Warrior Rising (Goddess Summoning #6)(54)

“Venus seems pleased and Achilles definitely isn’t fighting. So I guess we are.”

“You saw Venus?”

Kat swallowed another piece of cheese. “Yep. She gave me this.” She lifted the heart locket and let Jacky inspect it. “It’s a panic button.”

“No shit? How does it work?”

“Supposedly I open it, call for her and she turns into the cavalry. I don’t think literally, though. But what do I know? I barely remember the humanities class that dealt with mythology.” Kat dropped the locket back down beneath her robes. “I’m just hoping it keeps Venus from constantly Peeping Tom-ing. Do you know she watches?”

“Doesn’t surprise me in the least. She is Goddess of Love—that job has to come with a certain degree of nastiness.” Jacky frowned at the plate of olives. “And I still don’t like olives. Pass me some of that bread, would ya?”

“All right, your turn,” Kat said, passing the bread. “Give me all the gory details.”

“He’s young and very energetic. It was good.”

“That’s it? Young—energetic—good? You’ve got to be kidding.”

“All right, fine. It was very good.” Jacky fidgeted and nibbled at a piece of dried meat.

Kat gasped. “You like him!”

“So? You like Achilles.”

“Patroklos is so damn white.” Kat giggled.

Jacky narrowed her eyes. “Katrina Marie, you’ve been tellin’ me for a decade that I need to expand my dating pool and go out with more white boys.”

“Yep, and may I just say a great big—” Kat hesitated dramatically.

“Go on ahead. Get it over with.” Jacky sighed.

“I told you so!” Kat sang.

“Happy now?”

“Delighted.” She popped one of the olives Jacky was ignoring into her mouth. “I really wish I had some tea or something to drink. I don’t think they have coffee yet. Do they?”

“I dunno,” Jacky mumbled around bread and cheese. “I may just do like the natives and go straight for breakfast wine.”

“Princess? Did you say you would like some tea?”

Kat looked across the campfire to see Aetnia, who was curtseying nervously to her. “Yes, that would be great,” Kat said.

“Acalle always has tea brewing at her campfire. She is Ajax’s war bride. It takes an entire campfire of his own to keep him fed, so he’s on the outskirts of the Greek camp, not at all far from here. It will take just a moment to get you some tea.”

She hurried off and Kat found herself calling, “Thanks,” to her back.

“Wonder how long she’d been sittin’ there listening in?” Jacky said.

“We really need to pay better attention to stuff like that.”

“I say whatever,” Jacky shrugged. “She’s just a servant.”

“Jacky, they used to do really nasty things to people they thought were different, a.k.a., witchy. Like burn them. Or impale them. Or crucify them. None of those things are pleasant.”

“They didn’t do unpleasant things to people they thought were oracles of the gods.” Jacky pointed a piece of bread at Kat. “You are an oracle. Remember?”

“Yeah, but you aren’t.”

“Point taken.” They chewed for a while in silence. “Do you think we’ll ever get back?” Jacky finally whispered.

“I don’t know,” Kat said slowly.

“You do still want to go back, don’t you?”

Kat hesitated.

“Katrina?”

“I do, of course,” she said quickly. “But I…”

“You want to fix him first.”

“Not exactly.” Kat sighed. “I want to save him.” She met Jacky’s eyes, finding the friend within the unfamiliar shape and color. “I don’t want him to die.”

Jacky opened her mouth to respond when Aetnia hurried up to them, a large kettle in one hand and a pottery mug in the other.

“Here you are, my lady. Rose hips and chamomile with a hint of lavender, sweetened with honey.”

“Oh, thank you, Aetnia.” Kat took the offered mug while the girl poured the aromatic mixture.

“No problem. I didn’t want some,” Jacky said with some asperity.

“Don’t worry, I’ll share,” Kat said.

“Oh, nevermind. I should go check on the injured men. Then Patroklos and I are going for a swim. Without swimwear,” she said with a wink.

“Where are Patroklos and Achilles?” Kat asked.

“My man said something about going to the Greek camp to sharpen weapons. I don’t have a clue where yours is.”

“Oh, so he’s a man now?” Kat kidded under her breath, conscious of Aetnia’s listening presence across the campfire.

“Freshness,” Jacky mouthed back. “Anyway,” she raised her voice. “Gotta go check on the men. No rest for the wicked, ya know.” With a flip of her blond tresses, Jacky sauntered off.

“My lady? I know where you can find Achilles,” Aetnia said, moving closer to her now that Jacky had gone.

“Oh, good. Where?” Kat asked, not caring that she sounded like an eager schoolgirl.