Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
I’m tired, but even with the frantic descent down the stairwell, it’s more stress than anything else to blame. The pounding headache starting behind my left eye is testament to that. It’s a relief to follow my brother to one of the bedrooms and watch as he pulls the sheets from a fainting couch, the bed, and the dresser.
When I raise my eyebrows at him, he shrugs unrepentantly. “I’m curious. So sue me.”
I almost sit on the bed, but even with how frazzled I am, if I go horizontal, it’s very likely that I’ll pass out. I don’t want there to be any chance I miss Asterion’s call.
Icarus digs through the dresser, muttering under his breath. I don’t bother to tell him that any secrets Hermes has won’t be hidden in the house she sent us to. Besides, we’re going to get out of here, and then we’ll never see any Olympians again. I lean back against the chair and let my eyes drift closed. “You’re wasting time.”
“We’ve got nothing but time to waste.” He opens the drawer and curses. “But even I draw the line at pawing through someone’s panties.”
I open my eyes and give myself a shake. I’ve had my phone in my hand the entire time, but I still glance at the screen and make sure it’s not on silent. “We’re going to get out of here.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He finally gives up on the dresser and comes to flop down next to me on the fainting couch. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“I know.” I study my brother’s face. I know the planes and angles almost as well as I know my own, but there’s something in his expression that makes him almost a stranger to me. “Are you hurt?”
He shakes his head sharply. “Your big brawny monster of a man threw himself in front of me. I don’t think I’m allowed to hate someone who took a bullet for me. It’s really fucking inconvenient.”
The reminder that Asterion got shot sends my heart racing. “He’s in no shape to be running around, doing whatever the fuck it is Hermes has him doing. If he gets killed for this—”
“He won’t.”
I give my brother the look that statement deserves. “You can’t just declare something to be true and expect the universe to conform to it. That’s not how any of this works. He’s only human.” And he’s been missing sleep. Running himself ragged as he tries to find a solution to get me out of Olympus. I want to believe that nothing on this earth can slow Asterion down, but that’s the dreamer in me talking.
“If someone was lucky enough to kill him, he’ll probably fight his way back to the land of the living to return to you.” Icarus shakes his head. “It’s scary the way he wants you, but there’s something reassuring in it, too. Anyone who tries to hurt you will have to go through him, and he’s a hard fucker to put down.”
It’s natural for my brother to prioritize my health and wellness over anyone else’s, but he’s looking at Asterion the same way our father does. As meat to be thrown into a grinder to serve a higher purpose. Asterion is worth more than that to me. He’s worth everything.
Icarus throws an arm around my shoulders and gives me a firm side hug. “Just rest, Ariadne. That’s the only thing you can control right now.”
“My phone—”
“I’ll keep watch. It’s the least I can do. We won’t miss his call.”
I don’t mean to close my eyes again. Really, I don’t. But the next thing I know, my brother is shaking me gently awake. I startle up, but he puts his hand over my mouth before I can speak. The light has changed in the room, the shadows longer and darker.
Once Icarus is sure that I’ll be silent, he slowly lowers his hand and speaks softly. “I thought I heard something.”
We sit on the couch in perfect silence except for our soft inhales and exhales, listening with everything we have. I don’t tell my brother that he’s being paranoid. It’s impossible to be paranoid when multiple parties are out to get you. No one should know we’re here, but that’s a fool’s hope. We’re in the middle of the city. There are cameras everywhere, and we took a cab ride to this address.
It still should’ve taken Phaedra longer to find us. They aren’t some magical tracker, and my father doesn’t have access to the network cameras in the city. Even as the thought crosses my mind, I curse myself for my shortsightedness. Of course they have access to the network. They have Mars. It still should’ve taken longer, though.
Except that’s not the truth, is it? I could track someone within a few hours, and it’s been at least that since I escaped Dionysus’s penthouse. I hold perfectly still and listen intently, waiting to hear whatever put the fear in my brother’s eyes.