A treasonous thought, even as a ruling queen—I was still not an Olympian, like all the others. I was the only Titan left now. The others were either trapped in Tartarus or banished beyond Hellas’s borders to endure cruel punishments.
Poor Prometheus.
I returned to my seat and opened my journal to make a note of the water’s beauty, but I measured my words as though my enemies might one day read them. Because in my world, they likely would.
An enormous wooden gate rose into the cliffside. Guards shouted from the walls, directing the boat into a wind-swept cove that was shaped like a crescent moon. I rose from my seat, clutching my hat to my head, and approached the bow. The vein in my neck pulsed, my heart pumping from my recent feed. Despite my careful composure, there was a flutter in my belly.
Eleven boats in varying shapes and sizes were already docked, all displaying their kingdom’s banners. That meant I was the twelfth to arrive. The steady, calming confidence that had been drilled into me since birth wavered. I would have to walk into a room full of strangers who collectively hated me.
At least I wouldn’t be thefinalmonarch to arrive. Ares wasn’t here yet, judging by the banners. The symbol of a boar was nowhere to be seen.
Orpheus appeared by my side, his eyes locked on the boats. He looked as uneasy as I felt.Despite the treaty, the monarchs would not be a welcoming bunch. They might not attempt to murder me during the coming fortnight, but they would intimidate, threaten, and frighten me into bowing to their Olympian rule.
Swallowing, I adjusted the sleeve of my gown, a stuffy crimson thing, its edges trimmed in gold. The movement steadied me. It was a trick my mother had taught me years ago.
“Whenever you face something that makes your heart pound, distract your mind by doing something small, something that will go unnoticed by those around you. Tug on your sleeve, then think of me. It will calm your pulse,” she said, braiding my hair.
As a young girl of thirteen who felt suffocated by my inability to step foot outside the city walls, I rolled my eyes. “That wouldn’t calm me, Mother.”
“Then think of whatever might bring you comfort, Selene,” she said with a sigh. “Your raven?”
Swallowing, I thought of my mother now, picturing her freckled face, her wide, oval eyes, and the kindness in her smile that defied logic.Genuine, honest, caring. Three words that had described High Queen Theia and no one else. There was Orpheus, of course, but his kindness toward me was rooted in duty—and a hatred for the Olympian vampires. By contrast, my mother had been kind to almost everyone without any expectation of getting something back.
I nodded toward the boats as we sailed further into the cove. “What do you think of Ares’s absence?”
“I think you should be wary. There’s no telling why he’s not here. It could be part of another half-baked plan to target you,” he replied.
That had been my thought as well. Ares wouldn’t have forgotten our meeting in the ruins. He’d wanted to kill me, and he’d failed. Now the only thing holding him back was my commitment to the peace treaty, but I didn’t doubt he’d try to find a way around it. And I couldn’t stop thinking about what the Fates had once told me about my death.
The boat bumped against the shore, water sloshing around the bow. The crew scrambled into place to lower the anchor. I squared my shoulders. After months of preparation, we’d finally arrived.
“Collect the sacrifice, Orpheus,” I said with a sigh. “It’s time for your queen to join the Olympians.”
After the crew docked the boat, a guard in gilded armor led me through the fortress walls and up winding stone stairs that were carved into the cliffside. The crew stayed down at the cove, where they’d spend the next fortnight in the servant barracks, while Orpheus followed five steps behind with the sacrifice.
I walked with my chin held high, my gloved hands clasped behind my back. The wind threatened to snatch my hat, but I made no sudden move to stop it. Despite seeing no one else on this twisting path, I felt certain I was being watched. I knew if it were me, I would have sent spies to watch for the neophyte’s arrival, determined to learn every possible detail about the newest enemy before ever coming face-to-face with her.
In fact, I had my mother’s drawings and descriptions tucked safely away in my head. Anything she’d known about the monarchs, I knew, too. We’d gone over everything in great detail in the weeks before her death, and then my lessons had continued with Orpheus after.
“Please let me go,” the sacrifice moaned from behind me.
Right on time.
I pretended to stiffen, my booted feet faltering on the final set of steps.
“Quiet,” Orpheus commanded.
I clenched my teeth, turned. I met the sacrifice’s eyes, a mortal man in his sixties with graying hair at his temples and scattered across his slim jaw. He still looked weak from my earlier feed, and at my direct eye contact, he flinched and looked down.
“Your Majesty, don’t speak to—”
“Quiet, Orpheus,” I ordered, conjuring a voice I’d only ever practiced in the privacy of my own rooms. It was the powerful tone of my father. My advisor immediately fell silent.
With a narrowed gaze, I moved down a few steps. I tucked a single finger beneath the man’s chin, then tilted it up, forcing him to look at me.
“No amount of pleading will free you from your fate.” Cocking my head, I frowned. “On the contrary, it will only make things worse. Say another word, and I will make certain you’ll sorely regret annoying me.”
I shoved my fingernail into his chin, hard enough to break skin. He flinched, but Orpheus held him in place. Blood spilled down my hand, warm and enticing. Without shifting my gaze, I lifted my finger to my mouth and tasted it. Heat bloomed in my gut. And without another word, I turned.
