“Why isn’t it raining?” Lasse clutched his head as he struggled to get upright. “Give me some cloud cover at least. That fucking sun is too bright and what the hell crawled in my mouth and died?”
Opening his eyes, Lasse groaned as he took in the surroundings. He was in what Thor called his ‘power fuck pad’ – a huge penthouse apartment that took up the top floor of one of Manhattan’s highest skyscrapers. Lasse knew Thor only bought it because he liked to stand on the balcony at night and imagine smiting what he called the worker ants who lived below. Not that Thor would ever do that. Odin would kick his ass to the seven pits of hell if he tried. Gods stopped intervening in the lives of mortals centuries ago. But the last thing Lasse needed to be confronted with in his current state was miles upon miles of freaking glass. His friend didn’t believe in curtains and the guest room resembled a very large, plush, goldfish bowl.
“I’m not robbing my little worker ants of one of their rare glimpses of genuine sunshine,” Thor said as he strode in bare chested and wearing nothing but a pair of black jeans. Lasse had seen his friend naked a thousand times so the sight did nothing for him, even if Thor was one of the sexiest men in existence. He was more interested in the large bottle of water Thor was carrying.
“Gimme. Gimme,” he said, holding out his hand, snatching the bottle from Thor’s grasp. “And how many times do I have to remind you, the good folk living in this city are not your little worker ants. They all have busy productive lives of their own and probably don’t know you exist.”
“I miss the good old days,” Thor moved over to the window, scratching his belly as he frowned out the glass. “Back in the day, all this would’ve been ours for the taking. People would fall to their knees as we walked by; offerings would be left at our doorstep. Maidens would cook giant feasts for us and all we’d have to do is keep our population safe.”
“You need to move with the times. It takes more than your fancy hammer to keep populations safe these days.” Lasse gingerly moved to the side of the bed. Now his throat wasn’t so parched, he desperately needed to pee. “Besides, all the ancient gods were corrupt fornicators that did nothing more than fight amongst themselves. You should know, you were one of them. How many kids did you end up with before humans invented birth control?”
“None.” Thor turned from the window. “I spent all my time in battle and it wasn’t as though I’d let my cock get anywhere near anyone with a hint of god’s blood in them. Speaking of sticking your cock anywhere, what are you going to do about your errant mate? ‘Cos I have to tell you, while drunk fighting with you is always a barrel of laughs, I don’t want you breaking my nose again. It took me two hours to get it perfectly straight last night.” His finger ran down the aristocratic length mentioned.
“I’ve never met anyone so vain about their looks, except my father. A broken nose would give your features some character.” Lasse gently shook his head as he stood. It wasn’t a good move. The pounding in his head increased accompanied by the hollow beat of his heart. Ignoring Thor’s digs about his mate, he shuffled over to the bathroom, making sure the door was firmly shut before doing what he had to do.
He was trying to relax the ache in his neck and shoulders under the heat of a powerful shower when Thor came barging in again. “So, what’s the plan with your mate? Kidnapping, chains, a pleasure dungeon?” Bouncing Thor was more annoying than Lasse ever remembered his brother, Nereus being.
“I don’t have a plan. I don’t see the point in one.” Turning off the water, Lasse stepped out of the shower and grabbed the nearest towel. “You were standing right beside me when I was outright rejected. You heard what he said as clearly as I did, not to mention half the audience in the front row of that wretched fight. I’m not going to go chasing after a thug who prefers beating humans to a pulp rather than wooing his mate. I’m not that damn pathetic.”
“Hey,” Thor said quietly. “I never once said you were pathetic and if I ever hear anyone else saying that about you, they’d cease to exist. Did you want me to have a chat with my father and see if he can get you an audience with the Fates? Maybe we can see if they would switch your mate to someone more in tune with what you’re looking for?”
“Nah,” Lasse shook his head, pleased to feel his headache disappearing. Hanging up the towel he’d used, he dressed himself with a click of his fingers. In deference to the warm day he’d opted for cargo shorts and a sleeveless tank-top. “Your dad’s great and all that, but if he knew I was having mate problems then he’d call my dad and then my dad would tell everyone down here and in the Sun palace. Face it. I’ve been without a mate this long. Maybe if we stay away from each other I might get a chance at another one in a couple of hundred years or so.”
Somehow, that thought didn’t make Lasse feel any better, but it was a better response than crying like a baby, which was his first reaction. All this time he’d dreamed of holding a mate so badly…and yeah, he’d been given the short end of the stick, that’s for sure. But he knew better than to break down in front of Thor – in front of anyone really. Demi-gods weren’t supposed to have soppy emotions.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t as successful as hiding his emotions as he thought. “Fuck, you know I’m not good at this comforting shit.” Lasse found himself the recipient of a giant bear hug. “If that Jason thug doesn’t want you, then he’s the fucking fool. No one could be a kinder or sweeter mate than you.”
Thor’s body was hot and strong against his, but he didn’t know his own strength. Lasse huffed as his nose and mouth were smothered in his friend’s hair and he struggled to breathe. “It’s all good,” he gasped, slapping Thor on the back. “I’ve got friends. I’ve got a huge family. I am who I am and yeah, you’re right. I would be kind and sweet as a mate.” Pulling away from Thor’s hold, he tilted his head. “But is that part of my problem, do you think? Maybe I’m just too nice?”
“Well, you have been known to give me a toothache from time to time,” Thor agreed as he guided Lasse out of the bathroom. “But if you’re thinking about a change of image, then how about we plan that over breakfast? I could eat a horse and then fuck the rider.”
“Isn’t that how you normally do things?” Lasse grinned. “Let’s focus on the eating side of things first.”
Hmm, a change of image…is that even possible for someone like me? Somehow, Lasse didn’t think it was likely. He’d been true to himself a lot of years. But at least his question had diverted his friend and spending the day with Thor was better than sitting around moping.
/~/~/~/~/
Jason was spitting mad. His animal’s ability to track anyone anywhere was useful to the extreme, but tracking gods, or sons of gods all over the damn place was getting on his last nerve. He was almost certain that meddling Thor knew he was on their trail and was deliberately leading him on a merry dance. The Norse god had been too handsy, too joking, just too fucking all over his mate all day and the only reason Jason hadn’t gone up and decked him was because he didn’t want Lasse to know he was being watched.
And why is that? His animal spirit asked as Jason lurked in the shadows of a café awning, watching Thor and Lasse in the gym across the road. Isn’t the whole point of tracking him down so you can apologize for being a mean bastard and making him feel like shit in front of dozens of people?
Yes…no…shut up a minute. Jason’s eyes narrowed. Using his enhanced sight, he glared as Thor tackled his mate to the ground. The damn god is humping him. He’s fucking getting his rocks off in public on my mate.
What do you care? You already told him you didn’t want him. Did you think he was going to stay celibate for eternity just because you think you’re better than everyone else?
I’m not. I didn’t. I…. Jason wanted to throw his hands up in frustration, but he couldn’t afford to draw attention to himself. His kind were the ultimate in solitary beings. Yes, he made a promise to his sister seven millennia earlier but being sociable didn’t include taking a mate. And yet, after Lasse left the night before, all Jason could think about was the deep hue of the man’s eyes. He wondered if that beard was as soft as it looked. His imagination teased him with much the same scene as he was watching now, except in his head he’d be the one humping the sexy demi-god and there’d be a lot less clothes between them.
It should be me, damn it. I’m going to need eye bleach if I watch much more of Thor’s carry on. Fuck it. I’m breaking them up. If Lasse wants to wrestle so badly, he can do it with me.
Hold up. His animal half suddenly went on full alert. We’re not the only ones watching our mate and his friend. Someone else has just popped into the area.
Who? What? Jason wasn’t silly enough to ignore his other half…well, not all the time. He’d ignored him the night before and ended up sleeping with stone feet which was not comfortable – his animal’s way of showing displeasure. But he got the warning. If he didn’t pull his head out of his ass, he’d end up like his sister and there was no coming back from that.
Our visitor is from the underworld – Cerberus from the smell of him. Why would Hades’ pet be on the human dimension and in human form?
He’d stand out like dog’s balls in fur. Those heads of his are hard to miss. Ducking behind a passing bus Jason sprinted across the road, narrowly missing getting his foot clipped by a yellow taxi. Cerberus, and with that flat mug it couldn’t be anyone else, was lurking in an alley by the gym. Trusting his animal to keep him hidden, Jason crept up behind the unsuspecting man and threw his arm around Cerberus’s neck.
“What do you want with my mate?” Jason hissed as Cerberus tried tugging at his arm and kicking trying to free himself. The guardian of the underworld’s neck was a weak spot and had been for centuries; ever since Hercules managed to overcome him and drag him from his prized position. But even after so many years, Cerberus hadn’t yet learned how to break the hold. If he wasn’t such an ass, Jason would’ve shown him how to get free, but Cerberus wasn’t known for being friendly to any living creature. The spirits of the undead were another matter entirely.
“Ja,” Cerberus rasped, “You haven’t changed one bit. Which one of the god line has the misfortune to be cast as your mate?”
“I’d watch who you’re insulting, dog,” Jason snarled. “If you thought I was bad before, with a mate you can bet I’ll be ten times worse. My mate is Lasse, son of Poseidon, your master’s nephew. What do you want with him?”
Cerberus stilled. Over Cerberus’s shoulder, Jason saw Thor and Lasse leaving the gym, heading in the opposite direction, Thor’s hand still resting on Lasse’s neck like he owned him. Jason stifled a sigh. He was getting damn tired of following the two men around. The sun was just starting to set, and he was exhausted thanks to the lack of sleep from the night before. But after what he’d seen in the gym, Jason knew he had to present himself to Lasse before the night was over. The friendship between Lasse and Thor was legendary although as far as Jason knew, the friends had never been intimate. But after being rejected – yeah, Jason could see now that was a totally dumb move – there was a good chance Lasse might fall into his friend’s bed. Just thinking about that was enough to make Jason break out his animal side and level the city.
First things first. “I asked you a question,” Jason tightened his arm around Cerberus’s neck. “I know you’re not here for Thor; he and Hades have nothing to do with each other. Why are you spying on Lasse?”
“Not spying.” Jason relaxed his arm enough for Cerberus to speak. “Need to talk to him about his uncle.”
“Why him? Why not Nereus, or one of the others?”
“Nereus is mated. So’s Poseidon. The others…let’s just say Lasse was the easiest to approach. He cares for Hades.”
My mate’s a freaking saint, Jason thought. Out of all the gods from all the ancient religions, Hades was the enigmatic one; the one no one wanted to get on the wrong side of. “What does Hades want Lasse to do?”
“Nothing.” Cerberus turned in Jason’s arm, proving he had learned some tricks since Hercules. “I am here to beg a favor. Hades is missing, and the underworld is in an uproar. I don’t know how much longer I can keep it from Zeus. Hades must be found.”
Shit, something like this could cause a war among the ancients; big enough to wipe out all mankind.
We must be there to protect our mate. Jason was beginning to think since seeing Lasse, his animal side had a one-tracked mind. But he was right. Lasse was too good a person to be mixed up in anything involving the underworld. It would take someone powerfully strong and a possessor of great magic to make Hades do anything or go anywhere he didn’t want to. Jason shivered at the idea of Lasse facing someone like that. Even with Thor by his side, Lasse wouldn’t stand a chance. The ancients harbored a lot of evil doers in their midst; Jason knew most of them and just thinking about what they could do to a gentle soul like Lasse was enough to send shivers down his spine.
“We’d better go and find them then, hadn’t we?” Not bothering to see if Cerberus was following, Jason took off running.