Chapter 30

30

SELENE

G rowing up, my city sat along the coastline of Troy. Dense mists hunkered above the sea for miles, thickening the air and sucking all the color from the world. The winds were barely more than a faint breeze now and again. To that end, sailboats that thrived on wind were a rarity. Fishermen and traders chose to power their ships with the shadows Medea conjured for them.

But my mother had seen occasion to find a human sailor to teach me the basics. She’d told me I might one day find need of it. Of course, I’d scoffed—only inwardly. Those lessons out on the sea, past the wall of Medea’s mists, were one of the few times I got to experience the world beyond the city walls. Any excuse I got, I gladly took.

The mortal, a genteel man named Alexios with kind brown eyes, had beamed every time I’d learned something new. And when he’d informed my mother of how quickly I’d taken to the task, he’d looked so proud. The last time I’d seen him, his hair had turned gray at his temples, and lines around his eyes had deepened. He’d come to me not long before I’d embarked on my journey to the Isle of Aiaia. And when he’d grasped my hands and begged me to protect the mortals of Troy, I’d sworn to him, on the memory of my mother, that I would.

And for him, I would. He was a reflection of everything I loved about Troy, about the people in it. My mother had relieved him of his blood payments for two years in exchange for him teaching me about sailboats, but I’d never gotten the feeling that he’d done it for that. He’d enjoyed the work.

I couldn’t let someone like Alexios end up trapped in a cage, bone thin and crawling through mud.

“You seem lost in thought,” Ares said from beside me, where he held the tiller.

It had been a fairly straightforward journey so far, with the winds pushing us in the right direction. Hestia was still asleep beneath the shelter, while Ares occasionally shot orders my way. Just ahead, a tiny island awaited, just large enough for a copse of trees and an estate with a single tower. We’d be there before the sun dipped behind it.

I nodded, the wind tossing my loose hair around my face. “Being on a boat like this, it reminds me of Troy.”

“I didn’t think you did much true sailing in Troy, what will all that mist. I heard…well, I heard strange things about a witch named Medea and her magic,” he said.

I didn’t elaborate for him. The less the Olympians knew about Medea’s strange powers, the better.

Instead, I said, “You can sail once you’re out past the mists. A mortal man taught me how.”

“Of course he was a mortal.”

I cut him a sharp look. “I don’t see why you should say it like that. They’re people , Ares. Same as me and you.”

“Of course they’re people, but mortals are very obviously not the same as me and you.”

I ground my teeth. “And you wonder why I didn’t jump at the chance to come on this fucking boat with you.”

“Hmm.” He turned his head my way. I hated that I still couldn’t see his face, to read whatever he expression he had when he looked at me. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. It’s just the reality of our world. We’re different. They can walk in sunlight, for one.”

“That’s hardly a crime. So can I.”

“You’re not like us, either, Selene.”

Chills swept down my arms from the darkness in his voice, and then a new sense of bold carelessness came over me. I didn’t know if it was the fresh salt-thick air or the fact we were out here alone on the waves with no one around to hear a word we said. But I suddenly didn’t care if the right thing came out of my mouth or not—if he believed I’d come to Aiaia for the right reasons, or if he suspected the truth. That all I cared about was protecting Troy, and one day, I would claim my vengeance. Fuck Erebus and fuck the Olympians.

“Perhaps it’s a good thing I’m nothing like you,” I said evenly. “Because from where I’m standing, it seems like all you lot want to do is destroy each other.”

Ares laughed—actually laughed . “And there she is again. The true High Queen of Troy.”

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He leaned closer, his armor creaking in the wind. And despite the metal that separated us, I swore I could feel the heat of him against my skin. “It means that every so often the truth of who you are seeps out from beneath your costume. You’re like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pacing around the cage your mother built for you.” His voice dropped to a low hum. “Let that little beast out, Selene. Stop following a dead queen’s commands.”

I reared back. “Fuck you.”

I swore I could hear his smile as he replied. “Fuck you, too.”

We passed the rest of our short journey in silence. I had nothing to say to him after that, and it was all I could do not to stew in his words. What annoyed me the most was that he was right, at least partially. I’d spent my entire life bottling up my emotions, all because of my mother’s instructions. And more than any other, the one emotion she’d taught to me to contain was my rage.

I couldn’t lose my temper. I couldn’t bare my fangs. I couldn’t even frown, lest someone realize I was agitated, annoyed, or just plain sad.

No matter what happened, I couldn’t act .

I’d been made to sit on that throne, smile occasionally, and nothing more.

And since coming to Nekros, I’d struggled to keep my composure. None of the others seemed to notice the divergence from who I tried to be, but Ares did. Out of all of them, he had to be the one who saw me for what I was.

It was infuriating.

And so out there on the sea, with no one around, I faced the oncoming wind, and I let myself scowl.

A t long last, we reached the white stone shores of Thrinacia. It was a much smaller island than Aiaia, with only a small rocky hill sloping toward the center, where a small estate sprawled across the mossy ground. Beyond it, the sun had vanished, and a magnificent painting of pinks, oranges, and blues slashed across the darkening sky. Wispy clouds passed overhead, and while I helped Hestia out of the boat, Ares finally emerged from the suit of armor.

He looked more ruffled than I’d ever seen him, his silver hair sticking up in all directions. Even so, the increasing wind tossed the curls around his forehead, giving him a sort of rugged edge that made it look like he’d done it on purpose. He rubbed his angular jaw, rolling back his shoulders. Like this, he looked like the warrior I knew he was.

Hestia, having dropped back the hood, spotted me watching him and gave me a knowing look. “Handsome, isn’t he?”

“What? No.” I dragged my gaze away. Ares was, in fact, very handsome, but I didn’t want him to overhear me saying so. Instead, I swung the conversation in a different direction. “Have you ever told him you feel that way? That you like the way he looks? You two are close. Maybe…”

Her eyes danced with amusement. She’d regained some energy from her short rest, and her face had some color back. “Ares and I were siblings before Erebus turned us into Olympians.”

I straightened. That…explained a lot. “Siblings? I didn’t know that.”

“Not many do. We prefer to keep it to ourselves, lest our enemies use it against us.”

“Why’d you tell me, then?”

She smiled, leaning against me. “You are not my enemy, Selene.”

A strange emotion stirred in my chest. “Thanks. I don’t really see you as my enemy, either.”

Hestia nodded against my shoulder, sighing. “I want to thank you for what you did. I know it must have been difficult for you to help someone who is on the wrong side of a very long battle with your kind. Just know, I argued against trapping the Titans in Tartarus. I don’t think it was right.”

I patted her shoulder and swallowed. The raw softness in her made me feel unsteady. I’d been told what Hestia was like, but it was another thing to experience it in person. She defied everything I’d ever known about Olympians. They had been created to behave a certain way, twisted by Erebus’s power. And yet she’d been immune to it. She’d kept a tight grip on her humanity instead.

“Ah, Odysseus,” Ares called out, waving toward someone behind us.

I turned to find a very mortal man jogging toward us from the estate on the hill. The quickening wind whipped his long dark hair, along with the cloak that hung from his broad shoulders. He was a tall, imposing figure with the orange sky silhouetting his form. When he reached us, he took one look at Hestia, the manacles still attached to her wrists, and collected her into his arms.

“What happened to her?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Ares answered grimly, still waiting in the boat. “I need you to look after her for a few days, until Nekros is over.”

“Of course. I’ll make sure she feeds.” He paused. “Who did this to her, Ares? Don’t tell me it was Zeus. Because if it was, I swear to the fucking gods who hide in their primordial realm that I will—”

“I don’t know who it was, but I intend to find out,” Ares cut in.

Surprise lifted my brow. This was all very unexpected. Ares working with a mortal man? And he was almost close to admitting Zeus could have harmed Hestia, too. At least he was finally considering the idea, even if he wouldn’t fully admit it.

Odysseus pointed a long finger at Ares. “You find out who did it. And then I’ll find someone to take care of it if you can’t.”

Ares nodded, then beckoned me toward the boat. “We need to go. Daylight is waning.”

Odysseus glanced at me as he turned to go, but came to a jolting stop before he’d taken a step. His gaze swept across me, his eyes widening. He clearly hadn’t registered much about me until now.

“Are you…are you Selene ?” he asked incredulously.

I smiled and lifted my hand in a wave. “Hello, it’s lovely to make your acquaintance.”

From the boat, Ares loosed a grunt.

Odysseus shook his head and muttered something to himself—something about ‘bloody vampires’—before withdrawing from the shore. Without another word, he carried Hestia toward the house on the hill.

I returned to the boat and climbed inside. Ares didn’t say a word as he messed with the sails, preparing for our departure. Things had been tense between us on the way here, but it felt heightened now. Even though Hestia had slept, she’d still been a steadying presence, a distraction from the mutual hatred we shared.

Now there was nothing to muddy the waters. We were stuck in each other’s company until we reached the palace, and that would be hours from now. Plus, I had to admit I was intensely curious about his mortal friend. They clearly knew each other well. Did Zeus know about him? About his hidden island near Aiaia?

But the winds had picked up, gusting in one direction and then the next. The skies quickly darkened and clouds rolled across the moon. Darkness obscured the view ahead, making it difficult to see our destination. It required a lot more concentration and teamwork to steer the boat in the right direction, and I got lost in the work of it, focusing my attention on the ropes and the sail.

It wasn’t until we were halfway across the strait that I realized something was wrong.

Ares had moved to the bow of the ship. He gazed out at the wave-swept sea, his hands clenched by his sides. Deck rocking angrily beneath me, I stumbled toward him, clutching the side of the boat. Even during my lessons, I’d never been out on waters like this.

“What’s wrong? Is there a storm coming?” I shouted to be heard over the roar of the sea.

A muscle in his jaw ticked, then he shook his head. “There’s a creature who lives in these waters. She normally leaves me be, but she’s been circling us since we left Thrinacia.”

“I’m sorry, did you say a ‘creature’?”

“A large beast, yes.” His eyes darted north, and I followed his gaze. The flash of emerald scales undulated just beneath the surface, stretching out so far that I couldn’t see the end of them. And then they suddenly vanished. A moment later, a spiked tail whipped from the waves and tore through the air.

Ares dove toward me. He wrapped his arms around me and slammed onto the deck, his body shielding mine. An ominous crash sounded a second later. The boat trembled and shards of wood exploded all around us. Ares continued to hold himself over me, the heat of him burning through my clothes.

Even as the debris rained down, he was an immovable stone.

Another explosion sounded to our left. The boat groaned. The world itself seemed to tip to the side, shooting us up into the air.

Suddenly, Ares’s lips found my ear. “We’re going to end up in the water. Try to hold on to me. If you lose your grip, find a plank of wood. Understand?”

“We’re going to end up in the water,” I repeated numbly. As soon as I’d seen the scales, I’d known this was where we were headed, but I’d tried to shove the thought out of my mind. Ares voicing it made it all too real.

The last time I’d fallen into the sea, I’d nearly drowned—an eternal torture for vampires. I didn’t know how to swim. And while it sounded like Ares planned to keep my head above water, all it would take was one brutal wave to rip me away from him.

And that was if this sea creature didn’t eat us alive.

Ares released his grip on me and unsteadily climbed to his feet. The boat was leaning heavily to one side, and his boots slipped against the wood. He held out a hand, the wet strands of his curly hair falling into his eyes.

“Take my hand,” he said.

I stared up at him. He gave me a silent nod, as if acknowledging this strange twist of fate. Two enemies allied once again. There was no sign of hate in his expression. Only steady determination. And so I reached up and slipped my fingers into his.

As soon as his hand gripped mine, the creature’s tail smashed into the deck only inches from my head. The power of it felt like a punch to my lungs, and my body lurched upward. Ares caught my middle, pulling me tight against him, even as he was flung through the air himself.

We went over the side, falling off the remains of the ship. The convulsing, frothing waves reached toward us. We slammed into the frigid waters. The biting cold stole my breath away, stinging my skin. Fear tore through me, clenching my heart. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think. I could do nothing but stare into the darkness. Terror froze every inch of me.

I clung to Ares, a scream ripping from my throat.

And then we fell.

Down, down, down . Into the sea’s deathly embrace.