Page 105 of The Cursed Chalice
I press my hand to my forehead. I should call security; this is insane. But the painting is still moving.
“This…no.” That’s all I could muster.
“History.” Venus walks up to me slowly, pointing back at the painting. “The truth is, Ares doesn’t change. He can’t. You see that woman with the red hair? Talia? That was the last mortal he ever loved. She screamed his name as Zeus burned her alive. Her soul is trapped in the chalice.”
Everything was coming at me at once. This must be a joke. I’m waiting for someone to just come out and say “sike.”
My knees tremble, and I reach for my desk. “No. No…no, he…Ares loves me.”
“Does he, though? Or does he just need you?” Venus’s voice drips with venom. “The chalice that you drank from demands a vessel. The chalice binds the soul. Did he tell you that? He needs you tethered. That’s why he whispers, ‘I love you.’ That’s why he touches you like he would die without you. But the truth is…you have to die to free Talia.”
Ares wants me…dead? I refuse to cry in front of Venus. I bite down on my tongue.
“How do you know all of this? Ares wouldn’t—” I need proof. I need something solid.
“Ares wouldn’t? Oh, you stupid mortal.” Venus tilts her head in pity. “Gods don’t love mortals. We consume them. He is exchanging your soul to resurrect what he’s already lost. Every kiss, every touch, is like a prayer feeding into the curse. All to free her.”
The museum lights hum and flicker over my head. I stare at the painting, and I can feel bile rising up in my throat. Talia. Ihave been dreaming of her, the woman with the general in a tent. My head hurts; this can’t all be true.
“He does not differ from Elias, your aunt, and uncle. They all want your life as a prize.”
“Who are you? Why are you telling me all of this?” My voice is raspy.
Venus places her hand on her chest. “I am Venus, Aphrodite to the Greeks. I loved Ares once too. I want to spare you the humiliation of thinking his love and devotion is real.” Her lips curve into a mean smile. “Better you hear it now than be blindsided by it later.”
Venus steps back to the chair, picks up her things, and walks to the door as if she were done with the matter. “Oh, restore the painting if you like. Burn it, dump it. It doesn’t matter; the truth will remain. Say this next time you meet Ares:Apokalýpsathe,and wait.”
I refuse to believe her. “You’re lying.”
Venus pauses at the threshold. “If only I were.” Then she was gone, her heels echoing through the hall. My hands tremble, and my knees buckle. Slowly, I collapse to the floor. My brushes clatter on the floor. I have to head home. I have to fix this.
ARES
Hecate laughs at something Deimos says. “You know, I’m sure every night the devil checks under his bed, confirming that you’re not there.”
Deimos places the tray of T-bone steaks on the kitchen island. “He no longer welcomes me into his domain.”
I lean on the counter, waiting for Soraya to get home. My neck feels tight; something is wrong.
“What else are we making for her?” Phobos asks.
Hecate jumps up from her stool and goes to the fridge. “I got her favorite cheesecake.”
I already covered the dining room with roses. After declaring my love for her, it’s only right that we have a small feast with family. Family. I have a family, and I feel like happiness is within reach. A faint click of the front door pulls my attention. Her scent follows a second later…paint, citrus, and something sweet. My wife is at home. In this moment everything feels so right.
The moment Soraya steps into the room, I know something’s wrong. It isn’t the look on her face or the tears that run down her face. It’s the way she’s holding the chalice in her hand.
“What’s wrong, Little Flame?” I stretch my hand out to her.
Her eyes turn to me in disgust. “Little Flame. Haha. No, but I’m about to set your world on fire.”
“What are you talking about?”
Soraya throws back her shoulders and lifts her head. “Apokalýpsathe.”
Hecate looks up at Soraya in surprise and sucks in her breath. A black silk dress and two dogs appear.
I look at Deimos and Phobos, and they are in full Roman battle gear.
