4. Eurydice

4

EURYDICE

I’ve gotten very good at dodging my sister and brother-in-law. It’s easier with her these days because she’s massively pregnant with twins, so I hear her coming well before she has a chance to catch me slipping out the front door.

I’m not trying to be sneaky exactly. This is the lower city; there are few places I can go that Hades won’t find out about. Or more accurately, that Charon won’t find out about.

But he’s off on some errand tonight, and so I’m taking advantage of his absence. Again. I have no doubt I’ll face his disapproval when he finally tracks me down, and I’m not quite ready to face him after what happened last night…

We both said things we can’t take back. No matter what he offered, there’s no returning to the safe friendship where we both pretend there’s nothing deeper. I’ve ruined it.

No. I’m not thinking about that. I need to focus. Ariadne texted me earlier that she could get out tonight, so we’re meeting on the bridge. Not the Juniper Bridge. I still avoid that one, even three-quarters of a year later. It’s not quite superstition that something bad will happen if I revisit the place where everything changed, but it’s not not superstition. If I take the long way around to the Cypress Bridge every time I need to cross the river, well, that’s my burden to bear.

Mine and Charon’s, since he’s usually driving me.

I promised Charon I wouldn’t go to the upper city, but Ariadne has an open invitation to the lower city, courtesy of Hades. He hasn’t explicitly said that he’s aware of the task Aphrodite gave me—or I suppose she’s Eris again, since she relinquished the title—but nothing happens in the lower city that he’s not aware of. Eris promised me that Ariadne had an invite, and I don’t see why that would have been revoked. Getting her to flip on her father is still the goal.

I’m not a complete fool though. I know better than to go out alone without letting someone know where I am. Since there’s no way I’d clue in any of my sisters, I text Eris.

Me: Headed to meeting with Ariadne. Plan on talking and maybe having a drink in the lower city.

She doesn’t make me wait long for a response.

Eris: I think my invite to the lower city is still good too. Want me to head your way?

I almost say yes. Eris is more than a little terrifying, but that’s a benefit in this city and probably in this situation. She’ll come in all sharp smiles and double-edged words, and I won’t have to do anything but sit there and look pretty.

Which is exactly why I can’t say yes.

If I really want to stand on my own, I have to stand on my own.

Me: I’ve got it covered. I’ll text you after I’m done talking with her.

Eris: If that’s what you want. Drop your location when you pick a place.

I frown at my phone. Really, that’s too much. What’s she going to do if I don’t text in a reasonable amount of time? Ride to the rescue? Call in my sister to ride to the rescue? The thought makes me grit my teeth. When I was first approached by Eris at that ill-fated house party, I thought finally someone was seeing me for my potential instead of as the broken-winged bird to be hidden away from the world. And at first that was even true. Not so much now.

Me: I said I’ve got it covered. Just wanted to keep you in the loop.

Eris: Fine, fine. I hear you loud and clear.

Eris: Be careful.

I flip my hood up and stride down the street toward the bridge. It’s a good twenty-minute walk, and the night is plenty cold, but it feels good to be out on my own. Like maybe I’m really as capable as I’ve been pretending to be. It’s not so late that people have all gone home, and I nod to those I see as I walk. Reports will get back to Charon—to Hades—within the hour, but I hope they both see the value in what I’m doing and don’t charge in to rescue me.

I’m the only one who can do this.

Ariadne Vitalis is a weapon in the making, and we need one now more than ever. Honestly, it might be too late. When Minos’s foster son, Theseus, killed the last Hephaestus and took his place, it created ripples that are in danger of becoming a tsunami of terror and violence. I don’t know what possessed the founders of Olympus to slip an assassination clause into the near-forgotten laws but…

No, that’s a lie. I know exactly what possessed them. The founders were most likely carbon copies of the people who now hold the titles of the Thirteen, the ruling body of Olympus. Power-hungry and politically vicious. But there are rules, and that means that each of the Thirteen comes about their title in a different way…and then they keep it until they die or retire. Most of them don’t bother retiring. They cling to that power until it’s wrenched from their hands by Death themself.

Now we’re left to deal with the mess their ambition created.

I have mixed feelings about Olympus. I always have. My sisters think I see the city with rose-tinted glasses, but the truth is that I am all too aware of the dangers lurking in the shadows. Maybe that wasn’t always the case, but it is now. No matter what I think of the Thirteen, who use and discard people to further their goals—yes, even my mother is guilty of it—I will always have empathy for the rest of the people. They didn’t choose to be born into Olympus any more than I did, and we’re all just trying to survive the waves caused by those more powerful than us.

There’s no telling if Ariadne has information we can use to protect the people of this city, but I have to try. I’m no tactician, but even I can see this is only the first wave. They’re softening the city up for the next blow, and that might be the one that breaks us. If I can do anything to hold the danger off, I’ll lie and more to ensure the innocents who never asked for this are kept safe.

Or as safe as they ever are.

Fog curls in as I reach the bridge. Both remaining bridges that span the River Styx feel otherworldly, but Cypress Bridge is on another level entirely. The stone columns are wider around than most people and soar upward to create an arch. I know both upper city and lower city reside in the same realm, but it’s hard to remember that when entering these arches feels like leaving the world behind. Especially tonight, when the fog hides the other bank from me.

Fear licks up my spine, whispering that this isn’t safe. With the fog so dense, anyone could be waiting for me on that bridge. It could be another ambush, and this time there’s no Hades and Persephone to save me.

No. Damn it, no.

I am not defenseless. Not anymore. I hitch my purse higher on my shoulder and slip my hand inside to touch the gun nestled there. Charon’s been taking me to the private shooting range Hades owns, and while he didn’t technically give me permission to borrow this one, it’s just a little insurance. I’m sure I won’t have to use it, but I have it if I need it.

One last jagged breath, and then I plunge through the arches and onto the bridge. I have a standing invitation to the lower city, so the boundary is barely noticeable as I stride down the bridge.

She’s beat me to the middle of the bridge, and she huddles against the stone railing, her arms wrapped around herself. She’s a pretty, plus-sized woman with medium-brown skin, sweet dark eyes, and wavy black hair. She may take after her father, Minos, but only in coloring. He’s handsome in a way that looks like he was hacked out of a mountain. She’s much softer.

Ariadne looks up as I approach. She’s easily six inches shorter than me, just a few inches over five feet. “I don’t have as much time as I thought. I’m sorry.”

“But you came all this way.” It’s almost as if her father knows she’s not fully on his side. He’s come up with reason after reason to keep her close since the house party where Theseus killed the last Hephaestus.

“Only because I have a warning for you. It’s important, Eurydice.” She shrugs, her expression pinched. “You heard about Triton?”

I nod. “He was killed in a fight when they tried to get to Poseidon.”

Ariadne shakes her head. “No, he wasn’t. His attacker was after him.”

She looks out over the river, except it isn’t visible through the fog. I can still hear the rush of water over rocks far below, but it echoes strangely. I press my lips together and debate whether to press her on this. Ultimately, that’s why I’m here. “How can you be sure?”

“Because. That’s why I couldn’t get out last night.” She turns those big dark eyes on me. “My father held a meeting with some person I’ve never seen before, and then they left. Less than an hour later, Triton was announced dead and they were photographed fleeing the scene. He wasn’t killed by an Olympus citizen who doesn’t understand the rules. He was assassinated by someone who answers to my father.” She hiccups, a little sound that’s almost a sob.

“Triton is one of the few who can ferry people through the barrier,” I say slowly. Anyone from Poseidon’s bloodline can, but that bloodline has gotten sparse in recent generations. Triton has a number of daughters, but he keeps—kept—them under lock and key. None of them worked for Poseidon. At this point, I think Poseidon’s down to a few distant cousins. He has no siblings or children of his own.

If the other cousins are killed, I don’t know who inherits the title once he’s gone. I don’t know if anyone can inherit the title. It passes down from parent to child, or in rare cases, to the closest in the bloodline. If there’s no one left…does the title of Poseidon die?

I shudder. “The barrier is failing.”

“That’s what I hear.” She tucks her hair behind her ear, but the wind immediately whips it free. “I don’t know why they’re targeting his family, but…” She stops short. “I really shouldn’t be saying any of this. I shouldn’t have come at all.”

From my interactions with Minos, I’ve found him to be a misogynistic pig. He covers it well enough with charm, but it couldn’t be clearer in how he treats his children. Ariadne because she’s a woman. Icarus because he doesn’t fit in with what Minos has arbitrarily decided a man should be.

I place my hand gently on her shoulder. I have to play this slow. Soft. “I know it’s not easy for you in that household.”

Her lower lip quivers. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t leave.”

I’m going to lose her if I’m not careful. It’s not even her father I’m worried about now, though I’m plenty worried about him. I’ve seen the way the Minotaur watches Ariadne when he thinks no one is looking. There’s a feverish quality to his gaze that raises every hair on my body. It reeks of obsession. She seems to be entirely unaware of it though. Or maybe not, because I doubt Minos is the one who’s put the hunted look in her dark eyes.

I have to get her on my side. No matter what it takes. “Ariadne.” I sink a bit of strength into her name. “People are dying. I know you’re in an impossible situation, but surely you can see that you have information that will save lives.”

She still won’t meet my gaze. “Is that the only reason you invited me out last night?”

Yes. It’s nothing personal. I like her a lot. She’s sweet and nerdy and a little awkward, but she’s got a good heart. I’m not sure how it’s survived her family, but it’s there shining beneath all the bullshit her father spews at her. But I wouldn’t be pushing her so hard if she wasn’t a Vitalis. I take a deep breath and tell the truth. “I like you, so I won’t lie to you. If I met you under other circumstances, I would want to be friends. But you gave Apollo a hint that you possessed some really important information. I’m the only one you seem willing to talk to, so I’m the one making the overture.”

She nods as if it’s nothing more than she expected, but her shoulders dip a little bit. “Right. That’s what I thought.”

“We’ll protect you.” I reach out tentatively and place my hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get you out and we’ll keep you safe.” I don’t imagine that her father—or the Minotaur—will take kindly to us spiriting her away, but if Eris can see the value Ariadne brings, then surely the rest of the Thirteen can too. We have to get her out. We have to.

“That’s what Apollo said.” She tries for a smile but doesn’t quite pull it off. Ariadne finally looks at me. “I have to think about it.”

Frustration blooms, but I do my best to keep it off my face. This was never going to be an easy win. She’s lived her entire life under her father’s control, and even if people are dying because of his actions, it’s hard to break that yoke. Understanding that doesn’t stop me from wanting to shake her until she sees reason. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Ariadne nods. She looks frailer than she did at the house party. The last month hasn’t been easy for her, but I swallow down my sympathy. She has information that might save lives, and she’s not sharing. “If you know something…”

“I know a lot of things. I don’t know what’s important and what’s not.” She shakes her head. “Just be careful, okay? I don’t think the lower city is going to be any safer than the upper city going forward. I have to go before they realize I snuck out.”

Before I can come up with a response to that, she turns and darts away. The fog swallows her up before she’s more than a couple yards away, and I shiver. I don’t know if I made progress or not, but it was worth the risk. I turn back for my side of the river, mulling over her words. Do I tell Charon about the warning concerning the lower city? It’s very vague, and I’ll probably have to explain why I chose to meet Ariadne alone instead of bringing someone for protection, but surely the information is worth the uncomfortableness of talking with him so soon after last night?

I don’t have an answer by the time I reach the arches leading to the lower city. Which is a damn shame, because they’re not empty any longer. A familiar shape separates himself from the shadow of the one nearest me, arms crossed and blue eyes furious.

“Where the fuck were you?” Charon grits out.

Oh shit. I’m in trouble.