“Them?”
“Artemis and Cade. She was acting weird all night.”
“Cade andArtemis?” Was she serious? “We’re talking about my sister, right? And your brother?”
“Do you know any other Cade and Artemis?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “But why that reaction? Don’t you think it’s possible?”
“I mean, anything’s possible, baby.” He paused, wondering how to say what was on his mind. “It’s just that it’s Artemis we’re talking about here. The whole virgin goddess thing is kinda her schtick.”
“But is that part of her persona as the goddess of the hunt? Like, does she have to remain a virgin forever or face consequences?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Then why couldn’t something happen between them?”
“Again.Artemis,” he pointed out. “Your brother didn’t exactly warm up to her when they first met.”
Geri burst out laughing. “Oh my god, are you blind? He was acting so out of character the morning of our wedding. He never gets rattled by anything, but Artemis got under his skin. They were also like, eye-fucking each other the entire time. I honestly didn’t know if Cade was gonna kill her or throw her over his shoulder and drag her into his cave.”
“What?” His mind was boggled. “I honestly didn’t notice anything.”
She smirked at him. “Oblivious as ever. You didn’t even realize I wanted to have my hands all over you the moment I saw you.”
“I mean, every girl wants to—yeow!” He yelped as Geri swatted his arm hard. “But seriously…” He shook his head. “Idon’t see them together. Your brother is so serious, and Artemis has the biggest stick up her ass.”
“Well, maybe he took out that stick and replaced it with his—”
“Gross!” Apollo gagged. “No, I don’t want to think about my sister’s—anything! Or her doing things with guys and shit.” She was his sister, after all. No brother needed to know anything about his sister’s sex life. “No way. You’re wrong. They can’t have slept together. I’d bet everything I own on it.”
A glint lit up her eyes. “Oh, really now? So do you wanna bet on it?”
His head whipped toward her. “What kind of bet?”
“Like a betbet.I’ll bet that something happened between your sister and my brother, and if I’m right, I win something?”
“And what would that be? You want to put a couple thousand drachmas on it?”
“No, no, I don’t want your money. That’s boring.” She drummed her fingers on her cheek. “How about…if I win, you have to take me to that new donut booth at the market?”
He groaned. “The one where people line up at five a.m. because they run out all the time?”
“Yup, that one.”
“And if I win, then we’re not lining up foranysocial media food trend for at least five hundred years.”
“Five hundred—oh, alright, you have a deal.” She held out her hand, which he shook.
Apollo smirked to himself. There was no way his straight-laced sister would sleep with Cade—or much less have a casual fling. This would be the easiest bet he would win.
*****
“I can’t believe Brandy chose to change partners,” Geri exclaimed. “Jerome was perfect for her.”
Apollo smirked at her. “See, I told you you’d enjoy watchingInfatuation Isthmus.”
“Ugh, no I hate it!” Geri tossed some popcorn from her bowl—because yes, they had separate bowls due to the she-wolf refusing to share—at the TV in disgust. “And I hate myself for wanting to keep watching it.”
Apollo threw his head back and laughed. Geri had been in the garden all morning long, and since he had some alone time, he decided to catch up on episodes of his favorite reality show.Infatuation Isthmuswas a new smash hit from the Upperworld and just Apollo’s cup of tea—stupid, trashy, and terribly entertaining. In his thousands of years of existence, he observed that humans didn’t change much, but it wasn’t until Reality TV shows were invented that he could watch, record, and rewind every single moment of mortals making fools of themselves over love and money. Will Shakespeare had been right—“What fools these mortals be!” indeed.
