Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning #3)(51)

"Fine," she said, making sure her voice remained neutral. "You can take me to dinner. Snackous Maximous doesn't count as a real meal anyway."

"He will choose the place," Artemis said with a satisfied smile.

"Fine," Pamela repeated. "If we meet at eight o'clock, will that give you enough time to get your family business straight?"

Artemis nodded slightly at her brother.

"Yes," he said. "I will call for you at your room."

"No!" Pamela said too quickly. She cleared her throat and gave a little cough like the word explosion had been a tickle and not a knee-jerk. "I'll meet you at the wine bar. Just like before." Then she instantly regretted saying "just like before." Just like the night before... when they'd ended up in her bed making love until past noon...

His smile was a caress as he remembered all too well what the previous night had held. "I will meet you, sweet Pamela, at our wine bar. Just like before."

This time nothing prevented her retreat.

Chapter 17

The insubstantial opaque of the portal shimmered as the twin deities stepped from the modern world back to Olympus. Apollo's square jaw was set, and his eyes flashed with unspoken rage. With a brusque gesture he motioned for his sister to follow him out of the crowded banquet hall.

"I did not intend - " Artemis hissed a whisper, but Apollo's dark look was enough to make her hold her tongue.

"Not until we are in my temple. Alone," he said through his teeth, smiling and shaking his head in a polite no to Aphrodite, who tried to wave him over to the chaise on which she reclined. The Goddess of Love was surrounded by a flock of giggling Napaean glen nymphs who had shed their wisps of clothing and were practicing a fertility dance that involved intricate belly undulations.

"Napaeans are terrible gossips," Artemis whispered conspiratorially.

Apollo shot her a disgusted glance. "They all are. You all are."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He took her elbow. "Not here. Not now."

Brother and sister continued to make their way through the Olympian gardens, responding with polite hellos and regretfully declining the myriad invitations for fun and frolic offered them, until they walked through the golden doors of Apollo's Temple.

As soon as they were within the god's private chambers, he rounded on his sister. "I can not believe the foolish scene you created with Pamela! What were you thinking? Or were you simply not thinking at all! You almost ruined everything."

"Ruined everything?" she said mockingly. "And what everything do you mean? The earth-moving romance you're having? The bond still exists, Apollo! I can feel the chains of the invocation. I'm still bound to her. What is wrong? Why have you not yet made love to her?"

Apollo looked away from his sister's piercing gaze.

The Huntress's eyes widened. "You have made love to her," she breathed. "And it didn't work. It didn't fulfill her heart's desire."

Apollo's nod was a single, tight jerk. He walked over to a glass-topped table carved in the image of his plunging chariot of light and helped himself to the waiting goblet of ever-ready wine.

"You had no idea you hadn't fulfilled the invocation ritual."

It wasn't a question, but after taking a long drink, Apollo answered her. "None whatsoever."

"I don't understand what's happening," she said. "Did your lovemaking go well? Did she respond to you?"

He glared over the top of the goblet at her. "Of course it went well! I'm not an inexperienced youth."

"So you satisfied her?"

Apollo scowled. "Yes."

"You're quite certain? You know, often men only believe they have brought a woman to completion, when in fact - "

"She did not pretend with me!" Apollo bellowed.

The walls of his temple flashed with the blinding light of an exploding star. Artemis hastily covered her eyes, waiting for his tantrum to pass.

"Well, something went wrong." She checked carefully from between her fingers before lowering her hand. She sincerely hated it when her brother's light leaked out. "Perhaps her desire could not be fulfilled by making love to her just once."

"It wasn't just once," Apollo said, rubbing his hand across his face. "We made love all night and past morning. She was as satisfied as I."

"There is another possibility. What if Pamela's true heart's desire has little to do with the act of lovemaking?" Artemis paced restlessly as she worked through the problem aloud. "Although, it's tied to lovemaking - because I felt the bond between us loosen during the night - but the connection forged by the invocation is undeniably still in place between us, so there's more to her heart's desire than sex." Considering, the goddess paused while she poured herself some more wine. "I could sense her feelings, especially as she was trying to leave you at the pool."

Apollo's eyes fastened on his sister. "What was she feeling?" he demanded.

"She was hurt and confused and embarrassed."

He sank into a chair and groaned. His sister watched him carefully.

"You care for her, don't you?" she asked quietly.

He raised his head and met her eyes. "I think I am falling in love with her."