Curses of Olympus (The Olympus Trilogy #2)

28. Hestia

28

HESTIA

T he familiar quiet of the empty library wraps around Hestia, cocooning her in safety as she pushes the cart through the stacks, putting books back in their places on the shelves. An acolyte usually does this here in the Under Temple Library, but she has taken over the duty.

She may no longer be the Goddess of Knowledge, but centuries spent amongst the ink and parchment have forever branded libraries as the place where her soul can truly rest.

Scouring the texts, however, has proven fruitless. There is nothing in them giving Hestia any hints regarding the key from the Book of Fates, nor anything even remotely helpful about the stone circle in the diagram.

A smile spreads across Hestia’s lips when she hears footsteps walking down the aisle behind her. When Alec slides his arms around her waist, Hestia closes her eyes and leans her head against his.

His beard is rough against her skin as he peppers kisses along her neck, murmuring, “I missed you, my goddess.”

Hestia spins around and brings her lips to his, and they back up against the bookshelves, thankfully carved out of the stone of the Under Temple itself and therefore sturdy as a mountain.

Books fall to the floor with resounding thunks , and pages flutter in the air as Alec presses Hestia against the shelf. She spends a mere second concerned about the state of the books, but Alec’s hand travels up her skirt and finds her center, and Hestia cries out—the irony of her volume in the library not lost on her.

Alec grasps the back of Hestia’s neck with his free hand, holding her tightly while his other hand drives her mad between her thighs.

He slows the pace of his fingers, leans in, and whispers, “Are we completely alone?”

Hestia fights off the fog of desire, trying to figure out what he is saying, what words are again. Finally, she nods. “Yes. I was closing up for the night.”

He bites his bottom lip, and the gesture makes heat pool in her belly. A blush floods her cheeks when Alec drops to his knees and his head disappears beneath her skirts. Grabbing the closest shelves for support, Hestia herself disregards the books that go flying now as Alec’s mouth dives straight for her clit.

A finger slides inside her, followed by another, while Alec continues the blissful torture with his tongue. The climax explodes out of Hestia before she even realized it was building, and her cries of pleasure echo off the marble floors and walls.

When he resurfaces and stands, the look on Alec’s face tells Hestia he is not even close to done. He leans in to kiss her, and she can still taste herself on his tongue.

As he presses into her, Hestia can feel the rigid hardness of his lust for her. She runs her hand over his length above his trousers and the low, guttural groan that leaves him makes her knees weak.

Reaching down, he loosens the button of his pants, letting them fall to the floor. His hands grasp the back of her thighs, but before he can lift, she puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

Confusion crosses his face, and Hestia looks down at the floor. “I weigh too much. You will hurt yourself.”

Alec gently cups Hestia’s chin, pulling her gaze up to his. “Look at me.”

Hestia’s face flushes as she peers into his silvery gaze. He says nothing, however, only stares intently into her eyes as he reaches back down for her thighs.

Gripping them tightly, he lifts her off the ground, wrapping her legs around her waist. Alec never breaks the eye contact, allowing her to see how little effort is required of him.

In seconds, Alec slides into her and stars are shattering throughout her body every time he drives all the way inside her. She wraps her arms around his shoulders, clutching his hair into her fist in euphoric bliss.

In her ear, Hestia can hear Alec’s breathing pick up its pace, and she knows he is nearing his climax as well. The most sensual supernova erupts in Hestia’s soul as Alec moans and spills into her.

After a moment, he gently stands Hestia on her feet as they both try to get their breath back.

Looking around at the mess, laughter bubbles out of Hestia. She turns to Alec, who is examining his finger.

“What’s the matter?” she asks, stepping forward to take a closer look.

Alec laughs and shows her the thin slice of blood on his finger. “Paper cut.”

H estia walks into a small lounge with the Book of Fates tucked beneath her arm and a steaming cup of tea in her hand. It is morning, but with the absence of daylight in the Underworld, Hestia’s internal clock is off, and she yawns loudly.

It does not help that she needs more sleep these days, as well. Do mortals always need this much rest? Or is it just while her body is still adjusting?

As Hestia sits on the dark velvet couch, Hera comes in, and a smile immediately blooms on Hestia’s face.

“Hera, am I to be blessed with your company this morning?” she greets.

Hera chuckles, and the rich sound sings to Hestia’s soul. She was not certain she would ever see her friend again. The relief she feels now that Hera is back will be enough for her, right?

It seems selfish to even continue to entertain the idea of more when she should just be grateful that her friend is safe. Hestia has the love of Alec, and the state of the world is a disaster. It feels like now is not the best time to push further with something so delicate.

“We haven’t had much time together since my return. I have missed you terribly.” Hera’s eyes gleam as Hestia searches them for any deeper meaning, any subtext.

“I never gave up looking for you,” Hestia says softly.

Hera nods and sits down next to her. She places her hands over Hestia’s, sending a jolt of electricity through her body. “I know you did, and I am forever grateful.”

Hestia can smell Hera’s lily perfume as the Queen of the Gods leans over and kisses Hestia’s cheek. She goes rigid. Did she really…

Hestia’s hand flies to the spot Hera’s lips vacate as her face reddens.

Glancing up at approaching footsteps, Hestia scoots a couple inches away from Hera as Dionysus walks into the room. Guilt courses through her like a tidal wave. Would Alec, or even Dionysus feel betrayed by such a thing?

Dio looks between Hestia and Hera, but his jovial expression never falters as he sits in one of the armchairs in the room. An acolyte comes in behind him carrying a tray of fruits and cheeses. He pulls a bottle of wine from his robes and sets it on the table.

Hestia raises an eyebrow. “It’s ten o’clock in the morning, Dio.”

Dionysus waves Hestia off and gestures to the tome on the table. “Tell us about this book,” he says, changing the subject.

Hestia tells them what little she gleamed from the book on the ship back from Corcyra, pulling the key from her pocket. Hera and Dionysus thumb through the pages, looking at the various sketches and diagrams.

When they get to the back, Hestia grabs one of the candles sitting on the table and slides it closer to the book. Astonishment flashes on their faces when the sketch of the standing stones appears on the page.

“Have either of you ever seen anything like this?” Hestia asks, raising her eyes to glance at Hera and Dionysus.

The latter shakes his head. “Have you shown Cassandra or Isadora yet?”

“I haven’t had a chance to tell her when she is alone. My gut tells me that this is not information that should be shared freely, not even amongst the Allegiance.”

Hera seems worlds away as she says, “I think you’re probably right.”

The blank pages in the back of the book reveal nothing new, even with the presence of a flame, and Hestia thumbs through them mindlessly hoping something will come to her.

She gasps and stops when words spontaneously appear on one of the pages. Hestia reads them aloud as the glittering ink materializes.

“The Hearts of the Fates

are the keys to righting the realm.

Like the Fates,

there are three.

The first you have already found,

embedded in this tome.

The next two will require more.

Sacrifices must be made,

powers reclaimed.

First.

Shining brightly,

but not in the heavens,

a star has been hidden.

Only the worthy can ascend

to retrieve what it protects.

Lastly,

The true power of this realm

has been hidden from those

who should wield it.

One of the lost daughters of Rhea

will step into her strength,

bringing those that have wronged her

to their knees.

But only if she can look

without going mad.

Hurry now,

Make haste,

Before the tides have turned for good.”