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)
I will never forget Apollo, but will I always remember the feeling of his fingers imprinted on my hips? Will time eventually smudge the exact way he looks at me, as if the sun rises and sets at my pleasure?
I’m terrified of the answer.
He presses a kiss to the back of my neck and disappears just long enough to take care of the condom. He gathers me in his arms the moment he returns to bed. All I want to do is accept the comfort of his presence, his body, his control. The world seems so far away right now, and a selfish part of me wants to keep it that way.
We can’t keep doing this, though. We have to talk about the party. About Pan. “Of everyone here, why attack Pan? Or make Atalanta go missing, if that’s what has actually happened. Or threaten me? Why target the plus-ones? That’s what I can’t make sense of.”
“I can’t make sense of it, either. Pan is well-liked and there’s no strategic reason to attack him. It’s possible he has dangerous secrets, but I don’t know why the attack would happen here, of all places.”
That’s the kicker. The probability of Pan’s attacker not being a guest is so low as to be nonexistent. Looking at it from that angle is the wrong choice; I’m sure of it. “It has to be someone here. Maybe Minos wants the Dryad?”
“Everyone wants the Dryad.” Apollo sounds so frustrated, I want to hug him. “It seems heavy-handed, but I suppose that could be part of it. Pan has no family, so if he dies without a will, the Dryad will go up for auction. But that’s a lot of ifs, and even if it went to auction, there are people with much deeper pockets in this city. Dionysus, for one, would be the first in line and he can afford it.”
I think about how sick he looked after the attack. Surely… I sit up. “Do you think Minos is offering to get his hands dirty so the party guests don’t have to?” It seems a reach when the Thirteen are more than capable of murder on their own, but this Zeus is not the same as the last one. This Zeus wants stability, and you don’t get stability in a time like this by murdering for profit.
I don’t like thinking about Dionysus agreeing to that sort of bargain, but he’s one of the Thirteen. I can’t afford to assume anything.
“It’s…possible. Gods, I hadn’t even considered that it might be an option.” Apollo frowns, obviously thinking hard. “But that doesn’t explain the threats against you.”
“Right, but you’re not here to bargain with Minos. You’re here to investigate him.” The more I talk my way through it, the more sense it starts to make. “Maybe he thought if he threatened me, it would distract you from your task.”
He glares at the ceiling. “He wasn’t entirely wrong, if that’s the case.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “But what about Atalanta? She’s from a powerful family, but she doesn’t have any holdings like the Dryad.”
I sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe she does have something Artemis wants, but we just don’t know about it.” That’s the problem. Even with the progress we’ve made, we just don’t know enough. “But that would at least explain why none of them are worried about being targeted—because they brought the targets with them.” This theory doesn’t apply to Charon and Eurydice, but they’re here for the same reason we are. To find answers.
I wish I could say the same for Aphrodite and Adonis, but as much as I like her, the fact remains that she’s a Kasios, and that family has more than proven that they will trample people to reach their aims. I’m not entirely certain what purpose removing Adonis would serve, but I can’t ignore the possibility that she’s more than ruthless enough to make that call.
I drag my fingers through my hair. “I need to try to talk to Hermes again. Out of everyone here, she seems to have some idea of what’s actually going on. I don’t know if she’ll tell me the truth, but I have a better shot than anyone else.” I’m nearly certain Tyche never actually arrived at this party. I don’t know her well, but she’s the mischievous youngest daughter of one of the legacy families. She’s not in line to inherit and she’s well-liked by most everyone.
Except Tyche’s parents, who don’t like that she spends time with Hermes.
Surely Hermes wouldn’t hurt the woman to punish her parents?
No. I’m right. I know I am. Hermes can be just as ruthless as the rest of the Thirteen, and even cruel when it suits her, but she wouldn’t hurt a friend just to punish an enemy.
Would she?
“You have a better chance at getting information out of her than I do.” He makes a face. “Though after yesterday, I don’t like the idea of letting you out of my sight.”