“Age means strength,” she continued, “and now lets put those pesky doubts to rest, shall we? Close your eyes.” I hadn’t expected to struggle with such a simple command, but ultimately it took me almost a minute to close my fluttering eyelids. My mind was still surprisingly calm but my body was chock full of adrenaline, ready to bolt if I’d just allow it.

  A small side note: I was entirely aware of how dangerous it’d be to entertain this dream if it truly was a psychotic episode, but… just as I had known that I had died I now knew that this was real. Which meant my break down, if it really was one, had happened way back when and I was screwed anyways. No real harm in going further. And if it was more than just a figment of my imagination I’d be dead or chained up within a week if I couldn’t figure this out.

  “What you’ll remember in a second is a scrying spell from the early Macedonian era. Alexander’s handiwork. It’s almost perfect. You can use it freely. Convince yourself of the truth. You are what I’ve described. And before you ask, I can only impart knowledge directly with the power you’ve stored in this construct when you created me. Which will support a similar feat exactly thrice. As to why… in simple terms the delicate spell needed to imprint a personality can’t support more raw strength without crumbling. We can talk about what you might need after you’ve made sure I’m not the result of a heavy hit on the noggin. Which I’m not. Trust me.” She giggled. Great. Somehow I recognised her humour. And then the mother of all migraines hit me and I didn’t really care anymore. My brain was on fire while new pathways formed. Blood leaked form my ears, warm and sticky on my skin, and I was convinced I’d turn into a vegetable. The only good thing I can report is that I couldn’t remember much of the actual agony. It was just too intense, too gruelling to retain a memory and when I came to a handful of minutes later, drenched in sweat and flat on the floor, I felt quite normal, aside from a faint tingling directly behind my forehead, my aching ears and a piece of knowledge that wasn’t really my own.

  “The invisible eye. A complex rune construct that allows the caster to overlook a small, already known area. Based on temporal principles instead of sympathetic or energetic connections the spell can’t be blocked or detected.” Coughing I rose to my knees and blinked blearily. Temporal principles. Chronos’ folly, no wonder I had trouble recalling my name. Aphrodite…, no, goddamn it, Evelyne. Evelyne Paradizo. To hell with all that ancient rubbish. A spell. I knew an honest to god spell for crying out loud. You’re a wizard, Evee. Or a witch? A primordial goddess. Oh boy, if I wasn’t nuts my parents would have some explaining to do. How did that work, anyways?

  Still slightly confused I had already forgotten all about the spell and blabbered: “how was I born? Did I… high jack an embryo? Please, tell me it didn’t happen any sooner.” Construct me… Aphrodite laughed again, an entirely enchanting, captivating sound. Oh wow, not a good idea. What was wrong with me? Did I really think of myself as enticing? Luckily her half chuckled answer stopped that particular train of thoughts.

  “Can’t tell you much. What happened a hundred years ago is not for you to know, yet. But don’t worry, you were actually born, human enough to even die properly. You even have cells and genes but they’re already being absorbed. You’re… changing. It’ll be over soon. A week longer, at the most. That’s also why it felt like your vision was getting sharper. It actually was.”

  “What will I become,” I whispered as I manoeuvred myself into a sitting position. Even though I wasn’t as scared as I should have been I still understood that we weren’t talking about braces.

  “What you already are. Not much will change for you. Well, you won’t die from hitting your head anymore and you’ll realise that your so called mind reading is actually the manipulation of a person’s emotions through their very soul but other than that… you won’t menstruate ever again. Congratulations.”

  “Can I… can I still die,” I stammered, my mind now reeling.

  “Not easily. You can be imprisoned, tortured, defiled, reduced to a mindless thing but I don’t think you can be killed. Not really. It’s just not necessarily a good thing. Let me be very clear here. Let’s say you run into a monster as you are now. Most likely outcome: you’ll become its plaything at night and its food at day, only to regenerate every single dusk. Until I find a way to get us out. Never use your immortality as a weapon. It’s a double edged sword. But you should really use that spell now.”

  “Spell,” I parroted stupidly. Even without a body she managed to roll her eyes.

  “The scrying spell I gave you so you could spy on Katie. Make sure she’s fine and that that bloke actually was her boyfriend. It’ll save us both quite a bit of grief down the line if we get it over with. You’ll need it to fully realise it’s real and she… despite my warnings I think she… they deserve your blessing.” The last bit sounded surprisingly warm… maybe even hopeful, but I wasn’t yet up to any form of witty conversation, otherwise I’d have caught the they:

  “My… blessing,” I slurred, as the floor seemed to vanish underneath me. It was real. It really was.

  “Your the goddess of love. She deserves your love. We’ll find a way to deal with their parents and hide you until then. Just… don’t go too far.” Again I blurted out the most pressing thing that came to mind, even though it might not have been the most relevant issue at the moment:

  “What if she doesn’t want me?”

  “Evee… that really isn’t an option. Watch her. Watch them now and you’ll know.” Stupid as it was, that little carrot was all it took to silence my questions for a while and serve to entirely distract me from the pronouns she had used.

  I frowned, a series of three dimensional runes appearing before my inner eye. With a thought I pushed a tiny trace of… something from my heart, as naturally as if I had already done it a million times. The first rune turned solid and actually appeared on my pupil. The second one followed a heartbeat later. Then the third and the fourth and then my vision changed. Darkness was all I saw, shapeless, impenetrable darkness. I swallowed dryly, on the verge of blurting out a question, when I realised the problem. The spell had been created to focus on a place, but I couldn’t do that, none came to mind. I could only focus on a person. Immediately Katie’s face flashed before my inner eye only to be followed by Victoria’s the fraction of a second later and the dark, cold world was suddenly flooded with pulsing heat.

  “Evee…,” two voices moaned my name in ecstatic unison, the sultry cadence immediately surging to my groin like liquid fire, their hoarse desire lingering in the velvety darkness. By the gods, since when could mere sound… thin sheets rustled quietly over silky legs as the first rays of the morning sun blinked through half closed shutters. The shy light caressed alabaster skin, damp and sweaty and naked, still writhing under the subsiding throes of a forbidden secret. I felt my heart beat once, twice and I trembled, a sweet, addictive, musky taste slowly filling my lungs like a heavy wine. Then they spoke again, each in their own bed, but I could hear them both: “Evee…” Pure, ravenous heat set my blood on fire, the cold marble underneath me sent jolts of exquisite ecstasy through my skin and I couldn’t prevent my own hands from roaming, stroking, reaching further and further, until… “no,” I grunted, appalled and aroused in equal measure.

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  “What’s happening,” I gasped, trembling. My vision was oscillating between the alluring scene and reality, my heart thundering in my chest. If anyone, anyone at all had touched me now…

  “You’re growing up, so to say. Again, you’re the goddess of love, of beauty… and a virgin. What did you expect? You’re like a junkie on withdrawal,” came the mocking reply. “Convinced, yet? Otherwise keep watching. I give you five minutes until you’re completely gone. Then you’ll lose control and then Artemis will appear. Can’t wait to watch. That’d put her vows to the test.”

  “Control,” I croaked while I placed my thumb between my teeth and bit down. Forcefully.

  “This place. You’re still controlling it. The settings, if you so will, the time flow. It listens to you. That’s what I meant when I said you obviously still have questions you want answered before Artemis arrives.” The dull ache in my hand couldn’t be mistaken for pleasure and I slowly managed to gather my bearings.

  “Questions. Right. Are you telling me my older sister is in love with me?”

  “Or very close to it. Don’t fault her. It’s who you are. If you develop an interest in someone they can’t help it. Which makes you the pervert, if you want to go there.”

  “Are you… are you telling me I’m in love with Victoria,” I stammered, my arousal gone.

  “Hmm… think about it. She raised you like a mother, but she isn’t yours. She protects you like a father, yet… you’re probably just confused but you’re also… you. I’m not so sure if you can distinguish between different forms of love. If you like someone and find them attractive… you’re. not easy to impress but once you are, whether it’s emotionally or physically… Maybe you can learn or figure it out, but for now I’m quite sure you’ve fallen for your own sister without ever realising. And the poor girl felt her own infatuation and she’s the one suffering every time you touch her. Why do you think she’s constantly sleeping around? Sweet irony, I’d say.”

  “Can I… is there…,” I couldn’t even say it.

  “She’s not sick, Evelyn. She’s in love. So are you. Stop the one, stop the other. But… you won’t and the sooner you’re going to accept that little piece of wisdom the happier the two of us will be. You’re going to fall in love with whomever catches your eye and whomever you goddamn please. Even if it’s a grotesque monster. It’s who you are.”

  “Then why torture me with…,” I began shakily but she cut me off.

  “Because you have to know. Those two… they’re gems. One, don’t hurt them. Two. Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Everyone. Else. Emotionally, that is. Imagine you started lusting after… well, I’m sure I don’t have to go there to make my point.” No… she really didn’t. I was doomed.

  “Oh god, I’m as good as dead, aren’t I “ I whispered.

  “You would be, but I’m not here for shits and giggles. Getting your libido under control won’t be a walk in the park, especially with your lack of experience, but we’ll manage.” She paused and then:

  “I do fear how you’re going to react to the first few deities you’ll encounter, though. Which is also one of the reasons why Artemis will be the first. She might resist long enough for you to get over her.” I opened my mouth in denial but I couldn’t quite complain. My still tingling thighs were a pretty convincing counter argument. If I had been with either of them instead of playing the role of a peeping Tom I probably… surely wouldn’t have been able to hold back and there’d have been two new minor deities. Jesus Christ, I was so screwed. Keeping a bit of distance between Katie and myself would have been possible but I friggin lived with Victoria. What was I even supposed to do?

  “Tell her. The longer you procrastinate the worse it’ll become for the both of you. Especially now. Over the next few days your going to grow into what you are. She’ll… if you don’t talk to her chances are she’ll run away. Maybe… look, I’m not sure, but if it makes you feel any better I don’t think it’s your fault either.”

  “How can you say…,” I hissed but she interrupted me immediately:

  “Double edged sword. Your powers and your immortality are pretty similar in that regard. While you don’t have to worry about ever being lonely you’re also not entirely free of your own rules. If someone loves you unconditionally, selflessly, you’re going to reciprocate the feeling, whether you want to or not. When you were born it was a dream come true for Victoria. Finally a family she could care for, that would care for her. Ever since you opened your eyes she’s loved you unconditionally… selflessly. Unfortunately the difference between desire and love doesn’t matter very much to you. I’m afraid that weird game between the two of you has been going on for almost sixteen years.” She sighed. “Honestly… I think it’s much too late to change it anyways. Even if you were to tear out her heart she’d probably still think of it as a mercy. That’s why you had to know. She doesn’t deserve the life she’s caught up in.”

  “So what? Am I supposed to knock on her door and kiss her as soon as I return,” I snarled.

  “Why not? As long as your pants stay in place I don’t see a problem. Kissing shouldn’t be an issue. I hope. Not a major one, at least, and she’s already wishing for some kind of power to stay by your side anyways. Where’s the harm?”

  “The harm? We’re…”

  “Not really related. Not anymore. Let me save us both the trouble. Right now you’re feeling appalled because she’s your sister. That… hurdle will disintegrate all on its own over the next days. You can do nothing and wait until you feel like you’re ready or you can start acting with a bit of foresight. It’s going to happen, sooner or later. If you take my advice, you won’t wait. I’m not asking you to tear off her clothes, but sit her down and tell her the truth. She’ll never betray you. By Tartarus, Evee, she loves you. And I think it’d be more than fair to give her a few days to wrap her mind around how her life might change. You owe her that, don’t you?”

  “And what about Katie,” I whispered breathlessly, slowly realising that monogamy probably wasn’t on the table… hadn’t been to begin with.

  “What about her? They like each other, don’t they? Besides, if you abandon her she probably won’t survive the month,” she added quietly.

  “Excuse me,” I rasped. “Won’t survive…” I had turned into a parrot.

  “Her boyfriend has been killed by nymphs. She doesn’t know yet but once she does she won’t let go. Without you… she’ll probably become next month’s sacrifice.” My first impulse was to brush it off, how was I supposed to protect anyone if I wasn’t even convinced that I didn’t belong in a mental institute, but in the end it was a hollow excuse. I had played coy but I had never really doubted the reality of my fucked up situation. Not to mention that I had almost reached an orgasm for the first goddamn time in my life from simply listening to Vic and Katie. I hadn’t even seen much. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that it all fit, as much as I’d have liked to even deny the possibility. Oh god, what were my parents going to say?

  “Your mother knows,” Aphrodite tried to calm me, but in reality she achieved the opposite.

  “She… what? How? When?”

  “Since Paris? You were asleep, doesn’t mean I was. Victoria and her had a pretty intense talk before you moved to New York. And before you ask… your mother is strange. Her only condition was that Victoria would never approach you unless you took the initiative. Some kind of progressive parenting, if you ask me. Then again… I’m not supposed to tell you but I don’t think it’ll matter. She knows something about your birth is strange. She didn’t carry you for nine month… only for five. Which is also the reason why your parents didn’t go mental when your eyes suddenly changed. In a way, subconsciously at least, they’ve been waiting for something like this to happen. Again, you’re a goddess, Evee, and she’s carried you in her womb for nearly half a year. Some of your peculiarities were bound to rub off on her. In the end… it’ll be up to you. If you want those two as your first lovers I’m sure it’ll work out if you put in a bit of effort.”