“Thank you for inviting us on your beautiful boat,” I added, trying my best to be as polite as I could.
“Trust me,” the male beside her said. “The pleasure is truly ours.”
He had been quietly put off to the side but had not gone unnoticed. The air had shifted the moment he had spoken. He commanded the room as all the attention turned to him. Zeus. He was a golden man with piercing grey eyes. I shouldn’t have expected anything less. He was sharper than Poseidon, whose features were soft and rounder. Zeus wore his hair shorter than his brother and sported a trimmed beard and mustache. With a deep blue jacket and gold, sun-shaped embellishments, he looked as regal as any royal.
“You know who I am, don’t you?” He asked, narrowing an eye as he watched me.
“Don’t tease her,” the golden-haired woman said beside him; a crown of roses adorned her head. Hera. There was no mistaking her for anyone else.
“I would do no such thing,” he replied, chuckling softly. “Not to Summer. Not one of my own.”
Hera looked down the length of her elegant nose, inspecting me with her bright eyes below the veil of her long lashes. She reminded me of a painting by Botticelli, and maybe he had painted her once before. She had the look of Venus with her rosy cheeks and a delicate figure. Hera was intimidating, to say the least.
“She’s just a human,” a familiar voice interjected.
Not again, I thought, rolling my eyes. Morpheus had told us she was here, with Zeus and Poseidon. Though, it made no sense to me. Her place certainly was not here, with them.
But there she was—Minthe–rubbing elbows with the King and Queen of the Greek pantheon. If looks could kill, I would have been dead. Ten times over—at least.
“Perhaps,” Zeus said, lifting his wine glass to his lips, “but I would beg to differ.”
“Why don’t we just get introductions out of the way?” Poseidon jumped back into the conversation before Minthe could go on with anymore of her lamely disguised insults. “This is our brother, Zeus, his wife, Hera, and of course. . .” He paused. “Minthe.”
I snorted. The way he said her name reminded me of Arae’s and the others’ disgust for the nymph. Clearly, she was not their favorite person here either. Maybe that was the way of things around here. No one liked her, but they just put up with her. Whatever the case, I couldn’t help but feel smug about it.
“We’ve met,” I replied sharply. She looked exactly as she had in the Underworld. Her magenta eyes bore into mine as she flicked a small strand of her lavender hair over her shoulder. Zeus laughed and clapped his hands for a moment before turning his attention to Darce.
“She is feisty.”
“Is that why you called for her? Just to see—” Darce began, but Zeus lifted his hand.
“Let’s not get into any of that talk just yet, old boy.”
I felt Darce stiffen next to me, but Zeus only smirked, as if he knew what he had said bothered him.
“Never were a fan of our endearments were you, ol’ chap?”
Darce released a sigh and slid a hand through his black hair. “Hardly, old man.”
There weren’t any brotherly sentiments shared between them, that much was obvious. Their endearments lacked a certain sincerity I hadn’t missed in their short exchange. Zeus ruled on high, while Darce was left dangling below. Hermes might have introduced them as my family earlier, but it didn’t really feel that way. I was sure Darce felt the same apprehension I did.
“There’s going to be a party tonight,” Zeus said, rising to his feet. “And everyone aboard is invited. I hope you at least try to enjoy yourself.”
Zeus’ gaze slowly slid over my shoulder, to where Morpheus stood.
“And Morpheus, I hope you stay a little longer than you did the last time. We were sorry to see you leave us so early.”
“Of course, I would be happy to,” Morpheus replied stoically.
“I’ve already had your things placed in your state rooms. I’m sure Hermes would be glad to escort you.”
“I think we can manage,” Darce said before turning on his heel. He had his hand underneath my elbow, guiding me towards the door when Zeus called after us.
“Tomorrow your mother will be here, Summer. We can all talk then.” The air felt like it had been knocked out of my lungs. I knew she would be here; I knew this was coming, but I couldn’t shake the set of nerves twisted up in my gut.
Zeus had certainly set the stage; placed all of his cards on the table. Now, he was waiting to play the game with all of us. I turned to look at him, and the rest of his entourage. They were like glittering mannequins in a store display, and I had no interest in buying what they were selling.
“Sounds great,” I managed to say. I was about to turn on my heel when I heard Zeus murmur my name.
“And Summer?” Zeus’s smile was anything but genuine. “It’s good to have you back with us. It’s been far too long.”
My jaw almost hit the floor, and it would have if Darce hadn’t tugged me out of the room and out onto the open deck. I sucked in fresh air with a deep gasp as the door clicked shut behind us.
“Was that an attempt at humor or…” I trailed off. Darce weaved us through the crowd of Gods and Goddesses, still all mingling with one another. Their voices were hushed as we rushed past. Darce led us to a different set of stairs, leading to what I assumed to be the cabins underneath.
“It wasn’t funny, that’s for certain.” Darce grumbled.
We shuffled down a long hallway with several closed doors. I imagined they were the rooms belonging to the guests above. There were two open doors set at the end of the hall with bags piled between them. Morpheus entered the room off to our left and paused by the doorway.
“I suppose this will have to do until we reach our destination.”
“Wait. Won’t this be it?” I blinked incredulously. “Isn’t this our destination? I thought that we came here, instead of Mount. . .” But my words trailed off into silence when I caught Darce’s grimace.
Darce took a step into the other room, glancing around. A small sofa lined one of the walls, facing a writing table and chair on the other side of the room. Just beyond the living space, a large bed, covered in a white duvet waited for us. A heavy, tan curtain was pulled back, but was meant to separate the bed from the living space. On the other side of the bed, was a large window, giving a full view of the ocean. Another door in the bedroom opened up to a bathroom, with an impressive bathtub, standing shower, and other amenities.
Other than Darce’s hotel, I had never seen anything so beautiful and luxurious.
As I turned, I found Darce behind me, watching me.
“I’m afraid this is only the beginning of what’s to come,” he said, somewhat soured. “Unless Zeus decides otherwise, we will all go to Mount Olympus.”
Morpheus nodded slowly. “It seems he wants everyone to witness this. Nearly everyone is here.”
“Except Ares,” Darce murmured gruffly.
“Ares?” I asked. “Isn’t he the…” I knew this. I knew this. My mind raced with all of their names and titles again.
“The God of War,” Morpheus murmured. I snapped my fingers and nodded.
“Why isn’t he here?”
“Hera probably sent him on a little task,” Morpheus continued. “He’s a mama’s boy. Always eager to please his mother.”
I really couldn’t imagine Ares, the God of War, being a tender young son toward a woman who was as cold as the polar ice caps.
“I guess you were right about the party,” I added.
“I told you,” Darce replied with a smirk.
“They couldn’t possibly get everyone together without throwing themselves a party of the ages. What other incentive would they have had for such an impressive reunion?” Morpheus crossed into our room and gracefully took a seat on the sofa. For the first time today, I saw his wings unfolded behind him. “It will certainly be nothing like you’ve ever seen.”
I barely survived th
e few college parties I had been dragged to in the first few months of the fall semester—and those were supposed to be ‘wild.’ I couldn’t imagine what the Gods and Goddesses of Greece considered to be a ‘good party.’
“I think I just need a quiet place to think and to take all of this in.”
However there were only so many places I could go on a superyacht, and with a deck full of eyes and ears, it was going to prove even more difficult.
“On the back,” Morpheus offered. “There’s a great little place to sit. Usually you can dip your feet into the ocean there. But as we’re just beginning to move, you’ll have to wait until we anchor. Most guests don’t venture that way until they want to swim. No one should bother you there.”
I looked to Morpheus with grateful eyes.
“I’ll come and check on you in a little while.” Darce said with an encouraging nod of his head.
“Thank you,” I whispered, spying my suitcase. “But first…”
Moving the other bags out of the way, I grabbed for mine and booked it for the bathroom. Sweet sweater heaven was within my grasp and I wanted nothing more than to curl up into one of my softest cardigans.
“I thought you were leaving,” Darce said with a chuckle.
“Once I get out of this dress!” I called over my shoulder before shutting the door. Darce and Morpheus’ laughter chased after me.
Chapter 9
The air was crisp as we moved through the sea. The docking village had become nothing but merely a speck off in the distance since we departed. Now, there was nothing but the vastness of the Mediterranean before us. I wondered just how far we would go—and more importantly, where.
I leaned my face upward towards the sky, catching the bright rays of sunshine on my face. I hadn’t been in the sun since Darce and I’s date in Gythio.
It seemed like only yesterday that we had gone on our make-shift date. We had shared an interesting lunch together, walked around the small fishing village, and just as the sky was shifting into a purple twilight, we released a lantern into the sky, making a wish—or rather, I made a wish. Darce had teased me after I had explained my love for the movie Casper, and then swept me off my feet—literally. As we floated in the night sky, he kissed me. It hadn’t been the first time he’d kissed me, but something changed for me at that moment. Something was different.
He was different.
I shifted, bringing myself back from my thoughts and memories, back to the bright sunshine and the reality that Zeus and the entire Mount Olympus fleet were a few measly floors above me. They were real. All of this was real.
“So you’re the human in love with Hades. Summer was it?” a voice said, startling me from behind. I turned sharply, finding myself staring into another set of almond-shaped eyes. The man was lean, but broad shouldered. His eyes were dark, his brows thick, and his lips were full; nearly a perfect shade of soft pink. A distinct crease could be seen on his lower lip, like a dimple. He was different from the others, dressing most similarly to Darce—a dark blue suit, a softer blue shirt, and a patterned tie with dress pants.
He flashed me a white-toothed grin as he came to stand closer next to me. I leaned back against the cold, metal railing. He was uncomfortably close to invading my personal space.
“And you are?” I asked, raising a curious brow.
“Eros,” he said with a broader grin. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
“Oh,” I replied with a nod. “Right, you’re Cupid…”
“Yes, Cupid to some. Eros by most.” He chuckled, sliding his hands into his pants pocket slowly, lazily, just like Darce. Eros crossed to the other side of the railing, and I inched away a fraction. I didn’t like how he snuck up on me.
“Nice to meet you.” It sounded more like a question, but I also wasn’t trying to force myself to be as nice as I had before. Besides, he had completely caught me off guard and I didn’t think he had exactly earned my forced courteousness.
“I’ve met plenty of human girls just like you,” he said gently. “But I never would have guessed you to be the reincarnation of Persephone. There’s nothing. . .unique about you.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be smooth and romantic?” I wrinkled my nose, feeling slightly wounded by his insult—intentional or not. “Is that what you say to all the women you meet?”
He laughed as his cheeks turned a shade of pink. “Fair enough, though I’m not here to seduce you. It wasn’t my best line, I’ll admit that. I hope you know I didn’t mean anything by it. More simply that. . .I thought you’d look more. . .ethereal.”
Was that supposed to be better?
“I hope you don’t help people with compliments like that,” I retorted, doing my best to stifle my own smile. He seemed suddenly uneasy, sliding another hand nervously through his hair.
“I suppose it would be best if I just stop talking,” Eros said. “This never happens.”
“Why do I doubt that?” I crossed my arms against my chest. “There are plenty of people who have the worst pick-up lines, and it seems you must have been the one who invented them all.”
He lifted a finger, as if pondering before shaking his head.
“Not all.”
I turned, drawing my gaze back to the ocean. I wanted to roll my eyes, but it felt strange, suddenly, to roll my eyes at the God of Love. I hadn’t taken the time to consider what he might have looked like, other than a winged, cherubic baby with strappy sandals—but that was the Hallmark version of Cupid. This guy? He was woefully underwhelming which was ironic for someone who played the dealer in the game of love.
Irony at its best.
After a moment, I saw him extend his hand out to me from the corner of my eye.
“Let me begin again,” he said coolly, “I’m Eros. To some, I’m known as Cupid. I’m the God of Love, and a far cry, it seems from being the master of pick-up lines.”
There was humor in his voice, and it made me smile. I looked at his hand and hesitated for a moment, before slipping mine into his.
“Summer Mavros,” I began. “Human, as everyone so graciously points out.”
He tilted his chin; I could feel his dark gaze sweeping the length of me and lingering on my eyes before nodding. It seemed like he was sizing me up.
“Pleasure to meet you, Summer.”
As he relaxed against the railing, I noticed a pair of white feathered wings began to unfurl from his back. They reminded me of Morpheus’ wings, though, his were much larger. How had I not seen them until now?
“Do you hide your wings?” I asked with wide eyes.
Eros shrugged. “From time to time. I find them to be somewhat of a nuisance out and about. Though it hurts my back to have them tucked in all the time.”
“Why aren’t you hiding them now then?”
“Aren’t I in the company of family now? If we can’t be ourselves in front of our own family, who else can we trust?”
I resisted the urge to respond, “you’re preaching to the wrong girl,” but instead, bit my tongue. I didn’t know his relationship to my mother or Darce yet, and both Morpheus and Darce had warned me to be careful.
“How do you get wings?” I asked instead. “I know not all of you have them.”
“A few of us do, yes,” Eros said with a nod. “I suppose they come with our jobs. Hermes delivers messages. I deliver love, and Morpheus delivers dreams.”
“Well, they’re beautiful.” Maybe not as lovely as Morpheus’s wings, but… beautiful all the same.
As I turned my gaze back out toward the sea, the small port we had launched from was completely gone now. No foreseeable land for miles.
I wished I had my phone then. I really wanted to take a photo of the water—the way it sparkled in the sunlight. It reminded me of photographs I had seen in a gallery at college. A classmate had gone to the shore and captured close-up shots of crabs and shells; the sun nestling against the gentle current of the sea, children eating cotton candy with their fingers on the pier, and a w
oman sorting through a pile of shells on the beach. It wasn’t my own memory, but I could imagine it just as if it were. This quiet place would have been a wonderful hideaway to sneak off to and paint all the things that began to filter through my mind. Perhaps someday I could persuade Darce to escape back to the sea with me; just him and I.
If we had a someday.
“You really don’t remember me, do you?” Eros asked, breaking the tense silence between us.
“Remember?” I looked at him, feeling a little lost. Was I supposed to remember him?
“Persephone and I had been close friends once. Before she had gone away to the Underworld, she used to tease me that my arrows hadn’t struck her on purpose. She claimed I had a lousy aim.” He snorted. A small smile grew on his lips, and I almost wished I could see what he was remembering.
“But when she returned, she had a glow of love around her. A glow I had never quite seen before. It became clear to me as Persephone spoke of Hades, it was a sort of love beyond what I was capable of sharing.”
“I’m sorry to say, I only remember some things,” I admitted. “And they only appear in broken images. Like a poorly directed indie movie.”
Eros nodded again, as if he were taking my words into special consideration. “I suppose this could be an opportunity for us to begin anew.”
Tucking a stray hair behind my ear, I smiled—almost feeling slightly childish.
“You want to be my friend?”
“Is that so unbelievable?”
“Coming from the God of Love? Yes!” I laughed. “I’ve never had any luck with love.”
“I’m a horrible shot,” he replied with a wink. “Ares never hesitates to point it out, but just between the two of us…I could never pry him away from Aphrodite, even with my strongest arrow.”
Ares was the only one I hadn’t met yet, but somehow I believed Eros. “Have you ever accidentally shot someone with one of your love arrows?”
“More than once,” Eros admitted, wrinkling his nose. “I can’t say it’s a pretty sight either.”
I pressed my hand to my mouth, giggling softly.
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