Cassandra trampled through the woods. Though she'd ignored her promise to Apollo and didn't carry her bow and arrows with her, she didn't care if the noise she made attracted every predator in the forest. She hoped something stopped her before she arrived at her destination.

Then Cassandra could avoid the terrible task before her.

The previous day she'd woken with an answer to her romantic problems. It had always hovered on the fringe of her thoughts, but Cassandra had refused to give it any focus. She'd led herself to believe she could find a different solution, though deep down she'd always known it would come to this conclusion.

She couldn't be with either Apollo or Dimus. Mostly, Cassandra had decided that because she knew she had no future with either of them.

But, even if she ignored good sense and picked one of them, she'd never find genuine happiness with her choice. She'd always wonder about the other, always worry she'd chosen wrong and would cause harm to the one she'd settled for.

So, Cassandra would have neither of them.

The thought of turning Apollo down didn't hurt her as much as doing it to Dimus did. The god could remain in Cassandra's life, even if she had to force him to swear on the River Styx he wouldn't pursue her further.

Rejecting Dimus meant Cassandra purged the herdsman from her life. Her feelings for him were too intense. She couldn't ignore the temptation he presented and just be his friend.

Tears poured from her eyes, blinded her. But Cassandra didn't need sight to reach Dimus' home. She'd visited it enough in reality and her dreams that the path would always be branded on her memory.

Cassandra didn't wipe away her tears. She'd wanted to present a collected front to the herdsman, but she'd given up when she'd stepped into the forest. Cassandra didn't have the strength to keep her sadness at bay.

If she tried, she'd grow too exhausted and would abandon her task. She didn't know if she'd have the courage to try another day.

Too soon, she marched onto Dimus' field.

His cattle grazed, and Cassandra composed herself as best she could as she watched the creatures go about their business. A few looked her way and bleated a greeting.

She cooed unintelligible words, and her heart tore more. Cassandra had grown fond of them and the way they followed Dimus and sought the love he awarded. Occasionally, they'd even gone to Cassandra for affection.

Unable to handle their presence any longer without bawling again, Cassandra sprinted across the field to Dimus' hut. She didn't pause once she stood at the front door. She rapped her knuckles against the wood and suppressed her urge to flee.

Dimus opened the door. He frowned. "You've been gone longer than I thought you'd be."

His disappointment pierced Cassandra's resolve.

She'd hurt him, and she needed to fix her mistake. Dimus' unhappiness was worse than anything she'd experienced on her way over.

Then her rational side kicked in. She couldn't use Dimus being upset over her absence as an excuse to back out. What she had to tell him would make him feel much worse, and so what?

He was an adult and could handle rejection.

"Dimus, I—"

A wicked, sensual smile washed away Dimus' previous discontent. "But you're here now, and that's all that matters."

Before she could respond, the herdsman took her hand and spun her over the threshold and into his arms.

Dimus crushed his lips to Cassandra's.

She fought the absolute pleasure his kiss aroused. She couldn't give into him.

Cassandra pushed on his chest until he stopped.

He pulled back and once again frowned. "What?"

"We can't do this."

"Why not?" Dimus brushed his finger against her throat. "Doesn't this feel nice?" He cupped her breasts. "What about this?"

Despite her determination, Cassandra couldn't restrain her moan.

A warning screamed in her mind, but she ignored it.

She pressed Dimus' hands tighter against her breasts and wished away her thin peplos.

With a brief laugh, Dimus traced circles around Cassandra's nipples until they grew stiff.

A louder moan escaped her.

Dimus bent close to her ear and whispered, "Surrender to me, Princess."

Her mouth opened, yet she didn't know the reply that would follow. Her longing and levelheadedness battled a war unlike the cosmos had seen. Cassandra's indecisiveness twisted her insides and brought tears to her eyes. She wanted to rip her hair out. The fleeting touch of Dimus' fingers shouldn't undo her as it did.

How did a herdsman spiral her into chaos?

Dimus nibbled the bottom of her earlobe. "What say you?" He pinched her nipples, and Cassandra gasped.

He laughed harder and moved to remove the pin at her shoulder.

With a mind of its own, Cassandra's left hand covered Dimus' hand.

He paused, but Cassandra didn't knock away his fingers. Impatience dulled his alluring gaze. It lasted only a heartbeat, then vanished.

Unlike when she'd annoyed him before, Cassandra's first instinct wasn't to apologize. Instead, mild anger blossomed and caused some of her confusion to evaporate.

If he cared about her as he led her to believe, wouldn't he understand her nervousness?

Though he'd never asked, Dimus had to assume Cassandra had never done much with a man.

Why did her hesitation bother him so?

Did that mean his feelings weren't as pure as she'd thought?

Could bedding a princess be his sole interest in befriending her?

"Dimus, we need to—"

A roar, so massive it shook the hut, resounded, and Cassandra and Dimus cried out.

A shining figure stormed through the open door and rushed the pair. Neither princess nor herdsman had time to avoid the figure's assault.

It knocked Cassandra aside and punched Dimus in the face.

Cassandra stumbled to the floor. As she fell, her eyes registered the figure. Bile filled her mouth.

Apollo had followed her. She didn't know if he'd tried to make his presence known to her while she'd traveled the woods. Cassandra hadn't thought to look for him.

Only two days had passed since their talk near the staff's quarters. From what he'd revealed, she'd thought he wouldn't bother her for a decent amount of time to let his siblings lose their interest in them.

A chilling thought occurred to her.

What if Apollo had suspected her inner turmoil and had watched her and noted who she talked to? Would he put his own safety on the line to find out if he had a rival for her love?

Cassandra shook away the thought. It didn't matter. She had to protect Dimus from the god's wrath.

Without a doubt, Apollo would kill the herdsman if she didn't intervene.

She yelled for both Apollo's and Dimus' attention as she lunged at the pair.

Neither paid her any mind.

The sun god continued to hit Dimus. Most of his blows landed on the herdsman's chest and face.

Dimus blocked his fair share and even punched Apollo once in the jaw.

The sun god's head rocked with Dimus' hit, and Cassandra's eyes widened.

How could a mortal's strength match a god's?

He'd never mentioned it, but the herdsman could be a demigod with similar powers to the famed Heracles. Maybe Dimus had pleased a god in the past and been awarded extraordinary strength, much like Apollo had gifted her.

Or he could be —

Her mind froze the wicked idea before it could form.

She couldn't conceive it; it was too absurd. Leftover fear from Cassandra's previous conversation with Apollo had combined with her current terror to give her wild thoughts.

Apollo wrapped his right hand around Dimus' throat and lifted the herdsman into the air.

Dimus pulled at the god's fingers but couldn't loosen Apollo's hold.

Apollo drove him into the nearest wall; the force caused the wood to groan and bulge.

Dimus kicked at the god's chest and legs, but his attacks didn't give Apollo pause. He snapped his free fist forward, and it met Dimus' nose.

The herdsman cursed as a gold substance gushed from his wounds.

The room spun.

Cassandra lost her footing and fell to her knees.

No.

No, she'd seen wrong. The dreadful thought she'd killed moments before couldn't be the truth.

Somehow, Dimus must have cut Apollo's hand, and the sun god's blood had gotten on the herdsman.

Yet, as hard as she tried, she couldn't deny that the ichor that covered the lower half of Dimus' face came from his nose. As much as she wanted to believe it, demigods and mortals gifted by the gods didn't bleed ichor.

Only gods did.