Page 60 of Curse the Flame

Sigh.

Now, I love my family. As far as I know, Persephone’s mother—Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and one of the Twelve—either hasn’t been reborn yet, or she hasn’t found her way to the Other; at least, not in the three seasons that I’ve been here. The only family that I have is my cousin Daphne, and wouldn’t you know?

She’s Daphne. Like Daphne Daphne. The infamous nymph who once pleaded to be turned into a laurel tree because she was that determined to escape the sun god, Apollo, when he decided he wanted to bang her.

I don’t know what the odds of two blood-related people both being reincarnated with the souls of those whose stories became myths back in Ancient Greece are, but after I followed Sir through the mirror and into the Other, Daphne came to the condo a few days later and followed me.

Of course, she had to live out her story first. That meant discovering who she carried inside of her, and what part she had to play to keep the balance and the magic alive. Though, because she’s Daphne Ackerly as much as she’s the mythical Daphne, she did all that while determined to find me and make sure I was safe.

That was at the tail end of fall, beginning of the winter season. Time works differently here, and while it took her days to come after me, it was months here before the magic let her cross over. It was about three months after I bonded with my soulmate—six months after I first arrived in the Other—that she appeared on Charon’s boat, proving that she would even find her way to the Underworld to assure herself that I was okay.

And I was. Obviously. I was happy and in love—still am, too—and so very excited to reunite with my cousin. If I had any regret at all when it came to choosing Aiden and the Underworld, it was knowing that I would never see Daphne again. Then, when I did, I was disappointed because I knew I couldn’t leave the Underworld to enjoy the sun and light and outside with her above because I ate the entire pomegranate.

But Aiden… my wonderful husband… gave me the one thing that made life perfect: the freedom to leave the Underworld and visit the above realm during the spring and summer months. He didn’t have to, but he did, and I loved him even more for it knowing what it costs him every time I disappear for even a few hours at a time.

That’s why I don’t go that often. Daphne has a charmed ruby that Aiden gave her. It’s a token that lets Charon know she can take a ride on the River Styx and visit the palace of Hades whenever she wants.

Her soulmate? Her husband?

Her—as she said with a slight smirk the first time she introduced me to him—hotshot, golden boy toy?

I’m not the only one who found my happily-ever-after with a god. Just like how we changed our story so that I chose the pomegranate—I chose Aiden—instead of him tricking me into eating the seeds so that I couldn’t leave, my Daphne decided to give the sun god a second chance. Alex houses Apollo inside of him, and while they both agree he can be a dick, some time between searching for me and learning the truth of the Other, she decided he was hers.

She still hates the outside, though. Lucky for her, Apollo comes with his own golden palace full of amphilopoi—nymph handmaidens like Minthe and Leuce act as maids in the Underworld—that cook, clean, and give Daphne an outlet to be her ball-busting self whenever they make the mistake of hitting on her husband.

So, yeah… between surprising herself by falling for the cocky, arrogant Alex—who, I’ve gotta say, is perfect for my cuz—and discovering that I’m here, I’m happy, I’m in love, and I definitely can’t leave the Other (even if the above is on the table for now), Daphne has gone all in with staying on this side of the mirror.

Which is why she showed up earlier today, Alex in tow, demanding to talk to me.

Well. No. Just like she has ever since it’s become spring, she demanded that Aiden stop hiding in the shadows and hear her and Alex out. Me, being the mediator, I step between them, distracting my cousin so that my husband can escape, and then I do my best to understand just what she expects of us.

The old ways are dying. That’s what Zeus told her—and if it was a shock to learn that Daphne has a place in the Other, that was nothing compared to learning that the Z in Mr. Z stood for Zeus. He appeared in the Other with Elisabeth—who, surprise, is Hera—shortly after Daphne and Alex changed their story enough to have a second chance at love as Daphne and Alex, not Daphne and Apollo. Despite keeping a distance from his godly side, Alex still thinks of Zeus as his dad, and when the king of the gods told Alex that the only one who can save the Other is my husband, Daphne’s believed him.

Apollo believes that Aiden is the key to the Other’s survival.

But Aiden? He doesn’t.

Daphne crosses her arms over the front of the golden chiton that her soulmate had woven from sunbeams just for her. “Okay. I know he was here when we entered the megaron, but I don’t see him. Where’s Aiden, Willow?”

Aiden’s gone. Well… no. “Gone” probably isn’t the right word. It’s more accurate to say that he’s giving my cousin and I—and Alex, too—privacy from somewhere else in the palace while remaining completely aware of everything happening inside his domain.

Daphne casts another peeved look around the throne room. With me standing on the floor with her, the two thrones on the dais are empty. She snorts. “Come on. Where is he hiding? The shadows?”

Knowing Aiden, probably. “He doesn’t want to intrude when I’m having family time,” I explain.

Another snort. “Fine excuse. Like he doesn’t know we see the shadows growing thicker whenever you come above to see me. He’s listening, isn’t he?”

Again, probably. “Daph. Stop picking on Aiden.”

To my surprise, Alex agrees. “My prickly lover, I enjoy it when you tell me what to do. Something tells me that Hades won’t.”

She wrinkles her nose. “Prickly, I can handle. But do you really have to call me ‘lover’ like that?”

Alex slings his arm around her shoulder, tucking her next to his side; as a god himself, he knows what the god inside of my husband is capable of even if Daphne doesn’t. The flames from my everlasting crown twinkle against the golden torque around his throat as he nuzzles her red hair. “I’d perch myself on the top of Olympus and recite poetry about your glorious body instead, if you’d let me.”

Right. Because Apollo is the god of poetry, too. Only it’s not Apollo who would be professing his admiration for Daphne, but Alex (who is not a poet), and the way she winces before patting his middle tells me that she’d rather he show her off when it’s just me around.

Daph tells me that Alex is cocky and arrogant, but surprisingly kind and generous, too—plus excellent in the sack which I did not need to know. He’s also smarter than he pretends to be since he’s a godsdamn pro when it comes to handling my very prickly cousin.