I shrug and sip my coffee. “It was closer and I was tired. I’m sure you understand.”
She gives me a look that says she sees through my bullshit but isn’t ready to call me on it. “Where is Theseus?”
“His name is Hephaestus now. He’s earned that.” I can’t quite keep the bite out of my voice.
Pandora shakes her head slowly. “Maybe to the rest of this city, but he’ll always be Theseus to me.”
That’s precious and sadly innocent. I sigh. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes.”
I expect we won’t be alone for long, but I don’t rush through my process. “Caramel?”
“Sure.”
I can feel her watching me, but I keep my movements smooth and slow. A few minutes later, I slide her cup to her. “Let me know how that is.”
She has the strangest expression on her face. “You look different when you’re like this.” She sips the coffee before I can decide how I’m supposed to respond to that. “Oh, this is good. Thank you.”
“Of course.” I lean against the counter and reclaim my cup. “You should be more careful in Olympus. If Eurydice hadn’t called me, you could have gotten into trouble.” True, she only called me because she and I arranged this little meetup ahead of time, but Pandora doesn’t need to know that.
I didn’t have a firm plan to use Pandora against Hephaestus at the start of this, but she’s too good a lever to overlook. And turnabout is fair play. If he thinks I have my hands all over her, it will twist the knife and he’ll be so busy chasing his tail, he won’t have time to enact whatever plan Minos has put together.
And if it doesn’t distract him? Well, I’ll deal with that when the time comes. I’m adaptable like that.
“She’s the one who invited me to the lower city.” Pandora makes a face. “Though I didn’t get to enjoy it very much.”
It’s exactly the opening I need. Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly. I smile. “I’m more than happy to take you there sometime if you want.”
Pandora leans back against the counter, mirroring my position. “I was under the impression that Hades didn’t like the rest of the Thirteen all that much. Why would he give you unlimited access to his private club?”
Apparently she’s been paying closer attention than I realized. Oh well, I planned for this possibility, too. “He and I have an understanding.” Unlike some of my peers, Hades can see the writing on the wall. If Minos gets his way, then the murder of the last Hephaestus is only the beginning of the trouble we’ll see.
It doesn’t mean he likes my methods, but he’s agreed to stay out of my way as long as I don’t endanger any of the precious citizens of his lower city. He wouldn’t thank me for including Eurydice in my plans, but what Hades doesn’t know won’t hurt him.
And what Persephone doesn’t know won’t hurt me.
For a moment, Pandora looks tempted, but then she shakes her head. “No. I appreciate the offer, but Theseus wouldn’t like it, and I’m not going to be the instrument you use to hurt him.”
She’s smarter than I gave her credit for, which should frustrate me, but instead a strange sort of delight unfurls in my chest. I like that she’s not a complete pushover, even if it’s inconvenient.
“Of course,” I agree easily. “You’re friends, after all.”
Her dark brows draw together in a frown. “Why do people keep putting that kind of emphasis on it? Is it really so hard to believe we’re just friends?”
“Darling, it’s hard to believe he has any friends at all. Don’t take it personally.” I lean forward a little and lower my voice. I’m delighted when she mirrors the movement, her forehead nearly touching mine. It’s enough to bring back the memory of that little game at Minos’s house party where we shared a kiss. Two, actually. Her lips were particularly soft. Not that I’ve been thinking about it at all. “But you? I believe that you have a lot of friends.”
“Now you’re just being mean.”
I shrug and force myself to straighten. “It’s what I do.”
She opens her mouth to say something, but never gets the chance. My front door booms open hard enough to echo through the whole apartment and Hephaestus’s roar fills the space. “Aphrodite!”
I hide my grin. Right on time. “In here, dear husband.”
He’s limping a bit more than normal as he comes around the corner and stops short. Being on his feet so much of yesterday must have taken its toll. Either that or the little sex we had was too much for him. The thought makes me chuckle.