Page 19
“See that I do,” Hera murmured. She really did want to have the last word. She needed to.
Erato swaggered in, her boots making weird, rubbery noise on the polished floors.
“I stand by what I said last week. She’s hot.” Erato plopped on the sofa Hera had vacated earlier.
“I can’t believe I have to ask everyone in my life the same damn question, but why are you here? Why is everyone here? Always somewhere around me? You all left me the fuck alone for centuries, and now no one can seem to do without me? What do you want? Haven’t I already given you everything you needed?”
“Whoa!” Erato lifted her hands, palms up. “Yes, you already gave me everything I needed. I don’t know why everyone else is on your case, but have you considered that it’s because we like you?”
Hera gave her a bland stare.
“For a somewhat decent writer, you can’t lie for shit, Muse.”
Erato shrugged.
“Want me to try harder?”
“To explain?”
“To lie. However, I have not lied in this instance. I happen to like you very much.” Erato picked up Nemesis’s discarded ice cream and sniffed it. Clearly satisfied with what she found, she slurped the almost melted caramel concoction.
Hera wanted to throw something at the irritating muse, but her head was beginning to throb, the unfortunate side effect of being around the boisterous creature, and so she did not risk it.
“I’d rather you just weren’t here, Erato.”
The muse dropped her spoon, which clattered against the porcelain and made Hera’s ears ring. The headache intensified.
“Okay, but now you are scaring me. Calling me that.”
“It is your name, remember? Dear Helios, I still don’t understand what my sister sees in you.”
Erato grinned.
“It’s not for other people to see, if you catch my drift. I mean, I can try and explain…”
“Absolutely not!” Hera clapped, and the bear appeared again, his face apprehensive. She caught the grimace and sighed. She was scaring her own bears now. Splendid.
“Tea. Please.” His jaw hit the floor.
“Either you’ve never asked for tea before, or you have never said please, and I tend to think it’s the latter, and now I am doubly concerned.” Erato shooed the spooked bear. “Also, how on Earth are you surrounded by these men? Like, of all the possibilities. Bears?”
Hera pursed her lips.
“I don’t actually remember. At one point, they worshipped me. Isn’t it perfectly normal for a beautiful woman to be worshipped by a sleuth of bears? And here we are. I pay them a salary and everything. They are unionized. Get benefits. Have paternity leave.”
“If you tell me your bears have PTO—”
“Six weeks.” The bear whispered. Hera thanked him for the tea. He bowed, then stuck his tongue at the muse before disappearing.
Erato gaped.
“Reconsidering your career choices, Muse?”
Erato shrugged.
“Just goes to show all the misconceptions about you. Dite only gives us muses four weeks.”
Hera sipped her tea.
