Mortal Gods

Cassandra hit delete. Hard.

Gods. Goddamn gods.

*   *   *

The girl sitting across the table from Cassandra was beautiful, just like Andie and Henry said. Braided, brown hair was gathered with ribbons down her back. And she had the most incredible eyes, like the beach glass they’d found on a family vacation in Florida. She seemed at ease, too, even as the others sat and stood, leaned against counters and walls like refugees with arms in slings and bandaged knees. Black bruises ringed around necks. Calypso, the girl’s name was. Cally. Odysseus’ girlfriend, shown up out of nowhere to change everything they knew about him.

Poor Athena. Whether Cassandra liked her or not, to have someone blow in and claim the boy she loved had to be hard. Especially when the girl looked like Calypso. Say what you would about Aidan, but at least he never had secret girlfriends popping out of the woodwork. If he had, Cassandra would have turned them to leather.

Hermes whispered something to Athena so quiet that only gods could hear. It was irritating. They’d gathered at the butt crack of dawn at Athena’s whim, and for what? To watch her sigh and look out the window? Hermes glanced their way and shrugged, thinner and thinner in a red t-shirt emblazoned with a snowboarding logo. His methane-torch eyes shone large and worried in his face.

“Someone has to start,” Odysseus said. “Hera’s back. What are we supposed to do about it? Find out how weak she still is? Bait Ares and follow him until we find where they hide?”

“What does it matter about Hera?” asked Andie. “Ares is the one sending wolves after us and stabbing Athena in the jungle.”

“But he’s taking orders from her.”

“So what? Immediate threats first. Let’s kill the wolves. They said Henry has to die.”

“They must’ve made a mistake,” Odysseus said. “Thought he was me or something.”

Athena dragged her hand across the countertop.

“None of this matters now,” she said. Her voice cut through all the others. “We need to find Achilles. That’s what Ares was after in the jungle. That’s what he wanted to choke out of your throat. We handle him”—she looked at Cassandra—“and then we focus on Ares, Hera, and Aphrodite.”

“Look, we can’t ignore the wolves,” Andie said. “Especially if you’re going off again after Achilles.”

Achilles. The name sliced through Cassandra’s ears like a knife. For once she didn’t mind Athena pushing the hunt for Aphrodite aside. Achilles was the greatest warrior Greece had ever seen. He’d been the terror of her people. He’d murdered dozens of them. Hundreds. But none with more hatred than Hector.

“We’re not going off after Achilles,” said Odysseus. He looked at Athena gravely. “Not when all she wants is to find him and kill him.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Andie asked. “Eliminate the weapon. Makes sense to me. If we can’t use him, neither can they.” Across the kitchen, Athena stifled a smile. “Let’s vote on it.”

“We’re not going to vote on it,” Odysseus said. “It wouldn’t be fair. Hermes votes with his sister.” Hermes shrugged. It was true enough. “And we know which way she’d vote.”

“So the gods won’t vote.” Andie looked around the table at Cassandra, Henry, Calypso, and Odysseus. “Who votes for letting Achilles stay hidden?”

Odysseus raised his hand. Calypso raised hers.

“And who votes for killing him?” Andie asked, and raised her hand. Cassandra raised hers as well. Both looked at Henry, who drew his brows together and clenched his jaw.

“Who votes for killing him?” Andie asked again. “Who votes for killing Achilles, the monster who jammed a spear through Henry and dragged him around Troy behind his chariot.” She narrowed her eyes. “And fed him to his dogs. Henry, so help me, if you don’t get your good hand up I will re-kill you myself.”

“Well, Cally’s vote didn’t really count,” Cassandra said. “She might have lost her immortality, but she’s still sort of a god.”

“How cavalier you all sound,” said Odysseus, “talking about killing when you’re not the ones doing it. When you won’t even see the deed done. And also, fuck the vote. When Greece wanted war with Troy, I was the only one who knew where Achilles was, and I was the only one who could convince him to fight. It’s the same now. Nobody gets him without my help.”

Only sooner or later, Ares, or someone like him, would get the answer out of Odysseus. They’d pull it right through his skin if they had to. Cassandra knew it, and from the look on her face, so did Athena.