Page 98 of For the Gods' Sake

“Okay!” I threw my hands up in surrender, then extended an arm dramatically. “After you.”

Adrian grinned like a victor, clamping his palm in mine and pulling me the rest of the way to the large wooden door of his parents' home. The second our feet hit the first step up to the door, it flew open, revealing a gorgeous woman, her black hair streaked with elegant gray strands and her hands clasped under her pointed chin in excitement.

“Hi, moth—”

“Move!” Mila Zeus, the last Greek god of the skies, yelled at her son, pushing past him and barreling towards me to wrap me in a crushing hug. I was stunned into silence, but leaned into her comforting embrace. She pulled back long enough to take the flowers from my hand. “Put these in water, would you?” she asked Adrian, not even looking at him.

“Nice to see you, too,” Adrian grumbled, but then left us alone.

“Goodness, you are beautiful,” Mila said, running her hand down my arm. “Please tell me my son has been treating you well.”

Okay, so they thought we were real couple, too. I guess we were real. Kind of. Maybe? The point was, I had to answer his mother. “He is,” I said, through a smile. “Though he didn’t give me much notice about dinner. I would have brought more than flowers.”

“Oh, don’t bother,” Mila said, waving her hand in the air. “Your presence is gift enough. Come inside.”

“Thank you,” I said, following her. Their home was stunning, all vaulted ceilings and pristine wood and precious marbles. Both equally fit for and far too casual for two of the most powerful gods this world had ever seen. “Your home is beautiful.”

Mila hummed in contentment, but the sound was cut off by ruckus from the kitchen. Cassius Jupiter’s booming voice moved through the house, followed by Adrian’s strong tenor and Persy’s light lilt.

“I apologize for them,” Mila said softly to me as she guided me into the kitchen.

And the second I walked in, I realized seeing Adrian with his parents was a bad idea. I mean, it was for so many reasons, but it was an especially bad idea because it was clear Adrian loved his parents.

And he was smiling. A big, honest smile that made me stumble a step.

I don’t know why I’d ever thought him cold. Not when he was raised like this. It was similar to my own family, voices flying and laughs free in wonderful chaos.

The former Lord Jupiter, Adrian’s father, was slicing through a large steak with a knife so sharp it cut through the meat like butter, while Persy sat on the counter and Adrian was batting at her legs trying to put back a pair of scissors he’d trimmed the flowers with.

It was so mundane. I was learning that’s how most of the gods were. Seemingly unaware of how staggering their divinity was to humans. How foreign it was that these four commanders of lightning were having a family dinner like countless others in the Mediterranean.

“Persephone, what did I tell you about sitting on the counter?” Mila chastised lightly, shooing her daughter off the counter.

Persy jumped off like a gazelle, landing gracefully on the floor, her glass of wine staying level the entire time. “I remember you telling me not to sit on it, I just don’t think you understand how comfortable it is.”

“I don’t know what happened to make you so adverse to normal seating,” Cassius said, not even sparing his daughter a glance. Then he turned to the sink to wash his hands quickly before turning back to me.

He extended his hand to me, shaking mine firmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet the woman my son has spoken so highly of.”

There was no stopping the blush that rose to my cheeks. Adrian told his parents about me? I mean, he was supposed to. But he didn’t have to say kind things. I looked to him to find his eyes on the countertop.

No. Was he…embarrassed?

Oh, I needed to see the look on his face. I walked over to him, placing a hand on his back and forcing him to meet my eyes. Sure enough, there was a warmth to his complexion.

When I caught it, Adrian’s eyes turned competitive. Daring me to call him on it.

Knowing that if I did, he had quite a few declarations of his prowess that had fallen from my lips last night tothrow back in my face. I tampered my grin then turned back to his father. “Thank you for having me.”

“Of course,” he said, more father than god. “We’ve been bothering Adrian about it for weeks.”

“Come,” Mila beckoned, showing me to the long table on their back patio, beautifully decorated with flowers and candles. “We’ll serve you. You’re the guest of honor.”

Again, did these people have no idea that they were gods?

I might be considered famous, but Mila and Cassius wereinfamous.

Persy joined me on the deck, offering me a glass of wine as Adrian and Cassius brought out plates of food.

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