“I don't know. The memory ended before I could see what happened.”
“So, that's where it began. What do you remember of the god?”
“He was backlit by the sun so I didn't see his face. Only his eyes. They were glowing.”
“That happens to a lot of gods when they use their magic.” He shrugged. “But it had to be Hades. He must have coveted you, and you went to this other man. You rejected Hades, just as I suspected. Only, it didn't start with you and me.” Ace's lips pressed together. “I wonder if he's been hunting that man through his lives as well.”
“But what has it got to do with you?” I asked.
“Probably nothing more than my being a god. I could have brought you back from death and thwarted him.”
“Why didn't you?”
“I'm a healer, mostly. To bring back the dead, they must be freshly dead. If the soul has left, it's too late. I cannot summon souls back from the Underworld. And every time I've found you, it's been too late.”
“Oh. I see,” I murmured. Something still bothered me. Maybe I just needed time to process.
“Salina.” Ace took my hand. “I'm sorry this has been so hard on you. But we're together now. You're in my territory, in Olympus. You'll be safe here. Only my father is allowed past my ward.”
“Your . . . Olympus? As in the big mountain?”
“It's not a mountain. It's a realm, separate from the one Earth is a part of.”
“You took me to another realm?”
“It was the only way to keep you away from Hades. Or him away from you, rather.”
I swayed.
Ace picked me up. “It's going to be all right now. Hades has given you an immortal body. So, you can stay here with me forever. His plan has backfired.”
Fear blasted through me. It was ridiculous. Why was I afraid of spending forever with Ace? He loved me. He hadproven that. And he was easy on the eyes too. So, why was I still thinking about a trio of shapeshifting, magical men?
Hades had sure done a job on me. Would he succeed in tearing Ace and me apart, even after I knew the truth? Now, that would be something.
Ace set me down on a silken lounge beside the fountain. Bruno was dozing at the end of it. After settling me, he picked up a chalice from the fountain's rim, filled it with water, and handed it to me.
“Here. This will help.”
“Water?” I took the cup.
“That is the Fountain of Youth.” Ace nodded to the fountain. “The source of those myths, at least. Here, it is simply my fountain. Its water is charged with my magic. It will refresh you in many ways.” He chuckled. “Bruno loves it.”
“Oh. Thank you.” I took a sip.
The water seeped through me even as I swallowed it. Merging with my flesh and blood, it shocked me in the best way. Cool, effervescent magic surged through me, refreshing me, just as Ace said it would. I felt steady in an instant, my mind clear. But that clarity didn't include my feelings toward Ace. If anything, it made them even more muddled while all those emotions I shouldn't have felt for Jake, Cyrus, and Lex became stronger. And something rose with those feelings. Something shiny.
I wanted to shriek.
“You've had a rough day.” Ace took the cup from me. “Why don't you relax while I fetch us something to eat? Whatwould you like? Anything at all. I can go anywhere in the world and get you whatever you desire.”
I chuckled. “That's quite an offer. Uh. I don't know. What's your favorite food?”
“I'm partial to Greek.” He shrugged. “It's what I was raised on.”
“But aren't you a god?”
“My mother was mortal. Remember, I told you about my father falling in love with mortals. She was one of them.”
