Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning #3)(18)

"My heartfelt wish is that my stupid ex-husband hasn't sucked all the romance out of me, but the truth is that I'm afraid he has. So if you want to help me out..." She paused, trying to remember the goddess's name (asking the female deity to bring romance back into her life seemed to make the most sense) and then feeling a little foolish, even though the crowd's cheers drowned out her words, she continued, "Uh, Artemis, you could bring romance into my life." Then, remembering the disgusting, gold-chained gigolo, she added, "Oh, and Artemis, I'm tired of men who think they're gods. If you want to grant my wish, bring me a man who is really godlike for a change."

Chapter 6

"How could this have happened?" Artemis exclaimed after pulling her still-staring brother into a relatively quiet corner. "The mortal completed the invocation!"

Apollo nodded his head numbly. "She even used your name."

Artemis wanted to strangle him. "You think I don't know that! I feel it." She narrowed her eyes and glared around them. "Where is that rotund fool Bacchus? This was his doing. His stupidity caused this; he should be involved in cleaning up the mess."

"Cleaning it up?" Apollo pulled his gaze away from the mortal woman who had just unknowingly bound an ancient goddess to fulfill her heart's desire. "Don't you mean granting it?"

The goddess opened her mouth for a hot retort - and then closed it just as quickly. Her brother was right. There was no getting around it. The bond had been forged and then neatly soldered into place. She could feel the weight of it like an iron shackle.

"All right. It has happened. There is nothing to do but fulfill the mortal's whim and be done with it."

Apollo said nothing, but his eyes moved from his sister's angry face back to the mortal woman. He couldn't stop staring at her. She had wrapped a flimsy piece of something around her wounded finger, and she was still trying - unsuccessfully - to wipe up the spilled wine. She'll probably cut herself again, he thought, and he had a sudden urge to rush over to the table and caution her. He actually breathed a sigh of relief when a servant arrived with a cloth and made short work of the mess. Apollo watched as the woman smiled sheepishly. He couldn't be certain, but he thought that her cheeks were flushed. They were nice cheeks, he decided. High and well-formed. They complemented her heart-shaped face. He felt himself smile. That hair! He should have loathed the fact that a woman would cut her hair so short, but on her he found the shorn locks strangely attractive. It gave her a fey look and made her appear delightfully rumpled and mussed, as if she had just tumbled from her lover's bed.

Artemis followed her brother's rapt gaze. The goddess's sharp eyes evaluated the mortal woman. She appeared completely unaware of what she had done. She was petite and dressed in a surprisingly pleasing fashion, despite her outrageously cropped hair. Her age was indeterminate. All Artemis could discern was that she was older than a youth and younger than a middle-aged matron. She seemed attractive, and the very nature of her spoken desire proved that she was not currently pledged to any man. Artemis felt a small sense of relief. At least the mortal hadn't asked for her to begin a war, or worse, to bring about world peace. All she desired was a god to romance her. She looked at her handsome brother, whose expression obviously showed that he was, indeed, interested in the woman. Artemis' relief expanded. This couldn't be that difficult.

"I believe I'm overreacting. The mortal simply wants to be seduced by a god."

"She didn't say she wanted to be seduced. She asked for romance to return to her life," Apollo corrected her. His lips were tilted up in a slight smile as his eyes remained on the mortal.

"In the form of a man who is godlike. You, my dear Brother, are a god. So, what are you waiting for?" She shook her head at Apollo. Had he suddenly become dense? "I certainly am not what she desires, but she has bound me to fulfill her wish. You are my brother. The god closest to me in all of Olympus. That makes you the perfect god to rid me of this ridiculous problem."

"Yes, it certainly does." His smile widened.

"Of course it does," she agreed with him, noting his smug smile. Wasn't this really what he desired, too? Wasn't it just a few moments ago that he had been waxing poetic about Hades and his mortal lover? Now he had a chance to experience the love of a modern mortal - one who wasn't already enamored with another god. For an instant she wondered if this mistake might actually be more than a coincidence. She glanced surreptitiously around them. Could Zeus be plotting something? No, she rejected the thought. It had been her idea alone to bring her brother to the Kingdom of Las Vegas to cheer him up. Apparently, the impulse had been a good one. The old-fashioned seduction of a mortal woman ought to do wonders for his morose mood. Feeling rather pleased with herself, she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Go to her. Romance her. Take her to bed. Fulfill her every erotic desire. Just be quick about it. It would probably be best if Zeus doesn't hear about this. You and I can deal with Bacchus ourselves." Then she added quickly, "You probably shouldn't reveal yourself to her. It wouldn't do to have a mortal woman telling others how she managed to bind the aid of a goddess and invoke golden Apollo to her bed."

He frowned at his sister. "Of course I won't tell her."

"Excellent," she said, rubbing her hands together as if she had just completed a job well done.