Page 11 of A Veil of Gods and Kings

I ran my fingers through my hair. “Here I am.”

He nodded, his jaw shifting like he might say more, but then he released another breath. “Here you are. Come on.”

I joined him, ambling through alabaster hallways. We slipped past a storeroom bursting with foods, so much covering every surface that they tumbled into the floor. “Look at the waste,” I hissed, gesturing towards the doorway. “These offerings are not needed here, and the mortals who provide them starve.”

Ares kept his gaze trained ahead of him. “You are a few steps away from our father smiting you, and yet you continue to worry about mortals.”

“Surely you understand, Ares. You’ve loved a mortal yourself before.”

He stopped walking, his features tightening. “Don’t bring her up again.”

I drew a breath. “I’m sorry.”

His lips pinched, but he nodded and continued forward. “I’ll assume you’ve had the sense knocked out of you. But mind yourself.”

We reached an archway, an herbal smell trailing around as we stepped inside the space. Large windows allowed sunlight to pour in, the room dipping between shadows and highlights. A woman sat at a table, her brown curls piled on top of her head, a few loose strands twining around the tan of her skin, the silvery light shimmering just over the surface of it. She lifted her face, her eyes twinkling. “Ares. I didn’t know you’d returned.”

His features softened. “That’s because you stay out of the gossip.”

“Nothing good comes of it.” She shifted towards me and winced. “Who is this?”

“Epione, meet Apollo.”

She gasped and leaned back. “Ares, I can’t heal him. You don’t appreciate what you’re asking me.”

“I wouldn’t ask, E, if it wasn’t important to me.”

She drew in a breath that raised her shoulders and then stood, walking over. “Come here.” She gestured for me to sit on the edge of the table, and I dropped onto it. She slipped her fingers against my injured cheek, her touch as smooth as clover, a woody, lavender scent trailing off of her.

The glow around her hands grew, and the throbbing ache that had taken over my face receded. She lowered her hand, and I stretched my mouth open, rotating my jaw. “Wow. Thank you.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome. I’ve removed the pain, but the bruise, I fear, will remain.” A puff of a breath left her lips, and she pressed her hands together. “Poor lamb. He didn’t hold back, did he?”

“E,” Ares whispered, “be mindful of what you say within the palace.”

She turned towards him. “You pulled me into this.”

“True,” he said, frowning.

She laughed. “It’ll be fine. How long will you be gone again?”

“Not more than a few days.”

“Then I shall see you then.”

Ares kept his gaze on her for several heartbeats, and then he inclined his head and pushed us out of the room. “Are you planning to stay the night?”

I ran my hand over my jaw. “Has Father requested for me to?”

“No.”

“Then definitely not.”

Ares nodded. “Good. Let’s not waste time then.”

We didn’t speak again until we returned to earth, the sun sinking behind hills, the grass cast into plumy shadows. I readjusted my knapsack. “I’m glad you’ve found someone.”

Ares narrowed his eyes. “Don’t, Apollo.”