Out of Practice Aphrodite (The Goddess Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  I stepped off my flight in Asheville and noticed right away I could breathe better. Even with the exhaust of the flight line choking me, the air here was clearer. Lots of smog in New York, I thought. I also noticed the magic right away. I was taken by surprise, but it was a pleasant one. It settled around me, easing my heart and making me step a little lighter. Flying had allowed me the opportunity to reduce my magic use while I figured out the problem with it and made me feel a little bit closer to humanity. Zeus would likely not approve.

  Hermes and Keto had wanted to come with me, but I told them in no uncertain terms I refused to get either of them any deeper in trouble. As it was, I had trusted Hermes with information I had only told Artie. I trusted Keto with my life and didn’t worry about him spilling the beans to anyone. Hermes, on the other hand, had loyalties beyond me and could be persuaded to give up my secrets.

  My stomach knotted at the thought of it – at what could happen if word made it out about my slip-up. But when I dug deep within myself and my conflicted feelings about him, I felt I could trust him to keep my confidence. Hermes was a lot of things, but I didn’t think he was a traitor. He collected information, but I wondered if it were his innate sense of curiosity more than a power play. Although I knew he’d used information against people in the past, it had been when someone betrayed him. I didn’t intend to do anything of the sort so maybe he was a good ally to have. I’d find out if my instincts were mistaken sooner rather than later.

  Artemis should be here shortly. I navigated my way through the airport with ease. I had a small carry-on suitcase with me, more to appear normal than anything. There was no need for it, but I carried the case filled with miscellaneous personal items so I wouldn’t rouse suspicion with a one-way ticket. Hurrying into the restroom, I looked quickly around to assure myself I was the only one inside. I entered the handicapped stall, the biggest area I could find for the disappearing act I was about to pull.

  Shutting myself in, one hand on my carry-on and the other braced against the door, I concentrated on the small cabin I had been told to go to, shut my eyes, and prayed my magic would deliver. Two deep breaths later, I opened my eyes and was pleasantly surprised. I was standing in the middle of a quaint cabin smack in the middle of the Smoky Mountains. Although I certainly didn’t mind, and it was a great break from the hustle and bustle of New York, it might seem a little suspicious for a perky blonde to be living there on her own. I felt the need to explore what would be my home for the next two weeks.

  The living area was blessed with a wraparound fireplace located right in the middle of the room. I could see the cheery warmth of the blaze from all angles of the cabin. The walls were dark wood, possibly mahogany. It gave the room a warm, homey feel. Kitschy decor cluttered the place, but instead of ruining the vibe it gave the feel of rustic mountain living. Definitely not my style, but I could live with it for a while.

  Deer heads and other taxidermy dreams littered the wall. Creepy. I might have to make those disappear for the duration of my stay. Their accusing eyes followed me as I explored the disappointing kitchen. Not much going on there but the basics. I located chipped coffee mugs and tin foil pie plates while searching through the cabinets. Dust coated every surface available. Hunters and fishermen weren’t too familiar with kitchens if the state of this one was anything to go by.

  I could live with a lot of things but a poorly stocked, cheap kitchen wasn’t one of them. I frowned and swept my hand across the room. Sluggish power chugged through my system. Almost every surge of magic was excruciating. What the heck was wrong with me? Gritting my teeth, I concentrated until power sparked at my fingertips. In a blink, the bachelor’s paradise was transformed into a kitchen eerily similar to my New York apartment’s.

  A double oven rested where there had been only a microwave and mini stove. Cabinets now overflowed the area, but the best part of the entire redesign was the industrial coffee machine sitting against the wall. No one could go on a mission without coffee. A stainless steel sink, dishwasher, and refrigerator completed the look. I exhaled a breath of audible relief. I waved my hand again and placed a glamour over the kitchen. Should anyone walk in, they would see it exactly how it had been before and not with the new upgrades. All would be well, provided no one poked around too much. I just needed to remember to put everything back in its place once I was finished.

  A zap of power and a gust of wind hit me in the face and I found myself face to face with Artie. I giggled before I could help it. Sometimes she looked like a frazzled Harry Potter reject, especially when she popped in on me like this. Her hair stuck up in all directions and those violet eyes sparkled with power.

  “Bugger,” she said and brushed ash away from the folds of her skirt. “Where the Hades are we?” Her eyes widened and she looked frantically around. “Abby, we’re not in Hades are we?”

  I laughed aloud. “Not Hades, just North Carolina,” I confirmed.

  Artemis may be the Goddess of the Hunt, but the years had shown her the benefits of creature comforts. She still loved the outdoors plenty, but I doubted she ever felt the need to go sleep among the wild animals anymore. She loved television, computers, coffee, and books too much. If I suspected right, it might be time for someone to remind Artie how much of a badass she truly was. I had gotten soft over the years, too, but I had not come close to losing myself. I wondered whether Artie had.

  “Abby?” she inquired. “You’re looking at me weird. I hate it when you do that. You look like you’re plotting.”

  She was right. I was. I schooled my expression into one of innocence and smiled brightly.

  “Never mind.” I brushed away thoughts of Artie running one with nature and settled in on the task at hand. “Now let’s see who the poor bastard is I have to make fall in love.”

  Artie fist pumped. “Yes.” she crowed. “I love seeing you in action. Scary, but oh so effective.”

  I wasn’t sure how accurate the scary part was, but I was ready to get this show on the road. Zeus had left me with pretty much nothing to go on, meaning I was going to have to get creative or hope to stumble over what the hell I was supposed to do. Research on Asheville showed the city hovered at just over 80,000 in population. I choked a little bit when I read that. Zeus better have something up his sleeve because it was going to take me much longer than two weeks to sort through that many people and potential couples.

  That was my curse or my blessing, depending upon whom you asked. People believed soul mates happened only once in a lifetime. Nothing could be further from the truth, at least in my experience. We might never meet our soul mates, but those who were lucky might find more than one in their lifetimes. The threads of life were tenuous at best, and when the loss of a soul mate occurred, it could feel like a heart was being torn out.

  With the population numbers, Asheville had the potential to host several pairs of soul mates, most whom had probably never met each other. I wasn’t here to be a matchmaker for everyone, only the couple Zeus had directed. Not for the first time I wondered if the two people I was supposed to find were supposed to be soul mates or if there were something particular about them that they had to be together. Curiosity about the situation was overwhelming, but I couldn’t be concerned about others right now, only myself. I didn’t know what I would do if the couple in question were ill-suited. That was one moral dilemma I wasn’t sure I wanted to face.

  Of course, in the past my whims had gone well beyond who was actually suited for each other and had been more for my amusement. But these days, I was a kinder, gentler Aphrodite. Choosing love just for love’s sake was very much ill-advised and I happened to be wiser after having been burned several times.

  Grabbing a jacket and hoping Artie wouldn’t get suspicious over my lack of magic, I grabbed her hand and breezed out the door. I planned to ask her to teleport us to the local car rental station, but she must have read my mind. Right outside the door sat a shiny silver Beamer. Leave it to Artie to travel everywhere first class. Som
etimes mundane travel was the best way to get around, anyway – using too much magic could be exhausting. We grinned at each other and I gave the Beamer an appreciate pat on its trunk before we slipped inside and drove off.

  “Asheville is amaze-balls.” Artie’s eyes glittered with excitement as we drove through the Smokies and into downtown.

  The town was also growing on me, but I didn’t intend to stay any longer than it took to sort out this match. I could move back to Olympus anytime. Well…maybe not anymore, but at one time I could have zapped myself back into the comfort of a toga and willing-to-serve nymphs. Sometimes I still longed for those days, but for the most part I was content to live among the humans. Not for the first time I wondered if this were the reason why my magic was sputtering. I’d been living on earth for centuries, and I very rarely used magic during a normal day. Yet another item on my to-do list.

  I shook off my maudlin thoughts and made the short drive to one of the popular coffee shops touted in the tourist literature. Not for the first time I wondered if Zeus were hanging out, waiting for me to fail. That was more his style. Give me an inch and watch me scramble around to find the rest of the string. I pulled in and studied the quaint surroundings.

  A girl could get to love it here. The coffee shop had a red brick facade and a welcoming look from the outside. Tables surrounded the shop, almost all of them filled with an eclectic mix of people. From the hipster to the corporate exec, Asheville had it all and wasn’t afraid to flaunt it. Artie and I stepped out of the vehicle and walked in. A blast of java scented the air and grins split both of our faces. Now that was more like it.

  Death might be hanging over my head, but give me a good coffee shop and I’d die smiling. Artie inhaled and tension I had failed to notice before seemed to waft away from her. The inside of the shop belied the small town vibe of the outside. The walls were painted a deep rusty orange and metal signs shouting about music and love littered the walls. Autographed pictures were haphazardly nailed around the shop and the whirring of the cappuccino machine bleated out a loud staccato rhythm.

  It wasn’t as crowded inside as it was outdoors, probably because of the mild season. Artie and I dutifully took our places in the small line of people waiting to order, but not long after I felt a tingling at the back of my neck. A sure sign someone was staring at me.

  Artie must have felt it, too, because her nails pinched the inside of my elbow and she leaned over and hissed in my ear, “Ares.”

  Though I already knew it, I still couldn’t believe it. What in the Hades was Ares doing in Asheville? There was no way this was a coincidence. Artie and I knew it, and the way he was staring at me meant he knew it, too. Zeus had sent him, or he was on his own mission that somehow involved me. I wanted to stand there in line and ignore him, but we knew the jig was up. I forced a tense smile onto my face and turned around to face my ex-lover, the God of War.

  5

  Chapter Five

  As he stood and walked toward me, all I could think was that I hated the fact he looked just like I remembered. That was one of the unfortunate things about being a child of Olympus. No matter how much you hope someone shrivels up and develops a widow’s hump, the odds are they’ll be just as beautiful as you remembered them. Unless of course, they managed to piss someone off. Then all bets were off and the next time you saw them they could be hanging upside down for eternity. Blood rushing to your head made even the most attractive ones look ugly. Eating some humble pie was always a good ego buster for the gods.

  “Hello, Ares.”

  He gave me a shit-eating grin and I felt it right down to my toes. Thinking he might have lost some of that arrogance was a nice daydream, but he still had it in spades.

  “Hello, delicious Abby.”

  I had never seen him dressed so casually and had to begrudgingly admit it worked for him. Snug jeans showcased his fantastic…assets, and the green collared shirt he was wearing made his hazel eyes seem more vivid than I remembered. Ares was not a tall man, but he made up for it in sheer attitude.

  The thought of Hermes crossed my mind and I couldn’t help but compare the two. Where Hermes was light, Ares was an all-encompassing dark. Midnight hair a touch too long curled along the edge of his collar. His Mediterranean complexion walked a fine line between honey and deep bronze – the sun of Olympus agreed with him and he knew it. I was pretty sure I hated him in that moment, so I decided to cut to the chase.

  “Why are you here?” I felt Artie stiffen beside me. She was right to fear the God of War, but I had been his lover for long enough to know that although he had a volatile temper, he would never raise a hand to hurt a woman. Who wasn’t an enemy, anyway. Ares would strike down anyone who threatened him, no matter who they were. As long as Artie was my friend, Ares would not lift a finger to harm her. I planned to make sure it stayed that way.

  “Abby,” he made a tsk tsk sound as if I were an errant child and it was merely a coincidence we had run into each other. “I am here to check out this beautiful city. Now that you’re here, I can understand why the guides all tout how wonderful it is.”

  “Save it,” I muttered. “You and I both know you aren’t a fan of mortals or earth. Spill it, Ares. Why are you here?” I was still in line, but noticed we were beginning to attract some stares. Damn. I really wanted coffee, too. Artie must have been reading my mind.

  “Go ahead and find a table. I’ll take care of it.” She turned a wary eye on Ares. “Would you like something?”

  Ares offered her an appraising smile. He knew Artie and I were pretty inseparable, but the calculating look in his eye made me wonder exactly what he was thinking. It wasn’t comforting. There were more things afoot than I knew of, and it appeared Artie might be a pawn.

  After an awkward pause, Ares bowed slightly. “Lovely Huntress,” he murmured. “None for me, thank you.”

  Huntress? Artie hadn’t used that name for thousands of years. Her eyes widened imperceptibly and she quickly turned around. Knowing her as well as I did, I knew she was shaken. What was going on? I grabbed Ares by the arm, knowing full well I didn’t have the strength to drag him. I would have tried, but he allowed himself to be led outside.

  “Huntress?” I demanded. “What’s with the power play, Ares? We all know you’re the mighty God of War. No need to–”

  “Abby, shut up.” Ares shoved me unceremoniously into one of the chairs and sat down close to me. He quickly leaned in and I couldn’t help but breathe in his fiery scent. You’d think I’d be able to get over the guy sooner or later. Mostly I just tried to avoid him.

  “I don’t have a lot of time. Zeus sent me to you.”

  “Of course he did,” I muttered. That Zeus. What a sense of humor.

  “Hera’s spies are everywhere. She doesn’t know where you are right now, but she is aware of Zeus’ soft spot for you.”

  Hera? I knew she wouldn’t throw a cover over me if she happened to stumble on my corpse, but what did she have to do with this? At my confused gaze, he shook his head and continued. “Hera has been after you for years, but there is something more going on here. Have you noticed anything weird going on with your powers?”

  “How the–?” I started. He placed his index finger on my lips, effectively shutting me up while also making me wish we weren’t in public. “It’s Hera, Abby. We believe you’ve been set up. Zeus hasn’t told me everything, but he did send me here to find you and let you know to be on guard. If Hera finds you, she will do everything in her power to take you out.”

  I was still processing what Ares was saying, but there was one thing I couldn’t figure out. “But why? She’s had millennia to try and take me out.”

  At that statement, Ares let out a dry chuckle. “It’s the chase, my dear. And really, does Hera need a reason? You know how jealous she has always been of you. The years have not been kind to her. She’s always been unstable, but her mental state is in rapid decline and no one can figure out why. There is an unhealthy obsession there. Zeus has grow
n concerned.”

  Ares turned to look over his shoulder at Artie. “She will aid you in your quest, Abby. But take care and keep some cards close to your vest, no matter how much you trust someone.”

  I decided that no matter what had happened to Ares and me in the past that I could still trust him. This could be a decision I later regretted, but for now it was the best I could do.

  “Do you know why Zeus has sent me on this fool’s errand? It doesn’t seem to be too much of a punishment for me.”

  Ares sobered and took my hands. “It involves the apples.”

  To most people that would probably sound ridiculous, but to the gods, the Apples of the Hesperides were a sacred treasure inside of Hera’s garden. They were guarded zealously for the apples could bring immortality to anyone who ate them. There never had been an issue with any of the gods indulging in the apples for immortality had been granted to all of Olympus’ children. The demigods were another story. Born from dalliances between mortals and the gods, demigods were born with attributes given to them from their powerful parents but were forced to face their mortality eventually.

  This made the apples a delightful temptation for those brave enough to enter Hera’s sanctuary. Many who tried were punished severely. I could remember only one success from Hercules. You had to admire a man that ballsy. As one of his twelve labors, Hercules was forced to gather the apples from the Hesperides, a trio of gorgeous goddesses and also the tree’s entrusted guardians. With the help of Prometheus and the slightly dimwitted Atlas, Hercules ultimately had prevailed, but almost as soon as the theft had occurred, Hera had dispatched Athena to return the apples to their rightful place.

  This task was beginning to make a lot more sense. It was quite possible Zeus had told a little white lie and the match didn’t involve mortals at all, or full mortals I should say. Zeus had always been a clever one. If the match involved demigods, the difficulty level had increased exponentially.