The Curse in Her Blood

Chapter 30

Set

I'm going to kill whichever servant told Robin about Astarte's private room.

Ever since I slept with her that's where she's been. She won't look at me, let alone talk to me. I didn't think I'd miss her presence but I did. By the gods, I did.

I had gotten used to her wanting to be near me, to her accidentally brushing against me, grabbing onto me when she was scared. I had gotten used to her constant chatter, to her smiles. I had gotten used to being around someone who was happy to see me and be around me.

I had all but lost it all now.

It was like I had sapped all the happiness out of her somehow. I could barely bare to look at her. She no longer smiled, the twinkle was gone from her eyes and I was left mourning what I had lost.

I didn't even know why she was so upset.

I was assuming that it had something to do with sleeping with her. I shouldn't have taken advantage of her, but every time I tried to apologize her cheeks would go red, a scowl would touch her lips, and tears would well up in her eyes.

The last time I brought it up she had hissed: "Fuck off," to me and then stormed away.

I should have known better.

I never should have allowed things to go so far with her. I should have known she'd have regrets in the morning.

But then I was bitching to my servants. It was my favourite thing to do because they never spoke back to me, I could vent and complain and they'd just stand there and take it. But that time I got an answer.

I'm not sure which one said it, but one of them said: "That's not why she's mad."

But then, no matter what I did, no one would tell me what that meant.

With no other options, and not being able to standing the forlorn sighs that came out of her whenever I tried to talk to her or apologize for being too forward with her, I went to the one person who could help me.

Hathor was the Goddess of Love, out of anyone she should be able to help me. But having to go to her for help was embarrassing. I should have been able to manage my own love life, but no matter what I did I always seemed to mess it up.

We were four days into the silent treatment and I had tried to apologize again. I told her I wouldn't ever try it again, that it was a momentary confusion between her and Astarte—which was a flat out lie—and it would never happen again. I thought that might do it, that she might forgive me, but Robin just burst into tears and run off to lock herself into the private room I never should have given Astarte. After that I knew I had no choice, I needed help, so I went up to the Golden Kingdom to see Hathor.

When I got to her rooms, I found her sitting by her vanity. Her vanity was covered in a shroud, oddly enough, and she seemed to be absently brushing her hair. As if she were going through the motions but not really into it herself.

I cleared my throat and she turned to me, jostled back into awareness by my appearance.

"Hi... uhm... Hathor, I was hoping to ask you a question..."

She looked me up and down and then motioned for me to come sit with her. When I did, she turned to me with that appraising look and said: "Let me guess, Robin's still mad at you."

I balked at the question. "How did you know that?"

"I'm the Goddess of Love, I can smell a lover's spat a mile away."

Oh good, at least Robin hadn't told her and I was just helplessly out of the loop.

But at that announcement, I find myself laughing. "Lover's spat? Hathor seriously..."