“I’m sure you make all your romantic decisions based on such stringent analytical processes.”

Hermia laughed. “‘Romantic,’” she repeated. “Oh my, you are such a drowther.”

Maybe this was why Danny didn’t like Hermia so much. “The thing that we poor ignorant drowthers call ‘romance’ is the fundamental human longing to be part of a pair bond. You gods may pretend not to have that desire, but you have it. Don’t most of you marry and remain faithful?”

Hermia was about to answer scornfully, but then she turned thoughtful. “Well, you have a point. And you’re right, we have all the fundamental human drives and desires. So all right, Pat, I’ll call it ‘romance,’ too. In fact, let me go way out on a limb and admit that I ‘love’ Danny North.”

This was not something Pat wanted to hear. “You say ‘love’ as if you were putting air quotes around the word.”

Hermia took just a moment to respond, and so Pat demonstrated air quotes, drawing the first two fingers of both hands downward to make quotation marks in the air. “Love,” she said, giving it the air-quote intonation. “I admit that I ‘love’ Danny North.”

Hermia giggled like a girl. “Oh, yes, I really did that. As if I have to deny the admission even as I make it. No, Pat, I’m not lying in bed pining over the boy, but yes, I care about him and the worst thing in my life right now is that I’ve given him every reason to hate me forever and I don’t know what I can do about it.”

“Don’t look to me for advice,” said Pat. “I think he doesn’t hate you enough.”

“Well, he is Danny North. He doesn’t hate any of his enemies enough.”

“Are you one of his enemies?” asked Pat.

“He thinks so, and with good reason,” said Hermia. “And he’s not surrounded by people urging him to forgive me. Why couldn’t he have fallen in with a Christian crowd in high school?”

“We’re Christian,” said Pat. “More or less.”

“Point proven,” said Hermia. “But yes, I still put ‘love’ in air quotes because I don’t know if what I’m feeling toward him really is love or even all that romantic. Fascination bordering on obsession—but that’s easily explained by his power. He cannot be ignored. He’s the ultimate mage, the Gatefather beyond all Gatefathers, and now what you and he can do, gateless gating, how can I possibly love him when I have no choice but to worship him?”