Chapter 3

Right after that night, Theron left for the mortal world to crush the Titan rebellion.

Before he left, he whispered in my ear, "Wait for me. I will make you my Queen when I return."

His breath was hot on my neck, crackling with the electric current of his lightning magic.

I didn't ask what he meant.

Once he found out I was carrying his heir, he would definitely marry me.

But the next few days were hard to get through.

A lot of nymphs overheard my talk with Lyra.

They thought I was the one trying to seduce Cassius.

Meanwhile, Cassius held a meeting and announced Lyra would be his Queen. He ordered the nymphs to treat her exactly like him.

"Hey, what's the deal with Priestess Selene?"

"I heard she’s sleeping with a Centaur guard! She’s supposed to be pure, but she does that during prayer hours!"

"Right? They call her a once-in-a-century genius, but she acts like a wild animal."

None of them saw me go into Theron’s room, so they just gossiped all day.

Cassius heard these rumors with a dark face, then stormed off.

The nymphs began to ignore my orders, all of them desperate to curry favor with Lyra.

My daily Narcissus nectar was ruined with ash and dirt. It was undrinkable.

Even my cloud bed was constantly soaked with water magic so I couldn't sleep.

Lyra stood nearby, faking concern. "Oh my, Selene, what happened to your bed? Need me to find a drying spell for you?"

"No need," I said coldly.

I spent two hours draining my own magic to dry the bed, then laid down.

I didn't care about these petty tricks anymore.

But the bullying got worse. Some even insulted me to my face.

They whispered that I had slept my way into power long before my divinity even manifested. They said I only became a priestess to hook up with gods.

They even knocked on my door at night to check if I was alone.

"She’s not here tonight! Do you think she snuck into the Centaur barracks?"

"I bet it’s that guy Chiron. He was alone in his room tonight!"

I glared at them but held my tongue. I didn't want a fight right now.

Lyra put them up to this, hoping I would snap and leave.

As I was heading back to my room, I bumped into Cassius coming back from outside.

He slammed me against a marble pillar. His magic coiled around my throat, choking me.

"Have you lost all sense of shame? Do you just throw yourself at anyone now?"

His face was blank, but his eyes were full of disgust.

I was terrified. I tried to break free, but my magic was too weak.

Seeing his looking at me like I was trash, my eyes burned. My heart hurt so much I could barely breathe.

He was always like this. He never listened.

I fought back tears, holding onto my last shred of pride. "You believe that garbage? Does that mean you're exactly that kind of person?"

"You bitch! There's nothing you wouldn't do."

Maybe my struggling annoyed him, because he spoke again. "Selene, I can keep you as my lover. But Lyra is the only woman I will ever take as my wife."

My mind went blank. I felt so stupid for ever loving him.

"Go to hell!"

He suddenly grabbed my jaw.

"What? You still want to sleep with other men? Selene, don't push your luck!"

"You are mine! Or else..."

He squeezed my jaw so hard it hurt.

He stared at me for a second, then suddenly let go and stroked my cheek.

His tone shifted, becoming intimate. "Just be a good girl."

"I just can't marry you. But ask for anything else, and it's yours."

I frowned. "Cassius! No."

He suddenly snapped, lowering his head as if to kiss me.

"Then what the hell do you want? Haven't I given you enough already? If you're going to keep being this greedy, then get out of the temple!"

I took the chance to turn and run.

Leaving the temple wasn't a bad idea. I needed peace for the baby anyway.

But as I walked onto the floating bridge of Olympus, Lyra blocked my path.

"Selene, why are you seducing my man?"

I rolled my eyes and tried to walk past her.

But Lyra leaned in close and whispered viciously, "Selene, as long as I'm here, you will always be a loveless, pathetic loser."

Then, she launched herself backward, screaming in mock terror, "Priestess, no!"

I whipped around. She had thrown herself over the railing, falling straight off the mile-high floating bridge.