Ares thought I’d murdered his oldest friend.Almost everyonedid. So why hadn’t he said anything? Why did he keep my secret?
Something told me I’d soon find out. And I wouldn’t like the reason.
17
SELENE
“You’re to stay in here until Zeus comes for you.” Achilles slammed the door in my face. A moment later, the lock tumbled, trapping me inside my rooms.
I kicked off my shoes and paced the floor, thinking. There was little I could do but wait for my trial. On a positive note, Erebus would declare me innocent, forcing Zeus to free me. Probably. No one quite knew the extent of the gods’ powers or how all-seeing they were. They certainly couldn’t doanythingthey wanted. If they could, Gaia would have gotten the Titans out of Tartarus by now.
And if Erebuscouldn’ttell I was innocent…well then I was fucked.
There had to be a way out of this.
I left the drawing room and went into the bedroom, heading straight to the balcony. It was a long way down. But I could jump and survive—one of the many benefits of vampirism. Still, at this height…it would take a while to heal, and in that time, the others might find me.
No, if I wanted to escape, I had to do it the right way. There could be no risk of failure, no possibility of getting caught.
With a sigh, I leaned against the stone railing and gazed out at the abyss. For now, I was stuck inside these rooms while the others likely debated what to do with me. And all I could do was sit here while my fate rushed to meet me, ready to knock me off my feet.
Since I wasn’t being forced to partake in any more feasts for the time being, I stayed up to watch the sunrise. I’d pulled the settee out onto the balcony and lounged against the velvet, witnessing the death of another night. Pinks bled through the dark ink, forcing away the shadows. And as the blood moon vanished behind the horizon, a flicker of relief went through me, though I couldn’t name why. Perhaps it was because nighttime was so important to the Olympians. They couldn’t survive outside during the day—not for long, at least.
A distant knock cut through my thoughts. I rose from my chair slowly, my heartbeat picking up speed. Surely it wasn’t one of them. They should be tucked into bed by now, hiding from the daylight behind their thick curtains. If one of them had come to visit me now…it could only mean something was wrong. Or it was Hera again, wanting to talk to me about her plots against Zeus.
Oh, I didn’t have the energy to deal with this.
Another knock—this time quieter but more insistent. It was a constant, frantic tapping that continued even after I ignored it for several long moments. Zeus would never knock like that. Neither would Ares. They’d just bang the door down.
With a frustrated roll of my eyes, I abandoned the balcony and approached the door. As if hearing me approach, the knocking went silent.
“Selene,” came a strained, half-whispered call.
I gasped and yanked open the door. Orpheus, hunched over and bleary-eyed, blinked back at me. Hector perched on his shoulder, his talons clutching a key. Frowning, I leaned into the hallway, looked this way and then that, then motioned them both inside my rooms.
“Come in,” I whispered.
Orpheus shuffled inside. When the door clicked shut, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. He smelled of blood and iron, of mist and stone. Just like Troy. I buried my face in his shoulder, trying not to shake. I’d been holding it together, but seeing him…it made me feel like I was four years old again and clutching at my mother’s skirts, watching the two of them discuss courtly business.
But by the time I pulled back, I’d slid my mask back into place. Even with Orpheus, I had to show strength.
“I heard what happened,” he said grimly. “The Olympians are out for blood. We must go immediately.”
“No,youmust go immediately with the sacrifice. I have to remain here.”
Orpheus’s lips flattened. “I don’t know where he is, and we have no time to search for him.”
Shaking my head, I began to pace. “All right. You go ahead, and I’ll search for him, and—”
“You cannot.” He clutched my hands. “Just as with your mother, Zeus will find a way to kill you without breaking any pacts.”
“But what about my duty…” I trailed off. “Won’t this enrage Zeus? What if he follows us to Troy?” And then he’d see just how much the Trojans served Gaia. We could try to hide as much of it as we could before he chased us down, but it wouldn’t be enough. It was in the bones of the city. The only way to get rid of it would be to burn the place down and rebuild it, stone by stone.
Which was exactly what Zeus would do when he discovered it.
“Zeus has never stepped foot inside our city, not even when he confronted your mother.”
“Yes, but he thinks I killed Hestia.”
