Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95187 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
For once, she doesn’t make me wait. “Hello, darling, how are you holding up?” Her voice is filled with warmth. I’ve never been able to tell if it’s genuine or not.
The last thing I want to do is make small talk, but it’s one of those strange societal expectations. The house might be on fire around us, but we still have to exchange pleasantries before we can get around to calling for a bucket of water. I clear my throat. “As well as can be expected. You?”
“I’m tired.” She sounds almost honest in this moment, almost vulnerable. “It’s been a long few weeks, and things promise to get more complicated before the end. I’ve only managed to get one of my daughters to listen to reason and evacuate, and even then she only did it to appease me. I’m worried.”
It wasn’t too long ago that Demeter and I were lovers. It started almost like friendship, and we were months into sharing a bed before I realized she intended to use sex to manipulate me, to get one of the legacy titles in her corner. She was never overt about it, but Demeter is one of the most ambitious people I know, and she rarely attacks a problem head-on. Our current Hera comes by her ruthlessness honestly.
So, no, I don’t trust this apparent vulnerability, even if it would be reasonable for the current situation, even if I sympathize with a mother trying to get her daughters to safety. “I’d like an update on the evacuation.”
“Of course.” Papers rustle in the background. “We’ve got about sixty percent of people out of the city. Some are choosing to stay, but a lot of the rest don’t have personal transportation, so we’re having to ferry them in groups via bus. It all takes time.”
No matter Demeter’s faults, she takes care of the people of Olympus. It’s how she got the title in the first place, winning an election by popular vote after the last Demeter passed in his sleep. I have no doubt she’s doing everything in her considerable power to help. “Is there anything I can do?”
“You’ve been performing admirably.”
“Demeter.” I take a breath. I had no intention of asking her this, but I can’t quite stop myself. “Why did you vote against going to war? I’d like an honest answer.”
She’s silent for a single beat. “I know what you and the rest of the Thirteen think of me, that I’m power-hungry and ruthless in my ambition.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Well, yes.” She laughs a little. “But I do nothing without reason. If I’d voted yes, Zeus would have launched an attack before we were able to evacuate the city. More than that, even with a majority vote, the minority among the Thirteen are still more than capable of digging in their heels. We’d have instantly bit off more than we can chew, and the civilians would pay the price.”
She’s…not wrong. She’d also travel back to Olympus to stage a riot herself if she knew what Zeus, Hades, and I are planning. I sigh. “Circe won’t be content to squat out there in the water forever.”
“No, she won’t. And we should all be worrying about why she’s still out there.”
It’s nothing more than I was thinking earlier, but hearing it echoed in Demeter’s voice has the small hairs on the back of my neck rising. I wanted to attribute Circe’s hesitation to her giving us a way to remove civilians or to her arrogance about the Thirteen’s constant squabbling, but it doesn’t feel right. She’s already created a tumultuous and unsafe environment in Olympus with her machinations, which has put civilians in danger, directly and indirectly.
“Demeter,” I say slowly. “Post sentries around the borders of the civilian camp.”
“You think she’s going to send some of her soldiers to harm the civilians the same way she did Hades in the lower city.”
“It’s possible I’m being paranoid.”
She chuckles. “Are you truly paranoid when our enemy has proven to be clever and ruthless?” She pauses for a beat. “We are keeping order in the camp, and that includes guards around the edges to dissuade anyone from taking advantage.”
I release the breath I’d been holding. “That’s good to hear.”
“We both want the same thing, even if we’re going about it in different ways. We’ll figure this out and then we’ll crush the bitch.” Voices in the background. “I’m sorry, Poseidon, but I’ve got to go.”
“Be safe.”
“You too.”
I set my phone down but pick it back up almost immediately. I don’t like what Hera is attempting, don’t like not knowing how far she’ll go, but there’s one part of this whole thing I don’t understand, and I won’t be able to move forward until I do. Before I can talk myself out of it, I call Zeus.
Like Demeter, he answers on the first ring. “Problem?”