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

“Quid pro quo, Sparky,” Mal said to the ceiling, not even turning his head.


“What’s the real reason you ditched work to see me?”


Silence filled the air like it was charged with static. If this was just sex, Mal shouldn’t care, but he had to know why Danny sought him out like someone drowning in the middle of the ocean


“I…I just…” Danny started to speak but faded out. When Mal glanced at him, he had an arm draped over his eyes as if to hide. “I told you it’s been stressful lately.”


“This is more than stress.” Mal should know. He was intimately familiar with being broken.


“What do you care?” Danny peeked at him from beneath his arm. “You’re just looking for angles, right? Your next opportunity to get the upper hand?”


Mal stared. He wasn’t used to Danny being this…cold. “Thought I just hadthe upper hand. You complaining about how that turned out?”


“No complaints,” Danny chuckled humorlessly, dropping his arm but returning his attention to the ceiling.


Chapter 58