95. Perses Spied Me and Raised His Hand in Greeting
Perses Spied Me and Raised His Hand in Greeting
The sight of him made me feel
like my burden wasn’t a burden at all.
I walked over to him, calmer now.
His tall, muscular form moved toward me,
and in a moment, he had swept me up
within his arms, his lips meeting mine.
I let myself melt into his warmth,
savouring him before I tore our world asunder.
When we finally broke apart,
I ran my hand along his jawline,
keeping his gaze. ‘I went to speak
with my father. I have news.’
Perses’s face creased with trepidation
when he saw from my expression
the anger and sadness I felt within.
‘He has already promised my hand
to Oceanus’s oldest son.’ I felt his jaw
tighten under my caress and his tawny eyes
turned molten hot. ‘And how do you feel
about being the consort of Achelous?’
I shook my head. ‘I already know
who I want to be with, Perses.
From the moment I saw you,
I understood. I simply did not recognize
what to name that feeling.
I know who I want to spend my eternity with.
I am sure Achelous is a kind God
and will make some Goddess happy.
But that Goddess is not me.’
Perses took my hands in his large ones,
brought them up to his lips tenderly.
‘If you are sure. I will go speak
with your father. But only with your
permission.’ I nodded slowly, knowing
what would come of this.
It was not my father’s temper that concerned me.
Oceanus was the oldest of the Titans.
And he did not like to be crossed.
Especially not by those closest to him.