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Hera felt bile coat her mouth. Why was she reacting like this?

“I mean, it always works.” Nemesis set the flaky pastry down. “I am not actually going to do anything to her. All that is needed to break his heart is the woman choosing me over him, right? He’s in love, so it will be enough to make him a broken man. Are you concerned I will be rejected?”

“I’m not concerned about anything!” Hera knew she’d said it too fast and made a face at her own gaucheness.

Nemesis reached out and covered her hand with cold fingertips.

“Will you talk to me? You really seem off. Did something happen while I was gone?”

Hera looked into the honest, observant eyes and shook her head. There was no way to explain what she had gotten herself into. There was no talking through the whys and the hows. It was done.

“I was worried about the plan. That’s all. And other than your face taking a beating, I was worried for nothing.” Hera chose to infuse her answer with some truth.

“Just the plan?” Nemesis’s eyes were still searching her features.

“Just the plan.” Hera gulped down coffee that had grown cold.

Nemesis looked at her for a long while and then reached for the phone that had been quietly vibrating on the kitchen counter next to them.

“Clio is doing the legwork for me on this one. And I know you got Sabine to fire whatever arrows she will to make this match happen. Though, if you must know, I find the entire idea of perfect matches stupid.”

Hera decided that she did not care to debate the theory of the work Aphrodite and her cohorts were doing. She had seen it succeed; she had seen it fail. When it was a success, it was a spectacular one. The failures were equally amazing in their magnitude.

So she forewent delving into that particular discussion. But Clio… Her curiosity deserved to be assuaged on this account. If only to keep the conversation away from herself and the penetrating eyes that seemed to draw the truth from her.

“Why are you involving the muse so much?”

Nemesis shrugged.

“I told you she’s lonely or whatever.”

“Is that a good enough reason?” Hera raised an eyebrow.

“Are you jealous, Your Majesty?”

Hera almost spit out her coffee. Dammit, this really wasn’t the direction she expected this conversation to go.

“Absolutely not! Why would I⁠—”

“Because you have that look on your face, where you don’t know whether to reward her for saving me or to throw her off Olympus for being there with me in the first place.”

“Furies take me, you said you needed her expertise!” Hera threw her hands up.

“I mean, I did, but she’s also a friend going through a hard time.”

Hera rolled her eyes.

“Then find her someone! Alecto is more vicious than ever, even for a Fury, probably because she’s bored. Hecate is in her own world, ignoring humanity entirely and that witchery of hers is a bit spooky. Hestia has been gone from the scene for far too long and Artemis…”

Hera trailed off, lifting her eyes to Nemesis, who undoubtedly wore exactly the same expression as hers.

“You know we should probably not meddle in the affairs of the Virgin Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon and the Muse of History.”

Hera felt her face relax into a smile.

“I know, but it can be fun. On occasion. To meddle.”

Nemesis planted a loud kiss on her cheek.