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)
That Poseidon will be the one to pay the price.
Zeus walks right up to my window and stares so pointedly, there’s nothing to do but roll it down. I’ll never get used to how cold his blue eyes are. My father had a terrifying presence, but he covered it up with charm. Zeus doesn’t try to cover up anything. He’s like a piece of ice carved into a man’s shape. It makes me shiver.
His gaze flicks over me and lands on Poseidon. “Clock’s ticking.”
Poseidon seems to struggle with something but finally clears his throat. “Hera called me this afternoon.”
If I wasn’t watching Zeus so closely, I wouldn’t notice the way he clenches his jaw. His reaction is nowhere in evidence in his voice. “And?”
“And if this doesn’t work—and even if it does—I would sleep with one eye open.”
“Let me worry about my wife.” Normal people would react to the late autumn wind surging past Zeus and into the car. He just stands as if he really is untouchable. I don’t believe in that shit. I’ve seduced and betrayed people who thought they were untouchable—it’s why we’re here tonight—but he’s on another level. It scares the shit out of me.
Poseidon must notice my shivers, because he says, “Let’s go up to the warehouse while we wait for Hades and the rest. The coffee isn’t good, but it’s hot, and there’s plenty of room for everyone.”
“Lead the way.”
Poseidon glances at me, his eyes filled with something I don’t have a name for, and then he steps out of the SUV. I have to wait for Zeus to move before I can do the same.
He levels a cold look at me. “If you attempt to double-cross us, I’ll cut you down, but I won’t stop there. I’ll find your sister and ensure she knows exactly who’s to blame before she dies.”
As threats go, it’s a good one. Except for one notable detail. “That’s like the twelfth time someone has issued that exact threat. It’s getting old. You’re not touching Ariadne. You’d have to get through the Minotaur, and he’s the scariest motherfucker I’ve ever met—including you.”
His lips quirk, and it should warm his expression, but somehow it just makes him look less kind, less human. “I suppose we’ll see, won’t we?” He finally moves back enough for me to get out of the vehicle.
I very much would like to keep the metal door between us, but I’ve dealt with enough predators in my time to know never to show fear. No matter how much it’s chilled me to the bone. Especially when Zeus follows soundlessly on my heels around the back of the car to where Poseidon waits.
Poseidon steps between us immediately, slipping an arm around my shoulder and tucking me against his body. It serves to protect me from the wind, but I can’t help how aware I am of Zeus watching us. Or of the woman who steps out of the second car and moves to join us. Athena.
A pair of people join her, and I glare at the Black woman with a scarred face and medium-brown skin at her right shoulder. Atalanta is built for combat, with a muscular body and her locs pulled back and fastened up to prevent anyone from using them as handholds. She made a name for herself in the Ares tournament, but after the ill-fated party in the countryside, she changed allegiance from Artemis to Athena.
She also hunted me and my sister through Olympus just days ago. She catches me watching her and winks. I just stare, but that doesn’t dampen her grin any.
At her side is a tall Black person with warm brown skin, a head of thick curls, and an intense look on their handsome face. Bellerophon, Athena’s second-in-command. They don’t even look at me, choosing instead to focus on Poseidon. “We’ve tapped into the cameras in the area to supplement your people’s watches, but I have no way of getting eyes on those ships. They seem to be on a closed network.”
They are, but I don’t bother to say as much. There’s no point. They won’t take my word for it, and even if they did, there’s nothing we can do about it.
Bellerophon keeps talking. “Based on the ship models, we have blueprints, but we can’t guarantee the interior will look like we expect.”
That, I know nothing about. Blueprints of ships I never intended to set foot on weren’t something that interested me. I follow Poseidon inside the warehouse. The huge space feels significantly smaller because of all the shit in here, pallets stacked nearly to the tall ceiling. I can’t identify what any of them contain before we step through a door into a makeshift break room that’s been built inside the warehouse.
Atalanta makes a beeline for the coffee. She sniffs the pot and laughs. “Not the worst I’ve ever had.”