was innocent. Maybe his thoughts hadn’t been chaste or one hundred percent loyal, but he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. “We’re having dinner, and that is all. You remember one of my other powers? I can’t lie. Some wouldn’t consider it a power, but I do. It’s the perfect defense. I think Harmonia is pretty and smart and very interesting. She’s also very sexy, but we haven’t done anything. She’s told me she’s attracted to me, but I haven’t made a move on her. She came here on her own to try to help me take my mind off things.”
“Have you kissed?” Daphne asked.
He knew this would shatter everything. “Yes.”
“When?”
“The night you came here, after the spell had been broken.”
“Before or after?”
“Before.”
Daphne laughed. “You have not changed.”
“Wait, please!” Harmonia said. “I kissed him. I came on to him. It’s not his fault.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t fuck you.”
“We’ve done almost nothing but talk about you.”
“Between kisses and glasses of wine?”
Apollo held up his hands to silence both women. “Daphne, do you love Hypnos?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then go to him and tell him. This is pointless. I still want you, but I can’t honestly say I love you. The one thing I know is I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I’m sorry for how many times and ways I’ve fucked up your life. The best thing is for you to go.”
For the first time, Daphne truly looked angry. She turned back to Harmonia. “He kissed me too that night. Begged me to kiss him just once. It left quite an impression on him. Maybe you should play a little harder to get. He only wants what he can’t have.” She pushed past him and slammed the door behind her.
Apollo looked down at the floor. He didn’t feel sad. He felt as if he’d been shot with the same arrow that had made Daphne despise him. Maybe he had inadvertently ruined her life, but hadn’t she done the same to him? Hadn’t she refused to have the spell lifted even after Zeus himself had explained to her the hate she felt wasn’t real? Hadn’t she in essence cursed him to love her and only her all those centuries? No wonder every woman in his life had been nothing but a warm, beautiful body.
His vision clouded as he began punching the door in fury, over and over again. He only stopped when Harmonia used a spell to push him to the floor. Then the pain hit. He’d punched through the glass window. His hand and arm were bleeding.
As she pulled the glass out and dabbed at the wounds with a napkin, he noticed she was crying. How could she feel sorry for him after that display? Was she afraid? Had seeing him upset hurt her so much?
“There’s a towel over there,” he said quietly, trying to push all his rage down.
She grabbed the dishtowel off the counter and pressed it to the wound. “I’m sorry. What do you need?”
“In the living room there are colored bottles on one side of the wall behind the bar. Grab the red one on the bottom shelf.”
She did so quickly. As she came back he saw his blood had dripped onto her dress. He took the bottle and drank a little bit. After a moment, he looked at his wounds. The bleeding had almost stopped. “Sorry about your dress.”
“It’s just a dress. It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I was here. If I’d had my guard up, I would have felt Daphne approaching. I let myself relax too much.” She wiped away the tears that had run down her face.
“That’s not your fault. I’m sorry I lost my temper. Her answer would have been the same no matter what. Your presence did nothing but make her answer come out cruelly.” He looked up into her eyes. “It dawned on me that she was as much to blame as I was. She refused to have the spell lifted. Zeus and Aphrodite made so many pleas, but she said no. Being stuck with that spell ruined my life too, but I had no choice. I had no chance to drink from the Lethe, or fall in love with someone else.”
“That
“Have you kissed?” Daphne asked.
He knew this would shatter everything. “Yes.”
“When?”
“The night you came here, after the spell had been broken.”
“Before or after?”
“Before.”
Daphne laughed. “You have not changed.”
“Wait, please!” Harmonia said. “I kissed him. I came on to him. It’s not his fault.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t fuck you.”
“We’ve done almost nothing but talk about you.”
“Between kisses and glasses of wine?”
Apollo held up his hands to silence both women. “Daphne, do you love Hypnos?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then go to him and tell him. This is pointless. I still want you, but I can’t honestly say I love you. The one thing I know is I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I’m sorry for how many times and ways I’ve fucked up your life. The best thing is for you to go.”
For the first time, Daphne truly looked angry. She turned back to Harmonia. “He kissed me too that night. Begged me to kiss him just once. It left quite an impression on him. Maybe you should play a little harder to get. He only wants what he can’t have.” She pushed past him and slammed the door behind her.
Apollo looked down at the floor. He didn’t feel sad. He felt as if he’d been shot with the same arrow that had made Daphne despise him. Maybe he had inadvertently ruined her life, but hadn’t she done the same to him? Hadn’t she refused to have the spell lifted even after Zeus himself had explained to her the hate she felt wasn’t real? Hadn’t she in essence cursed him to love her and only her all those centuries? No wonder every woman in his life had been nothing but a warm, beautiful body.
His vision clouded as he began punching the door in fury, over and over again. He only stopped when Harmonia used a spell to push him to the floor. Then the pain hit. He’d punched through the glass window. His hand and arm were bleeding.
As she pulled the glass out and dabbed at the wounds with a napkin, he noticed she was crying. How could she feel sorry for him after that display? Was she afraid? Had seeing him upset hurt her so much?
“There’s a towel over there,” he said quietly, trying to push all his rage down.
She grabbed the dishtowel off the counter and pressed it to the wound. “I’m sorry. What do you need?”
“In the living room there are colored bottles on one side of the wall behind the bar. Grab the red one on the bottom shelf.”
She did so quickly. As she came back he saw his blood had dripped onto her dress. He took the bottle and drank a little bit. After a moment, he looked at his wounds. The bleeding had almost stopped. “Sorry about your dress.”
“It’s just a dress. It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I was here. If I’d had my guard up, I would have felt Daphne approaching. I let myself relax too much.” She wiped away the tears that had run down her face.
“That’s not your fault. I’m sorry I lost my temper. Her answer would have been the same no matter what. Your presence did nothing but make her answer come out cruelly.” He looked up into her eyes. “It dawned on me that she was as much to blame as I was. She refused to have the spell lifted. Zeus and Aphrodite made so many pleas, but she said no. Being stuck with that spell ruined my life too, but I had no choice. I had no chance to drink from the Lethe, or fall in love with someone else.”
“That
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