And yet he stood before me, with his hands tucked into his pocket and fire in his eyes, but did nothing.
“I have a choice,” I argued. “I always have a choice.”
Some of the anger dissipated in his expression and made room for a wry smile. “My, how much you’ve grown up on your own.”
“Yeah, yeah. All those after school specials finally started to sink in. But it’s true, Hermes. I’ve gotten my taste of freedom and I will never give it up. No matter how much I have to lose. No matter how painful it becomes. I will not go back to that world. I won’t go back to Nix. Nothing could make me.”
“Not even Orpheus?”
Nausea boiled in my stomach, rolling through me with dizzying power. “What?”
“If Orpheus were in danger, would that bring you home?”
“What are you saying? Is he in danger?”
He took a step forward but stopped before he reached the water. “What about your mother? What about Honor?”
I moved forward too until we were only a few feet away. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the water, but I had to see his eyes, I had to know if these were lies or threats.
Of if they were truth.
“What are you talking about, Hermes?”
“Did you think Poseidon would let you go? Did you think he wouldn’t retaliate in some way? Or in every way?”
“Stop being vague. Just tell me what’s going on.”
He let out an impatient sigh. “He gave your mother to the Fates.”
I braced myself for something to happen… for my heart to hurt or my anxiety to skyrocket. When nothing did, I had to admit that even though she had helped me, at least in her way, I still felt no sympathy or loyalty to her. What did I care if Nix gave her to the Fates?
What did that even mean anyway?
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
Hermes winced and held out his hand like he meant to touch me. His gaze dropped to the water and then back to me. He retracted his hand before I had the chance to decline his touch forcefully.
“She’s your mother,” Hermes reminded me needlessly.
I laughed darkly. “Yeah, and that has always meant so much to me. And her.”
“Everyone has an agenda, Ivy. Poseidon has his and the Fates have theirs. Your mother is not safe.”
“What’s yours?”
“Excuse me?” He lifted his hand to finger his tie. He fiddled with the knot, straightening it.
I watched him fidget and felt my question take purchase. “What’syouragenda, Hermes? If everyone has one, then what’syours?”
He watched me for several long minutes. Neither of us said anything and eventually the silence became awkward. I entertained the idea of pushing past him and stomping into my house, but morbid curiosity kept me grounded.
“I want Olympus back,” he finally admitted. “We all do.”
“All?”
“Everyone wants Olympus, Ivy. If you were honest with yourself, you know you would want it too. There’s a power grab at hand and if I don’t get it, someone else will. I don’t trust my brothers or my sisters. I don’t trust them enough to treat the mountain with respect and I don’t trust them to stop with Olympus. Once they get a taste of that power, of thatsupremacy, Olympus won’t be enough.”
“But it would be enough for you?” I didn’t believe him. As far as I was concerned, all of the gods and goddesses were the same. Just because Hermes said he was on my side this time, didn’t mean he would always be.
