Pantheon at War

  King of the Gods: Book Three

  Author: D. R. Rosier

  Copyright 2024. This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, Places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Afterword:

  About the Author

  Other erotic fantasies by D. R. Rosier:

  Non-erotic Fantasy titles:

  Book Description

  Chapter One

  The moonlight playing on the water was overcome by the bright flashes of fireworks exploding high in the sky. The party boat a little raucous off the western coast of India in the Arabian Sea. There were hundreds of gods wandering around in a buzz, and half of them beautiful women.

  It was worth noting it was early in our day for a party, around eleven in the morning, but India was just past sunset.

  The last two months after taking down the crazy Viktor had spiraled as I suspected. Fear fueled prejudice and violence and his brief but crazy rule had scared the human population badly. The human first group had seen some surging growth, and Russia, China, and a few other less capable countries were all gaming out scenarios and making plans to deal with the god problem as they saw it.

  The friendlier countries relatively speaking, that hadn’t taken to hunting us, though were hardly friendly to the supernatural races or gods, were still depending on us to handle our criminals, be they evil or insane. But even they had started new scientific programs to investigate ways to defend themselves if it came to it.

  Most humans however, saw it as a tragedy, and one that had been solved. They’d mostly gotten back to their lives after going a little nuts for a while. But the growing percentage of extremists and governments paranoid about losing their power were another story. Not to mention their free will.

  Still, the world was a packed down powder keg, and I was doing my best to keep an eye on it all and prevent a spark from igniting it. Nadia was also working hard to find threats, and Freda was a genius at political discourse and efforts.

  It didn’t help however, that the Norse gods didn’t have their intended ruler anymore, but at least the new Thor was sane and doing his best not to turn the world against us.

  The only beautiful women I cared about at Gopal’s party were already attached to my sides. My mates and lovers, Faith and Lianne. Sure, the eye candy was nice enough. There were no average looking goddesses after all, but not really a temptation. Loyalty and pack were far too important and central to my being, to trade them for a night of empty if incredibly wild transient pleasure, and maybe I was biased, but I had the best two of the crowd already.

  Lianne was five foot seven, with slightly wavy light brown hair tinged with gold. She had gorgeously expressive doe brown eyes, severe cheekbones, and full lips. She was an exotic eastern beauty. Her body on the lithe side and all willowy grace and sex appeal, with perfectly rounded B cups, a thin waist, and a tight little pear-shaped ass.

  She was also six weeks pregnant, and I still held her in awe. My crazy loyal and manic goddess had so much powerful and positive energy to her, it was a wonder she wasn’t always going off the rails a little bit. The goddess of force and energy. Since her new insight into my nature, she held that back about half the time. Even our going crazy and taking each other was a fifty-fifty give and take proposition in our relationship.

  Faith was on my left arm, the goddess of persuasion and seduction. Even at five foot nine her body was all lush feminine delight and temptation, an invitation to wild sex. She had deliciously largely rounded D cups, with a juicy and supple bubbled ass, and a waist so thin between them it gave her perfect lush hourglass figure at her height.

  Up above she had an angelic innocence of beauty, heart shaped face and slightly bowed lips. She had warm green eyes and straight buttery light blonde hair. Everything about her was innocently seductive and drove me crazy, even her voice was pure seduction, so much so she tended to disguise it when speaking to anyone but a family member.

  I also loved both of them ridiculously. The last two months had brought us all a lot closer, and while Faith and I had yet to give our official commitments I could scent deep love and loyalty on her the last two weeks and knew it wouldn’t be long. She was sure of all of us, and I was sure of her. She was amazing, and she’d flowered so much the last two months. She still put up that distant aloofness around others lest they mistake her mantle and nature for a true invitation, but at home or just around us she was all sensual warmth, confidence, and joy.

  I didn’t like the fact our other two mates were at home instead of by our side, but it’d be a mistake to bring a vampire and shifter to a party of gods. I couldn’t say no to Gopal’s invitation without offending him either, so both Cerise and Aubrey had reluctantly accepted the need to stay at the mansion. I missed them both, which is why they were on my mind.

  Cerise was my sexy vampire and ran my businesses with unshakeable competence. She had wavy reddish-brown hair, with stunning light gray eyes. Her severe cheekbones on an oval face with pouty lips gave her a seductively severe beauty that was breathtaking. At five foot six she was average of body slightly on the athletic side, with proud heart-shaped C cups and a deliciously rounded ass.

  She was an amazing woman, and by her own words a product of the age she was born in. Always primped and well dressed for me, doting and coy, extremely loyal, and she didn’t want to be in charge. She was submissive in and out of bed and a lady down to her fingertips and toes. She loved to be possessed, cherished, and spoiled, and quite frankly awed me. It was only due to her vampire predatory nature that she was aggressive in bed about ten percent of the time, otherwise she was all eager and joyful submission.

  I made sure she fed on me, Faith, or Lianne every day, so she’d be at top form, never have to feel the pangs of bloodthirst that plagued the vampires, and so she could join us and enjoy food. The daily charm I cast for her also let her enjoy the sunlight, a very ancient and little-known spell.

  Aubrey had joined us last, but I’d grown up with her and knew her best and had already loved her the day I picked her up. I was fairly sure like Faith, she was close to commitment, the only thing holding back our mating was the idea of sharing mates in a polyamory arrangement, something shifters didn’t really do as rule.

  She was petite at five foot three, with curly raven black hair and dark blue eyes. Her skin was a delicious light golden brown and she was a classic beauty with full lips and strong cheekbones.

  At her petite height she was quite lush up top with generously rounded C cups making her a bit top heavy in appearance in a good way, with a tight and petite heart shaped ass to die for. She was playfully bold of nature, and I loved her deliriously. She wanted to be taken and to feel safe in bed, wanted to be a submissive minx led by her man behind closed doors, but she also made me earn it each and every time.

  Perhaps it was more accurate to say she liked being conquered and forced to submit, and she’d hate it if she actually won one of those wrestling contests. I’d also never hear the end of it if she did, fortunately I was far stronger and far more dominant, so it wouldn’t ever be a true problem.

  My thoughts were brought back to the present, as Karim and Layla interposed themselves between us and the bar that we’d been headed over toward to refresh our drinks. The three of us stopped a few feet from the couple. Karim didn’t look happy to be approaching me, and while Layla was far more laid back she didn’t look thrilled to be there either. I suspected that was more about her mate’s plans than any negative feelings Layla had toward me.

  I mean, I knew for a fact she liked me. Not that special way, she was totally besotted with Karim. She just thought we could’ve been friends if we weren’t the leaders of two different pantheons, and I agreed with the sentiment. Layla was levelheaded and kind, but she also had plenty of steel when it was called for. She was athletically curvy in form, with an attractive face framed by jet black hair and had dark chocolate eyes. Karim was athletically toned with a medium build at six foot two, and I wondered if it bothered him that I was an inch taller. I wasn’t so petty that I checked with my power on that question.

  “Karim, Layla, can I help you with something, or just come to say hi?”

  Karim grimaced, which I really couldn’t blame him for. I strived to keep the suspicious and prejudiced against western philosophy and civilization god off balance in all our interactions, so he was never sure if he could take me at face value.

  “You owe me for your interference.”

  I nodded, “Her, really, but I won’t quibble.”

  It’d been two months since I’d saved Layla, though I hadn’t really done it with that purpose in mind. This was the first time they’d brought it up since, so this was probably about reparations of some kind. My petty point being I’d interfered with her fight, not h
is.

  Misty cocked her hip distractingly as she glared at the rebirth of Osiris. No doubt from my own feelings that she read in my mind. What can I say, no one liked being seen as an untrustworthy devil through the eyes of ugly prejudice. The best thing I could say about him was he was at least trying, if only so Layla didn’t lay into him later when they were in private.

  Misty was five foot four, with snow white hair and eyes of gold and silver, two rings around the iris, which was quite striking and also a reminder she wasn’t a biological woman. She was a perfect hourglass for her height, B cups and a lovely tight ass, not lush, petite, or athletic, but perfectly in the middle of all of that. I’d long gotten used to the fact I had no secrets from my self-aware and servile artificial intelligence. That fact could even be a bit fun and a little naughty at times for me, actually.

  I wouldn’t describe myself as an exhibitionist in the main, but I’d needed to embrace it all before I could truly accept it, from the shallow and undeniable attraction I had for her, to all the thoughts in my head from the gutter to the profound.

  Her face was mischievously beautiful and matched her personality perfectly that way, since apparently that’s what I wanted in a woman, a teasing challenge. She called me master at times, but when she did there was always an element of playful sarcasm to it. Mostly she called me sir though, with an occasional Sir Liam rarely thrown in.

  Of course, only the three of us could see her there in a sexy red party dress and calf high boots with four-inch stiletto heels. Me through the built-in interface spells, and my four mates through their interfaces as well over a magical network connection so we’d all see her in the same spot in the augmented reality illusion over our eyes.

  Karim snorted, “Do you take anything seriously?”

  I nodded, “Almost everything except my interactions with you, yes.”

  What? Truth was truth.

  He turned red in the face but mastered himself, “I want you to take Alec in hand, he’s being disruptive, while not crossing the line into interference or attack. Several of my gods are whining about it, gods I need to be on task.”

  Alec was the new Hermes, who was somewhat of a trickster god, if not on the level of Loki. I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my face, as I asked my power what Alec was up to. A bunch of childish pranks on the other gods, apparently. Usually with a salacious edge. What Karim didn’t know was Alec was also picking up some of his goddesses for a little taboo thrill besides.

  Of course, that smile angered Karim, I thought the man had turned red before, now he was really ruddy.

  I held up a hand, “I’ll ask Mark to deal with it. They’re good friends. You just want the practical jokes to stop, correct?”

  Just defining the issue fully, mostly because I didn’t want to cock block the messenger god, that would put his attention on me. It was pretty harmless as far as a scandal, as long as he didn’t mate or knock up a goddess of another pantheon, dipping his dick was just fine. It was a taboo thrill for the goddesses he’d been with too, not a deception or one-sided thing. A forbidden lust thing.

  He scowled, “Yes. You can’t deal with it?”

  I blinked, “He isn’t breaking the law or our agreement. Mandy would make fun of me if I told her to go bully him about it officially. The best way to approach it is casually and unofficially, and anyone pushing a trickster god would be making a mistake. Mark will handle it.”

  He shook his head in disgust, which was truly annoying as well as confusing.

  I shrugged, “I rule my pantheon through delegation. Did you forget? I’ve also never met Alec so can’t approach him on a friend or mentor level. I can give you what you want, my way. Why are you so hung up on me doing it?”

  I asked my power the same thing, and the answer was he wanted to punish me. He wanted me to do the work personally, like it was my community service for interfering with his business. Which was ridiculous, reparation was not censure or punishment, it was essentially a bribe legitimized because we were governments. That’s all reparations really was, a bribe by another fancier name to make it sound right and just.

  I snorted, “Never mind, just take it or leave it. I’m getting bored. I never expected we’d be negotiating reparations over such a petty point.”

  At least the price matched up, I had saved his mate’s life after all and it wasn’t harmful interference, save to his pride. And that’s what this was, he wanted to hurt my pride too, embarrass me by making me deal with such a petty issue personally. Perhaps he even hoped Alec would turn mischief in my direction if I dealt with it directly.

  What he didn’t seem to get was I wouldn’t violate the articles of my government for any reason, much less for him and such a petty reason. I couldn’t go after any of my gods personally for any reason, save self-defense. I had to exercise my power through the council.

  Layla touched his arm, clearly prompting him to take it, but Karim scowled, took her hand firmly, and stalked away. Clearly, he’d rejected my negotiation of the means, and no doubt was determined to find something else, something that would knock me down a peg and hurt my pride.

  Whatever, at least we didn’t come to blows. It also didn’t bode well. It was just one more issue on top of the others I was dealing with. Norse gods, human first and aggressive governments, and business problems were on the horizon as well, with the release coming up.

  I knew one thing, if saving Layla’s life eventually escalated into war between our pantheons, I would make that prejudiced ass’s death a horrifying lesson to his next life. I doubted it would come to that, but he would continue being a pain in the ass, of that I had no doubt.

  Regardless, save for Misty’s unexpected sentience, which she’d fixed in the others before making more, the beta test phase had gone just about perfectly. Most of the flaws that the phase would’ve found, along with a few that would’ve stayed hidden, had been fixed by Misty seconds after being turned on. That really made the difference, A.I.s didn’t make coding mistakes, and they didn’t miss finding ones either.

  Something Faith had verified in full just last week. Faith had still pulled her weight business wise, even if she hadn’t really been needed for the stability side of the equation. It was good to verify it anyway, but beside that our app store offerings were a lot bigger than I’d expected it would be at our coming launch, and there was also the matter of the augmented reality phone and conference app, adding further value to the device.

  Faith had also added a few more things over the last two months. Health related things, monitoring and such. The A.I. could also be a workout coach now, as well as help their owners with counting calories and weight loss. Originally, the A.I. would only notify the authorities if their owner was having a heart attack or needed aid for some other reason while unconscious.

  Lianne muttered, “Asshole,” as we watched the disparate but ridiculously besotted couple walk off.

  I grinned her way, she really didn’t like anyone that screwed with me, or even looked at me wrong. Then we continued to the bar to finally refresh our drinks.

  After that we had a good time, drinking and dancing, the former within reason. Gopal knew how to throw a party, and he was wise enough to do it on the sea on a party boat, with no humans around just in case trouble broke out. There were no major scuffles, just a few tense arguments.

  While it wasn’t quite the same as the Hindu sponsored parties Zeus had attended in the past, that was mostly because there was no taboo foreign goddess action for me. I didn’t regret that or miss that in the least. Not with Faith and Lianne at my side.

  I had a good time, despite missing my other two mates. I wasn’t co-dependent, our work separated us almost all day every day, but going out to a party without them felt wrong, since all our dates were group dates.

  Chapter Two

  It was right around one in the afternoon when the three of us returned to the Portland mansion. We still used the New York Brownstone on occasion, but the one in the sticks outside of Portland was a lot more private. It also afforded Aubrey the access to go on a daily run without bothering one of us gods for a lift to the wilderness. It was a point of independence more than anything, even if I joined her on a lot of those runs unless I was caught up in something for rule or business.