Five minutes later I was still kind of paralyzed, with worry. I tried to get Festos’ attention, but he blatantly ignored me. He was testing jets of fire and lava from each individual candle cup on the chandelier. That was one way to light up a room.
I’m sure the result would be spectacular, but I’d leave my close up oohing and ahhing for the night of the ball. Besides, the one time I did manage to make eye contact with him, Festos tossed me a look that promised burns from the dancing plumes of flame if I came any closer.
Since I had zero desire to take him up on that experience, I kept my distance. Besides, there was no need to panic, right? I mean, Demeter and I had left on perfectly good terms. She’d kissed me.
Hmmm. Mafioso kissed people before killing them, too, didn’t they? My pulse spiked. I brightened a little when I figured that, even if she did come to whack me she might have second thoughts doing it in front of a room full of witnesses. At the very least, I’d be with Festos, Prometheus, Aletheia, and possibly Oizys. Although it wasn’t like Demeter had to worry about getting arrested so what did witnesses matter?
Jaw set, I scanned the room, looking at all the faces. Fact was, I didn’t have a single friend here. I watched Festos as, with a flick of his hand, he made the chandelier come alive with fire. Then, he pointedly turned his back on me. Again.
I saw Kyrillos, surrounded by fawning suck ups, while minions hovered protectively nearby. He spared me one hard look before charming his posse with a grin.
Not even my friends were my friends here.
The whole situation felt so unreal.
Dazedly, I wandered farther into the room. I felt one second out of synch with everyone else. The chatter around me sounded like a buzz, coming through a long tunnel. Colors seemed teeth-jarringly bright. Even walking felt too languid. Like I was streaming through a river of molasses.
I couldn’t breathe. I pressed a hand to my side, taking in gulping breaths of air, desperate to get my lungs to expand.
“Did you get his help?” Oizys asked. Suddenly in my way.
My chest loosened at the sight of her, and I took a much needed breath. “Yes. And you don’t need to sound so doubtful.”
She shrugged. “You dance in flowers. That doesn’t scream ‘competent’.”
“Give me a freaking break. I’m Goddess of Spring. I celebrate occasionally in a meadow. It’s not like I prance around with floral arrangements. Nor do I just get bored with people and forget about them. Guy in chains suffering? Who’s that?” I held myself stiffly, chin up, and added, “For your information, Hephaestus is coming to free Prometheus personally.”
She pursed her lips, displeased.
“Now what?”
“Prometheus isn’t going to be happy.”
Maybe for five minutes. Until Aletheia revealed the truth. At which point Theo would probably even hug me for bringing Fee to him, given how they’d left things.
My last hug?
Oizys took a step back, eyes huge.
Which made no sense until I realized that, in thinking about Theo and what lay ahead for us, I’d worn a dark enough look to bother her.
I smiled, thinly. Good.
Hurt flashed across her face.
And my stomach sank. I balled my fists. I was not going to apologize. She got to be as crabby as she wanted to me.
Guilt.
She didn’t even like me.
More guilt.
I sighed. “I have a lot on my mind. Look, there’s still stuff we need to take care of before the ball. Like the nectar, and getting us both a costume.”
“I want a floral arrangement.” Her voice was even. “For the costume.”
“You’re going to milk this, aren’t you?” I was resigned. But not really annoyed.
“Yes.” She headed off in typical stomping stride.
“Okay then. Just checking.” I trotted after her.
Oizys led me me through winding hallways that got narrower and narrower, until the two of us stood squeezed together like sardines in a stone can in front of a simple wooden door.
“Use your light to open it,” she said. “We need to get into Hades’ cellar and liberate some nectar. The good stuff.”
She probably didn’t mean for me to blast the thing off its hinges, but I was not in a subtle frame of mind. The door blew back into the room, arcing through the air to take out an entire rack of glass jugs before it smacked against the back wall hard enough to make my teeth rattle.
We stood there staring at the carnage of broken glass and pale peachy liquid streaming onto the floor. Slowly and deliberately, Oizys looked from the mess, to me, to the mess.
“Whoops.” I stepped inside, and carefully picked my way to an intact rack. I scanned the jugs of nectar. Each one contained several of gallons of booze, sealed with a metal cap. A date, probably of bottling, was written across each jug on a neatly scripted label. “Moonshine of the gods,” I said.
Over my shoulder, Oizys squatted on her heels, examining some labels on the bottom row. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, grabbed a jug and slid it off the rack. “This ought to do the trick.” She stood up.
“A fine vintage is it?” I asked.
“Fine is a relative term.” Carefully, she uncapped it for me to take a whiff.
I leaned in, sniffed, and recoiled, wiping my eyes. “What is that? 400 proof?”
“At least. Drink any of this blend and you’ll go blind. But the Hekatonkheires love the stuff.” Oizys cradled the brew in her arms and led me out.
My sandals left sticky footprints as we walked away. “Where to now?” I asked.
“We need to put this away for safekeeping. Rule number one in the Underworld? Never keep incriminating evidence in your room.” Her hands full with the jug, Oizys elbowed me away from a corridor full of voices.
We waited, tense, as they came closer. Thanatos, the creepy death baby, was directing one of the Infernorators.
Oizys held herself stiffly. She glanced back, searching for a hiding place but it was all wide stone corridor, devoid of any convenient doors.
I held my breath, sliding behind Oizys as if she could shield me from discovery. But at the last second, the voices faded off again.
We waited a moment longer, totally still. Then I peeked around the corner. Thanatos and the minion must have gone into the hallway that branched off the one we needed.
We scurried around the corner, and stopped at a thick stone door with a brass handle. I pushed down on the latch, shouldered the door open, and stepped into the last rays of evening sun. It was still weird to see sunsets that pretty much consisted of black streaking the sky in bigger and bigger swatches until all the daytime color was gone. But I had to say, they kind of grew on me.
The air held the last vestiges of heat, with just a slight nip. Hopefully, we wouldn’t be out here too long, because the flimsy dress I wore did nothing for warmth.
Oizys led us into an overgrown garden. It was mostly thorny vines and weeds, all tangled together, with a narrow path in the middle. She crept to the far end, at which point she stepped off the path and through a gap in a scruffy hedge.
I followed, and found myself in a tiny clearing.
She set the jug down and arched her back, stretching. “Now we doctor it, so the giants have a nice long nap.”
I looked around. “You going to use some plant to make a sleeping potion?”
“Yes. The bulb of the poppy, plucked by moonlight as its petals close. Ground by the stone of the dragon and set into the waters of the Styx.” She unscrewed the cap.
“Really?”
“No.” She pulled a small bottle of of white powder from the pocket of her pants. “Sleeping pills. Pre-crushed.” She uncapped the bottle, and dumped the powder into the nectar.
I watched it dissolve. “You just carry that around, do you?”
She smiled, enigmatic. “I carry all kinds of interesting things around. Hope that you never find out what.”
This chick was worse than Hannah. That was worrisome.
At the thought of Hannah, my shoulders sagged. There was nothing more I wanted in that moment than to fling myself down on my bestie’s bed and talk about the inanities of our day. Make our stupid jokes and bitch about homework and be living the most staggeringly normal Sophie existence imaginable.
I ached with missing her. But I couldn’t deny that I was still upset. What was so massively infuriating was that, as long as I was stuck here, there was no way we could even try and resolve our issues.
More than ready to be done with this stupid enchantment now. I blew a lock of hair out of my face. Reliving the past was pointless, especially when there was so much on the line in my future. Trouble was, before I could solve any of those problems, I had to extricate myself from this one.
Oizys capped the nectar and brushed her hands on her pants. “We’re done. This is safe here until the ball.” She pushed past me. “I need to eat.”
Since the throne room was being decorated for the ball, dinner was waiting in the breakfast room. I was expecting Greek, Greek, and a side of Greek on the menu. Or some more vaguely identifiable roasted meats. But I guess Hades liked to mix things up, because it turned out that Tuesdays meant Chinese food.
Spicy green beans, chicken with cashews, ginger beef, green onion pancakes, chow mein—I’m not ashamed to say that I loaded up two plates. Feeding a body this size required serious amounts of food. And everyone was already judging me anyway.
Balancing one plate in each hand, I looked around for somewhere to sit. Oizys had gotten her food and was busy ignoring me. Even if there had been space beside her, I wouldn’t have taken it. Sadly, there were no empty tables either. This was a billion times worse than any high school cafeteria nightmare. Sitting next to the wrong being didn’t mean plain old verbal humiliation. They weren’t just going to glare at me, or suddenly spread way out to make sure I couldn’t slide in next to them.
These beings could kill me without taking their eyes from their plates. My only comfort was that, as far as I knew, Kai’s edict was still in place. No harm could come to Persephone.
Suddenly, keeping up appearances seemed a very good idea.
I scanned the room for my darling boyfriend, ignoring the pain in my wrists from holding the plates. Maybe two trips would have made more sense.
Bingo. Kai was sitting with Hades in a semi-private alcove. Hades wore a red satin bathrobe, straight out of the Hugh Hefner collection. That made sense given the nymphs he surrounded himself with.
Thinking of Hades that way, was kind of amusing. But what wasn’t as funny was how chatty Kai seemed to be with his father. They sat close together in a plush, burgundy, velvet banquette, talking insistently.
Time to find out what that was all about.
I made my way over to them and dumped my plates on the table. Hades barely spared me a glance. “When you decide to eat, you just go for it, don’t you?”
Kai most definitely looked at me. Especially after I slid my arm around his waist and slipped in close to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“Appearances,” I whispered, seeing the curiosity on his face.
He scanned the room. “Taking your chance with the devil you know?”
I fluttered my lashes. “Something like that.” Then, I raised my voice so Hades could hear me. “Don’t let me interrupt your conversation.”
They both looked at me suspiciously.
I focused on my food. “Mmm. Peking duck,” I said, biting into a mini pancake filled with crispy skin and a liberal dose of Hoisin and green onion. Yum yum. See the goddess eat and not care at all about what conspiracies you’re hatching.
They resumed their little chat. It wasn’t what I expected. The two of them were gossiping like old Italian widows, watching the village go by and giving their unique judgy comments on everyone who passed.
It was harsh. Funny, but whoa. Who would have guessed that the one thing the two of them had in common was utter derision toward pretty much everyone in the Underworld?
The more I listened, the more I realized this wasn’t just good old rumor-mongering. In systematically discussing (dissing?) each denizen of the Underworld, Kia and Hades were actually deciding who needed closer watch, or could be useful for something. I frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
I shifted in my seat to better face Kai. “I didn’t know you were so caught up in the daily dealings here.”
Both he and Hades looked at me like I was simple. “He’s heir to this realm,” Hades said. “Of course he takes an interest in things.”
Persephone must never have paid much attention to what exactly Kai did in the Underworld. And I’d assumed that he didn’t do anything, since Hades always held his ascension to power out of reach.
Their relationship was a lot more complicated than I’d imagined. Because, if what I was hearing was any indication, Kai was totally up-to-date on Underworld business. Or at least had been, before Persephone’s murder seventeen years ago. But more than just having current intel, Kai actively discussed people and events. And on some level, Hades listened.
Hades may have intended to keep Kyrillos dangling for eons. But before Persephone died, there was still some sort of relationship between them. In my current reality, where Kai had stolen Theo’s chain and personally gone after Hades seeking revenge, it was pretty clear there was nothing.
All because of Persephone?
Which left me especially astonished. She hadn’t troubled herself to learn what exactly her big love did in the Underworld. She’d existed in this narcissistic bubble. Which was fairly typical of all gods, but still. Given how long they’d been together, you’d have thought she’d take an interest. If only, because it was important to Kyrillos.
But she hadn’t. I don’t think she once asked him if he enjoyed the politics of it. What he saw for the Underworld and his role in shaping that future.
I set down my fork. I hadn’t asked either. I could blame that on the fact that we’d only been in a relationship, such as it was, for a couple of months. And that, during that time, there hadn’t been a lot of in-depth sharing going on. But, honestly, I wasn’t sure it would ever have occurred to me to ask Kai about ruling. Or what kind of ruler he’d be. Or, well, any of it.
Maybe that’s why I’d been so surprised when he told Felicia he still wanted the Underworld. I’d never bothered to find out one way or the other. I shifted uncomfortably, faced with the very real awareness that I was possibly as narcissistic and self-absorbed as all the rest of the gods.
“Don’t worry your pretty head.” Hades lifted his goblet and gulped back some wine.
Now what? “Excuse me?”
“About Kyrillos’ involvement. He still has plenty of time for you. Focus on what you do best. Being decorative.”
That wasn’t even thinly veiled insulting. The insult was right there. My face flushed. I wanted to snap at him. To tell him that Persephone wasn’t actually stupid. Just frustratingly pigeonholed. But that would have been way out of character—and I couldn’t afford to get him suspicious.
Kai gave me an odd look—like he was still trying to figure me out.
Since there was no way he would come to the correct conclusion—that this was all a giant, magic muck up—and since anything else would fuel his suspicions, I smoothed out my expression, killed all further personal insights, and went back to the last bites of food on my plates.
“Enjoying dinner?”
I gave Hades a vapid smile. “Your chef is a keeper.”
“He should be. He cooked for Emperor Wu himself.” Hades shrugged. “Before he tried to poison him. He’s a deft hand with poison.” He looked pointedly at me.
I choked on my duck. Coughed.
Kai pounded my back. My eyes teared up. “Water,” I croaked.
Kai pushed a goblet toward me.
I grabbed it and slugged down half the contents. “Nectar,” I sputtered.
“Yeah.” His play at innocence didn’t fool me for a second.
Nice try. He wasn’t going to get me liquored up and spilling secrets. Like Persephone’s upcoming betrayal. If I thought he’d believe me about Hekate and the spell, I would have shared that way earlier and saved myself a lot of trouble.
I dabbed my eyes with my napkin. “Great. Thanks.” I took a moment to compose myself. During which I tuned out my dining company entirely. I could feel the nectar flowing through my body, warming my blood. I was a bit light-headed but that was probably because Kai had casually draped his hand on the back of my neck and begun to knead. His fingertips made teasing circles against my skin.
Maybe the conversation wasn’t scintillating, but it was all good. My limbs were tingly and I felt warm and full and happy. And … tipsy, I realized.
“More nectar?” Kai asked, nudging the booze toward me.
Yeah, right. I’d drag you up the stairs and then roll over for you like a cat in heat.
Kai choked on his laughter.
I’d said that out loud. My face flamed. Time to die.
At least Hades hadn’t heard.
“So, you did inherit my charm?” he said to Kai, nodding approvingly.
Spoke too soon. Now I could die. I glared down at the ground, willing it to open up and swallow me any old time.
“She can’t resist me,” Kai answered.
I glowered at him and saw that he was amused. Tipsy was headed downhill toward grumpy. The meal had been swell, but the company gave me indigestion.
I tried to get up, but Kai’s grip kept me pinned. “Appearances,” he murmured.
I gave up. And gave it ten minutes, max, before Hades blew their chumminess with an insult.
Try ten seconds. Hades stood. In a loud, bored voice, he said, “Cigar.” Immediately, Hypnos—otherwise known as Sleep and twin to Thanatos—strode over, brandishing one. As a bearded naked guy, it was hard to see Hypnos’ resemblance to Death, but they did both have wings. Even if Hypnos’ sprouted from his head. One of the Pyrosim floated behind him, I guess it was his job to light the cigar.
“Outside.” Hades didn’t bother with good-bye. He turned his back on us and walked away.
Kai’s hand tensed on my neck for a second. Other than that, he didn’t show any reaction to Hades’ sudden loss of interest. “Speaking of appearances, my love,” he said, his voice wrapping around and through me.
I shivered in delight.
“You didn’t sleep in our room last night. Has Prometheus lost his worth already?”
I balked at Kai’s sheer unmitigated gall. He still thought I was going to bunk with him? Maybe I was supposed to play really nice and win Prometheus’ freedom that way? What kind of giant skank did he take me for?
I hit him with my brightest smile, dripping scorn. “It seems to me, my love, that you broke that deal when you outed our status to Hephaestus.”
Ha. That got him.
“You eavesdropped?” He went into thundercloud mode.
I stroked a hand over his chest and purred, “Every last word, Koko.”
I thought he’d freak. Instead, he leaned back the banquette in a lazy slouch and regarded me through slitted lids.
I was not fooled. This was not a happy, relaxed Kai. Just him getting the lay of the land before he struck.
Like a snake.
But damn, if he didn’t look pretty doing it. And by pretty I mean hot, tense, and smolderingly male. As a look, it worked.
“You’re enjoying this.” He sounded puzzled.
“Parts of it.” I batted my eyelashes. “Immensely.” The rest of it sucked, which was why it was time to lose Kai and find Oizys.
He stroked my back. “Forget Hephaestus. He isn’t going to talk. So our deal about appearances still stands. Tonight you’re back where you belong, roomie.” That last word slid against my skin like a touch.
I didn’t let him see how he affected me, meeting his eyes with bland indifference. “Think you need to look up the definition of that word,” I said. I’d had a roomie for most of my life. And Hannah and I were definitely not up to the antics that the gleam in his eyes promised.
My brain chanted lalalalalala trying to ignore the feel of his fingers brushing over me. The fabric barrier did nada to prevent his touch from searing my skin. I willed my heart rate to stay slow and steady. “I don’t sleep with business partners.”
His hand skimmed up my side. “Technically, we aren’t broken up until after the equinox.”
I clasped a hand over his, stopping him cold. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Kai dipped his head, peering at me through those damn thick lashes. “You’re … different.” He lingered on my lips. “Compelling.”
My heart sped up again. Not because I found it particularly romantic or anything. His heat didn’t promise hearts-and-flowers romance. But my heart didn’t speed up out of lust either. Fact was, the “difference” that intrigued Kai was me. Sophie. Even if he didn’t know it.
Me. Not Persephone. I wanted to groove a happy dance. But I was still annoyed with his presumptions around our sleeping arrangements. And everything that went along with them. “Sadly,” I said, “I don’t return the sentiment.”
His grin kicked up.
So did the flush on my skin. Except I’d been down this road with him before. Affection and animosity. Much as I wanted Kai to recognize me, no way was I getting into this destructive pattern again.
Kai didn’t notice my distress. He was too busy being infuriatingly smug. “You lie,” he said. And kissed me.
I blasted him with my light.
I’m not sure who was more shocked: him, me, or the dozens of heads that swung our way when my power lit up the room. It had been a totally subconscious move. “Oops.” I scrambled away, out of the banquette and felt my Persephoneness hum in delight. This is not a bonding moment, I thought at her.
The minions flew at me, fiery tentacle arms outstretched and ready to destroy on Kai’s command.
He stopped them with a raised hand, and stood up. “I’m just that good,” he said, pure cockiness. He chucked me under the chin with one finger.
The room broke out into laughter, and I blushed as if on cue. I shot daggers with my eyes.
And the minions stood down.
I took advantage of Kai’s gloating distractedness to bolt, but I didn’t even make it one whole step.
Kai hauled me up against his body.
Use him. Use them all.
Down, psycho goddess. Was it asking too much to only have one voice in my head right now? Mine? Or to at least have the other one be friendly? “Let go,” I said. “I have to find a costume for the ball.” I looked across the room to the table where Oizys had been sitting. But she wasn’t there. I’d have to track her down.
“I want you where I can see you. Make sure you don’t cause any trouble.” Kai laced his fingers through mine and started to tow me off.
I tried to dig in and stop him but I ended up sliding along the floor in his wake. “Don’t force this.”
“Or what?”
“You’ll find out just how painful my light can be.”
He gave me a crooked smile. “My kick-ass light-bringer,” he murmured. “All phospherocious.”
I froze. “What did you say?”
Kai shook his head slowly, almost as if he were dazed. “I don’t know.” He looked uncomfortable, speeding up as we hit the hallway. Compensating.
Was he remembering? “Think,” I insisted, grabbing his arm.
He broke free and scowled. “It was nothing.”
I sagged. He wasn’t going to remember anything else. And trying only made him cranky. Damn, my eyes were getting hot and wet. I stomped up the stairs to our room, blinking furiously. Why couldn’t he see how much being close to him-yet so far away-was killing me? Why couldn’t he see me?
Kai stopped on the second floor landing. He brushed the pad of his index finger under my eye. “You’re driving me crazy.” He spoke so softly, I thought I’d imagined it. He kept going then, his grip on my hand as firm as ever. Which left me speaking to his back as we walked.
“I don’t mean to,” I said. I wanted us to have five minutes in a world where we were ourselves, no one wanted to kill us, and humanity wasn’t on the line. “I want us to be like we’re supposed to.”
“I don’t know what that is anymore,” he said.
I could have happily throttled Hekate for forcing me to go through this.
Forcing us.
Although I felt somewhat less bad for Kai, when he pushed me through our bedroom door.
Alone. And warded in.