Chapter 5

CHAPTER5

CALYPSO

Olympus is a city that loves its legends. I can’t speak for other cities, but here they seem to have more than a grain of truth. Cold wind whips my hair around my face as I approach the middle of three bridges that cross the River Styx. The Cypress Bridge looks like something from outside time, its marble pillars stretching high overhead.

My only chance at survival lays on the other side.

I shouldn’t have baited Medusa. Honestly, I shouldn’t have left her alive, but while I’ve committed many sins, murder is not among them. I couldn’t start with her. She’d looked so put out and shocked as I propped her up, and I hadn’t been able to stop myself from looking my fill. Her muscles are even more impressive to see than they were to feel, her tight black shirt clinging to well-defined shoulders and biceps. If the fit of her pants was any indication, her thighs are downright bitable. And her face…

She’s right. She wasn’t traditionally beautiful, even before something happened that left her marked with jagged scars. Not pretty or cute or any of those lesser adjectives. When I looked at her face, the only word I could think of was strong.

I can appreciate strength, even if Olympus can’t.

Unfortunately, she’s not for me. Athena has her leashed too tightly and the same honor that made Medusa hesitate to harm me is the thing that will keep her from shucking off Athena’s shackles and coming to me.

What would I even do with an assassin that, if I don’t miss my guess, has big himbo energy?

The thought brings a smile to my lips, but the cold whisks it away. I’m stalling, and I can’t afford to. I wasted too much time draining Odysseus’s accounts, and I’ve lost my lead as a result. I can’t wait any longer.

The first step onto the bridge almost convinces me that the tales are bullshit, but the second step brings the pressure. It doesn’t hurt exactly, but the farther I get from the bank of the upper city, the greater my desire to turn around and run to escape the sensation of being squeezed like a lemon. I will not be deterred. I duck my head and pick up my pace, reaching the midway point in short order.

That’s when the pain begins.

It starts in the soles of my feet, sharp little pinpricks that feel like I’m walking barefoot over glass. My exhales sob out, but I press forward. I’m almost there. If I can reach the lower city, all sources say that I’ll be beyond the Thirteen’s influence. I’ll be safe for the first time in my life and have the resources to ensure that safety is protected. I can have a life of my choosing.

That determination gets me to within ten feet of the end of the bridge.

That’s when I see the man. He’s wearing a thick black coat with a hood, but I catch sight of his face as he stares at me. He’s a white man with a truly impressive square chin, and broad enough shoulders to give Medusa a run for her money.

I stop short, squinting against the darkness and his hood hiding most of his face. “Hello?”

“Go back.”

Yeah, not likely. I hesitate, mentally flipping through my options before deciding on the truth. “I can’t. If I don’t make it to the lower city, I’ll be killed.”

“Why?”

It’s hard to concentrate past the pain radiating up my legs, but I give it my best shot. I have a feeling that if this man turns me away, I won’t get another chance. I don’t know who he is or what gives me that impression, but my instincts have gotten me this far, so I’m not about to question them. “Athena and Zeus want me dead because one of their favorites was too cowardly to dump me as his mistress.”

“If you’re lying, there will be consequences.”

“I’m not.”

He nods briefly and steps back. “Come on, then. You’ve made it this far, you can make it ten more feet.”

The pain becomes agonizing, but I’m not about to fail this strange test. The moment I step off the bridge, it disappears as if it never existed. I glance back, but the bridge appears just as unassuming as it did before. “Quite the welcome.”

“We don’t encourage visits without an invitation.”

I peer up into his hood, getting a flash of blue eyes. “Why not issue the invitation, then?”

“I’m not the one in charge.” He shrugs. “You’re safe enough now. If you need assistance, I can set you up in a temporary room, or if you’re looking to settle down properly, there are a couple places with availability.”

Just like that. It seems too easy. I blink. “I could be a complete monster and you’re just welcoming me with open arms?”

“Hardly.” He gives a tight smile. “Your story will be vetted. If you’ve lied, then I’ll truss you up and deliver you back across the river myself.”

“Oh.” I don’t even know what to say to that. I’ve spent my entire life surrounded by suspicious people and this stranger is acting against type. I narrow my eyes. “Are you a monster looking for a tasty bite and thinking I’m easy pickings?”

“No one who braves the trip across one of our bridges is easy pickings.” He turns and slides his hands into his pockets. “You coming or not?”

It happens so fast. One moment, I’m calculating what my chances of finding a hotel or something akin to that and the next this stranger is ushering me into a warm and inviting lobby. The person behind the reception desk is an East Asian woman with her long dark hair pulled back into a slick ponytail and wearing a slouchy sweater that I can only describe as a grandpa-style. She looks up as we come through the door with a bright smile. “Charon. I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

He pushes back his hood, giving me my first good look at him. Handsome fucker. He’s got a jawline that looks like it would crush the fist of anyone who tries to punch him and a full head of dark hair. He grins at the front desk woman. “I heard you baked cookies, Sandra. You’ve been holding out on me.”

She blushes prettily. “Chocolate chip.”

“My favorite.” He motions to me. “I know you’ve got a vacancy and I have someone who can fill the slot. If she gives you any trouble, give me a call.”

I shoot him a sharp look. “I am not going to cause any problems. I’m just looking for a safe place to land on my feet.”

“We can make that happen.” She eyes me with interest, but to my surprise, doesn’t pepper me with the questions I can see lingering on her face. “We normally need first and last month, but since Charon brought you in, we can waive that.” She rattles off the details of the agreement. It’s cheaper than I expected, which makes me wonder about the state of the apartment.

But when Sandra leads us upstairs, Charon trailing behind and happily munching on his third cookie, I discover it’s utterly charming. And furnished, which is something I hadn’t really thought to consider in the midst of all this.

It’s about half the size of the apartment Odysseus set me up in, an open space with only the bathroom blocked off. The bedroom is separated from the rest of the loft by a floral folding screen that looks hand painted.

There are dozens of little touches like that around the space. A mirror with what appears to be a hand-carved frame. A crocheted throw blanket folded over the back of a thread-worn chair. Through the glass doors in the kitchen cabinet, I can see a bunch of mismatched dishes and cups, but they’re all in coordinating colors. Someone put a lot of love and care into decorating this place. “It’s lovely. I’ll take it.”

Sandra smiles. “Perfect. I’ll go grab the paperwork.”

The second the door closes behind her, Charon turns to me. “Like I said, I’ll be checking out your story and verifying the details.” He scrubs a hand through his dark hair. “But if you run into any sort of trouble, call me.” He fishes a card out of his pocket and hands it over.

It’s a plain black card with his name and a phone number and nothing else. I raise my brows. “Very mysterious of you.”

“I’m a mysterious guy.” Anyone else saying such an absurd sentence would try to put a flirtatious edge on it. Not Charon. He says it with the utmost seriousness.

I don’t know what to think of that.

Honestly, I haven’t begun to process the events of the evening, from Medusa’s appearance in my apartment to fleeing across the River Styx and receiving a strangely warm welcome. “Do you monitor everyone who crosses the bridges?”

“Not personally.” He shrugs. “There isn’t much traffic to speak of, so it’s hardly a full-time job. I just happened to be in the area tonight and got notified of your crossing.”

Based on what he’s said, this man has some power but he’s not the one in charge. Which begs the question of who is in charge in the lower city. I tuck the question away. I’ll have plenty of time to indulge my curiosity later. And it will only be curiosity. I have enough money that I never have to depend on another person again.

I can’t quite process the swift change in reality, so I tuck that away, too. I smile at Charon. “Lucky me.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

Sandra chooses that moment to come back through the door, a stack of papers in her hands. I take my time reading them over, but they’re a relatively standard rental agreement…at least until I get to the last paragraph. I tap the pen against it. “What’s this?”

“A standard agreement in the lower city,” Charon says, his tone guarded.

I read it a second time. “It says that the entire agreement can be terminated by the leader of the lower city.”

“Yes.”

I raise my brows. “Shouldn’t I get a chance to meet this person before they kick me out of my apartment?”

“That’s not how it works.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Sign it or don’t, but every rental and buyer’s agreement in the lower city comes with that clause. He doesn’t abuse it, if that’s what you’re worried about, but it’s important for everyone’s safety that he gets veto rights.”

He.

More information to file away. Maybe the lower city isn’t as different from the upper city as it first seemed. Not even Zeus has this kind of power over the citizens that live on the other side of the river.

I cast another look around the apartment. Ultimately, I don’t have much choice. Beyond that, I like this place and Sandra seems like a lovely landlord. I sign with a flourish and pass the agreement back to her. “Thank you for the quick acceptance.”

“Yes, well, Charon brought you in. That’s better than most references you could come up with.” She shrugs and heads for the door. “If you want to walk down with me, I’ll give you the keys to the place and the mail.”

It takes no time at all. As I head back upstairs, my mind is spinning by this turn of events. I can’t help a goofy smile. I really pulled it off. Not only did I get away, but the situation is showing all signs of me landing on my feet.

I shut and lock the door behind me, pausing only to toss the keys into the cute little bowl shaped like a flower, on the table by the door. Really, Sandra should be charging more for this place, but what do I know about the lower city rental prices?

I’m so busy examining my new surroundings with delight that I don’t realize I’m not alone until a strong arm wraps around my waist and jerks me back against an equally strong body. I don’t get a chance to fight before a knife presses to the hollow of my throat.

“Don’t do anything foolish,” Medusa says softly in my ear.