by Tina Folsom
Triton jumped. “Gods! Are you serious?”
Dio couldn’t suppress the smile that split his face. “Ari conceived our son.” As a god not only did he have the power to decide when to create a child, he could also choose its sex, and while he knew he wanted a little girl that looked just like Ari, he wanted a son first. Maybe it was selfish of him to get her pregnant this quickly, but after all, Ari hadn’t insisted on condoms, so she knew the risks. Even if he were a mere mortal, she could have gotten pregnant. Besides, she’d be his wife today, and he knew she wanted a family.
“By the gods! When you do something, you do it fully and you do it fast.” His friend pulled him into a bear hug. “Congratulations!”
Dio peeled himself out his friend’s embrace and straightened his white tuxedo. “How about you and Sophia? Any little heroes on the way?”
Triton grinned. “I’m not ready to share her with anybody else yet.”
“And Sophia feels the same?”
“She wants to wait another year, but then we’ll have at least two or three.”
“Don’t wait too long,” Dio cautioned. “I want our children to be the same age so they can play together.”
Triton broke out in laughter, his eyes tearing. Dio stared at him. “What’s that for?”
His friend wiped the wetness from his eyes. “I never thought I’d hear that from you.”
Dio gave him a crooked smile. “Wait until my son starts beating up your son.”
Triton grinned and squeezed Dio’s shoulder. “They’ll be best friends just like we are.”
“And beat each other regularly.”
“Until they find women who’ll tame them.”
***
Ari looked in the full length mirror in her living room. The white gown she wore was beautiful. She’d seen it displayed in the window of the boutique but at first dismissed it as a possibility because she thought she could never carry it off. But now that she wore it, she realized that it fit her like a second skin. The tailored bustier held her breasts perfectly and tapered to a narrow waist while the flowing silk skirt billowed at her feet, projecting a perfect hour-glass figure.
“I knew you could wear this,” she heard Natalie behind her give her approval.
“Pinch me, because I can’t believe this is really happening.”
Natalie pulled her into a hug, then quickly stepped back and brushed out the creases she had created on Ari’s dress. She sniffled. “Sorry, I’d better not ruin your dress. You really deserve this, you know? And I’m the first one to admit I was wrong. I never thought Dio would really change.”
Ari felt her face split into a huge smile and her eyes moisten with the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her once more. “He did. He’s a new man now.”
The last few days had passed in a flurry of activities, and Dio had been by her side at all times, helping make decision, but most of all he’d simply been there, showering her with love. Ari looked at her friend. “He loves me.”
“If you believe that you’re more gullible than I thought!”
The unfamiliar female voice made her spin on her heels, and what she saw made her take an instinctive step back. Ari’s feet caught in her long gown, and she would have crashed into the mirror behind her had Natalie not steadied her with a tight grip on her arm.
Right in the middle of the living room stood a stunning woman wearing a long white tunic, her long, dark hair draped artfully on her head, soft curls framing her flawless porcelain face. Sandal-clad feet with painted toenails peeked from underneath the seams of the tunic, and gold bracelets covered the woman’s wrists. A golden sash accentuated the apparition’s wasp-sized waist.
“How did you get in here?” Ari choked out. “Natalie, get help!”
But Natalie was shaking as badly as she was.
Ari tossed a look toward the apartment door, but it was closed. She hadn’t heard it open. The crazy woman must have gotten in a different way. Darting her eyes toward the closed windows, Ari’s gaze fell on her cell phone on the coffee table. She had to get to it and call the police.
Ari lunged for her phone, but as if pulled by invisible strings, it levitated and then smashed against the wall with such force, it broke into several pieces.
“What the …?” Natalie yelled.
“Get the hell out of here!” Ari’s heart beat into her throat. This woman was crazy, and unfortunately she knew some crazy-assed parlor tricks.
The intruder advanced. “We need to talk.”
“Who are you?” Ari thrust her chin out, pretending braveness when she felt her knees wobble.
There was a haughty air about the woman, almost aristocratic, when she finally spoke. “I am Hera, the mother goddess, wife of Zeus, and stepmother to that no-good philanderer Dionysus, the one you know as Dio.” She almost spat the last word as if expelling poison from her lips.
Instinctively, Ari shook her head. “No, you’re crazy!” A goddess? Zeus’ wife? Dio’s stepmother? Hell no! This one had escaped from a mental hospital.
Suddenly Hera stood only inches from her. Ari gasped: she hadn’t seen the woman move. “If I were you, I would be careful with my words. As Dionysus can tell you, I have a vicious temper.” The icy chill in her voice made Ari’s heart race and her lungs fight for air.
A second later, Hera stood in the middle of the room again without having moved. Again, Ari’s heart skipped a beat. Ari felt frozen in place and grabbed Natalie’s arm for support.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Natalie muttered. “This is not good.”
“I hadn’t pegged your friend here for a whimpering mouse, but I guess even I can be wrong sometimes,” the woman went on. Then she narrowed her eyes and addressed Natalie directly, “Another word out of your mouth and I’ll make sure the same fate as Echo’s will befall you, and you’ll only be able to repeat what others are saying.”
Ari felt her friend stiffen at the threat, but she didn’t say another word.
“Good. Now to you, my dear Ariadne.”
Panic set in. What did this crazy woman have in mind? Damn it, this was her wedding day: nothing terrible like this was supposed to happen. This wasn’t fair! Nobody was allowed to destroy her perfect day.
“Please leave and I won’t call the police. I promise. I just want you gone.”
“I’m leaving when I’m done and not when you’re telling me to,” the woman who called herself Hera hissed. “Nobody orders me around!”
Ari searched her brain for a way to pacify her. “What do you want? Money? I don’t have much here.” She motioned her head to the kitchen counter. “Take my purse.”
Hera pursed her lips. “That ugly thing? It doesn’t go with any of my outfits. Maybe I should have taught you some fashion sense in the last three weeks rather than waste my time on teaching you how to make Dionysus eat humble pie.”
“Teach me?” Ari croaked, her throat parched and her palms damp and still shaking. How did this woman know about Dio and about what her initial plan had been?
With an impatient huff, Hera crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Of course, teach you! You didn’t think that you came up with that plan of getting back at him all by yourself, did you? I showed you how to teach him a lesson.”
Teach him a lesson. The words echoed in Ari’s head. She’d heard those words over and over again and others too, messages telling her to get back at him, to take revenge for what he’d done to her. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the notion that somebody had planted suggestions in her mind. “You manipulated me.” But that wasn’t possible. “How?”
“Didn’t you listen earlier? I’m a goddess. I have powers you can only dream of.”
Ari perused the woman once more. With all windows and doors closed, there was no way she could have entered the apartment the normal way. And the way Hera had moved without Ari noticing, or smashed the cell phone against the wall without touching it—all this could only have a supernatural explanation. It was against the laws of physi
cs.
Could gods really exist? Or was this all a nightmare she’d landed in?
“Let’s just say, I believe you, and you’re really a goddess, then what do you want from me?”
Hera gave a sly smile. “I’m trying to save you from making the biggest mistake in your life. You can’t marry Dionysus.”
The words made Ari’s knees buckle involuntarily. “No!” Her objection was out before she even knew her lips had moved.
“He’s a liar and a cheat!”
“You’re wrong! He told me everything.” Just like Ari had confessed the truth to him. They’d both come clean.
“Everything?” Hera arched her eyebrows. “Has he told you who he is?”
Ari’s stomach lurched as dread traveled northwards. Had Dio not told her everything about himself?
“Ah, I see you still have doubts about him. And so you should. Dionysus is the god of wine and ecstasy. He’s Zeus’ illegitimate son. A god. Has he told you that?”
Ari leaned into Natalie for support, feeling her friend’s arm come around her waist. The words Hera had spoken when she’d first appeared came rushing back: stepmother to that no-good philanderer Dionysus. “Dio is a god?” Was it true?
“A powerful one who doesn’t like to be trifled with. And you trifled with him.”
“I didn’t! You manipulated me! And besides, he’s forgiven me.” Her voice trembled as doubts continued to spread. If Dio was a god, why had he not told her? And how could he have had amnesia in the first place? Had he lied about that?
“Forgiven? Think again, sister! He’s been toying with you from the start. I saw it, and decided to help you by taking his memory away.”
“You did that?” Ari gasped. But at the same time she felt a sliver of relief. Dio hadn’t lied to her about his amnesia after all.
“So you’d have a chance at teaching him a lesson. But what do you do? You fall in love with him! That was not the plan!”
Ari’s lips trembled. “But he loves me.”
“Are you so sure about that?” Hera taunted.
Ari held her breath. Was she? Did Dio really love her the way he’d professed each night for the last week?
“Maybe you need proof of what a jerk he is.”
At Hera’s words the surface of a pond suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room where the coffee table had been.
“Watch and learn!” Hera advised and pointed at the pond. On its surface, a scene played out. The reflection of three man in a living room became visible: Dio with Triton, the owner of the B&B, and a handsome dark haired guy.
The dark haired man pulled his t-shirt straight. “Who are we talking about now?”
“The woman who made Dio think he’s engaged, and if I remember correctly, he also said he’s in love with her.” Triton leaned nonchalantly against the window frame.
“Bullshit!” Dio protested loudly. “I’m not in love with that scheming, lying woman.” He took another deep breath, clearly fuming. “How dare she lie to me like that? What have I ever done to her to warrant such deviousness? Oh, I’ll give her a wedding! But there won’t be a groom!”
With a sweeping movement of Hera’s hand, the pond and the image disappeared to be replaced by the coffee table.
Ari fought the tears that welled up in her eyes and lost the battle. “He played me. He hates me.” The tears burst from her lids as she pressed her eyes closed, trying to shut out the world around her. Dio had lied to her. All his tender words had been lies, his kisses treacherous, his touch poisonous. Not only was he a god—she believed Hera now, how could she not after the evidence she’d presented—but he was bent on taking revenge on her. And what better way than to leave her standing at the altar?
Dio’s admission that he’d talked to her parents and knew about Jeff infiltrated her mind. How cruel of him to punish her with the one thing that would not only hurt her most but also humiliate her parents.
Hera’s voice pulled her back to the present. “I’m glad I was able to stop you from doing something foolish.”
Ari nodded, her body and mind numb now.
“Let that be a lesson to you,” Hera sputtered before she disappeared into thin air.
Her hands shaking, Ari reached for the zipper of her dress when Natalie’s hands covered hers.
“I’m so sorry, Ari,” her friend whispered and hugged her. “A god! And what a mean one. I can hardly believe it. But after what she did and said …”
Tears running down her cheeks, Ari sucked in a breath, but with it more sobs tore from her chest. “He hates me.” Nothing else mattered, not that he was a god, nor that he’d omitted that fact when they’d told each other the truth.
“I’m sorry, honey, I’m so sorry.” But her friend’s soothing words did nothing to alleviate the pain in her chest.
“Get me out of this dress.” Ari didn’t want to be reminded for another second that today should have been the happiest day of her life.
As Natalie helped her step out of the dress that would now go unused and helped her put on jeans and a t-shirt, Ari allowed the tears to flow freely. She would not be a bride and walk down the aisle, not today, not ever. She would never make her parents proud. All she would be to them was a continuing disappointment.
“Oh, God, no!”
Natalie jumped. “What’s wrong?”
Ari grabbed her friend’s arm. “My parents! Natalie, my parents are at the ceremony!”
They would feel the sting of humiliation once more. But Ari couldn’t allow that. Not this time.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The hot afternoon sun beat down on the waiting guests. Dio sent a silent request up to Helius, asking for a little less enthusiasm by the sun god so the assembled wedding party wouldn’t melt into their chairs.
Dio had compiled a guest list that included all of Ariadne’s friends and some of her clients. Even the two thugs who’d beaten him up sat among the party. Ari’s parents sat in the first row. He’d arranged for a first class flight and the best room at Triton and Sophia’s B&B to make certain they’d be at their daughter’s wedding.
Ari hadn’t even seen them yet because their flight had been delayed the night before and they’d been dead tired by the time he’d picked them up from the airport and brought them to the B&B. And this morning, Ari had rushed to the hairdresser and a last minute fitting for the dress, which had prevented her from greeting her parents.
Dio glanced at his wristwatch once more. It was past two p.m. The polite quarter hour of tardiness had passed and was now slowly sliding into a half hour of lateness. Had his bride gotten delayed at the hairdresser, or had her dress met with a wardrobe malfunction? Why was she not here?
Natalie was nowhere in sight either.
He nudged Triton who he’d chosen as his Best Man. “I need to find out where she is.”
“Women are always late.”
“Sophia wasn’t late for your wedding.” Dio grunted impatiently. “Damn it, Triton, something is wrong.”
“You’re just nervous.”
Dio gave a dismissive wave. “This has nothing to do with being nervous. Something isn’t right. I can feel it here.” He pressed his hand to his stomach. His gut had never failed him before. “I have to look for her.”
Triton put his hand on his arm to hold him back when a prickling on his neck made Dio cast his eyes toward the French doors that led into the B&B. There, in the shadow of the building stood his Ari, her hands clenched by her sides.
His heart sank into his knees: she wasn’t wearing her wedding dress, and even from a distance of twenty yards he noticed that she’d been crying.
“Distract the guests,” he whispered to Triton and stepped off the platform.
“Dio, what the …?”
But Dio ignored his friend’s words, just as he ignored the whispers that went through the assembled guests, and went after Ari.
The moment she noticed him coming toward her, her eyes went wide in shock. Or was it fear? The observatio
n jolted him and made him accelerate his already hasty steps. She turned inside before he reached her, but she didn’t get far. Before she even reached the downstairs hallway, Dio snatched her arm and stopped her.
“Ari! What’s wrong? Where’s your dress?”
“Let me go!” She tried to shake off his hold, but he didn’t allow it.
This was not the same woman he’d kissed good-bye this morning, nor the one who’d made love to him with such abandon the night before.
“Ari, please, tell me what’s wrong! I can see that you cried.” And the thought hurt like hell, as did the suspicion that she didn’t want to marry him, otherwise she wouldn’t be wearing an old pair of jeans on her wedding day.
When she finally looked straight at him, her eyes gleamed with fury. “You lied to me!”
Shit! What had he done now? “I didn’t—”
“You’re a god!”
Her words made him jump and release his hold on her. How in Hades had she found out? “I was gonna tell you. After the wedding.”
“Liar! There won’t be a wedding! You never planned to marry me!” she spat.
Disbelief careened through him. He swept his hands along his white tux and motioned her to look at him. “This doesn’t scream wedding to you?”
“It’s all a lie. All you want is to humiliate me in front of everybody, because you hate me and want to get back at me for what I did!” Tears burst from her eyes.
“I don’t hate you! I love you! Ari, I don’t understand what happened. Everything was fine this morning. It’s just jitters, believe me.” It had to be.
Dio reached for her arms and pulled her closer. “Please don’t cry. I was gonna tell you about me being a god, but it wasn’t the right time.”
She struggled against him. “I don’t care what you are! Don’t you get that? I don’t care whether you’re a god or not. But I do care about what you said.”
“Damn it, Ari, what did I say to upset you?”
She stilled and looked at him, her face a mask of stone now. “You said there’ll be a wedding, but there won’t be a groom.”
“I never—” Fuck! Those were his words, words he’d spoken in anger and regretted many times since. But there was no way in Hades she could know about them. Neither Triton nor Hermes would ever have divulged them and betrayed his trust like that. “Who told you that?”
