Part 2 (1/2)

Swallowing hard, I realized Chara had gone from sharing in my agony to looking ready to toss me to the lions. ”It's not what you think.”

Liar, liar.

”She's just been visiting. Mostly as a bird. Sometimes helping me with the window.” I rubbed at my nose with the back of my hand. ”It wasn't that easy, you know?”

”How long?” she demanded.

”I don't know.” I shrugged. ”Two months. Maybe three.”

”Three months!” Her shriek almost frightened me more than Aphrodite. ”You've been having visits with a G.o.ddess for three months? What'd you think was going on? You had to have known.”

”I didn't. I swear. She just told me it added to her power when beauty was important and that I was helping her. That's all I knew.”

Chara thrashed off the bed, jerking the covers with her. ”Unbelievable.”

”I know,” I pleaded, ”help me. What am I going to do?”

”You?” Chara's look was incredulous. ”Help you? I'm supposed to be at least a year out from having to play nursemaid to some ancient king. I like it here, thank you very much. But now what? Now I have to suffer because you were too dumb to see the obvious?”

As I searched for the words that could possibly explain myself, Chara tore out of the room. ”I can't be here right now.”

The door slammed behind her like the crack of an axe.

Chapter 5 - Eros.

Eros whipped through the cool night air, still struggling to control his temper. His mother's audacity had hit a new low.

He couldn't believe she'd told him to marry a mortal. She knew how he felt about them since -. He couldn't bring himself to even think her name. That scar had finally healed and he wasn't about to tear it open again. Especially not over Psyche, a girl who apparently detested him on sight.

What he needed was a distraction. Something to keep his mind from circling back to the arc of attraction he'd felt when he touched Psyche that morning. Or the way just seeing someone as beautiful as her made him want to seal his heart up in a metal box. He wouldn't let himself be hurt again. Ever.

Tr.i.m.m.i.n.g his wings, Eros landed just outside a throbbing ma.s.s of people. Dionysus' all-night party would certainly do as a distraction. In the midst of half-naked women who actually wanted him, he figured he'd drink himself stupid. And find someone who'd make him forget Psyche's green eyes and how much they reminded him of ... her.

Pus.h.i.+ng through a crowd of gossiping nymphs, Eros sidled up to Dionysus. As Eros hoped to be by the end of the night, Dionysus was draped in girls. He held a goblet of wine, slos.h.i.+ng its crimson contents to the ground.

”Dionysus, old friend,” Eros said, clapping the beefy immortal on the back, ”looks like you started the party without me.”

Dionysus swung his wobbly head toward the voice and worked to squint Eros into focus. ”Zou made it...” he slurred. ”Have some wine!” Dionysus raised his gla.s.s and wine splashed onto the chest of the woman sitting to his right.

While Dionysus made a mess of helping the lady dry her toga, a reveler whisked over and placed a goblet in Eros's hand. He downed the wine in one long drink.

”Here, let me get that for you.” Eros turned to find a nymph he'd known for years refilling his gla.s.s.

”Kalliste!” Eros threw an arm around the nymph. ”Good to see you again.”

”You too, Eros.” Her auburn hair sparkling in the torchlight was almost as captivating as her smile.

Eros leaned closer to Kalliste and lowered his voice. ”Since when did you become one of Dionysus's followers? I didn't think you liked this sort of thing.” He nodded his head in the direction of a group of swirling women.

”A girl has a right to change.” Kalliste brushed her bangs off her forehead. ”Probably a lot has changed about me since I saw you last.”

”Do tell,” Eros replied, finis.h.i.+ng off his wine and raising his cup for another refill.

”Maybe. First I want to know about Eros. Have you changed any?” Kalliste asked as she poured.

Eros raised an eyebrow. ”Me? Why should I change?” He b.u.mped her shoulder with his. ”I'm pretty perfect as is, don't ya think?”

”Mmmm...” Kalliste ran her hand up to his shoulder. ”You are a treat for the eyes, but you're murder on the heart.”

Eros laughed and threw back another gulp of wine. ”Me? You don't know the half of it.” He'd seen murder on the heart, but it wasn't his doing.

Kalliste narrowed her eyes as she leaned in to hiss in his ear. ”You've got to stop with the arrows, okay? I know you've been laying low for a few weeks, but Zeus sent me to confirm that you're done. He's serious this time. No more mortals for him.”

No more mortals for anyone, if Eros had any say in the matter.

”And you need to make things up to Hera,” Kalliste continued. ”You've been quite the home-wrecker.”

Eros let his head fall forward. He wished he weren't having this conversation tonight. Or ever.

”What does she want?” he groaned.

Kalliste laid her arm over Eros's shoulder. ”Just let some nice G.o.ddess make an honest man out of you. You know how she is about family. Settle down, stop sending her husband chasing after mortal girls, and all will be forgiven.”

Talk about a joke. Zeus has been chasing women since long before Eros was born. But what could he say to the little messenger-nymph that wouldn't make it back to the Olympian rulers? Nothing.

Eros s.n.a.t.c.hed the jug of wine and refilled his gla.s.s. ”You know, Kalliste? You're the second person today who's tried to set me up.”

Kalliste's lips twisted into a pout. ”Oh. Did someone else already talk to you about Iris then?”

Eros about spat out his wine. ”Iris? That multi-colored freak show? G.o.ds, that's almost worse than a mortal.”

Kalliste b.u.mped her knuckles into his shoulder. ”Don't be an a.s.s. It was Hera's idea.” When Eros didn't respond, she added, ”She'd really like to see you settled down.”

”Yeah, well, so would my mom.” He threw back another gulp of wine. ”People are going to have to learn to deal with disappointment.”

Kalliste's face paled as her gaze locked on something behind Eros.

”What?” he asked, turning.

Aphrodite was so close, he had to stumble back so he didn't step on her. ”Disappointment is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?”

”Not here,” he said. ”I'm not talking about this tonight. With either of you,” he added, glaring back at Kalliste.