10

10

Apollo

I underestimated what it would be like to be in such close proximity with Cassandra outside the office. The sheer intimacy of sitting on the bed and going through my emails while she stands in the bathroom with wet hair as she puts on her makeup is…strange. Very strange.

I’ve dated several people seriously as an adult, and none of those relationships reached a point when moving in together made sense, but there were intimate moments. Relationships are built of intimate moments. I don’t know why it feels so different with her. I’d be a fool to chase that feeling.

My phone rings as Cassandra finishes doing something to her eyes to give them a sexy, faintly smoky look. I bite back a sigh at the sight of my little brother’s name on the screen. It’s been several weeks since I cut him off, and I don’t trust him not to revert right back to his spoiled self the moment he senses me wavering. Cutting him off wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do.

It’s still the right thing to do, but I’m not heartless enough to ignore his calls entirely, no matter how frustrating I find them. “Orpheus.”

“Apollo.” He sounds tired, his charm worn thin.

Guilt pricks me. Our mother’s worried about him. She wants him to move back home, to let her look out for him. Since that translates to her meddling with his life, I don’t blame him for digging in his heels. He’s made changes, too. Downsized his apartment and moved away from the city center to somewhere more affordable. He doesn’t have a job yet, but apparently he wasn’t as careless with his money as I’d assumed. He has plenty of it to work through before he’s anything resembling truly desperate.

“I need a favor.”

“No.”

He sighs. “I’m not asking for money or anything like that.”

Cassandra realizes I’m on the phone and shuts the bathroom door. A few seconds later, the hair dryer starts, the sound muffled by the thick wood. I’m suddenly irritated that my brother caused me to miss being able to watch her dry her hair. “But you are asking for something, and that’s not part of the agreement.”

“I didn’t agree to anything. You made that decision for me.”

“Yes, I did. Someone had to.” Our parents certainly weren’t going to rein him in. He inherited our father’s charm and our mother’s audacity and boldness. Our parents have spoiled him from the moment he was born, and they never would have stopped if I didn’t draw the line in the sand.

My brother is a selfish prick, but he’s not a monster. Not yet. If he continues down the road he was on, though? I can’t make any promises. He’s an adult. I can’t save him from himself. I can only remove some of the more tempting vices that poisoned him.

Orpheus curses. “Look, the last few weeks have brought some…clarity.”

Clarity. Right. We’ll see.I settle back against the headboard. “And the favor?”

“Eurydice is spending all her time in the lower city, and I can’t get to her. I was hoping you’d pass along a message for me.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and strive for patience. “Orpheus, that woman wants nothing to do with you. If she’s not taking your calls or agreeing to see you, the appropriate response is to leave her alone. It’s not to find a roundabout way of contacting her.”

“I know.” For the first time in longer than I care to remember, he sounds absolutely hopeless. Maybe he’s never sounded like that. “I know I fucked up, Apollo. I didn’t realize how much at the time, but now that some stuff’s come out about what happened that night… I thought it was Zeus pulling some shit. I didn’t think she’d get hurt. I never wanted her hurt.”

I’d be curious to know how that information came out because it’s not common knowledge that the last Zeus used my brother as a pawn in a convoluted plan to endanger Eurydice, get Hades to cross the River Styx, and break a decades’ old treaty. I shake my head. What am I thinking? I know exactly how that information got to Orpheus. All the Dimitriou women hate my brother—and with good reason, if I’m going to be honest. One of them no doubt informed him of just what they think of him and why.

“Intentions don’t matter, Orpheus. Actions do,” I finally say.

“I know. That’s why I’m trying to make it right.”

Orpheus is ten years younger than me and sometimes I feel more like a parent to him than our actual parents. If he takes this to them, they’ll tell him exactly what he wants to hear. Unfortunately, it falls to me to give him the harsh truth.

Still, I speak it gently because even admitting that he was wrong is progress. “Sometimes the best way to make it right is to let that person move on without you. You’re not entitled to her time, even if you want to apologize.”

I expect him to argue. A few months ago, he would have.

He just sighs. “I know. Fuck, I know. You’re right.” He’s silent for a few beats. “I hear what you’re saying, Apollo. I promise I do. But the fact remains that I do need to apologize. If it doesn’t go past that, then it doesn’t. I’ll have to live with that.”

It’s remarkably mature of him, though I’m still not convinced he should be anywhere near her. I’ve only met the woman in passing, and she’s got a fragile air to her that makes me worry my brother crushed her carelessly. Apologizing won’t help that.

It’s still the right thing to do. “Promise me that apologizing is all you intend to do and that you’ll leave her alone after that.”

Silence for a beat. I’ve surprised him. “It’s all I want to do. I promise.”

Strangely enough, I believe him. I drag in a breath. “I’m not going to set up some meeting for her to be ambushed, but I’ll reach out to Hades with an inquiry. If she agrees to see you, then you can apologize. If she doesn’t, this ends now.”

He hesitates but finally says, “Okay. Agreed.”

I’ve had limited interactions with Hades since he officially reentered society, but he seems a fair man. He’ll at least pass on the request and let Eurydice make her own decision. His wife, on the other hand, will not thank me for bringing this to her sister’s door. I fight down a shudder. Persephone might have been a sunshine princess when she was only Demeter’s daughter, but now she’s a force to be reckoned with akin to her husband. It doesn’t matter that she’s not one of the Thirteen. Underestimating her would be a mistake.

Honestly, all the Dimitriou daughters are dangerous in their own way. Eurydice seems to be the exception, which has me wondering if maybe there’s something about her that I’m missing. “I’ll pass on the request.”

“Thanks.”

The bathroom door opens and Cassandra steps out. She’s wearing a wrap dress in a deep red that somehow makes her hair appear brighter. It clings to her hips and stomach and breasts almost lovingly, offering a tantalizing glimpse of thigh and cleavage. I clear my throat. “I’ve got to go, Orpheus.” I hang up while he’s still saying goodbye. “You look lovely.”

“Considering what this dress cost, I had better.”

I frown. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Every time I compliment you, you divert it. The dress is nice, but you look lovely.”

She blushes, her pale skin going a delightful pink. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

I want to press her on it, but we’re not here for that. It’s frustrating that I have to keep reminding myself of that fact. I climb off the bed and put on my shoes as she does the same with some truly torturous-looking heels. “Will you be able to walk by the end of the week after wearing shoes like that?”

“Yes.” She straightens and smooths down her dress. “They’re only a little higher than what I wear normally. It’ll be fine.”

“It’s not—”

“Apollo,” she says firmly. “I know you are not about to lecture me on how wearing heels is not good for my health. Just because I agreed not to argue about sleeping on the floor does not give you the green light to start policing my choices. I’m more than capable of dressing myself, right down to six-inch heels if that’s what I feel like wearing. Stop it.”

“Sorry,” I mutter. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I move to the door. “Shall we do some exploring before dinner?”

“Exploring sounds great.”

The hallway is empty, but there are faint sounds of conversation echoing from somewhere close by.

Cassandra looks around with raised eyebrows. “Interesting acoustics.”

Something we’ll need to keep in mind going forward. If even a low conversation carries through the area, the only place safe to have a frank conversation is within the bedroom. But we knew that already, even without the acoustics.

I offer my arm. “Let’s see who else is on the guest list.”

“Can’t wait.” She sounds less than enthused, but she takes my arm, sliding up against me. Her proximity threatens to make my brain skip the same way my heart is attempting to right now.

It takes far more concentration than it should to turn and start down the hall in the direction of the main entrance. We find a trio standing there. I recognize all of them as we descend the stairs to stand before them. I’m surprised to see Pan present; I hadn’t thought he left his restaurant often. He’s dressed in a pair of perfectly tailored slacks and a white dress shirt. Next to him is Aphrodite, a tall white woman with long, dark hair and a propensity to cause mischief. Until a few months ago, she was Eris Kasios, daughter to the last Zeus and sister to the current one. She’s tucked under the arm of a handsome Black man with a shaved head and a bright smile.

Adonis. He’s an up-and-coming socialite with a family legacy that stretches back through the history of Olympus. Off the top of my head, I can name three of his distant family members who have been one of the Thirteen, though the last was his maternal grandmother, who was Artemis for a number of years. A short reign as such things go, but she made an impact.

Aphrodite catches sight of us and waves a languid hand. “Do come down, Cassandra. Bring your little boyfriend.”

At my side, Cassandra tenses and her smile goes knife-sharp. “Aphrodite, I know you did not just call Apollo my ‘little boyfriend.’ If you’re trying to insult him, you can do better than that.”

“You’re right.” Aphrodite’s grin widens. “I’m delighted to see that your relationship hasn’t softened you at all. I was worried.”

Cassandra laughs, and I find myself staring down at her. I’ve never heard her laugh like that. She certainly doesn’t in the office. She releases me and leans against the railing. “You know better.”

“I guess I do.”

I’m not certain whether I’ve just been insulted. It hardly matters. I clear my throat. “Nice to see you again, Adonis.” I reclaim Cassandra’s hand.

Adonis’s easy smile never wavers. He’s not a foolish man, but he seems to ride the political waves of Olympus without overmuch worry. It baffles me. “Apollo.” He reaches out the hand not wrapped around Aphrodite and shakes mine. “Nice to see a friendly face here.”

“And what am I?” Pan raises his brows.

“Cranky.” Adonis laughs.

His charm comes off him in a pulse that I can almost feel. Not even Pan is immune, a slow smile pulling at his lips. “I have reason to be cranky.”

“I don’t doubt it for a moment. You’re here as Dionysus’s plus-one and he made you take your own car. Poor thing.” He steers Aphrodite toward the stairs. “Now, let’s go check out the bedroom.”

She gives Cassandra a long look that seems to be a promise to speak later but allows her date to guide her to the stairs and away. I don’t quite breathe a sigh of relief when they’re gone, not when this thorny interaction will be the first of many. “I didn’t realize you and Aphrodite are friends.”

“Oh, we’re not.” Cassandra finally looks back at me. “But we get along just fine. I like watching her leave chaos in her wake. She enjoys the way I snap and how my presence at her sister’s parties stirs the pot with the other guests.”

I don’t understand that. Parties in general are hardly my favorite thing, though they’re rife with information so I can’t afford to skip them often. But Cassandra can, and what she just described almost sounds like they set her up like a carnival attraction. I don’t like it. “If you say so.”

“I do.” She turns to Pan. This time, her smile is much warmer. “It’s nice seeing you again.”

“The feeling is entirely mutual.” He hefts his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

As we turn and head for the back of the house, it strikes me that I don’t know as much about Cassandra as I thought. It seems like every time I turn around, she’s revealing a new angle, a new piece of information. It’s disconcerting…and addicting.

I can’t wait to see what she shows me next.