Goddess of Love (Goddess Summoning #5)(90)

The Goddess of Love did not chase after any man.

The Goddess of Love did not bear insult well.

The Goddess of Love had pride and dignity.

Venus's sigh was soul deep. "The Goddess of Love is miserable," she muttered. The Great Hall of Olympus was crowded with glittering, golden immortals and exquisite nymphs of all types dressed in diaphanous scraps of clothing. Venus even recognized several lesser deities, like Hebe, Goddess of Youth; Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow; and the Muses and Graces. Persephone gave her a saucy wink as she walked past her, which Venus tried her best to return with good humor.

Well she supposed she should be pleased that apparently all of Olympus was there. Everyone could witness the dissolution of her marriage with Vulcan. It would save her having to repeat herself over and over again.

Maybe after this was finished, she would return to Tulsa with Vulcan. She'd only been away from Pea for a day, but already she missed her mortal friend. No, she corrected herself gloomily. Vulcan and Pea would want to be alone. They would probably begin planning their wedding. And she was happy for them - really she was.

She was also thoroughly depressed.

"Venus, Goddess of Love, and Vulcan, God of Fire, we shall hear your petition now." Zeus's voice boomed across the enormous room.

Venus began picking her way to the raised dais, which held the two glittering thrones on which sat the king and queen of Olympus. Discreetly she let her eyes sweep the room. Where was Vulcan? She could do this without him, but if she did it would seem mean-spirited and disrespectful. Unless he was there to show that the dissolution of their marriage was mutual, no matter how she put her request, it would appear that Love had discarded Vulcan. His name would be spoken with even more disdain. Perhaps she should wait for him and ask to come before Zeus and Hera another day.

No, Vulcan wouldn't want that, and neither would Pea. And what did Vulcan care about what the immortals thought of him? He'd found his love. Pea was all that mattered to him. Venus stopped before the dais and curtsied low with such fluid grace and beauty that she called the attention of everyone in the room to her.

"What may we do for you, Goddess of Love?" Zeus asked. Then, with a frown, he added, "And wasn't the request for petition made by you and our son?"

"It was my lord," Venus said. "But it seems Vulcan has been detained, so I will present the request for both of us."

Zeus snorted, but Hera responded with a gracious, "Go ahead, Venus. We will hear your request."

Venus lifted her chin and spoke in a clear, confident voice that carried throughout the Great Hall.

"It is no secret to any of you that my marriage to the God of Fire has been an unusual one, and it is that marriage that is the subject of our petition today." Venus paused, waiting for the curious whispers to fade. "Vulcan and I have been good friends, but we married under false pretenses. Ironically our marriage has lacked love. We would now like to rectify our mistake. Marriage should be based on more than convenience, so Vulcan and I ask that - "

"You stand witness to the recommitment of our marriage."

With the rest of the crowd, Venus gasped with shock at the interruption. She looked around the enormous room until she caught sight of Vulcan's tall figure making his way toward her. Surely she'd misunderstood his words. She looked up at him as he joined her before the thrones of his parents.

"Vulcan, what are you talking about?" She kept her voice low for his ears alone. He smiled at her, but instead of answering he faced his parents and bowed to them.

"Zeus, Hera," he said. "Thank you for hearing our petition today, and forgive me for being late."

"That's quite all right, son," Hera said, beaming a smile at her favorite child. "Go ahead with your request. Your father and I are ready to hear it."

"Venus was quite right. We started our relationship together in a loveless way. But now I would like to rectify that. If Venus will agree, I want to recommit to our marriage, and this time it will be a real marriage."

He ignored the disbelieving whispers and the sarcastic laughter that was the response of the watching immortals and turned to Venus. Then he further shocked her by taking her in his arms. When he spoke he didn't lower his voice. The entire Hall could hear what he was saying, but his words were confidently spoken and they seemed to brush her soul with the depth of their passion.

"Who knew Love could be intimate with loneliness?"

"What? I - I don't understand, Vulcan," she whispered.

Again he spoke from his heart to her, but he made no attempt to speak quietly. "You've been lonely, wife."

Numbly, not understanding what was happening, she automatically replied the same words she'd spoken days earlier during a bizarrely similar conversation. "I have. We should have never married. We've both been unbearably sad. Friendship can only be an addition to, not a substitute for, true love." Venus held her breath, hoping against all reason that she knew what his next words would be.

"And neither is waiting and searching. Is there any way we can reconcile? How can we make this better for both of us?"

When she heard the familiar response, from the night of the masquerade party, Venus began to tremble. And suddenly the Great Hall seemed to fade around them, and it was replaced by an Oklahoma night when the man who looked into her eyes had been wearing a different kind of mask.