I Can See You (The Gods Made Me Do It Book 5) Read online

  “Dico vobis, quia omni tempore.” Energy infused Silvanus’s body, heating him like an exploding sun. Just as he thought he’d die from the pleasure of it, Artemas was there, the cool of the water washing over him, soothing, claiming, saturating his very soul as he heard the words he’d spent eternity waiting to hear. “My mate.” Tears flowed down Silvanus’s cheek – the moment too beautiful to verbalize, too intense to hold inside.

  Silvanus didn’t know how long they lay there, their breathing slowly returning to normal, their come and sweat cooling on their skin. It was Artemas who moved first, a small wince flashing across his face. “You’re hurt?” Silvanus instantly worried he’d been holding his promise too tightly.

  “My brothers, when they claimed their mates, all mentioned being left with tattoos to mark the occasion.” Artemas wiggled his shoulders. “Would you check my back for me? My skin feels quite tight.”

  “I have your mark over my heart.” Silvanus didn’t bother to hide his delight, his finger tracing over the leaping Orca escaping the waves. Tridents, with books entwined within the prongs framed the bright blue waves. But when he looked up, Artemas’s smile was tight. Oh right, his back.

  Running his hand down Artemas’s torso, Silvanus invoked enough magic to clean them both. He didn’t need to actually touch to do it, but he figured it would take a while before he took the right to run his hands over his promise’s body for granted. Encouraging his mate onto his front, Silvanus covered his mouth with his hand.

  “Is it that bad?” His head on one side, Artemas raised his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me, the Lord of the Sea decided to reenact the fall of Atlantis on my back in celebration of our mating.”

  “Sei had nothing to do with the wonder on your back.” Taking his hand away from his mouth, Silvanus reached out, pushing his healing abilities through his fingers. “My promise, my mate, I swear, the Mother has blessed us both.”

  “The blessed Mother watched us rubbing off on each other?” Open mouthed, eyes wide, Artemas looked so horrified, Silvanus laughed.

  “She’s the Mother of all living things,” he said gently between chuckles. “If it wasn’t for sex, nothing would ever survive and thrive. But no,” he added as Artemas didn’t look any happier, “she is also aware of all living things, and she knows, almost as much as the Fates, how important you are to me. You have my word, mate. She would have felt our claiming, not seen it and when she felt it, she gave us her blessing.”

  “The tattoo?”

  “The Tree of Life in spring.” Silvanus shook his head in wonder as he gently traced over the design. “Long strong branches filled with budding leaves in a million shades of green. A solid sturdy trunk,” Silvanus ran his fingers down his mate’s spine, “even the roots are represented. Flowing across your lower back, rising slightly up your hip bones.”

  “So, the image isn’t obscured by my mer form, I imagine.” Artemas snuggled into his pillow. “You have a magic touch, my mate. Don’t stop now.”

  Chapter Ten

  What does one do with another person when they’re not having sex? Artemas crawled out of bed, his muscles reminding him it’d been probably years since he’d expended so much energy in one night. Silvanus was sprawled across the mattress, his naked skin gleaming under the bright morning sun. His generous mouth was slack, the occasional snore something Artemas felt he could get used to.

  The passion, the need for connection was still thrumming under Artemas’s skin, but he wasn’t his father. Sex was an occasional pleasure, not a full time occupation. I’ll make breakfast, he decided as he made his way to the bathroom and took care of business there. A nice breakfast, maybe some more talking, and then….

  That’s where Artemas’s brain shorted out. All his life he’d been a solitary being, except for those times when he raised Poseidon’s children. Having another adult want to spend time with him… Artemas wasn’t sure what they could do. It wasn’t as though he was adventurous like Thor or Lasse, and he didn’t have a pack to do things with or for like Nereus did.

  Consumed with his thoughts, it took a moment for him to realize his kitchen was already occupied. “Honestly, Sei, haven’t you got something better to do than come here and gloat. Your mate is going to think you’re out trying to get fucked again at this rate.”

  “You forget the time zone differences.” Poseidon smirked. “My beloved mate has already been thoroughly worn out, and is sleeping peacefully. And why wouldn’t I come to offer my personal congratulations on your mating? You are my son, even though you often prefer to forget that piece of information.”

  Artemas immediately felt guilty. Silvanus had explained, in between their bouts of frottage, and blow jobs, how Poseidon had confessed to his lack of parenting skills and how upset he was by their history. “I never meant to make you feel I was ashamed of being your son. I just would’ve wished for a different upbringing, if it’d been my choice to make.”

  The smirk slid off Poseidon’s face so fast, it was as though it had never been there. “Would it help, if I said that I wish I’d made better choices with you too? I was a shit dad. I’ll be the first to admit it. In my defense, and it’s pretty lame but has to be said, I didn’t realize how bad I was until after the twins were born. I’m sorry.”

  Confused, Artemas struggled to look his father in the eye. In one respect, just hearing the words he’d waited thousands of years to hear, did make him feel better. But the apology sounded wrong, coming from Poseidon’s mouth. Not because it wasn’t genuine, but because a god with Sei’s power should never apologize. “It means a lot to me, that you’ve said that now,” he said, managing not to stammer. “I admit, I seem to have the ability to hold a grudge, longer than humanly possible, but for what it’s worth, I’ve always been proud to be your son and I do think mating with Claude and having the twins has been good for you. Made you more human,” he added with a small twist of his lips.

  “Human, bah,” Poseidon scoffed, but the twinkle was back in his eyes along with the grin. “My mate would tell you we’re supposed to hug now, or some such thing. Wolves are incredibly huggy-feely types. Is that something you’d want from me?”

  “A hug?” Artemas considered it and then shook his head. “We’re not that type of family. I did know, I’ve always known you cared about me in your own way. I’m sure it was never easy being you, especially in the last fifty years or so, but I do recall on several occasions, you mention how proud you were of my work to others.”

  “No one believed anyone with your brains came from my loins.” Poseidon chuckled. Tilting his head on one side, Poseidon studied him. Artemas became conscious of the fact he was only wearing a pair of briefs and tried not to squirm. “You don’t have a tattoo on your chest like your mated brothers, but I felt the claiming resonate through the waters.”

  “I thought you were responsible for the mated tattoos. Silvanus has one on his chest.” Artemas figured it was a good thing if Sei was asking about it. Hopefully, it meant his father hadn’t been rating his sexual performance while he was being claimed. “I have one on my back. Silvanus said it was a gift from the Mother herself.”

  Poseidon quirked an eyebrow. “Well, turn around and let me see. I can’t imagine what the Mother might see fit to bless you with.” He twirled his hand and feeling terribly self-conscious, Artemas turned. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of the tattoo. It was just having his father eying his body wasn’t something he was used to.

  “Holy fucking hell!” Poseidon’s outburst was not what Artemas expected. “How dare she do that to one of my sons.”

  “What on earth are you getting upset about? So, it’s not the sea? Big deal. Silvanus is wearing your trident and a depiction of the waves and he’s a god of the land.” Annoyed, Artemas twirled back around, moving past his father to the coffee pot. “Obviously, I can’t see it myself, but Silvanus was genuinely moved when it appeared. It’s a depiction of the tree of life in springtime. What’s wrong with that?”

  “It’s not a
depiction of the tree of life in springtime.” Poseidon enunciated every word as though it was a curse. “It is the tree of life.”

  Artemas rubbed the spot between his eyes. “I know, it’s a tattoo of the tree of life. A fitting tattoo when you think of it, given that my mate was one of the gods who aided the Mother when time began. Having never seen the tree personally, I don’t know how accurate the tattoo is, but Silvanus recognized it instantly.”

  “Of course, he’d recognize it.” Poseidon was still fuming, something Artemas was ill equipped to handle without a coffee. Unable to wait until the machine had run its cycle, Artemas waved himself a fresh cup. “Silvanus is one of a mere handful of beings who have actually seen it.”

  “Where is it?” Artemas curled his hands around his coffee mug, taking a grateful sip. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen mention of the location in anything I’ve read before.”

  “At the moment, it’s sitting on your back,” Poseidon snarled.

  Choking on his mouthful of coffee, it took Artemas a moment to respond. “That’s a tattoo on my back, father. Not a living tree and definitely not the one tree whose health determines the state of every living thing.”

  “How else do you think the tree manifests itself?” The roar of the sea powered through Poseidon’s words. “If it was planted somewhere, anywhere, some asshole would come along and chop it down, ending all life as we know it. Or there’d be some idiot would decide to light a fire under it, or god forbid, use the branches to make that fire. Even in the wilds of your precious Australia, or New Zealand, if the tree of life was rooted there, someone would still be able to find it and do it harm.”

  There was an awful lot of commonsense in what Poseidon was saying. “Who?” Artemas wet his lips and tried again. “Who carried the tree before me?”

  /~/~/~/~/

  “The Mother.” Silvanus strode in, ignoring Sei completely, making his way over and taking a long kiss from his lover’s lips. “Mmm, that coffee tastes delicious mixed with you. Can you zap me up a cup?”

  Wordlessly, Artemas handed him a cup of coffee, his eyes filled with questions. Silvanus felt a shaft of guilt. He should’ve talked to his mate the night before, but the tree was an unexpected complication, easily forgotten when Artemas’s bare ass was on display.

  “Sei, did you always stir up so much shit when we were younger?” He asked, turning so his arm was nudging Artemas’s shoulder. “You’ve got a mate of your own. What are you even doing here?”

  “I was congratulating my son on being claimed by his true mate,” Poseidon’s lip curled. “I didn’t know the Mother was going to take my son away from me and the only world he’s known, when it happened.”

  “You do talk some rubbish sometimes.” Artemas’s tension was strong enough to touch. Silvanus needed to find a way to defuse it. “What makes you think, that simply by carrying the tree of life on his back, that Artemas won’t be able to do the things he already does?”

  “A tree can’t live in salt water!” Poseidon roared.

  “There’s life in the sea,” Silvanus shot back, hurt and annoyed one of his oldest friends was being so pig-headed. “You see it yourself every time you’re at home. Things grow in the sea, creatures live in the sea. How can you think for a second the tree of life has no place there too?”

  “I know what happens when something meant to flourish on land meets the salt of the sea.” Poseidon’s frame grew before his eyes, taking on the form that terrified sailors for eons. “Our domains are divided for a reason. Why do you think Nereus and Lasse came to live with me, when their father Abraxas was devoted to them? They had my blood in their veins. They couldn’t live without the sea. Now you’re condemning my oldest son to the same fate?”

  Suddenly, there was a crash and a boom, and a massive wolf appeared in the kitchen, complete with snarling teeth.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Silvanus shook his head. “I suppose that’s your precious mate come to defend you against whatever’s made you so angry, Sei. Son of Fenrir, put your bloody teeth away, or I’ll send you back to where you came from so fucking fast, your teeth will spin.”

  The growls lowered to a mumble, but the teeth didn’t go away. “Babe,” Poseidon seemed surprised. “How on earth did you get here? You’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “He is the son of a god, father,” Artemas said wearily. “One can only imagine, he felt the strength of your emotions, and his wolf instincts took over and led him here. Leaving the twins unattended I suppose.”

  “There’s a full pack looking after your siblings,” Poseidon said quickly, putting his hand on the snarling wolf’s shoulder. “They are never left unattended and that’s not the argument we’re having here. I want to know how you’ll go swimming in your Mer form, with that bloody monstrosity on your back?”

  “The same as he always does.” Silvanus was looking forward to seeing his mate in his true element. Swimming in a lake just wasn’t the same as diving beneath the ocean. “The Mother has carried the tree of life since it first grew from a tiny seedling. Her back has bowed with the weight of it, over the countless millenniums that have past since that day. Artemas is a powerful god in his own right, and the Mother knew I would cherish him for all time. Who better to carry her legacy?”

  “Demi god,” Artemas said quietly. “I’m only a demi-god not a true god like you and my father.”

  “Bull shit,” Silvanus said bluntly. “You recited your lineage to me yourself. Artemas the Librarian, son of Poseidon, Greek God of the Sea, and Thoth, Egyptian God of the Moon, Magic and Writing.”

  “True,” Artemas agreed. “But the son of a god is called a demi-god.”

  “Only if that god messes with a mortal,” Silvanus countered. “You are a product of two of the oldest and most powerful gods in existence. That makes you a god in your own right.”

  “Are you sure about that?” There was a cute wrinkle running the width of Artemas’s forehead. “I don’t have a domain, I don’t have power over anything. I’ve never been worshipped by any group or cult. I am sure all of those things are necessary if you’re going to be called a god of something.”

  “The definition of a god….” Silvanus started to explain but Poseidon interrupted him.

  “I don’t give a shit what my son’s designation is in the hierarchy of things. I want to know how you’re going to get that damn tree of my son’s back. His domain is under the sea with me and his brothers.”

  “You know I have more affiliation with Thoth, than you, father.” Artemas sighed. “My magic and quest for learning has always been my passion. Nereus has more affinity for the sea than I do and so does Lasse. If Silvanus says I can still swim in my Mer form, under the waves, then I believe him and that’s all I need. Weren’t you the ones who said Tony and Athena would rule when you retired?”

  “That was a joke, and couldn’t even be considered for at least two millennia.” Poseidon looked close to tears, which just wasn’t possible, was it? Silvanus had never seen his friend so emotional. “You’re my oldest son. You spend so much time in my domain. Surely, you had to know….”

  “That you are, and always will be the lord of the sea,” Artemas broke in gently. “I never aspired to your position. It was enough for me to be known as your son. If the great Mother has deemed me a suitable carrier for the tree of life, then there must be a reason for it. I don’t need to know what that reason is. Please, take your mate and go home. Maybe next time we meet, you can be happy about our mating.”

  “I… I… fuck it.” The smell of salt spray lingered in the kitchen as Poseidon and Claude disappeared. Silvanus noted the tenseness in Artemas’s shoulder, and the tight line of his lips. The hurt coming from Artemas flowed through their bond leaving a sour taste in Silvanus’s mouth.

  Putting down his cup, Silvanus pulled his mate close, encouraging him to lay his head on his shoulder. The energy from Artemas’s tattoo recognized him, crackling gently along the skin of his forearms as they res
ted around his mate’s back. This was why the Mother had blessed them this way – because of Silvanus’s connection to the earth, and to the Mother. It was just a damn shame, Poseidon didn’t see it that way.

  “I’m not very good with words,” Silvanus said slowly, stroking down Artemas’s back. “I can sense your feelings, but I can only imagine how hurt you must feel inside.”

  “It’s Poseidon’s way.” Artemas’s voice wavered. “That is what makes him such a powerful god. He is driven, focused and thinks only in terms of costs and rewards for his beloved sea. I had hoped… his words earlier… I truly believed I meant something to him.”

  “He cares more than he lets on.” Silvanus prayed he wasn’t lying to his mate. “You saw his concern, his fear of what might happen if you were no longer able to enjoy the sea and his domain.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe he’s annoyed because you insisted I was a god, which puts me on a par with him.” Artemas’s kiss on his neck was like the brush of a butterfly wing. “Let’s eat. The complex puzzle of Poseidon’s mind is not the type of thing to be discussed on an empty stomach. Not when you wore me out so thoroughly last night.”

  “There is so much more I want to do with you,” Silvanus promised, and then he sighed as he remembered. “I think, if you can stand it, a visit to the Fates might be in order before we deal with the issues from your father.”

  “You can just drop in on the Fates?” Artemas chuckled. “What am I saying. Of course, you can. I have so much to learn about the man I’ve been claimed by.”