Chapter 13 First Blood
Training with Kael at dawn was apparently a form of sanctioned torture.
We stood on the penthouse's rooftop garden as the sun painted Tokyo in shades of gold and pink, and he was making me regret every life choice that had led me to this moment. My muscles screamed in protest as I blocked another strike, my arms shaking from the effort.
"Again," Kael commanded, not even breathing hard. "Faster this time."
"I'm going to die," I gasped, sweat dripping down my spine despite the cool morning air.
"You won't," he said. "But your enemies will if you learn to move like I'm teaching you. Now again."
I gritted my teeth and lunged forward, trying to mimic the attack pattern he'd shown me. This time, I actually managed to land a hit, my fist connecting with his ribs. It felt like punching a brick wall, but at least I'd made contact.
"Better," he said, approval warming his voice. "You're learning to use your strength instead of fighting against it. Your divine nature makes you faster, stronger, more durable than any mortal. Stop thinking like a human and start thinking like a goddess."
"Easy for you to say," I muttered. "You've had millennia to get used to it."
"Which means I know exactly what you're going through," he countered. "Every god starts somewhere, Athena. Even the God of War was once a beginner."
The admission surprised me. I'd started thinking of all four of them as these untouchable, perfect beings who'd never struggled with anything. It was strangely comforting to imagine Kael as anything other than the lethal weapon he was now.
"Show me again," I said, wiping sweat from my forehead. "The defensive sequence. I keep messing up the footwork."
His expression softened into something that looked dangerously close to pride. "You're stubborn. I like that."
"Everyone keeps saying that," I said. "I'm starting to think it's not actually a compliment."
"It absolutely is," he said, moving closer. "Stubbornness keeps you alive when talent fails." His hands settled on my hips, adjusting my stance. "Feet wider. Center your weight. If you're off balance, you're vulnerable."
I tried to focus on his instructions instead of the heat of his hands on my body, the way his chest pressed against my back as he guided me through the movements. Through the bond, I felt his desire, carefully controlled but undeniably present.
"Like this?" I asked, my voice coming out breathier than intended.
"Exactly like that," he murmured, his lips close enough to my ear that I felt his breath. "Now when I attack, you pivot and use my momentum against me."
He moved, and instinct took over. I pivoted exactly as he'd taught me, catching his arm and using his forward motion to flip him. Somehow, impossibly, the God of War ended up on his back on the mat with me straddling his chest.
We both froze, equally shocked that it had worked.
"Well," Kael said, his amber eyes blazing with heat. "That was unexpected."
"Did I just flip you?" I asked, my heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with exercise.
"You did." His hands settled on my thighs, his touch burning even through my workout clothes. "Though I'm not sure I mind the position you've put me in."
Heat flooded through me, and I started to pull away, but his grip tightened just enough to keep me in place.
"Don't," he said. "Don't run from this. From us."
"Kael," I started, but he cut me off.
"I know you feel it. The pull between us. It's not just the bond, Athena. You're under my skin in a way nothing has been for centuries." His voice roughened. "And I'm trying to be patient, trying to give you space to adjust to everything. But every time you look at me, every time I feel what you feel through the bond, it gets harder to keep my distance."
I should have stood up. Should have put professional distance between us. Instead, I found myself leaning closer, drawn by the raw honesty in his expression.
"What if I don't want you to keep your distance?" I whispered.
His pupils dilated, and I felt his control fracturing through the bond. "Then we have a problem, princess. Because once I start, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop."
"Maybe I don't want you to stop," I said, surprised by my own boldness.
That was apparently all the permission he needed. His hand slid up to cup the back of my neck, pulling me down until our lips met. The kiss was everything I'd imagined and nothing like I'd expected. Fierce and consuming, like he was trying to devour me and worship me simultaneously. I felt it through the bond, the explosion of want that crashed through both of us.
Through the mate bonds, I distantly registered the others' awareness, their own desires flaring in response. The connection between all five of us pulsed like a living thing.
A throat cleared loudly, and we broke apart to find Jeron standing in the doorway to the rooftop, his expression carefully neutral.
"We have visitors," he said coolly. "The first potential ally is here for a meeting."
I scrambled off Kael, my face burning. Through the bond, I felt Jeron's carefully controlled jealousy, his desire to be the one kissing me warring with his sense of duty.
"We'll finish this later," Kael promised, standing and offering me a hand up.
"Training?" I asked hopefully.
"That too," he said with a wicked grin.
I followed them both downstairs, trying to compose myself. My lips still tingled from the kiss, and my body was acutely aware of every place Kael had touched me. This was dangerous territory, getting involved with them while everything else was falling apart. But it also felt inevitable, like fighting it would take more energy than I had to spare.
The potential ally was waiting in the living room with Theron and Lysander flanking him like gorgeous, lethal guard dogs. He was shorter than the others, maybe five-eight, with copper skin and eyes that held flames. His hair seemed to shift between brown and red depending on how the light hit it.
"This is Zephyr," Lysander introduced. "Minor god of autumn winds and forgotten harvests. Zephyr, this is Athena."
Zephyr's eyes widened when he looked at me, something like awe crossing his features. "The prophecy child. You're real."
"Apparently," I said, moving to stand with my mates. The possessive way Kael's hand settled on my lower back didn't escape Zephyr's notice.
"I heard rumors," Zephyr said, his voice carrying the whisper of wind through leaves. "That you survived the Council's attack at the Crossroads. That you defeated one of Selara's avatars."
"Word travels fast," Jeron said.
"When a half-breed goddess throws a Council envoy into the void, people notice," Zephyr said dryly. "The question is, what do you plan to do next? Because if you're just hiding, I'm not interested in joining your rebellion."
"We're not hiding," I said, lifting my chin. "We're preparing. There's a difference."
"Preparing for what?" he challenged.
"To find the truth about the prophecy," I said. "To gather allies who are tired of the Council's corruption. To give gods like you a choice instead of cowering in the shadows."
Zephyr studied me for a long moment, and I felt his power brushing against mine. Testing, evaluating. Through the bond, I felt the others tense, ready to defend me if necessary.
"You're powerful," Zephyr said finally. "More than the rumors suggested. But power isn't enough to challenge the Council. They've crushed rebellions before."
"Those rebellions didn't have me," I said with more confidence than I felt.
"Cocky," he observed. "I like that." He glanced at the four gods surrounding me. "And you're all mated to her? All four of you?"
"Is that a problem?" Kael asked, his tone carrying a warning.
"No," Zephyr said. "It's unprecedented. Powerful. If the five of you can truly unite your abilities, you might actually stand a chance." He took a breath. "I'm in. Whatever you're planning, I'll help."
"Just like that?" Lysander asked suspiciously. "No conditions? No demands?"
"Just one," Zephyr said, looking at me. "When you win, when you take down the Council, I want my title restored. I want the harvests I protected acknowledged. I want to stop being forgotten."
"When we win," I corrected gently, "everyone will be acknowledged. That's the whole point."
Something like hope flickered in his flame-colored eyes. "Then you have my loyalty, Goddess of Ruin."
"It's just Athena," I said. "And thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," he said. "I'm just the first. If you want a real army, you need to meet with the others. And some of them won't be nearly as friendly."
"How many others?" Theron asked.
"In Tokyo alone? At least a dozen minor deities and displaced gods. Across the mortal world? Hundreds, maybe thousands. All of us cast aside, diminished, or actively persecuted by the Council." Zephyr's expression hardened. "You want a rebellion? I'll help you build it. But you need to understand what you're asking for. This won't be clean or easy. People will die."
"People are already dying," I said quietly. "The Council made sure of that when they sent those hunters after me. At least this way, we're fighting for something instead of just running."
"Spoken like a true revolutionary," Zephyr said with approval. "I'll spread the word. Set up meetings with the others. But Athena? Be careful. Not everyone who claims to oppose the Council is trustworthy. Some will pretend to join you just to get close enough to strike."
"We'll be careful," Jeron promised.
After Zephyr left, the five of us stood in silence for a moment. The weight of what we'd started settling over us like a blanket.
"One ally," Lysander said finally. "That's a start."
"It's more than we had yesterday," Theron agreed.
"And tomorrow we'll have more," I said. "We keep building, keep recruiting, until we have enough strength to challenge the Council directly."
"And then?" Kael asked.
"Then we storm the Spire, learn the truth about the prophecy, and change everything," I said.
Through the bond, I felt their mixture of fear and hope, their determination and doubt. We were starting something that could either save the realms or destroy us all.
But we were doing it together, and somehow that made even the impossible feel achievable.