Crow listened quietly as Penelope explained why she was feeling so distraught. He was a bit surprised to find out that the same conclusion he’d found so intriguing was causing her so much stress. Sure, if the gods had some sort of elaborate plan for their lives, then that might mean they didn’t have control over every little thing that happened to them, but he fully believed that they were still in charge of the outcome of every situation they were put into. After all, they weren’t puppets. Their decisions were still theirs to make, regardless of what the gods threw at them. He wanted to help her understand that

Casting a brief glance at John to make sure he wasn’t looking, Crow took Penelope by the wrist and pulled her to a stop. For a moment, he simply stood, holding her gaze as he studied her worried green eyes, before he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her in an embrace. “We’re not the gods’ pets,” he said quietly, leaning his head against hers as he tried to reassure her. “If you want proof of that, just look at what’s happened so far. If the gods were really controlling us as you say they are, then wouldn’t our mission in Younis have been a success? They clearly didn’t want this war to happen, yet here we are.”

He pulled back to brush a strand of her hair out of her face and offered her a soft smile. “Our shortcomings are what make us human, but they’re also proof that we’re free to make our own decisions. If the gods were really masterminding our every move, we would never mess up, and everything would go exactly according to their plans. Obviously, that isn’t the case, since they seem to feel the need to speak with us in person to convince us to do what they want instead of orchestrate it all from the heavens.

“And as for our feelings for each other…” he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and grinned at her fondly. “I don’t think the gods had anything to do with that either. Sure, maybe they arranged for us to meet and even work together, but we fell in love all on our own. So, don’t worry about being someone else’s horse. Whatever the gods may have planned for our lives doesn’t matter, because we’re still in control of our own decisions. We can handle anything they throw at us, because we’re a team, and we have final say over our own lives.” He caressed her cheek affectionately and leaned in to press a long kiss to her lips.

When he pulled back again, he winked at her playfully, “Besides, you know me, love. I don’t play by anyone’s rules. If you decide you don’t want to do what the gods want, I’ll fight back against them right alongside you.”