Page 41
“I find that most don’t understand short words either. They hear what they want anyway.”
“Are we talking about humans?”
“Humans, gods, not so different. We just wallow in our miseries longer.” Clio cleared her throat and turned to face Hera fully. “What is this I hear about Artemis needing help, Your Majesty?”
Her tone was slightly strained, and Hera had to bite the inside of her cheek to hide her smirk.
“Just a small favor I require. I imagine it’s nothing you, of all the Muses, cannot handle.”
Clio’s gaze was razor sharp.
“Of all the muses? Who else did you ask?”
Hera’s inner glee rose exponentially.
Why were all these deities so easy? Fun, but easy.
“Oh, just a few others. Are you concerned the muses of the arts will outpace you when it comes to matters of the heart? After all, you and Athena did fail…”
Hera let the sting of the jab work silently and watched Clio’s eyes darken.
“No, no. I’ll do it. I told Nemesis I would. Stop asking the artsy muses. They’re all airheads anyway. Artemis is too… serious for them.” The muse turned a second before Hera registered the commotion. Someone was screaming on the other side of the ballroom.
“Helios, they really can’t invite anyone anywhere anymore.” Clio shook her head and departed, looking determined to investigate. Hera dampened the impulse to follow. Nemesis didn’t need more audience for her nefarious plans. And Hera felt slightly nauseous just thinking that she would be seducing Zeus’s girlfriend right about now.
Turned out, she did not need to move, as the ruckus came to her instead.
“For crying out loud, would you for once do as I say!” Zeus, in all his raging glory, stopped dead in his tracks as the person he was pursuing took the spot Clio had recently vacated next to Hera.
His face underwent an entire array of transformations before settling on a surprised expression.
“Hera.”
She merely glanced at him, then looked back to the wide ballroom in front of her. If not for Sabine Goddard breathing heavily by her side, she’d feel no need to even acknowledge his presence. As it was, Hera chose to twine her arm with Sabine’s. As signals went, it was a lighthouse beam, and Zeus’s distrust turned back to rage.
“So you are behind this! I should have known!”
“I have no Earthly nor Olympic idea what you’re yelling about, and if you don’t lower your voice and change your tone, I’ll not speak to you at all.”
She felt Sabine’s fingers tighten on her forearm. Still, her words must’ve been warning enough. Zeus settled down, visibly deflating.
“Hera, can you please demand that this damn cupid undo whatever it was she did with Nemesis and my future wife?”
Hera waited for the pain of confirmation to hit her in the chest. Instead, she looked on, a sensation of total calm descending upon her.
The Fates must be near. It was probably what dying felt like. Being utterly indifferent to your husband marrying someone else. And why was Nemesis targeted by arrows? Surely Sabine would not? Belatedly, it occurred to Hera that she had allowed the Cupid enough leeway in their plan that the Queen of the Perfect Match could’ve very well shot her… Vengeance.
“Cupid! Explain yourself! Did your arrow hit Nemesis?” Hera whirled on the expressionless Sabine, who merely smiled.
“It did not.”
Hera stared. Zeus growled. Sabine smiled wider. “Well, it wasn’t for lack of trying, but she did something I’ve never witnessed before. She caught the love arrow mid-flight and broke it into pieces. It was impressive. And hot.”
Aphrodite was suddenly by her side.
“I can attest to the hot.”
“So who shot Nemesis? And who shot me? I think someone did, because I feel… I feel faint. And wrong. I have been feeling wrong for some time! Months!” Zeus was all but purple now, his eyes unfocused.
