If he can find a way to remove me to gain full control over Theseus, he will do it in a heartbeat.
“I don’t know how you think we do things here in Olympus, but torture is a bit extreme.” I give her a long look and she sighs. “Okay, I won’t pretend the people in power here aren’t capable of that kind of thing, but I honestly just thought you could use a friend.”
Damn it, I’m going to say yes. This is so ridiculous. “You’ve convinced me. But only if we go now and only if there’s alcohol there.” I’m not normally a big drinker, but I think I can be forgiven tonight. It’s the only thing that numbs the pit of worry that opened up in my stomach when Theseus agreed to marry Aphrodite.
No, that’s not the truth. It started earlier, when Minos announced his plan to take us all to Olympus, to use the Ares title to secure a spot among the Thirteen for either Theseus or the Minotaur. Something that seemed simple enough on the surface, but nothing Minos does is ever simple. Sure enough, look at us now.
Eurydice’s eyes go wide. “Sure. Okay. Let’s go.”
The champagne is really starting to kick in, which is the only excuse I need to snag a full bottle on our way out the door. Charon, a tall white guy with dark hair, broad shoulders, and the suspicious look of bodyguards everywhere, falls in behind us as we leave. He manages to get in front of us to open the back door of a nondescript black town car, though.
It’s only when we’re driving away from the hotel that I wonder if I should have told someone where I was headed. Not Minos, but Ariadne or Icarus. Whoops. I dig my phone out of my tiny purse and shoot off a text to both letting them know about my poor choices. I don’t know if either have their phones on them now, but they will before the end of the night.
Eurydice keeps up smooth small talk that requires little of me as I drink my way through the bottle I took. I slump back against the seat. “I’m not normally like this.” I feel downright morose right now, instead of my normal sunny self. It will come back. It always does. But not until I see for myself that Theseus is okay.
“I, ah, kind of noticed.” Her hazel eyes are kind. “Are you in love with him?”
That surprises a laugh out of me. “What? No. Not like you mean. I mostly prefer women.” I take a long drink from the bottle. “But Theseus is my best friend and I love him. It’s just not like that with us.” We did try it once when we were teenagers, since it seemed a natural progression of how much we care about each other, but it was a disastrous experience and we both agreed that there is no next level for our friendship.
“I see.” She motions and I hand her the bottle. “You aren’t like the rest of them.”
“Sweet words will get you everywhere.” The farther we travel from the hotel and the mess contained there, the better I can breathe. This is fine. This is better than fine. “Look, you’re cute and this is a fun little field trip, but I meant it about not knowing anything worthwhile. Also, not a single one of them will give even a penny in ransom.” Theseus doesn’t believe in ransom, though he’d come for me and kill everyone responsible.
Eurydice laughs. “Again, not kidnapping, torturing, or otherwise harming you. You just looked like you needed to get out of there. I understand that urge, so I thought I’d help you out. That’s all.”
She’s lying, but I don’t mind. Everyone lies. Once you accept that, you get really good at reading between the lines. “So you’re taking me to Hades’s famous sex club?”
“It’s hardly famous.” She makes a choked sound. “And that’s my brother-in-law you’re talking about.”
I twist in the seat to face her fully. I’d much rather talk about this than about myself. “You know, your sisters seem the overprotective sort, and that’s not even getting into your mother.” Talk about a nightmare. “I’m surprised they let their precious baby sister attend a place like that.”
“Oh. That.” She waves it away. “They don’t know.”
“What?”
“They don’t know,” she repeats. Eurydice smiles. “So, you see, now you have a secret of mine.”
Sharing simple secrets to promote the sharing of deeper secrets is a trick as old as time. I ignore the impulse to do exactly that; it’s just the alcohol talking. “Rumor has it that you’re living in the same house as your sister and Hades. How could they possibly not know that you’re playing tourist in his sex dungeon?”