Hired Gun #4 (2 page)

He had to bite his tongue not to call Athena Auntie. However, surely the other gods must know? 

It was hard to keep secrets in their world. 

Regardless of her attempt at goodwill, Thorne was still pissed Athena had kept his mother’s background from him. If he had only known, he would have insisted on coming down to his mother  earlier. 

Chapter 2

“Well get on with it then,” Zeus said, obviously annoyed that his time was being wasted. “What in Hades are you talking about? And if you don’t present a compelling reason for breaking your banishment, you
will
be sent straight to the Hall of Punishment when this meeting resides.”

Good luck with that,
Thorne thought bitterly. It would take more than a roomful of gods and goddesses to restrain him again. 

“Tsk, tsk. And all this time I thought you gods were all knowing. Are you not aware that the great Thanatos is currently roaming the earth and running for the highest office on the planet as we speak?”

A shocked murmur rippled throughout the room. Now those fuckers were listening. 

“This cannot be,” Apollo said, his voice shaking ever so slightly. 

“Oh, it’s true and it’s all your fault, asshole. Did you honestly think he would not retaliate after your little prank of killing all of his family members?”

Apollo’s face blanched. “It was a mistake. I swear, I didn’t mean to kill them …”

Of course he didn’t mean it. Thorne rolled his eyes. As if Thanatos gave two shits if it was an accident or not. 

“What is wrong with you fools? Do you seriously not pay attention to what is going on right under your noses? It’s no wonder the humans have lost faith.” 

The gods exchanged glances. 

They were so lost in their own worlds they’d forgotten what their true purpose was. Idiots. Not to mention the fact that their realm would be gone if the Earth became no more. You would think they would get their heads out of their asses, and help the humans like they were meant to instead of leaving them to fend for themselves. War after war. The economy was down the tubes, yet again. Half of the world barely had enough food to survive. But hey, that’s okay, they were up here living high on the hog. 

Zeus cleared his throat, and the room once again fell into silence. “Are you telling us that you can take care of the problem?”

“Yes, Zeus, that’s what I’m telling you.” Why did they have to have everything spelled out for them?

He tapped his fingers on the marble table before him. “If you can do as you say and remove Thanatos from the equation, we’ll grant your return to The Realm with open arms.”

“And the rest of it?” Thorne cocked his head to the side, studying the old man. 

“Immortality is not something we hand out lightly,” his father interrupted, shaking his head. 

“It will be granted.” Athena’s voice rang through the room. Protests were muttered. “Oh shut up you old fools. Don’t you see there is no other way? Plus, if Thorne doesn’t succeed, we’ll all be dead anyway.” 

“Athena is right.” Zeus gave a slight nod. “You have my word. But you must be aware it’s impossible to kill Thanatos. Believe me, we’ve all tried.” 

“Leave that up to me,” Thorne said with more conviction than he actually felt. 

“Until you have proven yourself, you are not to return.” His father stood up as if to walk away. 

Zeus grabbed him by the arm. “Not so quick. There are things I’d like to discuss with your son.” 

Keeping his face impassive, Theseus sat back down. Score for Zeus. 

After clearing his throat, Zeus spoke up. “You speak the truth. It seems we have forgotten our place. What could we do to help the humans?”

Shocked, Thorne took a minute to compose himself; he was not expecting anyone to agree with him. 

“They are nothing but a bunch of sniveling brats if you ask me,” Nyx said with distaste. “I turned off their whining long ago. ‘
Oh, poor me. I’m down on my knees, begging for a new car. If only I could get a better job. Why do I have to work so many long hours?
’ Blah, blah, blah, blah. They just go on and on. It is deafening.” 

As much as Thorne hated to admit it, she had a point. Humans were often petty and ridiculous. But weren’t they all? 

“Nothing like calling the kettle black.” Thorne raised his arms and spun around the opulent room of gold. “Don’t the lot of you bitch and complain? And you can have anything you wish for, all you have to do is think it and it is there. And yet are you happy? Honestly?”

He could tell he’d hit a nerve. “I couldn’t really care less about the humans and humanity. However, what I do know is if they die, we die. Are you all ready to pass on to the unknown? Perhaps it will be more enjoyable? Or maybe we’ll all be punished for our lack of goodwill. I’m not saying you need to grant petty wishes of the humans, I’m just saying do your fucking job!” Thorne’s voice thundered throughout the room. “Did you ever think, just maybe, if you did what you were supposed to do your days would have more meaning?”

“That’s rich coming from an assassin.” 

Thorne smirked. “Hey, I’m perfectly happy with my place in this world. You don’t hear my cries of woe do you?”

“We all heard your cries at the death of your human wife,” Nyx said smugly. 

“Yes, I suppose you did,” Thorne acknowledged. “And yet not one lifted a finger, did you? Which is why this time you will see to it that I do not have to go through such anguish again.” 

“Humans are not meant to live long. That is their blessing and their curse,” Zeus said firmly. “You might want to make sure your wife would agree to eternity. As you stated yourself, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. To be quiet honest, I’m shocked you would want to remarry.” 

Obviously, they weren’t privy to Athena’s interference. So there were secrets after all. “I’m not married yet. I just wanted to put that clause out there. Just in case. One can never be too prepared. My father taught me that.” 

“I also taught you to respect your elders, but clearly that didn’t stick.” 

 True enough. 

“Is there anything else we can do for you?” Athena asked. For a long moment her gaze held his. 

Thorne scratched his chin. Oh there were many things they could do for him, but for now he’d have to prove himself. Once he came back he would have to shake things up a bit. 

“I would like to have open channels to each and every one of you, in case I need assistance in taking care of our little problem. That should be all … for now. ” 

Zeus gave a barely discernible nod of his head. “Granted. Just do not overstep.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Thorne glanced around the room one more time. “Well then, I guess I’ll be going.” 

“Our lives are literally in your hands.” Zeus rose to his full height. He was an impressive sight to behold. One of the few gods that the humans got right in their renderings. 

“Yeah, ain’t life a bitch.” Thorne blinked out and returned to his own apartment. Which was now empty. Thankfully. 

He paced the room, trying to figure out what would be his next move. For the first time in his life Thorne had no idea where to begin. 

The air wavered and Nike appeared in all of her glory. 

So much for having some quiet time to think. “Back so soon?”

Wiping down the front of her dress, she gave him the evil eye. “I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me to be, but what Athena wants she gets. And at the moment, she wants to be your guardian through me.” 

As if he needed a guardian. “Yeah, well, what the hell are we supposed to do now? Did she leave you with any words of wisdom?”

“She just said to continue getting close to Kataya and don’t tip your hat too early with Thanatos.” 

What he wanted to do was shred Thanatos in tiny little pieces, but he knew Athena was right. It was too early to play his hand. He had to reconnaissance and find the daemon’s weakness. As far as Kataya, he couldn’t even think about that right now. Just the thought of that daemons hands on her body …

Damn it! 

Nike’s voice startled him out of his gut wrenching thoughts. “That was quite the show you put on there. I’m sure you’ll be the talk of The Realm for a while. The shunned half-god making demands. I quite enjoyed it to tell you the truth.” 

“I’m glad I could offer you some entertainment,” Thorne said absently. 

How in the hell was he going to set this right?

Chapter 3

As usual, life doesn’t always wait until we’re ready. 

Thorne’s doorbell chimed, and he knew without checking that it was Kataya. Why? Because that’s the way the little fuckers, the Fates, worked. Seriously, they seemed to get off jerking peoples’ chains. 

He immediately dropped his shield so the little vixen couldn’t read his thoughts. She wouldn’t care for his thoughts right now.

“Stay in your form and follow my lead.” Thorne turned back toward Nike, giving her a once over. “You could lose the clothes if you’d like.” 

“You’re an idiot,” Nike said before wandering into the kitchen. 

As soon as he swung the door open and laid eyes on Kataya his anger ebbed away. How was that even possible? She looked so fragile and vulnerable standing before him, which he knew she was neither, but seeing her tugged at his heart in a way he wished he could ignore. Her curly hair was in disarray. He had to fight the urge to reach over and brush the wayward strands out of the way. 

Gods, he was pathetic. 

“No call? How forward of you.” Thorne worked hard to keep his face expressionless. Thankfully, being a jackass came naturally to him. 

She appeared uncertain as she shifted her feet. 

He wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily. Instead of motioning her in, he stared at her, waiting for her to speak. 

Her stunning green eyes met his for a second before she glanced away. “I just wanted to tell you I enjoyed yesterday more than I expected and I can’t stop thinking about what you said.” 

“Which part?” Thorne asked, knowing exactly what she was talking about. 

“The part about soul—” Kataya stopped mid-sentence and her mouth dropped open, staring at him in disbelief. Thorne turned to see Nike leaning against the doorjamb. 

Kataya’s face drained of color and she looked like she was going to be sick. “I made a mistake.”

She turned to leave.

“Oh no, Kataya, there will be no more running for you.” Thorne grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the apartment, slamming the door behind them. 

That
quickly sparked her anger. If it was possible, she was even more beautiful when she was pissed off. Thorne instantly felt his cock harden. What the hell was wrong with him?

“I didn’t realize you two were an item.”

“We’re not.” Thorne gave her a lazy grin. “We just sometimes come together for a mutually fulfilling good time.” 

Nike stepped forward and laced her arm with Thorne’s, taking him by surprise. “He’s hard to resist. There’s something
almost
godly about him. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Kataya’s eyes shifted between the two of them. “I really should go.” 

Had Nike touched on a sore spot? Was she aware of their origins? That would be very interesting indeed. 

“So soon? At least come in for a cup of tea.” Nike smiled warmly, lighting up the room. Thorne couldn’t help but wonder what she was up to. However, at this point he was willing to go along with just about anything to get Kataya away from Thanatos. 

He could sense the hesitation in Kataya but curiosity must have won over because she agreed to stay. “Just one cup.” 

As they walked into the kitchen, Nike snapped her fingers and steaming mugs were set out on coasters on the table along with an array of fruits and pastries. The scent of chamomile wafted throughout the room.
Calming
. 

Kataya tilted her head and stared at Nike for a long moment. “Are you a witch?”

She gave her a wicked smile. “No, my dear. You’re the only witch in the room.” 

Her eyes widened, but she composed herself quickly. “Well then what are you?”

“I’m afraid that’s over your pay grade.” Nike sat down and reached for her mug. 

“How do you know I’m a witch?”

“Oh, I know everything about you,” Nike said, casually tracing her finger up and down the mug. “You see, you’re not the only one with the ability to read minds. 

Kataya’s eyes narrowed, and Thorne could sense her heart rate ratchet up a few notches. So much for following his lead. Thorne could actually see the pulse jumping in Kataya’s neck. He wasn’t sure what Nike was up to, but he was enjoying the show. 

“I know you lost your virginity in the back of a car at the age of sixteen, and you cried your eyes out the next day when the boy ignored you.” 

“How—”

“I know that you spend exactly thirty-three minutes in meditation every day in front of your altar. I know your parents split when you were ten and you’ve always blamed yourself.” 

“That’s enough!” When Kataya moved to stand up she banged her knee. 

“What I don’t know,” Nike looked up and caught Kataya’s gaze, “is what the hell you are doing with Geoffrey Willis?” 

Way to let the cat out of the bag,
Thorne thought with annoyance. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh, yes, you do.” Nike pointed her finger and Kataya was slammed back down on the chair. If she wasn’t afraid before, she was now. It was clear who the strongest woman was in the room.

“Where did you meet him?” Nike grilled. 

“That’s none of your business,” Kataya said defiantly. 

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken once again, little one. It’s very much our business. Let’s just say the fate of the world depends on it.” 

“What are you talking about? You two are obviously insane. I want to leave right now.” 

“I’m sure you do,” Thorne said, leaning forward and rubbing his thumb along her full bottom lip. 

“Don’t touch me,” she spit out. 

“What, are your witchy powers not working?” Nike asked, her voice honey sweet. “Such a shame.”