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)
Which is a fucking problem. I glare up at her. “If you send that mob to the lower city, it will be a bloodbath. There have been tensions between the upper city and the lower city since the founding of Olympus, and the events of the last year haven’t helped.”
“Especially because Hades brought up the secondary barrier, choosing to protect his own people and leave the rest of Olympus to rot,” Circe counters coolly. “Whatever is coming for the lower city, he put it into motion when he made that choice.”
I grit my teeth. “Whatever is coming. Interesting use of passive voice there, Circe. You’re setting this up. You don’t get to wash your hands of the blood that will inevitably follow.”
She walks slowly to the door, pauses, and looks over her shoulder. “That’s the difference between us, Hecate. You always assume I’m trying to keep my hands clean because that’s what you do. When the barrier falls, I’ll be the first across the river.”
10
Atalanta
“This is a damned mess.” I scrub my face, trying to keep my frustration locked down. “We’re wasting time.”
Apollo makes a sound like he’s going to argue, but Cassandra cuts in before he can get a word out. “We have eyes and ears all around the university. That’s not nothing. We know Circe has incited a mob and they’re frothing at the mouth for a target. She doesn’t seem to plan to offer Hermes up to them, which is also not nothing. She hasn’t been spotted leaving the campus yet, so we know she’s still there.”
“Circe has already proven she can manipulate the camera network in Olympus,” I snap. I shouldn’t have come here. It was the smart, logical thing to do, but there’s no outlet for the restless energy demanding I act.
“She’s not bothering to do it now.” Apollo runs a hand down Cassandra’s arm, expression contemplative. “She has no reason to hide any longer. She holds most of the cards.”
I mutter a curse and push to my feet. I’m no closer to finding exactly where Hermes is—or prying her out of that bitch’s hands. She’s got to be suffering, even if Circe hasn’t laid a finger on her.
What if she’s not?
I shove the nasty little voice away. Of everyone in this cursed city, I know how much Hermes loves Circe, even after all these years. I thought I had to compete with a ghost, but now there’s a real, live woman bursting back into our lives, and that means a different kind of battle—even if she wasn’t trying to kill dozens of people.
At least Hector is gone. He went to retrieve his wife and daughter and seek refuge in the lower city. I hope he makes it. The streets were safe enough with most of the civilian population evacuated to the countryside. Now that they’re back, I can’t guarantee what they’ll do if they see a legacy scion wandering about.
I take a breath and try to focus. Cassandra’s parents were killed years ago, but she and her sister are still technically legacy scions. If something happens to Cassandra, Hermes will whoop my ass, and Cassandra won’t leave without her sister. “Where is your sister?”
Apollo is the one to answer. “I sent two of my people to escort her to the Juniper Bridge. She passed over to the lower city early this morning.”
Cassandra seems a little paler than normal. “She’s not happy about it, but she’s as safe as anyone can currently be in Olympus. I would have preferred she leave entirely, but that’s not a fight I was going to win.” She smiles wanly. “My sister has developed a stubborn streak, and she loves this city, gods alone know why.”
That’s something, at least. I roll my head on my shoulders. “Thank you for your assistance, but we’re done here. It’s time for you to leave the upper city.” I hold up a hand when they both rush to argue. “That’s not a suggestion. Every minute you stay here increases the danger you’re both in.”
“Of all the—”
Cassandra is too stubborn by half, but Apollo isn’t a fool. Honorable to the point where he gets into trouble, but not a fool. He’s the one I give my full attention to. “Your brother is in the lower city. Athena and I escorted your parents there earlier today. You’ve sealed off what records you can, and the ones you didn’t are a lost cause at this point. Olympus has fallen, and if you don’t want to fall with it the same way Peitho did, then you need to get the fuck out of here—and do it now.”
Maybe he truly is a fool, because he doesn’t immediately rise and grab a set of keys. “There’s still work to be done.”
Damn it, I didn’t want to do this, but if I have to play dirty, then I will. Apollo is one of the few members of the Thirteen that I actually like, and if he can’t change the system from within it, that hasn’t stopped him from trying. “Circe is the love of Hermes’s life.” The words feel rank on my tongue. “Circe is the whole reason she holds that title, the loss that drove her to do everything she’s done since taking it. The fact that Circe hasn’t killed her outright means the feelings are still there and they’re still mutual.”