“Bella! I’m so glad you’re OK.” I turned at Persephone’s voice, the Queen hurrying toward me in an exquisite leaf green dress that had a high choker neckline, and black vines embroidered across the edges.
“Oh, yeah, thanks. I heard you came to help.”
“Queen Persephone,” grunted Ares, then strode away, his armor clanging.
“He’s as cheerful as ever then,” Persephone said with a smile. “You look amazing! I got a bit of a makeover when I got here as well.”
“Thanks, you look awesome too. How do I get one of those drinks?”
Persephone flagged down a satyr and I gulped down most of the drink he handed me in one go. Persephone raised her eyebrows at me. “One of those days, huh?”
“Definitely one of those days.”
I chatted to Persephone a while, but I struggled to keep my attention from wandering. Now that my strength was restored, my awareness of the things around me was in full-force, perhaps even more so than usual, and everything was setting me on edge. I didn’t know if it was my constant low-level shame and anger about the kiss and resulting rejection, or my trepidation about Aphrodite. Eris had done a good job in setting me up to worry about seeing the Goddess of Love, that was for sure.
“So, the man the demon took, are you two together?” Persephone’s words slammed into me, drawing my attention fully back to her. Guilt swamped me.
“No, no, he was my, erm, anger management shrink.”
“So no romantic feelings at all? It’s just you seemed very upset when you first got here.” Her voice was gentle, and not probing. Unlike Eris, who I believed was always trying to get to some information she could use, I got the feeling Persephone actually cared.
“He was the only person who didn’t get freaked out by my strength or my temper,” I said quietly. “But I guess if he knew what I really was, then that makes sense now. I thought he was my friend.”
“Just because he knew you were from Olympus doesn’t mean he wasn’t your friend.”
“His job was to keep an eye on me. He spent eight months trying to convince me that my issues were chemical.” I could hear the hurt in my voice as I said the words aloud. “All that time he knew that my temper was part of my soul, my strength part of what made me who I was. Why did he lie? Why not just tell me?”
“I’m sorry,” Persephone said softly. “That must be hard.”
I shook my head, embarrassed. “No, I’m sorry. I guess I’ve been avoiding thinking about it much.” A little too much, I thought, that damned kiss firing in my memory again. “I have to find him, I’m the only one who knows he was taken. I can worry about our relationship once he’s safe.”
“Good plan. Things have a way of changing here. Oh, here comes trouble.” I glanced to where she was looking over my shoulder, and my heart skipped a beat. The woman walking toward us had raven black hair, alabaster skin and scarlet red lips to match her lace sheath dress. Even though she looked completely different than the last time I’d seen her, I knew at once she was Aphrodite.
“Queen Persephone,” she said as she reached us, and her voice was like a caress. She turned to me. “Bella, is it?”
I bowed my head as I answered her. “Yes, that’s right.”
“You were impressive today.”
“Oh,” I said. I hadn’t expected her to compliment me. “Thanks.”
“Have you seen Ares? I need to speak with him.”
“No, he went off as soon as we arrived.” Relief that she wasn’t going to use her divine power to punish me for kissing her lover was washing through me, along with a tiny, unjustifiable glimmer of satisfaction that he hadn’t gone straight to her when we got here.
“No matter. I’m sure he’ll come to me soon enough,” she said. Her eyes moved slowly up and down my dress, and I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to impress her. I needed her to like me, to love me even. I wanted to be like her, have eyes as deep and mesmerizing, have lips as full and soft, skin as smooth and touchable-
“My, my, you are still mostly human,” she said with a small smirk. The feeling broke, and fresh embarrassment pricked at me as I realized she’d been using her power on me.
I had wanted to worship her. Hell, I had wanted to be her. The thought of her invading my mind like that, making me want to change who I was, made the nervousness Eris had instilled in me tip dangerously toward anger. I didn’t take well to being played with.
“Yes, I am still mostly human,” I answered stiffly.
“You really should learn to use the mediocre power you have to guard yourself, little girl,” she said quietly.
“Little girl?” I repeated. My hearing had narrowed to just us, and my vision was tightening, red tingeing the edges.
“Yes. You are little, Bella. Do not forget how little you are. I am one of the twelve most powerful beings in the world, and you are tiny. Tiny in size, power and influence. Tiny in the mind of the God of War.”
“You’re pissed because you know he likes me,” I snarled, the red mist descending, and the knowledge that goading a goddess was a seriously bad idea abandoning me completely.
Aphrodite laughed. “Likes you? He worked well with you today because he has no choice. He needs his power back. And I’m the reason he wants it back so badly. I won’t fuck him until he’s strong again.” She whispered the last words as she leaned close to me, a cruel smile distorting her beautiful face.
Every instinct in me wanted to punch her, but my arms seemed to be glued to my sides. Before I could say another word she spoke again. “Whatever it is you think you have with him, forget it. Little Bella in her ugly little war dress will never be able to compete with the Goddess of Love. This is one fight you will lose.”
“He’s not a fucking prize,” I snapped, and her smile widened.
“Oh, but he is. And a fine one at that.”
“If you’re not going to let me hit you, fuck off,” I hissed. Aphrodite chuckled.
“I can see why you might think you two have something in common,” she said, straightening and moving back. “You are as impulsive and idiotic as he is.”
“I’d rather be impulsive and idiotic than cruel.”
“Bella, dear, Ares is all three. You are out of your depth.”
Without another word she turned on her heel, striding away across the sand, beaming at everyone she passed. I felt my arms loosen by my side and they sprang up automatically, fists balled. My heart was hammering, fury rolling through my body.
“Woah there,” said Persephone, and her voice startled me. Her presence had faded to nothing when Aphrodite had been taunting me.
“How can she talk about him like that? She doesn’t fucking love him, she’s playing with him!”
Persephone touched my arm, glancing around us as she spoke in a hushed voice. “Bella, the gods can mask conversations from others. Only you two know what you just said to each other, and it sounds like it should probably stay that way.”
“Everyone should know how nasty she is!”
“Bella, please, listen to me. Making a scene is not going to end well, I promise you. She’s not a goddess you want to go up against.”