And her expression as she stabbed me… It was almost reluctant. As if she’d just shattered a priceless artifact instead of conquered an enemy she was intent on killing. Shecouldhave killed me. I was utterly helpless in that moment, shock and pain overwhelming everything. Instead, she walked away. Whether she knew she was giving me the opportunity to escape or not…
“She’s not what I expected.” The words emerge from my confusion even though not talking about Circe has been something of an unspoken rule, at least until recently.
“I know.” Hermes slowly sits up, taking her wonderful heat with her. She gives me a sad smile. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?”
Yes. I stiflethatresponse before it gets past my lips. “You have a strange definition of the word.”
“I’m a complicated woman, Atalanta.” She gives me a long look. “We need to get moving. I know Dionysus is using a burner phone, and he’s very good at not being found when he sets his mind to it, but there’s no reason to tempt fate…or Circe.”
“I’m ready when you are.” The words contain so much. I know better than to pressure her, especially now with everything going on, but there’s a part of me that wonders if this is all pointless, if it’salways been pointless. We’re trying to save people who don’t want to save themselves. Maybe we should have left Olympus to rot.
“I have somewhere safe where you can get some rest.” She helps me to my feet. “Things will look better in the morning.”
14Circe
Hecate has once again slipped through my grasp. I shouldn’t be surprised, not when she’s always been impossible to hold. Now there’s Atalanta in the mix as well, which clearly contributed to this escape. I stare down at the end of the blood trail and then look at Nerissa. “You searched everywhere.”
It’s not a question, but she bobs her head all the same. “Even with a map of the campus, the hallways are extensive. I think I found where they left—through the maintenance tunnels—but they’re long gone. I’m sorry.” She touches the bruise turning her temple a wild array of colors. “I didn’t even see her coming.”
It was a precise hit, designed to take her down without killing her. A little farther back on her skull and we wouldn’t be havingthis conversation right now. The thought rattles me. I knew there was the potential for losses, but Nerissa always stays close to me. She’s fearsome when cornered, but after what she’s already survived, she doesn’t crave being on the front lines the way Antigone does. She never should have been part of a fight at all, let alone against someone as capable as Atalanta.
“Thank you for the report,” I say softly. “Now, go have your head checked out and get some rest.”
She rolls her eyes and then winces. “I don’t need a doctor to tell me I have a concussion. I’ll take it easy—at least as much as I’m able with everything going on.”
“Nerissa.” I hold her gaze until she drops it. “Go see one of our doctors.”
She wilts. “Fine. I’m going now.”
I watch her walk to the end of the hall, measuring her steps and apparent balance. She seems steady enough on her feet, but Nerissa has always been good at hiding her pain. I turn and motion to Amytis. “Go with her. Make sure she gets there safely.”
“Will do.” She’s gone in seconds, marching after Nerissa and around the corner.
Such a precise strike. It speaks volumes that Atalanta could pull it off at all, let alone with my dagger in her shoulder. She truly is impressive. But then, Hecate has always had good taste.
My phone rings as I make my way back toward the room we’ve set up as the base of operations. “Report.”
“We have Artemis.” Antigone sounds slightly out of breath. “Or the other team does. She should be arriving at the university shortly.”
I slow. “If the other team has Artemis, where are you?”
“In pursuit of Apollo and Cassandra.” Something crashes in the distance. “They’re nearly to the bridge.”
Acquiring both Apollo and Cassandra would be a coup. Cassandra represents everything wrong with this city; her parents attempted to kill one of the Thirteen and were murdered as a result. When she tried to tell people what really happened, they shunned her. And Apollo is a nepo baby of scheming parents. He might not be a monster in the same flavor as his predecessor, but he’s aligned with Zeus—both current and former—and has done nothing to curtail the abuse of power. The ruthless part of me that’s kept me alive through the worst years of my life demands Antigone catch them and bring them to me.
Nerissa’s face blossoms in my mind, the bruise marring her pretty features. If Antigone tries to follow Apollo too close to the bridge, if Hades’s people take advantage of her proximity, if she’s hurt… Something in my chest pangs, sending disruptive vibrations through my hard-won numbness. I can’t lose her. “Leave them.”
“What?”
I don’t tell her the true reason I’m calling her off. She’s at my side because I’m the strongest, most ruthless bitch she’s ever met. If she perceives even a hint of weakness, her faith in me—in my orders—will falter. Even if that weakness is spawned from caring for her. I clear my throat and think quickly. “I have a plan. We need to buy some time while the lower city team locates the machinery to bring down the barrier. Let them think they’re safe. For now.”
“But—”
“Leave it, Antigone.”
For a moment, I think—I fear—she won’t obey. But she cursesand the distant sounds of pursuit fade. I don’t allow myself to breathe a sigh of relief—not when she’d hear it. “See to the remaining legacy families and then return here. We have a party to plan.”
“A party.”
