Page 31 of Monster Song
“I got my revenge, River, and I eventually got out of the marriage too. Ares dumped her after I built that trap for them, and all of Olympus caught him naked with her. He was a laughingstock for a while, and Aphrodite always had it bad for Ares. Seeing the look on her face when he dumped her in front of all the Olympians was enough for me. I don’t need her death too. She’s vain and silly, but she’s not like Demeter.”
“Plus, she wouldn’t be caught dead here,” Tryphon said. “She doesn’t live in Olympus like the rest of them. She prefers Earth. Last time we ran into her on a shopping trip, she was living in Los Angeles and kept taking photos of her food. She said she was an influencer and kept bragging about how many followers she has.”
“A pale shadow of the days they worshipped her as a Goddess. She’s still trying to hold on to it.”
Kimon started giggling. He was still sprawled naked on my bed and couldn’t be bothered to at least cover his cock up.
“She has one thing she didn’t have when she was a Goddess. Haters and trolls. She made us all follow her when Persephone had lunch with her. I was just going to unfollow her when I got home until I read some comments on her posts. People aren’t afraid to tell her she’s vapid and self-centered. She’d had time to watch things change and grow with it, and she hasn’t. She’s still obsessed with everyone kissing her ass and telling her she’s pretty,” Kimon said.
Tryphon just stretched.
“You and Pavlina have a little too much fun reading the comments on her posts. I find the whole thing perfectly tragic. She’s an Olympian with all of that magic at her disposal. She’s the only one who lives on Earth full time. She could make genuine changes. Instead, she’s posting selfies and posing her little dog for photos hoping for likes on social media.”
“Persephone doesn’t just go to Earth to shop. She plans her trips where she is needed. She helps people with their crops while she’s buying clothes and trinkets,” Kimon said.
“I always liked her,” Hephaestus said. “She always seemed like she wanted to talk to me and show me kindness, but Demeter wouldn’t allow her anywhere near me. I always thought Demeter would have been happier if she had more children, but she was in love with Zeus. I think she thought she could steal him from Hera, but if you believe Demeter is terrible, then you just haven’t met Hera. The only reason Hera didn’t kill Persephone before she was born was that Zeus wouldn’t let her kill his child, and he’s the only one who could control her.
“Honestly, I think that’s why Demeter doesn’t have more Olympians down here helping her. Artemis sent soldiers, but she didn’t come herself. My family hates Hades, and they want him in the Underworld. They could very well believe Demeter that he’s holding her hostage and mistreating her, but they don’t want her back in Olympus.
“Hera used to sit back and take it when Zeus would cheat on her. One day, she just lost it, and it looked like he would hurt her. You have to understand. Before that, no one ever challenged Zeus. Hera was screaming at him, and I stepped between them when it looked like he would hurt her. Zeus didn’t like it I was siding with her over him, but I didn’t want him cheating on my mother either because I saw how much it hurt her.
“He was so fucking angry at me. He called lightning to his fists and struck me. I flew through several realms before crashing to Earth. That wouldn’t have killed an Olympian, but it was intensely painful, and I was vulnerable lying there with my body broken and my leg missing.
“Hades came to get me, and Cerberus carried me to the Underworld on his back. He brought me food and cared for me as I healed and regrew my leg. He offered me a home here, but all I ever knew about him was what my family said. If I had just stayed here in the first place, none of this would be happening because I would have known the truth and never made those collars.”
Okay, I was not having my sexy God blaming himself for any of this. My brain to mouth filter was extending to my entire body. I just walked over to him and planted myself in his lap. I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed him so hard he grunted.
“She would have found another way, Hephaestus. It went down the way it was supposed to. If she hadn’t thought she was better than you, she would have listened when you suggested something other than the collars. I just had this feeling if I could get to you, you would help us, and I was right. You’re here, and you brought us the tools to end this for good.”
Hephaestus wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed me back.
“I wasn’t expecting you at my forge. I knew someone was out there, but it takes most people ages to figure out how to get in. Then, I see you, and all I can sense is human because you were wearing an enchantment. Most people look at me with pity. No one has ever looked at me the way you did when I stepped into the light.”
“Because most people are fucking stupid.”
Hephaestus just laughed.
“You looked at me like you wanted to tear my trousers off and make a little demigod right there on my forge floor.”
“I still want to do that when we don’t have a Goddess to kill. And I want to have a naked pool swim with Tryphon too.”
Tryphon just grinned at me.
“Later, my pet. The hour grows near, and we need to move into place.”
I groaned and peeled myself away from Hephaestus. I already knew I would be dead weight in this fight. I helped move pieces in place to bring us here, but I’d be useless in the battle itself. I spent my gym membership on spin classes. I could barely do two pushups, much less wield a sword. Shooting a bow took time to learn that I didn’t have.
I had my fire, but I’d only just started to learn how to use it. I could just as well burn everyone alive instead of my target. I still had no idea what happened with Demos when we set the room on fire other than it felt fucking amazing, and Hades was furious at both of us. We would have to find a way to do that again without setting shit on fire.
I’d be watching from a hill, well away from the fighting. My father even told Solron she couldn’t have her fun killing people because she would be my babysitter.
And I got the feeling Solron didn’t care who my father was. She’d punch me right in the face if I even thought about joining the fight.
Chapter 17
River
T
