Michael killing her. Afterwards all of the gods stayed to talk business for a moment and she blended in well. With a charming smile on her face and her sharp tongue dulled to a sweet caress, she made sure to let everyone know her. Everything she had read proved true, her eyes innocently wandering around and saving each interaction she noticed.

Azriel was just doing whatever. When he had said he didn't like the other gods he had meant it, only hanging with the destructive group of people he had gathered. Seth joined them quickly after, proving her suspicions about their friendship right, but with the way he glared at her he didn't seem to like her that much. Probably her bringing up the whole cutting his own brother in pieces thing. Oh well.

She focused her attention back on the group she was with now. Aphrodite, Hera and Athena, a trio which hadn't meant well for Paris. She was no stupid prince though, drunk on human innocence, but they were still prideful gods, lost in their self-made divinity. If she tapped against their houses of glass they would shatter, but she wouldn't - not yet. First, diplomacy.

"This meeting was so boring," Aphrodite complained, shaking her golden waves out.

The scent of roses wafted from her, though her green eyes resembled thorns more than anything else. She was wearing a pastel pink dress of tule and lace, her dreamy appearance a sharp contrast against Hera's regal one. Underneath her golden corset navy blue flowed down like a peacock's feathers, jewels glittering on her arms and neck, her jade hair pinned up in a high bun. Her features were a lot sharper than Aphrodite's, eyes those of someone who had never known love. If the stories she had heard from Azriel were right, she hadn't.

Athena seemed the most down to earth. With her silver armor and cropped hair there was no part of her which seemed like it tolerated nonsense. Her eyes were the most clear of them all despite being so dark, somehow reminding Jasmina of no man's land, haunted with the souls of forgotten soldiers. Her muscles were defined and though she doubted Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, needed them, she made a mental note not to ever let it get to a fistfight.

"You never listen, Aphrodite," Athena reprimanded her," the Reaper always tells us important things."

"For you, perhaps," Aphrodite said," but I can manage my matters in love and beauty just fine without the interference of all these other gods I don't care for."

"Politics, darling," Hera cooed as she took a sip from the ambrosia in her glass," perhaps you should learn more from it instead of staring in that mirror of yours all day."

Aphrodite's smile was nothing less but poisonous when she looked at Hera, but before she could say anything the queen of the Greek gods already had turned her eye to Jasmina. Her voice was just as sickly sweet as the ambrosia on her lips, words reeking of the beautiful, false promises the gods spun.

"How about you?" she said," I assume being here as as the only mortal is a bit terrifying."

"Oh, quite," Jasmina said demurely, eyes widening with the fear she let seep in," I mean, when Michael was talking to me - I honestly thought he was going to attack me."

"Those archangels don't have any manners," Hera said with a click of her tongue.

"That they don't," Aphrodite said cheerfully, taking another sip," but your husband doesn't either, does he?"

"Then we at least have our taste in men in common," Jasmina smiled.

Aphrodite choked on her drink, laughter spilling over as she placed a hand on her chest. It bubbled like champagne in the air and Jasmina covered her lips, an innocent look appearing on her face.

"Oh my," she said," I hope you didn't take that the wrong way."

"No," Aphrodite chuckled," you're right, Ares is honestly worse. At least that devil of yours was an angel once, Ares has just always been a fool."

Though she insulted him, she said it with a fondness that Jasmina hadn't heard in her voice before. At the sound of his name Ares, who was talking with Dionysus, turned around, a frown on his face. Once he noticed it was Aphrodite who had spoken about him he flashed her a grin and she blew a kiss towards him, a pink heart floating through the air and dissolving on his cheek.

"I don't know if you just don't fear us or are oblivious," Hera said, eyes wandering over Jasmina calculatingly," it's hard to tell."

"Me?" Jasmina said with a shake of her head," I adore the gods."

"Are you not an atheist?" Athena said, faint curiosity in her voice," I feel no reverence from you at all. The color of your mind resembles that of those in the battlefields, who lost their faith among the bodies of the dead."

"What color is yours?" Jasmina asked, tilting her head to the right," who do you believe in, Athena?"

She seemed taken aback by that, but answered still, voice as honest as her eyes. Jasmina knew she had noticed how the subject had been changed, but surprisingly she didn't remark on it. One of the few sincere gods here, she noted in her head. That was always useful to know.

"Death," she said," that's the only god who rules over us all." She grazed a hand across her temple absent-mindedly. "And my mind... I wonder, I can't see my own."

"Be glad for it," Hera said," you already spent too much time caught up in your own head."

"Perhaps you should too, Hera," Aphrodite cooed," it's a beautiful place to visit, you know, when you decide to think for once."

Anger flashed in Hera's eyes, but she kept her cool. Aphrodite seemed satisfied at the reaction she had caused, flashing a smile at them all and waving her dainty hands.

"Anyway," she said," that was enough exchanging pretty insults for me. I'm going back to my man now, before the hothead leaves for another war. Athena, you better beat him when he does, I like it when he's home." She turned towards Jasmina, eyes glittering with curiosity. "And you, Jasmina, I quite like you. You better stick around - who knows, perhaps those fools of ours can double date with us sometimes."

She was off then, passing Persephone as she left, flowers blooming around the goddess of spring when she smiled. With a wave of her hand more appeared and she braided them in a crown, placing it on Hades' head with a bright smile. A certain warmth cracked through the emotionless mask her husband carried, her sunshine glittering on the afternoon rain of his mind, until the rainbow between them became so beautiful even most of the gods couldn't help but stare.

"My brother really loves her," Hera said as she watched them," she's lucky, I guess. Happy marriages are rare these days."

"That's because most let their happiness depend only on their marriage," Athena said matter-of-factly.

It almost seemed like a jab, but though Jasmina doubted Athena meant it that way, Hera still took it wrong. The queen of the gods stepped back, a frown flashing across her face like lightning.

"What do you mean by that?" she said," surely you're not claiming like you know marriages better than I do, Athena?"

"I wasn't claiming anything actually," Athena said.

"And she wouldn't," Jasmina said smoothly," after all, if there is anyone here who knows the subject by heart, it's you, Hera. I was even nervous to approach the famous goddess of marriage - if anyone would give me the blessing for mine, I'd want it to be you."

Athena immediately caught on to what she was doing, a peculiar look on her face. Hera however was as gullible to compliments as she had expected a prideful queen to be and with a huff she straightened her crown.

"At least one of you two knows how to appreciate me," she said," I'm glad to see the devil actually took along a respectful girl. I was half expecting someone like Kali, but mortal and stupid."

"Respectful indeed," Athena murmured, nodding at her in a silent thank you. "The mess that would have been caused otherwise would be tiresome."

"I hope you aren't bullying my wife too much?"

Azriel had appeared behind her, his hand sliding around her waist and his eyes calculating. She knew he had been watching her to check if everything was alright, even though she had told him she wanted to introduce herself on her own. With Azriel by her side it would be hard to get to see the true personalities of all the gods here; she was sure they would be more polite with the devil beside her.

Proving her point Hera immediately let a warmer smile appear on her face, though it seemed less fake than it would have in the beginning of the conversation. She even looked at Jasmina appreciatingly, raising her glass before she put it to her lips again. Athena didn't change much, simply nodding in acknowledgement at Azriel.

"We would never," Hera said.

"I think your wife can handle herself just fine," Athena said, glancing at Jasmina," at least from what I've seen."

"Isn't she the smartest?" Azriel said fondly, eyes saturating in an enamored pink.

"Yes, I suppose," Hera said," I like her. Keep this one, please, it's rare to find anyone with manners up this high."

"Manners?" Azriel frowned, confused," my wife?"

Jasmina cupped his cheek with her hand, applying soft pressure with her nails as she smiled at him.

"Oh darling," she said," don't tease me too much, I'll become shy."

"Shy?" Azriel repeated, his confusion only growing," who are y -"

She put more pressure then and he stopped talking, though he looked more attracted than anything else. Hera would find out her personality one of these days, especially with an eternity ahead of them, but today wouldn't be that day. First she would become her friend, then she could find out the reverence in her heart was as fake as the queen's marriage. Slow steps.

"We're off," Azriel said suddenly.

"So quickly?" Jasmina said with a pout," but I still haven't spoken to all these famous gods."

"They're all boring anyway," Azriel shrugged, before leaning in to whisper in her ear, his voice reminding her of sin," besides, you can speak to me all night, my queen. I am quite the famous one myself."

With a roll of her eyes she nodded, eyes wandering across the gods. All of them had kept an eye on her tonight at one point or the other and now was the same, so she faked a blush and kissed Azriel on the cheek. Though she didn't mind spending quality time with her husband-to-be, the innocent mortal she was in their eyes was a role she could take advantage of for years.

"Let's go, darling," she said.

Azriel beamed at her, eyes turning pink again.

"Let's go."