Impossible. I barely keep the word inside, but she somehow knows. She opens her eyes and stares down at me. “I know it sounds unbelievable. Trust me, I’ve already gone through the denial phase, but the fact remains that Minos plans to use the same law that my parents attempted to exploit to set himself up as a member the Thirteen.” She gives a bitter laugh. “He certainly has his pick of options at this party.”
Again the denial nearly gets past my lips. I tighten my grip on her hands. “How could he possibly know about that law? Most of the city is unfamiliar with it. They kept your parents’ attempt under wraps. It’s in no one’s best interest for every ambitious person in Olympus to start sharpening their knives.” No one has successfully ousted a member of the Thirteen in this way in generations, well before we became the center of a culture of fandom and social media and gossip sites.
“He knows because Hermes told him,” she says simply. “I don’t know the details, but she’s working with Minos in exchange for information on his benefactor—the person who’s the real threat against Olympus. You were right in suspecting that he held back information, but Hermes is after it for her own reasons. She admitted it to me herself afterward.”
I tense. “You spoke to her after? She knew you overhead?”
“Yes.”
Hermes could have killed Cassandra. It would have been the wise move to ensure her and Minos’s plan stayed secret. Or, at the very least, she could have locked Cassandra up somewhere and pretended she went back to the city. I might not have believed it, but I’d have no way to prove otherwise. Most of the rest of the party guests wouldn’t care enough to be suspicious. “Why did she let you go?”
“I don’t know.” She looks so wretched, I want to hug her, but if what she’s saying is true—and no matter how much I don’t want to believe it, it must be true—then we need to move. Now.
“If he tries this, he’ll be making it unsafe for everyone,” I mutter. “I can’t believe Hermes would hand him that kind of dangerous information. It has the potential to hurt her, too.” We might—might—be able to keep it under wraps again, but the city has its attention on Minos.
Zeus ensured that when he made the man and his family citizens in a public ceremony. If Minos is successful, then it will destabilize Olympus more efficiently than literally anything else. Marriage or politicking or the normal ways of gaining power will forever be second to murder. I shudder. “We have to move now, before everyone scatters. We have to warn them.”
“They won’t believe you. Not when the information came from me.”
“I’ll make them believe.” I rise to my feet and tug her up with me. “Change your shoes to something you can move easier in. Hurry.”
“Apollo…”
Even with the urgency clamoring in my veins, I can’t ignore the misery written across her face. I pull her into my arms and hug her tightly. “I believe you, love. The rest of them are too invested in their own safety to disregard a threat to their lives. I need you to trust me on that.”
She nods against my chest. “Okay.” Another pause. “Okay.” Cassandra pushes away from me. “Let’s move.”
I wait for her to change her shoes, my mind already going to what comes next. No matter what I told Cassandra, there will be resistance from some of the party guests. It’s the nature of the fractiousness of the Thirteen that if I say the sky is blue, several other members will shout that it’s green. I hope that their self-preservation will override the instinctive desire to dig in their heels simply because I’m the one delivering the news, but I’ll deal with whatever waves arise as soon as we get back down there.
Cassandra pulls on a pair of flats and rushes to the door. I’m right on her heels. She keeps up well enough as we start down the hall, but I still have to check my stride to accommodate her shorter legs. She huffs out a breath. “Just go.”
Under no circumstances am I leaving her alone. Hermes might have spared her, but if Minos discovers that she knows his plan, he won’t. “We go together.”
Another huff, though this one sounds almost fond. She frowns as we hit the stairs. “What will happen to Hermes?”
“Likely nothing. She broke no laws.” Even if inviting an enemy into our city is traitorous from where I’m standing, it’s not technically illegal. The most unforgivable thing is that she endangered Cassandra in the process. I can’t say as much aloud. Cassandra won’t thank me for feeling so protective of her, and Hermes couldn’t have known that I’d bring Cassandra here.
Which is enough to make me wonder… Did Hermes plan on me being one of the victims?
We race down the stairs and through the hallways to the living room. I barely manage to keep from bursting through the doors. The sight that greets me makes my stomach sink.
The room is half-empty. We’re missing five people. Minos, Theseus, the Minotaur…and Artemis and Hephaestus. “No.” I spin to pin Hermes with a glare. She’s reclining on the couch, her head propped on her hand, picking at a loose thread on the cushion. “Where are they?”
“How would I know?” She shrugs a single shoulder. “I’m no one’s keeper.”
“Hermes.” Cassandra comes to stop next to me. “Please.”
Aphrodite rises, looking between us. Her sharp dark eyes narrow. “What’s going on?”
It’s too late to play this hand close to my chest. “Minos intends to utilize the assassination clause.”
She flinches, her golden skin going pale. To her credit, she doesn’t flounder long. She spins to where Ariadne, Icarus, and Pandora are huddled together on the couch across from Hermes. “Is this true?”
Ariadne won’t meet anyone’s eyes, but Icarus lifts his chin. “Ask our father. He’s the one making plans.”
“Oh, I intend to,” Aphrodite says acidly. She turns for the door, but Adonis is there. He moves quicker than I expect, catching her arm. She tries to shake him off. “Let go.”
“We’re getting out of here.”
She blinks. “Excuse me?”
Adonis shoots me a look and then focuses on her. “It’s not safe, Eris. You can call for Minos’s head later if you want, but right now my priority is getting you to safety.”
Her gaze goes flinty, and for a moment, I think she might argue, but she finally nods. “Let’s go.” They hurry out of the room.
As much as I’m not keen on the group splitting further, Adonis was trained by Athena. He might not have stayed with her special forces, but he’s more than capable of keeping Aphrodite safe. Just as well. If something happens to Zeus’s sister, I can’t guarantee what he’ll do. His father wouldn’t let a little familial murder get in the way of his ambitions, but Perseus—Zeus—is a different kind of man. Harsher, yes, but he cares very deeply for his siblings.
He might raze the city to the ground to get to the person responsible for harming his family.
I turn to find Charon ushering Eurydice to her feet. “You’re safe enough.”