“It’s not as grueling as it looks.”

I blinked and stared up at what seemed like an impossible feat on my best day and cursed myself for drinking so much on the plane yesterday. My problems were still there when I awoke, only now my temples throbbed and I’d already used up all my patience getting through customs and the car ride from Athens to Mount Olympus.

Now that I was standing at the base of it, the solid day and a half hike had me shaking in my not-boots.

Which reminded me…

“I’m wearing flip flops,” I pointed out as I rubbed my aching head.

“We got you," said Christoph. His voice always came as a slight surprise to me as I heard it so irregularly. He was a hard one to get a handle on, his long silences and unwillingness to make eye contact could be interpreted as sullen or shy, and I found myself vacillating between the two possibilities.

He took a bag from the trunk of the car and pulled out a pair of hiking boots.

"My size?" I asked.

"Of course." I had been joking but Christoph answered earnestly, as if I might have been criticizing. Damn he was hard to read.

As I put on the boots, I stared up at the mountain that towered above us, on top of which, apparently, the ancient Greek gods still resided. It looked like a hell of a long walk.

"Do living effigies have powers?" I asked.

"Powers?"

"Like - I mean, gods can do all sorts of shit; rains of frogs, red rivers, and all sorts of shit. I guess you can't do that or you'd be gods, but can you - you know - do anything?"

Nico and Christoph looked to Alexei, not wanting to reply without his permission, which was an answer in itself.

Alexei hedged. "As you say, we aren't gods. But we can do... some things that might be impressive to a human."

"Do any of those things include getting me up a mountain without walking?" I asked, hopefully. I'm a city girl; mountain hiking is not in my skill-set and I'm not keen to add it.

Alexei smiled. "Potentially. But not today."

"Why the hell not?"

"The gods want proof that you can put the work in. If you can't get to the top of a mountain, then how are you going to save the world?"

"Think of it like the first task," suggested Nico.

"So after this I only have five more?" I said, hopefully.

"No, still six. I guess you should view this more as like a bonus task,” he added.

Great.

I stood up. “Well, we'd better get going, then.”

What would be cool to say at this point would be that, because I had 'god' in my blood, that I took to the slopes of Mount Olympus like it was my natural home. In the same way that trickery and deceit were in my nature because of my father, so mountain climbing was as natural as breathing in and out. Unfortunately, my father failed me yet again, I took to mountain hiking as naturally as a cat takes to deep sea diving. I struggled, I sweated, I ached, I blistered. Every step hurt and with every one I cursed my father. To make matters more irritating, my three comrades strode up the mountain as if it was a gentle slope, their superb muscles barely even taxed.

"I suppose if you took it in turns to carry me that would be breaking the rules, too?" I asked, hotly.

Alexei looked back at me, a curious expression on his face. "We can help you up if you would like?"

I met his gaze and felt the stubborn determination flow into me. "I can manage!"

"Okay."

He had known what I would say. However much I hated hiking and mountains, I hated seeming weak even more. No way was I giving up. I would climb this damn mountain just to prove that I could. Not to them, not to the gods, not to damn daddy Dolos, but to myself. There was nothing that Cat Cain couldn't do, because I was my mother's daughter and I would not be defeated.

"Tell me about yourselves," I said. Once again, I wanted something to distract me from the task ahead, the pain in my legs, and the fact that we weren't even halfway yet.

"What's to tell?" said Alexei. "We are the servants of your father."

"Is he a good boss?" I asked.

"He doesn't ask for much," said Nico. "Not these days. Time was when there were always heroes to help or to hinder, depending on what mood your dad was in. There were ships to sink, kings to trick into turning stuff to gold, standard stuff."

"Did you help with his womanizing?" I didn't want to know anything about my father. And yet I couldn't help asking. Something about me wanted to know. My curiosity outweighed my hatred. They had already confirmed to me that my mom was not the first human he had seduced, I suppose I wanted to know more. How many women like my mom had there been? How many children like me had there been?

Perhaps it was my own uncertainty about asking the question that made them pause, but Alexei eventually answered. "We were his... what would you call it? Wingmen? The fun for your father was always in the hunt. Dolos is, by nature, a trickster - he cannot help what he is, it's what he was made to be; wrought by the collective imaginations of mankind. He could take any form, assume any guise and so he could doubtless charm most women into bed without the need for subterfuge, but that wasn't the point to him."

"He liked to play the game." Nico nodded. "Anyone can seduce a girl in the character of a rich handsome man with the charm of a snake and the attributes of a horse. But it takes a trickster to seduce a woman while in the shape of a goose."

"I thought that was Zeus?" I had done some background reading.

"Zeus was a swan," Alexei clarified. "In that form he seduced Leda. Your father decided to go one better; a goose."

"That's why there's little love lost between them," said Nico. "Anything Zeus could do your father had to do better. If Zeus seduced a woman whilst in the shape of a bull, your father could do it disguised as a goat."

Christoph shook his head. "I was really glad when they got past the animal phase. It was just weird."

"As the ancient world subsided," Alexei continued, "and allegiance to the ancient gods diminished, so the games became more subtle."

"Subtle?" asked Nico.

"I think that's the word. I mean, back in the day, a talking goose was understood to be a god in disguise. As time passed and people became more 'enlightened' it was just a sign of insanity. So Dolos preferred to seduce his women in a more human shape, though he still made a game of it. Just a different game."

"How so?" Again, I didn't want to know. I just had to.

"Married women, royalty. Anyone who might be a challenge, and anyone whose seduction might cause a little chaos on Earth. More recently, celebrities."

"Anyone I would have heard of?"

Alexei mimed a zipper across his mouth. "Confidentiality."

"My dad is coming across as a dick."

We stopped for lunch, sitting on a rocky outcrop. I might not have liked the act of mountaineering but it did have its rewards, and seeing the country laid out before me like a carpet was one of them. It didn't look real. That might also have been because it was another country. We had driven from the airport to Mount Olympus in such a rush that I had not had time to appreciate that we were in another country. I still didn't really believe it. But as we sat there, staring down at that remarkable landscape, I started to. A deer wandered by, barely giving us a look. I had seen a chamois earlier - something I had never even heard of but which appeared to be a big goat with a death wish; the stupid thing was climbing a nearly sheer cliff like Spider-Man. A flock of birds flew by. It wouldn't have surprised me if they broke into song like this was a Disney film.

"This is what Zeus wishes to preserve," said Christoph. I think it was the first time I had heard him volunteer a comment without being prompted.

"I guess we're not great at looking after wildlife," I admitted, on behalf of mankind. "But it seems to be doing okay here."

"Wildlife is protected on Mount Olympus," Alexei explained. "Zeus sees to that. Any house built will fall down. Any hunter who comes here will mysteriously break his leg or be savaged by wild cats. Zeus cares about his creations."

"And yet he is planning to destroy them all?"

"And start from scratch," said Nico. "Can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."

We walked on, the path vanishing and the rocks getting steeper as we climbed.

"So if my father doesn't ask much of you these days, what do you do?" I asked.

"What we like," shrugged Nico. "As long as we are available whenever your father calls, then we may live where we please and do as we please."

"It's a big world," said Alexei. "Even for us, there are always new sights to see."

I fancied that I could hear in his tone his own love for the world. He would be sorry to see it gone before he had seen everything there was to see. Suddenly, I realized that this 'quest', which I had so far only seen from a personal perspective, had consequences for others, as well. Consequences that were equally personal. Saving the world sounded like saving one thing, but actually it was saving lots and lots of little things, some so tiny you would not even notice them, and yet they were still beautiful in their way. I wasn't sure I had ever thought thoughts like these before. Maybe it was the mountain air.

Reaching a flat plateau, fringed by trees, we stopped.

"We'll make camp here," said Alexei.

"Right," I said. I couldn't keep the relief out of my voice but I did manage not to cheer. I felt as if I could collapse where I stood, my legs barely able to hold me up. I was also famished. "What's for dinner?"

"Fish," said Alexei.

"You brought fish up here in a backpack?"

"No."

As Christoph cut some slim branches and began to sharpen them into spears, I wondered if my presence on a fishing expedition was really necessary. It seemed to me that I would be more in the way than of help. I voiced this feeling to Christoph.

"I agree. But Alexei said you had to come with me."

Not very comforting. Perhaps this, like the hike up the mountain, was a test of my worthiness for the task of saving mankind. I suggested this to Christoph.

"Maybe."

It wasn't getting any easier to draw Christoph out. He remained taciturn and unknowable. I idly wondered about how living effigies went about developing different personalities - as they very clearly did. Perhaps their maker - my dad - chose personalities for them. God alone knew what he was thinking when he made Christoph. Or at least Christoph's personality - I really couldn't fault the job done on his body.

"Come on." Christoph handed me a spear and we headed deeper into the trees. Up ahead I could hear the sound of rushing water and we emerged out beside a fast-flowing river, dashing itself against the rocks as it poured down the mountainside.

"You should take off your shoes and roll up your pants," said Christoph, kneeling down to do the same.

"Are you kidding?"

We were going to wade into that death trap?

He looked up at me, perplexed. "No. They will get wet otherwise."

"I mean; are you kidding, that is dangerous."

"I never kid about danger."

Rather than rolling up his pants, Christoph simply removed them, revealing to my lingering gaze his strong, bare legs, corded with lean muscles. The plaid shirt he wore hung low around the tops of his thighs and I bit my lip, hoping that a breath of wind might give me a glimpse of his tight ass.

I shook my head trying to dispel the thought, which was clearly not worthy of a savior of the world, who had kissed this man's comrade the day before. I'm not a virgin, I'm not a saint, and I'm as susceptible as the next girl to a handsome guy with a ripped body, but I always thought I had some self-control. Something about these three men had gotten me more hot and bothered than I had been since I was a hormone-driven teen, stumbling from one lust-fueled encounter to the next. A good grifter can't be a slave to their urges. Even Remi - who has a serious weak spot for a pretty girl - can put his libido on hold. But since meeting these guys, I no longer seemed to have any self-control at all. It was scary. And so very fucking nice at the same time.

The pants I had worn for this hike were even more unsuitable for fishing than they had been for hiking and I gave up trying to roll them up after a couple of tries. Instead, I followed Christoph's example and slipped out of them altogether, a long T-shirt hiding my modesty and the Avengers panties that Remi had given me for my birthday as a joke. Actually, I sort of wanted Christoph to be sneaking looks at me the way I was at him, but there was no sign of it in his demeanor. He passed me a spear.

"Stay close to me. Try not to spear your own foot."

Good advice. He waded out into the river and I followed, gasping at the cold water.

"I'm gonna freeze in here!"

"Quiet. The fish will hear you."

"Christoph, it's fucking cold!"

"Then hunt fast. And hold still."

"I'm shivering."

"Should have kept your pants on."

Somehow, that last statement gave me the strength I needed. It seemed vaguely insulting that he wanted me to put my pants back on. Never has any man had that reaction before when I disrobed. At that point, I have their attention. Christoph didn't seem to care. I felt like I could have been standing there naked and he still wouldn't have given a shit. I know that men aren't supposed to perv on women like that, and had it been a different man I would have been incensed, but when it's someone you like it's hard not to be a little offended.

As well as apparently feeling nothing for me, Christoph seemed not to feel the cold. He stood, knee deep in the rushing waters, poised and ready, his hazel eyes scanning side to side were the only part of him moving. Then, suddenly, he jabbed forward with the spear. I was genuinely surprised when the spear emerged from the water with no fish and Christoph growled in frustration.

"Can't win every time," I suggested.

"Even for us, this isn't as easy as it looks."

I think that was the first time I had heard Christoph say something that hinted at a human personality beneath the impassive facade. It made him suddenly even more attractive to me. I savored the feeling, as it was currently the only thing keeping me warm.

A few minutes later, I saw the shadow of a fish and stabbed the spear clumsily forward. Needless to say, I missed - I know there are people living out in the wilds back home in the U.S. who hunt on a daily basis, but in Brooklyn we don't. You don't want to eat anything that comes out of the Hudson.

"Well done," said Christoph.

"I didn't get anything."

"Neither did I. So at the moment, you're at least as good as someone who's done this way more often than you."

I smiled. "You're quite sweet when you let your guard down."

"I never let my guard down." I could well believe it.

I'm not sure how long we stood there, jabbing at the water about every thirty seconds or so as the evening began to fade into night.

"If we don't get something soon we're not going to be able to see," I pointed out. "What's plan B?"

"Hunger. There."

He pointed and I jabbed with my spear. Maybe it was because this time was just on instinct without the time to think or plan, but when my spear came out of the water it had a fish impaled on it.

"I got one!" I squealed. "I can't believe I got one." Truly, I think it was one of the greatest achievements of my life. I'd never been so excited. I danced about in the river, jumping up and down with glee. "I really did it. I got one."

"Well done." The smile he gave me was small and low key, but genuine, and I threw my arms around Christoph's neck to hug him, overcome by excitement. I should have known where that would lead. The feel of his body hard against me had an instant effect, and a celebratory hug suddenly felt like more. I squirmed more closely against him and looked into his bright eyes, which seemed to be belie the darkness of his nature. I didn't want to kiss two different men in as many days, but I didn't feel I had any choice. Our lips brushed, light but burningly intense, and just that glancing contact sent electric shocks shimmering through me.

Unable to stop the urge, I lunged for his mouth, pressing my tongue to his lips and feeling them open to accept me. I looped my arms about his neck and hung from his strong body, feeling so small and feminine against him. One of his hands was in my hair, while the other traveled down my back, over the curve of my hip to rest on my bottom. I ground myself hard against him and gasped into his mouth as I felt a response. If I had earlier doubted that Christoph found me attractive, that doubt was now burnt away as I felt the evidence, hot and hard through the thin layers of damp clothing that separated us. It reared up against me and I wondered if there was any way it could possibly be as big as it felt. One thing I knew was that I was definitely going to find out - nothing could stop me now.

A rush of water hit one of the boulders that littered the banks of the river and a shower of ice-cold spray covered Christoph and I.

The freezing bath seemed to bring me back from the brink, cooling the heat that had voided self-control and good sense.

What the hell was I doing? I kissed Nico yesterday. How were these guys going to help me save the world if I was setting one against the other in competition for me?

A wicked thrill shot through me at the thought of men like these in competition for me…or, god, what if—but the cold water and my own brain slammed the brakes on that thought.

I pulled away from Christoph and he let me go, though I could not help noticing, even through his clothes, that the cold water had not successfully cooled all of him.

"We need more fish," I gulped clumsily.

"True."

Without a blink, he stabbed the spear into the water and brought out a fish.

Had fishing been another test?

Probably.

Had the kiss?

No.

That had been my choice. Stopping had also been my choice, but with these three guys around, how long would I keep on making the right choice?