had ten minutes and then he had to get to his next class.
Chapter Nine
Three days later and Zeus wasn’t getting any closer to finding out who Paulie’s father might be. And as time moved quickly, he realized if he didn’t do something soon, his gesture might be for nothing. He still kept an eye on his mate – yes, he could now think the word without feeling caged – and Paulie seemed to be more sociable at school than he had been. It wasn’t much, but he was talking more with others as he walked around the campus. The young man still went home to his apartment every night, and worked diligently on papers that Zeus wished he hadn’t insisted on, and all the while the urge to go to him, to tell Paulie that he was sorry, got stronger and stronger.
The other urge Zeus had, and it confounded the heck out of him because it was so unusual, was that Zeus wanted to talk to someone about Paulie. He needed ideas, tips, maybe someone could come up with another huge but easier gesture than scrolling through trying to trace the wanderings of a hundred or more gods, twenty-six years before. Unfortunately, being the god of everything meant there were very few people he could trust. If anyone in Olympus knew what he was mulling over, he’d be laughed off his throne.
Ra was the obvious choice. He already knew about Paulie. But every time Zeus was poised to yell for the man, he’d remember Ra’s smirk as he’d run from Paulie’s tiger. Giving the infuriating god even more ammunition against him just wasn’t a good idea.
Zeus knew he could talk to either of his brothers – they were both mated to shifters themselves. Poseidon, the god of the sea, would be easier to have a face to face with, because he spent most of his time with a pack in Tulsa which meant Zeus wouldn’t need permission to visit him. But then Zeus remembered Sei’s incessant need to inject sex into everything – he couldn’t remember the last time his brother had been serious about anything and Zeus didn’t need any help in that department.
Which left Hades. Zeus tapped his fingers on his desk. His older brother was expecting, which meant he rarely left the Underworld. There had been talk, yes Zeus did eavesdrop on his brothers occasionally too, about them staying in Hades’ house in Greece until after the baby was born. But deeming it too risky, and unwilling to arouse any gossip when the baby made its appearance, Hades agreed to Ali’s insistence that the Underworld was a perfectly fine place to bring up their child.
But Zeus was carrying a lot of guilt about his brother. He’d been invited to the celebration of Hades’ mating, and he hadn’t gone. Terse messages from Poseidon afterwards calling him a snob, an elitist and an asshole brother, hadn’t helped. Zeus knew he should’ve gone, the same as he could’ve gone to Poseidon’s wedding, but… shifters.
I got jumped on and claimed anyway. Zeus could see the humor in the situation now. Refusing to second guess himself any longer, Zeus clicked up a message ball, sending it to the Underworld. He knew it’d been received because a bright voice filled the room.
“Consort Ali speaking. Hades is supposed to be resting. Is this important?”
“Er… well, it is to me, but…” Zeus inhaled sharply. “This is Zeus, your brother-in-law. I’m seeking access to the Underworld to visit my brother and his new mate. I have a delicate matter I wish to discuss.”
“Oh, my gods, Hades, it’s Zeus.” Ali must have been yelling because half of Olympus would’ve heard him. “He wants to come and visit. Isn’t that cool?”
“What have I told you about answering message orbs, my precious.” Hades’ deeper voice got closer. “Zeus, brother, it’s been a long time.”
“Too long,” Zeus agreed. “I owe you a million apologies and wish to congratulate you on your mating. I’ve been…” an ass, a snob, busy? “…unforgivably rude, even more so when I am reaching out now to seek your advice. Will you allow me access to your domain?”
“Brother, you’ve always been as welcome here as I have been on Olympus.”
Ouch. While Zeus had never made Hades feel unwelcome, he’d never stopped the shunning and nasty comments from others either.
“Hades!” Zeus heard the slap of skin on skin. “What my mate meant to say was you’re very welcome,” Ali said pertly. “What was in the past is