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"Of course she is. That’s undeniable. And at least she has blood running through her veins and not ice, like your former female companions."
"Going to Louisiana alone?"
"Hades wants to go with me."
"He's going out more these days."
"He's hiding something, Zeus."
"How so?"
"I don't know, but he has a secret, and you can guess what it's about."
"Fuck! Will he ever be able to let go of the past?"
"I don't think so,” I say. “It's like a fucking open wound. Our brother blames himself. The trip was his idea, and everything went wrong from then on."
"She shouldn't have gone. Too young, too dazzled and..."
"Annoying?"
"Yes, fucking annoying," Zeus agrees.
"He saw her as the little sister we never had and wanted to give her good memories."
"The opposite was not true. She didn't want him as a brother."
"Yes. We all knew that. Hades included."
"I need to go,” says Zeus. “I'll let Christos know you're heading to New Orleans."
"Why?"
"The ‘king’ of the city is a good friend of our cousin."
"King?"
"Don't worry about it,” he says. “I just want to make sure you two get back in one piece. I've heard rumors that there are a lot of drug cartels and the Sicilian mafia operating there. We don't need another kidnapping attempt on the family."
We grew up under threat. Our family fortune makes us a target. Over the years, we have suffered several kidnapping attempts, all of which failed thanks to the skills of our bodyguards.
"I'm not a baby. You and I are just a few years apart."
"I don't care how old you or the other boys are. I will always worry about the three of you.
* This plot from book one is not relevant to the current book and is mentioned here solely for context.
Serenity
CHAPTER SEVEN
NEW ORLEANS
Without knowing exactly why,I end up not researching my new guardian. It might be reckless, since I'm in the hands of a stranger now, but it's also a form of denial, I think.
In any case, I thank God that the man didn't decide to show up this week. The stress of debuting my solo performance for paying guests has affected my sleep and appetite over the last few days.
All the money will go to charity, and tickets, at five thousand dollars each, are sold out.