Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning #3)(66)

"None," he said sharply. "I did not woo you as the god Apollo. I wooed you and made love to you as Phoebus, a mortal man like any other."

It was Pamela's turn to snort. "Please! I was there. It was different with you than it had been with any other man. And it's so not like me to jump in bed with a weekend fling. You had to have done something to me."

Apollo stopped his pacing and walked over to her chair. "I used no immortal power to seduce you, and what we experienced was not a weekend fling."

Pamela's mouth felt dry and her stomach tightened at his closeness. "You're doing it again," she hissed. "I want you to stop."

Apollo's boyishly endearing smile came back in full force. "Sweet Pamela, that is an impossibility. As my sister has already discovered, when the portal closed, we were cut off from our immortal powers. Until Friday at dusk, I have no more power to touch your heart than any other mortal man."

"And if you want to be angry at someone for bespelling you, be angry at me," Artemis said, studying her fingernails. "I sprinkled some of my magic on you the night of my performance. I also filled last night's feast with the power of seduction."

"Why would you do that?" Pamela asked.

"We already explained to you about the invocation ritual. Until Apollo satisfied the desire of your heart, I was bound to you." The goddess brushed a golden curl from her face. "And I was supremely tired of being bound to you. You needed a little nudge to admit to yourself that Apollo was your heart's desire. So I nudged. Thank the Nine Muses it worked."

"You're not very nice, are you?" Pamela said to the goddess.

Artemis didn't appear in the least bit offended by the question. "Nice? Why would I need to be nice?"

The phone rang. Shaking her head at Artemis, Pamela answered it.

"Pamela, this is Mr. Faust's assistant, James," said a male voice.

"Oh, yes. Hello, James." Pamela's stomach sank. It was Monday morning. She was supposed to begin work today - this morning. She'd totally forgotten about E. D. Faust and the job she was there to complete.

"I wanted to remind you that Robert will be there with the car to pick you up at the entrance to Caesars Palace in exactly thirty minutes."

"Thank you for the call, James. Of course I'll be ready."

"Wonderful! Mr. Faust is looking forward to beginning the work on his villa."

Pamela responded woodenly with an appropriate reply and hung up the phone. She stared at Apollo and Artemis, who were watching her.

"I have to go to work," she said.

"Of course - the author's home. The one with the Roman bathhouse and the fountain," Apollo said.

"Yeah, he's sending his car for me." She glanced in the mirror and grimaced at how terrible she looked. "In exactly thirty minutes. I have to get ready to go." She started to hurry towards the bedroom. "Excellent!" Artemis said. "Where is it we're going?"

Pamela stopped short. "We're not going anywhere."

"Well I'm certainly not staying here in this little hovel. It's dreadfully boring."

"Well you certainly aren't coming with me," she mimicked the goddess' regal tone.

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Do not forget to whom you speak, mortal."

Pamela planted her hands on her hips and raised her chin. "Look, goddess or not, you're going to have to learn to not be such a bitch. And you can threaten me all you want." She pointed at the gold coin that dangled from around her neck. "I have Apollo's oath that I am under his protection." She heard Apollo's chuckle, but she refused to look at him. "Just stay here and order room service, dial up a movie, learn about the Internet... or something. Oh, hell. I'll figure out what to do with you two when I get back."

"Pamela."

Apollo's voice stopped her retreat into her room. She turned to face him.

"We could help you," he said.

"Help me what?"

"I could help you to persuade Faust to build the bathhouse. And," he added with a little smile, "Artemis could help you to persuade him to use her as the model for the statue in the center of the fountain."

Pamela sent a doubtful look Artemis' way.

"Throughout the ages men have worshiped images of my beauty," she said flippantly. "They are easily enamored with me."

"That may be true, but it's only because they're seeing your statues and your paintings; they don't have to actually be subjected to your hateful presence."

Artemis opened her mouth to snarl at Pamela, but Apollo cut her off.

"My sister will give her oath that she will be polite."

"I will not!"

"Faust is a modern bard, and he wants the statue in the center of his fountain to be dedicated to Bacchus. Think of the tales he will spin dedicated to the God of the Vine," Apollo told his sister.

"That fat toad should not be worshiped in the modern world!" Artemis said.

He shrugged. "It's up to you."

The goddess cleared her throat and reluctantly met Pamela's eyes. "I give you my oath that I will be polite. For today."

"I don't know..."

"Please, Pamela," Apollo said. "Let me show you I am no different today than I was yesterday. The god Apollo and the mortal Phoebus are the same man."