The first two are easy enough. The latter is complicated because Zeus granting citizenship is as good as elevating the family to the highest levels of Olympic society. It will change the balance within the upper crust of the city, and we might have a revolt on our hands as a result.
If there’s anything Olympus hates, it’s change, and we’ve had more than our fair share of it in the last year.
“We have to give him what he wants.” Zeus curses. “This had better be worth it, because we can’t take it back without an even bigger mess.”
That’s what I’m afraid of. No matter what steps we take today, the consequences are far-reaching. “If you give me more time—”
“I can’t do that.” Zeus pushes slowly to his feet. “Every day counts right now, and we’ve already spent too long trying to find a different solution. Another week or two won’t make a difference.”
Impossible not to feel the sting of his blunt statement. It’s my job as Apollo to be plugged into information streams that aren’t accessible to anyone else. I’m essentially Olympus’s spymaster, and even with my team and all the resources at my disposal, I’ve failed. Between this and my inability to figure out why the boundary is failing, I can’t help bristling. “There has to be another way.”
“We’ve looked. There’s not.”
“You can’t deny this feels like a trap. He has the whole world. Why settle here?”
Zeus sighs, suddenly looking a decade older—and even more like his father. Sometimes I wonder what it must have been like growing up knowing that someday the role would be his. Zeus has been a Kasios since the founding of the city. My distant relatives have been Artemis, Apollo, Hephaestus, and even Athena, but there are no guarantees among any but the three legacy titles. There were no members of the Thirteen in my parents’ generation, so they were particularly pleased when I was named Apollo thirteen years ago.
Each position within the Thirteen is filled a little differently. Demeter is voted on citywide. Aphrodite names their successor upon stepping down. As Apollo, I was appointed by vote among the Thirteen.
I’ve been trying to live up to the expectations of that appointment ever since. In this way, I suppose, Zeus and I are the same.
“There has to be another way,” I say.
“It’s bad news no matter which way we look at it. We need the information he has, and we can’t get that without bowing to his demands. He hasn’t done anything to justify more…extreme measures.”
“No, he hasn’t.” I’ve been coordinating with Athena to ensure we have a bead on Minos and his people at all times. Between covert operatives and my access to various information streams, we have as full a picture of these people as possible.
Which is the problem. They haven’t given us anything at all. None of them have done anything noteworthy since the competition for Ares ended. It should be a relief, but it just makes me more suspicious. “It’s a trap,” I repeat.
“It’s a trap we’re going to walk into. We don’t have another choice. We’re just going to have to hope we can deal with the consequences when he springs it on us.”
I intensely dislike being propelled to a course of action that’s not of my choosing. Olympus isn’t exactly a secret, but it’s intentionally difficult to get information on the rites and rituals that keep the city running. Minos has more familiarity with our customs than is comfortable.
Almost as if someone is feeding him information.
But even if I can’t track Minos’s history, I do keep an eye on all people exiled from Olympus. Best I can tell, Minos hasn’t had contact with any of them. Unfortunately, I can’t trust that information. I can’t trust anything. “If you’d just—”
“Apollo.” He doesn’t snap, but the harshness in his tone is enough to stop me in my tracks. Zeus holds my gaze. “We have to grant his request for citizenship. Whatever he’s waiting for, he needs that first. I will get that process started so we can finally get to the bottom of this.”
I stand and straighten my suit. “Fine. I’ll keep looking in the meantime.” I’ll call in my people and see what we can come up with. The meetings so far have been fruitless, but the people who work for me are the best. We’ll figure something out. We have to.
Thinking of my team has me thinking of one member in particular. I wish Cassandra had waited for me. She’s more than capable of taking care of herself, but she lives on the edge of the upper warehouse district. It’s not safe there, even if she cabs in. At least if I’d accompanied her, I could see her to her door…
The thought of her response to that almost makes me smile. She wouldn’t be a fan. Ah well, boundaries exist for a reason and it’s just as well. She wouldn’t thank me for my interest. She might actually push me in front of a moving vehicle. Cassandra’s made her opinion of the Thirteen and the people who aspire to be them clear—and honestly, who can blame her after what they did to her parents all those years ago?
The only reason she took a job with me was because I pay her nearly double what she can find anywhere else. I won’t lie and say that charity didn’t play into it. I saw her get turned away from job after job for weeks before she finally came knocking on my door. With her parents gone, she’s been supporting her sister this entire time. I couldn’t let them starve.
Ironic that she ended up being invaluable to my operations. She’s smart and sees things I don’t. Her reports have been priceless over the years. Truly, I should give her another raise.
“Apollo.” From the edge to Zeus’s tone, it’s not the first time he’s said my name.
Unfortunately, my fascination with Cassandra tends to have this side effect. Which is why I don’t usually allow myself to think about her during work hours. “Yes?”
“Stay close to Minos. We need to know what he’s up to.”
Only a lifetime of practice keeps my distaste for the order from showing on my face. It’s a logical thing for Zeus to command, but that doesn’t mean I relish the idea of being in close proximity with Minos. The man is cunning and there’s a glint in his eye I don’t like. He’s the kind of person who thinks he’s smarter than everyone else in the room.
I mean to prove him wrong.
3
Cassandra
Two Weeks Later
“You’re late. Is everything okay?”
I drop into the seat across from my sister and slump back against the chair. “Sorry, I got caught up in a report and lost track of time.” Apollo has me wading through reports from the lower city. Hades rules there and doesn’t take kindly to the rest of the Thirteen infringing on his territory, so information can be scarce, but ever since he married Persephone, there’s been slightly more communication allowed. Which means more information.
Truly, the lower city doesn’t sound half-bad. If I wasn’t so determined to get the fuck out of Olympus the first chance I get, I’d consider crossing the River Styx and seeing if the lower city embraces toxic culture and ruthless power plays the same way the upper city does.
My sister, Alexandra, smiles sweetly. Everything about her is sweet. No one can look at us and mistake us for anything but relatives—we have red hair, skin that the sun seems to have a personal vendetta against, and bodies that people call curvy when they’re trying to be oblique—but her lips naturally turn up at the corners instead of down. Our father used to joke that I came roaring into the world with a war cry and Alexandra arrived with a sunny giggle. She leans forward, dark eyes sparkling. “That seems to happen a lot since you started working for Apollo. I’m glad you like the job.”