The Wine's Divine | Complete

XIII

"Where are you?!" Ember had called Bel four times before she finally answered.

"Em! I'm so sorry, I can't talk tonight. I'm out with Eric, I'll call you when I get home, or tomorrow morning whichever happens first. Love you, byyeee!"

Ember tossed her phone on the bed in a huff. Far be it from her to stop Bel from having a good time with Eric who seemed like a sweet enough guy, but none of that helped her with Jude's letter!

She unfolded the note for what must have been the fiftieth time in the last hour and reread its contents in its entirety.

Ember -

I hope you don't find this terribly old-fashioned, but I did pick these myself. I wanted to express the magnitude of wonder I find in you. Some would argue that the most beautiful flowers cannot be grown, only discovered and I spare flattery in stating that I find myself enchanted by you. Thank you again for a memorable evening.

x Jude

Ember flopped onto her bed, holding the note above her head and sighing. She was beginning to wonder if Jude was a figment of her imagination.

Her whole life, she'd fantasized about who she would fall in love with, what he would look like, and how he would treat her. Tyler had fit some of her criteria, handsome, affectionate, and funny in his own way. It was hard feeling like you could get everything you wanted in a guy when the ones that seemed to come looking were always lacking even in the qualities that worked in their favor. A total package wasn't easy to imagine in a reality where you didn't have a comparable model to base it on, right? Wrong. Because here he was, Jude, everything Ember had ever wanted. But, she didn't know if what she was feeling was pure happiness or the creeping fear that it was all too good to be true, was she missing something glaringly obvious about Mister Perfect?

Even though she had intentionally asked for the darkest table in the back, Aphrodite still found herself annoyed with having to try and get her waiter's attention as he hopelessly flirted with the bartender.

"Sorry 'bout that." The waiter said, refilling her glass and placing a fresh bottle on ice, "had to wait for Megan to grab a new bottle from the back."

"Is Megan the leggy brunette behind the bar?"

"Yeah," he said with an appreciative glance in the girl's direction.

"She's been bouncing the Bouncer for the last month, don't waste your time or self-respect on her. Aim for someone who might actually be interested." She gestured to the other end of the club at a smaller girl with raven-colored frizzy hair.

"Jenny?"

"That's the one, she thinks you're hotter than Captain America, I've seen better asses myself, but those are her words, not mine."

"She told you that?" The waiter snorted, "she's kinda goofy."

"And what pre-tell do you think you are? Some sort of Adonis?"

"Be nice, A." Apollo stepped around the waiter and took a seat across from Aphrodite offering the boy a small apology and ordering a gin and tonic.

"I meant what I said." Aphrodite glared.

"Yes, but you didn't have to squash his confidence."

"Didn't I? Men always think they can have something just because they like it, he needed a reality check."

True as it was, her words stank of irony, given their current endeavor. Apollo let out an exasperated breath. "So, what's up? Why are we meeting here?"

"I want updates on our little redhead."

"Yes, but why this place?"

"I had business."

Apollo eyed her skeptically. "At a college dive? Is this neighborhood up and coming, should I invest? What's the turnaround look like, two to five years?" His tone wasn't the kind of sarcasm Aphrodite would have chosen herself, but it also wasn't lost on her.

"Any one of these toddlers would be willing to sacrifice their most prized possessions for a chance encounter with me, but we aren't giving out blessings today. Miranda Milton didn't know she was incurring the wrath of a Goddess determined, but like many, ignorance is no excuse." Her glass squeaked under her tightening grip and an insidious grin spread across her face.

"What did you do?"

Aphrodite flicked her head in the direction of the dancefloor and Apollo turned to find Miranda dancing in the center of three college-age patrons who weren't terrible dancers, but were less than pleasant to look at.

"Miss Milton will from now on only see others based on their inner beauty, instead of the vapid reasons she's told herself were important. Only until she learns to heal her own ugly soul, of course."

Apollo let out a stunned laugh, "That's a touch wicked."

"On the contrary," She argued, "even the most hideous creature deserves love, if King Minos would have loved his son despite his form it may have saved a lot of lives. Don't you think?"

"Sure," Apollo grumbled, knocking back his drink.

"So tell me, how close is my Ember to falling in love?"

Apollo stroked his chin, his eyes lost in thought. "Have you considered what happens if the girl does fall for me?"

"Of course, her appetite for love is restored and she lives happily ever after."

"Until she realizes that she can't keep me," Apollo whispered.

Aphrodite shifted, crossing her legs and folding her hands on the table. "What happens to Ember after is of little consequence to us, we are gods, she is human, who cares?"

"You seem to care enough to orchestrate our meeting," He turned his head back to the dancefloor, "and enough to curse her enemies."

"I'm having fun!" Aphrodite shouted, "For the love of Olympus, what is it with you and Dionysus, haven't you heard of fun before?"

"There's a reason we all stay out of human affairs, A, too many to name, and I don't think I like lying to Ember."

A viperous glare shot across Aphrodite's face and her jaw clenched. "You don't think you like lying to a human? How odd that you've suddenly developed a conscience after a millennium of toying with any female who looked in your direction."

"You act as if we didn't keep living our lives after ancient Greece, Aphrodite! Sure I'm still the god I've always been, but it's been two thousand years, I've grown up a little. Maybe it's time you did too."

"Spare me of whatever ludicrous excuses you've crafted. You made a deal with me and I don't have to tell you what happens to those who double-cross me."

Aphrodite could see the muscles tense in Apollo's neck and she placated his anger with a smile. "Look, whatever you decide to do with Ember afterward is your choice, I don't care, just make her fall in love with you and deliver me my win."

"I have no intention of breaking the agreement."

"Yes, of course not, self-preservation has always been one of your strong suits. By the way," Aphrodite rose from her seat, "nice touch with the gladiolus, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were falling for the girl. But I think we both know better, don't we?"