Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
My sister takes a bite and moans in a way that’s uncomfortably sexual. But when she speaks, she’s all business. “In the lower city, I mean. My husband offered you sanctuary because he’s a good man and the thought of someone suffering when he could save them is unbearable. I, however, am a mean bitch with a vast amount of experience in politics.”
“Hades gave his word,” I say.
“Yes, he did. Which is why I need you to release him from it.” She holds Ariadne’s gaze. “My husband will do everything in his power to protect you if you want to stay here, but I think we both know that he will fail. Not because of your father, and not because of Circe.”
Ariadne’s shoulders slump, and she looks so defeated that I want to hug her. “There’s no reason to think he’ll come for me.”
“On the contrary, you wouldn’t have made this bargain if you thought anything else.” She takes another bite and makes another godsawful sound. “I’m sorry, these are just so good, and I can’t stop eating them.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“I have no intention of turning you out without a plan. I’m not a monster.” She pops the last bite of cookie in her mouth and chews slowly. “There’s one way to ensure you will be folded gently into Olympus, though I think we can all agree it would be best you don’t stay in the city proper.”
I am battling the urge to throttle my pregnant sister. I know she can be ambitious and occasionally ruthless, but I’ve never seen her turn it on someone who didn’t deserve it. I’m sure in her mind Ariadne is fair game since she is Minos’s daughter, and Minos is the source of so much pain and suffering in our city right now. But Ariadne helped us. Hades gave his word.
“You have an offer. I would like to hear it.” Ariadne’s mouth twists. “Especially since it sounds like I don’t have much choice.”
“I’ve taken the liberty of speaking with our current Aphrodite, and they have agreed to find you a nice, kind match. There are a lot of lesser houses who reside in the countryside. Aphrodite will provide you with a small list of suitable candidates, and I will personally vouch for each one. We have no desire to marry you off to someone who would mistreat you after the service you’ve done for Olympus. But you can’t stay here.”
I really am going to throttle my sister. “That’s not fair.”
But Ariadne shakes her head and lifts a hand to stop me. “On the contrary, it’s a better deal than I anticipated. I fully expected to suffer some sort of unfortunate accident in the next couple weeks. At least this way, I get to live.”
Maybe I really am naive, because her words shock me to my core. “You made this deal thinking you wouldn’t survive it?”
“I made this deal because I had no other choice.” She turns to my sister. “I accept your terms.”
Persephone nods. She doesn’t look particularly happy, and that’s the only thing that keeps me from losing my shit. I know my sister doesn’t see things that way, but it’s hypocritical in the extreme. I’m essentially in the same boat as Ariadne, but she would go to great lengths to make sure I was never hurt because of the family that I was born into.
Persephone motions to Medusa. “There’s a safe house set up for Ariadne. I need you to arrange transportation for her there.”
Medusa pulls out her phone. “Consider it done.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “In the upper city or the lower city?”
“If I told you that, it wouldn’t be much of a safe house, would it?” She shakes her head. “We can fight about this later if you’d like. Right now, there’s business to attend to. You wanted to be on Hades’s payroll. This is what that looks like. Making hard decisions to protect the lower city.”
To protect the lower city…or to protect Hades?
I don’t ask the question. It’s not fair, and I’m certain I won’t like the answer. Instead, I turn to Ariadne and take her hands. “If you have any reservations about this at all, tell me now and I’ll fight this. I promised you safety, and you’re in this mess because you believed me.”
She gives my hands a single squeeze and slips free. “Like I said, I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into when I called you. It was only a matter of time before my father bargained me away in marriage. At least this way, I’m making a choice for myself instead of having him make it for me.” She won’t quite meet my gaze. “And there was the other thing.”
Right. I’m not in danger of forgetting that. Still… “Are you sure?”