Perseus might as well have been glazed over with ice. “He’s not suited to the title.”
“The strength of the title is the people behind it. Hephaestus’s senior team has seen three people in that position. One person can’t outweigh all that experience.” Helen’s proven this with Achilles and Patroclus in her corner, but I won’t throw her under the bus like that right now, not when she worked so hard to be worthy of the Ares title even before claiming it. Hephaestus’s team seems to hate him, but that’s beside the point.
If anything, my brother’s blue eyes get icier. No one else in the room seems to breathe. Perseus leans forward. He opens his mouth and his brow furrows in frustration. I tense, but he seems to discard whatever he was about to say. He sits back with a sigh. “You have three days.”
I jolt. “Three days? That’s an impossible task.”
“Either it can be done or it can’t. The amount of time shouldn’t factor into it.”
That’s not even remotely reasonable, and I’m about to tell him exactly that when Apollo shakes his head sharply. “Surely you aren’t entertaining this. He’s a murderer.”
Perseus turns that cold gaze on Apollo. “Murder isn’t an unforgivable sin in this city and you know it. If we can turn him, he’ll be an asset in whatever comes next.”
“We have an asset from Minos’s household already.”
“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow. “Then you’re here to report that your outreach to Ariadne has borne fruit?”
Apollo huffs out a breath. “No. Minos has her under lock and key. She’s not even active online right now.”
Damn it, I haven’t texted Eurydice about Ariadne. I completely forgot in the midst of everything that happened yesterday. I slip my phone out of my purse and type out a quick message asking for an update. It’s entirely possible she hasn’t made more progress than Apollo, but I need to know.
My phone vibrates in my hand almost immediately. While Apollo and my brother keep speaking, I glance down.
Eurydice: I’m taking her to the club tonight.
Holy shit. She’s really doing it.
Me: Keep me updated, please.
Eurydice: Of course. I’ll call tomorrow.
I place my phone back in my purse. Eurydice and Ariadne is still a long shot, even if she’s making more progress than Apollo on that front right now. Ariadne might have warned Apollo about her father’s plans, but that doesn’t mean she knows more about what his next steps are than Pandora does.
Offering this information to the gathered people will sign my husband’s death warrant. If they think they have another way to strike at Minos, they won’t bother with Hephaestus. “There is no other way.”
“That remains to be seen.” Perseus looks at me. “Three days, Aphrodite.”
Helen shifts. “None of that changes the threat we’re facing right now. Increased security is in place for all members of the Thirteen who accepted my offer, but it’s only a matter of time before one of these attempts succeeds. They might not successfully engage the clause, but they could very well kill one of us. If that happens, it will only increase the frenzy.”
“Then ensure it doesn’t happen while we figure this out.” Perseus says it like it’s as easy as that. “Ideas to turn the tide?”
“We need to give them something else to fight.” There’s a flush in Helen’s cheeks from our brother’s rebuke, but her voice is steady.
Athena shakes her head. “Yes, but more than that. A common enemy will unite the city.”
“A common enemy won’t work.” Apollo drags his hands over his face. He’s been working long hours and it shows. Unlike my siblings, he hasn’t bothered to try to hide his exhaustion. “It might bring the majority of people in line, but the majority of people aren’t attempting murder right now. The citizens who have always wanted to be one of the Thirteen, have always believed that they deserve it, will keep coming.” He sighs. “We have to go public about the barrier. It’s the best chance we have.”
“No.” We all look at my brother as he speaks. His expression doesn’t move. “That is not an option.”
“It’s the only option.” Apollo glares. “They need to know we have bigger things to worry about than petty power squabbles inside the city. Not even these murderous fools would want to be in charge in the event that the barrier falls.”
“Find another way.”