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  Defenders

  Sons of Olympus

  Reverse Harem Romance

  Book 2

  Helen J Perry

  Defenders Sons of Olympus © 2018 Helen J Perry

  All rights reserved.

  Cover: Silver Heart Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1718722897

  All rights reserved. No part of this story may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied within critical reviews and articles.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is suitable only for mature readers.

  Written in American English.

  Author's website: HelenJPerry.com

  Sign up to author's newsletter: https://forms.aweber.com/form/17/1689778617.htm

  PROLOGUE

  Ready to leave their Olympian dwelling and walk once again in the world of Mankind, Alex's lover approached the doorway.

  “So comes a time that we should part.” The dreaded words recited many times over the centuries were still no easier for Alex to say.

  They didn't need words—not really.

  In the center of the room, the fire crackled, and the heat radiated against his skin as he lay amid the warm furs upon the bed. It made no difference. He heard the words leave his mouth and take on their own chilling independent form. His stomach churned.

  “Fear not, I shall be in your heart.” Her sincere reply came as small comfort.

  One woman bound in a love that endured and grew over centuries of companionship and commitment.

  This parting, like all the others, would be only temporary. As brief as the blink of an eye compared to years of immortality.

  For Alex, his woman's absence would leave a lonely, cold void that his closest male friends, Casper and Greg, could only partially fill.

  Having already said their farewells, Casper and Greg sat by the fireplace in silence contemplation. They looked bereft.

  Endless time stretching both ahead and behind didn't make it any easier to say goodbye, even if it was only temporary. It was never easy, and Alex always worried every time she left.

  Immortality did not make things any less painful but made the pain repeat over endless time.

  “You will always be in my heart, my love.” He had to remind her. More than you know, my dearest. As if he could sense this parting would be for a longer time than the others.

  Delaying everything to claim a few more minutes together, he uttered the words slowly, as if dragging them from the depths of his aching heart, where he already felt the void of his lover's impending absence.

  You can never know how great my heart and soul yearn for you.

  Before pushing it open and stepping over the threshold, she glanced back over her shoulder. “And I carry you all in mine.” Her gaze roamed over the three men. “I will carry your gifts with me; they remind me of you. And you know you are never far from my thoughts.”

  She lingered near the doorway as if there were more to say. Proud and tall, she wore clothes suitable for the world of Mankind but carried the first gifts ever given to her.

  The pouch strapped to her chest and hung at her side. She wore the cloak—the mantle from their world. At least she'd have the cloak with her, even though she refused to take any dogs.

  Loyal and brave, a dog would protect her from Mankind, but she refused to take one.

  Two of their dogs lounged at the foot of the bed where they always slept. Four curled up near the mud-brick walls, a mass of fur, away from the heat of the central hearth. All the dogs ignored the painful goodbye taking place in the room.

  A parting like the last one, every time marked by the same, heartfelt words.

  “May Athena always protect her,” said Casper after she had left.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Well, well, it's Upsdell. When I'm home, too often I see you groveling on your knees.”

  Bending over and digging deep into the half-empty box Lauren didn't need to look up to know who was talking about her. Summer vacation brought all sorts of people home from college, good friends and the opposite, Odelia Stevens.

  Before she could get up, Odelia slapped her hand against Lauren’s back in such a way as might almost be friendly. Already unbalanced, Lauren toppled, her top half falling into the box of assorted candy.

  Odelia laughed. “You be careful, Upsdell. Make sure you get home safe.”

  Lauren righted her axis and sat back on her haunches, before getting up she watched Odelia saunter away.

  “See ya around, Upsdell, Underbite.”

  Instinctively, she put her hand to her jaw. Lauren didn't have an underbite, but years of name calling made her self-conscious.

  The end of school brought the end of shared lunches, a welcome end to forced group projects, and the relief of no more embarrassing hallway incidents. Lauren wouldn’t miss any of it. But, it didn't completely put an end to humiliating encounters and the receipt of rude comments.

  When she thought graduating high school meant getting away from the school bullies, Lauren was mistaken. Odelia and people just like her turned up too often in this small town in the back of beyond.

  Two years out of school and Lauren worked a low-paid, dead-end job stacking shelves at the grocery store, and saved as much as possible. She still lived with her aunt and uncle, the kind relatives who took her in when her parents died. Realistically, her prospects were grim, but she worked hard and stayed optimistic.

  Ahead of her, she had a destiny to fulfill, great deeds waiting to be done. If only she knew where to start, she didn’t.

  Before all of the distant future, Lauren had a date to meet up with her best friend straight after she finished work. Together they had some catching up to do and to celebrate the end of Jade’s second academic year in college.

  That day Jade had arrived home from the city for the summer. Next week she would slip back into her old part-time job in the library.

  Nowhere was far from anywhere else in Beaumont and most everywhere was close enough to walk, which was fortunate for Lauren, who couldn't afford a car.

  Even though she'd been on a late shift and it was dark outside, Lauren didn't think twice about walking the short distance to Jade's house. It should take ten minutes, but Lauren intended to cut it shorter by cutting across the football field.

  She wondered, if Jade might've already fallen asleep. Bordering on ten at night didn't seem late, but Jade would've had a long journey and may be worn out after weeks of studying, essays, and exams, or whatever it was she did at Riverside.

  As Lauren walked, she pulled out her cellphone and composed a brief text message.

  Hey, coming over. Get ready to party :)

  The message sent, she tucked the phone back into her pocket and collided with something, which knocked the air from her lungs. She promptly fell on her ass.

  She looked up. Towering over her stood Odelia, with her cronies; her best friend Jill and their boyfriends, Jason and Rhett, flanking them on either side.

  “Well look at this. If it isn’t the Pipsqueak again.” Odelia’s vicious smirk chilled Lauren to the bone. “Back on your butt. What did I say back there? You’re always gonna be underneath us, Upsdell.”

  “She’s so clumsy; she might as well live on the ground.” Jill laughed. “Pretty su
re being low is her natural state of being.”

  “Cut it out, Jill.”

  No one ever called the bullies off. The sickly sweet cruel tone in Odelia’s voice warned this time was no different.

  “She’s graduated now. We all are. We’re grown-up, young adults with our whole futures ahead of us. I think it’s time to turn a new leaf.”

  “Like what?” Jason asked. He mimicked the tone, and it sounded as if he were in on the joke. The moonlight glinted off his teeth, which were exposed by his malicious grin.

  “You’re not thinking of helping the Pipsqueak get up, are you?” asked Jill in a similar insincere tone.

  “She made it through high school, somehow.” Odelia shrugged and slipped her hands around her waist. “It’s a time for a celebration. I think we'll help her get back on her feet and keep her supported. Teach her how to stand tall.”

  Lying on the damp ground, Lauren curled her fingers into the grass. Like the metal blade of a sword, the grass beneath her hand felt cool to the touch, and its sharp points stabbed her palms when she pushed her hands down.

  Unable to explain how, she drew the strength for endurance from the endless ground. She could feel her own heart beating against it because it raced from fear, and in the moment, her heart and the earth were as one.

  “I’m okay,” Lauren murmured. She didn’t attempt to stand. “Thank you for the offer, though. That’s very generous.”

  “It’s not an offer. We insist.”

  While Odelia insisted, the boyfriends took up position either side of Lauren. The men's hands went around Lauren's arms and they yanked her to her feet as if she weighed nothing at all.

  In silence, Odelia led the way across the field toward the woods that framed it.

  The men didn't let Lauren go but dragged her along as she staggered and tried to find her footing. Her mind raced searching for a solution to her predicament.

  She couldn’t fight Odelia, let alone take on all four at once, but if she sprang free, she might be able to outrun them. A hopeful plan started to form. If she took them by surprise, she might escape their clutches. As Lauren braced herself for a struggle, she saw what waited on the edge of the woods.

  “N-No,” she uttered, digging her heels into the field. “No, you can’t!”

  “What?” Odelia looked over her shoulder at Lauren and grinned. She strode on forward. “We’re only gonna help make sure you can stand up for yourself without falling on your face. In a few years’ time, you’ll thank us for teaching you a lesson.”

  The guys following showed no sign of loosening their grip. Lauren didn't like her slim chances of escape.

  A coiled rope waited at the edge of the woods.

  It must’ve been left there. Planted.

  Rope purposely placed ahead of time turned the nasty event from a prank or an opportunist moment to extend their bullying, to an abduction, something planned and far more sinister.

  Lauren didn’t know exactly what Odelia had planned, but if it involved a rope and the woods, she expected the worst. She couldn’t let this happen. She just couldn’t. She had her whole future ahead of her.

  “Looks like she’s about to piss herself, she’s that afraid,” Jason said with an acrid laugh.

  Odelia pulled out her phone and turned on her flashlight app, lighting up the dark woods that lay ahead. “What’s the matter, Pipsqueak? Afraid to stand on your own?”

  They reached the rope at the edge of the woods.

  “You got her, Jason?” Without waiting for a reply, Rhett released Lauren. He heaved the rope into his arm and hung it, coiled, over his shoulder.

  “I’m serious, you can’t do this,” Lauren said. She struggled against her captors, but they held her tight. “You can’t!”

  “We’re gonna,” Odelia said. “And you get to decide how bad it’ll be for you. Keep struggling, and we might tie it around that neck of yours, see how tall you can stand when your feet can barely touch the ground.”

  “You’ll kill me if you do that.” Was that what they intended? Lauren’s heart beat like a rabbit’s when caught in a fox’s paws. In desperation, she glanced to the side. Only one man held her by one arm. It might be her best chance. She made a break for it but choked as Jason yanked back against his chest.

  Jill laughed.

  Lauren decided they must be crazy, drunk, or on drugs. Whichever, it didn't bode well for her.

  “You’re gonna to kill yourself if you don’t stop struggling,” Odelia hissed into her ear. “You wanna behave and accept our help, and we’ll only tie you to a tree so you can practice standing up for yourself. Isn’t that right, guys?”

  “Yep,” Rhett agreed, patting the coil of rope on his shoulder. “That’s right.”

  “So quit struggling.” Odelia turned the light, shining it directly on Lauren, momentarily blinding her, and the surroundings went black. “It’s getting old.”

  Lauren squeezed her eyes shut, pulse hammering in her ears. She knew she couldn’t trust them, but she didn’t have another choice. The bullies towered over her, each of the men was twice her size. If she didn’t break away, she stood no chance of running away. She let her body go slack and hoped their mercy would reward her cooperation.

  “That’s a good girl,” Jason said. “Nice and easy. We’ll keep walking for a while, find a tree somewhere nice and deep in the woods where no one’ll think to look, and let you practice in peace.”

  “If you tie me up, how am I going to get out?” Lauren asked.

  Odelia turned the flashlight to light the way. “Oh, I don’t know.” Odelia marched forward, forcing Lauren to move along, too.

  “You’re so good at messing things up; you’ll probably just end up falling out of the ropes.” Jill laughed as if she’d said something funny. “Right on your ass.” She giggled again. “Typical. We set you up so you can’t fail, and then you fail regardless.”

  Unwilling to believe this was happening, Lauren blinked back tears. The longer they walked, the clearer it became: Odelia and her crew intended to take Lauren somewhere so deep and distant that even if she shouted, no one could hear her. After everything they’d put her through, when she finally thought she was free of them, they were just going to tie her up in the woods and leave her for dead?

  They had to realize what they were doing.

  This wasn’t a prank, and it went beyond bullying.

  With a real genuine fear for her life, Lauren could see no way out of the predicament. She couldn't reason with these assholes.

  As they went deeper, swirling mist hid the ground from view, but Lauren’s feet saw for her. They traversed uneven ground, tangled roots, and crunching leaves.

  “Please, please don’t do this,” Lauren begged when they came to a sudden halt. They’d reached a part of the woods that Lauren didn’t recognize. “Please. I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “We want you to tie yourself to a tree, then.” Jill hooted at her own joke.

  “God. And if you shut up, that would be nice, too,” Jason said, and all four of them giggled like preschoolers at a birthday party.

  Lauren could see nothing funny in the dire situation.

  Jason thrust Lauren forward, and she collided head first with a sturdy, gnarled tree with thick bark. An abrasive piece of bark scraped her cheek, the searing sting intense enough that Lauren was sure it drew blood. Before she could lift a hand to assess the damage, Odelia grabbed her and spun her around, slamming her into the tree. Then Rhett and Jason set about tying her up.

  They bound her arms first, tying Lauren’s wrists together. The binding didn't cut into her skin but wrapped tight enough around so her hands hung uselessly in front of her body. After her hands were fastened, they worked in tandem to wrap the rope around the tree, tightening as they went. They wrapped Lauren’s torso six times around, securing her tight to the trunk, so she couldn’t move. She only managed to lift her feet and dip her head; the rest of her mobility was stolen.

  “Look at this.” Odel
ia stepped back from her prisoner and opened her arms wide as if showing Lauren off to the world. “The Uptight Pipsqueak, standing up tall and on her own, for the first time in her life.”

  “It’s unnatural.” Rhett shook his head.

  Jill giggled. “An abomination. Let’s take pictures.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Cell phone cameras flashed. Lauren closed her eyes and looked away, trying not to let the humiliation get to her. This would appear all over social media, but at least it meant she'd have a chance of surviving the ordeal. Someone would see her tied up and know where to look. She wouldn’t be left out here forever.

  “Look at this one.” Jill snorted.

  It went dark. Lauren lifted her head and to see Odelia’s light illuminating the ground at her feet.

  “I got it before Uptight closed her eyes. See how weird they are.”

  “They’ve always been weird, like her. So what?” Odelia asked. All three huddled around Jill’s phone, looking down at the screen.

  “So, with the spooky forest in the background, she looks like an actual freak!” Rhett exclaimed.

  “The gray one looks normal; it’s just…” Jason scrunched his nose in distaste. “The green one is weird. Ick. I didn’t realize there was such an intense color difference between them. What a fucking bizarre picture. Looks fake.”

  Lauren liked her eyes. Most of the time, her central heterochromia was too faint to notice. Although one of her eyes was gray, the other eye had a crown of green around her pupil. Tendrils of color flared out, like green rays of sunshine from the black sun of her pupil, but the colors suited each other.

  “Put it away.” Odelia shuddered. “It’s weird. I don’t like it.”

  “This whole place is weird.” Jason slowly swiveled, turning in a full circle on the spot and looking in every direction. “Is there a swamp nearby? I mean, what the hell is with this mist?”