Arcadian Nights (12 page)

Eris thought about this. She’d always
known Hera had watched them at some point, but she had to admit it
had never bothered her. It would, however, bother her if anyone
watched her with Hermes. “No, it doesn’t bother me. Have you
watched me and Hermes?”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t do
that to Hermes. It would embarrass him.”

“
Would it?” She could
believe it, as he seemed to take their sexual encounters more
seriously than she’d expected, but she was still adjusting to
thinking of him as capable of feeling such emotions. She wasn’t
sure how ready she was to accept them as real.

“
Yes. He would be
embarrassed, and he would see it as disrespectful to you.” She
smiled. “Besides, you’ve both been too smart, making love in your
home. You could keep me out if you wanted.”

“
I rarely keep my wards
up. I didn’t even think of it when he was here. My mind was
otherwise occupied.”

“
I know. He’ll be here
soon, and I only came to tell you one thing.”

“
Yes?”

“
Don’t worry about
Aphrodite. She’s jealous, but she won’t do anything once she sees
you’re both in love.”

“
Does everyone know our
secrets so well?”

“
They don’t seem like
secrets to me. Hermes is not concealing how he feels about you. I
don’t see how you can doubt the depth and reality of what he feels.
You’re the one fighting it.”

“
How do you know that?”
Eris was more than a little tired of everyone reprimanding her for
not acting like a giddy girl and fawning all over
Hermes.

“
Confusion and frustration
roll off you in waves. It’s obvious to me.” She smiled. “And you
talk to your cats a lot.”

Eris blushed. “So you do spy on
me?”

“
A little. You can be
angry. I’d understand. I love Hermes. He’s good and loyal, the
kindest man I have ever known. If it were based upon merit, he
might be king of the gods.”

“
All of Olympus seems to
think just as highly of him.”

“
Isn’t it one of the
things that attracted you to him?”

She shrugged. “I wanted to see if he
really was what he seemed to be. I also wanted to see what was
underneath all that. I found more than I expected.”

Hera laughed. “Oh yes, the fiery lover
who has Aphrodite panting after him. Many a goddess will be
disappointed the day he weds.”

“
Have you ever been with
him?” Eris told herself she would not be jealous if the answer was
yes, but she still held her breath.

“
I would say yes to prove
to you how much you do care, but the answer is no. We have a mutual
respect and a close friendship. I tried a few times, but he values
our closeness too much. His friendship with Aphrodite runs hot and
cold now because of their affair, and he doesn’t want to risk it. I
believe most of his other lovers have been mortal.”

Eris nodded. “I thought so. I’m not
sure why.”

“
He wants his private life
private. Perhaps your little spell was meant to show him something
he might never have seen otherwise.”

“
I don’t want to think
about it.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because calling it the
work of the Fates gives it more importance. There’s more
pressure.”

“
All relationships have
pressure.”

“
They do indeed,” Hermes
said as he walked into the room. “I let myself in. I didn’t mean to
interrupt.”

Eris tried not to blush, but she
didn’t succeed.

“
You must be talking about
me,” he teased as he put his arms around her waist and kissed her
cheek. He examined her dress. “You look lovely.”

Eris blushed even more as she looked
down at her pink dress. “The color was Hera’s idea.”

“
Well, I approve,” he
said. “Are you two done discussing me or do I need to
leave?”

Hera laughed. “I only wanted to talk
to Eris for a moment. I won’t keep you two any longer.”

“
Good things were said, I
hope?”

Eris smiled. “Yes, but perhaps we can
discuss them later?”

He nodded. “Whatever you want.” He
turned to Hera. “Would you like to have a drink with us, since you
seem to have been speaking in my favor?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Made a play
date with Proteus. It’s been months since we saw each
other.”

Hermes laughed. “Well, don’t let us
keep you.”

Hera smiled and snapped her fingers,
disappearing and leaving them alone.

Hermes turned to Eris slowly. “You
really do look very pretty, but you can change if you want
to.”

Eris looked down at her dress again.
“No, it’s fine. I’m thinking I need to get used to being out of my
comfort zone.” She wanted to take the words back. They’d sounded
clever in her head, but she felt vulnerable now that she’d said
them.

He looked down at her with warmth in
his eyes. “We’ve been having sex now for a few weeks, and it’s been
amazing, but this is what I’m really looking forward
to.”

“
What?”

He kissed both her hands. “You opening
up to me in every other way.”

She took a deep breath. “Not promising
anything though.”

“
Yes you are.”

She looked up at him, puzzled. “What
do you mean?”

“
The fact that I’m getting
a chance is a promise, wouldn’t you say?”

She rolled her eyes, but she had to
laugh. “I see it’s going to be hard work keeping up with
you.”

He shook his head. “I’m the one who’s
going to have a hard time doing that. A woman as complex as you is
hard enough to keep up with. It’s even harder when you’re not sure
if she wants you to.”

She leaned closer and kissed him
softly on the lips. “I’m still thinking about it.”

He stroked her cheek. “That’s all I
ask.”

She let him pull her close, wondering
when she’d finally understand what she was feeling enough to answer
every question he had.

* * * *

“
It’s beautiful here,”
Eris said.

Hermes smiled, glad he’d brought her
back to Arcadia. They sat on the grass not far from the mountain
where he had been born. Eris leaned back against his chest,
admiring the stars above them. He had taken her hand a few moments
earlier, and instead of pulling away she had entwined her fingers
with his. He didn’t want to hope that anything Hera had said or
anything he had done in the past two hours had made a big change in
her attitude, but he couldn’t help feeling exhilarated. Before
tonight, she had always shunned such sweet gestures of affection,
but now she was rubbing his thumb with hers as if she enjoyed the
innocent contact.

“
I’m glad you think so. I
love it here. I may come back here to live some day.”

“
It’s very peaceful here.
That sounds nice.”

He thought for a moment, almost
deciding to ask her what she would think of living in Arcadia. He
wasn’t sure she’d still think of the scene as peaceful. Instead, he
looked up at the stars. “Yes, it’s wonderful at night. Something
about this place is very mystical, so most mortals leave when the
sun sets. Some stay, feeling its power, searching for
something.”

“
For what, I wonder? Do
you think they ever find it?”

He kissed her temple. “Maybe they do.
You never know what the Fates may be planning.”

She pulled her hand away and folded
her arms over her chest, though she did snuggle closer to him.
“Yes, you never do.”

He ran his hands along her upper arms.
“Isn’t that good though?”

“
Who wants to be set on a
path though, with no choice?”

“
We always have choice. We
don’t spend our whole lives blaming the Fates for our hair color or
height. Why for other things?”

She shrugged. “I’m not blaming
anyone.”

“
Then what’s wrong?
Something’s bothering you.”

“
You’re asking for it if I
tell you.”

“
Go ahead.”

She turned to look at him. “I’ve
wanted you for a long time. That was my decision, my
choice.”

“
Okay. I’m with you so
far.”

“
But do I really like
you?”

“
That’s something only you
can tell me.”

She shook her head. “But you’re being
forced on me.”

“
No, I’m not. If you tell
me to go away, I will.”

“
Lachesis planned
this.”

“
Planned it or foresaw
it?”

Eris stared at him, her brows turned
down. She seemed genuinely confused. “What? The Fates determine
destiny, and she came to me and told me to let myself love
you.”

“
Because you didn’t love
me or because you were fighting that love?”

She turned red. “She got to you too, I
see.”

He shook his head slowly. “No one has
said anything to me.”

“
Then why do you want
me?”

He couldn’t believe what he was
hearing. Did she really believe all the things he’d been saying to
her for weeks weren’t true? “Because I’ve come to care for you.
Eris, I’m in love with you.”

She looked down. “I’m good in bed and
the exact opposite of Aphrodite. What’s not to like?”

“
I didn’t say ‘like’. I
said ‘love’.”

“
And how are you so
sure?”

“
I’ve never felt this way
before. And I want to get back to my questions.”

Eris stared up at the mountain. “Okay.
Go ahead.”

“
Did the Fates plan this
or foresee it? They never told you to put that spell on me. They
could have foreseen the result, but they couldn’t make me react a
certain way. It was your magic, not theirs. You thought I would
hate you. You expected that, but you got a surprise instead of a
quickie.”

Eris laughed. “Nice way of putting
it.”

“
And what do you
think?”

“
I don’t know. That’s a
very different way of thinking about it.”

“
Why would you fight the
Fates anyway?”

“
I want to be in
control.”

“
You can be. I’m the
helpless one.” He stroked her cheek until she looked at him.
“Sitting here, asking you to love me.”

“
You could never be
helpless. You’re the strongest god.”

“
No, I’m not.”

“
Maybe not the most
powerful or foul-tempered, but those aren’t the same as
strength.”

Hermes wasn’t sure he understood what
she meant. She was giving him a compliment, but the implications
weren’t all that clear to him. “I don’t see what you
mean.”

“
You never
yield.”

He pulled her close. “I would yield to
you.”

“
I’m not talking about
sex.”

“
Neither am I. I am
helpless until the day you admit that my actions and my love have
made you care for me.”

“
And what if I never
know?”

He kissed her cheek. “You’re very
strong yourself. I think I already have my answer though.” As she
looked into his eyes, he thought he saw that hint of vulnerability
again. “If I’m so strong and never yield, how could anyone force me
to love you this deeply? Can’t you trust this?”

“
What if I never say the
words? What if I can’t?”

“
You can do anything. I
know that. You made me fall in love.” He kissed her softly. “Eris,
I want to make love to you. I don’t want to fuck. I want to make
love.”

She smiled. “Is this how you’ll
convince me and win me over?” Her words seemed confident, but her
voice was soft and a bit shaky.

“
It’s one of my plans.” He
stood and then lifted her into his arms, carrying her to a pavilion
that appeared as he walked toward it. As he carried her between the
white pillars, vines grew up and surrounded them, blocking every
entrance.

She laughed as he set her down on a
pile of cushions. “How very mythological.”

He smiled. “I love it when you laugh.
That’s why I did it. You seem so much more at ease.”

She sobered and took his hands. “I
planned this, yet I didn’t.”

“
What do you mean?” He
knelt beside her and pulled her close.

“
I wanted to have you, if
only for one night. And I wanted you to like me. I wanted others to
accept me because you liked me.”

“
So you wanted us to be
friends?” He hoped she wasn’t backpedaling emotionally. They’d
seemed so close.

“
It’s hard to say now. I
didn’t plan for us to be together for more than a short
time.”

“
And isn’t this
better?”

“
I suppose.”

“
Your brother says you
love me.”