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)
“Yes, well, my father does what he wants.” She says it with the air of someone who’s given up all hope, a stark contrast from the personality she’s shown us to date. She seems to realize it, too, because she forces a bright smile. “You know how it is. Parents, right?”
It’s not my business, I remind myself. This woman is not my business. Olympus is.
I cannot take every injured dove under my wing, no matter what Cassandra accuses me of from time to time. Even hiring her five years ago had my family blisteringly unhappy with me for months before they finally gave in and admitted that I’m more than capable of making my own decisions. They still think she manipulated me, seduced her way into my life to take advantage of my position. They especially believe that now that we’re publicly dating.
That’s neither here nor there, though.
“Ariadne, if you ever need a safe space,” I find myself saying, “I know a few places that offer sanctuary.” There aren’t many in Olympus, but they are notable. The lower city offers a special sort of refuge for those Hades—and now Persephone—deems worthy, and the strength of that refuge has only increased since he forced the entire city to acknowledge that he’s more than a myth.
The other lies within Hera’s domain, a temple of sorts that now houses orphans but used to extend to anyone who claimed sanctuary. It has become mostly toothless over the last few Heras, courtesy of the late Zeus, but our current Hera is making moves behind the scenes to reclaim what power belonged to her title before it was gutted by a dangerous and greedy man.
I am very curious to see what our new Hera will do, given enough time.
Ariadne raises her brows. “That’s quite the offer. You don’t know me. I could say yes and then turn around and work against you.”
I shrug again. I’m not normally one to let instincts guide me, but there’s something about this woman that makes me feel like she’s in trouble. Minos might play the part of the doting father in public, but he’s already proven himself to be a superior liar. After the last Zeus…
I didn’t have the power to fight that man and what he did to his own household. I was too green when I took over as Apollo, and even when I had enough experience to undermine him where possible, it was like trying to use a colander to bail out a sinking ship. Zeus was simply too powerful.
Ariadne is not Helen or Eris or Perseus or Hercules or even the last few Heras who died far too young from mysterious accidents…
But I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try.
“The offer is a standing one,” I finally say. I hold out a hand to Cassandra. “We should get going and leave Ariadne to her peace.”
Ariadne lets us get to the doorway before she speaks. “I, uh, appreciate the offer. I’m not going to take you up on it, but I do appreciate it.” She hesitates. “I’m glad I was right about you.”
Right about me? “Like I said, the offer stands.” I give her half a smile and turn through the doorway, tugging Cassandra behind me.
I’m not sure what the plan is now. The game continues, but until Hector has a chance to go through those emails and chase down any leads he finds, we won’t know if this mission was a success. Still, it’s our best lead, and with how things have played out so far, it’s likely the only one we’ll have. Best to go back down to the second floor and make the appearance of continuing to participate.
I glance down at Cassandra, realize she’s trying not to pant as I all but drag her behind me, and force myself to slow down. “Sorry.”
“Penny for your thoughts.”
“We should leave.”
Cassandra misses a step. “What?”
“We should leave.” I slow down further and look around. Hiding in our room is foolish. Better to aim for one of the many sitting rooms. Going back downstairs is a waste of time. Theseus will be headed up once he clears the grounds and the first floor. I readjust my grip on Cassandra’s hand and tow her around the corner. The hallway is empty, but in the distance, I hear someone cackling with delight. It sounds like Dionysus.
“I heard you.” Cassandra digs in her heels. “This one.” She opens the door on her right and pulls me through. It’s set up similarly to the one we were in last night, though the color scheme is a variety of purples that make my eyes ache. It’s almost seamless, but there’s something off, and so the many tones clash despite essentially being monochromatic.
I shut the door behind us automatically. “There’s no good place to hide here.”