Still, it was hours before they finally emerged victorious.
Breathing with relief, she headed down for them as the air stirred around her. She turned to find the Greek god Apollo behind her. Dressed in full armor, he glared his furious displeasure.
“So it’s true. You are replacing the Chthonians.” His tone was accusatory.
She made sure there was no such emotion in her response. “Not permanently. But yes, until they stop their war, my team will fill in for them, to make sure the mortal races are safe from those who would harm or subjugate them.”
From heartless gods like you…
He growled low in the back of his throat. “I am not happy, Bathymaas. My mother is even less so.”
Bathymaas had to stop herself from curling her lip at the mention of Leto. She was a selfish bitch who’d always coveted Bathymaas’s powers. But more than that, Leto wanted revenge on her. When the Greek goddess had been pregnant with Apollo and Artemis by Zeus, and his wife Hera had been out for her blood over it, Leto had demanded Bathymaas do something to Hera as punishment.
Unfortunately for Leto, justice was on the side of Hera, the wife who’d been wronged. Leto had no business seducing Zeus. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been forewarned. Everyone knew of Hera’s jealous paybacks against those who trespassed on her husband’s groin.
Furious, Leto had promised her that one day she would get even with Bathymaas for not helping her with Hera. But that day wasn’t today.
“I cannot help your feelings or your mother’s, Apollo. Justice is met.”
Apollo vanished then reappeared at her back. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her up against him so that he could whisper in her ear. “Are you really as frigid as you appear?” He splayed his hand against her stomach and rubbed himself against her so that she could feel his bulge. But unlike Ari’s, his left her cold and repulsed. “I’m an accomplished lover, Bathymaas. And with you, I’d be on my very best behavior. I promise, you wouldn’t be emotionless in my bed.”
She shrugged herself out of his embrace and turned to face him. “You know better. I have no interest in you, Apollo.” He did this whenever they were together.
And she hated it.
He glared at her. “You owe me something for tearing my men apart today.”
“I’m allowing you to live. Is that not enough?”
A furious tic worked in his jaw. “One day, Bathymaas… I will have you.”
Over her dead body. But she didn’t dare say that out loud. “Should I summon my father?”
Apollo left her instantly.
Relieved beyond belief, she flashed herself to her men’s camp. She’d expected them to be celebrating. Instead, it was so quiet, she heard the light breeze whispering around her.
Where were they?
Curious, she headed to Malphas’s tent. But what she found there made the breath leave her chest and her panic rise. Aricles lay on Malphas’s cot with four arrows embedded deeply in his chest.
It took everything she had not to scream and run to him. “What happened?” she asked with a calmness she definitely didn’t feel.
“Apollo… god of archery,” Malphas snarled. “The battle was over when that bastard appeared in front of us and said this was his reward for our best fighter. Before we even realized he was armed, he shot four arrows into Aricles and vanished.”
Her blood boiled as she ached to feel Apollo’s heart in her fist. How dare he!
But her vengeance could wait. Aricles was all that mattered. He lay with his eyes half open as he panted in pain.
She closed the distance between them and took his hand into hers. “Aricles?”
Smiling in spite of his obvious agony, he met her gaze. “Sorry I failed you, goddess.”
Her throat tightened as he made reference to his promise not get hurt during battle. Technically, he’d kept it.
No one said anything about after it was over.
“You didn’t fail me.” Knowing she was about to lose her fight to hold back her tears and emotions, she glanced around at her men. “I need all of you to leave us.”
Bowing, they obeyed.
Except for Galen. His blue eyes swam with tears. “Will he live?” His voice broke on the words.
“I promise you. Now go and let me heal him.”
Nodding, he quickly made his exit.
Alone with Aricles, she sank to her knees as tears fell from her eyes. Her hands trembling, she went to pull the arrows out, but he stopped her.
“You can’t, my lady. Their tips are barbed and you’ll only harm me more. They have to be pushed all the way through my body to be extracted.”
She sobbed aloud at the thought. “I will kill that bastard for this!” she snarled.
He cupped her cheek in his hand and smiled. “You’re showing emotion, my goddess.”
She covered his hand with hers as she struggled to stop her tears. But it was a lost cause. She wasn’t the warrior he was. “There has to be another way to take them out and not hurt you.” Closing her eyes, she summoned her aunt Menyara to her.
Petite and gorgeous, with caramel skin and black hair, her aunt was also the Egyptian goddess Ma’at… another goddess of justice.
And one of healing.
Best of all, Menyara was the only person, besides her father, Bathymaas trusted.
Menyara gasped as soon as she saw her tears. “Child, what has happened to you?”
Sobbing, she gestured toward Aricles. “Please heal him, Aunt Mennie. Please.”Her eyes widening, Menyara nodded without hesitation. She placed her hand to Aricles’s chest and then on the arrow that had narrowly missed his heart. “Take a deep breath.”
Kneeling beside him, Bathymaas held his hand as he braced himself.
Aricles nodded to let the new goddess know he was ready.
She dissolved the arrow, but her actions burned him inside and out.
Aricles choked on the misery of it all. Agony made his vision turn dull as his heart pounded even more pain through his body.
Bathymaas bent her head down and pressed her cheek to his while she placed her left hand on the other side of his face. Closing his eyes, he let her scent and warmth ease him.
Until her aunt dissolved the next one.
He roared with the force of it.
Bathymaas tightened her hold on him. “Breathe, love. Just breathe.”
Love…
She’d never used that word with him before. Smiling in spite of his agony, he placed his left hand over hers.
By the time the last arrow was dissolved, he was barely conscious from the agony of it all. Still Bathymaas held him as her tears fell against his skin.
Panting and weak, he met the gaze of her aunt, who appeared less than pleased by their relationship.
“He needs to rest easy tonight, May,” she said to Bathymaas. “By morning, he’ll be sore, but functional.”
Bathymaas squeezed his hand before she stood up. Still, she held on to it. “Thank you, Mennie.”
Her aunt wiped at the tears on her face. “Oh, girl…” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Do not tell your father about this… or anyone else. Ever.”
“I know.”
Menyara placed her hand on Aricles’s shoulder. “If you had any other heart, boy, I’d see you dead for what you’ve done to my baby.” She cupped their entwined hands in hers. “You both have my blessings for this fiasco, and I will never breathe a word to anyone about you. But be careful. This secret could destroy you both.” She kissed Bathymaas’s cheek then vanished.
Before she could stop herself, Bathymaas lay down by his side and held him to her. “You are not allowed to be hurt again, Ari. Do you understand?”
He smiled at her stern command. “I shall try.”
“No, you will succeed.” She brushed her hand over his now scarred chest. “I am going to create armor the likes of which no one has seen to protect you when you fight. None of this bare skin showing anymore. It leaves you too vulnerable.”
“But this is how our people fight.”
“It’s stupid.”
“All war is, my goddess.”
He was right about that, and she hated that she’d ever conceived this idea. Yet if she hadn’t, she’d have never met him. Never known his warmth and heart.
Out of mud comes the bloom. And he was her bloom.
Rising up, she placed a tender kiss to his lips. “Get better for me, Ari.”
He brushed the hair back from her face and offered her another smile through his pain. “I will. I promise.”
And he never intentionally broke his promises. Rubbing her nose playfully against his, she gave him a quick kiss then reluctantly withdrew from him so that he could rest and heal. She covered him with the blanket.
When she started away, he caught her wrist in a gentle grip. “I love you, Bathymaas.”
More tears filled her eyes at his tender words. “I love you, too, Ari.”
And yet they dare not show it. Not to a soul. The injustice of that made her want to scream. It wasn’t fair that they had to keep this a secret when others got to shout their joy from the highest mountaintops.
She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his scarred knuckles. And as she did so, she felt a peculiar stirring.
Eyes wide, she gaped at him.
“What, my lady?”
Unable to believe it, she pressed her hand to her chest and felt…
Her heart.
It was beating!
Biting her lip, she took his hand and pressed it between her breasts. “Do you feel it?”
He was every bit as aghast as she was. “You have a heart.”
“No,” she said breathlessly. “It’s not mine. You gave me yours. It’s your heart that beats inside me, Ari.”
Aricles was stunned as he felt the warmth of her skin and the strong beat beneath his fingertips. And while he rejoiced, he was also terrified over it.
What had they done?
It couldn’t be a good thing to change a goddess.
Ever.