Authors: Kailin Gow
“Gordon?” Scarlett asked. “You saw Gordon in this realm of yours? He’s there?”
“Well, he
was
there,” Aphrodite said, obviously happy that she finally had Scarlett’s attention. “We had to leave in a hurry to come here and ask you for your help. Ask, you’ll note. We have not commanded you, or compelled you, or anything of that kind, when it would have been easy to do.”
Hephaestus shook his head. “I do not believe that making threats will help, Aphrodite. The girl is stronger willed than most mortals, and your games will only make things more difficult.”
Scarlett had to admit that praise from a Greek god was pleasant, and he was right; her dislike of Aphrodite did make part of her want to tell them no, regardless of the consequences. At the same time though, Scarlett knew that if these two did have information on exactly where Gordon and Cecilia had gone, it was possibly the best way to shorten the searches for them.
Perhaps Aphrodite realized that, because in an instant, her expression became contrite. “This is about the safety of my son. I will do whatever I have to in order to get his bow back.”
It wasn’t quite an apology, but Scarlett suspected that it was as close to one as she was going to get. She couldn’t imagine that immortals who had been worshiped as gods spent much of their time apologizing. Even so, there was one obvious question.
“Why is this about his safety?” Scarlett asked. “It sounds more like Zeus just took a dangerous toy away from him.”
“They said before that his power was bound up in the bow,” Tavian said. It had been so long since he had last spoken that Scarlett had almost forgotten he was there.
Aphrodite nodded. “Clever as well as handsome. Scarlett here is a lucky girl. Yes, my son’s power is bound up with his bow. It makes the thing more powerful, but it is also a weakness. Away from his bow, Cupid is separated from his power. In time, it would fade from him completely, leaving nothing more than a mortal boy.”
“An obnoxious ten year old prankster of a mortal boy,” Hephaestus added.
Aphrodite glared at him. “A mortal boy nonetheless. Leaving him without his bow would be a death sentence.” She looked to Scarlett. “If there were another way to help him, I would take it, but you are our best chance to find the bow.”
Scarlett swallowed back any thoughts of a sharp retort. Aphrodite was right. She could help. And leaving an immortal being to become mortal wasn’t something she could do with a clear conscience. More than that, in doing so, she stood a chance of finding both Gordon and Cecilia, so the whole trip was in her best interest anyway.
“I think we have to help them,” she said to Cruces and Tavian. “Our goals are similar enough, and it’s the best way to help the others. Agreed?”
Cruces and Tavian both nodded.
Scarlett looked back at Aphrodite. “So, how are we to get to the immortal world?”
“Zeus has limited our powers,” Hephaestus answered. “It is part of the injunction against interfering. We cannot bring mortals back with us, or anything of the mortal realm. His anger over Cupid’s latest folly was great.”
“But dear Cruces’ ring should help you to cross over with ease,” Aphrodite said. “Meaning that none of that should be a problem. I assume you still have it, vampire? I remember it being so very useful to you back in the old days.”
Cruces nodded, and if he noticed the attempt to remind everyone of the history between the two of them, he did not show it. “Of course. In fact, Scarlett has just proved instrumental in recovering it for me.”
Aphrodite looked Scarlett up and down again. “Then perhaps we will see the bow again. I hope so. For one thing, it will mean getting my full powers back. I’m sure the young man here, Tavian is it, would appreciate the opportunity to be taken to the immortal realm by a goddess, rather than having to fool around with Devices.”
Scarlett glanced at Tavian then, and she wasn’t entirely happy to see that the gypsy fey’s eyes were locked onto Aphrodite. Cruces didn’t seem entirely happy about it either. Indeed, his expression right then was almost one of anger.
“
T
he sooner all this is done with, the better,” Hephaestus said. “Zeus is watching us carefully so that we do not use our powers, and has threatened to take them away if we do the wrong thing. It is severely limiting how we can act.”
“It would be worse if he actually did take them,” Aphrodite pointed out. “Bad enough that my son has lost the ability to affect mortals now that he has been stripped of his bow. What would mortals and others do when it came to love without my influence?”
“They’d probably be better off,” Cruces muttered under his breath, but not quite quietly enough to keep everybody in the room from hearing. Scarlett had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, while even Hephaestus seemed amused by it.
Aphrodite reddened with anger, though even like that, she somehow managed to be beautiful. “So you think that what I do isn’t important?” she demanded.
“I’m sure that’s not what Cruces meant,” Scarlett interjected. Apparently, it was the wrong thing to do, because Aphrodite turned to her with a thoughtful smile.
“Yes,” she said, “that might work. A little lesson for you all in the power of what I do.” She pointed at Cruces. “You, vampire, were so eager to reject me before, yet you want her.” She pointed at Scarlett. “So let’s make that clear. You will love her, with all your heart. Of course, she will now know that it is simply my power at work. And she will have other distractions, because
she
will love… ah yes, the beautiful gypsy boy. Such a sweet boy. I think he deserves your love more than the vampire, don’t you, Scarlett?”
Scarlett wanted to answer, but right then, it felt like the room was spinning. She struggled to sit down at the dining table, forcing herself to focus as she looked at first Cruces, and then Tavian. The vampire looked pained, even frightened. So fast that Scarlett could barely keep up with the movement, he rushed over to her, cupping her face in his hands as his eyes bored into hers.
“Please Scarlett, whatever you are feeling, fight it. I need you. I love you. I have spent so long trying to find you. Don’t let that go now. Kiss me. Kiss me and know that it’s true.”
Cruces leaned forward, obviously about to kiss her. For a moment, it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world, except a second later, she felt a tug on her arm, jerking her around to face Tavian. So close to him there was no contest. The vampire was good looking, but he was not the man she loved. He was not the man she needed with every fiber of her being right then. In that moment, Scarlett wanted nothing more than to throw herself at Tavian and kiss him until they were both exhausted from kissing.
The look in Tavian’s eyes told her that he felt exactly the same way. There was such love in his expression, such need, that Scarlett knew that they were perfect for one another. How could she have ever felt anything else? How could she have ever felt anything for some vampire when Tavian was there, and they both loved one another so much?
“Scarlett!” Cruces cried out, and the word was enough to get Scarlett to look back at him. What did the vampire want? Could he not see that she was busy with the man she loved? “God I wish I had told you everything about me and you before Aphrodite showed up with this crazy spell. If I had, you would know the Seeker and the Keeper are meant to be together, always forever. You and I. Not you and anyone else.”
Scarlett shook her head. It wasn’t like that. It couldn’t be like that. It was Tavian she was meant to be with. Tavian she wanted to kiss, and so much more, right there and then.
Aphrodite’s laugh cut through the room. “You’ve left it a little late for that, Cruces. Can’t you see that your Scarlett, the Seeker you have sought for eternity, is giving the gypsy boy the look of a woman who wants more than a sweet chaste kiss? I can practically taste the heat between them. Mmm… this should be fun.”
Scarlett found herself wanting to agree. It would be fun, if only all these people would go away and leave her alone with Tavian. Cruces didn’t seem to agree though. If anything, he looked ready to strike the Greek goddess. Scarlett did not want that, if only because the fight that would surely follow might injure Tavian. Thankfully though, the vampire seemed content to merely grit his teeth and clench his fists.
“What will it take for you to undo this?” he demanded.
“Why would I want to do that?” Aphrodite asked.
“I don’t want you to do it,” Scarlett pointed out.
Aphrodite smiled. “I know you don’t, dear. Come on, Cruces. Tell me why I should?”
Cruces pointed at Scarlett. “Perhaps because in her present state, Scarlett is going to be too busy kissing Tavian to bother retrieving Cupid’s bow? She certainly won’t get through the portal without my help.”
Aphrodite’s eyes narrowed at that. “You’re threatening my son?”
“I am making a proposition,” Cruces countered. “I will take Scarlett through the portal to retrieve the bow, and in return, you will undo what you have done to her, leaving her free to fall in love with me as she should have done before.”
“Please don’t,” Scarlett begged, moving to wrap her arms around Tavian. Aphrodite snapped her fingers, and although Scarlett found that she still loved the gypsy boy more than anything, she did not have quite the same urge to throw herself at him there and then.
“Just a little toning down,” Aphrodite said, “so that we can talk without anybody ripping off anyone else’s clothes. We wouldn’t want a repeat of Thebes, after all.” She looked over to her husband. Hephaestus nodded gravely, and Aphrodite pouted. “Oh, very well. You are to take Scarlett through to the immortal realm, assist her in finding the bow, and get it back to me safely. If you do that, I will remove my compulsion from the girl. Of course, who she falls for after that is her own affair. I make no promises.”
“Done,” Cruces said eagerly. “As long as I have a fair chance to win her over, it is enough. I know that with that, things will turn out as they should.”
“I wouldn’t be so confident, if I were you,” Aphrodite countered, “but that is none of my concern, so long as you retrieve the bow. It will be as you ask. Now, shouldn’t you be going? Your Seeker will tell you where to go through, of course.”
“Of course,” Cruces said. He turned to Scarlett, pulling her away from Tavian through simple strength. It was all Scarlett could do not to lash out at him. Tavian was less restrained. He yanked Scarlett back towards him, almost pulling her away from Cruces.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Tavian demanded.
“I’m getting ready to leave,” Cruces replied. “Scarlett and I need to be in physical contact when I use the ring to transport us.”
“And me,” Tavian said. “You are not leaving me behind.”
“I think you’ll find that I am,” Cruces said. “For one thing, there are the effects of this love spell to consider.”
“I am going where Scarlett goes,” Tavian snapped back. “She promised to find Cecilia with me before she agreed to find this bow.”
“I did,” Scarlett agreed, turning to kiss Tavian soundly on the lips. It was a pleasant kiss, and she was just starting to enjoy it even more when Cruces pulled her away from Tavian.
“I thought you toned the effect down?” the vampire demanded of Aphrodite.
“A little,” the Greek goddess replied, “but only a little. It wouldn’t be any fun otherwise.”
“Well then, Tavian will have to stay behind,” Cruces said.
Scarlett shook her head firmly. “No. He is coming with us. I am the one who is meant to find this bow, so I decide. I want Tavian with us. I love him, Cruces. I… I’m not going if you won’t allow it. I don’t think I could be apart from him like that.”
“Scarlett,” Cruces said softly.
“Cruces.” Scarlett tried to be firm. She could see that Cruces was obviously struggling against something standing there, but that was just the natural possessiveness of a vampire, wasn’t it? Scarlett was not going to allow herself to be parted from Tavian simply because Cruces thought he should be able to sink his fangs into her.
“You are as lovely as any goddess,” Cruces whispered to her.
“I really do not think that is appropriate,” Scarlett replied. “Not now that I have…”
Cruces raised a hand. “All right. Please do not say it.”
“Tavian can come with us?” Scarlett asked. She wanted to be certain on that point. Part of her knew exactly what Aphrodite had done to her, but that did not make the thought of leaving him behind any less painful.
Cruces hesitated for a moment, and then nodded sharply. “If he must.”