Page 3
The Inflexible narrowed her eyes at Hera’s hand.
“A soul for him hurting, for his heart breaking.” Hera looked up from the parchment.
The Fate nodded.
“The fine print is not for decoration.” The Inflexible tsked.
“Not in this handwriting.” Hera joked.
The sisters cackled at her words.
“You have no way out of this bargain, Your Majesty.”
“I’m not seeking one.”
“There is still the matter of your heart.”
Hera shrugged at Alloter’s statement. What were they asking of her? Her heart would not save her. It had become a barren wasteland since… Since long before Helios illuminated the skies for the first time.
“You want my heart as well as my soul? You can have it.” Hera laughed. “I’ve wasted it for all of time. It’s empty and useless. Take both. I have no use for either.”
The Fates blinked at her, their sightless eyes filled with the weight of their judgment. The youngest opened her mouth, and Hera expected her to correct something, to add a clause, perhaps, but the Inflexible clapped her hands, and her sisters fell silent. Whatever they wanted to add remained unsaid and the new clause was enshrined into parchment, her heart being added to the soul she had already bargained for.
And so Hera felt the weight of the judgment and the secrets settle heavily over her, even as a cut opened on her palm and a drop of her blood landed on the parchment.
She blinked, and the old house, the stoop, the scroll, the three ancient Fates were all gone, and she was standing in front of the bar, her bears racking the pool balls inside. She sighed, her shoulders moving rustily, as if she had forgotten how to relax them.
Unclenching her jaw proved to be just as unfamiliar an exercise. The Inflexible’s last words sounded like a warning in her mind.
“You have no way out of this.”
She didn’t mean to ignore it. But what good did it serve her now with her palm still smarted from the cut? She shook her head slowly as she walked into the bar and towards the woman sitting there, regal and poised. There was nothing left to do but follow through with the bargain.
No, Hera did not ignore the Fates’ warning. She strolled towards the Cupid who would put her plan into motion. And she would fulfill her role, as they all did, mortals and immortals alike.
2
WHERE AN IMPRECISE ORDER IS ISSUED (SHE’S AN EMPRESS AND SHE’S TIRED, GIVE HER A BREAK…)
Hera sipped a vodka neat and waited. Her interlocutor was silent. Calm eyes watched her with disbelief.
“You want me to match Zeus.”
Hera nodded.
“You want me to match Zeus with someone.”
Hera rolled her eyes as if the statement was downright obtuse. But she nodded again despite the Cupid not phrasing it as a question. At the far end of the bar, a group of tall, muscly men moved uneasily around a pool table. Her bears were clearly nervous. Well, they’d have to overcome their anxiety.
“Why?”
Sabine Goddard took a careful look at the still full tumbler in front of her, but reconsidered and did not touch it. Hera couldn’t fault her fastidiousness.The glassware could use more polish around here. As could the floors. Still, the privacy was unmatched. And there was something Hera found charming about the ambiance. If dirt, running commentary, and bear choir songs could be called that.
She considered her answer. Considered, in fact, not answering at all. But this was the Queen of the Perfect Match, and Hera admitted that some people did deserve at least partial answers.
“Because I need you to. And because I want the match to fail.”
Sabine blinked, clearly taken aback. Then she grimaced.
