Page 24 of The Perfect Matchmaking

What had she done?

“First of all, oh my god, Dite! That was freaking amazing. I am so proud of you!” Abby clapped her hands, and her face lit up for a moment. Then right before Aphrodite’s eyes, suddenly sobered, the cupid clasped her wife’s shoulder and effectivelyshook the whole of Sabine. “And second, if Sabine shot her arrow, I’ll do something drastic! But! I know she couldn’t have! She wouldn’t! There must have been some mistake…”

Aphrodite thought it was one of the cutest scenes she’d ever witnessed. A cinnamon roll standing up, showing off all the pride she had in her woman. What a wonderful, genuine connection they had. Abby knew Sabine. Abby loved Sabine, hence Sabine could do no wrong. It was beautiful. Misguided maybe, since Sabine, still holding the damn crown, had clearly used her arrow. The board never lied…

“Well, darling?—”

Abby stopped babbling and turned on her wife with such adorable shock, Aphrodite had to laugh.

“It’s okay, Abby. The three of us know very well that a perfect match doesn’t mean happily ever after. Sabine did what any cupid would have done had they had the courage. But I made my choice. Neither Zeus, nor Sabine, nor the perfect match can make me do anything. I refuse to be with someone simply because I have to, because such are circumstances, or because whoever else deems that it must be so.”

Abby looked at her with admiration. Sabine watched her, head inclined to the side, before leaning over and giving her an unexpected hug. Doubly unexpected because it came out of nowhere and because this was Sabine Goddard who touched nobody if she could help it.

Aphrodite opened her mouth to say so, but Sabine just shook her head.

“I did shoot my arrow. And there is a perfect match. The board does not make mistakes. And I do apologize.” Abby gasped, and Aphrodite closed her eyes as Sabine went on, “I am so very sorry that I allowed you even for a moment to believe that I would in any way force you into a relationship, after everything you’ve been through.”

“Huh?” Her and Abby’s simultaneous exhalations would’ve been comical under any other circumstances.

“But the perfect match?” Aphrodite looked from Sabine to Abby and back.

“Is not yours. Erato, however, has a bit of a mess on her hands. I couldn’t help myself. But that is another story. Erato’s story. Though I’m sure Abby and I will feature heavily in it.” Sabine smiled enigmatically.

“You did not use your arrow on Athena and me?” She could have sworn there was a dull roar in her ears.

“No, I didn’t. You and Athena do not need any arrow assistance. Your love is strong and pure. Your choice doesn’t affect the strength of that feeling. It does affect the fate of it, but not its purity, nor its intensity. You love. You both love. It’s true and real.”

“But…” she trailed off, remembering the expression on Athena’s face right before she turned away and left the convention.

“But you did make your choice, Dite. Sadly, very publicly so.” Abby finished her sentence, and the three of them stood in silence that seemed to stretch for eons. Extending her arm a second time, Sabine held the goddess in a tight embrace and Aphrodite cried.

9

WHERE THINGS THAT FELL APART ARE FIXED (OR COME TOGETHER, IF YOU’RE INTO PUNS)

She only had one problem.

And it wasn’t really a problem. Just a minor issue. Not even that. She could handle it. She had contended with so much worse. Why, she’d just finished chewing and spitting out the God of Thunder. Surely a trip across the United States and a knock on the door of a small townhouse nestled on a quaint serene street in New Haven, Connecticut, was something she could easily accomplish.

At least that was her thought process as she took the red-eye from Las Vegas to Newark, then drove the ninety-or-so miles to the place where the world’s most renowned expert in Greek language and literature lived and taught.

That continued to be her thought process as the GPS guided her through sleepy streets, across bridges and past harbors, down narrow roads, and along brick houses hugging each other close.

However, once she finally found her query and stood in front of the surprisingly cute, bright-yellow door, she lost her ability to think. Anxiety crawled up her back and all over her thoughts, and that damned fog cluttered her conscience again. She tried to grasp for some much-needed clarity and could find none.

Would Athena throw her out? Forgive her? Would she even open the door? Aphrodite raised her knuckles to knock, then let her hand drop limply to her side. Her breath puffed out in clouds, reminding her she actually wasn’t dressed for winter in New England, snow lying everywhere, making it both picturesque and debilitatingly cold.

She shivered. She needed to do something. Standing here, she’d likely get frostbite or some such horrible thing her godly extremities had never encountered before. But knocking meant the last vestiges of doubt over what Athena might say and do would be removed and, with them, the final crumbs of hope that had given her the strength to fly to New Jersey and drive to New Haven. Despite being on the cusp of newfound knowledge, Aphrodite sighed and sat down on the small stoop and hugged herself tightly.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but she could no longer feel her legs when the door opened behind her and a loud gasp forced her to whirl around.

Athena stood in winter gear, looking like she was about to explore the Arctic tundra. She even had one of those fuzzy hats on. It made her look incredibly young and absolutely adorable. Silly and sweet. Beloved. Aphrodite’s heart skipped the proverbial beat. Gods, had she really blown her chance with this woman? For what? To prove a point?

“Hades, take the wheel! Dite, what the fuck?”

Her teeth were chattering so loudly, she realized she couldn’t actually form words and even if she could, how would she reply anyway? Athena’s very eloquent question didn’t require an answer. What the fuck, indeed.

Instead, she just extended her arms, in silent supplication, and in a second she was enveloped in that now-familiar embrace, Athena picking her up easily and carrying her into the house, slamming the door behind them with her foot.

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