Goddess Undone Read online

  Goddess Undone

  Academy of the Divine, Book 1

  Isadora Brown

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Newsletter Information

  Did You Like Goddess Undone?

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  “Kick him in the testicles, Pandora,” the steel voice said as I pummeled the ripped punching bag in front of me. “There is no such thing as gentlemen’s rules when you are engaged in battle. And if you long to be a Watcher, you must know this.”

  I lifted my right foot and kicked out. If this bag was a man, I would have squashed his testicles like bugs. A small smile teased my lips as I finally released my hands from protecting my face and let my body finally relax. It had been two hours. Two hours since my individual combat training with Cronus began.

  I was lucky he even wanted to see me.

  I knew this.

  As such, I tried to make sure I adhered to exactly what he said. I wanted him to know how much I appreciated his time.

  “Why relax?” he asked in his low, sultry voice. He positioned himself directly behind me, and though he wasn’t touching me, I could feel the heat radiate from his body.

  I held my breath. I tried not to stiffen. This was what Cronus did, I reasoned. He found interest in a trainee and took them to bed. It was supposed to be an honor, a payment for his time.

  I wanted nothing to do with him.

  He was extremely beautiful in a way no one could argue with. That much was true. Most goddesses fell for him, and unless their virginity was promised to someone else, it was offered to him. A way to show appreciation for his time.

  “Did I tell you we were through?” he asked in that same voice.

  I wanted to swallow. I wanted to moisten my throat. Instead, my eyes turned glassy and I remained rigid.

  “Tell me,” he said, stepping in front of me. He reached his hand out and tilted my chin upwards so I could meet his eyes. “When is your sister’s betrothal ceremony?”

  “Why?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  Stupid, foolish girl.

  I should know better than to question him.

  “Do you dare talk back to me?” he asked, extending his thumb until it brushed underneath my chin, tilting it up until I met his eyes. “You are much smarter than that.”

  I said nothing. I just hoped he couldn’t see my knees shake. The winds teased our hair. The sun was setting. Students would be crossing the fields, getting ready for dinner. A chill went through my body but it had nothing to do with the cold that stained the October day. Just because it was a well-known occurrence did not mean the dean and the academy’s prestigious council wanted Cronus to make his intentions known on such a public display. At least, I hoped they didn’t.

  “Two hours,” I managed to get out.

  “Excuse me?” His brow furrowed, wrinkles marring the porcelain skin.

  “Seph’s betrothal announcement is in two hours, at six thirty,” I said. Then, just in case, I added, “Sir.”

  The corner of his lips flicked up but I would not say he was smiling. Instead, he looked at me with his pale blue eyes and waited.

  “Will you be in attendance?” I asked, loosely holding my hands behind my back.

  It was not what he wanted from me. I knew that, but it allowed me to continue to speak with him without addressing the tension that hung between us. Sexual, on his part; concern on mine.

  “I have not decided as of yet,” Cronus said. He stepped away from me and sauntered over to the window overlooking the doors into the training facility. He was tall enough where he did not have to crane his neck back and look out the window whereas I could not see out unless I crawled onto his shoulders. “I take it Zeus’s two brothers will be present as well?”

  “Hades and Poseidon?” I asked, furrowing my brow. “I assume so, though I do believe that Hades and Zeus aren’t on speaking terms.”

  Cronus snorted, pulling his gaze from the window to face me once again. “When are the three goons ever getting along completely?” Cronus asked. It was strange to hear the teasing tone come from him when he was always so serious. “I am surprised to hear Hades would choose to leave the Underworld so soon after Zeus delivered the Box of Chaos to him. Would Hades not want to ensure that the box is heavily guarded?”

  “I believe Zeus is bringing the Box of Chaos with him tonight,” I said. “At least, that was what my mother remarked this morning over breakfast. He wants to present it to Seph as some sort of prize.”

  “He’s giving her the Box as a wedding gift?” Cronus asked, wrinkles bridging his straight nose, eyebrows raised and lining his forehead.

  I nodded, stifling a smile. It was so typical Zeus to do something completely over the top and completely moronic, especially for Seph - someone he barely even knew. I didn’t understand why Mom insisted on this betrothal. Betrothals were so rare nowadays. Only the Divine still used them for obvious reasons. They wanted to make sure the gene pool stayed pure and all that nonsense.

  “I swear, if he wasn’t the Golden Prince, he would be…” Cronus ran his fingers through his black hair and huffed a sigh. “I shouldn’t finish that sentence. He still is the Golden Prince, after all. And he will be your brother-in-law soon.”

  I rolled my eyes, crossing one arm and rubbing the other anxiously. I did not wish to speak to Cronus about Seph or Zeus or anything. If I wasn’t engaging in some sort of physical combat, I preferred not to be around him. I did not want him to misread the situation. I did not want him to get the wrong impression.

  “I should probably go,” I said, trying to keep my tone as casual as I could.

  “Yes.” His eyes focused back on me. “I am sure you are aware that this conversation is far from over, Pandora.”

  I ignored the way a shiver slithered down my spine. In fact, I was rather proud of myself for keeping my shoulders rolled back, keeping my chin level with him when all I wanted to do was run out of that room as quickly as possible.

  Training with him is an honor. He holds sway over The Council, and if he can put in a good word for me there, being a Watcher is all but guaranteed.

  Of course, the problem with that was the fact that I knew he might not speak to them at all about me if I did not do as he expected.

  Which meant I needed to figure out if succumbing to him was worth a chance at living my dream of being a Watcher.

  “Dora, you’re late!” my mother squawked as I stepped through the door to our home. I handed my shawl to one of the staff, murmuring a thank you as I scanned any way of escape. “Don’t you understand how terribly important this is for me?”

  My mother appeared at that moment, round face already red. It almost matched her hair, and it definitely masked the freckles and her otherwise normally pale face.

  “I’m sure you mean how important this is for Seph,” I corrected gently.

  “Yes, yes, of course.” She gave me a withering glare. “Where were you, anyway?”

  “Training.” I proceeded to head to the grand staircase, swaying my hips as a way to stretch out the muscles since I doubted I had time to take a hot bath the way I wanted to.

  “Training?” My mother rolled her eyes, needing to take twice as many steps to keep up with me simply because her legs were much shorter than mine. “Training? At a time like this? Pandora, I swear -“

  “Cronus was there,” I said.

  My mother stopped completely - talking, walking. Instead, she grabbed the banister of the staircase as though s
he was bracing herself for something. At this point, I was already halfway up the stairs and turned back to look at her over my shoulder.

  “What’s wrong, Mother?” I asked.

  Actually, I wanted to know the answer. She had to know the rumors about Cronus, about what he did to those who trained with them. She also knew that he was highly revered, highly powerful - even more than Zeus in terms of abilities even if Zeus was supposed to rule all of Olympus. Which meant if she wanted the power I knew she craved, partnering with Cronus, doing his bidding, would probably be in my best interest.

  I just hoped there were some sacrifices she didn’t think were worth making in order to increase her rank, especially since her youngest daughter was engaged to be married to the Golden Prince.

  “It’s nothing,” she said after a moment, forcing a smile on her face. “How did, um, how did that go?”

  But I never knew what she wanted from me, and usually, when I made an assumption, I was wrong. Even now, with her question, it almost felt like she wanted me to answer in a particular way. I just didn’t know what would appease her. And even though I was an adult in my own right, and I shouldn’t base my behavior on obtaining approval for someone I barely respected, it mattered to me. I wanted her to approve of me.

  “I didn’t…” I tucked hair behind my ear, reaching behind me so I could play with the ends of my hair. I shifted my weight before I tightened my core, trying not to fidget. Cronus said he could read my emotions easily - apparently it was a family trait passed to Seph and I from our mother - and I needed to work on concealing them better so as to not reveal my thoughts or potential actions. “It went well. He might come tonight - attend!” I yelped out the correction, dropping the ends of my hair. “Attend the party.”

  My mother raised her eyebrows carefully but her skin’s red hue deepened even more. “Is he?” She began to chew her thumbnail. I doubted the blush had anything to do with my diction; she seemed more focused on the fact that there was a good chance that we might be regaled by a Divine - one who didn’t make niceties and needed nothing so would have no reason to attend. “Well, then. I must pull Esme aside and get her to rework the ballroom…”

  She began to chew on her bottom lip, her gaze on the floor, and I knew she was off in her own world. I sighed, knowing she’d either ignore me or she hadn’t heard me because she was lost in her thoughts. I made my way up the rest of the stairs, prepared to head to the right, down the long hallway, and to my room - but a sound caught my attention and I faltered.

  In my training as a Watcher, it was expressed how important stillness was. There were entire sessions simply spent in meditation, holding my body in a comfortable, seated position, just to practice keeping ourselves quiet and calm. As such, my senses picked up things they otherwise wouldn’t have if I hadn’t been training, and right now, I was definitely picking up something.

  I paused, deciding to head to the left instead. Towards Seph’s room.

  I took one step, then another. I tightened my core, careful to keep myself silent.

  I thought maybe I was mistaken.

  There was no one in her position who would be making that noise, no one who would be…that.

  Because Seph, my baby sister, engaged to the Golden Prince, was crying.

  Chapter Two

  This was not what I expected to see.

  At all.

  Seph had always been quiet, but she was bubbly and happy all the time. Not where it was annoying but where it could be a little...much.

  But this?

  I didn’t remember seeing her cry like this except when she saw a deer get hit by a car. I wound up putting it out of its misery, but that didn’t help things.

  “Seph?” I said slowly, trying to figure out the best course of action to take.

  I didn’t want to push her. But I also didn’t want her to drown in her own misery, especially since there was only a couple of hours before all the guests would show up - including the Golden Prince himself. The last thing he needed to see was soft, delicate Seph with red, bleary eyes and a splotchy face.

  No way.

  I had to stop this. I just didn’t know how. Emotions weren’t really my thing. That was Mom’s jam. I preferred withdrawing and pretending emotions didn’t exist. Probably not the healthiest way to handle things, but it was working out so far so I didn’t want to mess with it.

  “You okay?”

  I was worried about stepping into her room if she was using it as a refuge. There was something so intimate about crossing that threshold into someone’s bedroom that I didn’t feel comfortable with, but I also didn’t like hanging back and watching Seph wallow in her own misery if I could do something about it. I just needed guidance on what that was.

  “Huh?” Seph picked her head up, her golden hair falling over her shoulders in frizzy waves. Her forest green eyes - ones I also inherited from our father - looked at me, lined in red, just as I assumed they would be. “Oh. Dora. You...you okay?”

  She was asking me how I was?

  “I heard you crying,” I said. My voice was coming out unnaturally flat, and I shifted my weight, glancing at her large window. It was shut, curtains drawn, which was atypical for my sister who loved everything about the outdoors. “Anyway, um, I just wanted to know if you were, you know, okay.”

  I could feel Seph eye me warily. I heaved a sigh and threw my hands up. I hated when she looked at me this way, like she could see through me. I just didn’t even know what I was hiding in the first place, or why I was feeling so defensive in the first place.

  “Look, this isn’t easy for me,” I said. “I mean, I care about you. That’s easy. But I never know what to say when I see someone crying, especially with Mom as our mom who cries all the time, especially at those movies - even though they’re just cartoons. Anyway, I’m just worried I’m going to say something wrong and mess it all up and make it worse, so yeah. Are you okay?”

  Seph giggled, sniffling right after. “Thanks, Dora,” she said. “I’m...I’m okay.”

  “You don’t have to lie to me, you know,” I said. I risked another step into her room. The subtle scent of lavender and vanilla filled my nostrils and the tension eased from my muscles. This was my sister in a nutshell - feminine but with a hint of wildness that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. “I know you well enough to know when you’re lying. You’re pretty bad at it.”

  Seph snorted, winding a strand of hair around her finger and watching it spiral after she released it. “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?” she asked.

  “I never really understood that phrase,” I admitted. “Why would pots and kettles talk in the first place?”

  I grinned. Seph had a dry sense of humor, something no one really expected from someone as bubbly and happy as she was. It was one of the things I loved about her.

  “So?” I pushed. “Tell me what’s going on. You’re about to marry freaking Zeus. Do you know how many people would kill you to be in your position? I wouldn’t be surprised if Hera already plotted, like, three different ways to kill you.”

  Seph dropped her hand to the edge of her bed and began to fiddle with the purple cover. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” she murmured. “I mean, everyone thought they were going to be the ones getting married, what with how they dated back at the academy.”

  “Technically, we’re still at the academy,” I pointed out. “You’re just getting married to, you know, the Golden Prince.”

  Seph let out a watery grunt. “Uh, I know, I know,” she said, tilting her head up so she wasn’t hunched over anymore. “I know I’m supposed to be just ecstatic about this great opportunity and blah, blah, blah.”

  “I don’t think blah, blah, blah is in Mother’s vocabulary,” I pointed out.

  “But, honestly, I just can’t even get excited about it,” she continued without acknowledging my comment. “I’m not in love with him.”

  I pursed my lips together and gave her a long look. She dropped her gaze and started
to rearrange the skirt of her dress.

  “Look,” she said. “I know that sounds naive, okay? I know that as these Divine beings, there are certain expectations of us, similar to human royalty. We’re supposed to make good alliances, breed well, and raise future Divine children. Humans will continue to worship us. We continue to provide for them. And the cycle continues.” She stopped moving the purple cover and looked up to catch my eyes. “But why can’t I fall in love? Why? Some Divine fall in love. I mean, you know Zeus’s reputation, Dora. You know what he’s done and probably is still doing. Do you really think he’s going to stop just because we’re betrothed?”

  “I don’t think he’s going to stop even when you’re married,” I said. I finally found myself directly in front of my sister, hands hanging loosely behind my back.

  I didn’t like ruining my innocent sister’s idealistic view of the world. In truth, I wished I could still feel that way about the world. But I had seen too much. I knew people who experienced horrors and pressures Seph would never have to experience simply because of her station - and this was before her betrothal to Zeus.

  Seph flinched at my words and I pressed my lips together, looking away. I wasn’t trying to be callus, and clearly, she knew what to expect when it came to Zeus. The philanderer had a reputation as big as Poseidon’s ocean. Part of me wanted him to find that one person - be it human or Divine - to really put him in his place. The other, more rational part of me doubted that would ever happen.

  “I know,” she said in a soft voice. She started playing with the material of her dress again, taking it between her two fingers and giving it a twist. “I also know I’m going to be the biggest fool in all Olympus because of it.” She cleared her throat. “I know I’m young and inexperienced. I know I’m naive. But I’m not a fool.”