Helen’s pulled the same makeup trick Perseus has, and she looks just as pristine as ever, as if she wasn’t losing her damn mind yesterday. She’s wearing what’s become her customary Ares uniform for business—a perfectly tailored black suit with a bright blouse beneath it.
Perseus steeples his hands in front of his face. “We have a problem.”
“You can say that again,” Helen mutters. She lifts her voice. “Half a dozen attempts were made since we spoke yesterday. Before this meeting started, I got a call that my people interrupted a woman with a knife going after Artemis. They neutralized the situation, but it’s not even noon yet.”
Interesting. Maybe that’s why Artemis was angrier than usual.
Athena taps a single finger against the table. “There’s not much that can be done. The information is out. The public won’t be distracted by petty feuds and dramatics.” She shoots a sharp look at me.
It takes everything I can do not to flush. Petty feuds and dramatics have always worked as a bait and switch in the past, and I’m good at using them to keep the populace’s attention where we want it. It’s not my fault that we’re dealing with something significantly more challenging right now. I’m not about to protest, though. Ultimately, my pride matters less than the problem at hand. “Do you have a suggestion, or is that just criticism?”
Her lips curve. Athena always has liked people who are prickly. It’s why we get along well enough when we’re forced to interact. “We kill your husband.”
What?
“What?” Apollo leans forward to look at her. “How does that help anything? Minos has already leaked the information about the clause. As you said, the cat’s out of the bag.”
“Yes, there’s no taking back the information about that blasted little law.” She taps the table again. “Which means there’s no reason not to use it to our advantage. You can bet Minos will eventually do the same. He might not be behind the recent attempts, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be behind future ones.”
The latter is nothing more than I’ve already considered. I look at Perseus, who hasn’t said anything yet. There’s something almost like panic fluttering inside me. They mean it. They really will kill Hephaestus. “Well? You support this?”
“Don’t you?” His gaze sharpens on me. “You hate him. What’s more, having that man in that position hurts the city. We rely on whoever holds the Hephaestus title and their people to keep the more technical parts of the city running, as well as come up with new advancements to better the quality of life for our citizens. Even if he wasn’t an active enemy, he’s not suited to the role and you know it.”
I do know it. I’ve thought the very same things in the past. There’s absolutely no reason for me to want to shove to my feet and yell at my brother for suggesting such a thing. There’s no reason for it to feel like the walls are closing in.
A few days ago, I would have jumped at the chance to become a widow. This marriage was only meant to serve the purpose of distracting the public and distracting Hephaestus, and it’s failed at both tasks.
But that was before my husband knelt in front of me and bandaged my wounds. Before he saved my life. Before he comforted me in his own rough way last night when I was at my lowest. “We gave our word that we wouldn’t harm him if he married me.”
“It’s for the good of Olympus,” Helen says softly. There’s sympathy in her eyes, but also a steely determination I know too well. “They’re right. It’s a good call.”
I won’t have to do anything. Just take the path of least resistance and allow the people in this room to plot to make me a widow. There will be no more vicious arguments that turn into sex. No more trying to outmaneuver each other. No more lying next to his big body, quietly snoring beside me and lulling me into sleep.
I…can’t do it.
Pandora said bringing him over to our side was nearly impossible, but it’s fully impossible if he’s dead. I’ll take those odds. I’ll take any odds right now. “I can turn him,” I blurt out.
Athena snorts. “No, you can’t.”
“Yes, I can.” I lift my chin, fighting to keep the uncertainty out of my face and voice. I need to project the cold bitch Aphrodite or they won’t trust me. “He’s smitten with Adonis, and he’s warming to me despite the tumultuous start to our marriage. If I can turn him, his connection to Minos means he’ll be a bigger asset than anyone else we can stick in the role.”