Goddess Secret (9 page)

“Yeah, I saw that. Anything else?”

“Oh, wow! One story shows her being the daughter of Zeus and Dione. That means you two are related.”

“Not exactly. I already explained to you how Greek god lineage worked.”

She already learned that Greek gods could create an entity without it being a sexual creation. That was good; otherwise, she and River would be cousins.

“Oh, right. Well, let’s see…umm…it also says she had no childhood. That she was born an adult. That’s weird.”

“What?”

“That’s all it says.”

“Hmmm…well, I did find where Zeus married her off to Hephaestus. Zeus was worried that her beauty and power over men would cause problems, so he arranged this marriage. Hephaestus was Zeus and Hera’s son. Ugh!”

“What?”

“This says that Aphrodite was unhappy with her marriage to Hephaestus, so she sought out companionship from other men. Those men where Ares and
Adonis
.”

“Legacy, you already knew that Aphrodite was with Adonis and was happy. This isn’t new, chick.”

“I know. It’s just sucks actually seeing it in writing. Umm…did you find anything else?”

“Well, this site shows that Aphrodite played a role in the Trojan War.”

“What part?”

“I don’t know. It says that she offered Helen of Troy to Paris, and that when Paris saw this Helen chick, he was enamored with her. That his desire for her was too great, and that it was because of Aphrodite’s control over physical beauty that this happened.”

“Well that sucks! That’s just what I need—to see proof that Aphrodite manipulated other people’s, or gods’, relationships.”

“Legacy, that’s why we’re researching. You want to know what she’s capable of.”

“I know. You’re right.” She sighed. “Did you find anything else?”

“Only other thing that I found was something mentioning the things that she’s linked to.”

“Like what?”

“Umm, it says that she’s connected to the sea, doves, pomegranates, scepters, apples, dolphins, swans, myrtle, lime trees, clams, pearls, scallop shells, and rose trees.”

“Rose trees? Are you serious?”

“Why does that matter?” Calli asked, shrugging.

“Adin’s grandma loves roses. All the roses he gave me over the summer came from his grandma’s garden. The fact that he loves roses and that Aphrodite is connected to rose trees is a little irritating!”

“Oh, well, Adin probably loves them because of his grandma and not because of Aphrodite’s control over them.

“You’re probably right.” But she still didn’t like this connection.

She felt herself getting irritated at the thought of this powerful wench maneuvering her way into her Adin’s life. As anger filled her, she saw the windows of her room light up.

“Legacy? Are you okay?”

“No.” She felt her blood race in her veins.

“It’s lightning outside. You should probably calm down before you make it storm. I know storms never bothered you before, but you should really watch out.”

She sighed. “You’re right,” Legacy grumbled, still not happy, but trying to find some calmness.

“Of course I am.” She laughed.

Legacy laughed with her and glanced out the window. “I just don’t know what to do about all this.” And she wasn’t meaning the weather.

“I know, Legacy. I’m sure Adin is really worried too.”

“Yeah, I know he is, but he wouldn’t ever say so.”

“How are things going with you two?”

She looked and Calli and smiled. The lightning outside subsided. “Wonderful.”

“You’re glowing!”

“I know. Our relationship couldn’t be better.”

“So are you ready to take it to the next level?”

She didn’t know how to answer Calli. She felt like there was no
next
level. To her, their relationship was just developing as it should. She wanted to be with Adin. Forever. And to her, that meant she wanted to be his.
Completely
. “I just want to be with Adin.”

“C’mon, Legacy! I can tell from the look in your eyes that there’s more to it than that.”

“I belong to Adin, and he belongs to me. Whatever happens at this point, it’s because of our bond to each other. I don’t think of it as a different level. I love him.”

“Wow. Aren’t you nervous? You may not be looking at your intimate relationship as a different level, but I know you’ve never been with anyone like that, so that’d still be new to you.”

“And new to
him
,” she whispered.

“Oh my gosh! So you have talked about sex with Adin? Are you kidding me?”

“Yeah, we talked about it.” She shrugged. “It was the responsible thing to do.”

“So do you think it’ll happen?”

She looked at Calli, and her eyes were bright. She smiled shyly. “I think it will. One day.”

“Wow.”

She smiled bigger. “I know. I can’t even explain it, Calli. I love him so much. I’m not even nervous at the thought of being with him like that. Of course when it actually happens, it’ll probably be a different story.” She laughed. “But right now, everything feels natural.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Calli said, leaning toward her.

“Me too, but that’s why we’re researching about Aphrodite. I want to keep my relationship with Adin on the path that it currently is. I don’t want it to change course.”

She and Calli kept researching throughout the day until she had to go home. They hadn’t found anything else that really stood out.

Not long after Calli had left, Adin called Legacy from his soon-to-be new fraternity house.

“I miss you, sweetheart.”

“I miss you too, Adin. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Hopefully, I’ll get out of here tomorrow afternoon. Can I come over if I do?”

“Absolutely!”

“Love you,” he whispered.

“Love you too.”

That night, those same two dreams reappeared. When she awoke, she thought about them, and all she could come up with was the fact that it was getting odd that she hadn’t figured out all the hidden meanings in them.

She figured that River would be able to help her with her understanding of everything, so she called him.

He came over, and they hung out outside. She wanted them to be able to talk freely about Greek mythology, so she figured it was better than talking inside the house. Not to mention the fact that River hadn’t liked talking about these things at the store or even near her house during the summer. She’d hoped he’d gotten over those silly issues.

“So what do you know about Aphrodite?”

River sighed. “I thought you called me because you were worried about my mother.”

“Umm…well, I am, but you think she’s the reason Venus is here.”

River pursed his lips and shook his head. But then he told Legacy the things he knew about her. Unfortunately, those things were the same things that Legacy and Calli had found out about yesterday.

“Ugh! I already know all that.”

“Well, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you,” he said with heavy sarcasm.

She leaned toward River and rubbed her hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He looked away from her and up to the sky.

“River?”

“Legacy,” he whispered, not making eye contact. “I’m just dealing with my own problems.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a horrible friend. I know you’re ascending in a few weeks, and I haven’t even talked to you about that.”

“You have other things on your mind. I understand.” He shrugged.

“That’s no excuse,” she said, leaning toward him and tugging on his shoulder so he’d look at her. “I want to be here for you too.”

“Well, can I show you something then?” River asked, and his eyes sparkled.

“Sure,” she said, not understanding the sudden change in his mood.

He stood up and took her hands into his to pull her up beside him. “Don’t freak out. Just relax.”

“Okay.”

River stepped up against her and wrapped his arms around her neck. His hands slid into her hair, and she shivered. What the hell? His breath caught when he felt her shiver, but he apparently didn’t let that distract him. He leaned his face to her ear. “Ready?”

“Uh-huh,” she breathed. Why was her throat dry?

He pulled her tighter against him and buried his head into hair. When he inhaled her scent, she heard him groan, and the ground shook below their feet. She grabbed him to steady herself, and he hugged her tighter. While she clung to him, the ground shook more ferociously.

“River!”

He relaxed his arms, but kept his hands in her hair. As he pulled his head back to look into her eyes, the tremors stopped. “What do you think?”

“That was
amazing
.”

River leaned his head toward her ear. “It was because of you,” he breathed, and he squeezed her tighter.

Her heart fluttered, but she tried to keep her breathing even while she maneuvered out of his embrace.

River sighed as his hands slid out of her hair and down her arms. He reached for her hands as she stepped away.

“How did you do that?”

“I told you. It was because of you.”

“I know, but how?”

“I’m not entirely sure. I realized the other day, I was thinking about you, and I felt a light tremor. I figured if I were holding you,” he whispered and squeezed her hands, “that I’d be able to make the tremors stronger.”

“Did you expect this kind of ability?”

“I figured it was possible. My dad can create earthquakes.”

“But I thought your dad was the god of seas.”

“He is, but he has other abilities too. Causing earthquakes is one of them.”

“Well, from what I read from Medusa, she can turn people to stone. Can you do that too?”

River chuckled. “I don’t know. I haven’t tried, but I’m not going to try that out on you.” He smiled.

“Good. I don’t want to spend eternity enshrined in granite or marble.”

“I would never allow that,” River murmured. Then he reached up and stroked her cheek. “You’re too important to me.”

“River,” she whispered, shaking her head. She couldn’t deal with this right now.

He stepped up against her again and put his lips to her ear. “I’m not going to cross any boundaries, Legacy. Not until you’re ready for me to.”

“That’s never going to happen,” she said, stepping away from him.

River kept his hands on her arms. “I think it will,” he whispered, stepping toward her again. “I could feel your heart racing when I held you in my arms.”

“Please don’t,” she muttered as she looked away.

“Okay,” River said as he dropped his hands off her and stepped away. He sat back down at the patio table, and so did she. He stared at her from across the table before speaking. “Umm…has Adin had any luck finding out anything from Venus?”

She appreciated the subject change and took a deep breath. “No. He’s not trying to get information out of her.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t want to take the chance of forming a bond with her.”

“So…he’s not going to help
you
, the woman he supposedly loves, because he’s worried about how it’ll affect
him
?”

“River, he’s not going through that
for
me. He knows if he forms a bond with her, it would destroy me. He wants to stay away from her as much as possible.”

“Well, I still think it’s selfish of him not to do this for you, especially since you asked him. I’d never do that to you. No matter what kind of position it would put me in. If you wanted me to do it, I would. I would always do whatever you asked of me. I would give you anything you ever wanted.”

“Well, you’re not completely unbiased here.”

“What does that mean?” He leaned back, glaring at her.

“It means you would have something to gain by Adin growing close to Venus.”

River sighed and looked away. “You’re right.” He looked back into her eyes. “But I would always put your needs first, and
he’s
not doing that!”

Gods, why do women put up with him? She was so freakin’ tired of the whole chest-beating, macho act. “He
is
putting my needs first.”

“No. He’s not! If he can’t do this for you, then he doesn’t deserve you. Not that I ever thought he did anyway.”

“That’s enough, River!” she suddenly blurted out without conscious thought. Thunder crashed around them.

River glanced at the sky and then back at her eyes. “It’s nowhere
near
enough, Legacy. You’re so blinded by your love for him that you can’t even see him clearly. First, he doesn’t tell you about himself until I told you to drag it out of him, and now he’s not willing to swallow his pride and chat with Venus to help you!”

She jumped out of her seat before she’d even realized she’d moved. “Get out!”

The force of her order directed at River caused the air to crash into his face. River gasped, and his mouth fell open. “Legacy, you just—”

“Now!”

River stood up. “Baby, I didn’t mean to make you—”

“River!” A flash of lightning struck a nearby tree, but she didn’t care. She wanted him out of her sight. Right. Now.

“Okay, I’m leaving.” He lifted his hands in a placating gesture before making his retreat.

After River left, she stood outside trying to calm herself. The nerve of that prick! She could spit nails she was so furious.

She turned to walk into the house, but caught something move through the privacy fence next door. Probably just Adin’s grandma. If so, she would’ve heard everything that had happened out here between her and River. Whatever. She was still too mad to completely process that.

A few hours later, she heard Adin’s car pull up into her driveway. She was still irritated, so she didn’t even get up. After he knocked on the door, she yelled for him to come in, which he did.

“Is everything okay, sweetheart?” Adin asked as he took a seat next to her.

“I’ve just been really angry this afternoon, so I’ve been trying to stay focused on calming my nerves.”

“What has you upset?” Adin rubbed her knee.

“It’s not what…it’s who.”

“I take it you’re mad at River about something.”

“Yep.” She glared at Adin. “But why would you just
assume
it was River?”