Chapter 38
Persy
On the last day of Sebastian’s six months in Prometheus, he came back as Apollo in the only way that mattered to him—as an artist.
Standing amongst countless paintings of his, and in front of Sunlight Incarnate, he was gifting the world with another Apollo masterpiece.
Most of the gods and several prominent human figures were gathered together for the reveal. While the gods knew what this day really meant, the humans were just happy to have something to brag about for the rest of their lives.
I, on the other hand, was just happy to see Sebastian happy.
He was standing in front of the wall that would house his painting for years to come, chatting casually with Reyna’s father.
“At some point, I’m going to need to hear everything,” Rose said, stepping up next to me and offering me a glass of champagne, her rings glittering in the sunlight. Including one resting on her fourth finger that looked new, the diamond fresh and sparkling.
I nodded, smiling. “I’d love to tell you. I enjoy talking about him, I’m afraid.” I was still a little shocked that we were together.
Rose laughed lightly, flagging Daphne over when she caught her eye from across the gallery. “You don’t have to explain that to me,” she said, affection clear in her voice.
“Glad to see you”re well,” Daphne said as she approached, coming in for a quick hug.
I groaned slightly. “I’m sorry for the hysterics.” I barely remembered that night, let alone what I must have said in those horrible moments where I thought Sebastian was dead.
Daphne waved her hand in dismissal. “Don’t even start. Remind me to tell you about the time I thought Lukas died. That was the definition of hysterical.”
Rose laughed under her breath. “I can vouch for that. I saw her moments after.”
While Daphne was busy laughing, Reyna walked up to join us. “You should have seen Adrian when we went to go check on them,” she said, smiling at me. “I thought he was going to hurl.”
“Serves him right,” I grumbled, though my tone lacked fire.
“I have it on good authority you gave him shit from the beginning with our arrangement,” Reyna countered.
I laughed, remembering how much my father and I had teased Adrian when he’d brought Reyna over for dinner, looking thoroughly besotted with his fake girlfriend.
Before I could respond, Reyna’s smile turned into a sly grin. “Speaking of,” she said, pointing over my shoulder.
Right before I turned, I noticed the entire room growing still, their conversations dying and their backs straightening.
Out of respect, I realized, when I saw my parents walk through the gallery.
They chose a quiet life, having dealt with a fair deal of drama when they had fallen in love and discovered Adrian was on the way, prepared to change the entire fabric of our world.
And now they were here, walking in with their arms linked. My father stood tall and proud, his salt and pepper hair brushed back and his gray eyes bright. My mother’s dark curls were bouncing around her shoulders, her smile kind and clear.
Adrian got to them first, kissing our mother’s cheek and hugging our father. I got to them next, accepting tight hugs from both my parents, muttering a low apology.
Both of them knew. Of course, they knew.
I’d snuck away to their house on a particularly painful night, tearing up as my father brought me tea and my mother asked me what was wrong.
I felt Sebastian at my back a second later. I didn’t think a single person in the room was speaking as he extended a hand to my father. “Lord Jupiter,” he said. Then he turned to my mother, “Lady Zeus.”
My heart swelled. I’d mentioned one time that my mother preferred her Greek title.
And sure enough, that single moment was enough to win both my parents over. My dad clapped him on the shoulder, laughing. “Oh, you’re good.”
My mother went off like a rocket a second later, exploding into a ball of joy. My father didn’t even flinch. “I’m just so happy for you, Persy.”
Sebastian’s hand descended on my lower back, and I rocked back into it slightly. “Thank you, Mom.”
“Your daughter has done more for me than you know,” Sebastian said, his voice growing slightly serious.
My father nodded, his lower lip curling in an impressed expression. My mother’s eyes went even brighter. It was my father that spoke, though. “My son try to kill you yet?” he asked Sebastian.
“Twice, sir,” Sebastian said, though he sounded quite proud of that. Wait, I only knew about—
“I knew I raised him right,” my father said, looking over at Adrian with a smile. My brother was grinning like a fiend, clearly proud of himself.
“We’d love to have you over to the house,” my mom said, turning her attention to Sebastian. “You can ask Reyna. We aren’t that scary.”
Reyna laughed, coming up to give my mother a quick hug. “For two incredibly powerful gods, yes, I’d say you’re on the not scary side.”
“What’s your definition of a scary god?” I asked, unsure what her meter was if she thought my brother was a walk in the park.
“I think most would say my husband, but I would disagree,” Reyna said, looking up at my brother with stars in her eyes.
Adrian’s answering laugh completely destroyed his desire to appear scary.
“I must say I’m excited,” my mother said, and I froze. I forgot to— “We have one of your paintings in the house. Persy was actually the one to recommend it.”
Oh, no. My face felt very hot.
Sebastian looked down at me, a grin on his lips. I debated elbowing him in the stomach. “Did she now?”
I spoke low, just for us. “Two words. Sunlight. Incarnate.”
Sebastian laughed, the sound booming through the gallery. “Well, thank you,” he said to my mother. “I hope you’ll enjoy this one.”
With that, everyone dispersed to gather around the back wall, waiting to see Sebastian’s new addition. I’d already seen it, but I still felt my stomach tighten in anticipation.
Once everyone was settled around the painting, Sebastian planted me right in the middle. He looked at me like he didn’t care that anyone else was in the room, like he only intended to speak directly to me.
He broke eye contact for a second to address the room. “Thank you, Lord Jupiter, for keeping this museum something to cherish and all that,” he said, humor in his voice. Light chuckles scattered through the room. “And you’re welcome for this painting.”
Then his eyes dropped back to me, growing serious. “A very wonderful, beautiful woman once bought me paint and expected nothing in return. That kindness is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Persy, my love,” he said, and I had to blink away tears. “You brought me back to life.” He ushered me up, asking me to stand next to him.
I mouthed I love you, hardly able to do much else, while I walked toward him and took my place at his side.
Sebastian looked taken aback for a second, but then straightened. “I’d also be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to thank the gods in attendance, who under the right circumstances, I would also admit are my friends.”
The humans in the room laughed, blissfully unaware of how deeply Sebastian’s words cut. I took a moment to look at our friends.
Dominic was standing behind Rose’s shoulder, his hand clearly resting on the back of her neck under her wash of hair. Shadows curled around their feet, death following them wherever they went. I could only be glad that one death—Rose’s brother—had brought them together, their shared grief just one part of the depth of their love.
Daphne was tucked in Lukas’s side, smiling unabashedly. Even though her family—the Athena line—hadn’t continued, she’d certainly found something more by going to the sea. Though they’d known of their engagement since they were children, what they’d found with each other in the last year seemed to surprise them.
Adrian was wrapped around Reyna, momentarily dropping his stoic, king of the gods demeanor while his wife was in his arms. It still shocked me at times, that they’d gone from a fake relationship to being deeply in love so quickly. My brother even smiled now.
I turned back to Sebastian, subtly stepping further into his side. I didn’t think there would ever be a time where I wasn’t pulled to him. Sebastian had tempted the gods’ power, searching for weak spots, but I really couldn’t find the mind to wish he hadn’t.
It had brought him to me.
“Alright,” Sebastian said, his hand going to the fabric covering the painting. “Enough of the dramatics.” He pulled away the cloth and revealed the same painting I’d seen when I’d snuck into his studio.
A man, in the style of the old masters, sprawled over a rock while a hawk pecked at his liver, before it’s wings drifted off into feathers and butterflies. Since I’d seen it, he’d added rays of light coming from the man’s head, clearly intended to reference himself.
The affection was still there, clear in the soft, precise brushstrokes.
It was honest and raw and him.
It was his time in Prometheus, altering the original, torturous myth.
A few people gasped. Most others looked impressed.
I threaded my hand around Sebastian’s back, holding onto him as he announced the name of the painting.
Redemption.