Worth It - Lisa Oliver Page 0,5
tugged at his attention.
“What have you got against humans anyway?” Seemed Ra was keen on a change of subject, but his needless questioning was starting to annoy the crap out of Zeus.
Stay calm. “I don’t have anything against humans. Some of my favorite frolics have been with humans. I’m growing in popularity again in Greece with humans fighting for the right to believe in me and my family. Just because I don’t feel inclined to mingle with them like I used to, doesn’t mean I have a problem with them.”
“Then why won’t you come with me?” Ra was being persistent again. “What have you got against walking down there.” He waved at the screens. “It’s not all murder and mayhem, you know. And if the paranormals can keep themselves hidden and still live and work among humans every day, there’s no reason we can’t visit and have some fun once in a while too.”
“Can we not talk about paranormals please?” Zeus winced. “If you really want a reason why I don’t visit earth, then that’s my reason. Paranormals. They were a bad idea from the start and should never have been allowed to keep breeding.”
“Zeus!”
Ra’s shocked tone let Zeus know he’d gone too far. “I’m just not a fan, okay,” he said quickly, holding up his now empty hands. “It’s fine if Hades and Sei want to bare their neck and carry scars proclaiming forever love, then that’s up to them. But paranormals can’t keep their teeth to themselves and to me that’s a direct violation of the free will law. One bite from a paranormal and a being is tied to that person for the rest of their lives, which for gods like us is eternity. How can that be fair or right?”
Ra’s eyes mirrored his disbelief. “You do know that’s only among true mates, right? Unless you met your true mate, the one gifted by the fates, then any other paranormal bite would result in you smiting them from existence and no one would blink an eye about it. Immortals like us can’t be scarred unless the bite comes from a mate.”
“I do know that.” Zeus had spent months searching every text ever written trying to find a loophole to the true mate curse. “But the thing is, and this is something I bet the Fates haven’t even considered, not everyone wants to be mated and tied down to one person forevermore. Sei appealed to the Fates twice to get his mating to Claude broken. Those old crones laughed him out of their glade.”
“It was only once.” Ra shook his head. “If you’re going to tell a story get your facts straight. Sei complained about it after he did a runner from Claude the first time when Claude bit him. The second time he went to the Fates was because, and I do think he was right with that, he didn’t know Claude was from the god line and didn’t think the Fates had the right to impose children on the unwilling. But then it all worked out, because that brother of yours is a doting father on those twins.”
“Unless it’s their bath time,” Zeus muttered darkly. “Besides, it’s not the kid aspect that bugs me – it’s the other side effect that keeps me away from anything para.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Ra clicked himself up a chair and made himself comfortable. “A fated mate is every being’s dream, paranormal or not.”
“Not this being.” Zeus thumped the arm of his chair.
“But why?” Ra lounged back in his chair. “Honestly, I think the idea is adorable. You and I, we’ve lost count of the centuries we’ve been alive. It was all fine and dandy when we were being actively worshipped by thousands of people, and we could actually have a say in world affairs, but since we’ve become an afterthought in societal thinking, all we have to look forward to is centuries of boredom.”
“I’m never bored,” Zeus cut in quickly, but Ra kept going.
“Having a fated mate would change all that. I’m bloody glad the Fates are tying gods to mortals – paranormal or not. I’m hoping I get my turn real soon.”
“You’re missing the point.” Zeus could be just as stubborn as his friend. “Having a mate around for a while might be fun but look at all our mated family members. None of them have been mated longer than a year or so. They’re still swept up in the novelty of living as humans