Chapter 4

PSAMATHE

I'd held events at The Phoke before, but none on this scale. And none that had meant so little of my involvement. My event space had been turned into what felt like a giant pink bubble, with plenty of glittering hearts and streamers hanging from the ceiling. Though it didn't escape my notice that most of the decorations were paper. I appreciated Aphrodite's attention to detail and not wanting to pollute the beach or ocean, probably because there was a part of her that remembered she was also a sea goddess, and didn't want to damage it.

I looked around the room, trying to work out what I should do with myself, only to breathe a sigh of relief when I saw Zale heading inside wearing a casual shirt and swim shorts. From the dampness in his hair, it seemed as if he'd just come from the sea itself.

Without meaning to, I raised my hand and waved him over, making his whole face light up when he saw me.

"I didn't realise you were coming this early," I said, regretting it as soon as it left my mouth. I wanted to spend time with him, why would I imply that I didn't?

"I wasn't going to, but the director needed someone to come across to set up the feeds of the seals, and so I volunteered."

My heart skipped a beat but I squashed any feelings down. He'd probably just come so he got to meet Aphrodite and not so he could see me.

"Come on, I'll introduce you," I said.

He nodded and followed me into the event space where the blonde goddess was talking with one of her crew members. She looked up when she sensed me approaching and smiled. "Is everything all right, Sama?"

"I wanted to introduce Zale to you," I said, gesturing to the dark-haired man beside me. "He's from the sanctuary."

"Ah, excellent, that will be for the feeds.”

"Zale, this is Aphrodite," I said, gesturing to her needlessly. He knew she was going to be here, and that I wasn't likely to be introducing him to anyone else.

"Do you think the seals will be very active later?" she asked him.

"It's hard to say," Zale responded. "They don't tend to be very active at night, so the director sent over a memory card with footage from the last couple of days in case you preferred that."

"Great," she said. "We just want to make sure we showcase the seals. Sama negotiated that you get half the ticket cost, but there's no reason we shouldn't be able to get some extra donations as well. There are several sea gods in attendance tonight."

"Sama negotiated?" Zale looked at me, and embarrassment flooded to my cheeks.

Aphrodite gave me an intrigued look. "Didn't she tell you?"

"She said she needed to pick a charity."

"Oh, well I suppose that's true," Aphrodite responded. "But she didn't know that when she asked."

The intensity of Zale's gaze was almost too much to take, especially when added to the knowing look on the love goddess' face.

"Interesting," she said, nodding to herself.

"Aphie," the man beside her said in what seemed like a warning tone.

She gave him a doting look. "I don't think I've introduced you all properly yet. This is Damien, my other half, and one of the event managers at Jinx."

"Good to meet you," he said, holding out his hand.

"This is Psamathe, goddess of the beach and a nereid," Aphrodite continued.

"Most people call me Sama," I said, taking the hand of the man who had captured Aphrodite's heart. He wasn't what I expected, but then it was hard to guess who the gods would fall for, and Aphrodite wasn't exactly known for having a type beyond pretty .

"Pleased to meet you Sama, I hope Aphie isn't just outing you as a goddess."

I laughed. "Don't worry about it, everyone on the island knows."

"I found out on the day we met," Zale added. "Though she had a lot of fun with it."

"I didn't," I countered. "I just didn't realise you didn't know. I thought you were making fun of me for naming the seal pup Sama."

"Never," he promised, meeting my gaze. "I named her after you because her mum had a difficult labour and she'd already been through something like that, making her strong. Like you."

My lips parted as I stared at him. "You've never told me that before." I reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, only realising as I did that he was following my every move.

"I didn't realise," he said softly. "But that's why I called her Sama. I've been in awe of you since the very first time I heard your story."

I sucked in a sharp breath, forgetting about everything and everyone as the words settled in.

Aphrodite cleared her throat, reminding me that we weren't alone.

"Why don't I show you where the feed is meant to go," Damien said.

Zale managed to tear his attention away from me for long enough to nod.

"No meddling," Damien murmured to Aphrodite as he led the seal shifter away.

The blonde goddess studied me intently. "Well that explains one thing," she said.

"Oh?"

"Why you like the seal sanctuary so much."

"I don't know what you mean," I murmured.

"You were watching it when I first visited you here," she pointed out.

"I have an affinity for seals."

"Mmhmm."

I rolled my eyes. "It's nothing."

"I'll let you keep believing that for now," she said. "But maybe you could give us some input into our cocktails. We've got four we're serving tonight, all with non-alcoholic versions."

"Do you really want my input?"

"You know what people like to drink while they're at a beach resort," she pointed out. "I get stuck after Sex on the Beach."

"That's always popular," I responded.

"Only to those who have never tried it," she joked.

I let out a light laugh. "All right, what else have you got?"

"I was going to go with the classics, a Pina Colada, maybe a Tequila Sunrise, but something doesn't feel right about either."

"Good choices, but they're not what we get a lot of orders for," I said, gesturing her over to the bar and slipping behind it. "We're not a party island, people come here for the traditional taste of Greece."

"Mmm, I see your point."

I grabbed a bottle of tsipouro and added some of the spirit to a cocktail shaker before adding cinnamon syrup and a squeeze of fresh lemon. I gave it a shake while Aphrodite watched me intently. I flipped over a champagne glass and emptied the shaker into it, topping it up with some sparkling rosé.

"Try this," I said, sliding it across the bar to her.

"What is it?"

"A Greek mimosa."

She picked up the glass and took a sip. "Oh yes, that tastes of home."

"It's very popular," I said.

"I can see why. We should do that one. What else would you suggest?" she asked.

"How do you think people will feel about ouzo?"

"I can think of a few gods who would love it," she responded.

"Then an ouzo lemonade should do the trick. I can make one up, if you want?"

She shook her head. "Unnecessary, I can imagine what that would taste like."

"And if you want an alternative to your Tequila Sunrise, then I'd suggest a Santorini Sunrise instead."

"Ah, perfect," she responded. "Though the Sex on the Beach stays, I can imagine a few gods who might be disappointed if it isn't on the menu."

"Of course." I stack the shaker I used into the glass dishwasher. "I'd also suggest olives along the bar."

"Absolutely. Are you really in Greece if there are no olives to nibble on?" she asked.

I gave her a surprisingly friendly smile.

"I do miss it here, I can see why you stay," Aphrodite said.

I couldn't stop the surprise from showing on my face. "Then why don't you?"

"Too many memories, I suppose. And I have a reason to be somewhere different now." She looked over to where Damien was talking with Zale.

"How did you meet?" I poured myself a drink and leaned on the bar, feeling better that it was between me and the formidable love goddess.

"At a Jinx event, I was just there out of curiosity, he was there working, and something just clicked. You know how it is."

"I really don't." I took a sip of my mocktail.

"You can keep saying that, but I'm not going to believe you," she responded.

"Mmm." I didn't know what she was talking about.

Or rather, I didn't want to think about what she was getting at, because it was far better for me to remain in the dark and respect the memory of my late husband. Even if a part of me wondered if she was right and that a couple of thousand years of mourning was enough.