Chapter 20

20

SELENE

A s soon as Hector returned, I closed the doors to the balcony, soaked through. Shivering, I changed into soft cotton bedclothes and huddled beneath the covers. My mind whirred, replaying the moments at the beach over and over again, until they were burned into my mind like a brand.

Far too soon, the bell tolled, signalling that it was time to rise and get ready for the evening ahead. When Achilles came for me, I’d barely spun my hair into a braided bun and donned another pair of boots. The others were oozing saltwater. As his knocking intensified, I quickly kicked them under the bed, along with my wet clothes.

When I answered the door, I was breathless. My heartbeat spiked in my throat.

“Everything all right, High Queen?” Achilles asked, his voice muffled by his helmet.

“Yes, fine,” I said curtly.

I swore I could feel his frown, though maybe I was just imagining it. “I’m to escort you straight to the amphitheatre so you can partake in the sacrifice.”

“And my trial? When’s that happening?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Zeus said he will wait until the end of Nekros. Otherwise, there won’t be a thirteenth participant.” He stepped back, then motioned at the corridor.

That meant Ares hadn’t spoken to him yet.

“There would be. Because I didn’t do it.”

“That remains to be seen. For now, Zeus wants—”

A curdling scream rent the night. Achilles froze, then jerked his head toward the sound, his armor rattling like thunder. I leaned forward to peer down the corridor. The torches flamed in the distance, revealing nothing but a line of damaged statues. Their heads were missing and chunks of stone littered the ground by their circular pedestals.

“That sounded like it came from the direction of the megaron,” I told him.

He nodded. “Stay here.”

“No.” I moved into the corridor, nearly tripping over my gown. “I’m coming with you.”

For a moment, I thought he might argue, but another scream echoed down the hall. And that was all he needed to get moving. He hurried off, creaking and rattling. After tugging my door shut, I followed, my breath held tight in my throat.

After what had happened by the shore, those screams could mean anything. Had the attacker grown more bold? They’d clearly chosen another target—perhaps they hadn’t stuck around the cliffs long enough to witness Ares pulling me onto the beach. So they might not know I walked on land, free from the eternal torment of the sea.

And if they saw me alive…

“That sword you carry,” I said, as quietly as I could, “it’s steel rather than a wooden blade.”

Achilles forged ahead, tossing the words over his shoulder. “Do you think Zeus would arm us with weapons that could kill him? The swords are for mortals who try to sneak onto the island.” He paused, just for a brief moment. “Or to slow down a rebellious vampire. Like you, if you try to escape while I’m taking care of…whatever’s up ahead.”

“Just be ready to use it,” I said.

He cast me a quick glance. And not for the first time, I wished I could read his face. But then he carried on, hurrying around the bend and down the final corridor to the megaron. The doors were flung wide, but I couldn’t spot any movement inside. Nor could I hear any sign of life. The harps were silent. There was no murmur of conversation or the barking of laughter.

And no screams, either.

Perhaps it was nothing.

A part of me hoped it wasn’t, while another part—that deep vicious part of me—felt almost…disappointed. It had been quite the eventful start to the fortnight, and I craved a little more of that excitement. Nothing ever really happened in Troy.

No, back home, I rose, donned my gown, then sat on my throne until sunrise. The kingdom was still in mourning, so there were no feasts, no courtly celebrations. Sometimes, residents came to my throne room asking for my assistance, but their predicaments were often easily solved.

My servants delivered my daily blood to me in a jug. I never chose my prey, and I certainly didn’t hunt them down in the streets. Which was fine. That was the Trojan—or the Titan—way. It was my duty to protect the humans, and I couldn’t do that if I treated them like quarry.

But sometimes…sometimes I imagined what it would be like to sneak up behind one, how it would feel to set my blood ablaze and chase them around bends and over bridges. Closer and closer until I trapped one in my grip and sank my teeth into the delicious flesh of their neck.

Achilles slowed as he approached the open doors, holding up a hand as a signal to pause. I followed his lead and came to a stop just behind him. Heart pounding, I looked around his steel-clad shoulder. The room was…empty.

I heaved a sigh. “Well.”

“Odd.” Achilles clanked his way into the room. “There’s no one here.”

“Maybe the screaming was coming from elsewhere.”

He glanced around. “No, it originated from here. I’m certain of it.”

“You can hear that well through your helmet?”

“Shh.” He pressed a finger to his lips—or the spot on his helmet where his lips might be. Cocking his head, he inched further inside the room, but the rattle of his armor definitely wasn’t anywhere near silent. I motioned at him to stop and let me go first, but he either didn’t notice or he explicitly ignored me.

He clanked past the table, then ducked through the archway. I followed him into the kitchen, where a fire roared in a hearth, spilling light across a work table covered in an array of chopped vegetables.

And a puddle of blood, fingers of red stretching across the floor. I sniffed. The scent of iron perfumed the air. It was fresh. And from a mortal.

My teeth ached as hunger tore through my gut. Red mist clouded my eyes.

Achilles made a choked sound and backed away. “I can’t. Partake. When I’m on duty.” Then he whirled on his feet and ran.

I frowned after him. If Zeus didn’t allow his guard to feed, there was no telling how withered he was by now. I was impressed he was able to even move around in that thing, as weak as he must be. No wonder he held so little control over his bloodlust. A hungry vampire could transform into a wild thing. I’d witnessed it myself, during one of the few times a vampire of Troy hadn’t yielded to my mother’s commands.

Shaking my head, I turned back to the blood and knelt beside it. I drew my finger across the slick surface, brought it to my lips, and tasted it. Another aching wave tore over me, but I tamped it down, focusing my thoughts on the puzzle before me.

Yes, it was fresh mortal blood, but from whom I couldn’t tell. It didn’t belong to whoever had donated the blood for the feast. So a servant, perhaps? The cook? I didn’t think Zeus brought any humans here, other than those who were deemed sacrifices. All the servants I’d seen were vampires.

“What’s happened here?” came an all-too familiar voice.

I looked over my shoulder at Ares. Thick strands of his curly hair hung into his eyes as he surveyed the scene.

“Achilles and I heard some screaming, coming from the megaron. This is what we found when we got here,” I said.

“Yes, I passed Achilles on the way in here. He could barely speak. Now I know why.”

“Zeus really doesn’t let him feed?”

“Not when he’s on duty, which is most nights, I must admit,” he said tightly. “But that’s none of our concern. Does the blood taste mortal? It smells like it is.”

I nodded. “It came from a human’s veins. Have you ever met the cook?”

“No mortal is allowed to step foot on this island. That includes servants. Only vampires may witness Nekros. And sacrifices, because they’re fated to die. They can never leave to tell others what happens here.”

“So then whose blood is this?”

He stepped closer, held out a hand. I slipped my fingers into his and let him pull me to my feet, and it was all I could do not to notice the heat of him—how warm his touch felt after the chill from the rain. Even hours later, my bones carried the cold, but his palm seemed to burn it all away.

My breath hitched, and I hastily tugged my hand from his.

Zeus appeared, darkening the archway. His gaze swept across the kitchen, and a deep scowl twisted his features. “Get out. Both of you. Go to the amphitheatre. I’ll take care of this.”

“Who is it?” Ares asked.

“Do not question me. Leave and do not speak of this again,” Zeus ordered, pointing at the archway. “Now.”

Ares drew back his shoulders. “Zeus, I—” he started to say, but then seemed to think better of it. He snapped his mouth shut. “We’ll see you at the ceremony.”

He stalked out of the room, clearly annoyed by Zeus’s reaction. The Archon remained where he was, his eyes locked on the blood. A dark look crossed his face. And he was so focused, so clearly caught off guard, that he didn’t even notice I’d remained in the kitchen.

That blood belonged to someone important. But who? Another lover?

Eyes widening, I backed out of the kitchen. Ares was waiting for me in the megaron, pacing with his fingers jammed into his hair.

When he caught sight of me, he came so close I could scent some blood on his lips—not fresh, like that on the floor. The blood he’d imbibed before coming to the megaron had been from a goblet, just like mine.

“I know who that was,” he said quietly. “Zeus keeps human lovers back home. He’s never brought one here before, but there’s a new one he only added to his harem a few months ago. A woman named Cora. He seemed to really favor her.”

“I had a similar thought,” I admitted. “Not that I knew about Cora, just that it could have been a lover. But what about Hestia? I thought…”

“They were involved, but Zeus is Zeus. He’s never been one for monogamy. I tried to warn her, but she wouldn’t listen.” His eyes closed. “I don’t know what he does, but every woman he meets will do anything to have him.”

I snorted. “Not every woman he meets.”

Ares shook his head. “He’s going to be…I can’t ask him to move up your trial yet.”

“But—”

“Think about it. Someone killed his favored lover. If you stand before him to be judged for a similar crime, he’s going to accuse you of doing this, too. I need to divert his attention elsewhere.”

“But to who?”

Even as I voiced the question, I knew the answer. And it was such a simple choice that it felt too obvious—too easy. Zeus had probably already wondered it himself. All it would take was the tiniest of nudges…

Because who else could it be?

“Hera,” he said.

My heart beat faster, but I kept my face a mask of calm indifference. The truth was, it all fit. Hera had told me herself she wanted to take down Zeus, and both the deaths so far were clearly meant to hurt him. The only thing that didn’t make sense was the attack on me, but…maybe she thought I knew too much. Maybe she regretted telling me her plans, since I’d turned her down.

“How do you think he’d react?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the darkened archway. There’d been no sound since I’d left him there. I wondered if he was still staring at the blood, frozen in place by grief I didn’t think he was capable of feeling.

His crimson eyes flared. “If she killed Hestia, I don’t give a fuck what he does to her.”

I glanced away, though my blood sang from the heat of his words. “What would that mean for the Hellas Agreement, though? Even if Zeus decides a trial overrides it, does it really? Aren’t you worried what Erebus will do?”

He leaned closer, his breath hot on my cheek. “Aren’t you?”

I stared back, defiant, daring him to ask what he really wanted to know. No, Erebus did not concern me. None of the gods did, not truly.

“I can see it in your eyes, you know,” he murmured. “You are not loyal to our god.”

“There’s so much you think you know about me. Things that could doom me to Zeus’s wrath. And yet you keep it to yourself.” I arched a brow. “You even save me. What is it you want from me, Ares? You said it was to track down Hestia’s murderer. Well, it looks like you’ve already done that. So what game are you playing?”

His lips curled into a smile. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a game, now would it?”

“I don’t trust you.”

“Good. You shouldn’t. I don’t trust you, either.”

“Why not? You seem to think you already know everything about me.”

“And what I know paints a striking portrait. The last remaining Titan, the dutiful queen, stepping in to do things right after her mother failed. How she walks with her chin held high and reacts with calm obedience. Perfectly trained. Always composed—except when talking to me, of course. And when she isn’t being tossed around by waves, every pretty ginger hair on her head is exactly where it should be.” His smile widened. “It’s a lovely narrative. Too bad every single bit of it is fake.”

“I’ve heard enough.” I tugged hard on the sleeves of my gown. “Zeus told us to go to the megaron. If he emerges from the kitchen and finds we’re still here, he’ll lose his shit.”

Ares frowned. I expected him to argue, but he looked at the archway, his expression darkening. “You’re right. We don’t want to be in his path when he walks out of that kitchen.”

Together, we left the palace and walked down the hill to the amphitheatre. Tonight, only papery thin clouds caressed the sky, barely blotting out the vibrant rays of the blood moon. Ares looked up, noticing it, though he made no comment. It’d been here two nights in a row, which was unusual. It was as if the moon had painted itself red to match all the blood we planned to spill.

The stone wall opened up before us. Inside, the others had already gathered around the statue of Erebus. They turned toward us when they heard our approach. Artemis glared. Hephaestus winced. No one looked happy to see us. Except, perhaps, Hera, who was practically gleaming.

I bit the insides of my cheeks. If I hadn’t thought she’d killed the mortal in the kitchen, I certainly thought it now. Her body was practically buzzing with vicious excitement. Slowing my steps as we approached the group, I cast an uneasy glance at Ares. He returned it with one of his own.

“You’re late, and you almost missed all the fun.” Hera clapped. “Where’s Zeus?”

Dionysos cleared his throat and stared at his boots.

Something was wrong—something more than just the kitchen death. And when Hera gleefully danced to the side to reveal the mangled body curled beside the statue’s feet, I suddenly understood everything. Because even in death, she was stunningly beautiful. Bold red lips, raven hair, eyelashes that were long and lustrous.

Zeus was late, so they’d already begun tonight’s sacrifice.

And the sacrifice was his human lover.