With an ominous smile, Dionysos shoved open the doors. “And so it begins.”
The first thing I saw was an oak table. It stretched beneath a bronze chandelier topped with at least two dozen crimson candles. A droplet of wax splattered on the deep red tablecloth, barely missing a goblet of wine—or blood. I sniffed the air. Yes, it was definitely blood.
As if sensing my attention, the vampire monarch plucked the goblet from the table, swished the liquid, and glanced over her bare shoulder at me. A contrast to her wavy black hair that was cut to her shoulders, her crimson eyes burned bright. She flashed me a smile, then lifted her goblet toward me in a silent toast.
“The Titan has arrived,” she drawled.
At once, the room fell silent. I hadn’t noticed how noisy it had been until now. Where before the harp’s lilting music swirled through the bark of laughter, murmur of conversation, and clattering of forks and spoons, it was so quiet now that I could hear Dion’s thunderous heartbeat. Interesting. He was more on edge than I was.
I swallowed, my eyes locked on the dark-haired, pale-faced monarch. According to the portraits and lessons, this could be none other than High Queen Aphrodite, the ruler of Cyprus. Friendly with everyone but fiercely independent, it had never been clear where her true loyalties lie.
My attention shifted to the three monarchs sitting on the right side of Aphrodite. Beside her lounged a pixie-faced woman whose long blonde locks curled around delicate shoulders—that would be Hera, Zeus’s former lover. Across from her sat a black vampire clutching her goblet with long fingers donned with a dozen golden rings, one of which was in the shape of a winged serpent. Demeter, then. Interesting the three of them sat together. Rumors swirled about Demeter’s mortal daughter from before she’d been turned. Persephone had been trapped in the underworld for centuries, ever since Zeus had given her to Hades as some kind of twisted gift.
“Come,” Dionysos said, his hand at my elbow. “Let’s sit.”
I let him lead me to the end of the table where the three women sat, very pointedly ignoring the other end, where I knew I’d find Ares and Zeus, along with the others: Hephaestus, Apollo, Hermes, Athena, Artemis, and Poseidon.
I supposed this was where the line cut, between those eight and these four. And I’d somehow found myself on the wrong side of it, at least if I wanted to convince Zeus I wasn’t a threat. Of course, I could hardly sit in alliance with Ares, either.
I would just have to let this all play out.
After Dion led me to an empty chair beside Demeter, he settled in on the other side of me and lifted his goblet toward the chandelier.
“Hear, hear! May the annual blood orgy begin!” he shouted.
I winced. I’d heard it called that before—by mortals.
“Do not disrespect Erebus. Call Nekros what it is, Dionysos,” a gravelly voice boomed, echoing through the expansive room.
A vein in my neck pulsed. Palms suddenly slick with sweat, I tugged on the sleeve of my gown and looked down the length of the table, to where an imposing vampire squatted on a throne covered in ivy and roses. He was staring right at me, and I couldn’t help but shudder. It felt as if his crimson eyes pierced through my every defense. With wild, wavy hair worn to his shoulders, a bushy beard, and an unbuttoned, wrinkled tunic stained with splotches of red, he looked unkempt. Like a mess. But I knew better than to make assumptions based on appearances, least of all about him.
This was the king who had killed my mother, and he’d done so without hesitation.Messwas the opposite of whatever he was.
His lips curled into a smile. “Welcome, High Queen Selene. Ah, that rhymes, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t be shocked to hear that Theia planned it that way. She knew she wouldn’t rule much longer, not with her secret worship of Gaia.”
He’s trying to get a rise out of you.
I dug my nails into my gown’s thick fabric. “Thank you for the invitation, High King Zeus.”
“Archon to you,” Zeus corrected. “And it was a summons. Not an invitation.”
“Archon,” I murmured, inclining my head in a frustrating approximation of a bow. I’d never bowed to anyone my entire life, not even to my mother when she’d been alive. And it felt wrong now. We were all High Queens and Kings of our own kingdoms. No one was the utmost ruler, not by power or by might, even if Zeus wanted to believe he was.
The vampire to the left of Zeus guffawed and smacked his hand against the table, knocking aside a bowl and scattering pomegranate seeds onto the floor. His deep orange hair cascaded around broad shoulders clad in a simple ruffled tunic, and two horns curled from the top of his head, as sharp and deadly as his canines.
“Knew you’d fall in line,” Hermes said, shaking his head. “They thought you’d put up a fight and avenge your mother, but you’re a Titan. And Titans always back down.”
Tensing, I looked at where Hermes indicated. Hera, Dionysos, Aphrodite, and Demeter stared back at me, their expressions dimmed. Dion gave me a salute, then grabbed a pitcher and doused his chalice in wine, spilling half of it on the table. He barely seemed to notice the mess when he gulped the entire contents of his drink.
“I am here to fulfill my duty,” I said carefully. “And nothing more.”
“Well, your duty starts here,” Zeus bellowed. He snapped his fingers, producing two servants from the shadows of a vine-drenched archway toward the back of the room. They bustled toward the table, their drab robes scraping the floor around their bare feet. They hunched forward, their gaunt cheeks bruised pink. I sat perfectly still as they poured fresh blood into the goblets, shuffling from one monarch to the next. With the way they trembled, they were clearly struggling to stand, let alone serve. Zeus had not been letting them feed nearly enough.
“To the start of another Nekros,” Zeus said, raising his goblet. Slowly, everyone around the table, including those nearest me, followed his lead and lifted their drinks toward the glimmering chandelier.
Zeus kept his goblet raised and looked around the table. His gaze lingered on every face for a moment, an unspoken threat emanating from his expression. He left me for last. When his eyes locked on mine, he continued his speech.
“We meet here on the Isle of Aiaia each year to offer our thanks to our beloved creator. Erebus made us into the gods we are. To ensure our continued dominion over this land, he requires a sacrifice of blood from each of us.” He nodded toward me. “Even from the Titan.”
