“He didn’t seem like a normal wolf, especially if he could do this,” I said. “Do you think it’s another punishment from Erebus?”
It wasn’t another punishment. This wasn’t my first time encountering a lycanthrope, created by Medea’s strange magic. My mother had known much more about them than I did, of course. Though she hadn’t been thrilled about their creation, she hadn’t stopped Medea, either. How one of them had ended up here? It seemed like an impossibility, but I’d seen him with my own two eyes.
The implications were…interesting, to say the least. Things were starting to make a bit more sense. Lycanthropes were not fond of vampires, and they were exceptionally strong. He had to be the one behind Hestia’s abduction. Since these creatures could transform back into their human forms during daylight hours, she never would have realized she’d been taken by one.
Which meant…none of the Olympians were plotting against each other, at least not to this extent. A lycanthrope had come here to cause chaos.
The sound of Ares’s voice cut through my thoughts. “If Erebus sent that beast as another punishment, then he has fully turned his back on us. And I just can’t see him doing that. There must be another explanation.”
I pressed my lips together, nodded.
With a heavy sigh, Ares frowned at Poseidon’s corpse, then glanced out the window where the beast had disappeared. “We need to tell the others what happened. Immediately. It was Poseidon’s night for the sacrifice, which means he’s no longer capable of completing his ceremony. Zeus will know what to do.”
The sooner we could get out of this room, the better, as far as I was concerned. But as we made our way through the silent corridors, dread crept through me. There was no saving Nekros now. With two monarchs dead, I had no doubt more death would soon follow, whether gifted by the lycanthrope, by Erebus, or by the monarchs themselves. If they believed they were doomed by their god, what would be left to stop them from trying to kill each other?
An unstable Hellas was fine by me, but Zeus was the most likely victor in that scenario. He had the biggest army. He was the oldest and the strongest. I felt the weight of the dagger at my thigh. Perhaps tonight would be the night I made my move.
As we approached the megaron doors, a heavy rain drummed the roof. Ares cast a troubled frown at the ceiling, but carried on without comment. He didn’t need to say it for me to know what he was thinking. As long as that rain continued, we couldn’t make the sacrifice, even if Poseidon was still alive. Erebus had trapped us inside this building.
“How’s your god of loyalty sounding now?” I murmured.
“Like a much better option.” Suddenly, he halted in the middle of the hall and pulled me toward him. Surprised, I flatted my hands on his chest, breath catching. “I’m sure the others will be thinking the same thing. And their devotion toward Erebus was the only thing stopping some of them from killing you.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I’m prepared for that.”
His eyes dipped to my waist. “Yes, apparently so. Was there a reason you came looking for me with weapons hidden beneath your skirt?”
I swallowed. There was, in fact, a reason. As I’d stood on my balcony, breathing in the fresh air and replaying the moments with Ares in my mind—the towel he’d set out for me, his tongue against my skin, and the way he’d saved me time and time again—I’d realized I had to tell him the truth about our fate. I kept falling into the trap of wanting him. It was impossible to resist when he kept looking at me that way—thisway. The way he was looking now, as if he could devour me and never tire of it.
Because gods, I wanted that, too.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” And before he could respond, I launched into it. “The Fates came to Troy when I was young, and Atropos was the one who spoke to me. She said you would try to kill me three times. Twice, you would fail. And then the third time, only one of us would make it out alive. She didn’t specify which one of us that was.”
Ares dropped my arm. Shock dissolved the want in his face.
I gave him a pained smile, hating that I’d broken the spell between us, even if it had been the right thing to do.
“And so you see, you were more right about us than you could have possibly known,” I said. “We are enemies, Ares. Fated to be enemies until one of us dies. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned away from him and resumed my march toward the megaron. I couldn’t bear to look at him any longer, burdened by the ache in my chest. This shouldn’t be so hard. It wasAres, for fuck’s sake.
But something had grown between us, and I couldn’t deny it anymore.
I couldn’t deny thetruthanymore.
Ares didn’t stop me from walking away from him, and I reached the megaron only moments later. Inside, everyone was already gathered. Zeus sat at the head of the table, a furious expression on his face. When I walked inside, he barely reacted.
“We have a problem,” he barked at no one in particular. “It’s raining again. How are we going to perform the sacrifice, and where the fuck is Poseidon?”
I grimaced. I was the last person who should tell Zeus about Poseidon. Thankfully, Ares saved me from that fate.
He strode in behind me. Still covered in blood, he reeked of the beast’s deadly rot—and of Poseidon. As soon as everyone saw him, they launched to their feet. A hundred questions peppered the air, and I could tell by the way their nostrils flared that they’d scented exactly whose blood he wore. Their voices poured on top of each other, louder and louder until the room thundered with their shouted words. Only Athena remained silent, though she moved to fetch her broadsword.
Zeus pounded his fist against the table. “Quiet!”
No one listened. The shouts continued, bouncing against each other.
And then the song of steel echoed through the vaulted room. Everyone fell silent as we all turned toward Athena. She was dragging her sword behind her, her lips curled back into a snarl. Right toward Ares and me. When she reached us, she hauled her sword onto her shoulder and took a long, deep sniff.
