Chapter 39

39

SELENE

O n my return trek to the megaron, I kept an eye out for any door that might be the entrance to the cavernous tunnels beneath the palace. Nothing immediately stuck out at me. There were a few doors along the corridor that stretched between the west wing and the east, but they wouldn’t budge when I tried to open them.

No matter. Orpheus seemed to know where the sacrifices were kept.

The megaron had been transformed in my absence. Someone had submerged the table in well over a dozen platters of food. Grapes and fresh cheese crowded one corner, surrounded by loaves of seeded bread and sourdough. There were vine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs. Sliced cucumbers mixed with olive oil and lettuce. Roasted tomatoes, glistening beneath the torchlight. And in the far corner, there were piles of charred fish and skewers of meat.

It was a veritable feast.

Dionysos and Aphrodite spotted me near the door and made a beeline for me. Good. They were exactly who I wanted to speak with first. But before they reached me, Ares joined the procession.

Fuck. The last person I wanted to see right now was him.

I shifted uncomfortably, not really knowing what to do with my hands. Or my lips. Or my eyes. What I’d told him before…I thought it would help keep him away, and right now was not the time to discuss our doomed fate.

I needed to speak to Dion and Aphrodite privately, cinching them as my allies before Zeus discovered the mortals were missing from the tunnels. If I had time, I needed to find a moment with Demeter, too. Those three, I was certain would join my side.

But soon the three of them stood before me. I smiled at both Aphrodite and Dionysos before shooting a furtive wince at Ares. It did nothing to drive him away. In fact, he moved closer and put his hand on my back. Every single hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

“High Queen Selene,” Dionysos said with a smile, passing me a chalice of wine. “All sorted?”

“My room is secured. Yours?” I replied as smoothly as possible. It was next to impossible to ignore the heat of Ares’s touch against my back, and my voice came out a bit crackly.

“Unfortunately. It makes the whole room look dreadful now.” But then he brightened. “I could just make the megaron my quarters, you know. There are no windows, and there’s quite a lot of wine.”

“You are completely hopeless, Dion,” Aphrodite said with a laugh before turning to me. “I suppose you two will stay in Ares’s quarters together until this is all sorted out.”

Alarmed, I gulped the wine.

Ares pressed his fingers tighter against my back. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. If the beast broke into Selene’s rooms while she was there alone, I’d never forgive myself for not being there to protect her.”

What in Hades’s damn name is this?

Grinding my teeth, I looked up at him. “You’re very sweet. But need I remind you that I was the one who scared away the beast? I’m fairly certain he was going to gut you before I walked past Poseidon’s room and saw him backing you into a corner.”

“Oh, my love. You ferocious little thing. Did I tell you how impressed I was that you managed to find a dagger so quickly? Where was it, anyway?”

“It was under my fucking skirt.”

He looked genuinely surprised by my blunt admission of the truth. He’d expected me to flail for an explanation, come up with a fragile story that would fall apart if the seams were tugged too hard. But I’d made up my mind. I was done playing like I was a gentle little thing.

I took his hand and put it against my upper thigh, right where I’d reattached my weapon. He slid his hand around the width of my leg and gripped it, his fingers tantalizing close to my core. Heat tore through me.

“How very reckless of you,” he murmured, lowering his lips to my ear. “What would Zeus say if he found out the Titan is armed?”

“Who’s going to tell him?” I cocked my head as I turned toward our eager audience of two. “What do you think, Aphrodite?”

Aphrodite just laughed, her bobbed hair swishing around her chin. “I think whatever you’ve got under your skirt, Ares wants it.”

“She’s not wrong.” His breath was hot on my neck. And despite the heat, I shivered.

I didn’t understand what he was doing. Why hadn’t my fate pushed him away? Or at least made him more wary? If anything, he seemed even more intent on getting under my skin. Was this some kind of game to him?

As I tried to gather my thoughts—and my composure, admittedly—my eyes drifted across the room to Zeus. He stood in the far corner alone, watching us. There was something in his hooded expression that sent a shiver down my spine. With a sly smile, I lifted my chalice in his direction in a silent toast. He didn’t react. Instead, he continued to stand there, leaning against the wall, with folded arms and a dangerous glint in his eye.

And in that moment, a horrifying thought entered my mind. Someone had informed on my mother to him. Whoever it was had told him that she still worshipped Gaia. What if this person knew about the lycanthropes? What if they knew they came from Troy?

What if he suspected I’d brought one here?

I was itching for a fight to end his brutal reign, but I had to be smart about it. And if he came after me before I managed to gain some allies, I’d lose.

A hand tightened on my hip, and Ares shifted into view in front of me. Without thinking, I palmed his chest, dropping back my head to meet the intensity of his gaze. Unspoken words passed between us. With my eyes, I tried to tell him that he didn’t have to keep pretending to want me. We’d done enough. Everyone had moved on. But then, almost imperceptibly, he shook his head.

Out of the corner of my eye, Dion and Aphrodite wandered off, clearly sensing we needed some privacy.

“Ares,” I said after a moment, my voice barely a whisper. “Did you not hear what I said earlier? There are things that are going to happen . We should stop doing this now.”

“Oh, I heard it.” His reached up and traced a line along my jaw. “Does it scare you?”

“A little. Doesn’t it scare you?”

“It scares me less than you might imagine. Because there’s something I need to tell you, too.”

I furrowed my brow. “All right. Go on, then.”

He shook his head. “Not here. I don’t know if you noticed, but Zeus is very grumpily watching your every move.”

“I wouldn’t call it grumpily as much as menacingly.” I darted a look past Ares, toward where I’d spotted Zeus earlier. He was still there, watching our entire exchange with enough intensity that he could have burned a hole through us if he had the power to do so.

“He thinks you brought the wolf onto the island,” he said.

“I figured as much.”

Ares opened his mouth to say something else, but shouts suddenly rang from the corridor. A savage howl swiftly followed. Frowning, I unwound myself from Ares’s embrace and moved toward the open doorway. Several armored guards rushed into the room.

The nearest removed his helmet and tucked it beneath his arm. He wore his brown hair in a twisted bun, and the shadow of facial hair dusted his strong jaw. His crimson eyes swept across the room before landing on Zeus.

“Archon, the beast is in the courtyard,” the guard reported.

“Thank you, Achilles. Who else is on duty right now?” Zeus pushed away from the wall and strode purposely across the megaron. His harsh voice echoed ominously in the sudden hush of the room.

“Iros, Nicon, and Korax are waiting at the front.”

“Good.” Zeus moved past us, motioning for Achilles to follow. “Tell Nicon we need him to fight.”

Achilles started, his armor clanking. “It’s still raining, Archon.”

“You’re wearing fucking armor. Use it.”

Frowning, I followed them into the corridor, and by the sound of shuffling footsteps behind me, it seemed everyone else had the same idea. I needed to see what happened.

Soon we’d traversed the length of the corridor and clustered around the archway leading outside. It was a deep, impenetrable darkness tonight, only interrupted by the occasional flash of lightning. The rain fell in heavy sheets, and the sound of it was a steady, building roar.

Several empty wooden chairs were clustered near the entrance, far back enough to avoid the puddle oozing across the marble entryway. The guards were on their feet now, silently staring out into the night.

Another howl cut through the noise of the storm. Someone clutched my arm. I turned to find Dion behind me, his face deathly pale and a startling contrast to his long, dark hair.

“I don’t want to die, Selene,” he whispered.

A flash of guilt went through me. The lycanthrope’s arrival felt like a gift from Gaia herself, but he wouldn’t see Dion as any different than Poseidon. And the last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt. I wrapped my hand around his fingers, giving him a squeeze.

“It’ll be okay,” I said softly. “It’s one wolf against well over a dozen vampires, if we include the guards.”

He nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.

Up ahead, Achilles murmured something to one of the other guards. The one named Nicon, I was guessing. There was a clear flinch when he heard his orders, but I didn’t pick up any verbal objection. Then the armored vampire turned to the Archon and bowed.

Zeus, clearly satisfied, grabbed the back of a chair, dragged it toward him, and plonked down on the wood. “All right. Let’s get this over with. Go out there and kill the bloody beast.”

The guard took Athena’s offered broadsword and murmured his respectful thanks. With a grunt, he lifted it into the air and began a slow trek through the archway. His every step rattled, the steel as loud as thunder. My heart pounded as I watched, my hand pressed to my throat. From here, it was impossible to see any movement outside, and I doubted he would fare much better with the helmet blocking most of his sight.

Nicon’s boots hit the edge of the first step, then carefully—almost reverently—he eased out into the rain. For a moment, we collectively held our breaths, but nothing appeared to happen. He merely stood there with the rain drumming his steel suit. There was no sign of the lycanthrope anywhere, but I knew he must be close. He would have scented all of us near the entrance, if anything.

A horde of vampires, ripe for the killing.

Nicon continued down the steps, and a snarl suddenly curled from the darkness. The guard froze, whipping his head to the side.

“Do you see it?” his muffled voice called out.

Zeus leaned forward, forearms braced on his knees. He looked relaxed, like the outcome of Nicon’s quest meant nothing to him. But I knew he must be worried.

“No, but I’m sure it sees you,” Zeus answered.

The guard tensed. From somewhere nearby, a thump sounded, followed by another snarl. This time, it was much louder, and the guard swung his sword through the empty air, clearly too frightened to think.

The sword’s tip hit the marble, and the guard suddenly smacked his hand against his helmet. “Some of the rain’s getting in!”

Zeus frowned. “Then hurry up and kill the beast.”

“What? Archon, no. You can’t mean that.” Nicon spun around and stumbled toward us.

Before he made it halfway up the steps, the lycanthrope launched from the darkness, spraying rain across the marble. Several of the Olympians darted back, but I remained where I was, forcing myself to watch. The beast curled its claws around Nicon’s faceplate and ripped it off his head.

“Oh, god,” Dion muttered from behind me. “That thing is going to rip him to shreds. Someone needs to do something.”

Zeus, hearing Dionysos’s words, held up his hand. “No, everyone must stay where they are. That includes you, Achilles.”

Achilles had yet to don his helmet, so his furious, conflicted expression was fully on display. At some point, he’d drawn his weapon, and he looked ready to dash into the rain to save his compatriot. Two against one would better the odds, but Nicon couldn’t even move, let alone fight.

The rain swept across his cheeks, leaving vicious welts in its wake. And as Nicon screamed, the lycanthrope lifted his claw and brought it down on his face. Blood sprayed everywhere.

I ground my teeth, refusing to look away. The beast didn’t stop there. He ripped into the rest of the armor. Chunks of steel flew through the air. The crunching and spurting that followed was loud, despite the heavy rainfall.

When the lycanthrope was done, a gruesome display of broken bones and torn flesh lay at his feet. None of us dared to move. And when the beast lifted his head, he looked right into the entrance of the palace, and he roared.

His blood-soaked fangs glinted in the dull light.

I pushed past Athena and Hermes to stand at the front, as close as I could get to the steps without getting hit by rain. Zeus made no move to stop me. Eyes locked on the creature, I lifted my skirt and pulled out my weapon.

The silver gleamed.

“Come on, then.” I motioned the beast forward with my free hand. “Try and get me.”

I held my breath and waited, my gaze locked on the lycanthrope’s glowing orange eyes. He took a slow sniff, snarling. His fangs were long and impossibly sharp, and a tremor of fear went through me. At my back, I felt the heat of Ares press into me. He was there, ready to fight by my side. And something about that small touch made me lift my chin, feeling far more daring than should be possible.

The lycanthrope inched closer, his claws tapping the marble. When he was only a few steps away, he sniffed the air once more. A low growl emerged from his throat. All the fur on his back stood on end, his eyes locked on my weapon.

Just as I was readying myself to fight, he suddenly swung around and bounded away into the darkness. In seconds, he was gone, leaving behind nothing but Nicon’s mangled body. The rain had already washed the blood away, but the stench of it had lingered.

My hand dropped to my side. The lycanthrope was frightened of my weapon, just like I’d suspected. And he was intelligent enough to fight us one by one, rather than as a group. Did that mean he could tell us apart? If so, would he listen to reason?

I looked at up at the sky. Once dawn came, I needed to find him.