Page 1 of A Veil of Gods and Kings

1

Apollo

A blade could have sliced at my head with the way it ached. It hurt so much I might not even fight a weapon aimed at me. Not that a blade could kill me.

I sighed and stretched. The mattress crinkled with the movement. Gray light filtered in through a stone window. Birds heckled each other, their squalling echoing around the shadowy room.

“Blergh.” I moaned and rolled over.

Someone lay in bed with me, their dark form rising and falling with their breath, blankets tucked over their head.

I groaned again and eased off the mattress, stumbling across my bedroom, the cool touch of the stone biting at my bare feet.

Grabbing the bucket of water that sat inside the doorway, I cupped a handful and splashed it over my face, the droplets dripping down my chest and speckling the floor. A bronze looking mirror hung on the wall, and I peered into it, ruffling my hand through my coarse curls to tame them.

A silver glow emanated over the surface of my skin.

It had returned so soon.

I clenched my jaw and pushed my powers out.

The glowing diminished, a veil slipping over my features, softening the sharp edges, muddying the golden eyes to a standard brown, reducing the height and broad shoulders, giving a matte texture to the light brown of my skin.

And otherwise wiping away the visual signs of a deity.

I pressed my fingers to my temples, drawing the headache out.

Snagging the ivory tunic off the hook on the wall and slipping it over my head, I stepped out into the hallway, clipping down the stairs and into the kitchen to pluck an apricot out of a bowl. I strode towards the open door where sunshine and a spring breeze trailed in.

“Not so fast.”

Shit. I was supposed to be veiled as a house attendant. What would they be doing right now? Well, they wouldn't have snagged fruit off the counter. I tucked the apricot behind my back as I turned around. “Yes, mistress. Can I help you?”

Temi crossed her dark arms over her plum tunic, her lips pinched, her eyes darkening. “Don’t think you fool me with that cheap magic, Apollo.”

I clicked my tongue. “Cheap doesn’t quite feel fair. I’ve all but perfected this trick now.” I winked.

Her frown deepened. “You’re supposed to learn the powers of a deity, and the only one you’ve mastered—the only one you’ve even tried—is disguising yourself to not look like a deity. Do you know what that sounds like to me?”

I snagged my sandals and pulled them on. “A failed plan since you recognized me anyway.”

She rolled her eyes, her ebony braids scraping her shoulders. “Like someone who doesn’t know who they hell they want to be.”

I thrust a finger in the air. “That’s where you’re mistaken. I know exactly who I want to be. Not a god.”

“So, you’re an idiot fighting your fate?”

“With a vengeance. Is there anything you need? I was leaving.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you leaving here before your companion even wakes?”

I shrugged. “You know, I have so many plans. I just don’t have the time to lie about waiting all day.”

“I’m sure.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Do you think you could escort her, or him, or them… whoever it is, out?”

Temi’s arms dropped, and she clicked her fingernails against the wooden work table. “Are you seriously going to tell me you don’t even know the gender of who you slept with last night?”