My mouth drops open. “But that’s not—”

“It is,” he says quietly. “I know how you feel for him. Ares is a brute at times, but you still love him, and I respect that. I won’t make things worse for both of you by marrying you just to make him angry.”

I brush my fingers through Eros’s curls. “I just— I want someone to love me. Not as a trophy, but as myself.”

“Someone does,” he says, and silence lingers between us. “One day, once you’ve had time to sort out your feelings, I will ask you. But in the meantime, I don’t need that commitment in order to love you, and I don’t think you need it to love me, either.”

My chin trembles, and he brushes his fingers against my cheek. He’s returned to his immortal form now, twisted legs and all, but I don’t see those anymore. Well, I do, but not as much as before. I see him now, the way he sees me. I see what’s underneath his ugliness, just as he sees what’s underneath my beauty.

“I choose you,” I whisper, wiping my eyes. “Not because I’m fighting with Ares, not because he left or—or any of that. I choose you because of the way you look at me. The way you touch me, the way you talk to me, the way you respect me and see me. I love how you are with Eros. I love that you care about him even though he isn’t yours. I love that you say no when anyone else would say yes, just because you know that somewhere down the line, I might get hurt.”

“That’s all I care about,” he says. “Your happiness. Your freedom. No matter how you feel for me or my brother.”

“I’ll always love Ares. I’ll always have something with him—”

“I know,” he says, and he lowers his eyes. “I’ll never begrudge you that. I’ve seen what jealousy does to love, and I will never hurt you that way. It’s part of who you are, and I love every piece of you. Even the part that loves my brother. And if you decide you want to go back to him, then as long as you’re happy, I’ll accept it.”

I have to blink rapidly to keep myself from crying. “Let me finish,” I say, touching his cheek. “I’ll always love Ares, but his love is the kind of love that consumes. I may not know everything about you yet, but I do know the way you love, and that’s the most important part. We’ll have eternity to learn the rest.”

He sets his hand over mine. “And how do I love?”

I hesitate. “Your love—it’s the kind of love that feeds and grows, the kind that’s steady no matter what. It’s warm, it’s inviting, it’s accepting, and that’s the love I want. That’s the love I need.”

He smiles faintly, tracing the edge of my jaw. “And you will have it as long as you wish. It will always be there for you, just like I’ll always be there, as well. When I ask you—and I will ask you—I want you to be sure. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.”

I shake my head. “I am sure.”

“Then show me,” he murmurs. His face is only inches from mine now. “Show yourself.”

I close the distance between us. Just as it was back in the grotto, kissing him is easy, simple, as natural as existing. But I’m more aware of this moment than I’ve been of anything in my life. The way his lips feel against mine, his taste, his smell—all of it. Most of all, I’m aware of the warmth that wraps around us, binding the three of us together. Eros is my sun, Ares is my fire, but Hephaestus is my rock, my foundation, and no matter where I go or what I do, I will always come back to him. I know that now.

I may spend eternity torn between two brothers, but that isn’t such a bad fate, really. One day Ares will get over himself, and he’ll come crawling back to me. When that day comes, I’ll forgive him, and we’ll be as passionate about each other as we’ve always been. But I won’t give up this love for anything, and until Ares accepts that, he’ll be the one missing out. Not me.

“There,” I whisper as I break the kiss. “You’ll have that as long as you want it, as well. I may love others, but if you let me, you will always be my home.”

He smiles and kisses me again. “I’d like nothing more.”

I try to move closer, as close to him as possible, but I accidentally knock down the block tower Eros has created instead. “Mama!” he cries, indignant, and I laugh.

“I’m sorry,” I say, settling back down and pulling him into my lap. “Let’s build another one together, okay?”

He huffs, but as Hephaestus begins to form the foundation, Eros’s anger is forgotten, and he gleefully reaches out to help. Together the three of us start to build, and as I watch Hephaestus’s steady hands set each block into place, I know I’ve made the right choice.

* * * * *

Goddess of the Underworld

Part One

For the first sixteen years of my life, Mother told me my wedding day would be one of the happiest in my eternal existence. That the birds would sing, the air would smell like flowers and the sun would shine. Every last detail would be perfect.

Like an idiot, I’d believed her.

The sun didn’t shine in hell, and unless bats counted, there weren’t any birds in the endless Underworld palace, either. To make things worse, the infinite rock surrounding the cavern weighed down on me, growing heavier with every passing second. I was trapped, literally and figuratively. And I had no idea how to dig myself out of this one.