Page 12

12

Poseidon

My skin is so overheated, it’s a wonder I don’t burst into flames. I asked my question of Icarus on instinct alone, sure I was overstating things and that he would deny the accusation immediately. I wouldn’t have believed his denial, but to hear him baldly state his intention to seduce me? I should be disgusted. I should be furious. I should be putting as much distance between us as possible. I’m doing the latter…but it feels like running away.

Because I am tempted.

He’s nothing like my previous partners. That should mean it’s easy to put him from my mind, but the truth is the exact opposite. I can’t stop thinking about him. He’s irreverent and uses charm to lie as easily as breathing, and yet…

What kind of strength must it take to survive someone like Minos? To snatch up a gun and hold it to my head, to sacrifice himself so his sister could escape? It’s one of the bravest things I’ve ever witnessed. I may not have said it quite that way to him, but it’s the truth. Most people wouldn’t have done that.

Not to mention…he’s incredibly attractive. Almost upsettingly so. Icarus is lean in an almost delicate way, his light-brown skin smooth and unblemished, his wavy, dark hair perfectly styled at all times—somehow even now, while existing in my household without so much as a spare set of clothes.

On that note…

I pull out my phone and call Orion. It takes only a few minutes to get them on the task of acquiring clothes for Icarus. At least enough to get him by until I can… Wait, what am I thinking? It’s the height of impropriety for me to take him shopping for clothing. We’re on the brink of a fucking war and I’m worried about doing things that might put a little bit of light back into his dark-brown eyes. Icarus only kissed me once, and yet I’m seduced in exactly the way he intended me to be. What a fool.

My reprieve comes later that evening in the form of Hera arriving to be ferried out to her ill-fated meeting. At least she’s dressed appropriately to be on the water. She has fitted dark jeans tucked into tall boots and a thick, deep-blue coat that covers a good portion of her body. Her long hair is tucked back into a stylized design that looks almost like a crown. No doubt that’s intentional.

Her brows wing up when she catches sight of me. “A little eager, even for you, to be waiting outside for me.” Her gaze flicks over my shoulder to the house behind me. “Unless your darling little captive is giving you more trouble than you’ve admitted?”

“Let’s go.” I’m a smart man, but I know better than to get into a war of words with someone like Hera. She’ll have me admitting things I have no intention of speaking aloud. If she thinks my priorities are suspect when it comes to Icarus, she may pause in her attempt to murder her husband and try to take Icarus from me.

That, I won’t allow. Which is probably just further confirmation that he should be taken from me because I’m not thinking clearly. I don’t care. I’m not ready to let him go.

Fuck.

I lead the way to my SUV and open the door for Hera. She settles in the front seat as I round the vehicle and climb behind the wheel. Thankfully, Hera doesn’t bother to make small talk as I head down the long drive to turn toward the shipyard.

I haven’t been there in days, and the absence is an ache of loss in the pit of my stomach. Not just for the familiar space but for what it represents. I miss my normal days; I miss knowing exactly what will happen at any given hour. There’s been far too much excitement for my liking, and it won’t slow down anytime soon.

Polyphemus waits by the small boat that we’ll take out to meet Circe. His lone eye is lowered, intentionally not meeting my gaze. I’ll have to talk to him tomorrow. It doesn’t matter that I’m still furious at him for hurting Icarus. I’m not sending him away, which means I have to settle this so he can move on. So we all can. In the morning, I’ll take him aside and reassure him that he still has a home here.

I clap him lightly on the shoulder and nod. “Thank you. We’ll be back shortly. Wait here.” I don’t want any witnesses for whatever comes next. If it’s a trap, then Hera and I will pay the price for our arrogance alone.

Hera steps down into the boat, and I follow her significantly less gracefully. She doesn’t speak until I’ve started the engine and guided us away from the dock and onto the open water toward where Circe’s five ships linger. “It’s rather impressive how loyal your people are. They truly love you, don’t they?”

There’s no reason to think her question is a threat, but I bristle all the same. “What do you think you’re going to accomplish with this meeting tonight? If the rest of the Thirteen find out—”

“But they won’t find out, will they?” Her words go hard, her tone unforgiving. “Our intentions are the same, Poseidon, even if our methods differ. I need my family to be safe, and if that means I have to break every vow I’ve made and sacrifice a large number of lives, then I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

I’ve heard her husband say something similar. I don’t say as much, though. She won’t thank me for the comparison, and she sure as fuck won’t thank me for pointing out that she and Zeus are remarkably well matched. I can’t leave her words unchallenged, though. “Our intentions are not the same, Hera. I’m not willing to sacrifice anyone .”

“So you say now.” She shrugs, her gaze going distant. “But when it comes down to your people or all the rest of Olympus, it won’t be much of a choice at all.” She turns to face the direction we’re traveling in, effectively ending the conversation.

The salty air of the wind whisking the mist into our faces fills my lungs and relaxes a tight muscle between my shoulder blades. We might be driving to our certain deaths, but at least I’m out on the water again.

Out here, even in the relative shelter of the bay, I’m reminded of how small my life really is. My people find the feeling disconcerting, but for me it’s a comfort. The sea doesn’t care that I’m one of the Thirteen; it will crush any arrogance I have as easily as the next person’s. I respect the destruction water and weather can come together to create, but I don’t fear it. There’s almost always warning and time to prepare, to minimize the damage.

The same can’t be true of people.

The relative peace of the moment is over far too soon. “We’re here.” I ease off the throttle and allow the boat to coast to stillness. Or as close to stillness as we can manage while ensuring the waves don’t wash us back to the shore. It’s too dark to see the ships blockading the bay, but I can feel their presence like a weight pressing down on my shoulders. There’s no true freedom on the water right now. There won’t be until we end this.

The faint sound of a motor declares Circe’s arrival. Squinting into the darkness, I’m shocked to find she’s held to her end of the bargain. There are only two people aboard the small vessel cutting through the waves in our direction before slowing to pull up next to us.

I get my first look at Circe—or my first look since that ill-fated wedding to Zeus. She wears the years well. Even in the darkness, I can see her straight spine and proud shoulders, her face a pale oval as the boat gets closer, her short brown hair seemingly impervious to the wind. There’re new lines at the corners of her mouth and eyes, but she’s no less beautiful than she was all those years ago. Her companion has their hood pulled forward and is bundled up with enough clothing that it’s impossible to tell anything about them.

She and Hera stare at each other, each appearing to weigh their enemy. To Hera’s credit, Circe is the one who speaks first. She crosses one long leg over the other. “I’ll admit, I was surprised to hear from you. It’s enough to make one wonder how you got my number to begin with.” Her gaze flicks to me and then back to Hera.

“That’s the least important part of the conversation we need to have.” Hera’s voice is cool and even, showing no sign of the strain she has to be feeling. We sit in the presence of the person who has orchestrated so much pain and suffering in our city. People have died because of the plans Circe put into motion. More will die before this is over. But none of that is evident on Hera’s face. “You’ve been sitting out here, so obviously you wanted someone’s attention. I chose to give you mine.”

“We had bets on who would reach out first.” Circe examines her nails, long and painted some dark color that I can’t divine with so little light. “You weren’t even on the list. Bravo. A Hera with gumption and ambition and no small amount of ruthlessness. You’ve surprised me.”

“If you were paying attention, I wouldn’t have.” Hera’s voice goes hard. “I’m prepared to deliver you Zeus in exchange for you not sacking the city.”

Circe throws her head back and laughs, the sound musical and light and downright joyous. It’s completely at odds with the current situation, and it makes me shudder. When she finally controls herself, her laughter trailing off into little giggles, she presses a hand to her chest. “My, you certainly are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“That’s what you want, isn’t it? My Zeus isn’t the one who caused you so much pain, but he’ll do in a pinch.”

“Darling, you have to learn to dream a little bit bigger.” All amusement disappears from Circe’s voice. “The entire power structure of Olympus is responsible for the harm I endured.”

Hera huffs out a breath. “The entire power structure of Olympus has caused harm to a lot of people. You’re not special. There’s not much to be done about it.”

“Maybe not for you. Personally, I mean to shatter it into a thousand little pieces and then rebuild it from the wreckage into something that doesn’t serve only thirteen people, each more corrupt than the last.” She smiles slowly. “Even you, who would offer up your husband to the enemy.”

Hera is silent for a beat, two. “You can’t have Olympus. If you invade, the people will fight you to their last breath and you’ll inherit nothing but an empty, barren piece of land. And then, right when you’re at your weakest and exhausted from the battle, the outside world will finally realize the barrier that kept our city safe and separate no longer exists. They’ll come and they’ll take what few resources are left.”

Far from being taken aback by Hera’s words, Circe seems downright delighted. “How are you going to fight me when you can’t even manage a vote to go to war with me?”

I tense. How does she know about that ? It’s a silly question, and I have my answer as soon as I think it. Circe is Olympian. More than that, she’s obviously studied us and the laws, no matter how archaic. She knew about the assassination clause. Of course she knew we’d have to vote to go to war—and how unlikely it is to get a majority vote among the Thirteen.

She…planned on it.

“If you weren’t the slightest bit worried, you wouldn’t have accepted this meeting with me. You don’t seem like someone who likes her time wasted. You’re looking for a contingency plan, so let’s stop pussyfooting around. Why don’t you tell me what you’re really willing to accept in order to create peace?”

“You know, Hera, I think I like you. Keep that phone on you. I’ll be in contact.” She motions at her person near the engine and they power up. Within seconds, Circe is whisking away, disappearing into the darkness.

I turn to Hera. “What the fuck was that?”

“I told you my husband has to die, you agreed to that , and now you’re going to falter when you discover the means?” She turns and looks in the direction where Circe disappeared. “Regardless, I was right. There’s something she wants and she recognizes that a full-out battle benefits no one. She’ll let me cool my heels for a little bit to assert her dominance, and then she’ll give me her real terms. That’s when we move.”

I reluctantly start the engine and turn us back toward the shore. “More like she knows how incompetent the Thirteen are when the group of us are together.” I shoot a look at Hera. “Why don’t we tell Zeus to call another vote and this time you vote for war? That would really surprise Circe.”

“Poseidon, I need you to understand something.” She finally turns back to face me, her hair coming free of its braid and whipping around her with the speed of our movement. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my family. Nothing. So you can stay by my side and ensure your people are protected in the bargain, or you can stand in my way and I’ll cut you down first. Do you understand me?”

She’s not saying anything that truly surprises me and yet I’m shocked all the same. I knew Hera was ruthless, but this isn’t something as simple as killing a spouse she never wanted. She’s talking about significantly more devastation. I have no doubt she means what she says, which means I need to stay by her side and do my best to temper whatever plans she’s about to come up with. It’s the only way to ensure as many people survive as possible.

I exhale slowly, tension winding tighter and tighter through me. “You’re being intentionally difficult. We may not have a navy, but at this point, Circe only has five ships. Why are you wasting time with plotting when there’s a clear solution?”

Hera shrugs, appearing completely unconcerned with how she continues to complicate my life unnecessarily. “You might be right, but if there’s a proper war, then everyone will expect the Thirteen to be at the front of things. That’s how it’s supposed to be. My mother, my brother-in-law, right there with targets on their foreheads. Eros will be right there, because as much as Psyche gets frustrated with our mother, she will want her protected. Charon, Eurydice, Orpheus. All three of them will be conscripted to the battle for Olympus. I might not give a shit if that little asshole Orpheus dies, but Eurydice does.”

The feeling in my chest gets worse, the pressure more intense. “The people you care about aren’t the only ones who matter. My people are more likely to be on the front lines than anyone in your family, regardless of what tradition would state for the Thirteen.”

“Precisely.” She says it so clearly, as if she’s led me to this point on her own. As if I haven’t been aware of it from the beginning.

“There is no ‘precisely’ about it. The longer we delay, the greater the chance of more people we care about dying. You’re not part of the solution. You’re part of the problem!”

“Poseidon.” Even over the whistle of the wind and the sound of the waves, her patronizing tone sets my teeth on edge. “Whatever gave you the impression that I’m trying to be part of Olympus’s solution?”

I could shove her over the edge right now. We’re still a good distance from shore, but not so far as to ensure she couldn’t make the swim. It wouldn’t be enough. I’d have to hold her under, have to muscle her beneath the surface until she stopped struggling. Until she drowned.

I’ve never killed anyone before. I’ve gone to great pains not to kill people. When Icarus tackled me into the water, I could have ensured I would be the only one to emerge alive. The stakes are so much higher now.

“Are you thinking about murdering me?” she asks me carefully, her body tense.

Is it possible to drown with air in your lungs? It certainly feels like I’m drowning right now. “It wouldn’t matter if I did. With you dead, your mother still wouldn’t vote for war. We wouldn’t have majority.” The impossible situation presses down on me, harder and harder. There’s nothing I can do to fix this. No matter how hard I fight or how thoroughly I compromise my morals, it seems like I only manage to make things worse.

If Hera died, that would fracture what’s left of the Demeter–Zeus alliance. It would ensure Hades never comes to another meeting with the Thirteen. It would make a shitty situation even more impossible.

I can’t shove Hera over the edge and leave her to drown. I can’t do anything at all. Just like always. No matter how much power I supposedly have, I’m just as helpless to the whims of the Thirteen as I’ve always been.

I can’t fucking breathe. Getting closer to land only makes the sensation worse. I grab the edge of the dock and pull the boat close. “We’re done after this. I want no more part of your schemes.”

“Oh, Poseidon.” Hera steps onto the dock, laughter trailing in her wake. “You don’t get to decide that. We’re done when I say we’re done.”