Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I don’t know what I can do to stop it. I’m not sure there is something to be done. But if I leave now, the city my sister loves will go up in flames.
If I leave now, the man I love will become a bastion alone without a single person to lean on.
I…have to stay.
I have to learn to swim in the depths.
35
Apollo
I find Cassandra sitting on the edge of the bed, looking lost. I hate that I’m about to add to her stress. I drop my phone on the dresser and sigh. “I would love nothing more than to give you a night of rest, but Zeus has called us in. The tribunal to officially deal with Theseus happens tonight.”
She blinks at me. “Deal with Theseus.”
“Yes.” Zeus didn’t yell when we spoke, but his fury practically iced over my phone. Up to this point, I could usually guess the direction of his thoughts, but I honestly don’t know what he’ll do. Murder—outside that damn outdated clause—might technically be a crime, but if he shoots Theseus in a room full of other members of the Thirteen, who will speak out against him? “I’m not entirely certain what he means to do.”
She glances down at her phone. “It’s too late. The gossip sites have ahold of this information and are running with it. Even if he tosses Theseus off a building, the secret the Thirteen have been fighting for so long to hide is out. None of you are safe.”
I pick up my phone and pull up MuseWatch. They’ve been a boon and a curse in equal turns during my time as Apollo, and the flashy report on their landing page puts them firmly in curse territory this time.
Theseus Vitalis murders his way into the heart of the Thirteen!
“Fuck,” I breathe.
“It’s bad.”
It took everything the last Apollo had to keep the information about what Cassandra’s parents attempted to do locked down, but the timing of this news breaking is highly suspect. “Minos is behind this information leak.”
“Without a doubt.” She pushes to her feet and picks up her discarded dress. “Do we have time to stop by my house so I can change?”
I almost tell her yes, but then my mind catches up. “I can drop you off there if you’d like, but with this information public, the tribunal is all but unnecessary. There’s no reason for you to go through the whole process if you don’t have to. If Theseus disappears, Minos will ensure the public turns against Zeus. We have to instate him as Hephaestus. We no longer have a choice.”
“Why not kill Theseus and the rest of his family? Name them traitors. Act like the assassination clause doesn’t exist.” She says it so hesitantly, I cross to hug her.
“Even if we’re willing to do that—and I’m not—it’s too late, love. The law exists, no matter how deep we tried to bury it. If people know to look for it, they’ll find it. The information is out there and there’s no taking it back.”
“I figured as much. It was worth asking, at least.” Her shoulders slump. “I’m not happy that this situation is so fucked. I’m not happy that you’re in danger now because of what they’ve done.” She lifts her head and meets my gaze. “But I don’t think Ariadne had much to do with the whole scheme. And she tried to help us.”
She did, but we could have avoided this whole nightmare if she’d just spoken frankly. She said nothing, which makes her guilty by association.
Or at least it will in the Thirteen’s point of view.
I smooth back Cassandra’s hair. “After the meeting, I’ll ensure Zeus holds up his end of the bargain. The money will be in your account tomorrow. The passage out of the city will be ready whenever you are.” It hurts to say it. Each word feels like I’m ripping out pieces of myself with my bare hands. “You’ll get everything you wanted, Cassandra. I’ll make sure of it.”
She opens her mouth like she might argue, but my phone starts ringing again. I press a kiss to her forehead and release her. “Get dressed. We need to move.” I scoop up my phone as I head for my closet. “What?”
“Artemis just reached Dodona Tower. She’s calling for Theseus’s head, and I’m inclined to give him to her.”
I drag on my pants, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder. “It’s too late. Minos leaked the information to MuseWatch. The whole city is watching us now.”
“Fuck.” For the first time since this whole thing began, Zeus raises his voice. “Fuck. This is going to change everything.”
“Yes.” The only titles immune to this particular clause are Hades, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera by virtue of being Zeus’s spouse. But even that isn’t a guarantee that they won’t be targeted. “I’ll be there shortly. I have to drop Cassandra at her apartment first.”