Lesson in Love (Olympians, 2) (5 page)

“
I don’t want to talk
about Psyche. I am not in love with Iris, and she is not in love
with me. This is very different.”

The goddess leaned forward, very
serious. “How do you know that?”

“
Know what?”

“
That neither of you is in
love, that neither of you will fall in love? You can’t read her
mind. She’s a goddess. You’ve never been with a true goddess
before, so what makes you think you can so easily seduce one?
Especially one who isn’t looking for either love or
sex?”

“
How do you know she’s
not?” He had no idea what Iris might or might not be looking for,
but he doubted his mother did either. “You know I want her, so
you’re determined to put a stop to it.”

“
You’re wrong. I simply
want you to think. And feel. Pay attention to those feelings you
are supposed to know so much about.”

He sat back. He’d expected his mother
to become furious. He didn’t know what to do with her when she was
both calm and serious.

“
Okay. I will. Iris can
take care of herself, and so can I. Don’t worry about
it.”

She smiled. “I’m not worried. Just
expressing my thoughts and hoping you will consider them.” She
looked at the clock. “Later, sweetheart.”

She disappeared. He looked around, but
as usual no one had noticed her leaving. He looked back to Iris’
office door, which he could just see from where he sat. He wasn’t
so sure what to do. He hadn’t really come in with a plan, but now
he felt even more confused.

* * * *

Iris left her office and looked at
Eros. If he had something to say, she was going to make him say it.
She wasn’t sure what his mother had said, but she felt certain it
had pushed him in the direction she and Hera wanted him to
go.

“
Anything else?” She
walked over and sat down.

Eros looked up. “Well, I was hoping
you would let me prove to you I’m not such a bad guy.”

She didn’t even try to stop herself
from laughing at him. “That is the dumbest, most unoriginal way of
asking me out.”

“
How do you know I’m
asking you out?”

“
What else could you be
doing?”

“
I mean I literally just
want to prove to you I’m not a bad guy. Spend some time with me.
Let me show you what other women see.”

Iris thought quickly. Her problem with
him had always been that she didn’t see what other women saw. When
she looked at Eros, she saw past the looks and charm. She saw his
potential. He was so good at making others happy because he liked
doing it. She also saw how lonely he truly was. She knew she wasn’t
fooling herself on that point.

She finally asked, “What do you have
in mind?”

He paused, and she wondered if he’d
expected her to flat out say no.

“
Well, maybe a walk on the
beach? Nothing formal like dinner. Just spend some time
together.”

“
All right.
When?”

“
Tonight?”

“
Okay. Come and get me at
midnight.” She got up and walked back to her office.
Walk on the beach, huh? And perhaps a bit of
frolicking in the waves?
He was going to
have to do better than this.

* * * *

Eros made sure he showed up exactly on
time. Being early would make him look anxious, and being late would
be inconsiderate and irresponsible. She most likely expected him to
be late, given her opinion of him, so he planned to be on his best
behavior.

He appeared outside her office and
knocked lightly before walking in.

She stood and picked up her sweater.
“Are we ready to go?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m ready if you
are.”

She nodded and walked out of the
office. She waited for him to follow her out and then locked the
door. She waved to the girl cleaning up behind the bar before they
left.

“
Are we driving?” she
asked.

Normally he would show off one of his
cars, which he changed depending on his mood, but after a moment’s
thought he decided against it. “We can just go there. Much
quicker.”

He snapped his fingers and they found
themselves on a deserted beach. She smirked, but then coughed to
hide it, and he knew she was laughing because he’d snapped his
fingers. His mother and Hera did that all the time, but most of the
other gods never did. He had no idea why he’d done it. For all he
knew, his mother had implanted the idea deep in his subconscious.
He took a breath and decided to try to forget about it. Iris would
never think he was a good guy who deserved a chance if he started
pouting because she’d laughed at him.

She looked out over the water. “I know
where we are.” She pointed to the opposite shore. “Layla’s cottage
is over there. We’re right above one of Poseidon’s
lairs.”

Eros sat down to take off his shoes
and roll up his pants. He tried not to imagine Iris down there with
Poseidon. He didn’t want to think about her having ever been with
Poseidon at all. Everyone knew about his taste for bondage and
other erotic games, so his playroom was no secret. Eros simply
didn’t like the idea of the other god making love to
Iris.

Iris put one foot up on a rock and
undid her sandal, kicked it off, and then did the same with the
other. “It’s a nice evening.”

“
Yeah, it is.”
Small talk! We’re making small talk!
He tried to think of something to say to spark a
conversation, but he drew a blank.

She took a deep breath as he stood up
and they walked across the sand. He expected her to say something,
but she just walked by his side. She obviously meant for him to do
all the work. She was giving him the chance he wanted, but her
standards had been set pretty high. Or so it seemed to him. Her
silence made him nervous, so he was probably just
paranoid.

“
So…do you like the sea?
It seems like you would.”

She nodded. “I do. I didn’t for a long
time. My father is a sea god, my mother an ocean nymph, and my aunt
Amphitrite was married to Poseidon at one point. I hardly knew life
away from the sea. I jumped at the chance to be Hera’s messenger.
She said I would be perfect. Rainbows connect the sea and the land,
the water and the air. They show every color and even look like
bridges. I became their messenger to the mortal world. That’s why I
live here. I’m not as busy as I once was, but that’s fine. I don’t
mind.”

“
You don’t care that
mortals are forgetting us?”

She thought about this. “Mortal belief
has never been one of my concerns.”

“
I guess not. I probably
put too much value on it.”

“
No. Human relationships
are your business. It makes sense you should care so
much.”

He shrugged. “Maybe it’s just my
pride. Why should I care about mortals?”

“
Don’t say that. You
genuinely care about mortals. You want them to be
happy.”

Eros was shocked by her reaction. Was
this the same woman who had leveled so many accusations at him? “So
that’s why I love ’em and leave ’em?”

She looked at him seriously. “Those
are personal mistakes. You’re different when you’re making a
match.”

“
How do you
know?”

“
I didn’t just settle in
London and decide to open a restaurant a week ago. I’ve been in
this business a very long time. I’ve lived all over the world and
owned all kinds of places, not just restaurants. I’ve seen your
work and seen you doing it.”

He didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t
just been watching him for months; she’d been doing it for years.
It made her opinion of him seem even less justified. “So am I a
jerk or a hero? You’re confusing me.”

“
Aren’t we just as complex
as humans?”

“
Of course.” He wondered
where their conversation was going. He was starting to feel uneasy
because he hadn’t had such an intellectual exchange with a woman in
a long time. He was lost without flirting and clever
lines.

“
So why can’t you be
both?”

“
I can be, I guess. So
what do you really think of me?” He hoped she couldn’t sense how
nervous he was about her answer.

“
I have a professional
opinion and a personal one. I think as a man you could do a better
job of living up to your professional persona.”

“
I don’t think I
understand.”

She sighed, stopping by the water’s
edge. She stepped a few feet into the waves and turned to look back
at him. “Show love the same respect in your own life as you do when
you’re planning it for others.”

He looked down at the sand. Hadn’t his
mother said that before? Maybe. He couldn’t really remember.
“Sounds simple enough.”

“
It’s going to be harder
than you imagine. I’m going to let you think about that for a
while.” She walked farther into the waves. In the gently crashing
waves he could see little pockets of color, rainbows appearing
around her the way they did in mist around waterfalls. “I’m going
to pay my mother a visit.” Then she was gone.

Eros sat down at the edge of the
water. He wasn’t sure what had just happened. He’d had plans of
winning Iris over at least a little bit tonight, but instead she’d
been the one in control. He’d wanted to make sure she enjoyed
herself, but all he’d gotten from her was confusion. He’d only
asked her one question and then she’d taken over the conversation.
He’d ended up revealing things to her instead of the other way
around. He couldn’t tell if she’d had a good time, or if her
opinion of him had changed even slightly, given how brief their
walk had been. But objecting to her leaving had seemed like a
terrible idea. If she thought so much of him, why didn’t she like
him? Then again, she had to like him a little to care so much about
him. She wouldn’t be lecturing him just for the hell of
it.

He didn’t know how he’d have the time
to think about what she’d said to him. All he could think about was
how much he’d wanted to impress her and how miserably he’d failed.
Based on what she’d said, she’d obviously been disappointed in him
long before tonight.

He stood up and tried to brush all the
sand off his pants. The seeming impossibility of living up to her
standards made him want to do it all the more.

* * * *

Iris had skipped lunch and was walking
around the park trying to collect her thoughts. She stopped short
and considered going back to the restaurant when she saw Hera and
Aphrodite appear on a bench right in her path. Instead, she walked
over and sat down between them. “Waiting for a progress report,
ladies?”

“
I don’t need one,”
Aphrodite said. “You’re doing great! My son is wandering around
aimlessly. He doesn’t know what to do with himself.”

“
How is that
good?”

“
You’ve gotten through to
him in a way we’ve never managed to,” Hera explained. “He doesn’t
fully understand yet, but at least he’s thinking about what you
said to him.”

Aphrodite nodded. “Which was
wonderful, by the way. He refuses to take me seriously unless I’m
angry with him. He’s cocky. He doesn’t listen to anyone because he
thinks he knows best in every situation. If he realizes he doesn’t,
he gets defensive.”

Iris shook her head. “So what if I can
change him for the better? That doesn’t mean he’s going to love
me.”

“
He’s already on his way,”
Aphrodite said with a grin. “Why else do you think he listened to
you? You have impressed him more than any other woman ever has. He
thought you were hot, and then you turned out to be a goddess. You
stood up to him for the sake of making your point and showing him
where he’d gone wrong. You didn’t do it for your own pride or for
personal gain. I think he’s fascinated.”

Iris raised her eyebrows. “I’m not so
sure about that. He seems determined to make a point for the sake
of his own pride.”

“
He likes you and can’t
stand that you don’t like him,” Hera said. “We’ve been watching him
very carefully. Deep down, he knows you’re right about him, but
he’s tricking himself.”

“
What?”

“
He’s telling himself he
needs to prove you wrong. Admitting his own failings is too much to
expect from him just yet. He’s also telling himself he’s only
following you around to achieve this goal.”

“
But that won’t actually
change him or do any good.”

Aphrodite winked at a man passing by,
and then returned her attention to the conversation. “The effects
will be permanent, though, because he’s going to be in love with
you before all this is over.”

“
I still don’t believe
you.”

“
You don’t have to. Why
not just enjoy it? You can’t exactly get rid of him now. It would
give our whole plan away.”

“
Maybe that’s just what I
should do. I don’t want this, not this way.”

Hera sighed. “You don’t really want to
do that, do you? Don’t you trust us?”

“
I don’t want him to be
tricked into loving me.”