Ares' Temptation by Aubrie Dionne Page B

such a cramped metal box, and Kaye drove like a bat out of Hades’ Underworld.
    “What’s the matter? You prefer your golden chariot?” There she was again, using that sarcastic, mocking tone.
    He glanced at her with surprise. “How did you know?”
    “I’m not the first mortal to ever take a Classics literature class.” She gave him a sideways smile full of mischief. “Tell me, do unicorns pull you along?”
    “Not unicorns.” He shifted in his seat and released his hold of the handle. “Ten of the finest Pegasi.”
    “So it’s a flying chariot?” She raised an eyebrow.
    What was he going to do with her? Ares rubbed his temples and accessed another passage in the book, when Kylie teased Mace about his motorcycle. “A god’s got to go where a god has to go.”
    Kaye burst out laughing.
    Ares crossed his arms over his chest, anger burning through him. But she turned toward him with no malice in her eyes, only happiness. His anger fizzled out. She wasn’t laughing at him. He’d amused her with his wit.
    A familiar feeling of triumph welled up inside him.
    …
    The line at the airport stretched from the counter through three rows of tired, stressed people hauling bags with whining, young children.
    Ares sighed. How did mortals live these boring, tedious lives?
    “You do have some ID, don’t you?” Kaye dug through her wallet and pulled out a small card with her picture. In the photo, her hair had been tied up in a bun, leaving a few curls to dangle around her ears. She looked rather endearing.
    “What is ID?”
    “Oh jeez.” She slapped her palm on her forehead. “Why hadn’t I thought of this?”
    Mortals could be so anxious. “Why do I need one?”
    She glared at him like he was a three year old. “To get on the plane.”
    “Why don’t I just tell them who I am?” Ares straightened to his full height. No one told the God of War he could not pass.
    “What are you going to do? Brandish your sword? Yeah, that’ll get us through.”
    Her sarcasm grated on his nerves. On Mount Olympus he was all powerful, and here, these mortals wouldn’t even let him ride an airplane? Preposterous.
    Kaye fidgeted with the straps on her bags, casting glances at the people behind the counter. “I’m not sure what to do… Customer services? Should we just go home and book another flight once we get this straight?”
    The line moved up by one person. Kaye dug through her ticket information for an answer.
    “Excuse me, sir. You seemed to have dropped this.”
    Ares glanced over his shoulder. The old woman behind him reached out and handed him a small plastic card. For a second, her eyes burned orange red, and her nose grew longer, her cheeks sunken. A moldy stench wafted up. Hekate stared at him through her wrinkled face.
    Ares raised his arm to defend himself. Before he could act, the old woman’s gaze returned to a dull, copper brown, and her features rounded into the grandma she had been. She stared at him as if she’d gotten lost and didn’t expect him to be in front of her.
    The old woman studied the card. “Funny. I don’t remember picking this up. This must be yours.”
    Hekate’s power of transformation chilled Ares’ bones. She’d possessed the old woman’s body long enough to speak, but not long enough for him to attack. What could she want with him now?
    Ares took the card. It was reminiscent of Kaye’s, with his picture on the front. He wore the same clothes he wore now. The name read Armin Warhammer.
    He wasn’t sure what was more disconcerting—that Hekate was helping him, or that she watched his every move.
    The line moved again, and Kaye read the sheet she held. “No refunds if you miss your flight? What kind of airline is this?”
    Ares tapped her shoulder and showed her the card. “Is this what you wanted?”
    Her eyes widened. “What? How?” She examined the card and breathed with relief. “I should have known. You can probably dream this stuff up from thin air.”
    Ares glanced