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

“I don’t know, man. But if that ever happens? No double dates.” 


“Are you sure you’re okay?” Andre asked more seriously again. “When you ran out of here last night…”


Thinking back on the evening’s events—on his outburst at Joey, Stella, and John; on how he’d acted with Cho before he snapped out of his anger—Danny’s gaze drifted until he focused on the mended glass again, ready with the usual canned response of I’m fine. I’ll be fine. But he was so tired of lying.


“I’m not. I’m not okay. I’m trying…but I think I’ve kept some things in for so long, I don’t know how to let them out without exploding. It’s like every resentment and insecurity I’ve ever felt is right under the surface all the time. And god, that must sound so selfish when I’m Zeus,” Danny laughed—falsely, miserably. “The local superhero, who the whole city loves, and I’m complaining about bad moods. I don’t have the right to be this messed up when other people have had it so much worse.”


Chapter 86