Anteros shakes his head with barely-concealed amusement. "You do remember you've just healed her, don't you?"
That only shows how little you understand how frail humans are.
She bruises easily, and her bones—-
While Eros rattles on with a list of my mortal deficiencies, Erma bends down to whisper in my ear, "Be patient with him, little sister. This is his divine way of fussing—-"
I am NOT fucking fussing!
But I think he is actually, and the way his brothers are smirking tell me they think so, too.
GROWL!
It's Eros, turning back into a beast just so he can roar his anger at us, and this time I can only join in everyone's laughter. Fussing is such a human thing, and so for a god - and especially a primordial god like Eros - to do such a thing with me...
A helpless smile curves over my lips as I turn to the beast, and when it moves close to the side of my bed, I eagerly throw away the covers so I can sit up and snuggle against its massive furry body.
He feels so warm and sturdy, and as I close my eyes with a little sigh, I hear the other gods start snickering again.
Huh?
My eyes fly open, and Anteros says dryly, "Only you can make a beast like that look more cuddly than ferocious."
His words have my gaze flying back to the beast, and I hastily bite back a smile. Even with its scary leonine features, the long-suffering expression it wears is unmistakable, and all I can do is fight to keep my face straight as I flash a peace sign in response. "Uh...sorry?"
Your sincerity takes my breath away, moraki mou.
The other gods laugh, and my resolve crumples as I give in to a fit of giggles.
You should rest, you know.
I shake my head. Everything's still too fresh, even if we don't speak about it.
The whole room falls silent, and it's then I realize that the other gods have been listening in the entire time.
"Are you willing to speak about it?" The question comes from Erma, whose unusually sober expression is enough to make me nod without hesitation. And from there, we decide to start piecing things together, beginning with the toxin Cen tried to use to paralyze me.
"I knew I was poisoned even if the test results said otherwise so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I forged my parents' signatures to withdraw my college fund, and I used it to consult with one of Sekret's top priestesses."
Anteros looks at me with approval. "For one who knows so little of the gods, that was a remarkably good move of yours."
"I was desperate," I admit. "It was the first time I've spent days researching about gods. Although I've never voiced it out loud, I kinda knew...in the back of my mind, I had this niggling doubt that magic might've been involved, and when I think of how my parents' deaths were fated...it made me paranoid. I didn't want to be put in a situation where I could be magically drugged or poisoned again."
"Most people's research would have taken them to one of our own," Erma points out curiously. "Aesculapius. Hygeia. Or even Apollo. Why did you choose a priestess serving one of the Egyptian deities?"
A wry smile touches my lips. "I calculated the odds, and since the probability of someone from the Egyptian divine getting involved in my case turned out to be extremely low, I thought I'd take my chances with them."
"And what did your consultation yield exactly?" Anteros presses.
"The priestess gave me an ancient recipe used by royalty—-"
The beast cuts me off with a low growl as he snarls out in my mind—-
MITHRIDATISM.
The anger in its tone makes me feel a little defensive. "No risk, no gain—-"
Another growl cuts me off, and another furious rush of Eros' words roll out for me to read.
Poisoning one's self is not a risk! It is complete stupidity!
A single mistake—-
"But I didn't make any mistakes," I can't help protesting. "And more importantly, the recipe she gave me is a one-size-fits-all thing that can work as an antidote for every type of divine poison—-"
Erma catches my eye, then slowly draws a line parallel to his neck. I'm dead, in other words, if I keep arguing my case like this, and when I look at the beast and see the simmering rage in its gold-and-blue gaze—-
Shit.
With the mood Eros is in, and in light of Erma's words about this being my god's first major scare, I decide to take his baby brother's advice and immediately change gears by reaching up to place a hand on the beast's cheek.
"Stop being mad...please?"
Several beats of silence pass before the beast slowly turns its head to nuzzle my palm.
I apologize for losing my temper.
The truth is, I am angry at myself, moraki mou.