Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123065 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
I told her to dress nicely, which seems almost more cruel. Setting someone up for failure, to look pretty before the blood shows, look nice in front of your enemies, pretend they’re your friends. Yes, it’s cruel.
And she doesn’t disappoint when she walks into the dining room in a simple black sweater dress with matching short kitten heels. Her hair is still pulled back, but she’s added some tempting pink lipstick.
Damn, if she only knew.
I lift my glass to her. “Welcome.”
She looks around the room and does a double take.
Apep sits to my right, Enki to my left, Inti at the end looking irritated and bored as hell next to Kratos.
The sea brought him back, fucking hilarious. It never keeps him for long despite how many things he does for the world. I hope his swim was refreshing, even if he’ll never find what he’s searching for, even if he will never tell us what he failed and why.
He puts his boots up on the table and leans back. “We doing this or what?”
“I do love family reunions.” I laugh.
Apep sends me a glare while Enki just pours more wine.
I can see she’s confused since most of these people hate me, but whatever. I don’t have time to explain, neither do they. Plus, it wouldn’t change anything.
“Yes, please sit.” Apep starts to stand, but I beat him to it and grab her chair on the opposite end, yanking it out.
Cleo sits.
I hand her a silver goblet of wine, different from the night before for different guests.
She frowns slightly, then lifts it to her lips.
After all, when you have certain guests with preferences…
I jerk my leather chair back and sit down then grab my own goblet. “A toast to Cleo’s first day taking a full look around this lovely town.”
Enki bursts out laughing then abruptly sobers. “Oh, sorry, I thought it was a joke.”
He grunts as someone, most likely Apep, kicks him under the table.
He mouths, “What?”
Kratos sighs into his glass after toasting, like he’s been there, done that.
Same.
“Anyway, tonight we have salmon grilled with—”
Apep raises his hand for me to stop talking making me want to strangle him again.
“Sounds great.” He shoots me a pointed stare.
I give him one back.
Kratos clears his throat. “So, Cleo, how did you enjoy your first day? Anything interesting? I mean, if you have any questions we’re all well versed on the subject matter.”
I glare at Kratos, wanting to throw the wine glass at his head but resist. What game is he playing?
“I didn’t realize…” She starts, then glances to me as if fitting puzzle pieces together. “I guess it would make sense, with all the research available here.”
“Yeah, research. “ Apep takes a sip of wine and smirks.
Krato’s nods. “I’ve done decades of research, in fact most of us have dabbled in one way or another, so did you find anything…fascinating?”
Oh hell, here we go.
Everyone watches as plates are delivered to the table.
Cleo doesn’t grab her fork. Instead, she glances down at the salmon then looks directly up at me. “Why did the gods agree to trials of humanity?
Apep immediately starts choking on the piece of salmon he put into his mouth. I would say it was funny except, damn that was a question.
Enki starts laughing then snatches a bottle of wine and pours Cleo some more. “Settle in, this might be a battle.”
Apep stops choking and chuckles while Cleo drinks her wine and watches in rapt fascination.
Hell.
I’m in Hell.
Her eyes are wide, waiting for an answer I’m not so sure she wants to hear, and all I wanted was to eat salmon and have a calm night trying to slowly get her used to her new future.
She reaches for her fork then suddenly drops it and looks to Apep. “Do you know, though? I’ve never even heard of this myth.”
Apep clears his throat.
Enki pours yet more wine for Cleo.
Kratos looks heavenward. I’d feel sorry for him except he opened the door with his question in the first place.
A normal dinner, quite honestly, considering the past ones.
“Well.” Apep clears his throat once more and adjusts his very tight black tie with his stupid black suit. The man didn’t even take off his bright blue peacoat as if he isn’t staying long enough to even have dessert.
“I think…” He looks to me then back to Cleo. “It all started with Anubis. Long ago the gods around the world began to die off, creating a perfect storm for attack. Mars got pissed at Apollo, Anubis stole Osiris’s Greek bride—let’s just assume every belief in the world of the gods is real, and assume that the minute they became less in numbers, they became weaker, once one god rebelled the rest of them did too. There was an all-out war of, some might say…chaos.”
My chest aches like someone stabbed me.