Page 6 of Loved By Aphrodite

“What’s wrong with him? Did his wings stop working? Why is he burned?”

“I’m not sure.” He pressed his lips together. “But those bruises and that bloody face happened before that crash.”

“Excuse me, I need to get through!” It was Apollo. “Oh, Jeeze…” His nose wrinkled distastefully. “Artemis, where can we take him?”

“To the lodge,” she replied. “You’ll have some privacy there.”

“I know where that is.” Hephaestus took Eros’s hand into his. “Thank you, Artemoula.” With a single thought, he transported himself, Eros, and Aphrodite to the common room in the lodge.

Apollo appeared right alongside them, and then knelt by Eros’s prone body. He placed his hands over Eros to begin healing him, starting with the cuts and bruises on his face. When he was done, he instructed Hephaestus to turn him around. They all gasped when they saw the extent of the damage there. It hadn’t been obvious from the front, but his back, specifically where his white wings were attached to his body, was burned so badly that only blackened bits of skin and exposed muscle were left.

Geri—who Hephaestus had only just noticed had followed them there—gagged aloud. “What the fuck happened to him?”

Aphrodite placed her hands over the wound, a golden glow emanating from her fingers. “It’s…I can’t do it,” she cried.

“The bruises and cuts on his face were physical. But this … this was done by magic,” Apollo said. “It’s going to take even more power to heal him completely.” He joined Aphrodite, his hands hovering over hers. “This is gonna take a while, unless…” He looked up at Hephaestus.

The god of the sun didn’t even finish the sentence when Hephaestus knelt down beside Aphrodite and planted his hand on her shoulder to share his power with her. To her credit, she didn’t even flinch, but perhaps she was too busy healing her son. His heart, however, did a flip the moment he felt the warmth of her skin.

“It’s working,” Apollo said. “A little bit more…”

The burned muscle returned to a normal healthy pink before new skin formed over it. The charred remains of the feathers sprouted into beautiful white plumes. Soon, Eros’s back and wings were back to normal.

Aphrodite’s shoulders slumped forward. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Wow, I always thought Eros would have those cute baby wings,” Geri whispered.

“He did, when he was a baby,” Apollo explained.

“They’re beautiful,” the she-wolf said.

Aphrodite flinched at the words, which made Hephaestus drop his arm to his side. No one else had noticed the goddess of love’s reaction, but he did, and it wasn’t just because his hand had lingered on her much too long. The wings, after all, were the only inheritance Eros received from his good-for-nothing biological father, Cyncus, the leader of the Geryons.

Eros’s body jerked. “What the—where—wha—” The wings retracted into his body, and he flipped onto his back. “I—Mama? H-Hephaestus?” He blinked a few times. “You’re here? Together?”

“That’s all you have to say? After—Eros, no!” She placed a hand on his chest when he attempted to sit up, but he brushed it away.

“I’m fine, Mama.” His fingers raked through his golden hair.

“Yeah, thanks to us,” Apollo snorted.

Eros’s head snapped up. “What are you doing here?”

“Saving your life.”

“Not that you deserved it,” Geri added.

Eros’s silvery-blue eyes trained on her. “So, you’re the new goddess of the hunt? What a delectable creature you are. My, my, haven’t you done well for yourself, Apollo? I’m glad what happened with Daphne?—”

“Eros!” Hephaestus interrupted. The boy truly had a death wish, taunting the god of the sun by bringing up Daphneandhitting on his mate in the same breath.

Eros’s expression turned innocent. “What?”

Apollo merely rolled his eyes. “It’s fine. It’s all in the past.” He slipped an arm around Geri. “Come on, let’s go back to the party. I wanna know if Cade and Artemis are having boys or girls.” With that, the couple disappeared, but not before Geri glared at Eros.

“Artemis?” Eros scratched his head. “I thought she left Olympus for bumfuck-nowhere, Alaska.”

“She did,” Aphrodite said. “And we’re here in her and her mate’s territory.”

---