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Prologue
Night fell across Olympus. As Nyx drew her inky cloak across the sky, and fabled heroes stumbled home after one too many glasses of Dionysus’ wine, all grew quiet in the home of the Gods. But despite the serenity of the landscape, one figure tossed and turned in his bed of clouds. And he didn’t need to call on the Fates to know that a peaceful night’s sleep wouldn’t be in his future any time soon.
Zephyr groaned as he managed to find every lump and bump in his cloud pillow, and stared blankly at the constellations above. Where once his mind had been filled with nothing more than an airy breeze, now it grew as restless as a storm at sea. But what troubled him the most wasn’t thoughts of his heroic adventures, nor was it the tantalizing taste of those delicious mortal meat buns. No, it was something, or someone, altogether different…
There’s no use fighting your true feelings for Iris. Because there’s no greater magic in the world than love…
Zephyr groaned as his Queen’s warning echoed in his mind. This was nothing more than a result of her meddling. If she hadn’t forced him to work with the mischief-making Goddess of Rainbows, none of this would have ever happened. He, of all people, knew that no good came from the Olympians and their love lives. No, he had to put his feelings for Iris to one side, before they ended in disaster.
He snuck down to the kitchens, hoping that a slice of leftover Hercu-Lime Pie would help ease his worrisome mind. To his surprise, he found a lone figure waiting for him, with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa laid out in readiness.
“Hera? What in Zeus’ name are you doing in the kitchens?“ Zephyr rubbed his weary eyes, and glanced in bewilderment at the curlers in the Queen’s hair, to the fluffy slippers on her feet. But as a calculated gleam sparkled in her eyes, he gulped warily. “And why do I get the feeling I’m walking into a trap?”
“Oh, Zephyr, must you really think so poorly of me? Can’t the Queen of Olympus share a late-night cup of cocoa with her favorite subject?” Hera smiled sweetly, looking every bit the wolf in grandmother’s clothing. But as Zephyr raised an eyebrow in disbelief, she sighed in defeat. “Okay, fine. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And it was either this, or asking Medusa to turn you to stone to stop you from slipping away. I trust there’s been a reason you’ve been avoiding Iris recently?”
“My Queen, I haven’t been avoiding her…”
“Then why is it I hear you’ve barely made any progress on your mission? Rather than find our final Son of Olympus, you’ve been moping around on those clouds of yours, all day and night!”
“I haven’t been moping. I’ve been… pining.“ Zephyr sighed, and took a seat opposite Hera. He took a sip of the velvety cocoa, before he gazed at the night sky in the distance. “Ever since you opened my eyes to how I feel about Iris, I can’t seem to get her out of my head. Day and night, all I can think about is the way her eyes sparkle with every color of the rainbow. The way her hair smells like sunshine and rain. The melody of her laughter as she delights in torturing me…”
Hera smiled knowingly. “The course of true love never did run smooth.”
“True love?“ Zephyr spluttered on his cocoa. “This is nothing more than a passing fancy. A result of your incessant meddling. And since you got me into this mess, surely there’s something you can do to get me out of it. Can’t you just… wipe my memory, or something?”
“Now, now, Zephyr. I could never bring myself to meddle in affairs of the heart.” Hera’s lips curled into a smile that suggested quite the opposite. “Have you tried telling Iris how you feel?”
“How could I? Besides, what if she doesn’t feel the same way? She’s the Goddess of Rainbows, and I’m just…” Zephyr gestured to his wind-swept hair and his ill-fitting robes, until he sighed like a deflated balloon. “Me.”
“Zephyr…” Hera squeezed his hand, and smiled reassuringly. “You’re a hero, remember?”
“I’m no hero yet. Not until I have my hero’s license.” Zephyr shook his head, and drained the dregs of his cocoa. “No, the best thing I can do is to focus on the mission and put this all behind me. Perhaps then I’ll finally be free of this ridiculous crush.”
“For a God of gusts and breezes, you sure can’t see which way the winds are blowing sometimes.” Hera sighed, and shook her head in despair. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other, more important, matters to attend to.”
Zephyr raised an eyebrow as the Queen marched to the kitchen doors. “Is there trouble with the Titans again?”
“It’s far worse.” Hera’s eyebrows furrowed, until she flung open the doors to the courtyard. “We’re throwing a party.”
Zephyr balked in surprise at the sight before him. Golden fairy lights were elegantly draped across the courtyard, each infused with the light of the heavens themselves, while giant tables sagged under the weight of elaborate platters of food. He glanced in bewilderment at the entertainments, as a group of sirens launched into a merry medley of melodies, a Gorgon practiced her snake-charming, and a Minotaur roared in fury as he became increasingly tangled in a pile of bunting.
“Why, in Olympus’ name, would you plan a ball now?” Zephyr watched in surprise as Boreas, the God of Winter, carved an elaborate ice sculpture in the perfect likeness of the Queen. “We still have another Son of Olympus to find. And if we don’t fill his heart with love…”
“Olympus will fall to the darkness. I’m well aware of that, Zephyr.” Hera rolled her eyes as she untangled the Minotaur from the bunting. “But what better way to announce your triumphant return than with a ball fit for a hero? Think about it. You’ll be greeted by the rich and famous. You’ll dance the night away with the Muses. You’ll dine to your heart’s content. I’ll even get some of those meat buns you’re so fond of.”
With a smile, Hera conjured a silver cloche, where a lone hot dog lay in wait beneath.
“Well, when you put it like that…” Zephyr salivated as he greedily reached towards the snack. “Perhaps some brain food will be the ticket to clearing my mind, and focusing on the mission at hand.”
He inhaled the rich aroma of fried onion and meat, allowing it to empty his mind of all thoughts of Iris and this ridiculous crush. With a grin, he went to take a bite of the snack, only to curse as his mouth met empty air.
“What the…”
“Hiya, wind man!”
Zephyr yelped in surprise as Iris appeared before him in a burst of dazzling light. He groaned in protest as she plucked the hot dog from his hands, and swallowed it in one bite.
“Iris, we’ve been over this! Must you always appear from nowhere?”
