Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
We don’t speak as Eurydice drives the rest of the way to the bridge and parks in an empty spot near it. She exhales in a rush. “Save Psyche.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re not going to murder Circe—at least not yet, not while she holds Hermes. If you’re going to save her, then save my sister, too. Both Persephone and Callisto will be grateful enough, they’ll have to allow you back into the lower city. You won’t be able to reclaim your position with Athena, but—”
I hold up my hands. “I don’t give a shit about my position with Athena—or any of them. No offense. And after how things just went, I don’t see them listening to reason, no matter who I save.” I clear my throat, trying to ignore the way her pretty face falls. Maybe Athena is right and I’m the fool after all, because I can’t deny this woman a small shred of hope. She’s been hurt by this fucking city, too—more than most. “I can’t promise anything, so don’t get your hopes up. But if I can get in, and if I don’t die in the process, and if I find Hermes and Psyche, I’ll do my best to get them out alive.”
Her hazel eyes shine. “Give me your phone.”
There’s no point in arguing. If she takes it, I still have a burner on me. But Eurydice doesn’t keep it. She simply programs in her number. “I understand it’s an impossible ask. Thank you for promising to try.” She already sounds less panicked, tucking away her emotions and focusing on the next steps. She passes my phone back. “Call me if you need to get back into the lower city. I will only take you back to Hades’s residence, which is a risk because he might just kick you out again, but it’s important to know you have options. Even if you aren’t successful in what you’re trying next.”
Despite everything, despite being jaded to the point of becoming brittle, my heart goes treacherously soft and squishy. “Thank you.” I don’t know if I’ll survive to take her up on it, but having an additional escape hatch is a valuable thing. Especially because she didn’t have to make the offer and will most certainly receive censure for it. “I’ll do my best to bring your sister back, Eurydice. I promise.”
Interlude 1
Zeus
I didn’t really believe Circe was bluffing about holding mock trials for the Thirteen, but watching it play out on my phone while everyone in the room does the same is a special kind of fucked up that I can’t properly quantify. All while the people in the auditorium, the citizens of this city I fought so hard to protect, cheer her on for murdering Peitho. For murdering Eros.
“Oh gods,” Persephone gasps. “Eros.”
Hades plucks the phone from her hand and slides it into his pocket. “We’ve seen enough. Shut it off.”
I reluctantly exit out of the video and reach over to take Callisto’s phone. She turns it off before I can make contact, but she doesn’t jerk away. Instead, she leans against my shoulder, just a little. Suddenly I want nothing more than to take her away from here. To shield her from more violence and hurt. I fully intended to fight Circe for the city, to go down swinging even if it meant I stayed down. To protect.
What the fuck am I protecting?
The people? Her supporters among Olympian citizens numbered high enough to fill the fucking auditorium. They didn’t blink when she shot and killed two people and then dragged Hermes away. Not a single person tried to stop her.
Am I protecting the city? I’ve had to abandon the upper city to save my life—to save my wife—and it doesn’t appear Circe plans to raze it. From Athena’s reports, she’s very intentionally only targeting the Thirteen and the legacy families. The majority of the city has nothing to fear from her, and they know it.
“She’s got people in the lower city. You’ve seen the proof she sent me,” Callisto says. She laces her fingers through mine. “She won’t be satisfied with a single assassination—or even a string of them. It’s not dramatic enough to solidify her place with the people. She needs to bring down the barrier.”
“I’m aware.” Hades stands slowly, his gaze on Persephone. She looks how we all feel—tired, scared, and angry. He holds out his hand, and without hesitation, she takes it and allows him to pull her against his side. It’s strange to watch his thoughts play across his face, to recognize them on an intrinsic level. He wants to send her away, to shield her from this, to protect her…and he knows saying as much will be a waste of his breath. She’s not going anywhere.
Neither is my wife.
I shift my attention to Athena. She drums her fingers on her thigh. “We can’t win in the upper city.”