Chapter 17

17

SELENE

“ Y ou’re to stay in here until Zeus comes for you.” Achilles slammed the door in my face. A moment later, the lock tumbled, trapping me inside my rooms.

I kicked off my shoes and paced the floor, thinking. There was little I could do but wait for my trial. On a positive note, Erebus would declare me innocent, forcing Zeus to free me. Probably. No one quite knew the extent of the gods’ powers or how all-seeing they were. They certainly couldn’t do anything they wanted. If they could, Gaia would have gotten the Titans out of Tartarus by now.

And if Erebus couldn’t tell I was innocent…well then I was fucked.

There had to be a way out of this.

I left the drawing room and went into the bedroom, heading straight to the balcony. It was a long way down. But I could jump and survive—one of the many benefits of vampirism. Still, at this height…it would take a while to heal, and in that time, the others might find me.

No, if I wanted to escape, I had to do it the right way. There could be no risk of failure, no possibility of getting caught.

With a sigh, I leaned against the stone railing and gazed out at the abyss. For now, I was stuck inside these rooms while the others likely debated what to do with me. And all I could do was sit here while my fate rushed to meet me, ready to knock me off my feet.

S ince I wasn’t being forced to partake in any more feasts for the time being, I stayed up to watch the sunrise. I’d pulled the settee out onto the balcony and lounged against the velvet, witnessing the death of another night. Pinks bled through the dark ink, forcing away the shadows. And as the blood moon vanished behind the horizon, a flicker of relief went through me, though I couldn’t name why. Perhaps it was because nighttime was so important to the Olympians. They couldn’t survive outside during the day—not for long, at least.

A distant knock cut through my thoughts. I rose from my chair slowly, my heartbeat picking up speed. Surely it wasn’t one of them. They should be tucked into bed by now, hiding from the daylight behind their thick curtains. If one of them had come to visit me now…it could only mean something was wrong. Or it was Hera again, wanting to talk to me about her plots against Zeus.

Oh, I didn’t have the energy to deal with this.

Another knock—this time quieter but more insistent. It was a constant, frantic tapping that continued even after I ignored it for several long moments. Zeus would never knock like that. Neither would Ares. They’d just bang the door down.

With a frustrated roll of my eyes, I abandoned the balcony and approached the door. As if hearing me approach, the knocking went silent.

“Selene,” came a strained, half-whispered call.

I gasped and yanked open the door. Orpheus, hunched over and bleary-eyed, blinked back at me. Hector perched on his shoulder, his talons clutching a key. Frowning, I leaned into the hallway, looked this way and then that, then motioned them both inside my rooms.

“Come in,” I whispered.

Orpheus shuffled inside. When the door clicked shut, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. He smelled of blood and iron, of mist and stone. Just like Troy. I buried my face in his shoulder, trying not to shake. I’d been holding it together, but seeing him…it made me feel like I was four years old again and clutching at my mother’s skirts, watching the two of them discuss courtly business.

But by the time I pulled back, I’d slid my mask back into place. Even with Orpheus, I had to show strength.

“I heard what happened,” he said grimly. “The Olympians are out for blood. We must go immediately.”

“No, you must go immediately with the sacrifice. I have to remain here.”

Orpheus’s lips flattened. “I don’t know where he is, and we have no time to search for him.”

Shaking my head, I began to pace. “All right. You go ahead, and I’ll search for him, and—”

“You cannot.” He clutched my hands. “Just as with your mother, Zeus will find a way to kill you without breaking any pacts.”

“But what about my duty…” I trailed off. “Won’t this enrage Zeus? What if he follows us to Troy?” And then he’d see just how much the Trojans served Gaia. We could try to hide as much of it as we could before he chased us down, but it wouldn’t be enough. It was in the bones of the city. The only way to get rid of it would be to burn the place down and rebuild it, stone by stone.

Which was exactly what Zeus would do when he discovered it.

“Zeus has never stepped foot inside our city, not even when he confronted your mother.”

“Yes, but he thinks I killed Hestia.”

Orpheus nodded. “It certainly looks that way, which is why we need to get you to safety.”

“He said he wanted to give me a trial by Erebus…”

“The Olympians cannot demand answers from a god. He bestows them when he sees fit, and there is no guarantee he’ll do anything but remain as silent as he always is. And if he does stay silent, Zeus will no doubt take that to mean Erebus condemns you. No, I won’t risk your life, Selene. Please. I won’t lose you, too.”

I released a breath through clenched teeth. Fleeing felt wrong, but Orpheus was right. What other choice did I have?

“All right.” I went to grab one of my trunks, but Orpheus put a hand on my arm to stop me.

“We have to leave those behind. If anyone sees us, it’ll just slow us down.”

An ominous thought, but one I couldn’t ignore. Achilles wore plated armor, including a helmet. He might patrol the grounds during the day, along with other guards that wore similar. So I left all my things behind and followed Orpheus into the corridor.

Hector flew ahead, scouting the way. Every now and then, he emitted a soft caw to signal it was safe. Eventually, we made it out of the palace and into the dull light of day. Heavy clouds engulfed most of the sky, transforming midday into dusk. A harsh breeze gusted in from the sea, bringing with it a biting cold. I pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders and hurried down the steps. It was difficult to imagine this place had ever been hot and dry, back when Circe had lived here.

Hector continued clearing the path ahead, and the palace soon vanished behind us. But even as we trailed down the side of the hill, I expected angry shouts to fill the air at any moment. Someone would spot us. Ares and Zeus would appear. A stake would go through my heart, and everything that I was—all my loves and hopes and fears—would vanish into a cloud of ash.

I’d be gone from this world forever.

But we didn’t encounter anyone on the path. We made it down the mountainside steps and crept closer to the cove. The rushing sound of waves drowned out the heavy beating of my heart, and the scent of brine grew stronger.

I held a hand over my eyes to scan the cliffside. We needed to find our crew if we wanted to sail out of here, but they’d be resting inside one of the buildings scattered along the shore. By my count, there were at least six of them.

Orpheus let out a low whistle.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “We can send Hector. He knows the scent of our crew and should be able to find them quickly.”

“It’s not that, Selene,” Orpheus said in a strained voice. “Look at the cove.”

I shifted my attention from the stone buildings to the rough waters. Shards of wood floated along the surface. Broken planks had washed up onto the rocks, the waves tossing them into a pile. My hand moved to my mouth. I stared, my mind struggling to make sense of the sight before me.

“The boats are gone, destroyed,” Orpheus said.

“But…” I shook my head. It defied logic. Yes, the waves were rough, and yes, the clouds were brewing with rain, but it hadn’t stormed that fiercely. And even if it had, our boats were resilient, especially in a cove protected on three sides. How could the sea have done this?

“We are stuck here. Until we can get word to the mainland to bring another boat.” He looked at Hector.

“No.” I shifted in front of Hector. If he flew all the way back to the mainland, I wouldn’t see him for days. And right now, I couldn’t bear the thought of it. “We need to think this through. Perhaps we could…paddle away on one of the planks…”

“Yes, what a grand idea. We can just paddle miles and miles back to Troy.” Orpheus folded his arms.

I sighed, looked out at the wreckage. Not a single boat had survived the onslaught of…whatever had caused this. A prickle whispered across the back of my neck. There was something unsettling about this, beyond the destruction—beyond being trapped here when we were desperately trying to flee.

What were the odds Hestia had died on the same day the boats were destroyed?

It was almost as if the same person had done this. To prevent anyone from leaving.

But that was ridiculous.

Or…was it?

“I’ll have to return to the palace, Orpheus,” I eventually said.

His eyes widened. “And go through with that blasted trial? No, they will kill you, Selene.”

I put a hand on his arm, squeezed. “It’s all right. I have to be strong enough to handle this. I know you often still see me as the little girl running through the castle corridors in her bare feet, chasing Hector. And I do understand that. But now I am a queen, and I must do what queens do. We both know the only option is to face Erebus and his judgement. And since I’m innocent, I have to believe everything will be fine.”

“You could hide in a cave…” He trailed off, his voice fading.

“Come.” Sighing, I turned my gaze on the winding stone steps that led back up the side of the hill. “We better hurry if we want to get me locked inside that room before someone checks on me.”

The sky suddenly turned black. Thunder exploded in a deafening roar, and a terrible rain slashed sideways, falling in sheets so thick that it was impossible to see. Hector cawed frantically and took off, darting toward a nearby stone to take cover. I started to follow him, my teeth chattering from the sudden chill.

A hooded form hurtled toward me, cloaked in shadow. I took a step back, my boot slipping on the wet stone. The form slammed into me and knocked the breath from my lungs.

And then I tumbled over the side of the cliff toward the sea.