Ares drew back his shoulders. “Zeus, I—” he started to say, but then seemed to think better of it. He snapped his mouth shut. “We’ll see you at the ceremony.”
He stalked out of the room, clearly annoyed by Zeus’s reaction. The Archon remained where he was, his eyes locked on the blood. A dark look crossed his face. And he was so focused, so clearly caught off guard, that he didn’t even notice I’d remained in the kitchen.
That blood belonged to someone important. But who? Another lover?
Eyes widening, I backed out of the kitchen. Ares was waiting for me in the megaron, pacing with his fingers jammed into his hair.
When he caught sight of me, he came so close I could scent some blood on his lips—not fresh, like that on the floor. The blood he’d imbibed before coming to the megaron had been from a goblet, just like mine.
“I know who that was,” he said quietly. “Zeus keeps human lovers back home. He’s never brought one here before, but there’s a new one he only added to his harem a few months ago. A woman named Cora. He seemed to really favor her.”
“I had a similar thought,” I admitted. “Not that I knew about Cora, just that it could have been a lover. But what about Hestia? I thought…”
“They were involved, but Zeus is Zeus. He’s never been one for monogamy. I tried to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen.” His eyes closed. “I don’t know what he does, but every woman he meets will do anything to have him.”
I snorted. “Not every woman he meets.”
Ares shook his head. “He’s going to be…I can’t ask him to move up your trial yet.”
“But—”
“Think about it. Someone killed his favored lover. If you stand before him to be judged for a similar crime, he’s going to accuse you of doing this, too. I need to divert his attention elsewhere.”
“But to who?”
Even as I voiced the question, I knew the answer. And it was such a simple choice that it felt too obvious—too easy. Zeus had probably already wondered it himself. All it would take was the tiniest of nudges…
Because who else could it be?
“Hera,” he said.
My heart beat faster, but I kept my face a mask of calm indifference. The truth was, it all fit. Hera had told me herself she wanted to take down Zeus, and both the deaths so far were clearly meant to hurt him. The only thing that didn’t make sense was the attack on me, but…maybe she thought I knew too much. Maybe she regretted telling me her plans, since I’d turned her down.
“How do you think he’d react?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the darkened archway. There’d been no sound since I’d left him there. I wondered if he was still staring at the blood, frozen in place by grief I didn’t think he was capable of feeling.
His crimson eyes flared. “If she killed Hestia, I don’t give a fuck what he does to her.”
I glanced away, though my blood sang from the heat of his words. “What would that mean for the Hellas Agreement, though? Even if Zeus decides a trial overrides it, does it really? Aren’t you worried what Erebus will do?”
He leaned closer, his breath hot on my cheek. “Aren’t you?”
I stared back, defiant, daring him to ask what he really wanted to know. No, Erebus did not concern me. None of the gods did, not truly.
“I can see it in your eyes, you know,” he murmured. “You are not loyal to our god.”
“There’s so much you think you know about me. Things that could doom me to Zeus’s wrath. And yet you keep it to yourself.” I arched a brow. “You even save me. What is it you want from me, Ares? You said it was to track down Hestia’s murderer. Well, it looks like you’ve already done that. So what game are you playing?”
His lips curled into a smile. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a game, now would it?”
“I don’t trust you.”
“Good. You shouldn’t. I don’t trust you, either.”
“Why not? You seem to think you already know everything about me.”
“And what I know paints a striking portrait. The last remaining Titan, the dutiful queen, stepping in to do things right after her mother failed. How she walks with her chin held high and reacts with calm obedience. Perfectly trained. Always composed—except when talking to me, of course. And when she isn’t being tossed around by waves, every pretty ginger hair on her head is exactly where it should be.” His smile widened. “It’s a lovely narrative. Too bad every single bit of it is fake.”
“I’ve heard enough.” I tugged hard on the sleeves of my gown. “Zeus told us to go to the megaron. If he emerges from the kitchen and finds we’re still here, he’ll lose his shit.”
