Gods she was so close, if he stayed right there, pushed a little harder against her–
He slumped, his hand dropping hers as he stepped away. Persephone’s legs fell from his waist and she stood breathlessly on unsteady legs as he tucked himself away.
“You were even more beautiful than I imagined,” he said as he stepped toward her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Come on, Beauty. Let's go back and have some lunch. I’m going to need to rest after that one.”
He patted her ass and made his way back toward the entrance. Their panting breaths echoed off the wall of the great cavern, and she was left wondering what the fuck had just happened.
“Who is Dr. Kore?” Nyx picked the blood-stained invitation from the ground and placed it on the middle of the table.
“It’s a long story that I don’t have the time to tell, Nyx.” Brooks stared at the invitation. “She’s no good. She’s a malevolent soul that needs to be dealt with, and I will be the one to do it.”
“Judge, jury, and executioner huh?” Nyx sat nonchalantly with her chin resting in her palm, and the easiness of her posture made him bristle.
Chaos bristled and the temperature dropped, black tinging his fingertips as he stared a hole through the smile on her face.
“So what's your plan then? Bust into the most underground, prestigious party in Olympia to murder someone? That’s just another day on the mountain. No one is going to blink an eye. What’s with the fanfare?”
He gritted his teeth as he fought for patience. “I don’t have toexplain myself to you Nyx.”
“I’m not asking you to. I wonder why the great Father of Chaos has to travel across Olympia like a peasant to murder someone with his own hands when he could simply snap a finger to right all of his wrongs?”
“Some people deserve to stare into the eyes of those they hurt as the life drains from their soul, and those they hurt deserve to watch every last flame flicker to smoke as it happens.”
“Shit, man. That’s deep.” Nyx’s eyes bulged and a soft touch brushed his arm.
“I don’t want to snap my fingers and end her. I want to hear her beg. I want to drown her in her own screams, and I want my face to be the last she sees.”
“Noted.”
Xia cleared her throat before interjecting. “So we’re going to this party to find Dr. Kore. How will you even know what she looks like? If she could spin an illusion as detailed as the asylum, what makes you think you’ll be able to find her there?”
“I’m counting on the fact that she doesn’t have your Song this time. If she is without your chaos, I should be able to pull aside whatever vail she places over our eyes.”
“You’re seriously underestimating what happens at these parties,” Nyx scoffed. “Party is an understatement. This isn’t a fucking coming-of-age get-together. This is a place where the most powerful Olympians shed their skins and celebrate the darkest of their demons. Unabashedly, I would add.”
“You told me they do that anyway. You spoke so highly of their cruelty,” Brooks interjected.
“Yes. Cruelty. But you’re forgetting the part where I told you the twelve Olympians have a truce. They aren’t cruel to each other. So what do you get when you take the twelve most powerful beings in the universe and send them to a Freakshow?”
“I’ve no idea, Nyx, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“Depravity in the most extravagant forms. They decorate the walls with human sacrifices, take part in deviant sexual encounters, torture, and revelry. And in the center of it all? Dionysus shows off his infamous monster collection.” Nyx held up a finger to shoosh him as he opened his mouth. “Dionysus is a collector of freaks and oddities. Anything he can put on a stage to wow an audience.”
“Anything?” Xia asked, her face stricken.
“And anyone,” Nyx finished. “I think I know where it’s going to be, too.” She looked down and picked at her nails as she chewed the inside of her lip.
“How could you possibly know that? Unless you’re hiding something.” Xia said with a raised brow.
“As I was thinking about it, it just kind of clicked and made sense. The Twelve would want a place no one else could reach. They will be vulnerable. Letting go for the sake of pleasure.”
“And what kind of place would that be?” Brooks questions incredulously.
“A plane between Olympia and the Underworld where the living can mingle with the dead. No one except The Twelve are powerful enough to stay without starting the process of death.”
“I don’t understand.” Brooks' eyes closed as he massaged his temples.
“Erebos,” Xia breathed.
