Cruel Seduction (Dark Olympus, #5) (78)

Athena shakes her head. “Yes, but more than that. A common enemy will unite the city.”

“A common enemy won’t work.” Apollo drags his hands over his face. He’s been working long hours and it shows. Unlike my siblings, he hasn’t bothered to try to hide his exhaustion. “It might bring the majority of people in line, but the majority of people aren’t attempting murder right now. The citizens who have always wanted to be one of the Thirteen, have always believed that they deserve it, will keep coming.” He sighs. “We have to go public about the barrier. It’s the best chance we have.”

“No.” We all look at my brother as he speaks. His expression doesn’t move. “That is not an option.”

“It’s the only option.” Apollo glares. “They need to know we have bigger things to worry about than petty power squabbles inside the city. Not even these murderous fools would want to be in charge in the event that the barrier falls.”

“Find another way.”

Athena sighs. “He’s right, Apollo. If they think the barrier is falling, it will only increase the chaos. People will panic. Some will try to leave, which will either be impossible or weaken the barrier further. We don’t have the answers for why it’s failing, which will only undermine our authority. We can’t tell them.”

“Three days,” I find myself saying. “Give me three days to turn my husband and find something on Minos. Even if you kill Hephaestus, it won’t help the overall climate of the city, and it might just make things worse.” I look around the room. “Take the next three days and see if you can come up with a better plan.”

Perseus pushes to his feet. “I’m sure you all have places to be.”

Everyone reluctantly stands. I already know what’s coming, so I don’t flinch when he says, “Aphrodite, a word.”

Helen squeezes my hand as she slips through the door after Apollo and Athena, closing it softly behind her. I cross my arms over my chest. My brother doesn’t make me wait long.

Perseus plants his hands on the desk and leans forward. “Are you compromised?”

I flinch. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Are you really asking me that? Of all the people in the room, my loyalty should be beyond question.”

“You’re right. It should be.”

A harsh laugh bursts free. Gods, I didn’t expect his doubt to sting quite so badly. “I have done just as much as you for this city. More, even, because your wife is an Olympian citizen and doesn’t threaten to murder you on a regular basis.”

He doesn’t blink. “You’d be surprised.”

Actually, I wouldn’t. Callisto Dimitriou is fucking terrifying.

But she’s not who we’re talking about right now. My skin heats, and I do my best to keep my expression as locked down as my brother’s. He’s always been better at this particular skill set than I have, and he proves it now.

“I am not compromised,” I say through gritted teeth. I might be suffering from permanent indigestion and need to have my heart looked at by a doctor, but I am not some naive innocent who will let my tangled emotions color my actions. “I have always done what’s best for Olympus, and I will continue to do so.”

He stares at me for a long moment. “You really think you can turn him.”

I don’t know what I think. My husband obviously has feelings for Adonis, and he’s treated me with more care than I imagined possible. But Pandora knows him better than anyone and she has her doubts.

Oh well. I’ve scaled unscalable odds before.

But why? Why not just let Perseus kill him and be done with it?

I don’t have an answer to that question. “Before you ask, he’s a terrible liar and if I get him on our side, he’s not capable of being a double agent.”

Perseus sighs. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“We all are.” I drop my arms. “If that’s all?”

“It is.” He straightens. “Don’t get killed, Eris. If you do, if Helen does, I’ll become the villain they want me to be.”

A chill drips down my spine. My brother is not demonstrative and he’s certainly not one to let his emotions get the best of him. I drag in a breath and strive to keep my tone even. “If one of us gets killed, you will do what’s best for this city just like you’ve always done.”

He turns and looks out the window, shielding his expression from me. “Does the city really deserve our blood?”

The chill gets worse, worming right into my bones. “Perseus?”

“I used to think it did, but now I wonder. The first chance they got, they turned on us like feral beasts. Maybe our father had the right idea about ruling the way he did. I can’t manage his level of charm…but fear is always an option.”

I cross to him and tentatively touch his arm. “He was a monster.”

“We’re monsters, too.” He’s still not looking at me. “We never had a chance to be anything but monsters.”

Actual fear takes hold. Our chances of making it through this aren’t overly optimistic at this point, but they fall to damn near zero if my brother buckles. I steel myself and shove his shoulder hard enough for him to spin to face me. “That’s enough.”