Complete Nothing (True Love #2)(13)

It was the first time any of us had witnessed a god or goddess’s power growing. Until that day, I hadn’t known it was possible for our abilities to change.

“Do they know where on Earth he is?” my mother asked, choosing not to let Ares and Hephaestus in on our secret. But I could tell Ares had seen our silent communication. He knew that something was amiss.

“Not as of my leaving,” Ares replied. “Zeus has all of you cloaked. But they are doing everything in their power to find out.”

“But even if they do, they can’t come here,” Hephaestus put in. “They’re lower gods. They can’t come to Earth unless sent here by an upper god. Banished or set on a mission.”

“And I’m sure Zeus has forbidden the upper gods to send them,” my mother put in, though it was more of a question than an assurance.

“Of course,” my father replied. “But that doesn’t mean one of them won’t be convinced to spite him. Neptune or Hades or Hera.”

My mother rolled her eyes at the mention of the queen’s name. There was no love lost between the two great goddesses.

He looked me in the eye. “You must complete your mission, my daughter, and you must do it now. When last we spoke, Zeus had no intention of breaking your bargain. He did not send you here for you to fail. He sent you here to teach you a lesson, to force you to refocus on your work. Of course the king wishes for love to succeed, for love to flourish in the world he so cherishes, but the situation is volatile and could easily change. Time is of the essence.”

I wanted to groan, thinking of how I’d spent the day idly longing for Orion, willing him to remember me, when I could have been working to match my next couple. Somehow I held my tongue, not wanting my parents to mark my desperation, but my disappointment in myself burned hot beneath my skin. Self-pity was such a waste of time. I knew this. How could I have let myself indulge in it for an entire day?

“Why?” my mother asked. “Even if Artemis does get herself banished to Earth, there is no contest between her and Eros. Orion would choose Eros in a heartbeat.”

“As always, you’re thinking only of matters of the heart, and ignoring the logistics of the situation,” my father said derisively. “If Artemis were to come here as a goddess while Eros remained human, Artemis could smite her with a blink of an eye. If Artemis were to come here as a human, and Eros remained a human, all Artemis need do is get her hands on any man-made weapon and she could end our daughter just as easily. The only answer is for True, as you call her, to complete her mission and have Zeus return her and Orion to Mount Olympus before Artemis and Apollo can get themselves to Earth. Then the two girls can face each other on common ground, with equal powers between them.”

“And then what?” my mother demanded. “A fight to the death?”

“If need be,” my father replied.

“How can you say that? How can you stand there and say that as if it’s nothing? She’s our daughter.”

“He’s right,” I said flatly.

“What?” my mother gasped.

“He’s right.” I rose to my feet and pressed my sweaty palms together. “I’m going to have to fight her. Eventually, that’s what this comes down to. Whether it’s here on Earth or back home on Mount Olympus, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Orion safe, to ensure our love.”

“But Eros—”

I looked her in the eye. “Whatever it takes.”





CHAPTER SIX


True


My father followed me as I made my exit out the back door, intent on walking into town to start trolling for some new lovers to match. The sun was just going down behind the wooden fence that surrounded our small but green yard, and birds chirped merrily in the dogwood tree off the patio. It was amazing how the world just went on, entirely oblivious to one’s mood. Back on Mount Olympus, I would have had the skies swirling with black clouds and the sea roiling right about now. We might even be suffering a rain of toads.

“Eros, we need to talk,” my father said, the wooden steps bowing under his weight.

“Do we? Now? Why now when we never have before?” I asked, barely glancing over my shoulder at him.

“Trust me. This, you’ll want to hear,” he said.

He glanced furtively at the kitchen windows. Hephaestus gazed out at us for a moment, before turning and moving out of sight. My interest was piqued, much to my chagrin. The very idea of giving my father the satisfaction of bending to his will made my skin crawl.

“Is this about Hephaestus?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “And your mother.”

My stomach twisted in a slow, prickling vortex. I stared into my father’s dark eyes. “No. Please. Don’t tell me—”

“They were lovers,” my father said. “Many moons ago. In fact, they were once married.”

“What?” I gasped.

“This was before your mother and I truly knew each other,” he said. “Before you, your brothers and, of course, your sister.”

My sister. Harmonia. A million images of her smiling at Hephaestus, standing by his side, accepting his gifts, his touch, his attention, flitted through my mind at once. Hot acid arose in the back of my throat and I turned around, trying to shake the visions from my mind. As long as I’d known Hephaestus, he’d been my sister Harmonia’s constant companion. They’d never been more than friends, but I’d always expected their relationship to turn in that direction, until the day Hephaestus was flung out of Mount Olympus for good. It was the only way I’d ever known him—as my sister’s almost-love. The very thought that he had ever been with my mother . . .