The Stone Queen (The Dark Queens Book 9) Read online

  After removing my helmet, I propped it against my hip and wondered why I had come. Now that I was here, I wasn’t even sure what I meant to say to her. Shrugging, I glanced at Asophinia.

  The general with the chiseled face seemed to understand the silent cue and gave a small grunt. “I shall see to the sparring ring. With your permission, my goddess.”

  Athena flicked her fingers. “Of course.”

  Only once Asophinia was well away did I clear my throat. “Your warriors look fit to fight. I wonder what are you training for, sister?”

  She smirked. “Unlike you, I believe the key to any successful campaign is preparedness.”

  I snorted. “Touché.” She loved giving me hell about my more forthright approach to war. It wasn’t as though my fighters were unprepared, but I didn’t believe in excessive training either.

  “Though,” she said softly, “I do not think she came to me today to talk strategy, eh, brother? So why are you really here?”

  Spreading my legs, I coughed into my fist. “You always cut straight to the chase, Athena. Very annoying.”

  Her laughter was honest and open. Tucking an errant strand of dark hair behind her ear, she shrugged. “I am, as they say, fairly predictable, brother.”

  Athena and I were related on Father’s side. No surprise there. But unlike Hera’s opinion on most of my half siblings, Mother didn’t despise Athena as she did so many others, likely because Athena was difficult to out-and-out despise.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t have her flaws. We all did. She had a staunch core of beliefs that were absolutely unyielding. Even if a situation called for mercy, rules were rules to Athena. Either you followed or you didn’t, and should you choose not to obey, you would suffer the consequences. Again, I didn’t agree with her. I judged based on each person’s motivations and actions. Not everyone deserved the same degree of penalties. But steely morals aside, Athena was also a voice of clarity and calm in an otherwise volatile world.

  “Does this possibly have anything to do with the rumors I’ve heard surrounding Aphrodite and Hephy?”

  I lifted a brow. It was no secret that Athena had always yearned for Hephaestus, though I didn’t think my brother had ever noticed her. He was her half sibling, true enough, but for some damned reason, my very wise sister had become one of his greatest supporters. She had to be feeling the sting of this latest development as well, though she did not show it.

  I wet my lips. “I suppose. In a way. Mother came to see me today. Told me I should fight for her.”

  She pursed her lips. “And do you not agree?”

  A gentle breeze stirred the ripened citrus fruit in the groves just over the hill, bringing their sharp yet sweet scent with it. I inhaled deeply, as Nixas was a very soothing place. The ringing of steel, the grunts of women practicing the deadly art of war, and the natural beauty of a land unspoiled were calming.

  Dite had never taken to country life as I did. She much preferred the hustle and bustle of Olympus. The constant parties. The dances. Seeing and being seen. It was what she’d lived for.

  I frowned, but how well had I known her, actually? Because there was no greater hermit amongst us than my brother. I thinned my lips.

  Athena’s callused palm landed on my wrist, stealing me away from my thoughts. I glanced into her eyes as deeply blue as father’s own.

  “You’ve come to me, so I assume you wish my counsel, yes?” she asked softly.

  I shrugged. “I guess. I… The truth is, Athena, I’m feeling rather lost and out of sorts lately. And I’m not sure why.”

  “Well, as to that”—she took her hand off me and pressed her lips tight—“I cannot help you. You’ll have to figure out what’s the actual thorn in your flesh before you can figure out how to fix it. But I can tell you that if you do not keenly feel the pang of this separation from Aphrodite, perhaps you did not love her as well as you thought you did.”

  My brows dipped and my nostrils flared, and I was uneasy with her assessment. “I did love her.”

  “In a way, I suppose,” she agreed with a gentle nod.

  My lips curled. “How can you say that? Of course I loved her. I was with her some fifty years. We created memories together. Not to mention, Mother swears an oracle of Delphi promised her that Dite and I would one day bear her grandchildren.”

  She laughed lightly. “I can definitely understand now why Hera would push you to stay with Lust. Hera wants nothing so much as your grandchildren crawling all over her lap.”

  Snorting, I rolled my eyes. “Don’t remind me. She even threatened to make my life hell if I don’t at least try to get Aphrodite back. You know how much she despises brother.”

  The smile slowly slipped off Athena’s face. “Yes. This I do know.” Then she sighed softly.

  A corner of my mouth lifted up. “This must kill you too.”

  Blue eyes as clear as glass cut to mine. And for just a moment, I saw beneath the stoicism my sister wore like a mask to the actual pain within. “You are the only one, perhaps, who would know.”

  Because of how I looked at and studied others, I’d discovered Athena’s secret love for Hephaestus, probably long before she’d even been ready to acknowledge it herself.

  She shrugged and gave me a cool grin, her mask now firmly back in place. “Anyway,” she said with a dismissive flick of her wrist, “that is neither here nor there. You’ve come to me seeking counsel. And here it is. You might one day regret not trying, at least making an attempt at reconciliation to say you’ve done it.”

  “I do love her, Athena. She was the first woman I’d ever loved. Aphrodite taught me much about myself, my wants, and my needs.”

  A gentle flicker touched her lips but quickly faded. “First woman. So there is another?”

  My pulse lurched within me, and the war flame heated up the tips of my fingers. Swallowing hard, I realized my error too late. Athena was as perceptive as I was. Of course she’d have caught my blunder.

  I shook my head, clearing my throat twice. “I…” It crossed my mind to lie, not that she would really care. But my own sense of self would not allow it. “I do not know,” I admitted softly. “I have recently begun to feel… things.”

  Rubbing a hand over the back of my neck, I thought of the bird girl with her gorgeous feathers and her ability to make me laugh and genuinely smile despite myself. But I tamped down the thoughts quickly. I could not think of Medusa in that way. I had to stop this strange infatuation with her. “Not that it matters. She has sworn an oath of fealty to her goddess.”

  My sister frowned. “She has?”

  “Mm.” I mumbled, refusing to tell her that it was to her, in fact, that Medusa had sworn such an oath. Of chastity, no less. I knew Athena’s ways and what she would do to the poor girl even should I, her own brother, cause Medusa to break said oath.

  I would never do that to either of them—force Athena’s hand or cause Medusa to suffer for my selfishness.

  “What kind of oath was sworn?”

  “Chastity, I believe,” I said quickly, knowing damned well that it’d been just such an oath.

  “Then for her sake, do not ever cause her to betray such an oath, Ares. The consequences could be dire.”

  I snorted, even as my gut slithered with unease. “Obviously, though, she could have sworn said oath to Aphrodite.”

  Athena snorted. “Yes, well, I’ve no doubt she’d let her off with but a wrist slap if she had. Still, an oath is a powerful thing. You do well to keep away from her.”

  I blinked as a fierce and terrible ache spread through my body. Everything Athena said was true. I was being the better man by leaving Medusa alone.

  And yet, the selfish side of me didn’t feel so. Every morning, I wondered how the little bird fared. Wondered if she’d already found another male’s eyes, wondered if someday she might be freed of this oath her mother forced upon her so that she could settle down and bear her male children.

  My nostrils flared, and I ground my bac
k teeth together so hard that they began to ache.

  Athena’s shrewd gaze was assessing. “If this female is mortal and sworn to another, you must, you absolutely must leave her alone.”

  I heard the thread of warning in her tone. Athena hadn’t out-and-out said that she knew the female belonged to her, but I knew that she knew it. Somehow, my brilliant sister had already deduced the fact.

  Licking my front teeth, I gave her a careless shrug. “Of course, sister. I am a man of honor, after all. I will not cause her to break her vows. You have my word.”

  Each word spoken was like a driving dagger to my soul. I barely knew this female, yet I’d forged an instant bond with her, just as I was certain she had with me.

  “Fix your home, Ares. That is your first order of business. Speak with Aphrodite. For your own peace of mind.”

  She was right, damn her to the blazes. But she was, and I knew it. A man of honor would never run off after someone else so soon after a breakup, especially one that was still very curiously up in the air. I had to find out what was happening to Aphrodite. And where I still fit, or didn’t, in her life. That was my number one priority.

  “As ever, sister, your counsel has proven most wise. I will leave you now.”

  She tipped her head. “Give my regards to Father, if you see him.”

  “I will.”

  Turning, I was just about to open another tunnel when out stepped my uncle Poseidon from his own. I narrowed my eyes, uneasy to my very core. “Uncle,” I said stoically. I did not ask why in the hell he was following me, because I knew he would deny it, and also because I knew damned well that he was.

  He smirked. “Ares, I’d say you were following me, son, though I know you’d deny it. So why bother, eh?”

  Bearing down on my front teeth, my nostrils wide and flaring, I did not try to hide the war flame surging through my fingers. “What is this game you play at, Uncle?”

  “Me?” He touched his bronze hammered chest plate inscribed with images from the sea. “Why would you accuse me of something so heinous, Nephew? I merely came to visit with my favorite niece for a bit.”

  “It’s true, brother. Poseidon sent me notice earlier this morning that he would come calling.”

  It was all too simple and easy. I wasn’t merely perceptive in battle, I was perceptive always. Though he bore a charming and all-is-innocent smile, I caught the flicker of his lashes, the subtle tightening of his jawline. Poseidon could not divine the future, but somehow, he’d known I would be here. And he’d waited until I was done to visit with Athena.

  I could ask my sister to keep what was spoken between us private, but that would only be giving away my hand and the fact that I knew he was up to something. He would merely suspect that I understood he toyed with me. And no doubt he would wish me to believe it was because of boredom that he did so.

  And while that might very well play a part, something about all of this was very, very wrong.

  Turning on the charm, I gave him a wide smile. “Of course, Uncle. May your talk with Athena be as enlightening as my own.”

  Then without waiting for his reply, I walked away, my head held high and determined that I would fix my household first. And more than that, I would entirely forget the girl with wings as beautiful as an angel’s and a smile warmer than the burn of Apollo’s sun.

  Chapter 9

  Poseidon

  Wearing a guileless smile and with both brows raised, I looked at my incredibly attractive niece. “He always did have your father’s temper, that one. Might I ask, pray tell, what you told him that should put him in such a fiery way? Almost as though your brother was told he could no longer have his favorite treat.”

  My niece—who was incidentally my favorite of the gaggle—narrowed her eyes. “I begin to wonder whether Ares had the right of it, Uncle.”

  Her voice sounded strained with curiosity.

  I laughed, shrugging off her accusations lightly. No matter how wise she fancied herself, I was an old horse and knew exactly how to keep my thoughts my own. The fact that Ares knew I followed him only made the game richer for me. It was true that the gods as long-lived as myself were often found in a type of malaise. Bored and without direction, I’d long since learned to play a game of odds. But I preferred the long game. Seeing Ares sweat was half the fun.

  Rolling my wrists, I adjusted my cuffs lightly. “Really, my dear, you flatter me, though I confess I’m not nearly as smart as all that. I quite fear that if I were truly following your brother, I’d give myself away almost immediately. You know how dreadful I am with secrets.” I mock shuddered. Much of the pantheon actually accepted this as truth where I was concerned. Again, long game. I was very good at spilling the beans when I shouldn’t, always careful to make it seem accidental. Being able to keep up the charade meant that I’d been carefully cultivating my image for millennia.

  “No, the truth is that sometimes coincidences really do exist. Shocking, I know.” I shrugged and gave her an easy grin.

  If I came on too strong, Athena would see right through me. But I was just being my usual charming self. And to further drive the point home, I softened my voice and pointed with my thumb over my shoulder.

  “My dear, truly, if you do not believe me, I will leave to prove to you that I’ve come with no ill intent whatsoever. You’re family. I would not play with any of you in that way. You must believe me.”

  What a bunch of bloody, perfidious fools my family was, though they did provide me with adequate pastime.

  Whether she sent me home was immaterial. I would eventually learn what I needed to learn. There came a point when even the most skeptical person believed you because you appeared to be exactly who you claimed to be. If I left, she would assume that I’d been honest, with no ill intent whatsoever, but if I stayed, it would be her decision entirely. Both options meant she felt in control of the situation.

  My grin stretched wider, and with a humble-sounding sigh, I took her delicate hand in mine and grazed her soft knuckles with a kiss. “Good day, my dear. Maybe we’ll take tea another time.”

  Then with an elegant bow, I turned to go.

  “Uncle, wait!” she cried just as I opened the travel tunnel. My spine stiffened, as though feigning surprise. A smirk flitted briefly past my lips, but by the time I’d turned, I was as composed as ever. “Dear?”

  She shook her head and looked somewhat contrite. “Ares’s skepticism has a way of infecting one’s soul. Of course you may join me for afternoon tea. I would be glad for the company.”

  Giving her a deep bow of acquiescence, I murmured, “As you wish. Though should you need me to leave, you only need to ask.”

  She sniffed and gave me a teeny smile. Athena wasn’t as demonstrative as some, so for her, this was like winning a prize.

  “I know, Uncle. Of course you would. I’m sorry that Ares made me doubt you for a moment.”

  “No offense taken.” I nodded, keeping my face perfectly composed as I glanced around her isle of barely clothed women. Feeling a fiery stirring in my loins, I quickly cleared my throat and glanced away. “Working hard, training all these… war fillies, have you?” I said, my voice smooth and calm, though inside, I sneered at Athena’s obvious love of bloodlust. She might like to claim she was more mature than her brother, but they were both gauche. Wars could be fought and won with but a simple word spoken in the right ear. I’d won several often enough by employing just such a tactic.

  She rolled her wrist. “True, and don’t think I’m not aware that you do not approve.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve no wish to deny it. War is a messy business indeed.”

  “More of the lover, not the fighter, Uncle. This I know.”

  A corner of my lip twitched. “Yes, well. I do believe you offered me tea, and I am quite parched.”

  “Of course. Would this space do? Or would you prefer us to find someplace more private?”

  I was easy to please, or so I’d led them to believe. “Here is fine, dear. No
need to put yourself out for me. I do hope you’ve made some of those delicious honey-and-pistachio cakes again.”

  She snorted. “Do you question my ability as hostess?” She arched a regal brow.

  I firmly checked my initial rush of annoyance. Such a superior bitch, Athena was. Always had been. It would be fun to set her down a peg. “Never, my dearest one.”

  A twinkle entered her cerulean eyes. Then with a clap of her hands, a perfectly set table appeared before us in the very same meadow where her warriors trained.

  After taking a seat, I crossed my legs and began doling out the tea and cakes. Athena could set an immaculate table when she had a mind to. Truth was, it wasn’t much of a hardship to visit with her.

  If I loved anyone, it would probably be her. Though I wasn’t entirely certain that I did actually love her, I simply didn’t despise her as I did the others.

  We sipped tea and tasted our cakes in silence for a while. Me moaning with delight with each bite of that addictive honey-and-pistachio cake she would always have her cook serve me whenever I visited. This was one of the rare times in life when I didn’t feign enjoyment. Land food was so different from the fare I was used to beneath the sea.

  Once I noticed her fidgeting and no longer taking such large bites of her midday meal, I spoke up. “What is the matter, my dear? You’re quivering like an excited monkey over there. What’s got you so jittery today?”

  She looked up at me as if surprised. It wasn’t that Athena projected her emotions much at all. She was about as buttoned-up as they came in the pantheon. But I was exemplary at reading the telltale signs of emotions. It was that ability that kept me so close to Zeus’s side—and why I’d become his trusted advisor through the years. I almost always knew what he was thinking before he even realized he was thinking it.

  She sighed. “I’m… I’m not sure I should share, Uncle.”

  I lifted a brow. “Oh? Well, by all means, then. Secrets sometimes should remain our own. Safer that way.” I reached for the still-scalding pot of tea. “More tea?”