In an attempt to protect her heart, newly single, Ember has sworn off love. Intrigued, the goddess Aphrodite decides to change the girl's mind. But when Ember's stubborn nature proves difficult, Aphrodite's intentions turn dark.
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Ember Mich...
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"Zeus called you a drama queen," Dionysus mumbled through a mouthful of falafel.
Aphrodite grimaced, idly stabbing at her own plate, with no real interest. What was a falafel anyway? They didn't serve it in ancient Greece. How could this place call itself a Greek restaurant? Where was the fish, the freshly baked bread? Hades, she'd even settle for a bowl of olives over whatever this fried brown ball was.
"Are you sure he was talking about me and not you?" She pushed her plate away and reached for the bottle of wine at the center of the table, it was the third one the waiter had uncorked and placed between the pair. Concern in his eyes as he watched Dionysus grab the bottle and take a drink. No glass and no dignity.
"Me?" He asked, perplexed, "I've been called a lot of things, but a drama queen is not one of them." He giggled and took another swig, the red wine dribbling down the sides of his mouth. "Anyway, I'm not the one that has started serving up demigods to a human girl as if she had anything to offer them."
"Oh, it's just for fun, and most of them owe me favors." Aphrodite shrugged the remark off.
"Maybe it's fun to you, but I heard Apollo might actually have a crush, can you believe that?"
Aphrodite's eyes went wide and she leaned forward, "Who told you that?"
"May have been Artemis, may have been Sciron." He snorted.
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. Those were two vastly different demigods, Artemis was a brat and Sciron was a liar, so either way whatever news they brought to the drunk Dionysus' ears probably held little weight. "Oh please, next you'll tell me that you've never kissed a woman."
Dionysus nearly spit his wine across the table but managed to swallow it down before erupting into laughter. "I see your point," he cackled, "But forget all that! Tell me, when will you admit defeat and come home? You know how boring it is without your parties."
"The cheap wine must have gotten to your head, you know I won't settle for a loss."
When Ember walked into the shop at 10:30 Aphrodite couldn't help but notice the smile on her face. How extraordinary that Himeros had been right, she made a mental note not to remind him that it was his idea to contact Apollo.
"Happy today are we?" Aphrodite asked from behind the counter where she'd been doodling silver hearts on a blood-red sheet of paper.
"It's a beautiful day." Ember smiled, pulling her apron over her head. "Any customers yet?"
"None of any consequence," Aphrodite smirked. "What did you think of my colleague? He's good at what he does isn't he?" Oh, yes he was. Apollo was a sight to behold with almost as much confidence as she had, and he'd been smart about it too, he hadn't even hit on Ember, well played indeed.
"I couldn't really say, we didn't get to talk much. He does seem rather impressive though. Professionally, of course! And strong to lift those casks you purchased so easily," Ember beamed, and Aphrodite did not miss the fact that her cheeks turned crimson.
