“Pan will be transported to the hospital in the city.” Dionysus hiccups. “I’m sure he’ll be okay.”
“Atalanta texted me. She’s fine.” Artemis examines her fingernails. “Sometimes parties get wild, Cassandra. You’d know that if you were invited to more of them.” Behind her, Hephaestus makes a choked laughing sound.
“As if someone couldn’t take her phone and use it to text you.” I’m sorely tempted to pick up that fucking tortoise and fling it at her, but aside from that thing looking heavy, assault never solved any problems. If they won’t see reason, trying to beat some sense into them isn’t going to work. “You’re fools. One of you will be next.”
Hephaestus snorts. “Please. We’re the Thirteen. We’ll be fine.”
“Of all the—”
“Collar your girlfriend, Apollo. Before one of us has to.” Artemis turns away.
Her exit starts a cascade. One by one they follow her, even Eurydice and Charon. Hermes is the last one standing and she shakes her head slowly. “I told you to leave, Cass. It’s not too late to go, but no one is going to believe your warnings.” She leaves before I can come up with a response.
What is there to say? She’s right.
I turn to Apollo. He looks troubled, but even knowing him as well as I do, I can’t say if it’s what just happened that’s bothering him or thoughts of the future. He finally meets my gaze and squeezes my hand. “I hate to say it, but she’s right. You should leave.”
I don’t miss the emphasis on you. “What about you? What about Ariadne?”
He ignores the question. “I don’t know why someone would target Pan, but it’s getting more and more obvious that you’re not safe.”
“Apollo—”
“If you’re concerned about Zeus declaring the deal null and void, I can make the argument that you’ve more than done your duty and you never agreed to being in physical danger. He may attempt to dock the pay, but I’ll make up the difference.”
Exasperation takes hold. He’s nothing if not stubborn. “You can’t just write me a check for over a million dollars. Your family would chase me out of town with pitchforks and torches.”
“You already intend to leave. What do you care what my family thinks?”
He’s right. Of course he’s right. That doesn’t change the fact that the thought of leaving Apollo here alone makes my entire body clench in denial. “That’s not the point.”
He steps close and cups my face. “Let me worry about the money. Go home where it’s safe.”
I cover his hands with my own. “I’ll leave if you come with me.”
“I can’t.” He sighs. “Not if there really is potential for Ariadne to flip to our side.”
“Then we’ll call Ares.” I’m reaching, and I know it, but I can’t shake the feeling of impending doom.
“Ares can’t interfere without a direct invitation or an order from Zeus, which he won’t give for fear of alienating those members of the Thirteen who are guests.” Apollo shakes his head. “I can’t leave. Not yet. But you can, Cassandra. Please.”
“No. Not without you.” I wrap my hands around his wrists and squeeze. “If I’m not here, you have no one to watch your back. I’m not Ares or Athena or even Artemis, but I can’t leave you alone. Don’t ask me to.”
“I’m not the one in danger, Cassandra.” I refuse to budge. He looks like he wants to keep arguing but finally sighs again. “Short of stuffing you in a trunk and driving back to the city myself, I’m not going to convince you, am I?”
Despite everything, I laugh a little. “No. Short of kidnapping, it’s not going to happen.”
He presses a quick kiss to my forehead and drops his hands. “All right. If you’re not leaving, let’s go see what’s next.” He pauses. “No going anywhere alone, Cassandra. I won’t risk you.”
“Okay. I won’t. I promise.”
Apollo takes my hand. “Come on.”
We find the rest of the guests gathered back in the living room. Aphrodite sits on the couch next to Dionysus, her arms crossed and dark eyes furious. He blinks at her but for once doesn’t seem to have a witty comment ready. In fact, he looks to be in danger of losing his lunch, pale skin waxy and sweat dotting his forehead.
Theseus sits next to Adonis on one of the other couches. They aren’t quite cuddled up, but Theseus has sprawled his big body out so that he’s pressed against the other man…and Adonis doesn’t appear to be complaining for reasons I can’t fathom.
They do look quite the pair, though.
Adonis, for his part, has his charming smile in place. I’ve never been able to figure out if he’s truly so easygoing that nothing ruffles his feathers or if he’s got the best mask I’ve ever seen. I can’t honestly say for certain, which would bother me if I gave a shit about Olympus politics beyond determining who to actively avoid.
Theseus, though? He’s got a terrible poker face. Satisfaction comes off him in waves, there in the possessive way he touches Adonis and the smirk he sends in Aphrodite’s direction. Considering I haven’t seen him look twice at the other man since they arrived, this must be for her benefit.
Aphrodite has managed to piss off one of Minos’s foster sons—maybe just by virtue of being related to Helen, who caused him so much damage and stole his chance to become the next Ares—and it certainly looks like he’s going to make her choke on his “date” with Adonis.
If Minos intends to match his children with powerful people, Adonis shouldn’t be on the list. He’s arguably the least powerful person in this room, excepting me.
It makes about as much sense as attacking Pan.
I’m missing something. Something important. If I just had some time and space to reason it through…
“Cassandra?”
I startle and glance at Apollo. It’s only then that I realize I was staring at Theseus and Adonis too intensely. I try for a smile. “Just thinking too hard.”
He doesn’t look like he believes me, but then I’m a normal human being who just went through a shock. Little tremors keep shifting my limbs without my permission. I don’t understand how everyone is chatting easily as if one of Minos’s people isn’t in the library, cleaning bloodstains out of the rug. Only Charon and Eurydice seem bothered, and they make some vague excuses and leave the room quickly.
Even Apollo seems mostly fine as he guides me over to sit near Dionysus and Aphrodite. He drops into their conversation easily, charming Aphrodite enough that she stops sending murderous looks at her boyfriend and Theseus. Mostly.
This is what it means to be one of the Thirteen.
I knew they functioned differently than the rest of us, but spending so much time with Hermes and then Apollo lulled me into a false sense of thinking I truly understood what that meant.
I didn’t then.
I sure as fuck do now as the afternoon stretches toward evening…and dinnertime.
I would like to say that I focus heavily on all the conversations around me during dinner. Minos is there playing his charming king routine. The others are speaking about…something. But all I can think of is that Pan was nearly killed and not a single person has inquired about an update from the hospital. Not even Dionysus, who is the reason Pan was at this party to begin with.