The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.

How is it that I am completely naked while you haven’t shed even one stitch of clothing?”“Because you were dinner, Rebecca.”A snort escaped, mixing with her laughter. “Remind me to have dinner with you more often. I have been missing out.” “You? What about me?

I was trying to do you a favor, you silly woman. A few more hours in the fire, and your baby boy would have been immortal! He would’ve grown into a fine young god and brought you eternal honor. Now you’ve ruined the magic. He will simply be human—a great hero, yes, strong and tall, but doomed to a mortal life. He will only be Demophoon, when he could have been Fully Phoon! Phoon the Great!

Flirting with random women in a tavern? That sounds like Helios. Well, it sounds like most of the gods, actually.

You know, Mac,”Cadmus said still looking out the window. “We may have to work on the way we tell our story …apparently it’s not amusing enough.” “I’ll try to include a joke between ‘he bled to death’and ‘the city burned’.”Machaon responded tersely.

It is not easy to soothe the immortal gods from their vengeance.

Hmph. Yes. Him. He had the nerve to turn down our offer of immortality and tell us to pay better attention to our children. Er, no offense.” “Oh, how could I take offense? Please, go on ignoring me.

Love knows all.

The pain in my heart was worse than anything I ever imagined. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I could feel was the void of her absence growing stronger inside me, and the panic of not ever seeing her eyes open again struck me like an iron whip.

I can’t reason when I’m around you.

Every hero is scared. That-s what being brave is about - confronting fear.

Fight for faith, and hope will be born.

I love you more than too much.

Love her enough to let her live.

It was hope that brought me love.

You’re the shield, and I’m the sword.

We were friends before.” Sort of. We never tried to kill each other.

I turn back to Griffin. His expression is stony and unreadable, although if I had to take a wild guess, I’d say it was tending toward ominous.

Hero,” said Machaon to his sister who was still muttering to her gods. “Please stop. Surely the gods would have heard you by now … let’s try not to annoy them.

Who was I to meddle in people’s love lives? Mine was a mess. My heartwanted the one thing it wasn’t allowed to have — love with someone besides mycupid-appointed soul mate. I was so screwed up, I made the dysfunctionalrelationships on Jerry Springer look wholesome.

With a tug, I pulled Len off his knees, wrapped my arms around him, andhugged him close. Behind his back, I flashed a middle finger of defiance I hopedCupid saw high up on Mount Olympus.Fuck soul mates. Fuck Grayson. Fuck Cupid.I was keeping the ring.

Len’s arm brushed against mine. I pulled the cream and gold comforter overmy shoulders and cuddled closer, wishing I could stay in bed all day and snuggle.But Cupid’s minions didn’t get sick days or holidays or time off for good behavior.Instead, I got a demanding boss, no pay, and chained to a man-whore till death dous part.I’d complain, but I didn’t think Cupid’s minions had a union.

Hello to you too, sunshine.”Pulling a book out of my bag, I cracked it open and settled into my time-toignore-Grayson pose. A pose that took me weeks to perfect. “Let’s not pretend weenjoy each other’s company.”“Don’t you get sick of always being…” He waved his hand back and forth inmy direction like a conductor guiding an orchestra. “You?”“What’s that supposed to mean?”“Just that if the stick in your ass got any higher we could hang a flag over yourhead and declare you your own state.

I don’t know why it’s not universally acknowledged that looking back is a terrible idea. It only makes going forward that much harder.

He’s barely finished himself inside me when my release hits. My thighs tense. The breath stalls in my lungs, and then I kick back my head and let out the loudest, throatiest, and most breathless moan in the history of all history, going boneless in a blissful rush. “Gods, I missed you,” Griffin rasps, holding me as I throb around him.The high-impact tremors fade into sweet, lingering aftershocks. I look up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. My lips part, but no words come out. Even the drag of frosty air over my kiss-swollen lips is almost too sensual to bear.Griffin quirks a dark eyebrow, looking smug. “That was easy.” I grin, falling in love with him all over again. “Then do it again.

The wine god sighed. 'Oh Hades if I know. But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet. I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now. Sometimes small things can become very large indeed.' He left me alone to think about that. And as I watched Clarisse and Chris singing a stupid campfire song together, holding hands in the darkness, where they thought nobody could see them, I had to smile.

Psst"he called.The Cyclops lowered his hammer. He turned towards Zeus, but his one big eye had been staring into the flames so long that he couldn't see who was talking."I am not Psst"The Cyclops said " I am Brontes"Oh boy, Zeus thought. This may take a while

My lone desire stands, looking like beauty on a cloud, ripe for my picking, ready for me to ravish and pleasure. Waiting for me to tempt and tease. Satisfy and gratify.

Yeah, Hera was definitely channelling her inner Wicked Witch of the West that day.

Can’t this thing go any faster?” Thalia demanded.Zoe glared at her. “I cannot control traffic.”You both sound like my mother,” I said.Shut up!” they both said in union.

He has been known to devour men.” “He’s a cannibal?” Cadmus asked in horror. “Well, not really,” Daemon replied. “He is a Cyclops. He does not eat his own kind — just men and only those who challenge him … he does not hunt them.