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)
“Hecate, this is less a plan than a dream that might have the potential to be a plan with some time and effort—neither of which we have.”
“Working with what I’ve got, love.” I risk a glance from my scope to find Atalanta looking at me instead of the scene below. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here.” I swallow hard. “And I’m sorry for hurting you.”
She shrugs, but the move isn’t as careless as she’s aiming. “I’m sorry for hurting you back.”
“But you wouldn’t do anything differently.”
She grins. “And neither would you.” Atalanta shakes her head. “What a pair we make.”
What a trio.
I manage to keep that internal, but only barely. I can’t see a way out of our current mess, let alone to something resembling a happily ever after with the three of us. The three of us. The very thought is absurd, and yet there’s a part of me that suddenly wants it desperately. Below us, Circe holds up her arms, commanding silence from the crowd.
It’s go time.
25
Circe
“The perimeter is set. We’re ready for you.” Antigone isn’t happy with my disappearing act last night, but she’s controlled enough not to say as much in front of an audience. I calculated that timing carefully this morning, slipping back into the university between shifts and catching a little sleep before it was time to conduct Artemis’s trial. It’s an argument Antigone and I have had countless times over the years, but there are nights when I need my freedom to escape the strangling tension of lies and plotting.
It was more than worth it last night. I don’t know exactly what I was looking for in searching Atalanta out, but the entire interaction surprised me. How Hecate kept her hands off that delight of a woman is a mystery not even I can tease out. I saw Atalanta’s performance in the Ares tournament, and there was our intense fight a few days ago, but I still wasn’t prepared for being in bed with her. Or for how vulnerable she allowed herself to be, apparently despite her best efforts. It makes me want…
“Circe.”
“Just thinking,” I murmur. Among the other things Antigone isn’t happy about, conducting this trial in full view of both sides of the River Styx is toward the top of the list. We’re safe enough from the lower city; only small objects attached to a human with an invitation can pass through the barrier. Bullets don’t apply. I know, because we tried it early on against the external barrier in a field test before sending Minos to Olympus. “Let’s get started.”
Demeter smooths her hands down her coat, her expression distant. “There’s no going back now.”
“There never was.” I regret how Eros’s death rattled this seemingly unassailable woman. She didn’t blink at the thought of betraying her city in the service of her people. In fact, she was an active partner in getting my people into the countryside to infiltrate the civilian camp there. It was a key component to turning the tide of public opinion in my favor.
In hindsight, threatening Hera was a mistake. If she wasn’t pregnant, none of that mess would have been necessary, but this will all be for nothing if the Kasios line continues. Maybe Hera would raise her child to be something other than a monster intent on preying on the weak, but in a generation or two, Olympus would be right back where it started. I felt it necessary at the time, but it was the first crack in Demeter’s loyalty.
Nerissa walks up and hands Antigone a microphone. We hauled in speakers for this. It would have been easier to continue to hold these trials in the auditorium, which was already set up for lectures and the like, but a leader must go to where the people are—and it’s vitally important that those hiding in the lower city understand their circumstances.
I accept the microphone from Antigone and hold it down, away from my face. “Thanks.” I turn to Demeter. “Are you ready?”
She smiles tightly. “Yes.”
I hold up my hands and the crowd quiets almost immediately. They’re not still—I don’t think this many people could be still—but the general murmur of conversation dies down. I speak into the microphone as I walk behind the kneeling figure of Artemis, a bag over her head. “Thank you for your patience while we’ve gathered another perpetrator of your pain.” I pull the bag off. “Artemis.”
A murmur goes through the crowd almost like a hiss. I keep my expression even, no smile this time as I know how they feel about this particular person. Peitho was an easy pitch because she actively removed so many people who she viewed as a threat and then went on to attempt to kill Psyche Dimitriou, who many people were fans of. Artemis is more of a challenge. She’s smart enough to keep her sins in the dark, and her loyalty to her family is sometimes seen as a positive, instead of the truth: She doesn’t give a shit about anyone else and wouldn’t lift a finger to save them.