The god wrapped his arm around Vatra's shoulders, bringing her in close to him despite her best attempts to gain distance between the two of them. He swept her towards the temple, half pushing and half pulling her along.

As soon as they turned toward the temple, the frown that had twitched at the corners of his lips vanished. Apollo's face didn't show any sign of disappointment at her reluctance. He bore a grin like he was masking any hint of displeasure.

Vatra would have preferred to make her entrance on her own accord. Not be shown around like a prize. As they walked into the temple, Vatra realized why the god made it such a spectacle to have her close at his side.

There were others within the temple walls. It shouldn't have been a surprise to her to see other gods, but Vatra felt like the mood in the room didn't match the reason she'd been called to the temple. They were having a party, not mourning the loss of a fellow god.

A bead of sweat formed at Vatra's brow. "What the hell?" Vatra hissed between clenched teeth.

All eyes fell on the two of them. Raucous laughter died out instantly. Stringed instruments that were playing somewhere in the far corner played their last cord as soon as Vatra straightened her shoulders. Wine cups clattered to tables and food remained uneaten.

"Does this look like hell to you?" Apollo dug his fingers into her arm.

She couldn't tell if he was trying to keep her close for protection or for show as he guided her down a set of steps to the main room of the temple. Marble statues towered above them as menacing as the eyes that glared at her, watching every step. Every move.

"It feels like it," Vatra replied. "They all look like they want to kill me."

"Most do," Apollo said. "In a way, you're declaring a war on gods. Aren't you?"

Vatra looked up at him, her feet shuffling with the blind trust that he wouldn't let her walk into something. "No. Not all of you."

"Oh?" Apollo kept his gaze steady in front of them, leading her on through the center of the party. "You sounded a lot more assured in your words before you walked in here. Now that you're surrounded by gods, you sound uncertain."

I get it, he's trying to scare me.

A flash of anger boiled in Vatra's belly. Apollo wasn't keeping her close as protection. He wasn't even parading her around. The god was taunting her. He was trying to belittle her.

The frown he'd hid must have been his true emotions slipping through. Apollo hated her. Everything else was the act. The mask. Even his invitation for a drink.

She was no fool. Vatra had learned much over the years, and she'd learned a lot about the gods. They couldn't be trusted.

Vatra steadied her thoughts enough to glance around the temple. The gods gathered at the party were difficult to place. Most of them looked like they'd traveled a great distance to even be there. Only a handful were probably even Greek gods.

Great, I could start a lot of problems in a lot of places if I killed just a few of these gods, Vatra thought.

She realized that might have been Apollo's plan. Discouraging her from a fight would be a smart move.

If only I cared a little more.

Like Apollo, Vatra was skilled at wearing masks, too. She'd learned more than just fighting and learning the deceitfulness of a god.

"Not uncertain," Vatra answered finally. The two of them stopped at a pair of empty seats, which were little more than cushions on the ground by a table filled with food and wine. Vatra bent down and plucked up two wine glasses. She handed one to Apollo and raised her own glass to the god. "I was just distracted trying to figure out where the damn wine was that I was promised."

The god took the glass with a laugh.

As soon as he did, the tension in the rest of the temple broke. The music picked up again. Conversation and laughter filled the room. Wine glasses clattered and cutlery clinked together. The room became alive.

Vatra and Apollo sat down on the cushions with equally heavy sighs. She studied the god closely, sipping on her wine conservatively. The alcohol would affect her more than the gods around her, so she had to be careful.

The drink was sweet and smelt of the earth. She drank a sip and found herself gulping down an entire glass, the liquid as easy to consume as a glass of water. Vatra was going to find it too difficult to follow her own warnings. A buzz started in her feet and hands as soon as she set the glass down.

"That's the wine of the gods," Apollo said with a nod to the glass. He regarded a veiled woman that refilled Vatra's glass with a wave of his hand. "You can drink as much as you want and still walk out of here."

"I doubt that. I'm not a god, remember?" Vatra muttered, rubbing her hands together.

Apollo sipped on his wine and leaned toward her, pointing to her legs. "That feeling you have is just the wine taking the edge off. Even for a mortal, it doesn't do anything more than that."

Vatra looked between the god and the wine. She couldn't trust a word he said. The wine might have had something in it for all she knew.

"So," Vatra decided to change the subject, "why invite me here for a drink, anyway? I get it if you wanted to get revenge for what I did, but you said you didn't want that." Vatra left the door open for him to slip up. To admit it was his idea to get back at her for killing his brother.

Apollo didn't bite. In fact, he threw the line back at her.

"Were you really looking for the wine when I was leading you through the party?" Apollo asked. He chewed on a piece of cheese as if it was an afterthought, more interested in what Vatra had to say to his question.

The god's mask had melted away. Vatra had been scrutinizing every muscle he'd been using to force a smile, a laugh. But, he hadn't been able to fake the light behind his eye. Not until he'd sat down and started to talk to her. Apollo had been faking it in front of the others.

Vatra had been wrong, after all.

"No," she admitted. Vatra sat her wine glass down. "You were hiding something when you brought me in here, so I was trying to read the room on how many of you I could take out."

A grin jumped to Apollo's face. "And?" He sat forward with anticipation.

"And?" Vatra repeated in confusion.

"What was your plan?"

Vatra was taken aback. He wasn't asking because he was angry. Apollo had the expression of a child wanting to know the answer to a riddle.

"I was going to take you out first. Assess the strongest next. Move through the room as quickly as possible. Avoid getting cornered. And, if I get taken out, then my death would bring a lot of you with me, anyway," Vatra explained with a shrug.

Apollo nodded along as she talked, raising a finger. "Just one thing. How were you planning on taking any of us out?"

Frowning, Vatra shook her head. "You didn't take any of my weapons from me. I have a godkiller as well, you know."

The god's eyes widened. His gaze drifted over her shoulder, falling on the hilt of a sword poking out of a scabbard strapped across her back. "Is that what that old, scrappy knife is?"

"Would you like to find out?" Vatra snapped.

Apollo lifted his hands out in front of him, palms facing Vatra. "I'm sorry. I'm just surprised that you have a godkiller."

"Because I'm not a god?"

Hesitantly, Apollo nodded. "Look, you're smart. Resourceful. Brash. I didn't bring you here to lure you into a trap or threaten you with all of these gods." Apollo lightly gestured over his shoulder with his thumb.

"While I appreciate the flattery, I still would like a straight answer," Vatra said.

"These gods and I have a proposition for you. You've proven your station as a force to be reckoned with, but you've also made a lot of enemies. Many with our friends. Some of our own family. We will help give you protection as much as we can, and you'll continue to keep the gods and supernatural beings in order," Apollo answered.

Vatra almost choked on her spit. The deal sounded vaguely familiar. Gods and their promises.

"I've heard this before," Vatra said. She stood up quickly, eyes scanning the room for a face she would recognize instantly. Was Hephaestus behind everything?

Apollo climbed to his feet, too. "I've heard of your dealings with Hephaestus. I don't know exactly what went down all those years ago, but we aren't like him. You're already doing what we were hoping for, anyway. Just accept our protection in exchange for a few names in the future."

"You must think I'm an idiot." Vatra folded her arms. "I won't be doing any deals with gods again. On my side or not, I'm the only one that will ever be in charge of what I do. I don't need your protection."

"Maybe not now," Apollo paused, "but you will."

"Are you threatening me?"

Shaking his head, Apollo looked over to someone that was walking in their direction. The person wore all red, a veil covering their face, and by the way the himation draped loosely over their figure, Vatra could see feminine features swaying side-to-side.

Once more, all sounds of the party ceased.

"I'm not threatening you. Even if not by our own hands, we'll give you your own protection. Great wars have been foretold. Many of them show you. If any of these wars are to be prevented, then you need to accept our gift of protection to aid you," Apollo said.

"This is not what I expected when I came here," Vatra whispered. She watched the priestess approach her. The woman stopped just inches away, the jewelry around her wrists and ankles tapping like small bells being rung.

"I'm sorry, your oracle foretold this?" Vatra spoke louder, leaning away from the woman that was now invading her personal space. "I could just try to avoid all wars in the future, you know? Maybe I don't even have to kill another god."

"Trust me, it will come in handy more than your rusty godkiller and flames," Apollo grinned, watching the priestess. He flitted his gaze between her and Vatra. "I have a feeling you won't mind our gift to you."

She wanted to squirm away as the priestess placed a finger to Vatra's forehead, pressing a nail into her skin until it drew blood. "Why do I always find myself regretting a meeting with a god?" Vatra breathed out through a clenched jaw. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, the red veil of the oracle somehow even closer to her face. "What is it, anyway?"

Apollo chuckled. "She's going to bond you with a eudaemon."