Warrior Rising (Goddess Summoning #6)(5)

Jacqueline shuddered. “God, teenagers. They’re so nasty. I don’t know how you stand all of their hormones.”

“You’ll get no argument from me. They’re disgusting creatures,” Heather said.

“You’re just grumpy because your ankles look like tree trunks. You used to like teaching, remember? Way back in Prepregnancy Land,” Susie said.

“I can’t remember back to a time when I wasn’t pregnant. I’ve always been this big and hideous.”

“Honey, have a chocolate.” Jacqueline passed the tray of truffles to her.

“It’ll be better in a month or so,” Kat said.

Heather gave Kat a tired smile and popped the truffle in her mouth. Around the orb of dissolving chocolate she said, “You know, Kat, it always amazes me how optimistic you are. What with all of those abusive * men you have to deal with in that clinic you run. I know if I had to deal with the jerks you’ve met I’d be a man-hating shrew, but you’re not.” Heather peered at her like she was a science experiment. “You actually like men, don’t you?”

Kat’s laughter was uninhibited and contagious. “Yes, I definitely like men. And not all of the *s I counsel are men—there are women jerks, too. Plus, they’re not all abusive *s. Many of them actually come to me before they’ve graduated to full abusive * status.”

“Just like me,” Susie proclaimed. “I’m going to graduate some day.”

Jacqueline frowned. “Uh, Susie. I don’t think graduating to an abusive * is something to which you want to aspire.”

The older woman rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about my BA and not about their *-ish-ness. When I get out of this awful lit class in a couple months it’ll be way better. My final two classes are going to be a breeze. This is the last really horrid one I have to take. As soon as I get this stupid paper on The Iliad written I’ll feel lots better.”

“I know!” Kat said through the truffle melting on her tongue. “How about you write your paper on how ridiculous it is that women got blamed for every damn thing in the Trojan War? I mean, I haven’t read the thing in a zillion years.” She wrinkled her brow. “Wait, I might never have actually read it and just faked my way through with the CliffsNotes, but what I do recall is that Helen took the fall for causing the war.”

“Hey, I remember that,” Jacqueline said. “And wasn’t there something about three goddesses starting the whole thing?”

“Yeah—Hera, Athena and Aphrodite,” Susie said. “The goddess Discord was pissed about not getting invited to a wedding, so she threw a golden apple that read ‘for the fairest’ into the group. None of the gods were stupid enough to judge that beauty contest, so a guy named Paris, who was the son of Priam, king of Troy, got stuck with the job. But he didn’t actually choose which goddess was the prettiest. He chose which bribe he liked best. Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful mortal woman in the world as his own. He took that bribe. Helen was the most beautiful mortal woman, but she was already married to the Greek king, Menelaus. Paris stole her from Menelaus, with Aphrodite’s blessing, and the Trojan War started.”

“Huh.” Jacqueline snorted. “Sounds like bullshit to me. I mean, please. Why would goddesses give a shit about what some mortal guy thought?”

“That’s true, Jacky,” Kat chimed in. “You’re not a goddess, but you rarely give a shit about men—mortal or otherwise!”

Jacqueline’s perfectly shaped brows went up almost far enough to reach the hairline of her short, curly, Halle Berry-like hair. “I’m not a goddess? Did you just say I’m not a goddess, Kat?”

Kat put her hands up in mock surrender. “It must be this bottle of champagne talking.”

“How about that little ‘don’t give a shit about men’ comment?” Christy asked.

Jacky shrugged. “Whatever. I like men okay. In theory.”

"See, that’s why Jacky and I are such perfect BFFs,” Kat said. “I am an eternal optimist and she’s Ms. Pessimist. She reels me in when I get too far out there, and I remind her to give folks a chance—they’re not all bad.”

“Folks aren’t all bad—men are another matter,” Jacky grumbled.

“Down, killer!” Kat said.

Jacqueline fixed her dark chocolate eyes on her best friend. “I do believe I’m going to cut you off from your second bottle of champagne.”

Kat grinned at her. “No you’re not! Remember our deal—I pay for our cab and I get to drink entirely too much champagne.”

“Uh, ladies, before you talk about calling cabs and such, could we please talk a little more about this paper I’m going to write for my jerk of a professor?” From somewhere Susie had produced a thick, college-ruled notebook and a well-sharpened number two pencil, which she held at the ready.

“Your jerk of a professor is not going to like a feminist paper,” Kat said.

“Hey, I said I wanted the BA. I didn’t say I wanted straight As.” She grinned mischievously at her friends. “To misquote the fabulous Bonnie Raitt, ‘Let’s give him something to talk about.’ ”

Venus laughed aloud. “Darlings! This is exactly why my oracle found you.” She cooed and clapped her hands even though the group of modern mortal women could not hear the goddess and were oblivious that she observed them through her shining oracle, which acted like an infinitely long telescope from Olympus to Tulsa. Venus focused her vision on the woman with the infectious laugh, sparkling blue eyes and the adorable nickname of Kat.