1Hermes
Circe marches on Olympus.
It takes days because she doesn’t come alone. She brings the whole of the civilian population with her, an exiled queen returning to the city that tried to kill her. A homecoming for the ages. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. She played me with the softness of our history and a hope-laden kiss.
A kiss that betrayed.
The wind lashes my skin and yanks at my braids. Winter is nearly here, and it’s impossible to see that as anything but an ill omen. If I were up against anyone else in this world, I’d have nodoubts. I’m the best, after all. I’ve worked hard for that title—both as Hermes and asme. No other Hermes in history managed to steal from every member of the Thirteen, the ruling party of Olympus. No other Hermes used glitter and charm to make the city’s powerful underestimate both the title and the person, all while I was searching their homes and offices for the information I needed. No other Hermes brought down the barrier that kept Olympus separate from the rest of the world.
And yet…Circe.
My phone buzzes against my hip, a welcome distraction from the shadows plaguing my thoughts. We have one opportunity to stop Circe’s wholesale slaughter of the Thirteen and the legacy families. One. And in the days since I delivered Zeus and Hera to Hades in the lower city—the last remaining part of this city that’s marginally safe—not a single one of the Thirteen have been willing to listen.
They’re in a sinking fucking ship, and they’re more concerned with their perception of power than filing to the offered rescue boat in an orderly fashion. I can’t save them all. I don’t even want to, if I’m being perfectly honest. The new crop is better than the ones who held the titles when I became Hermes, but that doesn’t mean anything. This is Olympus; it’s filled to the brim with monsters.
My phone buzzes again, and I sigh. “Right. Answer the phone, Hermes.” I dig it out of my pocket, a small smile tugging at the edges of my lips when I see Atalanta’s name on the screen. “Hey.”
She doesn’t answer right away. “Are you standing on a roof somewhere, brooding?”
That makes me laugh aloud. It feels good, a reminder that noteverythingis doom and gloom. “It’s rude to call me out so explicitly.You know I think best when I’m being dramatic.”
“Yeah, well, I hope you have some brilliant ideas up your sleeve. Ares hasn’t made it to the lower city barrier with her partners, but she’s already arguing with Hades about allowing her soldiers through the barrier. He’s refusing.”
I press the heel of my hand to my forehead. “Circe isn’t interested in soldiers, other than converting them. Ares’s people will be safe enough without her at the helm.”
“I’m aware.” Her tone is dry enough to soak up the moisture in the room. She’s been spending too much time with her boss, Athena. “Unfortunately, Ares is being stubborn.”
Ares wouldn’t have survived this long without a stubborn streak to rival mine. I admire her for it, have since the time when she was Helen Kasios, beautiful daughter of the scariest monster in the city. A prize to be handed out at his whim, though he didn’t live long enough to accomplish that task. “They’ll have to figure that one out on their own. Lead a horse to water and all that. What’s the status with the others?”
“Artemis holed up in her building and locked down all entrances. I don’t expect her to change her mind.” Atalanta’s voice gains an icy edge. We placed her with Artemis all those years ago when we put this plan into motion, and she served loyally—as far as Artemis was concerned, at least—until Minos’s party in the country where she was offered up on a platter.
I almost lost Atalanta there. The thought makes me shiver in a way that has nothing to do with the cold air whipping around me. She’s been my dearest friend for over a decade, the one who pulled me out of the dark pit of grief I’d fallen into. The one who taught me how to hope again. The person I care about most in this world… Or,at least that was true before I discovered that Circe was still alive.
Things have gotten complicated since then.
“Good riddance,” I snap.
“Hermes.”
“I have no interest in killing Artemis, but if she’s determined to offer Circe her throat, then so be it.” The statement ismostlytrue. If I ever end up alone with Artemis, I can’t guarantee I won’t slit her damned throat for thinking she could hurt Atalanta without consequences. “I’m not willing to risk you or others to save her from herself.”
Atalanta pauses long enough for my anger to fade. Finally, she clears her throat. “The rest aren’t much better. I think Apollo plans on coming to the lower city, but he won’t leave until he’s sure he’s blocked as much access to our systems as he can.”
Such a noble fool. It’s a good idea to cut Circe off from what we can, but no doubt she already has a contingency plan in place to access what she needs. If it were anyone else, I would let them work until she showed up on their doorstep, but this is Apollo. I don’t like him, exactly, but his girlfriend and I have history—and enough complicated emotions between us that I can’t sit by and let her die alongside him in some fucked-up martyrdom. “I’ll handle Apollo.”
“He’s not going to listen.”
Unfortunately, she’s right. Apollo wouldn’t hear me out even if he liked me, and he doesn’t. “No one listens. If they did, we wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.” I turn and start for the door to the staircase that leads down to the ground floor. My original plan was to dismantle the Thirteen and set up a new power structure in Olympus. With Circe showing back up, intending to murder themall, I now have to save the very people I meant to remove from power. “Give me the rest, quick and dirty.”
“Hephaestus is doing much the same as Apollo. Xe doesn’t want to give Circe access to proprietary inventions. I don’t know if xe plans to seek refuge, though. Aphrodite is already in the lower city. I think that was less their choice and more Eris Kasios’s; their poly foursome is doing plenty of bullying and maybe a tiny bit of kidnapping for a just cause.”
That’s what I’ve always liked about Eris—she gets the job done. She only held the Aphrodite title for a short time, but she was excellent in the role—even if her goals were too shortsighted. “I’m going to speak with Poseidon before I circle back to Apollo. He doesn’t like me much more than anyone else these days, but he’s smart and noble, and I’m hoping I can leverage the safety of Triton’s daughters to make him move faster. He won’t like leaving his people, but it’s the nature of the beast.”
“Sounds good.” Atalanta clears her throat. “No one knows where Dionysus is.”
My heart skips a beat. There was a time when he was my closest friend, Atalanta aside. There were only two real differences: He never knew what I intended for the city…and there isn’t an ounce of interest between us in turning our friendship into something more. A friendship that ended with Pan’s attack at Minos’s party.
So much ended at Minos’s party.
