The Golden Rule (Tempting the Fates, Book 2)

Chapter 18

I swiveled around to see Apollo smiling down at me. My heart thumped hard as I took in the sight of him. He wore a wine-colored suit, and the white shirt underneath was unbuttoned, revealing the very top of his bulging pectorals. His golden locks were slicked back and he nursed a glass of dark liquor in one hand. He looked like an actor in a men's cologne commercial, and definitely one I'd buy.

"Apollo!" I thought of something polite and formal to say. "Pleasure seeing you tonight."

His eyes skimmed down my dress and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. His eyes locked back on my face and he took a long swig of his drink. "Pleasure is all mine, Callie. You are an absolute vision this evening."

I couldn't help the blush that stained my cheeks. I looked down at my hands, forcing myself into some level of composure.

There was something about Apollo that always rattled me. Whether it was his charm, his sincerity and kindness, or maybe just his outrageous good looks, I wasn't sure... but every time I looked at him, I felt a lump rise in my throat. I still loved Hades more than anything, and had never once thought of leaving him for the golden god before me, but the God of Light still affected me too much for my own liking.

He must have sensed the tension he arose in me, because he changed the subject before I could respond. "What brings you out tonight? Just a fan of drunken revelry, or...?"

Either he didn't know I had run away from the Underworld, or he wasn't mentioning it. As long as he played dumb, so would I. As far as anyone knew, everything was normal- and that was the story I was sticking to.

"Networking, of course." I shrugged. "I don't meet a lot of new people in the Underworld, you know. Well, not living people, at least."

He smirked, nodding. "Well, I happen to know just about everyone in this room. Anyone in particular you're dying to meet?"

No way it could be this easy...

I crossed my arms and plastered on a smile, drawing out the silence between us. I made a show of looking around the room, like I was choosing my prey. "In fact, there is. I was hoping to have a moment with the host of this fabulous shindig."

"You know them already." Apollo took another swallow of his drink, draining it. He motioned the empty glass toward the dance floor, where the crowd was gyrating with a frenzy. "This is Dionysus' party."

I glanced over and noticed Dionysus- who was donning a mini skirt, a mesh crop top, and nothing else but his long brown curls- dancing with several guests simultaneously. Their bodies were so close it was hard to decipher where each ended and the next began. "Di? But I thought this was Hephaestus' home?"

"It is." He signaled an attendant for another drink. "But he and Di are rather good friends, and Di's place isn't big enough to house everyone. So a few times a year they open this place up to all of us."

Insult burned inside me as I realized how excluded we were in the Underworld. "The guest list must be pretty exclusive. I've never once seen an invitation." I furrowed a brow.

Apollo shook his head, his hair bouncing loosely behind his ears. "They've invited us all several times after our meetings on Olympus. You're usually just so in your head by then that you don't hear them, I bet." He muttered.

I sighed with defeat. He was right, after all. By the time the anger, annoyance, and ritual had reached its climax, I was usually spaced out and fretting over everything else. "Well then, would you care to introduce me to Hephaestus, o' God of Knowledge?"

His eyes sparkled at the sarcasm, but he eyed me warily. "Are you sure? You know who he is, don't you?"

I nodded, understanding the apprehension. Hephaestus was my mother's ex-husband, and they hadn't parted under the best circumstances. I would have been nervous to make that introduction as well, if I were him. "I know about his history with my mom, but I have some questions for him."