Page 10 of A Contemporary Mythos Thanksgiving
Poseidon snapped his fingers, sporting a blue polo t-shirt and grey slacks with matching loafers. “Knew it. You two are like rabbits.”
“I suppose I should dawn myformalwear,” Zeus grumbled, snapping his fingers with a spark.
In a beat, Zeus appeared in his King of the Gods form, a form that no mortal could see, or they’d burst into flames from its divine nature. His short, dark brown hair turned silver and grew to his collarbone. His trimmed shorter beard extended to his chest, matching the same silver tones as his hair. A piece of fabric draped over his torso replaced the shirt—the top half of his blue tunic. A gold metal crown circled his head, the middle rising to a sharpened point, and golden shin guards covered his knees and legs, his feet in sandals. On one knee bore an eagle’s head, the other a crown.
“Little brother, always so dramatic,” Poseidon scoffed.
Zeus trailed his fingers through his beard. “Please. You’re only jealous of my true form’s beard game.”
“I could grow mine.” Poseidon shrugged and waved him off.
“Are you two at it already?” Cordelia appeared in a sea spray with her hands on her hips, her teal gown flowing in wisps around her. Her long chocolate brown locks hung in loose ringlets to the middle of her back, a starfish pin holding a portion of it back. “Ah. Just like the mortal holidays I remember.”
I laughed, knowing full well what she meant, and continued to smile because it was something we could relate to on a formal mortal scale. I stepped to her and extended my hand. “Cordelia, such a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Cordelia curtsied and smiled at me before shaking my hand. “Your majesty. The role suits you. You’re glowing.”
Waving her off, feeling my cheeks blush, I grinned back. “No need for formalities. Especially considering you have far more experience than me. And the glow? Probably the heat lightning that’s simmering under my skin.”
“You all put this to memory, as I don’t intend on making it a habit,” Hades mumbled as he appeared in a swirl of fog and ash, his queen Stephanie at his side, their arms curled.
“Hades, my brother, when’s the last time you’ve been on Olympus?” Poseidon roared with laughter and clapped Hades on the shoulder.
Stephanie looked radiant in her cranberry cocktail dress, her wavy brown hair flowing to her hips, and tiny starburst barrettes in sporadic places. She patted Hades on the arm before frolicking to us with her arms outstretched. “My sister-queens. This is so nice of you to put this together, Keira.”
We all hugged as a trio, beaming at each other.
“I at least assume you are responsible and not Zeus?” Steph chewed on her thumbnail after edging her gaze at my husband and back again.
“Yes, it was me.” I caught Zeus’s gaze from across the room, heat pooling in my stomach from those sky-blue eyes carnally staring back at me. “But he came around pretty quickly.”
“Stephanie, I love that dress. That color on you never gets old,” Cordelia said, snapping me from momentarily eye fucking my husband from across the room.
Stephanie’s cheeks turned rosy. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wear it often because of how Hades looks at me in this color in particular.”
“Does he seriously still have a thing for pomegranates after all this time?” Cordelia peeked at Hades over his shoulder who stood between his brothers with his arms folded, stoic as ever.
“You have no idea,” Stephanie replied, snickering.
I clapped my hands together and addressed everyone. “Shall we get the business portion of the evening over so we can get to the best part? Eating and drinking?”
“Right you are, babe.” Zeus pointed at me and winked before moving to head chair on my left at the table.
Hades and Poseidon took the chairs closest and on either side of us, their Queens sitting beside them. Poseidon crept his fingers toward a platter of assorted fruit, and Cordelia slapped his knuckles. He frowned and slid his hand back, resting it in his lap.
“Brothers, Queens,” Zeus started, panning his gaze between us. “I don’t believe we should take Gaea’s words lightly. She ensured we’d all meet our Queens within two years. I get the sinking feeling something big is brewing.”
The skin between Cordelia’s eyes pinched. “Remind me what Gaea said again, please?”
“I can’t remember every single syllable, but something along the lines of my and Keira’s union paving the way for progression.” Zeus drew absent circles on the table. “We must be ready for our world to go beyond anything we knew.”
“She always was the cryptic sort,” Poseidon mumbled, edging his pinky toward the fruit platter again until Cordelia gave him a sidelong glare.
“A war is brewing,” Hades added.
All heads shot in his direction.
“A war? With who? There hasn’t been arealthreat in ages,” Zeus said, draping one arm over the back of his chair.
