The Goddess Legacy
Page 36

Though she looks back at Zeus every few sentences, the majority of her anger’s directed toward Ares and Hephaestus. The sunset floor is cracked, and Ares throws punches faster than I can follow. Hephaestus, on the other hand, is only acting defensively, covering his face and eventually wrapping his thick arms around his brother. At first I don’t understand why he’d want to embrace Ares in the middle of an epic fight, but when Ares flails, unable to hit him, I get it.
“Stop it!” I cry, and at the sound of my voice, both of them look at me. Hephaestus turns red, clearly embarrassed to be caught, but Ares only narrows his eyes.
“Let me go,” growls Ares.
Hephaestus hesitates. “I will let you go if you promise to do as Aphrodite says.”
Clearly Hephaestus doesn’t believe it’ll actually happen, but Ares nods, and reluctantly Hephaestus releases him. For a moment, we all hold our breath, waiting for Ares to strike again, but instead he stumbles to his feet and trudges to his throne. Hephaestus takes a moment to recover on the ground, and he slowly follows. His eyes never leave me.
As they’re getting settled, Hera whirls around to face me. Her entire being burns with fury, and my heart races. I’ve never been so afraid of anyone in my entire life. “How dare you set foot in Olympus after what you’ve done,” she snarls. I take a step back toward my throne, on the other side of Daddy. My stomach turns. Maybe I made a mistake, after all. It isn’t too late to return to my island, but the way Hephaestus watches me—I can’t go, not now.
“What did I do?” I say, cradling Eros as I perch on my seashell throne.
“Were you not paying attention just now?” she hisses, and before she can lay into me even more, Daddy interrupts.
“My sons have destroyed a significant portion of the palace in order to settle a tiff that you apparently caused.” His voice is as empty as his expression, and that twists the knife in my stomach. Couldn’t he at least pretend to care?
“Not to mention put them both in danger,” says Hera. I see it now, the fear in her eyes—I hear it in her voice, as well. It isn’t all anger. I hug Eros tighter.
“They’re immortal,” I say. “Any damage wouldn’t be permanent.”
Hera glances at Hephaestus, and I know what she’s thinking. Once upon a time, immortality didn’t protect him. Who’s to say it wouldn’t happen again? I don’t know the whole story—no one but Hera does, and she’s never bothered to talk to me about it. But I know it had to do with a fall to the earth. And if they’ve really destroyed part of Olympus…of course she’s upset. Any mother would be.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I was just trying to help him—”
“It’s my fault,” says Hephaestus. “I tricked her into thinking I was someone else.”
“Did you trick her into falling in love with you, as well?” growls Ares, and the two glare at each other.
“You should’ve never returned,” says Hera. “You’ve never been anything but trouble, and the pain you’ve put my sons through—”
“Hera,” says Daddy in that commanding voice of his, the one none of us can ignore. “Leave us. The rest of you, as well.”
The other members of the council grumble, but one by one, they leave. As Artemis passes me, she touches my elbow. At first I think it’s a sign of affection—maybe someone’s missed me, after all. Instead she leans toward me until her mouth is next to my ear. “Honestly, Aphrodite. How can you call yourself the goddess of love if you can’t even make up your mind?”
I bristle. As if she knows the first thing about love. “You can love more than one person, you know,” I snap, echoing the same words Hephaestus said to me the night before.
She sniffs haughtily, and I’m about to tell her where she can shove her attitude when Daddy says, “Artemis. Go.”
Giving me one last look, she follows Apollo and little Hermes, who isn’t so little anymore. They join Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, and the five of them enter a corridor we rarely use. No one heads down the hallway that leads to our chambers. That must be the part of Olympus that Ares and Hephaestus destroyed.
“Who?” says Eros, pointing toward their group.
“That’s Persephone and Hermes,” I say. “Maybe you can all be friends.” If the council lets me stay. His little face scrunches up like he’s considering it, and he leans back in my arms. Having friends will be good for him, as long as I can find a way to shield him from the worst of the hatred in this place. Keeping him away from Hera is a start.
As soon as the three of us are alone, Daddy reaches for my hand. “I missed you,” he says. “Never leave me again, my darling.”
I press my lips together. I don’t know what to say to that. “I’m sorry. For leaving the way I did, I mean. I didn’t think I had any other choice.”
“I understand. When I was your age, I would’ve done the same thing.” He smiles. “Speaking of youth, I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to this handsome young man.”
“This is Eros,” I say, snaking a protective arm around him. “Eros, this is Zeus, my daddy.”
Eros’s eyes go wide, and he sticks his thumb in his mouth. I ruffle his hair. Nothing to be afraid of, or at least I hope there isn’t.
For a moment we sit in companionable silence, both of us watching Eros. He pretends to be shy, but I can feel him glowing as he laps up the attention. Such a ham. The moment can’t last forever though, and eventually Daddy sighs.