Her father’s lips turned up in a smile as he lay them before her, and just simply walked away.
When she was certain he’d gone far enough away, she gave over to her human self, shifting with ease in one swift transition. The cold air of the penthouse suite kissed her skin, and it reminded her of home.
Home...
Brian!
Oh my stars, I left him alone without even a goodbye...
Fuck!
She silently cursed herself, and her father as she pulled on the soft jersey shirt that smelled like home, like memories long lost, and promises broken. She pulled on the comfy sweatpants, emblazoned with Zeus’s thunderbolt logo on the side.
The sound of his guitar filled the air, a soft melody that almost soothed her naturally anxious mood.
Almost.
She padded her way into the lounge to see him hunched over the coffee table, jotting something down on the scattered pages in front of him. He didn’t even look up.
Athena crossed her arms.
“You haven’t changed a bit,” she said, twisting her lips.
Zeus methodically finished dotting his proverbial i’s and crossing his t’s before he looked at her.
“Apples do not fall far from the tree, do they?” he said with an equally aggravating smirk.
Athena rolled her eyes as Zeus casually set his pen down.
“Now tell me I did not fly all this way so you could waste my time—”
“Please, sit down, Athena.” His voice was not boastful or loud, but it didn’t have to be. He was truly a master when he came to being the big guy in charge. Demands for him were like breathing.
“I’m fine where I’m at, thanks,” she said, holding his gaze.
Zeus only smiled.
“I am glad to see that some people never change,” he said as he sat back on the couch, spreading his legs as he ran a hand over his face. Even after all this time, he didn’t look much older than she.
The images of a burly, gray-bearded man with a lightning bolt had never appeased him, and therefore he’d made it his goal to appear as young as possible.
He did not look a day over thirty.
“Your brother is in trouble.” He sighed.
“Whose wife did he screw this time?” she bit.
Zeus only looked pained.
It wasn’t exactly a secret that Mars had inherited his father’s lust for carnal desires. Although Orion had once told her she’d inherited the trait as well, but she disagreed.
She possessed much better control over her desires than her playboy brother.
“It’s his power. It’s... fading.”
Athena’s blood chilled. Power, their godly essence... didn’t fade. It was a part of them, woven into their DNA like a magical brand.
No onelosttheir power, unless they lost their immortality and that in itself was a feat that was extremely rare.
