Page 6 of The Gods Forbid

I laughed softly, catching his sarcasm. Nikolas had been a resident—still technically was one—after his dependence on alcohol to soothe the grief of his father’s sudden passing and his guilt for abdicating his role as Lord Poseidon caused him to make a mistake that harmed Daphne.

He’d also decided, on the very first day of his sobriety, that he wanted to be my friend.

I was so shocked by the declaration that I had no choice but to listen to him.

I’d never had someone meet me and immediately decide I was a worthy friend. When I was younger, I always felt quite odd compared to others. For the longest time, Adrian was my best friend.

Rose, Daphne, and Reyna were my friends, too. Lukas and Dominic as well, I guessed. But that seemed to happen over time, which only made me worry that it had happened because they’d gotten used to me.

Whereas Nikolas talked to me for five minutes and declared we were going to be friends.

It was different, but I worked better with different than I did with normal.

“Persy,” Nikolas said, softly bringing me out of my thoughts. When I refocused on him, he was standing in front of me holding the flowers he’d clipped. “How did it go?”

I sighed deeply, fighting the urge to wring my hands together. “He ate. That’s something.”

Nikolas scoffed, pushing his dark eyebrows together. “On his own volition?”

I shook my head, my hair brushing over my shoulders. I absently felt some of the leaves on the plant next to me, feeling like I needed the distraction during this conversation. “I had to watch him. Eat with him.”

“He’s stubborn,” Nikolas said, and when I looked at him, he was studying me closely. I imagined he had a question he was hoping to ask, but in all honesty, I chose to ignore it.

I shrugged, dismissing his statement. “I have dealt with stubborn before.”

It was an understatement, really. I’d helped people, who most would have written off as beyond saving, find a new lease on life. It was my proudest achievement, and yet somehow I felt like I was lacking starting down this road with Sebastian.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you,” Nikolas said, catching on to my anxiety immediately.

“What helped?” I asked, not caring that I’d spoken a bit too quickly after he’d finished. “With you. What helped cut through the stubbornness?”

Nikolas smiled, the same smile Lukas had, as his eyes went a little unfocused, recalling all those days we spent trying to help him work through his pain. Finally, he breathed in deep and answered, “Persistence. Kindness. All things you’re quite good at.”

I nodded, forcing myself to take the compliment. “Alright.”

“You’ll be fine,” Nikolas said, his voice light with laughter. He walked over and smoothed his hand down my hair, the action full of brotherly affection. “He’s not that scary.”

The thing was—I wasn’t sure I believed him.

Because fear made your heart beat a little faster, your limbs feel jittery. It made you act without thinking and on impulse.

And my heart still hadn’t slowed down since leaving Sebastian’s cell.

Chapter 3

Persy

I was back at Sebastian’s cell the next day.

Kostas had almost knocked down my front door at midnight, then had paced through my kitchen trying to talk through the anger pumping through his veins that Sebastian’s plates kept coming back untouched.

Kostas had been a resident of Prometheus once, and had never left. He was a child who was forced into the role of a parent far too young, picking up the slack that his parents left when they’d turned their backs on their children and only focused on each other.

After years of shouldering responsibility he was far too young to carry, he moved out and found freedom. However, unsure what his skills were or even his passions, he was roped into a fraudulent scheme that preyed on his skills with people and ended with him costing many people their life’s savings.

He’d elected to come to Prometheus, seeking redemption. He found it.

Now, he spent his days cooking in the morning and trying out new recipes for pastries and cakes and any sweet under the sun in the afternoon. Kostas was the only reason Adrian and the other gods thought I baked.