“This,” I repeated, more frustrated than I wanted to admit. Mostly because of how good she looked in those athletic shorts and that form-fitting hoodie. And don’t even get me started on the parts of her that weren’t covered up this morning—her eyes, mesmerizing in ways I had no business noticing.
“What happened to the tents you used to wear? The dingy hair? The glasses?”
She tilted her head, amused, keeping the perfect stride of a professional athlete.
“Why? Do you miss them?” she taunted.
“No,” I stuttered. “I mean, that’s not the point.”
“So, what is your point?”
We rounded a bend and plunged deeper into the forest. The ground grew damper, soft with dew. Her golden eagle flew low behind us, keeping guard.
“My point is that your one-eighty doesn’t exactly feel genuine. Like you didn’t do enough damage to my show while running the Bureau, so you came here to finish the job in person.”
She stopped. Turned. Glared.
The kaleidoscope of colors in her eyes danced furiously—almost dangerously. It was terrifying. Beautiful.
“If you think for one moment I want to be here,” she said, voice trembling, “you can rest assured it’s the last place I want to be. I’m sure my father’s told you—this is a quest. And you know my . . . secret. So you know that it means there’s a good chance that at the end of filming, I won’t be able to live in our world. I won’t even know it exists.” Her voice cracked.
“So don’t worry—your precious show will be safe. The world will be safe from me. And happiness will reign once again. Mortals will get to fall in love with whomever they choose, even if it ends terribly.”
She took a breath, eyes blazing.
“Honestly, I should be the one worriedyou’llsabotageme. Make sure there is no way I’ll find true love and complete my quest. Maybe that’s why Zeus is interfering—making you be nice to me. He’s leveling the playing field.”
Then she bolted. Her footsteps faded into the trees, leaving me standing there alone. Feeling, quite honestly, like a prick. It hadn’t dawned on me what it would truly mean to Demi if she didn’t find love. Yes, I thought she had no business running the Bureau, but it should have occurred to me that if she couldn’t live among us, she wouldn’t be able to know about us. Which meant she wouldn’t just lose her job. She would lose her memories. Her father.
No wonder Eros was so adamant that I help her.
But why allow Zeus to send his daughter on such a quest, if the consequences of failure were so dire? Not that anyone had say over Zeus. But why was it so important that Demi find love? The urge to find out swelled inside me. I felt certain that I was missing the bigger picture.
Damn it.
I ran after Demi.
Lady Goldy swooped low, warning me. The closer I got, the more aggressive her flight became—circling, diving, watching. Her sharp, dark eyes locked on to mine, calculating and judging me.
I held up my hands, palms open. “I mean no harm,” I whispered, hoping she understood.
She hesitated. Then veered off, letting me pass.
As I approached Demi, there was a flash, blinding and sudden. It looked a lot like a bolt from Zeus. What was he up to? I didn’t have time to wonder. The light was followed by a crack like thunder and the splintering roar of wood. An aspen tree crashed across the path in front of Demi, its pale trunk shattered, leaves trembling in the air like startled birds.
I watched Demi lithely jump over the downed tree like she’d trained for it, but her foot caught a branch, and she tumbled to the ground.
“Demi,” I shouted, vaulting the fallen tree.
She was on all fours, groaning and swearing under her breath. Her hoodie was streaked with dirt, one knee scraped raw, her braid half undone. But it wasn’t the injury that stopped me cold. It was the look on her face. Pain, yes. But also fury. And something else—something like betrayal.
I crouched beside her, unsure if I should reach out or give her space. Lady Goldy landed nearby, talons digging into the bark of the fallen tree, eyes locked on me like she was ready to strike if I made the wrong move.
“You okay?” I asked, voice low.
She didn’t answer right away. Just pressed her palm into the earth like she was trying to ground herself. Or maybe trying not to cry.
“I’m fine,” she said finally, though her voice was anything but. “That was one of Zeus’s bolts, wasn’t it?”
