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

  And then he ruined it.

  “Ma’am, mind telling me why your little gang is here?” Although I loved his baritone, I took offense at his tone and felt myself bristle.

  “We’re here to see a friend,” I said, my tone icy.

  His face gave nothing away, but his cold eyes told me he knew there was much more I wasn’t telling him.

  “We received a phone call about ten minutes ago about a disturbance in this area.”

  Impossible, I thought. There’s no one around to see anything. “Who called you?”

  “None of your business, ma’am.” He tipped his hat at me and turned to Artie.

  “Hi, Officer,” Artie chirped a little too brightly, especially since there was a dead guy lying less than fifty feet from us.

  He said nothing but whipped out a notebook from his pocket. He flipped it open to a clean page, extracted a pen from his uniform pocket, and barked, “Name.”

  “Jane Smith,” Artie said.

  At his tilted brow and look of disbelief, I groaned inwardly. This couldn’t go worse if we had planned it.

  “Nice name,” he said, condescension dripping from his voice.

  Artie, clueless to his sarcasm, grinned widely at him. “It’s a family name.”

  “I’m sure it is.” He then turned to Ares.

  “And you are?”

  Ares offered him a superior smile and said, “John Smith.”

  I choked on a hysterical giggle. We were about to get cuffed and thrown in the pokey if we weren’t careful. The officer let out a deep sigh and closed his notebook.

  “Look, this can be done the easy way or the hard way. So far, it’s likely both of you have given me fake names, and the questions are going to get harder from here. I can’t imagine the stories I’ll hear if I ask you your relationship to the victim. I need you to stop being jokers and answer my questions or I’ll haul all three of you to the station.”

  He turned to me. “So, let me guess – Sarah Smith? Maybe even Jane Doe?”

  “Nope, just Abby,” I said.

  “Just Abby? Does Just Abby have a last name?”

  “Manolis. Specifically, Abigail Manolis.” It was the name I’d been living under for years. If he ran it, and the way this was going he would, he’d find an out-of-state resident with no criminal background. Just the way I wanted to keep it. I glared at Artie when I noticed the officer staring toward the house.

  She shrugged at me like she had no idea what I meant and I mouthed, “Smith, really?”

  A sheepish grin lit her face and she pointed at Ares, ready to throw him under the bus, too.

  “And who are you?” I said, itching to get his name. He pointed to his badge. “Marshall.”

  “Is that like Deputy Marshall?” I asked. Maybe charm could get me out of this one.

  “No. It’s like Officer Marshall.” The tone of his voice let me know he was growing tired of dealing with us. “What is the name of your friend and the purpose of your visit?”

  I stalled. Orpheus wasn’t a common name, and I wasn’t sure if he had been using an alias. The odds were high, but I was stumped. This is not going to end well, I thought, but decided to go for broke.

  “Orpheus,” I said and waited for the explosion.

  Instead Officer Marshall closed his eyes and pinched the space between his eyebrows. He then looked heavenward as if asking for patience.

  “I guess that’s better than John Doe,” he mumbled and whipped out his notebook again. I could only imagine the things he was writing in it. Two delusional white females and a physically fit ape. Fake names and possibly a murder victim.

  “So, did any of you enter the home?” There was no way to squirm out of this so I went for honesty.

  “Yes.” I decided not to elaborate. I’d seen too many cop shows where the perp put his foot in his mouth. There was no way I was contributing to my downfall. If we had extra time, we could have cleaned the place up with no one being the wiser. Using our powers now could gain us a whole host of problems and result in more trouble in the long run. I was in enough trouble with Zeus. There was no way I was going to bring everyone down with me.

  “And?” Officer Marshall stared at me like I was a dull-witted teenager.

  “And what?” I asked. He was getting on my nerves. This made him substantially less attractive than he had been a few minutes ago. If I landed in jail, he’d be right there with Hephaestus in the looks department. No one was cute when they were responsible for your new criminal record.

  “And we found Orpheus.”

  Obviously realizing he wasn’t going to get much more out of us, he shook his head and started for the house. As he walked away from us, he tossed over his shoulder, “Stay here.”

  As if we could go anywhere with all the police surrounding us. The view was certainly something, though. Not the house, I could see that any day. The view a la Officer Marshall. He could definitely walk away from me any day. I chuckled to myself and felt Ares glaring at me.

  “Oh, get over yourself,” I chided. “Contrary to your beliefs, you aren’t the only man on earth.”

  “Once I was yours,” he said softly. I looked at him sharply and noticed his downcast eyes.

  Chastened, I reached over and touched his arm. It wasn’t that Ares and I weren’t good together; it was that we came from different places. Love and war. The old saying about everything being fair in love and war wasn’t entirely accurate. I came from a place where goodness was present in everyone. No matter how terrible someone might seem, there was another person out there who loved them.

  Where Ares saw things in terms of bloodshed and victory, I saw them in a way most other people wouldn’t – with a happy ending, something that became a source of constant friction between us. Of course, today’s world wasn’t the best place to be a bleeding idealist, but love was present everywhere; you just had to open yourself up to it.

  I clasped his fingers within mine. “You were once, Ares. And we were good together. But sometimes matters of the heart are overridden by what’s best for everyone. It can be easy to forget what drove us apart, but the fact remains that we are apart and have been for hundreds of years.”

  He nodded, but I could tell my message hadn’t fully reached him. “You can’t think a relationship with a mortal would work, can you?” he asked.

  Seeing Marshall today had filled my head with fanciful notions that were likely to end only in trouble or heartbreak. “No, of course it can’t,” I said. “We all know what happens to gods who play around with mortals.” One of them was lying inside – a broken, gifted man who’d almost had it all.

  A shout broke out from Orpheus’ residence and several officers ran toward the door with weapons drawn. He must have found the body. The one thing working in our favor was there might not be enough of Orpheus to take back for forensics. By the time they managed to get everyone in place it was likely the rest of his ashes would be scattered to the wind. This was one crime Marshall might have to write down as unsolved.

  Marshall stomped toward us. His face was ashen and fear tinged his eyes. “What the hell happened in there?”

  None of us could meet his eyes. How did you explain the goddess Eris to a small town police officer?

  “All right then, let’s do it the hard way.” Marshall motioned to one of his deputies. He quickly responded to the command and came over to us.

  Marshall uttered the words I had known were coming since they’d arrived on the scene.

  “Cuff them.”

  7

  Chapter Seven

  Zeus was going to be less than pleased with this recent development. We’d avoided tangling with law enforcement for this exact reason. My mind was blank and I couldn’t think of a single way out that wouldn’t involve using magic and digging our hole that much deeper.

  And here I’d always thought getting arrested would be much cooler. Turns out it was anything but. The cool kiss of metal hugged my wrists as one of the deputies turned me around and p
ut the handcuffs on. I stole a glance at Ares. He was furious.

  Good. Serves him right. Artie had a confused look on her face and seemed not able to believe this was happening. Once the deputy had lowered my head and unceremoniously shoved me into the patrol car, I began to think madly. Artie tumbled in next to me, but Ares managed to get the special treatment and ended up in the back of Marshall’s cruiser.

  I snickered, but at Artie’s outraged look, I cleared my throat and plastered a sober expression on my face. Secretly I found our debacle a little hilarious, but I knew it was only a matter of time before Zeus got wind of our hijinks. Then we were really in for it.

  “What do we do?” hissed Artie.

  I leaned my head back against the seat leather, trying not to think about what other suspects may have left behind. “No idea. We could blink out of here, but it could cause us more trouble than it’s worth. Any ideas?”

  “Not one,” she grumbled. “And these handcuffs are uncomfortable. Why do all of those TV shows make getting arrested look so glamorous?”

  “Did Ares say anything to you before they took you?”

  “Not a word. Although I don’t know that he’s especially pleased with me right now after my verbal smackdown at the house.”

  I snorted. “He deserved it. You didn’t say anything that didn’t need to be said.” Small comfort. If Ares really felt the need to pay Artie back for that there was nothing I could do. I didn’t think he would, though. He was a gentleman at heart, although it was sometimes hard to see. “What do you think? On three, you and I blow this joint? As much as I’d like to get out of this mess without the use of magic, I don’t think it’s feasible. Plus, my hair’s messed up. A mug shot would ruin my reputation.”

  Artie grinned. “You betcha, sister.”

  Ares hopefully followed our lead before the officers returned to the patrol cars and noticed our marked absence.

  “On the count of three?” I nodded and Artie started the countdown.

  “One…two…three.” Artie blinked out of sight, but even though I visualized my cabin, my magic stalled and I stayed right where I was.

  Of all the times to act up. I was in a police car for crying out loud. I still felt my inherent well of magic, but it felt sluggish and weak. Something was definitely up with me. Tears sparked behind my eyes.

  Great. How was I going to explain Artie’s absence when I was still sitting here cuffed like an idiot? I turned toward the window, heaved a deep sigh, and attempted to come up with some reasonable explanation.

  “Problem, Abby?”

  I was so intent on wallowing, I didn’t sense Ares blink into the patrol car and almost jumped out of my skin. “I always have problems, Ares.”

  He didn’t answer, merely grabbed my arm and blinked us both out of the car and back into my cabin. Looked like Ares had been spying on me for a little while because he knew where I lived and I knew I hadn’t told him. I was sure he had much more mysterious means of snooping than I did. Sometimes I was a bull in a china shop, stumbling around and hoping I eventually knocked over something meaningful.

  Artie was standing in the kitchen when we blinked in. She raised an eyebrow and gave me a meaningful stare. The magic discussion was bearing down on me, but since we were on the lam and had to figure out how to fix that before we all made the six o’clock news, it could wait.

  Memory wipes were always effective, but I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to use on Marshall. I wanted him to remember me, for reasons I was uncomfortable examining. I shouldn’t want that. Thinking with my rational brain, I knew he couldn’t remember me, not without throwing me right back into the clink.

  There had to be a way around this. Olympus never worked with human law enforcement. The rules were simply that no one was quite ready for us yet. I wondered, not for the first time, if it were the other way around and maybe we weren’t ready for them.

  There had to be people out there that believed there was more to life than just the mundane. Officer Marshall didn’t seem to be one of them, but from the look on his face when he walked into that crime scene and our obvious reluctance to cooperate, the odds were good he knew something was rotten in Denmark. The recent disappearing act we had pulled when we were not only cuffed but sealed inside patrol cars would probably go a long way in solidifying those thoughts.

  Could Marshall be brought to our side? Maybe, but it was a good bet he wouldn’t make it to the end, especially if Zeus knew I had shared some of our secrets with him. I was already in big trouble about it. I couldn’t imagine doing it again would endear me to him. But there was no way Marshall would be able to solve Orpheus’ murder without our help.

  We needed the local law enforcement off our backs. If Marshall could be brought to our side, it would help open avenues to us that weren’t otherwise available. We were all magical and had our ways of getting information, but I don’t think any of us could discover certain things that good old-fashioned detective work would be able to unearth.

  Artie knew from the look on my face that I was up to no good, but she had no idea how far out of the box I was thinking. Even Ares, prone to being a rogue and doing things his own way, might balk at my ridiculous suggestion. I knew it might not be the wisest thing to do, but I was already in neck deep. Once I had gone that far and considering what I faced if I failed, I turned to both Ares and Artie and decided to lay all of my cards on the table.

  The veins in Ares’ neck bulged as he listened to what I had to say. I prepared myself for the inevitable explosion.

  “Abby, that’s the most cockamamie plan you’ve ever come up with and I’ve been involved in numerous ridiculous situations with you.”

  It was true. He had been. Ares was nothing if not a trooper. In this case I thought he was wrong. I sighed, took a deep breath, and tried to explain why I thought it was the best way.

  “She’s right.”

  “Ares, I’m – What?” I turned an incredulous stare toward Artie. She stood beside Ares, looking stoic and a bit fearful. “I’m right?”

  “Well, of course you are. It really is insane, and I can’t imagine the big guy putting his lightning bolt stamp of approval on it, but you have to admit, it will keep the local po-po off of our asses while we try to work this out.”

  Ares stood motionless, fury burning in his gaze. “I’ll have nothing to do with this.”

  Just like I figured he wouldn’t. He was too involved in the politics of Olympus and participating in an action that was almost guaranteed to get us hauled in front of Zeus for judgment was not his cup of tea. Even though he was a bit of a rogue on Olympus, he preferred to stay on the lighter side, never one to get his hands dirty.

  I was surprised by Artie, though. Normally she avoided Zeus like the plague and preferred to either hang out with me or her animals. She wasn’t one to put herself out on a limb. At that moment, my heart burned with pride, but I couldn’t help the lingering sense of guilt I felt because she was standing by me. We could very well both go down together. It wouldn’t be pretty.

  The only thing bolstering my courage was the fact that Zeus would be hard pressed to destroy us both, especially the Goddess of the Hunt. Artie always walked the straight and narrow, despite her friendship with me. I could always count on her when the chips were down, but similar to Ares, she was one who preferred to keep her hands out of the dirt. In this moment, I felt a shift in Artie and I wondered what was the cause of it.

  “I’ll stand with you.”

  I spun toward the direction of that voice and felt my heart lift. Hermes.

  Even though my back was turned to Ares, I could feel the heat of his disapproval burning a hole in me. There was no love lost between these two. A small smile tugged at my mouth as I looked at Hermes. There was no denying his magnetism, but I wondered what exactly it was that drew me to him. I had known him since the beginning of time but always had held myself back by virtue of who he was. I felt those knots loosening and the tight grip I’d held on my heart slip
ped the tiniest bit. Those whiskey eyes met mine and I could tell he felt it, too.

  Something was happening here and I wasn’t sure yet if it would destroy us both. For Hermes to stand against the rules of his father made me nervous. But I knew my luck would be far worse if he wasn’t on my team.

  Ares chose that moment to clear his throat. “This could well be your last battle, Abby.”

  My shoulders slumped and I hung my head. I knew his words to be true, but what else could I do? Faced with the death of a dear friend and a missing relic, I had to take chances Zeus wouldn’t approve of. Although it was possible he could give me the time I needed to see this to the end, I had to ensure I stayed clear of Hera’s path. If even a hint of what we were about to do reached her ears, all of our death warrants were signed.

  “I’m well aware of that, Ares. Since you choose to stand against us, I would like your oath of silence.”

  Ares said nothing. Instead he gazed at me for a moment too long. “I didn’t say I was standing against you, merely that I wouldn’t participate. You have my word. Your shenanigans–” His mouth curled up in a moue of distaste for the word. “Will not reach Hera or Zeus. I can assure you if either find out, it will not have come from my court.”

  I nodded my head once. We both knew that was the best he could do. It also appeared to be the end of any possibility of a rekindling of our romance. I knew he felt the cord between Hermes and me. On top of that, Marshall still flitted at the back of my mind like a restless flame. Ares would play second fiddle to no one. I admired that about him.

  He stepped toward me and drew me into his arms for an embrace. I melted into his arms, afraid of what was to come and remorseful at saying goodbye.