Heroes aren't meant to act like their villains -- or fall in love with them. The elements touch everyone on Earth -- Fire, Water, even Light -- but every so often someone becomes more attuned to their elemental leaning and develops true power. When an evil Elemental known as Thanatos arrived in Olympus City, it saw the rise of its first hero -- Zeus. But the death toll caused by defeating Thanatos changed Zeus, who by day is young detective Danny Grant. It's been six months since Thanatos terrorized the city at the start of Lovesick Gods. Danny should be used to his duty behind the mask, but the recent past haunts him. His girlfriend left him, he snaps at the barest provocation, his life feels empty -- he needs an outlet, any outlet to pull him out of his depression. Enter notorious thief Malcolm Cho, the Ice Elemental Prometheus. There was a time when Danny welcomed a fight with Cho, filled with colorful banter and casual flirtations that were a relief compared to Thanatos. Even as a criminal, Cho had recognized the threat Thanatos posed and promised to help Danny stop him, but the day Danny needed Cho, he never showed. Cho was the reason so many people died that day -- including Danny's mother. Danny decides to teach the man a lesson and fan the fire of their attraction into something more. At worst, he'll get some no-strings-attached sex out of the deal and finally blow off steam; at best, he'll get Cho to fall in love with him and then break his heart to spite him. Danny doesn't expect to fall for Cho in the process, and he certainly can't predict the much darker threat on the horizon.

Lovesick Gods

Andre gave an inaudible but very animated sigh from behind her back. “Hey, Lynn? Can you grab the M.E. report on the Spillman case for me? I want to make sure I didn’t miss anything before I file my portion, and I can get through it way faster down here.”


“Oh, of course. Thanks again, Danny.” She set her fritter back in the box with a claiming bite already taken out of it and left the room at an unhurried pace.


Andre still didn’t rise from his chair. Plucking the other two coffees from the holder, Danny approached his friend with what he knew was his saddest, sorriest ‘puppy dog expression’, as his father once dubbed it, since, “You are not allowed to use that look on me when you’re in trouble, young man.”


He held Andre’s coffee out to him, a hazelnut latte from Pronto; no foam, extra whipped cream. “It’s your favorite.” 


“So it’s hoes before bros now?” Andre crossed his arms. “And coffee’s supposed to make up for it?”


Chapter 34