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The Hounds. It was their faces that swam through my mind when death came for me.

And for the first time in all my lives, I was going to die with regret.

Regret and an unfulfilled, aching heart.

I loved them. Shit. It didn't matter if I was a ghost, a human, or a goddess.

Love is love. I saw it now. Felt the weight of what I had done to my brother.

Stolen from him. Would I have cursed him for taking my lovers from me?

Yes. Yes, I would have. If he had stolen even one of my hounds from me, I would have followed him throughout every life and murdered that asshole again and again.

I would have found pleasure in that alone. With those thoughts, peace filled me.

I had time to say one thing before I died: “I'm sorry, Brother.”

Apollo blinked. His jaw went slack. But it was too late. His light arced from him toward me.

“No!” Ace shouted and dove between us.

My stare, locked with Apollo's, went wide. So did my brother's. The magic hit Ace and sent him soaring past me to crash against the side of his fountain. We gaped at him. Bruno whined and ran for his master.

“My son!” Apollo roared. Then he swung his head toward me.

“He'll be okay,” I hurried to say. “He's immune to your—”

Apollo roared again, this time wordlessly. Then he lowered his head like a bull.

Bruno leapt from Ace to the chaise, landing in a wide-legged stance between Apollo and me. He growled and snapped his teeth, magic sparking off his fur. The fountain. The dog had drunk from the fountain. Holy shit.

Apollo glared at Bruno. The puppy gathered on his haunches, preparing to launch himself at Apollo's throat. I had mere moments to make the most of the second chance Ace had given me. My magic was still leashed, but I had one last card to play.

“Hades, I summon you!” I shouted.

It didn't matter that the territory was warded. With me on one side of the ward, I could pull Hades through with our link. It was common knowledge among gods, and my brother had returned all my goddess knowledge to me.

Apollo gaped at me, his hands lowering. I think he would have run if he'd had the time.

He didn't.

With a thunderous sound, the Lord of the Underworld instantly appeared at my side. Hades looked from me to Apollo, to Ace, and then to Bruno. “What da . . . ?”

I snorted a laugh. “Hey, Hades. What's up? Or what's down?”

“Salina? What are you doing here?”

“So, uh, funny story—I'm a goddess.” I did jazz hands at him. “Surprise!”

Hades scowled at me. Then at Apollo. “It was you. You were backing Silas. Why? What the fuck reason do you have to mess with my boys?”

Apollo lifted his chin. He'd been seen by Hades himself. There was no running now and no denying the obvious.

“That's a longer story,” I said. “Lots of twists. Here's the gist—I did something terrible to my brother, and he cursed me. Then I wound up with his son.” I waved a hand at Ace. “That's Silas, by the way.”

“You what?” Hades swung his gaze back at me.

“I didn't know who he was, okay?” I rolled my eyes.

“Anyway, Helios here murdered me to stop me from committing incest and all, but Ace walked in just after the act and found his father holding my dead body.

In a panic, Helios blamed my murder on you.

That's why Ace has been chasing your hounds.

For revenge. And to save me. He's been trying to protect me from you, not knowing that all this time, it's been his dear ol' dad who's been murdering me.”

“Apollo has been murdering you? As in multiple times?” Hades blinked slowly, and then shouted, “What the fuck is going on here?!”

“What's going on is extreme sibling rivalry that got taken too far.” I shrugged. “And I accept that I'm partially responsible. I deserved what I got.”

“What?” Helios whispered.

“I meant what I said, Brother. I'm so sorry for what I did. I understand now. I didn't know what love was before. I had never felt it. Now, I have. I know how wondrous it is, and I deeply regret taking it from you. Please, forgive me.” I held a hand to my heart and bowed.

“Fuck.” Hades looked back and forth between us as I straightened.

Bruno yipped. Ace groaned.

“Son?” Apollo rushed over to him.

“Get the fuck away from me!” Ace shoved him back. “You son of a bitch!”

“I'm sorry. I had to make sure you didn't . . .” Apollo shook his head. “Damn me. I did to you what she did to me. I'm so sorry, Asclepius.”

“What the fuck is happening?!” Hades shouted, his voice shaking the palace.

Bruno whimpered.

“It's all right, Bruno.” Ace picked up the puppy and stroked him as he stood up to face his father. “I never want to see you again.”

“Son, please!”

“You murdered the woman I loved!”

“She's your aunt!”

“You should have told me! Not murder her and leave me in the dark, you asshole! Who does that?”

I grimaced and nodded. The kid had a point. Damn it, why couldn't I stop calling him a kid? Maybe because it helped to put some distance between us. Eew. I had sex with my nephew. Sure, I was in a body that wasn't related to him, but it still felt gross.

Also, I was a goddess! Yeah, baby!

A goddess without magic, but it was still awesome.

“Selene,” Hades whispered as he looked at me. “The Moon Goddess. The lost goddess.”

“The lost goddess?” I asked.

“Yes. You disappeared centuries ago.” Hades transferred his stare to Apollo. “Now we know why.”

Meanwhile, my brother continued to grovel. I felt for him. Truly, I did. But I also wanted this to be over. Hmm, how do I bring up the curse casually?

“So, uh, Bro.” I cleared my throat.

Apollo stopped apologizing to Ace and looked at me.

“Uh, how about you lift my curse, and we can call it square?”

Apollo narrowed his stare at me.

“You want me to forgive you when you can't forgive your own sister after you've tortured her for centuries ?” Ace shook his head at his father. “You're a fucking hypocrite.”

Apollo's expression went slack.

“Hey!” I pointed at Ace. “Don't you speak to your father like that! You should understand how a murdered lover can make you crazy. He lost his shit. That's true. But it's because he lost someone he loved. Cut him some slack. In his own, stupid, dumb, idiotic—”

“We get it,” Apollo growled.

“—asinine way, he was trying to protect you.”

“Are you seriously taking the side of the man who cursed you to be mortal, and then murdered you in every incarnation?”

I shrugged. “He's my brother.” I looked at Helios. “And I love him. You were my first great love, Helios—the man I measured all others by. I thought it was Ace, but he was just an echo of you.”

“Eew,” Ace whispered.

“Not like that!” I snapped. Then I looked back at Helios. “Like a brother.”

Helios sighed and held a hand out to me.

I rushed into his embrace.

“What the fuck is happening?” Hades muttered. “What the actual fuck is happening right now?”

“I'm so sorry, He-he,” I whispered.

“Oh, Le-le. I've missed you.” Helios started to weep.

“I love you, Brother.”

“I love you too.”

“What the fuck?!” Ace shouted. “This is bullshit!”

“Son, please. I'm reuniting with my sister. Can you give us a moment?”

Ace and Hades gaped at each other.

Helios and I stepped out of our hug to stare at each other. Then we burst out laughing.

“Just tell me this is over. Are my boys safe?” Hades growled.

“They are,” Ace said. “And I'm so sorry, Lord Hades. I was misled. If there is any way for me to make it up to you, I will do it. Just name it.”

Hades sighed and grimaced, his expression so sour that I couldn't help laughing again. He shifted his glare to me, then back at Ace. “You will release the humans you have enslaved.”

“Yes, Lord Hades. Absolutely.”

“And you will offer recompense to the Cerberuses you've endangered. Monetary recompense.”

“Of course.”

“And if, for some unknown reason, they need your help, you will provide.”

“Gladly.”

Hades grimaced again. “Fine. Do all that, and you're forgiven.”

“Thank you.” Ace bowed deeply, still holding Bruno.

“Son of a bitch,” Hades muttered. “I was really looking forward to an epic final battle. Or at least an execution. I feel so unsatisfied.”

“I will confess my crimes to the Olympians,” Helios said.

Hades grunted, reminding me of Jake. “Fine.” He looked at me. “Goddess or not, you still have a bargain to fulfill, Selene .”

I grinned. “Oh, I know. And I have every intention of fulfilling it.” I lifted a brow at my brother. “So, about that curse, He-he?”

Apollo of the Romans, Helios of the Greeks, and my twin brother inclined his head, the past finally forgiven.

With that simple act, my curse was broken.

I felt it. Not a shattering, but a lightness.

The freedom I'd been chasing. It turned out that I wasn't after freedom from men or society but my curse.

I may not have been exactly mortal in that god-given body, but I wasn't a goddess either.

Not until the curse vanished. Then my magic rose.

It didn't explode when released, as Apollo's might have done, but instead grew slowly brighter.

It seeped into my cells, up through my bones, and out of my skin.

Altering. Claiming. Restoring. My magic took what Hades had given me and made it a true representation of my soul.

This flesh was all mine now, and all goddess.

I inhaled as moonlight filled me and set me to glowing.

Not warm light like my brother's, but cool.

His counterpart. I was silver to his gold.

Calm to his fury. Water to his fire. We were balance, and that balance had finally been restored.

Helios didn't lift that curse from me alone, but also from Earth.

All over the world, a subtle imbalance was at play, and my power surged out of me to correct it.

No, I wasn't merely a moon goddess. Do not mistake me for Artemis.

In Rome, I am Luna. I am the Moon. The power of that celestial body flows through me at will.

I can turn the tides, grant balance to physical bodies, and drive men insane (women too, it just sounded better to say men).

But I wasn't only the Moon anymore. I had changed because of my many reincarnations as a human.

I was born to be in the sky. But now, I was more grounded.

My home was no longer among the stars. It was on Earth, with three demigods whose threads had been tangled with mine.

Those damn Moirai—bless their destiny-filled hearts.

I should send them a muffin basket. No, not fruit.

No one likes a fruit basket. But muffins.

Now, everyone loves muffins. Muffins are delicious.

Holding out my arms, I embraced my returning magic and gloried in it.

When I opened my eyes, the room was bathed in my light.

Not as bright as Helios's. My light was soft.

Feminine. Embracing. I didn't want to blind those who would adore me.

I wanted to be seen. At the moment, I wanted three men in particular to see me.

I looked around at the three men who gaped at me.

Nope. Not those three. “Brother, it's been great catching up.

Let's do this again soon, but without the curses.” I winked at him.

“Nephew, I love you. Just not as, well, let's leave all that in the past, shall we?

And let's never speak of it again.” I faced Hades last. “Hades, thank you for forgiving my family.”

“Just make sure to look after mine, Selene.” Hades took me by my upper arms and kissed my cheek. “Do you need a ride back to Earth?”

“No. I can make it home on my own, thanks.”

“Home, eh?”

“Yes, Hades. Home. They're my boys now.” I smiled at him, as serene as the Moon, and disappeared as the Lord of the Underworld gaped at me.

I do love a dramatic exit.