Chapter Seven
Geri
Geri brushed the soil from her hands and stood back, surveying the neat rows of seedlings nestled in the garden beds behind their home. A breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying the faint scent of sun-warmed stone and wild herbs. She felt a swell of pride.
She was especially grateful that Persephone and Demeter had stopped by last week. With just a touch of their magic, her tomatoes, cucumbers, and berry bushes were already looking more vibrant, leaves unfurling as though eager to soak in Olympus’s sunlight.
The previous garden that had been here was mostly ornamental.
It was beautiful—and very much alive, as Apollo had taken her to see it—but she wanted something different for this new place.
So, she thought, why not make something more useful?
The soil here was divine—but still not quite the same as Alaska’s rich earth, and growing upperworld fruits and veggies in it had been a challenge.
Now, though, each little plant seemed to glow with life.
She wiped the sweat from her brow, smiling.
It wasn’t exactly a farm in the wilds of Alaska… but it was hers.
Speaking of…she wiped her hands on her gardening apron before pulling out her phone. She hit Cade’s contact and waited.
“Geri,” he answered, his voice gruff as ever.
“Turn on the video,” she demanded, leaning closer to the screen.
A pause. “No.”
She let out a huff of frustration but let it go. Her brother was more bullheaded than she was, and some battles were not worth fighting. “Fine. How’s the pack?”
“It’s fine,” Cade replied shortly. “I’m…reorganizing everything. Changing our security protocols.”
“Reorganizing how?” she pressed, but he offered no further detail.
Instead, Cade deflected. “How are you?”
She brightened. “Good! My garden’s coming along. Persephone and Demeter helped. The plants are finally starting to take.”
“That’s good,” Cade said, his voice softening just a hair. “I know you love gardening.”
“Olympus is…good. I’ve mostly been hanging out with some of the members of the Twelve.”
“The Twelve?” Cade repeated.
“Yeah—the council of Olympians.”
“Oh. Right,” he said. “Like who?”
“Oh, Hestia, Aphrodite, Demeter, Persephone, of course, though she’s not one of the Twelve. And Artemis.”
“Right.” His voice shifted slightly. “How is she?”
“Artemis?” she echoed, surprised by the question. “Uh…she’s fine. A little distracted, but I don’t know her well enough to know why.”
Another grunt from Cade. “Apollo said you were doing renovations? Didn’t peg you for that,” he teased.
“He’s in charge of it,” she replied, brushing a bit of dirt off her arm. “I try to give some opinions because…yeah, I’m not into those things.”
Another awkward silence stretched across the call.
“Well, I gotta go,” Cade finally said. “Xavier just walked in.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, I’ll talk to you soon,” she said, and the call ended.
Geri stared at her phone, uneasy. Cade wouldn’t hide anything truly important about the pack from her, but something felt off.
She tucked the phone away and headed back toward their house, only to hear her name echo across the lake. She turned and spotted Apollo standing on the shore, sunlight gleaming off the water behind him.
“I just talked to Cade,” she said quietly as she sat next to him. “Something felt…off.”
Apollo frowned. “I didn’t notice anything when I was there yesterday. He didn’t say anything major was happening.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” she said, gnawing her lip. “But now that I think about it…it seemed like he wanted to know about Artemis.”
“Well, they’re friends,” he said, shrugging. “After all they went through to put Arcane out of business.”
“I guess,” she murmured.
“Hey,” he slipped his arm around her shoulders. “It’s probably nothing.”
“Hmm,” she said doubtfully.
“Do you need a distraction?” he whispered in her ear.
“Oh my gods, Apollo,” she exclaimed, swatting his chest. “I didn’t know you had an exhibitionist streak.”
He burst out laughing. “I didn’t say we were going to do it out here.”
They kissed, lingering and sweet, until Geri found herself thinking, Yeah…and if he did want to do it out here, I wouldn’t exactly say no.
Then a voice broke in, dry and disgusted. “Gross. Please don’t tell me you’re still in your honeymoon phase.”
Apollo sighed, tilting his head back. “Hello, dear sister.”
Artemis crossed her arms, eyes narrowed. “I come to check on my friend, and this is what I walk into? You two playing tonsil hockey by a lake?”
He shot her a wicked grin. “Careful, Artemis. You might learn a thing or two.”
“From you? Please.” She sniffed. “I’d sooner take dating tips from a Minotaur.”
“Okay, okay,” Geri laughed, cutting in. “Time-out before you two start shooting arrows at each other. What’s up, Artemis?”
“Girls’ night with Aphrodite, remember?” Artemis said, planting her hands on her hips.
“Oh, right!” Geri blurted, eyes widening. “Well…you’re going to help me, right?” she asked, fishing for rescue.
Apollo laughed, shaking his head. “Oh, you know she won’t be able to resist being useful.”
Artemis shot him a withering glare but ignored the jab, extending a hand to Geri. “Come on. There are some grazing boards and snacks I’ve been wanting to try. What do you think?”
“That sounds perfect,” Geri said, letting Artemis pull her up.
They headed inside, and within minutes, Artemis had completely taken over the kitchen, her sleeves rolled up and hair pinned back as she orchestrated a flurry of chopping, arranging, and taste-testing.
Geri hovered beside her, handing over ingredients and occasionally sneaking bites of fruit and nuts.
When Apollo wandered back in, sniffing dramatically at the air, he reached for a wedge of cheese—only to find Artemis blocking him with a cutting board. “Don’t even think about ruining what I made. This is your board,” she declared, thrusting a personal-sized platter into his hands.
He grinned at his sister and leaned in to press a kiss to Geri’s cheek. “Have a great night, ladies.”
A breadstick sailed through the air, bouncing off his shoulder as Artemis huffed, “Out!”
Apollo called over his shoulder as he left, “Don’t wait up!” in a singsong voice.
Artemis rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. “How did I put up with him for so long? Good thing he’s your problem now.”
Geri chuckled, and Artemis cracked a grin, laughter bubbling between them.
“Aphrodite should be here soon,” Geri announced.
Together, they carried the trays into the lounge, where the massive windows overlooked the shimmering lake, bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun.
Just as they were arranging everything, Artemis’s phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen and sighed. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back.
” She slipped out onto the deck, closing the glass door behind her.
Moments later, Aphrodite materialized in a swirl of rosy light. She beamed at Geri. “Darling! Look at this spread!”
Geri laughed and stepped in for a quick hug. “Hey, Aphrodite. Come grab a plate.”
Aphrodite wasted no time piling goodies onto a dish, sighing happily after a taste. “This is divine. What are we drinking?”
“I…hadn’t thought about that yet,” she admitted.
Aphrodite waved a manicured hand. “Well, my friend from the Upperworld says everyone’s obsessed with espresso martinis right now.”
“Ah, yes,” she said with a grin. “That would be a nice treat after. But why don’t we start with some wine to go with all this?”
“Perfect,” Aphrodite agreed, settling onto one of the plush couches.
As Geri poured crisp white wine into sparkling glasses, she added, “Artemis is just outside on a call. She’ll be back in a minute.”
They clinked glasses and were chatting about Olympus goings-on—who was feuding with whom, new temples under renovation, and Hellenagram trends.
By the time Artemis slipped back into the room, Geri was sipping an espresso martini, savoring the sweet bitterness on her tongue.
“Hey,” she greeted, giving Aphrodite a quick smile before sinking into a chair beside Geri.
“I tried EternaGlow with Hestia the other day,” Geri said.
Aphrodite threw her head back and laughed. “Isn’t it ridiculous? It’s delicious, though.”
Geri snickered, shaking her head at the memory. Then she glanced at Artemis, who was staring out the window and seemed miles away, lost in her thoughts. “Artemis? What do you want to drink?” she asked, studying her with concern.
Artemis forced a smile. “Right, girls’ night. Sorry, I’m a bit out of it. What are you drinking?”
“An espresso martini,” she replied, holding up her glass.
“Perfect, I’ll have one too.”
“Okay, an espresso martini it is.”
Aphrodite, who had been watching, waved her hand, and two drinks materialized on the table in front of them. The goddess of love raised her glass. “To girls’ night,” she said, her voice carrying a warmth that made it impossible not to smile.
Artemis lifted her glass, clinking it against Geri’s and Aphrodite’s.
They smiled warmly, leaning in as Aphrodite launched into a story about one of her Upperworld escapades, eyes sparkling with mischief.
“So there we were, in Santorini, and he thought he was being so discreet sneaking into my villa, only to crash straight into a marble statue of me. Knocked the head clean off!” She mimed the tumble dramatically, and Geri nearly snorted her drink, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
Artemis sat back against the cushions, one arm draped along the sofa as she murmured, “Typical,” under her breath.
Aphrodite’s voice dropped to a playful whisper. “And let’s just say…he more than made up for the accident afterward.” Geri blushed while Artemis shook her head slightly, a faint smile ghosting across her lips.
Artemis’s phone chimed, and Geri watched her typing on the bright pink bejeweled phone. She gave Artemis a careful look. “Everything okay?”