligent, dark eyes.

  “May I help you?” he asked, his voice surprising in its deepness.

  I colored prettily, something I practiced multiple times last night. “Ye - Yes,” I said. “I’m here for the maid position.”

  The man sighed and opened the door enough for me to walk in. “Enter, please.”

  I bobbed my head and stepped into the house. It smelled of lemon furniture polish and money. I was used to opulence, but this was a little bit obscene.

  “Close your mouth, dear,” the man admonished me. “It won’t do for Hamilton to see you gaping.”

  I shut my mouth with a click and stared at the man who was supposed to be a butler. He brushed past me and I followed behind him, doing my best not to act like a kid in a candy store. But something else was bothering me. I wasn’t the best at cleaning and relied a lot on my magic to do it for me. How in the heck was I going to clean this place without tipping Persephone off?

  I’d once again failed to properly plan. It appeared I was going to have to pick up a broom.

  A real one.

  The butler showed me to an open office with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a large, looming desk. A woman sat behind it, staring at me with a sour expression on her face.

  There didn’t seem to be a whole lot of laughter in this place.

  I was ushered in, so I stood behind one of the two massive chairs in front of the desk waiting to be invited to sit. The woman who sat behind the desk studied me like I was dirt on a pair of her favorite shoes. A nameplate sat at the front of her desk - Kristin Schwartz.

  The silence grew long and awkward so I finally spoke. “Ms. Schwartz, I’m here about the maid position.”

  The woman stared at me like I was an idiot. “Obviously,” she said and pointed to the chair.

  I sat and crossed my patchwork skirt across my legs. I wore black orthopedic tennis shoes with it and although I was comfortable I suspected I looked like a carnival reject. I was hoping this projected the appearance that I was down on my luck and not a mental hospital escapee. I wasn’t very good at some of this mundane stuff.

  She motioned at me with a hand, and I stared for a second before I realized she wanted me to pull out my resume.

  I swallowed hard and took a sheet of paper out of my purse to hand to her. It was a slapdash mishmash of random skills I’d found on Google, but hopefully, it did the trick.

  She pushed her dark rimmed glasses up on her face and studied it. The sour expression never relaxed or morphed into anything else. Perhaps her face was stuck that way.

  My gaze made its way to the door but the butler was long gone, slipped away quietly and with little fanfare. I adjusted my position in the chair and took a moment to eye the woman who was judging me. If she wasn’t so grumpy, she would probably be very pretty.

  Long, dark hair was twisted up into a chignon, exposing the pretty curve of her neck. She wore a dark power suit, complete with a blood red shirt. A small silver rose necklace rested in the hollow of her neck. It was out of place with h
er ballbusting attitude.

  Noticing my perusal, her dark gray eyes snapped up to mine. “Is there a problem?” she asked.

  I swallowed hard and shook my head no, attempting to be meek.

  “Good.” She tossed my resume back at me. “Ms. Styx -”

  I held in the snicker at the last name I’d chosen.

  “It appears your skills are adequately suited for the position here. I would like to ask you a few questions. Are you ready?” From her expression, she didn’t care whether I was ready or not, but I nodded anyway.

  “Are you able to be on call and at the whim of the estate owner?”

  My gaze narrowed a little bit because that sounded ominous, but I nodded.

  Her sharp eyes didn’t miss my expression. A frown touched the side of her mouth but she continued on. “And are you willing to sign a confidentiality agreement?”

  I blinked. “For cleaning?” I asked.

  She stared at me like I was an idiot. “No. For the things you may see, hear, or find while performing such cleaning.”

  “Ah,” I said. Hamilton was a man with secrets. “Of course.”

  “If hired for this position you must understand you are never to engage directly with the owner or lady of this house. You are to remain meek, mild, and invisible. Your only job is to ensure your portion of this home is clean and tidy. You speak only when you’re spoken to. Are these terms agreeable?”

  What the heck had I gotten myself into? This job sounded like it was going to be terrible, but there was nothing else I could do to get closer to Persephone. With strong feelings of reservation, I reluctantly nodded yes.

  The woman nodded back and dismissed me with a head tilt toward the door. “You will be contacted within the next 24 hours if we decide to hire you. Good day.”

  I stood up, numb, and made my way out the door. What a weird establishment. The strange butler met me at the door and escorted me back to the front. There was no sight of Persephone or Hamilton.

  As the butler bid me a good day and shut the door behind me, I wondered if I could just blink in and kidnap her. It would make my job monumentally easier.

  Less than a few hours later, my cell phone rang and the voice of the butler came over the line.

  “Ms. Styx,” he said, “you may report to work first thing Monday morning. Under no circumstances are you to come to the front door. Go to the back of the house. You will see signs for the worker’s entrance. Come through there and report to one Ms. Turner. She will see you properly attired and train you on the way the owner would like his house prepared each day.”

  The weirdness of this did not pass me by. I acknowledged his instructions and clicked off, unnerved by the whole thing. Hamilton appeared to be somewhat of a decent sort. But I knew a lot of people who pretended to be different when they were around people than when they were alone.

  This entire thing unsettled me, but I had the rest of the day to worry about it. Once I’d settled into my bed, I flipped on the television ready for a binge. I didn’t have to start working until tomorrow morning so I planned on doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day.

  A burst of wind blew my hair back, and I scrambled out of the bed, my magic at the ready.

  A tall woman in hunting leathers and a bow stood in front of me, hands on her hips and purple eyes flashing with anger.

  I dropped my magic even against my better judgment. My BFF was super pissed at me.

  “Hi,” I said meekly.

  She hit me with a burst of magic. I slammed against the wall, dazed but unhurt. “Artie!”

  “You totally deserved that, you jerk!” She tossed her bow onto the table and came over to help me up.

  Once I was standing again, I removed myself from her grip and blinked to the other side of the room. “Why would you do that?” I asked, stung.

  “Because you went off to die and left me!” A tear tracked down one of her cheeks.

  Guilt flooded me down to my toes. “Ah. Damn, Artie. I’m sorry.”

  She held up a finger and glared at me. “Do not apologize to me. You weren’t sorry when you did it. Why are you sorry now?”

  My lips twisted to the side. She was right. “I hate goodbyes,” I admitted.

  “I hate my best friend dying!” she yelled.

  I blew out a breath. “Me too.”

  Artie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. But my friend had never been able to stay mad at me for too long, a fact for which I was forever grateful. Because I was easy to get mad at. Her chin wobbled for a second before she threw her hands up and made a strangled sound of frustration.

  “What am I going to do with you?” she asked. Her eyes narrowed as she finally realized my appearance wasn’t my normal one. Her gaze narrowed. “What are you up to? Or should I even ask?” She peered at my clothes. “And why do you look like a homeless nurse?”

  “I knew I should have worn different shoes,” I muttered. I debated about how much to tell her but finally relented. This was Artie. Not someone I didn’t know that well.

  By the time I finished telling her all that had happened, Artie was wearing a wide grin. “She’s going to know the second magic is used in the house.” She leaned forward, her eyes wide. “You’re going to have to use a -” she paused dramatically “real broom.” She finished in a whisper, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

  “Shut it, dude. I can learn how to use a broom.”

  “Sure you can,” Artie said with a smirk.

  “I can!”

  She lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay! Okay. I’m sure you can. I just want to be there to watch it.”

  “I wish you would have stayed at home,” I grumbled.

  “And miss this?” Artie chortled. “Not on your life.”

  “Persephone is going to be a tough nut to crack,” I admitted. “She’s determined to stay out of the Underworld.”

  “Something about this entire thing stinks,” Artie mused. “Both of them don’t appear to love each other, yet Hades is determined to get her back. She doesn’t want to go, but her mother also wants her back. Why?”

  “No idea.” I told Artie about the book, but I couldn’t see how it would be more important than his wife’s retrieval.

  “What kind of book is it?”

  I shrugged. “It’s signed by Shakespeare so it’s important to Hades, but he insisted I not say anything about it to her lest she destroys it.”

  Artie looked thoughtful. “I’d be upset if something like that was destroyed, but I don’t know if it would be worth spending the rest of my life unhappy.”

  I was attached to my things but I tended to agree with her.

  “Nice digs by the way,” Artie smirked. “For some reason, I don’t think the rest of the rooms look like this. Why are you staying here anyway?”

  “I didn’t think I’d be here for that long. A week at the most.”

  Artie chuckled. “But now you have a job. Looks like it will be a little more than a week to me, friend.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed and fell backward onto the soft mattress. “Yeah. Maybe I should look at an apartment.”

  “Nothing too nice, Maid Styx,” Artie said with a grin.

  “I’m going to hate every bit of this, aren’t I?”

  Artie lay down beside me. “Oh yes, you are.”

  “Awesome.” I reached over and grabbed her hand. “As mad as I am that you’re here, I’m really glad you’re here.”

  She squeezed my fingers. “Me too, jerk.”

  “Persephone is really mean,” I mused aloud.

  Artie cracked up. “She can’t be any worse than the other people you’ve taken down lately.”

  I loosened my fingers from hers, turned and buried my face in my pillow. “She’s nasty. And she’s using Hamilton for his money.”

  Artie turned on her side to face me. “From what you said about his house and the people who work for him, maybe he isn’t all that great of a catch.”

  “Maybe so.” />
  We sat there in silence for several minutes.

  “Should we go apartment hunting?”

  “Nah,” Artie said. “We should wait for you to get fired first so we can get something nicer.”

  “Sometimes you’re a real jerk, you know that?”

  Chapter 7

  Bright and early Monday morning, I was knocking at the back door, ready for a day’s worth of work and spying. Hopefully, more spying than working, but based on the woman’s no-nonsense expression once she opened the door, those hopes were rapidly fading.

  She motioned me in with a head gesture. I followed behind, saying nothing, and let her lead me to a closet full of stark white uniforms. White dresses, white tights, white shoes and a crisp white hat which made me think of those 1970’s horror flicks set in mental asylums.

  I gave the woman a curious look, but she returned it with a strange blank stare and started doling out packages.

  “Don’t you need to know my size?”

  The woman continued to pile things in my arms without answering. When she finished, she pointed down the hall. “Change and come back here.”

  “Oookay,” I drawled and padded off to what I hoped was a restroom and not a room where an ax murderer was waiting for me.

  Fortunately, there was a restroom there so I had some privacy while I changed out of my hobo skirt and into the sterile clothing. I didn’t know why they wanted their maids to wear white especially when they were cleaning...dirt, but I wasn’t being paid to ask questions.

  Heck, I wasn’t being paid at all right now, which reminded me I needed to ask Hades what was up with my dwindling bank account. Once I dressed, I stepped out of the stall and headed over to the mirror by the sink.

  I looked absolutely ridiculous. Like I was about to chase someone down the hall with an extra large needle.

  I slid the shoes onto my feet and bounced up and down a couple of times. Not too bad. I could stay on my feet all day with these. I gathered up the rest of my clothes and stepped out of the restroom to find the strange woman again.