Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
I press my hands to my thighs as if that’s enough to ignore the way they’re still shaking, just a little. “Who’s we? I assume you don’t mean the whole of the Thirteen.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. We can’t effectively face this outside threat until we’re unified.” He makes a face and sits back. “An impossible feat with our current Hephaestus, but there’s a target on his back, same as the rest of us.”
Helen sighs. “We’re not going to get anything done. It’d be better if you curated the group. Us. Hera. Demeter. Apollo. Athena. I suppose Hades can come as well.”
I don’t entirely disagree with her, but eight out of Thirteen is not great. “Not Poseidon? Or Hermes and Dionysus?” Artemis and my husband can barely be in the same room with each other, but surely she can see the benefit of unification?
“Poseidon has decided that he’s not concerned with mundane subjects like Olympus’s survival. He isn’t taking my calls.” He looks at her directly. “Dionysus was at that party, and I didn’t send him there, so we can’t guarantee that he’s on our side. He’s too close to Hermes to trust. No, it needs to be all of us or none of us. Better to keep shit out in the open than have meetings behind closed doors—and encourage the ones we don’t trust to do the same.”
“Even Hermes is invited? You still suspect she might be a traitor.”
“At this point, it’s less suspecting and more that I know she is. She was in contact with Minos before he came here. She’s intentionally being difficult and not sharing what she knows about his benefactor and the greater threat to the city. That makes her an enemy.”
Helen shakes her head sharply. “Forget whoever is paying Minos’s way. We can’t deal with Hermes as an enemy.”
“She’s one woman.”
I exchange a look with my sister. Perseus isn’t foolish or impulsive, but that statement is both. I’m not entirely sure what Hermes’s game is, but the fact remains that she’s not actively trying to cut down the rest of the Thirteen, so we need to prioritize dealing with the assassination clause first. “Fine. The whole Thirteen will meet. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
“Stay safe, both of you.” He ends the call.
Helen sighs. “I like how he commands it as if that’s enough to make it true.”
“It’s how he deals with an out-of-control situation.” I shrug, feigning a lightheartedness I don’t feel. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Will we?” She stretches her arms over her head and something in her spine pops. “Sorry, I’m being morose. It feels like they’re one step ahead of us no matter what we do. Minos and his people might not be actively pulling the strings on these attacks, but they’re responsible for the events that got us to this place all the same.”
She’s right, but I don’t like the way her shoulders sag in something akin to defeat. “That’s not entirely true. They never wagered on you as Ares.” I give a faint smile. “We’d be a whole lot worse off if they had control of the military and more of the Thirteen.” I’d bet good money that the original plan was to have their new Ares—either my now-husband or the Minotaur—provide security for Minos’s little house party. With that in play, they would have taken two or even three more titles.
As bad as things are now, they could be so much worse.
“Yeah, I guess that’s true, isn’t it?” She holds out a hand. “I’m glad you’re okay, Eris. You scared the shit out of me. Let’s get you home and—”
“No.”
“What?”
“No, I’m not going home.” I rise without taking her hand. I love my sister, and I mean it when I say she’s a great Ares, but sometimes she still lets her emotions get the better of her. Right now, she’s like our brother and only thinking of keeping me safe, rather than of the implications of running home like I’m scared. “I’ll finish out the day here and then go home.”
To dinner with my husband.
I don’t know how to feel about that, so I put it out of my head. “I have appointments today that can’t be moved. There are three arrangements on the cusp of engagement, and we can’t afford to let them lapse. If we lose support of the legacy families right now…”
She curses. “I hate it, but you’re right. Fine. But you will keep my squad on you at all times.”
“Not in my home.”
Helen props her hands on her hips and glares at me. “So if an assassin bursts through the window—”
“I’m on the fortieth floor. If they’re coming through the window, they’re probably better than your team and it’s a moot point. This isn’t going away anytime soon. We have to find a way forward that doesn’t strip the Thirteen of all agency or they won’t agree to the extra security.” Not that she and my brother could strip the Thirteen of their agency, even if they wanted to.