He exhaled loudly. A tired smile on his perfectly chiseled face. A face as young as mine. It was so weird. Too weird. Sometimes, that made it hard to take him seriously as my father.
“Demi, my darling daughter, I know a thing or two about this business. About love.”
“I suppose, like Roman, you think I don’t.”
“On the contrary, I think you know a great deal about love, but you refuse to acknowledge it. It’s understandable given your past. You don’t think I know why you created your guidebook and rules?”
I cleared my throat and sat up straight. “I created them based on research. And my teams report that mortals are much more satisfied in their relationships, thank you very much.”
“But mortals are less happy since you took over,” Father said carefully.
I ripped my hand away and clutched my heart. His words stabbed me. And suddenly, I felt like I was about to get fired.
“Who said that? Roman?” I rolled my eyes. “You can’t blame that on me. What about your dad? Wars are raging, and he’s never been happier. And let’s not forget about Eris. Have you watched thePantheon Confidential? It’s rumored that she and Discordia have joined forces. All I’m saying is, she’s been up to some unsavory things. And she loves unrest. I’m trying to help people. Protect them.”
“Protect them from what, dearest?” Hestia chimed in.
“Uh, love. Well, dangerous love.” Or at least what people perceived to be love. Desire was all too frequently mistaken for love. Not to say desire was bad, but if that’s all there was to a relationship, it probably wasn’t going to last. And sadly, it had the potential to cause extensive damage. I myself had even hurt someone because of my desires. A desire to undo a rash decision.
“You mean the kind of love your mother and I had,” Father bluntly threw out there.
I squinted, rubbing the back of my neck, refusing to answer him.
“Your mother must have spoken a great deal to you about how we met and fell in love,” Father said sagely.
Oh, she had. And I used to love it. It sounded so romantic to my younger self. All the dancing in the rain and poetry and grand gestures. Even the part where she told me she couldn’t tell me who my father was because he wanted to protect me. I used to believe he was a spy, and my mother let me. Sometimes, I wished I still believed the lie.
Especially now, looking back and realizing how sad my mother was. She called my father the love of her life, and I don’t think she could ever move on from him. Sure, she was happy, but it was as if something was missing from her. My mom was beautiful and vibrant, and everyone loved her. But she gave her heart away to a man who left her. Not a man. A god.
“You left her—and me. That doesn’t feel like love.” The words slipped out, quiet and piercing. It was the first time I had ever said them out loud to him. I’d danced around them, but never stated them quite so directly.
“This is progress.” Hestia rang a bell. A joyful tinkling filled the tension-thick air. “Very good.”
Judging by how flushed my father was, I wasn’t sure he agreed.
“What do you have to say to this, Eros?” Hestia prodded.
Father turned toward me, his eyes pleading with me, a moist sheen in them. “Demi, I made mistakes, yes. Mistakes you and I are both paying for, but one thing is undeniable.I love you and your mother more than you will ever know. Leaving you both devastated me. But I watched over you and her.”
“Then why didn’t you save her?” My eyes stung, threatening to unleash the flurry of tears I’d held back for years. I’d wanted to know ever since that night. He could have asked Zeus to save her. Why couldn’t my mother have become immortal like Psyche had? She was mortal once.
“Your mother was a wise woman. She didn’t wish to be immortal. She wanted you to have a human experience. And she was right, and I think it is time for you to have the most human of experiences. One you should have had a long time ago.”
I blinked, confused. Why hadn’t he just left me in the mortal world if that was the plan and my mother’s wish? Nana would have been happy to take me in. But then my stomach twisted, realizing what he was about to do, and I felt ill.
“You’re firing me and kicking me out.” I felt like I could hardly breathe. The thought of navigating the mortal world again frightened me. And who would protect the mortals from themselves? From love?
“No. No.” He reached for me, but I refused his touch.
“Then what?”
“Daughter, it’s time for you to find love.”
Um . . . what? I blinked and blinked. He was joking, right? Please tell me this was a joke.
I stared at my father, waiting for the punch line, but it never came.
What in the actual Hades?
