“You are my brother, Mars.”
“Have a little faith in me, for once. That’s all I’m asking,” he said quietly.
Athena found it difficult to do so given the problematic man’s history, but her heart knew he was right.
He wasn’t hers to save, or Zeus’s, or anyone’s.
Mars needed to save himself. He needed to clean up his own mess for once, and he was standing before her asking her to let him.
Athena brushed stray tear from her cheek as she nodded in approval.
“You better not fuck this up,” she sniffled. “Or Dad’s going to kill me.”
Mars smiled softly. “I promise.”
EPILOGUE
Three MonthsLater
Athena knockedon Triton’s door, not entirely sure what to expect.
When Triton’s mate, Kassia, found her sister had been kidnapped, Athena had arranged for Orion to help his brother find the woman, if only because she seemed to be softening her edges as time went on.
The blooming desire toconnectwith others and help them was still a new thing for the Goddess. Living with a human, especially one as open and patient as Brian, seemed to be taking its toll on her heart and her mind.
Not to mention the countess sex, pizza and peanut butter sessions are starting to show.
Orion was the one who opened the door.
“You’re late,” Orion said with a smirk.
Athena rolled her eyes.
“I am not late, the rest of you are just fashionably early.”
“Mars and Lorelai arrived before you, and he’s notoriously late toeverything.”
Athena pursed her lips. She didn’t really want to get into the fact that she’d been on the verge of throwing up all morning, waiting for the nausea to pass.
She blamed the cheeseburger she’d scarfed down at three in the morning, when she was practically starving...
Orion’s gaze flitted over her.
“You look... different,” he said as he held the door for her.
She clutched her present to her chest as she skirted past him, shooting him a look.
“I don’t know what you mean, I look—”
“It’s not a bad different. It’s a good different,” he assured her. “You feeling okay?” he asked with a smirk.
“Fine, why do you ask?” She huffed in annoyance. Orion was the only other person she knew aside from Calliope who was a gossip hound.
“You just uh... look a little green around the gills. I know this baby stuff isn’t your cup of tea.”
“Well, it’s a far cry from the Freaky Tiki or the Den, so you’ll have to excuse me,” she teased.
Orion only shrugged.
