Page 13 of A Goddess Unraveled (Olympus Rising)

Lexi knew something strange was up when the whole group of misfits followed her into the study. Even Luke joined them, and she watched him take a seat in the old wingback and massage his temples. On the other side of the room her parents stood in solidarity, mute and stiff-backed. When her uncle Z shut the door, it felt like the air had been siphoned out. She no longer believed they were presenting her with luggage.

“Let me be the first to tell you how proud I am of you, Alexandra,” he said. “You have grown into a capable, intelligent, and self-assured woman.”

Heads bobbed around the room as he shepherded Lexi toward her dad’s mahogany desk, leaving her in front of it as he barreled on, talking more to his audience than to her.

“We’ve watched you blossom like a well-tended rose, and we all feel you’re ready to receive our endowment. A passing of the torch, if you will. Your brother gained certain privileged information when he came of age, and now we can bestow the same privilege on you.”

“What kind of endowment?” She glanced at her parents, joined at the hip. No doubt they had been told to give her uncle Z the floor.

“Your parents have been providing us refuge here, Lexi. Everyone present, and the others who were unable to attend this event. We all share a kinship. Without your parents’ gracious hospitality, we couldn’t enjoy the fruits of your world in the way that we do. Of course, it used to be our world—a long, long time ago—until it became too troublesome for the gods to live among the mortals.”

Lexi squeezed the edge of the desk as the sensation of losing consciousness swept over her. What was he saying?

“What gods would those be?” she asked.

While she focused on her breathing, he turned his attention to her parents, who nodded submissively.

“The gods from your books of mythology,” he said plainly. “We are them. And we are anything but myths.”

For a moment Lexi held her breath. Then she burst out laughing. She’d never understood her godfather’s humor, but this was a stunt she could easily picture him pulling.

“Nice try, Uncle Z. You might have been able to fool me when I was younger, but I’m too old for that now. I’m afraid you’ll have to try harder than that.”

He grinned. “I thought you might say that. Allow me to provide you with some evidence.”

He gestured to Lady Twila, who stood and opened the French doors leading to the courtyard. The wind rattled the doors on their hinges and quickly flung them back toward the frame. Her godfather raised an arm, stopping both doors abruptly before they slammed. She didn’t know how he was doing it, but the effects were clear. Some invisible force was holding the doors in place, and they creaked and shuddered against the strain.

Meanwhile, the wind swirled around the room, lifting papers off the desk and whipping the curtains like unlashed sails. To add to the mayhem, he released a bolt of what appeared to be lightning that rocketed between the open doors. A snap of thunder pursued it, and Nora squealed with delight.

With a flamboyant sweep of his arm, he commanded the doors closed again, and the curtains fluttered back into place. The air tasted of electricity, metallic and tangy, and Lexi ran her fingers through her hair, sending pinpricks skittering across her skin.

“That was impressive, but I’ll bet I can explain everything that just happened with a little research on the internet,” she said.

His eyes popped in surprise, as if he’d truly thought his trick would deceive her. “You’ve become more skeptical in your old age. I suppose I’ll have to try harder.”

He turned to Emily and Diana, motioning them to opposite sides of the room. Emily wore an eager smile, and wiggled her eyebrows at Lexi almost tauntingly. However, Diana’s pinched lips said she was less pleased with being ordered around.

“Don’t take your eyes off these two, Lexi. Diana has agreed to only one demonstration of her skill.”

Lexi knew that Diana was a master archer, but there was no bow or arrows in sight, and she was completely unprepared when the two women changed before her eyes. Emily took the form of Diana and Diana now looked exactly like Emily, right down to her fingerless gloves. After a few moments of trying to convince herself not to believe what she was witnessing, Lexi abandoned the desk to stand with her parents. The two women waited until her focus was on them again before they shifted back to their original forms.

Uncle Z made no attempt to hide his sense of triumph as he beamed a big smile around the room. “I hope that satisfies your cynical mind. I don’t want to resort to asking Sir Henry to show you what he really uses that staff for.”

Lexi glanced at Sir Henry, who flourished his walking stick as he offered her a bow.

“Well, what do you say now, Miss Maxwell?” said her godfather, failing to hide the pride behind his pursed lips.

She could only nod.

“I know this news comes as a shock, and I don’t expect you to believe everything that comes from your boisterous uncle Z’s mouth. That’s why I prepared these demonstrations.”

He was right about one thing, Lexi sure as hell hadn’t expected this news, and she was having a hard time keeping her legs from buckling when Lady Twila sashayed over with well-practiced grace to bestow a guiltless smile on her.

“Signorina Lexi, please forgive me for misleading you all these years. I wish to formally introduce myself to you now. My name is Aphrodite, and I very much hope we can remain friends.”

Aphro-fucking-dite?

That was all it took for Lexi’s knees to betray her, and her mother caught her by the arm as she started to go down. Across the room, Luke flew out of his seat.

“Why don’t you sit down, Lexi,” said her mom as she walked Lexi to the leather sofa. “There’s a spot next to Nora. How appropriate.”

Lexi nodded, barely registering her mother’s hostility as Nora greeted her with an outstretched hand.

“It’s all right, Lexi,” Nora said sweetly. “We all love you like our own flesh and blood. You have nothing to fear from us.”

With her focus on making a safe landing and her eyes trained on Nora’s face, Lexi’s brain barely had room to make guesses on who she might be. “Your name isn’t really Nora, is it?”

“No. But it does have a nice, breathy cadence, don’t you think? Like the final words to a song. My true name is Mnemosyne. I gave birth to the muses, compliments of your godfather.”

Holy Titan .

Uncle Z knelt in front of Lexi, which somehow made him look more imposing. As she forced herself to hold his gaze, her chin quivered, and she hated herself for it.

“I’m sorry I had to lie to you for so long,” he said with a much-too-casual tone. “The Z doesn’t stand for Zenith. It stands for Zeus. But you can still call me Uncle Z. In fact, I prefer it.”

Tears had started to form on her lower lids, and she didn’t try to stop them from falling. Sir Henry stepped forward and she took in his watery face.

“I’m Hermes,” he said. “Herald to the gods, as well as mortals, when they’re in need of it.”

He lifted his walking stick as if to toast the room, and she expected sparks to fly from the tip. But according to the stories of Hermes, he only used his staff to help him appear human when visiting the mortal world. Octavius spoke next.

“I’m Apollo. I’m sure I don’t have to demonstrate my godly powers. You’ve probably been wondering how I can be skilled at so many things.” He flashed a smile with enough bravado that Lexi was sure he’d done something to make himself shimmer, and she blinked rapidly. He chuckled then clapped a hand on Diana’s shoulder. “This is my sister, Artemis.”

Lexi couldn’t believe she’d missed something so obvious. Diana was the namesake the Romans chose for Artemis. She could picture Diana adopting that pseudonym and thinking it was clever.

Emily stepped forward and joined the list of liars. “I’m Athena. Goddess of wisdom and protection.”

“Don’t be modest, Athena. You’re a warrior, and Ares can suck it,” said Diana.

They broke into laughter until Uncle Z silenced them with a look. Then he waved Burt forward, although Burt looked like he’d become affixed to the bookshelf and didn’t appear capable of leaving his position. Lexi didn’t have to think hard to guess his true identity.

“Don’t bother, Burt,” she said. “I mean, Dionysus.”

A few more chuckles erupted as Burt nodded like a bobblehead doll, but the mood remained subdued. There was only one person remaining. Someone who claimed to belong to this circle of misfits. Someone who had been a stranger before the weekend began. Lexi turned her gaze on Luke. Was he also a god? Or was he just privy to their secrets?

Lexi wiped the tears from her eyes, and the room fell silent as a list of Greek gods scrolled through her brain. Was he Ares, god of war and bloodshed? How disturbing would that be? Or Poseidon, god of the sea? Luke said he loved the ocean, but he claimed he rarely visited. Maybe he was a Titan, like Mnemosyne.

“What about you, Luke Carrington?” she said. “Who are you really?”

Surely he’d known this was coming. He had told her in his own way. And the grace that she’d come to expect didn’t leave him as the gold in his eyes softened to a warm buttercup. He leaned forward in his chair, never losing sight of her, resolved and maybe even regretful.

“I’m Zeus’s brother, Hades.”

Lexi couldn’t look away, even as an image of the underworld appeared in her mind’s eye: horned demons, fiery infernos, the screams of the doomed. Hades was often portrayed as a wicked trickster who wielded a two-pronged staff and commanded a vicious three-headed dog. But she’d chosen not to see Hades that way. She wanted to believe he’d been kind to Persephone.

And the impression Lexi had of Luke fit this less popular description of Hades as a peaceful, objective god. Luke was funny and worldly and compassionate. And he treated her like something precious, especially when he offered her his lips. Why was Hades attracted to her? Did he have an end goal? Had he been playing some elaborate trick to conquer the virgin before returning to his palace of the damned? Was that why her godfather didn’t want him around her?

Lexi’s mind raced as more pieces fell into place. Lady Twila and Sir Henry never hosted parties at their Italian manor because they didn’t live in Italy. Nora didn’t like to mix love and sex because that was the nature of the gods. Lexi’s stomach felt heavy and her head felt light as she turned to look at her godfather with new eyes.

“There’s something else I need to tell you, Lexi,” he said. “Then you can take your grievances out on Hades.”

He crossed his arms like he was delivering a commandment, while Lexi stared up at him, her vision glazed, still not fully believing what was happening.

“Your parents are not the owners of this estate. It has been placed in their name for legal purposes, but it belongs to the gods. The Maxwell family is one of many families who inhabit our homes across various locations: Argentina, Kolkata, Yorkshire. This is done so we can enjoy the mortal world at our leisure. I ask you, have you not appreciated the benefits of living with unlimited resources? The sea at your door? A stable of horses? Delicious food and drink? Have your parents not provided you with the best education and experiences?”

“Um, yes. I’m aware that I’ve lived a blessed life.” Lexi sputtered her reply as more clarity seeped in. She’d been living a life subsidized by the gods. So, was she beholden to them too? Was this why her godfather always had his nose in her business?

“I’m glad to hear you say that. Your family is the first of their generation to host the gods here. And you may continue taking advantage of it as long as you uphold the post of this estate and serve the gods as your parents have done so loyally. We consider you to be ambassadors, which is a lofty position, indeed. It’s an endowment from the gods to you.”

He paced the room, a tactic he used when he expected retaliation. And, boy, was he going to get it. All this time she had believed he had her best interests at heart. That he loved her. But she had merely been part of a business transaction. She wasn’t his goddaughter. She was an asset.

“I must be misunderstanding you, Uncle Z. What exactly do you mean when you say serve ?”

He looked affronted as he stared down his nose at her. “We prefer to use the term ambassador .”

“Of course you do. Because who wants to be a servant?”

“The gods have spared no expense to give you and your family everything to enhance your life,” he argued. “Only a handful of mortals have access to such luxuries. And there is also the benefit of spending time in the presence of the gods.” He smiled importantly as he glanced at the others scattered around the room. “We cannot go waltzing into a resort without proper identification, especially in these times of suspicion and distrust. And we certainly cannot be ourselves in such a public space.”

Something clicked inside Lexi’s muddled mind then, and she turned to her mom as a mixture of sadness and pity rose up her throat.

“Is this why you’ve stayed here all these years letting your degree collect cobwebs while Dad enjoys his career in Boston?” Lexi pointed to a framed document bearing her mother’s name. “That paper is just a reminder of what you could have accomplished if you hadn’t agreed to serve the gods, isn’t it?”

Her mom offered a miserable look, biting her lip as if to stop herself from saying something she might regret, but this only brought more truth to the surface.

“Wait. You didn’t know about all this when you married Dad, did you? The big reveal came afterward. And by then it was too late. They probably made it sound amazing and you thought you’d hit the jackpot.”

Lexi stopped to run the numbers in her head, then a violent rush of blood flooded her veins as her pity turned into fury, and she unleashed a vicious glare on her dad. “It was you. You started all of this before you met Mom. Back when you were too young to know better. You sold yourself and your future generations to the gods.”

“There are compromises inherent in every promise,” he said flatly. “I considered it carefully, as I’ve done with every transaction I’ve made.”

“Don’t throw your CEO logic at me. This goes deeper than a business transaction. We’re talking about people’s lives. Their freedom.”

“We have freedom, Lexi. How many trips have we taken together? And your mother has a strong online presence with her peers at a number of universities.”

Her dad offered his lame explanation, although he did look just as miserable as her mom, mechanically reciting the words like he’d spent the whole night memorizing them. Was he regretting his decision to say yes? How much coercion took place between the gods and their lowly mortal counterparts?

“A vacation is not a career,” she said. “You of all people should know how important a sense of purpose is. Dion and I have heard that speech a million times.”

When Lexi glanced at Dion for validation, she found him standing half-hidden behind the drapes of the French doors, and the memory of their conversation on the beach flooded back, when he’d told her that her version of reality was about to be fucked up.

“What about Dion? Is he being forced to abandon his career to serve champagne and cocktail weenies?”

No one spoke. In fact, everyone seemed to be waiting for her uncle Z to continue asserting his dominance. Luke, for his part, observed Lexi with cautious intensity. The color in his eyes had returned in full force, shimmering like coins in a fountain.

“Lexi, honey.” Her dad’s voice came out like a whimper; quieter than she’d ever heard it, and it rattled her nearly as much as her uncle Z’s announcement. “We’re just asking you to have a presence here while your brother helps me maintain the business in Boston for a while. He’ll need to know what to do when I’m gone. It’s our responsibility to the shareholders to keep—”

“Fuck the shareholders!” Lexi had heard enough. She flew out of her seat, knocking knees with Nora on her way up. If she could have spit fire no one would have been safe. “I’m nothing but an asset to you, aren’t I? An investment you’ve been sitting on until it matured. You don’t have any interest in what I want for my life. You never have. None of you have!”

Lexi stomped to the French doors. She had too much to say and only seconds before she exploded. Escaping was the only safe option. She threw open the doors and they slammed into the walls, shaking the glass in their frames and causing more racket than her godfather’s trick.

The wind gusted like a whirling dervish, blowing her hair around her head as she glared at the shocked faces, at everyone she had called family. Did they really expect her to be okay with this?

“If you think money can buy my allegiance, then you’re going to find yourself short one ambassador. I’m done listening to this bullshit. Don’t anyone try to follow me.”

“Lexi!” Her godfather snarled as she turned her back on them. “I understand you’re angry, but I advise you to seriously consider the consequences of your actions.”

Lexi hesitated long enough to speak clearly and succinctly over her shoulder. “I think it’s high time I stopped considering the fucking consequences!”