“No wonder Hades was pissed,” Gideon said. “A minor god shouldn't have been able to do that.”
“I don't think he did,” I said.
“What do you mean?” Gage asked.
“Well, Silas looked a little surprised to be thrown backward like that. I don't think it was his magic.”
“It's the god backing him,” Garret said. “And with light magic like that, Apollo is an obvious choice. I can't think of another Olympian with that ability. He was probably watching over Silas.”
“But why would Apollo take Silas's side against Hades?” I asked.
“That's a good question,” Gage said. “It doesn't make sense. We're needed here. Apollo has always supported us. To switch sides is unlike him. He's a pretty reliable god.”
“Didn't he chase a nymph, like totally hunted her down, and she was so afraid of being raped by him that she called on her father for help and got turned into a tree?”
“Daphne,” Gage said with a nod. “That's the myth. I don't actually know if it's true. I mean, all that stuff about Hades and Persephone is bullshit. And other than that, there aren't any stories about Apollo raping women. He's not like Zeus or Poseidon. It's one reason that Hades has always been cool with him.”
“So, if it is Apollo, Silas must be someone very important to him. Important enough to put the Earth in jeopardy and possibly destroy a valuable relationship,” I said.
“Holy fuck,” Gideon said. “She's right. Who's that important to Apollo?”
“Well, let's see,” Garret said. “Apollo's got siblings. I don't want to rule out women just because Silas appears to be a man.”
“You're right,” Gage said. “Silas could be a goddess masquerading as a man. Maybe she's someone Hades rejected.”
I lifted my brows. “That makes some women crazy.”
“And goddesses take crazy to another level,” Gideon said.
“Artemis is Apollo's sister and Hermes is his brother,” Garret said. “You know, I think Persephone is his half-sister. Because Zeus is her father. But we can rule her out.”
“There are other half-siblings,” Gideon said. “Uh, Athena, Dionysus, Aphro—”
“Dionysus!” Gage said. “Dominic mentioned that Dionysus showed up at his mate's bar. And Dionysus defended her against Michael.”
“Well, doesn't that put him in the clear?” I asked.
“Not if it was a ruse,” Gage said. “He could have done it just to get us off his scent.”
“That's brilliant,” Garret said. He glanced at Gage. “And Dionysus is brilliant.”
“But would Apollo be so protective of him?” I asked. “It would mean taking one sibling's side against another.”
“Apollo and Persephone have never been close,” Gideon said. “But Dionysus used to party with Apollo. They're more like full brothers than half.”
“Shit,” Gage said. “That's gotta be him. Silas is Dionysus. Their names even sound similar.”
“But what does Dionysus have against Hades?” Gideon asked.
“Ariadne,” Garret whispered in revelation.
“What about her?” I asked as shivers ran down my arms.
“This isn't in the myths. Some humans have speculated about it, but that's all. Only the Gods know what we're about to share with you,” Garret said.
“Ariadne,” Gideon said. “Shit. I forgot about her.”
“She was the one who led that guy out of the labyrinth, right?” I asked.
