Worth It - Lisa Oliver Page 0,23

that Paulie would have all he needed to make a new start in his life.

A life without Zeus in it, except for that comforting feeling Paulie had experienced most days since Christmas eve. A feeling he had even now, although he thought that might have more to do with the pendent around his neck, than the idea Zeus was watching him.

We claimed a god against his will, Paulie knew his animal side was listening.

There are times we can’t fight against our nature, and who knows when we might have had the chance again. The tiger’s tones were measured but sad. I could no more stop from claiming him than you could fly.

Ha! Paulie sob-chuckled. “I probably can fly. Who knows? Did you know we were a demigod?”

I knew we were different, special. The label for it didn’t bother me, it doesn’t change who we are.

Paulie sighed. As always, his tiger was right. He’d never thought much about who his father was, not because his mom convinced him the man was human, but because the two adults concerned in his creation didn’t have a relationship. The only thing between them had been an exchange of fluids and Paulie was the result. Wondering about it, now he knew he had other powers, wasn’t going to change anything.

Besides, he had bigger things to worry about. Do you think Zeus will be all right? I feel bad about leaving him the way we did.

You got the handle on translocating pretty quick though. His tiger sounded proud.

We got the handle on it, Paulie reminded his other half. I didn’t even know you were going to go after him.

A sound rumbled through Paulie’s head that was very similar to a chuckle. Instinct. He ran. I chased.

Across two realms. Paulie chuckled too. “It’s going to take some getting used to,” he said out loud. Sitting up, he rubbed over his arms, checking the time. The clock showed 12:05 and as it was dark outside, that meant midnight. The sandwich he’d eaten with Ra seemed like hours before, when in reality it was probably only about an hour. “I’m not sure what to do now.”

Sleep.

Paulie nodded, that was probably the best idea. He did have school in the morning and after the weekend he’d had, school epitomized a normal part of life he needed. But he couldn’t resist asking silently, what do we do about Zeus?

We wait, the tiger answered firmly. Give him time to accept his new reality and then if he doesn’t come to us, we’ll track him down.

Chapter Eight

“I’m not in.” Zeus glowered as someone knocked on the closed door of his office, knowing any second it would open because no damn person ever respected his privacy. After cleaning up the mess from his spectacular double-orgasm, Zeus had spent a long time staring at the brilliant scar now adorning his shoulder. It hadn’t taken him long to realize the tiger had heard his careless words said just before he’d been bitten, and as he tossed and turned in his bed, Zeus realized he needed a huge gesture to help win back his mate. Like finding Paulie’s father…

Which is why Zeus had been in his office since first light, working on trying to track down what gods had been on earth close to twenty-six years before. Not an easy job. During the meeting held after the Great War it’d been decided that no god from any pantheon could interfere in human affairs, but there’d never been any rules preventing a god from visiting, or even living among the beings that inhabited earth. Which gave Zeus a starting list of thousands. Discounting female gods cut down the list by just under half, but there was still a lot to wade through.

“I don’t know why you persist in saying you’re not in when you clearly are because I heard you speak.” Demeter came breezing into his office, looking particularly beautiful with her swept up hair and long flowing gown. “Aren’t you going to offer me a chair?” She stood, looking around expectantly.

“Chair,” Zeus grunted, flinging out a finger. He needed to make changes to his algorithm and add in more filters to cut the list down. “Busy.”

“Yes, with your piles of wires and plastic.” Zeus knew Demeter would be turning her nose up. She didn’t understand the importance of technology or how helpful it could be. “Zeus, I need you to pay attention to me. Something needs to be done for Persephone.”

“Again? Why?” Zeus tapped in a string