Page 19 of Monster Song
All of us monsters here were used to people fearing us, hunting us, and hating us. Some of us deserved it too. What kind of father hurt their own child then made everyone else ostracize them over the damage he caused? Hephaestus’s limp was hardly even noticeable.
I was about to say something, and then I heard this hyena like giggle and a swish of skirts joined our bro group. I knew that giggle anywhere. Who let Anatolia in, and why was she even approaching us? I didn’t react all too well to a dead bull with lipstick on it in my bed, and I let her know it.
“Where’s your fiery little demon friend?” she giggled, twirling her hair.
Oh, Gods. If River was the next object of her affections, this bitch would drive her out of the Underworld no matter how much we wanted to keep her. Tryphon just lounged back on his sofa.
“Most likely fucking Pavlina and you know how jealous Pavlina can get. She’d probably be mad enough to kill you this time, no matter which God blessed you.”
Gods, I loved Tryphon when he was on point. I thought that would send Anatolia scurrying away since Pavlina didn’t exactly react well to the dead animal in her bed either. I thought she was about to vacate the premises, but she practically did a spit take when she saw Hephaestus.
He was a good-looking guy like all the Olympians were, but he was also fresh meat that didn’t avoid her because everyone here knew she was psycho. I rolled my eyes as she tried to wedge herself between Hephaestus and Demos on the small sitting sofa. She wasn’t even touching me, and my skin crawled when she started stroking Hephaestus’s thigh.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” she purred.
I’ll give it to the God. He shut Anatolia right the fuck down like he could just smell it on her that she left dead animals in people’s beds, and he knew how to dodge a bullet. And it showed me he didn’t want to be totally alone.
“I’m hoping for the honor of ending up in River’s bed too. She strikes me as the jealous type, and she can set things on fire. She also never worshipped the Olympians and doesn’t care who she pisses off if she lights you up.”
Anatolia bolted to her feet like someone really set her on fire.
“I’m tired of the Underworld. I should have been allowed in Olympus from the start,” she growled, stomping off.
Okay, now I definitely wanted to make friends with Hephaestus. No one ever got rid of Anatolia that quickly.
Chapter 13
River
I
was getting to know my monsters together. It was time I got to know them alone. I’d wanted to, but I couldn’t even begin to pick who to ask first. It just benefited me Pavlina was banned from that pub, but I was dying to know that story. With her, it could be anything.
I followed Pavlina up to my bedroom and waited for the right moment to pounce. When she was standing next to my bed, she turned to say something to me, and I just tackled her. We fell on the bed in a tangle of limbs. I buried my face in her neck.
“Do I want to know why you are banned from that pub?”
“Defending a nymph’s honor. She was drunk, and a satyr wasn’t taking no for an answer. When I suggested he go sleep it off somewhere else, he smacked me on the ass and suggested a threesome.”
Did I want to know? With Pavlina, it could be anything. I also knew whatever it was, it would be entertaining as fuck.
“So, what did you do?”
“Smashed a tankard over his head and threw him through the window. It was this huge stained-glass window made by one of the cyclops brothers from cyclops tears or some shit. Anyway, they were furious about the window and banned me from the pub.”
“Must have been some window.”
“Many people think cyclops are big, dumb brutes, but they really let their artistic sides flourish when they got here. There’s a lot of them down here, and they breed like bunnies. They pair up by clan. The clan that owns the pub has the best ale in the Underworld, but it was this huge thing when one son apprenticed with one of the glass making clans. Cyclops glass is highly coveted, and I can already tell you that the big stained-glass window Demos saw at Demeter’s temple will only be a cheap imitation. A cyclops would rather die than make art for someone keeping them as a slave.”
“I have to ask, Pavlina. Did you apologize for breaking the window?”
“Fuck, yes. I felt horrible about it. I was just pissed off at that satyr. That window was the first solo project the young cyclops did after he finished his apprenticeship. It was beautiful, and they were so proud of it. I wasn’t aiming for the window; I was aiming for his stupid satyr friends. Dionysus created them, so they are all drunken, horny assholes. Dionysus pretty much lives to drink and fuck, but not even he wanted to hang out with the satyrs in Olympus, so they expect us to tolerate them here.”
I ran my fingers through her long, black hair and kissed her neck.
“How many satyrs have you eaten, Pavlina?”
Pavlina laughed and grabbed my ass.
