But hewasa fool. He might understand her better than any other gods, as he’d been there in every lifetime, trying to steal her. He had never succeeded. The bond between my queen and me was unbreakable.
It had never stopped him from trying. The fact grated on my nerves, even now.
“I have to admit,” Apollo continued, “you found a true gem. She’s magnificent and clever. And she might just become the most powerful immortal in our generation.” He paused, and his voice softened. “I genuinely liked Bloom. The mortal version of her. Her empathy. She was kind to me when she had no reason to be.”
“What is the fucking message?” I demanded.
I found, abruptly, that I no longer hated him with the same pure intensity. He had earned a temporary exception from my loathing of all things Olympian.
“I forgot,” he said.
I glared at him.
“Well, it has to do with opening the final bottle of Nyx’s Vintage tonight,” he said. “Just remember that I do this for her, not for you. So get ready, Hades.” He leaned forward, the gold in his eyes glinting. “The Trojan horse is already inside the walls.”
My heart skipped a beat. He was telling the truth. “Nyx’s Vintage” was a mocking safe word between my mate and me.
And then the God of Sun and Brightness vanished in a flash of searing light.
He was still a cunning and self-serving prick, but what he’d revealed about my mate ignited a burning hope inside my chest. A Trojan horse.MyTrojan horse.
She’d need a distraction. A massive, deafening one to draw all the attention to me. I must give her space to work.
“Work harder!” I roared, my voice carrying across the entire bridge. “Give them hell! Show them what the undefeatable Underworld force is made of!”
My army erupted. War cries tore from thousands of throats. Hammers, spells, and bare fists resumed their assault with redoubled zeal. The dead wailed in a rising chorus, a symphony of damned fury.
The sound was deafening. Overwhelming. It was the perfect distraction.
Let them look at me. Let them fear the storm at their gates.
My queen was already behind their walls.
The arrows of fire rained down again, and my shadows swallowed them.
Then a shockwave hit us, not from our siege but fromwithinthe city. The magical pulse was unmistakable.
Another followed. Stronger. It rippled through the air with enough force to make the golden bridge tremble beneath our feet.
The Paramount swayed like a sapling in a gale. The immovable structure, untouched for eons, was rocking.
At its pinnacle, standing at the very edge of the rooftop, my glorious mate locked her gaze with mine.
And grinned. That wicked, dangerous smirk I was only beginning to know.
She was doing it. Shattering their wards from the inside.
My queen was coming home.
Chapter
Thirty-Three
Persephone
Seven Circles
Blood flowed from my fingers, but I didn’t let a single drop fall to waste.
