Zeus (Contemporary Mythos Book 6)

I sat on my golden throne comprised of two eagles, their wings making up its back. My gorgeous Queen sat next to me, casually crossing her legs, wrists dangling off the edge of her armrests. The jewels hanging from her hair shimmered and jangled when she turned to look at me, smiling that she caught me staring at her.

“What is it?” Her glowing orange eyes pulsed.

I leaned toward her, resting the thunderbolt I had clutched in my hand on the ground, perching it against my throne. “It’s only been a matter of days, and already this role suits you.”

“My foster mother always used to say, ‘It might take a day. It might take a year, but what’s meant to be will always find its way.’” She smiled at me, fucking radiant and ethereal.

“Sounds like a well-spoken woman.”

Foster mothers. Workaholics. Passionate. A fated bond made more and more sense with each passing day.

“She was.” Keira kept smiling as she turned her head to the other gods as they began to appear in the great hall.

I knew not all of them would or could come, but even a handful of gods to bear witness to me placing the new crown on the new Queen would suffice. It almost seemed bizarre having an official ritualistic ceremony after so long. Gaea said the changes were far from over—that our fated union would pave the way for progression. Whatever the fuck that meant. I think my grandmother delighted in knowing more than any other deity. It continuously gave her leverage over every one of us.

After a dozen arrived, including Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Poseidon, Hermes, my enforcers, and even Ares—I couldn’t wait any longer.

Standing, I picked up the thunderbolt and waited for the murmurs of conversation to die down. “Those of you who heeded my call know it’s appreciated. We could have upheld this tradition with only the Queen and I and my brothers as witnesses, but I propose we make use of Olympus more often again.” Displaying my arms wide, I swiveled. “For how could we continue to call it a Great Hall when it remains silent?”

More murmurs and nods floated amongst the gods.

“As you all know, Hera has stepped down as Queen, which led me in the search for another.” I paused to look at Keira, who lifted her chin, grinning. “Little did I know when I set my eyes on her, she would not only be my future Queen but that I had found my fated bond. A bond I never knew existed.”

Several of the gods gasped, but I kept my gaze on my goddess.

“She has accepted the role of Queen, goddess of healed emotion, and agreed to be my wife, but she has yet to be properly crowned.” Resting the bolt and shield on the seat of my throne, I produced the baroque crown I’d created for her in my palms. Golden metal curved into ornate patterns from Hephaistos’ forge, blackened gems and lava stones matching the wedding ring she’d given me.

Keira pressed a hand to her chest, a small whimper fluttering from her throat. She hadn’t expected this, and her sincere reaction had my heart singing. Moving behind her, I held the crown above her head and looked to the other gods, most of them my family, now her family as well.

“Bear witness to your new Queen, gods of the Greek pantheon. May you respect her, honor her, and obey her not only as Queen but as my equal and my wife.” I sparked lightning in my eyes as proof I’d smite any of them for any misdeeds toward her.

They all raised their fists to their chests, pounding in unison. With a slight nod, I lowered the crown to Keira’s head, sending a shimmer of gold dust and coils of lightning encircling us both, white and orange hissing vibrant and strong. Keira took a deep breath, her chest rising, before settling into her throne once more.

“May I speak, Zeus?” Keira’s thin brows raised.

I cupped her chin with a warm smile. “You never need permission for that.” Holding my hand out, I urged her to address the other gods.

Rising, the thin fabric of her white dress curling around her like floating silk, she stepped to the front of the raised platform holding our thrones. “Gods. Family. I know I must seem like a stranger—a stranger taking over the second most powerful standing amongst the Greek gods, but I can assure you it doesn’t come without rhyme or reason.” She glanced at Apollo and Ares, knowing full well they’d brought other mortal women into our world.

She held her arms out. “Gaea told us that this is to be a time of progression, and I plan to be the stepping stone for that new age. I come from the modern world while having a piece of this world unknowingly inside me, and I believe with every fiber of my being—” She turned to look at me, crossing the way to take my hand. “—combined with Zeus’s immense power, the dawning of this day…is today.”

Fucking Tartarus. I thought the way she carried herself in a courtroom was a sight to behold but her as a Queen? Nothing compared.

“Now that we’re done being all formal—” She waved her hand, making a table littered with food and ambrosia wine appear near the other gods. “—what’s a celebration without food and drink?”

Once the other gods began to attack the table, I pulled her against me, kissing her, trailing my hands up her back and into her hair.

She pulled away, curling her fingers through my long silver hair. “Did I do alright?”

“Alright? You fucking showed me up.” I chuckled and kissed her.

A chill settled in the air, followed by trickling embers and ash in the center of the atrium. Eris. Godsdammit.

“You have one thing right. You are a stranger on the throne,” Eris spat as she glared at Keira.

My shoulders tensed from her bone-chilling voice. Growling, I turned on my heel, coaxing Keira behind me on basic instinct alone. “What the Tartarus are you doing here, Eris? I made it explicitly clear you’re not welcome in these halls.”

She flicked her long black hair, the red streaks in it igniting a newfound fury in my gut like a bull readying to charge. “I’m offended I wasn’t invited to this little soiree. The invitation must’ve gotten lost in the mail.” With a crooked grin, she narrowed her eyes at Hermes and waved.

Hermes cut his gaze to me, eyebrows raised, and cheeks full of food.

“Leave. Now,” I made my voice boom, echoing off the stone pillars surrounding us.

As she stepped from behind me, Keira’s fingers grazed my elbow and she stood at my side with her chin held high.

Eris appeared in front of me in a flash of embers, hissing and pointing a black claw in my face. “All of these new goddesses and none of us had a say in any of them. Particularly—” She cut her gaze to Keira. “—the Queens.”

You ever regretted something so profusely it makes your balls ache, knowing it’s where it came from? I care for all my children. But Eris? She’s always been a fucking challenge.

“You don’t need a say.” I dipped my face into hers. “I’m your King. And if you think I’m incapable of putting someone worthy on the throne to rule beside me, I dare you to say it.” Lightning flashed in my gaze.

She sneered at me, making her lip curl. “It was bad enough when a previous mortal joined the ranks of war gods, but to make this harpy, Queen? You’ve grown soft, old man.”

Ares stepped forward with clenched fists, baring his teeth like a snarling grizzly.

I held my palm up to him, keeping my focus on Eris. “I got this handled, son.”

After several nostril flares, Ares gave a curt nod and stalked away.

Fury shot down my spine, and I lashed lightning around Eris, pinning her arms at her sides. “Talk about my wife like that again, and I’ll banish you to the furthest nebula to be forgotten. Do you understand me? She is your Queen. Get the fuck over it or get out.”

“Banish me?” She cackled and stared at me with those lifeless midnight eyes. “Do it.”

Keira’s hand slid over my forearm—her calming touch soothing me. She gave one light bob of her thin brows, and I released Eris from my electric grip. After nodding to Keira, I stepped aside.

My Queen took charge as she stood tall in front of Eris with her head cocked to one side. “When Zeus mentioned you before, I hoped we’d meet Eris.”

“Why?” Eris scoffed.

Keira stepped closer to her. “So I can help you.”

“Help me?” Eris snickered and flicked her hair. “I don’t need helping.”

“Pain. Resentment. You’re imbalanced, Eris.” Keira’s gaze roamed Eris’s face.

“How did you—” Backing away, Eris shielded her cheek with a hand as if one of us were going to slap her.

Keira followed her. “Chaos, too, needs balance. And it’s up to you to do it—to find it.”

“Oh? And how do you propose I do that, my liege?” The words dripped from her tongue like snake venom.

My nostril bounced, and I coursed lightning down my arms as I glared at Eris and her wise-ass little mouth.

“The same way as Ares and Zeus. They opened their hearts to two mortal women and in turn balanced themselves the same way they balanced us.” Smiling, Keira glanced at me over her shoulder.

Still letting the lighting coil around me, I grinned back.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re telling me to go find ‘love.’” Eris rolled her eyes after making air quotes.

Keira stuck out her chest. “I’m not telling you. I’m ordering you. It may not even be love for another person but yourself. That’s for you to figure out. Uphold your duties, Eris. Zeus doesn’t make empty threats, and neither do I.”

Damn. That’s my wife, folks. Mine.

The surrounding gods widened their eyes as whispers and light chatter amongst them followed. Eris narrowed her eyes at my Queen before scanning the other gods around her. She dragged a hand down the front of her leather corset before lifting her chin. “Consider it done—” Eris took a deep breath before ever so slightly bowing her head. “—my Queen.”

Before we could reply, Eris disappeared with a grimace, leaving floating bits of embers and ash spiraling in the air.

Keira let out a breath, and I stepped behind her, pressing my bulge against her ass, and grabbing her hip. “If we were alone right now—” I growled against her neck.

“I wasn’t too harsh on her?” Keira snaked her hand behind my head.

“I think you’re incapable of being too harsh.” I drummed my fingers on her waist. “Except with me. Something tells me you’d hand me my own balls if I did something to incur your wrath.”

She pulled my lips to hers. “And don’t you forget it.”

Ares cleared his throat as he approached us. He bowed his head and pressed a fist to his chest. “I wanted to welcome you personally to the family, my Queen.”

“Ares, I know it’s been a long time since you’ve been back here. I appreciate you making an appearance. It means the world to me.” Keira bent forward and pressed a kiss to my son’s forehead.

“To us,” I corrected, holding out my hand for Ares to shake. “Thank you, son.”

Ares glared at my hand at first, clenching his jaw before slapping his hand against my forearm, shaking it. “Don’t expect me to call her stepmom or anything.” He pointed at each of us with a hint of a smile.

“Noted.” I chuckled but let it fall away, only to be replaced by a stoic expression. “But you will call her that if she one day wishes it.”

Keira squeezed my arm and laughed. “Ares, I wouldn’t expect that. I’m not taking over anything of your mother’s. I think of it more as picking up where she left off in a new era.”

“Much like me with my goddess, I can see the bond at work.” Ares looked between us before bowing his head. “And speaking of which, I should get back to her.”

Keira leaned against me, running her fingers along my bared skin. “You two are so much alike it’s almost uncanny.”

Grumbling, I responded, “I know. I think it’s why we’ve butted heads for eons.”

The day went by with each of the gods introducing themselves to Keira, Apollo playing music on his lyre—an actual lyre—versus his modern-day guitar. As they disappeared one-by-one, Poseidon finally approached us with a wide grin.

“Well, well, hello, sis.” He stood with his hands folded behind his back and winked at me. “You did good, little bro.”

Keira smiled and extended her hand. “Poseidon. I assume you’re one of two reasons for Zeus’s grand gesture?”

Poseidon chuckled, covering his mouth with a hand as his green eyes brightened.

“Hey. I was more than capable of thinking of that on my own.” Feeling my nose twitch, I cut Poseidon a glare.

Keira curled her arm with mine. “Maybe now you are, but at that precise moment? You needed the push, hun.” She rose on the balls of her feet to kiss my cheek.

“I’m going to push something alright,” I mumbled, narrowing my eyes at Poseidon over Keira’s head and out of view.

“Can you two come to the Underworld? Hades and I wish to speak with you.” Looking between the two of us, Poseidon cracked his knuckles.

Nodding, I slipped a hand to Keira’s lower back and ported us to Hades’s throne room. He sat on his throne, talking with his own Queen, Stephanie, seated upon her throne. Stephanie smiled and trotted across the black sand to greet us, taking Keira’s hands into hers.

“It is an absolute pleasure to meet you, Keira.” Stephanie bowed her head and did a small curtsy. “My Queen.”

Squeezing her hands, Keira replied, “I appreciate you saying it out of respect, but please call me Keira.”

Beaming, Stephanie stood tall and stepped to Hades as he approached us.

“Keira has a similar power as you, darling.” Hades squeezed Stephanie’s shoulders.

Stephanie gasped. “You see auras too?”

“I guess emotions can also be associated with auras, but no, I’m an empath. I can sense emotions from anyone mortal and immortal alike. And since becoming a goddess, I can project any emotion I wish on mortals.” Keira ran the skirt of her dress through her fingers.

“She’s selling herself short. She was a powerful empath before becoming Queen and now, well—” I paused, at a loss for words. No form of verbal description could possibly do this woman justice.

“Little bro, we were thinking.” Stepping beside me, Poseidon wrapped a hand over my shoulder.

“Here we go.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“You raised a valid point when you said you granted me the means to take breaks but not yourself.” Hades lifted his chin.

The idea of leaving Olympus in anyone else’s hands made my neck tense.

“It’s because I can’t afford to take breaks. Those moments are for you and your Queen to make you happy, Hades. It doesn’t have to be fair on all fronts.”

“Bullshit, Z,” Poseidon barked.

I tossed him a glare over my shoulder, the lightning swirling in my eyes.

“Do you not think you’re deserving of happiness, brother?” Hades rose a single brow, and Stephanie rested her head on his shoulder.

Keira’s hand slipped over my arm. She was beautiful, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind about it, but the tiredness I could feel floating from her was too distinct to ignore. Combined with my own exhaustion—it was enough to make me audibly sigh.

“What are you proposing?” I lifted my gaze to Hades.

“Take a week. Go on a honeymoon. Go wherever you wish, but leave knowing Olympus is taken care of and in good hands. Relax. Rejuvenate.” Hades stepped forward, curling his hand over my shoulder. “Between the three of us, Olympus will be fine.”

“I don’t know. It’s not only Olympus. It’s all of the gods, the universe, mortals. How will you handle any of that from down here, Hades? Hm?” I held my arms out, swiveling my hips as I referenced the Underworld.

“You’d be surprised at all of what I can do from here. We have it handled.”

Licking my lips, I scratched my chin. “What about Levin?”

“Cordelia is already at your apartment taking care of him as we speak. You know how my wife is with animals. He’s in good hands.” Poseidon crossed his arms and leaned into my face. “Stop making excuses and go.”

My gaze shifted to Keira’s eyes—the hope swirling in them. If I felt any ounce of being undeserving of happiness with all I’ve done in my past, she did deserve to be happy.

Holding my hand out to her, I smiled. “Bali?”

Stephanie clapped her hands and hugged Hades to her side.

“Anywhere, Zeus. Anywhere.” Keira interlaced her fingers and beamed up at me.

“If Olympus is in ruins when I return, I’m making you live in a desert for a week.” I pointed at Poseidon, followed by Hades. “And you’ll be forced to smile for twenty-four hours.”

“Oops,” Hades said right before waving his hand at us and making us disappear.

No sooner had we landed in the lobby, it took Keira an entire five minutes before finding an unhappy couple arguing at the front desk. She’d tried to be discreet, casually waltzing past them, but she forgot who she married. And judging by their sudden change in demeanor, going from fighting to googly eyes the moment my wife passed them, it was fairly obvious.

“By Olympus, you’re worse than me.” I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. “We’re supposed to be relaxing, love. Not working.”

“I know. I promise that was it. Besides, I couldn’t let them feel like that in paradise. It didn’t seem right.” She poked me in the ribs. “And you think I couldn’t sense you checking on your brothers moments after arriving?”

Busted.

“They’re asshats. One last little check calmed my growing anxiety.” I shrugged.

“First time your children are being babysat jitters, huh?” She grinned up at me as she elbowed my side.

I kissed the top of her head. “Something like that.”

When we appeared in our room in Bali, it was in such seclusion Keira could scream her lungs out, and only the birds would hear it. I planned to make the most of it during our stay here—the most of the unburdening of our work, the most of the open floor plan, and definitely the most out of the tub I’d coaxed her into within minutes of our arrival.

“I’ve seen Olympus itself, and yet this place still looks like a thing from fairytales to me,” she whispered as she twirled her finger in the steaming water filled with rose petals, her blonde hair pulled in a bunch on top of her head.

The tub was situated underneath a gazebo on the deck outside of our room, giving us full view of the valley of palm trees and fog collecting in the air. Two lounge chairs and a private pool also faced the trees. A king-sized canopy bed rested in the bedroom behind us inside, the pale purple comforter littered with the same rose petals in our tub water.

I curled an arm around her from behind, pressing beneath her breasts and pulling her back tighter to my chest. “Never lose that sense of wonder, Vasílissa.”

Queen.

Smiling, she reached for her flute of champagne resting on the nearby table. “Were you close to your foster mom?”

“Very.” I grabbed a bottle of oil, pooling some in my palm before massaging her shoulders, her neck. “It angered me to no end when she died.”

She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh from my touch. “Do you think that’s why you were so ruthless in your youth? Lashing out?”

“Possibly.” I kneaded a tight spot in her neck—the same place I always seemed to form a knot. “But I wouldn’t want to blame my choices on someone else. At the end of the day, we make the choices. No one else.”

“And that is why I wish you’d somehow make the world know about the true Zeus.” She rubbed my calf beneath the water.

“It’s not my place, sweetheart.” I kissed her cheek and brushed my nose over her jawline. “Mortals have been the ones to depict us. If someone wants to envision me differently someday, I’d be fucking ecstatic, I truly would, but I’ve accepted it.” Pinching one nipple, I kissed her neck, lightly biting it. “You know me. That’s all I need.”

“I haven’t been able to make lightning since the day on Olympus. How do you conjure it? Especially with such precision?”

Grinning against her cheek, I trailed my fingers down her stomach until I reached her clit. “You mean when I do this?” Calling to my power, I flickered it over her, making her cry out.

She laughed. “Yes. Exactly.”

“The precision has taken hundreds of years of practicing, but this—” The lightning swirled over my arms before crackling across the grey sky above us. “—is easy to master.”

“Show me,” she whispered, rubbing her cheek against a knee I’d poked from the water.

“Everything starts here.” I traced my finger between her breasts. “You can feel it building up, sizzling, waiting for you to release it and direct it where to go.”

She closed her eyes, and I could hear the hissing emanating from her chest.

“I can feel it.”

“Good. Now pull it out of you, guide it, using this.” I dragged my fingertips over her forehead. “It’ll start at your arms, but if you want it in the sky, tell it to go there. Command it.”

Her forehead wrinkled as she concentrated, her nails digging into my leg as she fought to control the bit of lightning I’d passed onto her. Slowly, the orange electricity pulsed over her shoulders and after several moments of grunting and further nail digging into my flesh, a silent flash of heat lightning overtook the clouds.

“I love the way that feels,” she murmured, her eyelids heavy.

“Oh, yeah?” My white lightning bubbled in my palms, fanning over her skin in short languid bursts of electricity. Goosebumps covered her arms, and she bit her lip, her eyes closing, back arching. Chuckling, I doused the power and kissed the corner of her brow.

She moaned and sunk further into the water. “Tell me to sit on your face.”

My cock twitched against her ass, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m sorry?”

“Just say it. Please.”

Pressing my lips to her ear, moistening it, I whispered, “Sit on my face, Keira.”

Her hand found my cock under the water, idly stroking it as she kept her eyes closed. “Now repeat it, but command it.”

This. Godsdamned. Woman.

“Sit. On. My. Face,” I growled against her neck.

“Mm, that’s so much sexier than my dream.”

Chuckling again, I groaned at the feel of her hand still stroking me. “You dreamed about me? When?”

“On my way to Argentina. And don’t sound so surprised. You probably commanded Morpheus to do it.”

I nipped at her ear lobe. “As much as I would love to take the credit for that little gem, I really would. That was all you, sweetheart.”

She turned in the water, pressing her tits to my chest with a brightened smile. “I guess I couldn’t help myself.”

“You know what would be far sexier than me saying it, Keira?” I scooted down in the water, encouraging her to stand over me.

We continued to act out her salacious dream in vivid detail, taking it a step further by fucking both on the pool deck and in it. We spent the week showing our appreciation for the other in every held conversation, every position imaginable, and slept more than either of us had in several lifetimes. I’d have to thank my brothers for this, which annoyed the shit out of me, but these days…I had a lot to be grateful for.