Page 49 of For the Gods' Sake

She dropped a plate of whipped yogurt, drizzled with spiced butter and topped with eggs on to my plate before whispering, “If I’d been warned, I would have poisoned his food,” to me.

I chuckled under my breath, looking up at her with a smile. “Unnecessary, but I’m grateful nonetheless.”

The silence hung heavy on the table until a few minutes later, when my father seemed to fall prey to his own desire to speak. “Would you like to say anything?” he asked me pointedly.

I opted for a demure attitude. Even though the point was to shove my relationship with Adrian down his throat, I hesitated. “I said hello when I walked in. And brought flowers.”

Leonardo chuckled over the rim of his coffee cup and I kicked him under the table.

My father leaned his forearms on the table. “Do you understand how your mother felt having to hear from herfriendthat you are dating agod?”

He punctuated his words by tossing the morning’s paper down in front of me.

Lord Jupiter says, “She’s the one”was today’s headline.

Another day, another swath of articles about me and Adrian. Although this time, they had enough time to gather ridiculous information from “sources” who claimed to know the intimate details of our relationship.

He knew that would get me. Guilt ripped through my chest and my eyes flew to my mother, only to find her shaking her head softly. “It was a little shocking, but it’s okay,” she reassured. Then lower, just for us. “You looked very happy.”

I was, I realized. And it was a betrayal of the highest order.

I always felt comfortable in public gatherings like that, the confident mask I wore eventually cementing into reality by the end of the night. But that night was tinged with an excitement I rarely felt.

I silently cursed Adrian, wondering why he hadn’t been born an actor instead of a god if he could convince everyone—and myself—that thoroughly.

“Dad,” I said carefully. “If you have a problem with my choices, please tell me yourself. Don’t bring Mom into this.”

My father’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You think I have a problem?”

I slid my gaze to Damon with a pointed expression. Obviously, he’d invited him as a reminder of the type of men my father preferred I date. The son of his closest business partner chief among them.

A man—a boy, really—who’d begged me to go out with him for years. When I finally did, deciding to set aside reason to pursue the tiny lick of attraction I felt for him, it exploded in my face within months.

“Fine,” my father resigned. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m disappointed.” Which meant he was, in fact, disappointed. “But you have to consider how this looks for our family.”

“And how is that?” If he was going to think it, I was going to make him verbalize it.

“We fight very hard for our influence,” he said, echoed by a nod from Renato.Suck up, I thought. He’d kill someone to earn my father’s favor. “And you know how difficult it was to ensure our businesses recovered after what Adrian did.”

“You mean him being born?” I asked, defensiveness hitting me square in the chest. “Or were you referring to the fact that the merging of the godly lines allowed you to double your influence on the Grecian peninsula?”

Sure, there were families that felt listless after losing their favored deity, but my family fared just fine.

My father seemed to realize that line of reasoning wasn’t productive and changed course. “Well, you associating with a god that closely makes it seem like you are just like everyone else, bowing blindly to their power. Instead of aligning with those of us who work hard for what we have.”

“Their power may have been given to them by birthright,” I returned, crossing my legs under the table and leaning onto the arm of the chair. “But they are not in control of that. I don’t believe a single god has taken advantage of their power without care for their patrons.”

Sure, some flaunted it more than others, and seemed to bask in the light and love. But they were the reason our world was steady.

My father grew visibly more agitated, realizing he wasn’t going to make me feel bad for my choices. Good, I thought. He’d have to resort to other measures. Finally concede to my requests.

Renato scoffed, drawing my attention. I also noticed that he’d positioned the carafe of mimosas close to him and had drained a good bit of it already. “The Greeks losttwogods this summer,” he said with an obvious sneer.

Damon decided now was an appropriate time to add his two cents. “Not to mention the lean summer that new sea goddess cost us.”

Andtherewas my line. Damon had met Daphne twice while we were together. Knew she was one of my closest friends.

“First of all,” I said to Renato. “The Underworldwillinglyjoined forces to make sure neither side completely lost their god.And,” I said, turning to Damon and confronting him. “While the summer wasn’t as fruitful as we’d normally expect, where do you think all this fish came from?”

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