Page 4 of Loved By Aphrodite

Finally perfect.

He’d been working for months, creating an automatic baby cradle–rocker–bouncer–carrier that could do almost anything, from soothing a crying infant with its gentle motions to transforming into an indestructible and impenetrable shell that would protect its precious cargo. It had every bell and whistle new parents would want, from a GPS tracker, 360-degreecamera, retractable wheels, food warmer, to name a few. No other child would have such a device, and rightly so. After all, this machine wasn’t just for any regular baby. No, this device—and the identical one he would build now that he’d perfected it—would be his gift to the children of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.

Well, former Goddess of the Hunt, because she was now mated and married to an Alpha wolf shifter and had given up her immortality to be with him.

Hephaestus let out a grunt. While he had no objection to Artemis choosing to live a mortal life, part of him mourned the loss of someone he considered a sister—albeit an annoying one—to mortality. Having lived thousands of years himself, he’d experienced the lives and deaths of many of his friends and it did not get easier over time.

I hope he’s worth it, Artemoula, he thought silently, as it was something he would never say aloud. Her choice of a husband was unconventional, but he could not deny she was truly happy. He’d seen it in her eyes, on her face, whenever she looked at her mate. And he could see it too, on Cade Andersen’s face when he gazed upon her.

Which was a good thing because if he did hurt her, he would break the Alpha so badly, no one, not even Hephaestus himself, would be able to fix him.

Content with the final product, he gathered the materials to make a second rocker, since Artemis had announced she was pregnant with twins. Despite his workshop’s messy state, he knew where every tool, every spare part, every bolt and nut were located. His mechanical leg—the one he had fashioned and improved himself over the millennia—whirred quietly as he moved about. Born with a deformed limb, magic could not heal him, but that only meant he had to find his own solution. Though The Fates may have dealt him with a misshapenappendage, they also gave him the ability to create ingenious machines and infuse them with his own magic.

So, over time, he managed to find different methods, materials, and enchantments to improve his prostheses, using technology that the mortals devised to refine each design. He was not only curious about what the humans of the Upperworld created, but he was fascinated by it. Over the last few centuries, especially, he watched humankind develop their own technology, evolving from using crude tools to steam-powered machines to microchips and silicon. He learned from them, building on their creations, as well as making his own with his magic. With centuries of knowledge under his belt, there was no piece of tech he could not master or recreate.

The hours passed as he put together the parts and pieces for the second rocker, though he didn’t notice the time. As a god, he required little rest or drink or food, so he continued through the day and night, working until he was finished with his creation. He made a few more adjustments, then set the two rockers side by side before glancing up at the clock.

Fuck!

The baby shower had already started. Artemis would be furious with him if he missed the gender reveal. He added some finishing touches to his creations, including a flourish of gold along the front of the cradles that Artemis could personalize with each child’s name. With a snap of his fingers, the two cradles were boxed together and wrapped.

He then teleported to Anchorage, more specifically, to the territory of the Alaska Wolf pack. He and the precious package appeared behind the barn where the baby shower was to be held. As he circled to the front, the large box hovering behind as it followed him, he saw numerous guests milling about, which hopefully meant the festivities hadn’t begun yet. He shrugged off the stares of the people around him—mostly mortals and shifters—and headed inside. While he normally didn’t attend such things, he was here to support his friend. That, and Artemis had threatened to never forgive him if he didn’t make an appearance for the gender reveal at the very least.

Who the hell thought of doing gender reveals?What a silly thing for mortals to announce to the world.

He bristled at the growing crowd inside, and their gawking became difficult to ignore. To say he wasn’t a people person was an understatement. He preferred his own company and that of his creations. After all, while machines required maintenance and care, they were not unreasonable or demanding.

Where was—ah.In the middle of it all was Artemis, surrounded by other guests like she was the center of the universe. Bright and cheerful, it was easy to see why mortals and gods alike flocked to her. Artemis was the type of person who could make anyone feel welcome. And if they didn’t want to be welcomed? Well, they never had a choice anyway. She was determined to fill your life with rays of sunshine, whether you wanted it or not.

Slowly, he approached the group, raking his fingers through his hair. He wished he had at least run a comb through his untidy locks or trimmed his scraggly beard or maybe put something on aside from his usual grease-stained garb, but there had been no time for that. Besides, it wasn’t like he cared what any of the guests here thought, mortal and immortal alike.

Creeping up behind Artemis’s group, he said, “Excuse me.” He gestured to the box behind him. “Where do I put this?”

“H, you came!” Artemis squealed as she bounded toward him, her face lighting up. “I didn’t think I’d see you.”

“Yeah, well…” He rubbed at the back of his head. “I made you something, Artemoula. For the twins.”

“Of course. You can put it by the other gifts. Thank you, H.”

“You’re wel—Aphrodite?”

Hephaestus’s heart leapt into his throat before it tumbled over and back down at the sight of the goddess of love herself, standing two feet away from him. Still, he could not speak or move, and his normally organized thoughts jumbled in his mind.

How long had it been since he had seen his ex-wife?

Twenty thousand, five hundred and sixty-eight years, ten months, eight weeks, and six days.

Give or take a few hours.

“Hello, Hephaestus,” she greeted.

“I…didn’t recognize you.” Instead of her usual floor-length golden locks, her hair was the color of roasted chestnuts and ended just below her shoulders. Also, she wore modern clothes—a pink sundress paired with a blue sweater—instead of her customary white robes. But, even though she’d changed her hair and clothes, he would recognize that gorgeous face and silver-blue eyes anywhere, not to mention, the melodic voice that haunted his dreams.

“Yeah, I changed my hair,” she said. “Do you like it?”

“It’s…nice.”Fuck, fuck, fuck.Everyone really was staring now, and the discomfort bled through him like a gaping wound. Plucking the box from midair, he held it in front of him as if it would protect him. “If you’ll excuse me, I should go.”

He tore his gaze away from Aphrodite and spun on his heel. While he wasn’t sure where he was headed, it didn’t matter, as long as he put as much distance between himself and her, because it was the only way he would be able to breathe again.

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