5. Aphrodite

5

APHRODITE

“Did you drug her?” I peer down at a nearly passed out Pandora. When I pulled Eurydice aside at the reception—wanting a little revenge after the stunt my husband pulled with Adonis—I told her to get Pandora to the club. I didn’t expect this.

“No, I didn’t drug her.” Eurydice rolls her eyes. She’s nursing a glass of white wine and surveying the people in the club behind me. It’s late enough that there are plenty of people in various stages of fucking, putting on quite the show. She meets my gaze. “She drank too much because she’s worried about Hephaestus.”

I refuse to feel even a twinge of guilt. Best I can tell, Pandora exists outside Minos’s cozy little family unit and is only there because of her connection with Hephaestus. It doesn’t matter. She’s here, which means she’s the enemy. All’s fair in love and war. “We’re all worried about Hephaestus.”

“Not like that and you know it.” She brushes Pandora’s dark hair off her face. “I like her.”

“Eurydice.” I sigh. “Don’t go soft on me now.”

She drops her hand and takes a sip of her wine. “No danger of that. I know what’s at stake. I’ll reach out to Ariadne tomorrow and get that moving.”

“Good.” I’m still not entirely convinced of Apollo’s report that said Minos’s daughter might be turned to our side, but at this point we can’t afford to overlook any potential foothold.

I turn to where Charon is leaned against the wall nearby. He’s always haunting some space near Eurydice. She seems to find it comforting. I feel it’s disconcerting. With someone as dangerous as Charon, I prefer to have him where I can see him. “Help me get her into the car.” I had planned to come here and get her sloppy drunk, so her managing it on her own skips a few steps.

Sometime later, I corral a nearly passed out Pandora in my apartment and help her get out of the bridesmaid dress and into my bed. Guilt threatens to rise again, but I swallow it down. She’s not an innocent, no matter how sweet she’s been since I met her. She’s part of Minos’s household, which means she’s part of the plot to bring down the city I love.

That doesn’t stop me from pulling the covers up around her shoulders. It’s cold in here and she’s already asleep. There’s no reason for her to freeze. It might make her wake before I’m ready for her to. That’s all.

I watch her sleep for a few moments. She’s got to be the only person in existence who doesn’t look more innocent like this. Not that she’s innocent when she’s awake, but there’s something about Pandora that invites the kind of delight that only exists before the world shows exactly how cruel it can be. I don’t understand it. It must be a mask, but I’ve never seen it so much as crack in the hours we spent together for the wedding planning.

That means nothing.

My mask doesn’t crack, either.

Satisfied that she’s not somehow faking sleep, I head for my bathroom. I need to take a quick shower and wash the events of the day off me. I’m mildly irritated to discover I’m sore after having sex with Hephaestus. I press my fingers to my pussy and shiver. It was fast and cruel and, damn it, I came. I shouldn’t have bothered, but in the moment I couldn’t resist.

I love pleasure too much to miss an opportunity to take it.

It’s tempting to take a long shower, but I have my task to keep in mind. It will be dawn soon enough, and there’s no time to waste. I’ll sleep later. Probably. Maybe.

It still takes another thirty minutes to dry my hair and put on enough makeup to hide the exhaustion starting to make my body feel heavy. It doesn’t matter. Sleep is something that evades me even under normal circumstances. Except with…

No. No use thinking about him.

A black silk robe completes the picture. I run my fingers through my hair a bit to give it a messier look and head back into the bedroom. Pandora is exactly where I left her, snoring softly. Cute. Her dark hair is spread out over my red sheets, creating the perfect contrast.

I move to the window and lift the blinds just enough to give some natural light in the room. One of the things I learned early was how to manipulate the public. With the current situation in Olympus, that skill is needed now more than ever. If we have a chance to avoid an all-out war, we have to fight the first battles through public perception.

Right now, all the headlines are screaming about the secret assassination clause that can catapult anyone who manages to kill one of the Thirteen into their newly vacated position.

The city’s opinion of the Thirteen is a fickle thing. They love to watch us, fish in an aquarium for their entertainment, and some of them flat-out love us. But that sort of thing can turn on a dime. Power is a heady thing, and if there’s one thing Olympus idolizes even above the Thirteen, it’s power itself.

No matter how much they enjoy watching our dramas play out in the gossip sites, it won’t take long until they start wondering what it would be like if they held the title of one of the Thirteen.

If we don’t give the people something else to talk about, every one of our lives will be in danger. Even with all our security measures, there’s no guarantee someone won’t succeed.

My husband did.

And that chaos will only spread. It’s exactly the thing my brother was worried about when we had three title changeovers in a single year. A destabilized city is ripe for the picking, which is no doubt what Minos wants. Throw in a faltering barrier, and we might not be able to muster up a defense if and when the enemy comes knocking at our door.

Well, fuck that.

If I have one skill, it’s giving people something to talk about. I intend to keep them so busy gossiping about my bullshit marriage that they won’t bother to sharpen their knives. Entertainment is king, after all.

I grab my phone, ignoring last night’s increasingly irate texts from my husband, and carefully snap a few selfies. I flip through them, picking the one that has me looking soft and mischievous…and has the tiniest hint of Pandora in the background. She’s turned away from the camera, only her mass of dark hair and one soft arm in the frame. She could be anyone…

But Hephaestus will know exactly who she is.

And the rest of Olympus will drive itself into a frenzy speculating why there’s someone who isn’t my husband in my bed on my wedding night.

I post on social media with a string of emojis—sun, heart, coffee, lips—that could mean anything and will add more fuel to the fire as people try to decode the secret message. Then I wander into my kitchen and take my time with my espresso machine. This is the favorite part of my day, the careful ritual of putting together the perfect latte.

I get five minutes of peace before my phone starts blowing up. A quick glance shows Hephaestus’s name. I grin and go back to the espresso machine.

Three calls later and Pandora’s phone starts ringing. I left it and her purse on the counter, so I grab it. The photo displayed is an old one with Pandora and Hephaestus—Theseus, then. He’s got his arm around her and he’s looking down at her with a smile that’s so relaxed, I almost doubt this is the man I married. She, of course, is her customary sunny self, beaming at the camera. It’s cute.

“Gross.” I swipe to answer the call. “Hello, Husband.”

“What the fuck did you do to her?”

“Hmm?” I drizzle caramel on the inside of my cup. “I’m not sure what you’re accusing me of, but I do believe I’m insulted.”

“I swear to the gods, Aphrodite, if you’ve harmed one hair on her head—”

“That’s your role, dear husband. I prefer softer methods.” I pause and pour the espresso into the cup. “And Pandora is very soft.”

He’s silent for a beat. Two. “I’ll kill you.”

A shiver of dread goes through me at the sheer menace in his voice, but I shake it off. I knew what he was capable of when I offered to marry him. Marrying murderers is practically a family tradition at this point, though I have no intention of suffering the same fate my mother did.

Even in my head, the thought falls flat. Dark humor has kept me going through some nightmarish experiences, and it will continue to do so. I add milk to the cup, then ice, and finish it off with more caramel.

“You won’t.” My voice doesn’t so much as quiver. “You need this marriage, and you’re no Zeus to survive the reputation of being a spouse-killer. I am Olympus’s darling little rebel, and if the people of this city think you’ve hurt me, they’ll tear you limb from limb.” Probably. If they don’t whip out some popcorn to cheer on the fall of one of the Kasios family. Truly, it could go either way.

Public opinion is a fickle beast, but I don’t expect Hephaestus to know that. He’s shown absolutely no skill at manipulating the press to date, so I don’t expect him to start now.

When he speaks again, his tone hasn’t lost its quiet menace. “Leave her alone. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Then she shouldn’t have come to Olympus. Have a nice day, Hephaestus. I certainly plan to.” I hang up and turn the ringer to silent. A quick check of my social media confirms the post is already blowing up. The comments are all gleeful speculation. Good.

“Aphrodite?”

I turn and freeze. Pandora stands in the doorway to my kitchen, her curvy body framed by the morning light. She’s wearing a bra, panties, and little else. Her body is… I swallow hard. Gods, I have the most inappropriate desire to pull her into my arms, to press my mouth to the soft line of her shoulder, to follow it down—

Stop that.

I smile slowly. “Good morning, Pandora.”

Her makeup has smudged a bit, and it’s truly unfair that it only makes her dark eyes more prominent and pretty. She gives me a long look. “What am I doing here?”

This, at least, I have a ready answer for. “Oh, you drank too much last night and Eurydice called me because she was worried you wouldn’t make it home safely.”

“So your solution was to bring me to your place?”

I shrug and sip my coffee. “It was closer and I was tired. I’m sure you understand.”

She gives me a look that says she sees through my bullshit but isn’t ready to call me on it. “Where is Theseus?”

“His name is Hephaestus now. He’s earned that.” I can’t quite keep the bite out of my voice.

Pandora shakes her head slowly. “Maybe to the rest of this city, but he’ll always be Theseus to me.”

That’s precious and sadly innocent. I sigh. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes.”

I expect we won’t be alone for long, but I don’t rush through my process. “Caramel?”

“Sure.”

I can feel her watching me, but I keep my movements smooth and slow. A few minutes later, I slide her cup to her. “Let me know how that is.”

She has the strangest expression on her face. “You look different when you’re like this.” She sips the coffee before I can decide how I’m supposed to respond to that. “Oh, this is good. Thank you.”

“Of course.” I lean against the counter and reclaim my cup. “You should be more careful in Olympus. If Eurydice hadn’t called me, you could have gotten into trouble.” True, she only called me because she and I arranged this little meetup ahead of time, but Pandora doesn’t need to know that.

I didn’t have a firm plan to use Pandora against Hephaestus at the start of this, but she’s too good a lever to overlook. And turnabout is fair play. If he thinks I have my hands all over her, it will twist the knife and he’ll be so busy chasing his tail, he won’t have time to enact whatever plan Minos has put together.

And if it doesn’t distract him? Well, I’ll deal with that when the time comes. I’m adaptable like that.

“She’s the one who invited me to the lower city.” Pandora makes a face. “Though I didn’t get to enjoy it very much.”

It’s exactly the opening I need. Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly. I smile. “I’m more than happy to take you there sometime if you want.”

Pandora leans back against the counter, mirroring my position. “I was under the impression that Hades didn’t like the rest of the Thirteen all that much. Why would he give you unlimited access to his private club?”

Apparently she’s been paying closer attention than I realized. Oh well, I planned for this possibility, too. “He and I have an understanding.” Unlike some of my peers, Hades can see the writing on the wall. If Minos gets his way, then the murder of the last Hephaestus is only the beginning of the trouble we’ll see.

It doesn’t mean he likes my methods, but he’s agreed to stay out of my way as long as I don’t endanger any of the precious citizens of his lower city. He wouldn’t thank me for including Eurydice in my plans, but what Hades doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

And what Persephone doesn’t know won’t hurt me.

For a moment, Pandora looks tempted, but then she shakes her head. “No. I appreciate the offer, but Theseus wouldn’t like it, and I’m not going to be the instrument you use to hurt him.”

She’s smarter than I gave her credit for, which should frustrate me, but instead a strange sort of delight unfurls in my chest. I like that she’s not a complete pushover, even if it’s inconvenient.

“Of course,” I agree easily. “You’re friends, after all.”

Her dark brows draw together in a frown. “Why do people keep putting that kind of emphasis on it? Is it really so hard to believe we’re just friends?”

“Darling, it’s hard to believe he has any friends at all. Don’t take it personally.” I lean forward a little and lower my voice. I’m delighted when she mirrors the movement, her forehead nearly touching mine. It’s enough to bring back the memory of that little game at Minos’s house party where we shared a kiss. Two, actually. Her lips were particularly soft. Not that I’ve been thinking about it at all. “But you? I believe that you have a lot of friends.”

“Now you’re just being mean.”

I shrug and force myself to straighten. “It’s what I do.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but never gets the chance. My front door booms open hard enough to echo through the whole apartment and Hephaestus’s roar fills the space. “Aphrodite!”

I hide my grin. Right on time. “In here, dear husband.”

He’s limping a bit more than normal as he comes around the corner and stops short. Being on his feet so much of yesterday must have taken its toll. Either that or the little sex we had was too much for him. The thought makes me chuckle.

Hephaestus looks from me in my robe to Pandora in her underwear, his rage something truly outstanding to behold. I lean forward, wondering if he might give himself a stroke from the rise in his blood pressure. Unfortunately, that would be too easy, and he manages to regain control of himself. “Pandora, put your clothes on. We’re going.”

I expect Pandora to hop to obey. She might not be one of Minos’s children—foster, biological, or otherwise—but she’s a part of the household, and the household dances to the tune of the patriarch. Hephaestus is an extension of that will right now.

She doesn’t move. Instead, she frowns. “You don’t get to use that tone with me, Theseus.”

He shoots a look at me, and I’m delighted to see a thread of unease filter through his dark eyes. When he turns back to Pandora, he’s obviously made a small attempt to moderate his tone. “Let’s go.”

“I’m good.”

It takes everything I have to keep my surprise off my face. I’ve underestimated her stubbornness. That shouldn’t delight me. The stakes have never been higher, and my perverse curiosity has gotten me into more trouble than I care to admit. I absolutely cannot afford to have the impulse sink its teeth into me and hold tight.

“Pandora—”

“I’ll get a ride back to the house later.” She walks out of the kitchen and, over the sudden silence that permeates the room, I hear her heading back down the hallway to my bedroom.

Hephaestus levels a murderous look at me. “If you touch her, I’ll kill you.”

“What makes you think I haven’t already touched her?” I permit myself a slow smile. “She’s such a luscious little gem, isn’t she? I’m only human, Husband. I can’t be expected to resist such tempting fruit.” He opens his mouth and I lift a finger. “Ah-ah. She made her choice. Leave.”

For a long moment, I don’t think he will, but he finally curses and exits my apartment. I make my way to the front door and throw the dead bolt. He was so panicked at the thought of me having Pandora, he didn’t even stop to wonder how he was able to get past my doorman and my door.

Foolish man.

He’s playing in the deep end now, and he obviously doesn’t know how to swim.