And now it was awake.
“Selene!” Orpheus called again, this time closer.
Ares arched his brow.
“I’ll help. But only because I don’t appreciate feeling like a drowned rat.” I motioned at the soaking velvet, where the skirts clung to my legs. Even now, a chill seeped into my skin, making my bones ache.
Ares nodded, still solemn. “Good. Now return to your rooms and make sure Orpheus locks you inside. I’ll convince Zeus to move up your trial. If we do it after the next sacrifice instead of at the end of Nekros, you’ll have the freedom to move around the palace again.”
Before I could respond, Orpheus scrabbled down from the rocks and hobbled across the sand. Hector was right behind him, screeching painfully.
“I can’t tell them about your attack or the destruction of the boats,” Ares murmured, almost too low for me to hear. “Zeus can never know you tried to flee, or that either of us were ever down here in the cove. Do you understand?”
Swallowing, I nodded just as Orpheus reached us. He came to a sudden stop, spraying sand onto my gown. Wetting his lips, he glanced from Ares to me and back to Ares again. He opened his mouth. No words came out.
Hector landed on my shoulder, digging his talons into my dress. He clutched so hard it made me gasp.
“What is this, Your Majesty? Are you…quite all right?” Orpheus asked.
“Yes, it’s come as a surprise to all of us, but I did indeed pull your High Queen from the water. Now you must return to the palace immediately before it’s all for nought. Careful not to leave a trail of water through the corridors,” Ares said.
Orpheus frowned, then looked at me. But truth be told, I didn’t know how to answer the many questions swirling in his eyes. I still didn’treallyunderstand this strange turn of events, either. Only yesterday, Ares had seemed eager to shove a wooden blade into my back. His spoken threats still echoed in my mind.
I should kill you now and be done with it.
He must know that letting me drown wouldn’t break the Hellas Agreement, which could only mean he actually did want me to help him. But how? How could he stomach working alongside me when he wanted to watch my body fleck apart, piece by piece, until I was nothing but dirt beneath his feet?
How couldI?
“Your Majesty?” Orpheus asked, turning toward me.
“Ares pulled me out of the sea, and now we must go. Come. We don’t want anyone to find my room empty.” I clutched his arm and dragged him down the shore, praying he wouldn’t resist.
Thankfully, he remained silent until we’d reached the safety of my rooms, having avoiding running into any of the monarchs. I passed him a towel so he could clean up our tracks, but he hovered in the doorway when I made a move to shut it behind him.
“There is much we need to discuss,” he whispered.
Hector dug his claws deeper into my shoulder, nearly piercing my skin. It was as if he sensed my tension, my hesitance. I could strangle Ares for forcing me into this vow of silence. Orpheus was one of the few people in the world I trusted, and it felt wrong not to tell him about my strange alliance with Ares. But I knew what he’d say if I did.
He’d tell me it was a terrible idea and beg me to get out of it.
But I didn’twantto get out of it. I wanted to find out what was going on inside this damned palace. So I would go along with what Ares wanted. For now, at least.
“Today was…definitely eventful,” I said.
Those three lines appeared between his eyes. “Why, in god’s name, wouldAressave you from the sea? Don’t you remember what he said to you yesterday? He wants you gone.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“I don’t like this, Your Majesty,” he answered quickly. “There’s something very off about this, and I worry what it means. The boats, the cloaked figure shoving you off the cliff, Ares saving you. Nothing about this smells right.”
“I know, but there’s nothing I can do other than proceed with caution. Now you should go before someone finds you here.” I patted his arm and peered past him into the empty corridor. We’d been gone a while, and Achilles could come back at any moment.
His jaw ticked, but he bowed his head and clutched the towel to his chest. “I’ll lock the door. Hector can return the key before Achilles wakes. Just…be on your guard, my queen. We don’t yet know what game Ares is playing. All I know is we can’t trust it.”
I nodded and whispered to Hector. He shook his feathers in agitation. After my near-drowning, he didn’t want to leave my side, and I didn’t much want him to go, either. But if Achilles woke and found the key was gone, he’d know something had happened and likely investigate.
Unless, of course, he’d been the one to push me.
