Aricles sighed contentedly as he held Bathymaas in the quiet morning hours. Now that the others knew the truth, they’d laughed at him when he’d gone to bed in their barracks.
“You have a beautiful goddess for wife and you’d sleep here with us, alone? Are you insane?”
He smiled at the memory of Galen’s indignant tone. Brushing the hair back from her cheek, he placed a kiss there at the same time a bright flash lit up the room.
Aricles barely had time to blink before he was blasted out of the bed and pinned to the floor. Every bone in his body felt shattered. Unable to move, he was forced to lie there as a huge man stalked him with murder in his gold eyes. Well built and stout, he was obviously someone’s god of war.
Bathymaas came awake with a gasp. “Papas, no!” She leapt from the bed, dragging the sheet with her so that she could wrap it around her naked body. She grabbed the god’s huge biceps. “Don’t hurt him!”
“I don’t want to hurt him. I want to kill the rancid bastard dog!”
She planted herself between them. “I love him, Papas. If you kill him, you will destroy my heart.”
His eyes tormented, Set pulled her into his arms and held her tight. He pressed his lips to her head as he glared at Aricles. “You have a heartbeat?”
She nodded.
Set cursed. “When Apollo said he’d seen you with a man, I went to gut that Greek bastard, but Ma’at stopped me. Have you any idea what you’ve set into motion, daughter?”
Tears fell down her cheeks. “I don’t care. He is all to me.”
Brushing her tears aside, Set sighed heavily then released whatever invisible hold he had on Aricles. “I wish you’d told me first.”
“I knew you wouldn’t approve and I didn’t want you to hurt Ari.”
Completely embarrassed, Aricles quickly dressed.
Set growled deep in his throat as he stepped away from Bathymaas. “Leto is calling for your removal and punishment. She says that the war you’ve been waging against the Greeks isn’t one of justice, but rather a favor for your Atlantean husband.”
She was aghast at the ludicrous accusation. “Ari wants nothing to do with war.”
Set scowled at him. “But he’s your best fighter.”
“Who wants nothing to do with war,” Aricles repeated. “I was a farmer before all this, and I preferred that to fighting.”
Set laughed angrily. “None of that matters. They’re still demanding blood from us.”
“And I’ve demanded Apollo’s.”
Bathymaas gasped as she stepped away from her father to face her husband. “What have you done, Ari?”
“I issued a challenge to Apollo. We are settling this the only way the Greeks understand. With violence.”
“No,” she breathed. “You can’t!”
“He’s right.”
She glared at her father. “No, he’s not.”
“Yes, daughter, he is. If he beats Apollo, it would end the bloodlust and intimidate the others. They’ll back down.”
“And if they don’t?”
Set brushed his hand against her chin. “You are new to emotions, Bathy. And I doubt you understand the power of fear.” He looked past her to Aricles. “When are you to fight him?”
“Two days from now.”
“Make sure you don’t lose, boy.”
Aricles glanced to his wife. “I promise, I won’t.”
But even as he said that, Bathymaas had a terrible feeling in her gut. Something bad was going to happen. She had no doubt.