Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

E ris arrived back at the docks at sundown. Her quick trip to buy supplies had turned into an ordeal when her shields had slipped, and her chaos had shorted out all the cash registers. She spotted Enzo walking about the deck, and the sight of his T-shirt stretching over his back and biceps instantly made her feel better.

"Hey, let me help," he said, dashing over to the gangplank to take the bags of groceries from her. She didn't have the heart to tell him that her goddess strength meant she would be perfectly capable of carrying him as well as the groceries.

A table and chairs had been set up on the deck, and a platter of charcuterie and fruit had been laid out.

"What's all this?" she asked.

"I thought about taking you out on a date, but then I realized you probably wouldn't want to be around more people after today, so I set this up instead," Enzo replied and put the bags down. He pulled out a chair for her. "You sit, and I'll put these away." He took a silver cocktail shaker from the table and poured a Spritz into her glass.

Eris swallowed hard. "If you keep doing nice things like making me Spritz, I'm going to have no choice but to fall in love with you." She said it as a joke, but her tone was too quiet for that.

Enzo only picked up the bags and shot her a wink. "That's my plan." He moved below deck before Eris could come up with a reply. She had none. She wanted to fall in love and know what it felt like to belong to someone. She drank some of her Spritz and smiled so she didn't start crying. It was exactly the way she liked it. She wanted to keep him so badly, her chest ached.

Enzo came back on deck and poured out another shaker for himself before sitting down. "You okay? You're looking a little bit like you want to kill me."

"It's just my face," Eris replied and sipped her Spritz. "I just don't know how to handle it when you're so nice to me."

"I know, but you'll get used to it," Enzo said, utterly unperturbed by her frowns as usual.

Eris cleared her throat and turned her attention to the setting sun so she didn't pounce on him. "You seem a lot steadier. Did you talk to Bianca?"

"I did. She sounds like she's having fun with Claudius and the others. I'm glad. I've probably smothered her too much in the last year," Enzo said.

"How so?"

Enzo ran a hand through his curls. "After my ex attacked, I became kind of paranoid for Bianca's well-being. I realized she could have died, and that messed with me more than Katarina trying to cut my heart out. Bianca has been tolerant of all the safety precautions and my fussing, but she's someone who needs to be free."

"She is. It's not a bad thing to have someone care about you that much. Bianca understands that." Eris ate an olive and muttered, "I would have handled things a lot differently if I had been around then."

Enzo's mouth twitched. "How so?"

"If some stalker tried to hurt you, I would have annihilated them before they even got close to you," Eris replied honestly. Even though his ex was dead, it didn't stop the feelings of fury that raced through her every time she thought about him almost dying because of her.

"I don't know if I will ever practice psychology again in order to get a stalker, so hopefully, it won't be a problem," Enzo said, and his eyes went sad.

"You miss it?"

"Sometimes. I like helping people."

"I've noticed." Eris smiled and gestured to her Spritz.

"I can't help it. I like the look on your face when I do something for you that you didn't expect," Enzo replied.

Eris started to feel hot, so she changed the subject. "Have you figured out where the palladium wants you to go next?"

"Crete. I'm sure of it. In my vision, I saw a minotaur and a labyrinth. Aeneas did stop there at Pergamea, but there's no evidence that the town ever existed. I figure we aim for Heraklion and see where the palladium takes us," Enzo replied and ate a handful of grapes. "I talked to Bianca about my visions growing stronger too."

Eris tried not to stare at the strong column of his throat every time he swallowed. "And what was her theory?"

"Because our family was of the royal bloodline and was the palladium's protectors back in Troy, my connection to it is strong. It's…speaking to me, and yes, I know how crazy it sounds." Enzo shrugged. "But then I also got to make out with the goddess of chaos and discord, so a statue talking to me with visions doesn't seem so crazy compared to that."

"Not as crazy as me wanting to make out with a mortal." Eris smiled. "There are good kinds of crazy. What else did Bianca say?"

Enzo gave her a long, steady look that made her heart trip up. "She said if I fall in love with a goddess, I accept whatever the Fates have installed for me."

"And are you in danger of that?" Eris asked, her mouth going dry.

"Extremely."

Eris's fingers crushed her napkin. "Why?"

"Lots of reasons."

Old anger flared through her, triggered by the feelings welling up inside of her. "Is it because I'm beautiful? Because being awed by that wears off."

"Is that what happened with the others?" Enzo asked softly.

Eris's laugh was full of bitterness. "It's the only thing anyone ever sees. Do you know what Zeus said to me when we first met? He said, 'What a waste of beauty you are, daughter of Nyx.' That's all I've been to the gods and everyone else, a monster clothed in beauty."

"They all sound like a bunch of assholes." Enzo frowned and put down his drink. "You are beautiful, but to be honest, it's not your most appealing quality, nor is it what I'm the most drawn to."

Eris unclenched her napkin. "It's not? Then what is? Because my personality isn't exactly sparkling."

"Another reason I like you." Enzo turned to face her properly. "You understand pain and darkness. You've seen and experienced more of it than any creature should have to bear, and despite that, you're still nervous about being around people because you're worried your curse might kill them. You don't judge me because I killed my ex-wife. When you look at me, you see more than just a bartender and a failed shrink. You see people for what they are, Eris, not just for what they look like or present to the world. You're not a fucking monster. You are a force of nature. Being around you makes me feel more alive than I have in the last decade." Enzo stopped his passionate rant and took a breath. "I want your curse to be lifted to free you from it, but I wouldn't change a thing about you. Claws and fangs and chaos and social anxiety…I want all of it."

Eris drained her Spritz and tried to find the right way to respond to everything she was feeling. It felt like chaos but so very different. It was bubbling inside of her but bigger than she thought she could possibly contain.

Eris got up, moved to his side, and cupped his cheeks with her hands. With a gentleness she wouldn't have thought herself capable of, she kissed him once. "I want you to come downstairs with me."

"Is it to smite me for my audacity where people won't see?" Enzo asked a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"No, it's so I show you I want you back in the best way I know how," Eris replied and kissed him slowly again. She whispered against his lips, "Please come with me."

Enzo stroked her arm. "Well, I did make you a promise if you did your best not to tease me today."

Eris bit him on his bottom lip. "Yes, you did."

"Then lead the way, goddess," Enzo replied.