Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
I’ll never admit it aloud, but it’s a strange sort of relief to deal with Zeus during this time of crisis. He doesn’t bother with wasteful small talk. “Before we move forward with tonight, I have a question, and I want an honest answer.”
“A plan that will benefit all of Olympus.”
I flush, but I’ve been dealing with the Thirteen for twenty years. I’m not going to fold over a sharp question, no matter how valid. “Yes.”
He sighs. “Very well. Ask.”
No going back now. “To hear you tell it, you knew of Hera’s rebellion from the start and chose not to intervene until now. Why? Why did you allow Hera’s plans to move forward?”
His silence reigns as the seconds tick by into minutes. I check and make sure the call hasn’t dropped—or he hasn’t hung up on me. Finally, he says, “Because I was the only one she intended to kill.”
I don’t want to understand…but I do. I laugh hoarsely, and then louder, the sound gaining a thread of hysteria. He waits me out, once again silent as I try to regain control of myself. My chest feels too tight, my brain not firing properly. What are we doing among the Thirteen?
“Are you done?”
Apparently I am. “You and she really are on the same side, aren’t you?”
“My wife doesn’t see things that way.” He continues before I can ask another question. “It’s a moot point. Her values have changed and she’ll let the city burn to save her mother and sisters. I won’t, no matter how little the city in question appreciates it. Are you satisfied?”
“Yes.” There’s no other answer. He’s right. I agreed to Hera’s initial plan to kill Zeus for the same reason—to save the city. Now that she’s stepped over the line and her priorities have narrowed so dramatically, I can’t continue to side with her. “We’ll have your boats ready. If things go well, you’ll only be fighting one ship’s worth of leaders instead of five.”
“We’ll see.” He hangs up before I can say anything else, which is just as well. There’s nothing else to say. We only have to get the pieces in order.
I turn my chair to survey Icarus. His chest still rises and falls in a steady rhythm. Orion will deliver the clothing I requested in the morning. Until then, there’s little to do but wait. I lean away and lace my fingers behind my back, popping my spine. I can’t help the faint groan that slips free in response.
“There’s room on the couch, big guy.”
I smile even as I tell myself not to. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I was.” He yawns and rolls to his side, creating a tiny sliver of space that will certainly not fit me. “Come here.”
I pause long enough to set my alarm on my phone and then arrange myself on the couch. Not next to him but pulling him up to sprawl on my chest. I like him like this, fitted perfectly against me, his weight a comforting pressure against my chest, keeping me firmly in my body. I stroke my hand down his spine. “Comfortable?”
“Yeah.” He presses his face to my throat and inhales deeply. “Thank you. For…everything. I don’t deserve your kindness, but I’ll try to deserve it. I promise.” His words go syrupy and slow toward the end, trailing off into a cute little snore.
I’m not sure he was truly awake through this whole conversation, but I hold his words close all the same. I kiss his temple and wrap my arms carefully around him. “We’re going to get through this, Icarus. You’re going to get through this. I promise.”
No matter what it takes.
27
Icarus
I’m shocked I was able to sleep at all, but when I open my eyes, the light creeping in from the partially closed blinds is bright. It’s well past noon now. Poseidon is already awake, typing one-handed on his phone. His other hand is pressed to the small of my back. When I move to slide off him, he releases me easily. My back aches, but not as much as I expected it to. Probably because Poseidon was my mattress for that little nap.
I’ve never slept with someone the way I sleep with him. It’s not a simple sharing of a bed until the appropriate time to slip away. I sleep deeply. I’m pretty sure there’s a drool spot on his shirt from me. What the fuck? I drag my hand through my hair and duck into the bathroom.
By the time I return, he’s sitting up, still on his phone. I don’t know if I’m supposed to go sit with him or… I cross my arms over my chest. “You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long.”
“You needed it.” He appears to give me his full attention. “Zeus has garnered both Athena’s and Ares’s support—privately—so we’re moving forward as planned. It’s time.” He holds out his phone.