9. Pandora

9

PANDORA

I almost don’t go back to Minos’s home. Returning there always feels like stepping into a cloud of noxious gas, except the very air has weight. Minos mostly ignores me, which means the Minotaur mostly ignores me as well, and I prefer it that way. But that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t ignore either of them. I learned early on that knowing the most dangerous people in the room might save my life one day, and they are both dangerous.

There’s nowhere else to go, though.

For all Minos’s show of buying a house outside the city proper, it’s not convenient for day-to-day life, so he’s rented a penthouse a few blocks away from the city center. I think he tried to get closer, but all those buildings are owned by families that can trace their origins back to Olympus’s conception. They might not be giving him the cut direct currently, but none of them wanted a new, ambitious stranger living so close.

I bet they’re all happy about that after what went down two weeks ago.

I push the thought away, just like I have every day since the house party ended in violence and death. I know what Theseus is capable of. I’ve always known it.

That doesn’t make it easier to stomach.

It’s not the death that bothers me. Death is a part of life, and murder is far more common among the powerful than anyone wants to admit.

What bothers me is the fantasy Minos spun for Theseus. The one where doing this would fulfill all his dreams of stability and power. Judging by the last two weeks, all of that is one big lie. He’s got power, but stability is in short supply, and he certainly doesn’t have the freedom he craves.

Coming here was a mistake.

I’m only in Olympus because Theseus refuses to cooperate if I’m not a package deal with him, and Minos resents me intensely because of it. I’m the one relationship in Theseus’s life that predates everyone here. The chosen family that Minos cannot manipulate or control. The one person who’s known Theseus since we were barely out of diapers.

Not that Theseus listens to me. If he did, he wouldn’t be in his current predicament. The fact he thinks he can dictate my actions, though? It makes me want to put him in his place all over again the way I did this morning.

I wish I could pretend that’s why I accepted Aphrodite’s invitation.

The hook in my gut is attached to a string of pure desire, and I’m terribly afraid she might hold the other end of it. She’s beautiful and magnetic, and I’m only human. Being the primary recipient of all her attention is a heady thing. I won’t act on it…

Probably.

“Pandora!”

I give myself a shake and look up as Ariadne and Icarus wave me into the living room. It’s a wide-open space with cold leather couches, a glass coffee table, and massive floor-to-ceiling windows that give me vertigo when I stand too close.

Ariadne is lounging on the couch with her head in her brother’s lap. She’s about my size with light-brown skin and long dark hair. Truly, we look enough alike to almost be real sisters, or at least that’s what everyone says. She’s in her home clothing—leggings and an oversized hoodie that must belong to the Minotaur. I wouldn’t dare even take a piece of food off his plate, but his sweatshirts have a habit of magically finding their way into her laundry and she never seems to return them.

It’s weird, frankly.

Icarus is the opposite of Theseus and the Minotaur in every way. He shares his sister’s coloring and is lean to the point of being skinny, with delicate features and dark curly hair that somehow always seems to misbehave. It must be intentional, if only because it irritates Minos to have even a thread out of place, but Icarus is a study in underachieving. While it’s entirely possible that keeping his hair regularly trimmed and styled is merely too much effort, I suspect it’s one of a long string of rebellions against his father.

“What are you two doing?” I glance around.

“We’re the only ones here.” Icarus’s lips quirk in a sardonic smile. “No need to run and hide.”

“Icarus.” Ariadne smacks his knee and sits up. “Don’t be mean.”

“Just speaking the truth.”

Yeah, I’m not going to touch that. Icarus was dancing to his father’s tune when we first arrived in Olympus, going so far as to attack Pan at the party. I could have told him it’s no use. He might be Minos’s son by blood, but he’s not what Minos wants in a son.

Now, it seems he’s back to his old self. He’s got a sharper tongue than anyone I’ve met and he doesn’t hesitate to use it. I don’t dislike him the way I do the Minotaur and Minos, but being friends with Icarus isn’t a comfortable experience. “I’m exhausted so I’m going to take a nap.”

Icarus takes me in, dark eyes narrowing. “Our new sister-in-law posted the most interesting photo this morning. Seems Theseus didn’t do a good job of exercising his wedding night duties.” He leans forward. “If I don’t miss my guess, that was you in her bed.”

It takes everything I have not to flee. Doing so will confirm his suspicions and will give him something to needle Theseus about. I might not be entirely happy with him right now, but I’m not going to hand over ammunition to Icarus. “I spent the night in the lower city.”

“Told you so.” Ariadne twists her hair around her fingers. “I saw her leave with Eurydice Dimitriou.” She worries her bottom lip. “Honestly, I was a little jealous. Father had us herded directly back here as soon as the reception was over.”

“Gods forbid we do something further to embarrass him.” Icarus rolls his eyes. “I want to see the kink club.”

Ariadne blushes a bit and looks away. “I’d like to see it, too. I’d like to see anything that isn’t these four walls.”

Guilt sparks. I might resent Minos in more ways than I can count, but his apathy for me translates to freedom these two don’t have. We’ve snuck out together before, back on Aeaea. There was a little bar Theseus introduced me to, and I would bring Icarus and Ariadne there whenever Minos was away on business. Everyone was afraid of Theseus, so they never messed with me, even if he wasn’t there every time I was.

There isn’t anywhere like that in Olympus.

“Maybe we could—” I start.

“We don’t need you to babysit us. If I want to see the kink club, I’ll see the kink club.” He flops back against the couch. “Maybe I’ll ask Aphrodite. She seems to enjoy sowing discord, so she’d probably say yes.”

“Icarus. You can’t!”

I cross to Ariadne and cover her hand with mine. It’s been years since she was in danger of ripping out her own hair because of anxiety, but seeing her twist her curls makes my scalp twinge in sympathy. “Don’t let him get to you.” I shoot a look at Icarus. “And you. Behave.”

“Many have tried to get me to behave; all have failed.” He grins suddenly, the expression is pure delight. This right here is why I can never hate Icarus. As sharp as he is, he’s just as quick to trade insults for a mischievous invitation to get into trouble. He proves me right when he leans in. “You went to an infamous kink club with Eurydice Dimitriou last night. Did you seduce Demeter’s youngest daughter? Tell us all the details.”

I smile and lean forward, enjoying the way they both mirror my movement. I wait until they’re practically quivering with anticipation to say, “A lady never tells.”

He groans. “That’s no fun. Eurydice is pretty, but her shadow is even prettier. I don’t suppose Charon joined in the fun?”

Ariadne covers her face with her hands. “For gods’ sake, Icarus, can you just be normal for two minutes.”

She doesn’t see his flinch in response to her words. His family never seems to. He catches me looking and we share a heartbeat of commiseration. I, at least, have a reason to be on the outside of this fucked-up little family unit. Icarus is Minos’s biological son. I can’t imagine how it must have felt for his father to go seeking two more and then turn around and show them such blatant favoritism.

So, yeah, I don’t love Icarus’s cutting remarks, but I don’t hate him for them.

“I didn’t sleep with Eurydice or Charon. And I have to question your taste if you call him pretty.” Like so many people in the upper tiers of Olympus, Charon is attractive, but it’s a more salt-of-the-earth attractiveness than some of the peacocks who strut around the upper city.

Best I can tell, Eurydice is oblivious to the way he looks at her even as she watches him when she thinks no one is paying attention. I don’t really know her, but it makes me want to give her a sharp elbow and sharper words. Life is too short to pass up something that’s obviously founded in more than pure lust.

It’s not my business.

Frankly, nothing in this city is my business. The whole thing exhausts me, especially after yesterday, last night, and this morning. “I’m going out tonight.”

Icarus perks up. “Out? Where?”

“I have an invitation—and it’s exclusive.” I can’t stand the way he wilts the tiniest bit. “I hear there are some lovely shows in the theater district. Why don’t you two try to check one of those out? Surely Minos can’t object to that activity.”

“He objects to all activities right now. We’re under strict instructions to stay here and out of trouble.” Ariadne won’t quite meet my gaze. “But have fun tonight.”

Gods save me, but I almost offer to take them with me right then and there. Only the knowledge of their reaction to it being Aphrodite issuing the invitation stops me… That, and the fact that I kind of want her all to myself tonight.

I refuse to think too closely about that.

Still, I hesitate. “Let me check this place out. If it’s on the up-and-up, I’ll see who I have to talk to in order to convince them to issue you invitations, too.” It’s not, strictly speaking, a lie. But it’s not quite honest, either. I feel a little bit of a monster for the way they both beam at me.

I’ll ask Aphrodite about it tonight. No matter what else she’s said, the only reason she’s getting close to me is to suss out information about Minos and his plans. Surely she’ll want access to Icarus and Ariadne, too. They don’t know anything more than I do, but she won’t believe it. It’s as good an excuse to get them out of here as any.

---

My confidence that I know what I’m doing dwindles with each floor the elevator passes on its descent to the parking garage. I check my phone for the sixth time, rereading Aphrodite’s brief text again.

Aphrodite:My car will meet you in the parking garage. Be there at nine.

It’s not until I open the door and slide into the back seat that I realize I’ve made a mistake. I’m not alone. Aphrodite lounges in the seat next to me, wearing a masterpiece of a red dress. Its silky fabric leaves her shoulders bare and drapes horizontally across her chest in a way that should be modest…if not for the corset boning just below it that emphasizes her thin waist, followed by more draped fabric around her hips that leaves one long leg completely bare to the upper thigh.

It’s a dress meant to seduce.

I know better than to let my gaze linger on the smooth skin of her thigh, to let my curiosity tease out what she might or might not be wearing beneath the dress. She looks like a present just begging to be unwrapped, the top of the dress barely clinging to her upper arms. One tug and I could know if she’s bare there, too…

I jerk my gaze away.

Gods, what am I thinking?

“Pandora.” Aphrodite’s voice is lower than normal, a faint edge there that makes my skin prickle in a way that’s far too pleasant. “You dressed up for me.”

I swallow hard. “I dressed up for the club.”

“Of course,” she agrees easily. She leans over and drags her gaze over me in a sweep I can almost feel. I have to fight not to shift, to press my thighs together.

Truth be told, I did dress up for her. I wanted her to look at me just like she’s doing right now. I just…wasn’t prepared for my reaction to it. I’m not normally so reckless when I choose my lovers, but there’s something about Aphrodite that sweeps away all common sense.

I give myself a mental shake. Surely I’m not actually considering letting her seduce me? Of all the people in Olympus, she’s the one most off-limits. She’s my best friend’s wife. Yes, it was a forced marriage and yes, he appears to hate her, but honestly that just makes her an even more inappropriate choice.

Not to mention, she’s dangerous. Possibly to me. Definitely to Theseus.

Aphrodite leans back, but it’s no easier to breathe in the close space. Her perfume is faint but intoxicating. She’s styled her dark hair up in a way that’s artfully messy and makes me think of sex.

For her part, she seems equally affected. She clears her throat, and when she speaks, her voice still has that edge of seduction. “There are some ground rules for your admittance to the club. Hades and Persephone are unaware of our presence there, but Charon is a stickler for the rules. No drinking on your first time.”

“Last night was my first time and I was most definitely drunk.” I refuse to feel shame for that. They obviously had a plan for me, so I suspect I would have ended up sleeping it off in Aphrodite’s bed no matter what choices I made leading up to arriving at the club.

“Special circumstance,” she says breezily. “As I was saying, you can observe the other people in attendance, but you can’t participate with anyone outside your party.” She gives a sharp smile the same cherry red as her dress. “If you’re a good girl, then you’ll likely be invited back with more freedom.”

Good girl.

The two words go through me like a gunshot. I press my lips together and fight not to shake. What is wrong with me? I won’t pretend I haven’t lost myself to lust more times than I care to count—I love life too much to turn down either fun or pleasure—but this is different.

This feels weighted in a way I’m not prepared to deal with.

I think I made a mistake agreeing to this.