Page 101 of A Crown of Hopes and Sorrows

Her eyes glistened. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You avoiding me”—I swallowed—“is hurting me. And I’ve focused too much on stressing over what might take place. But, gods, Epiphany. A goddess stole you and locked you in the entrance of Tartarus, and we both nearly died. And maybe I’m realizing that worrying didn’t prevent any of that. I’ve been pushing away both of us enjoying what we have today out of fear of what could happen, and I’m done with that now…” I chuckled breathily, and it puffed out as a cloud in the air. “You asked me to face the future with you, and I’m willing to do that.”

She didn’t speak for a moment, the warmth between us hovering like a pocket tucked against the wind. “You want to be with me?”

“In whatever manner I’m able to, yes.”

She shivered and dropped against my shoulder, and I looped my arms around her, pulling her in as if I could shelter her there. “Okay,” she whispered.

I was terrified.

Of risking everything, of what the king may think, of what my friends—high lords and palace attendants alike—would say. But I’d risk anything for her, and the weight of her body, warm and trusting against my chest, smothered any lingering doubts.

I kissed the top of her curls and tucked my chin on her shoulder.

“We’ll face it together, then,” she whispered.

“I mean, we’ve already dealt with vindictive gods, bodily injury, and near death. What’s the worst that can happen, right?”

She chuckled and leaned back, grazing her fingers through my hair. “Right,” she said and then kissed me, the lushness of her lips parting against mine.

And, at that moment, I believed it.

Maybe we’d find a way.

42

Artemis

My feet pattered across the tiled-floors of the palace of Niria. It was a relief to be back, to have taken a luxuriously hot bath and slept well for the first time in months. Epiphany remained asleep, but the sun peeked over the mountains outside the windows, throwing a hazy peach over the world, and I had received news. So, I strode through the hallways, away from Epiphany’s room, where I had spent the night.

Guards in their navy uniforms lifted their faces as I passed, their eyes widening, the occasional one gripping his fingers tighter around his weapon. Damn the marks of a high deity. My whole life I’d slipped past people’s notice, whispered through the woods, tucked behind marketplaces.

I’d have to get Apollo to teach me how to veil as soon as possible.

I reached the door to mine and Apollo’s suite and opened it. Sunlight flooded into the space, and I blinked away from the brightness. Apollo stood by an open window, his tunic still holding the dust of travels, the silver glowing fully unleashed and sparkling alongside the morning light.

My heart jumped. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him unveiled without purpose.

“Apollo.”

He turned, and the look in his eyes gutted me.

His face transformed as he took me in, the markings of a high-god coursing over me.

I didn’t realize until that moment that I cared deeply what he thought about it. And if he saw my divinity as something disgusting, it might break me.

I hadn’t had time to process it for myself yet.

And I suddenly felt like a child, looking up to her older brother, longing for his approval.

“Temi,” he whispered. I swallowed, and it didn’t shift the knot in my throat at all. Apollo walked over towards me and pulled his arms around me tight. “It’s so good to see you.”

I melted into his grip, and all the tangled up, anxious feelings within me left with a sigh. “I’ve missed you, too.”

We remained standing like that, a cool breeze sweeping in from the window Apollo had kept ajar, mauve clouds lazily swimming across a brightening sky. When Apollo pulled back, he grasped my hand and drew me over to a settee where we both sat. “Tell me everything.”

So, I did. He stayed quiet until I told him about Hera and our mother. Then he hissed, his expression tightening. At the end of the story, Apollo dropped against his knees, a muscle in his jaw jumping. “Poseidon, that bastard. Fuck all the gods. I think you may be the only good one. If the other deities want to come for us, let them try.” He smiled at me. “My odds are on you, Temi.”