I told him about my beachside bungalow and we made plans to stay there. I told him about my job and he couldn’t wait to meet Fleur and see what kind of employer had been able to put up with me for that long.
We talked about the long term future, about online college classes and maybe opening a coffee shop in Tortola… maybe someday… but always together. We talked about swimming in the ocean and walking along the beach, about our friends that we would leave behind and miss dearly. We talked about inviting them to us and spending holidays in the balmy, tropic air. We laughed at things we’d missed in each other’s lives and fell more, impossibly more, in love.
In the midst of one of the worst, most dangerous experiences I’d ever gone through, it was the best night of my life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A few hours after Ryder and I had finally fallen asleep, we found ourselves standing before Zeus and Hera once again.
Strangely I was more rested than I had ever been before and I knew that it was because of Ryder. For the first time in my life, when I fell asleep, I felt safe. I didn’t have to worry about Nix finding me in the middle of the night or snatching me out of my mother’s home. I didn’t have to worry about whom Ava would bring home or the kind of seedy people lurking around my house while I slept.
With Ryder, I was safe. I was safe and I was protected.
Hermes had woken us up early so that we could shower again and dress properly. One of his maids had set out another elegant Grecian gown. This one was white as well, but the strapless bodice was wrapped in golden rope. It had the feel of a corset, but the look of armor. The skirt fell in long folds past my toes, but there were two slits on either side that went all the way to my hips. There was too much fabric to make it feel inappropriate; instead I loved the easy movement and freedom it provided.
I felt like a warrior dressed for battle.
And I couldn’t help but wonder if that was exactly what I was.
Ryder had dressed similar to my style. Instead of a toga that showed off his chest and arms, he’d dressed in a tunic that hung to his knees. A gold belt wrapped around his waist and kept his clothes in place. His style was simple, but practical. There was a loop at the side of his belt that traditionally held a sword, although it was empty this morning.
I had been tempted to dress in jeans and a t-shirt just to spite the Pantheon, but standing in the middle of them now, I knew it had been a smart move to dress respectfully.
The atmosphere of the temple was saturated with defensive aggression. Half of them wanted to hand me over to Nix and the other half wanted me for their own gain.
If there was anyone on my side besides Zeus and Hermes, I couldn’t find them.
“Despite your testimony, I find you at fault for the death of Hades,” Hera announced over the constant chatter of the gods. “You were the reason he attacked. You are the reason he’s dead.”
Unable to hold back my retort, I said, “You’re blaming me? It’s my fault that he wanted to attack me? That is the craziest-” I heeded Smith’s warning glare and adjusted my argument. “Do you know what he would have done if he managed to capture me?” Out of pride, Hera stayed quiet. “He wanted to take over the world, my queen. It wasn’t about wanting another wife or sprucing up the Underworld. He wanted to rule the world. The whole world. Especially Olympus. If Persephone hadn’t intervened, he would have gotten his chance.”
“He would never have come after the mountain,” she argued stoically. “His home means too much to him to throw it into civil war.”
I chanced a glance at Nix and saw the arrogant smirk he wore. Hera was an idiot to believe that, but I was afraid Smith believed that lie too. There were plenty of gods and goddesses willing to take control of the mountain. They didn’t care about anything except power and fame.
“He’s dead now, so feel free to believe the best about him, but he told me what he wanted to do. He would have killed Ryder to get to me. He would have used me however he wanted to.”
Shouts and accusations thundered through the open-aired space. A few random flashes of lightning crisscrossed overhead.
Smith took a step forward and held up a hand. Immediately he had silence. “Regardless of what happened before Hades died, the truth is that Ivy did not kill him.”
“A technicality!” Hera protested.
“But an important one. If anyone needs to be on trial, it’s Persephone. She knew the cost of killing her husband. She could have helped him back through the veil. Instead, she murdered him. Ivy couldn’t have predicted what would happen once Hades crossed the veil.”
“Why are you sticking up for this child?” Hera sneered.
Smith leveled his gaze on her. “Why are you afraid to bring Persephone to trial?”
Hera’s mouth opened, and then closed quickly before she was able to compose herself. Finally she said, “Persephone is my sister.”
“Persephone has not been clear-minded for ages. If it pleases you, Wife, I suggest we let this go. The Siren and the musician are innocent and we cannot bring Persephone’s addled mind to justice.”
Hera’s mouth turned down with disgust. “Hades deserves more than this. He deserves more than sweeping his killers under the rug and forgetting his legacy!”
I thought of Sloane’s older sister, Evaleen. I remembered the man Hades had been around Eva. How he had stripped away pieces of her every minute she spent with him until she was a hollow, lifeless black hole. I thought about the painful despair I saw in her eyes and the anguish Crete caused her to feel. I thought of the night she escaped, how there was hope in her soul for the first time since she met him. And then I thought of her death… how he hunted her down… how she took her own life to escape him.
Hades had been a sadistic monster when he was alive. He tortured countless women. The world was better off without him.
