Jocasta shakes her head. “You’d regret it forever.”
I hardly agree, but on the off chance she’s right, I finally choose a gown with extra draping at the hips. It’s a mix of alluring blues and subtle greens, the color so much like the inviting, clear water off the Fisan coast that a strange pang hits my chest. Feeling curiously emotional about it, I make a special request of the merchant regarding the shoulder clasps. He goes into the back room to heat the unadorned gold and then imprint it with the stamps I asked for.
“What about you and Kaia?” I ask.
Jocasta waves a dismissive hand. “We don’t need anything new. This day is about you.”
“And Griffin.”
She rolls her eyes. “What bride ever saidthat?”
“You’re right.” I grin. “Let’s spend the rest of the afternoon at the Aphrodite Baths and see what the women there can do about my hair. I hear they work wonders with milk.”
CHAPTER 26
I’M NERVOUS. I’M ACTUALLY SHAKING, WHICH IS ABSURD. I’ve faced down monsters with more courage than this.
Griffin stands proudly by my side. Dark linen hugs his long, strong legs, and a snowy-white tunic offsets his jet-black hair and striking gray eyes. He’s freshly shaved, and his hair is neat and tamed, although it’s still overlong—evidence of the warlord who will forever underlie the king.
“The Sintan crest.” Griffin lifts his hand and traces a warm finger over my shoulder next to one golden clasp.
The butterflies that colonized my belly the moment I saw him at the temple take flight. “It seemed appropriate.”
“It is,” he says, love, approval, and something hotter in his eyes.
Just then, the sky opens up outside the sanctuary, and rain starts falling in sheets on the other side of the fat marble columns. Day fades deeper into night as the holy man blesses my veil. My unbound hair stirs on the damp breeze, already curling again.
Griffin brushes a heavy coil over my shoulder. “So smooth,” he murmurs, his fingertips lingering on my skin.
Heat spreads through me as cool, humid air breezes in. The combination provokes a pleasant shiver. Then I hear music and singing and freeze.
My eyes widen in accusation. “You promised me a private ceremony. Only family.”
Griffin’s steady gaze holds mine. “I would never betray you.”
I turn, and the people who enter the temple in a soaking-wet display of color and completely irreverent pageantryarefamily. Everyone I used to live and work with at the circus is here, my dearest friends leading the way. Desma weaves rainbows around the temple. Aetos pounds a drum, dancing with wild grace. Tadd and Alyssa spin and leap down the central aisle, twisting and shouting in the air while Zosimo and Yannis twirl flaming batons and toss them back and forth to each other. Vasili and his wife sing a joyous southern melody, their rich voices carrying as if they were twenty instead of two. Thunder rolls during the refrain, like Olympus itself is accompanying them. My eyes blur, and my heart starts pounding to the same stirring tune.
Selena walks alone, utterly dry. The moment our eyes meet, a lump lodges in my throat. My breath stutters, but I blink my tears away, not wanting to miss a second of this. It’s too unexpected. Too perfect.
I look at Griffin, overwhelmed. “I’m taking Hoi Polloi vows.” I’d already decided, but I want him to know. Hoi Polloi make a verbal pledge of love, protection, devotion, and fidelity. Most Magoi don’t dare lock themselves into something so permanent and simply go through the ceremony without saying a word.
Griffin’s mouth curves, and it’s the most devastating smile I’ve ever seen. His chest expands. “You won’t regret it.”
I nod. “I know.” If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s him.
Selena stops in front of me, sparing Griffin a brief glance that’s surprisingly neutral. He must be growing on her.
She unsheathes an ornate golden knife, lifts a lock of my hair, and then shears off the bottom few inches. She places the lock in my palm, and my skin tingles where our hands meet.
I turn and drop the lock into the flaming chalice next to the holy man. “May Persephone bless our union.”
The holy man looks shocked. Wearein a temple dedicated to Athena. But Persephone’s name came to me and stuck. Springtime, renewal, the land’s rebirth. In a way, Persephone represents Griffin’s and my goal—a purpose I’m still struggling with, but trying to accept.
I glance at Selena, hoping she doesn’t mind. The two women share Hades, after all.
Selena nods her approval, and I face forward again, relieved.
Still frowning his displeasure, the holy man puts the blessed veil over my head. It’s too thick to see clearly anymore, and I reach for Griffin. His hand is warm and dry and a comfort as the rest of the world fades around me. He says the vows first, his voice strong and sure, the truth in each word anchoring him deep into my bones.
