Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
No, that’s a lie. I know exactly what possessed them. The founders were most likely carbon copies of the people who now hold the titles of the Thirteen, the ruling body of Olympus. Power-hungry and politically vicious. But there are rules, and that means that each of the Thirteen comes about their title in a different way…and then they keep it until they die or retire. Most of them don’t bother retiring. They cling to that power until it’s wrenched from their hands by Death themself.
Now we’re left to deal with the mess their ambition created.
I have mixed feelings about Olympus. I always have. My sisters think I see the city with rose-tinted glasses, but the truth is that I am all too aware of the dangers lurking in the shadows. Maybe that wasn’t always the case, but it is now. No matter what I think of the Thirteen, who use and discard people to further their goals—yes, even my mother is guilty of it—I will always have empathy for the rest of the people. They didn’t choose to be born into Olympus any more than I did, and we’re all just trying to survive the waves caused by those more powerful than us.
There’s no telling if Ariadne has information we can use to protect the people of this city, but I have to try. I’m no tactician, but even I can see this is only the first wave. They’re softening the city up for the next blow, and that might be the one that breaks us. If I can do anything to hold the danger off, I’ll lie and more to ensure the innocents who never asked for this are kept safe.
Or as safe as they ever are.
Fog curls in as I reach the bridge. Both remaining bridges that span the River Styx feel otherworldly, but Cypress Bridge is on another level entirely. The stone columns are wider around than most people and soar upward to create an arch. I know both upper city and lower city reside in the same realm, but it’s hard to remember that when entering these arches feels like leaving the world behind. Especially tonight, when the fog hides the other bank from me.
Fear licks up my spine, whispering that this isn’t safe. With the fog so dense, anyone could be waiting for me on that bridge. It could be another ambush, and this time there’s no Hades and Persephone to save me.
No. Damn it, no.
I am not defenseless. Not anymore. I hitch my purse higher on my shoulder and slip my hand inside to touch the gun nestled there. Charon’s been taking me to the private shooting range Hades owns, and while he didn’t technically give me permission to borrow this one, it’s just a little insurance. I’m sure I won’t have to use it, but I have it if I need it.
One last jagged breath, and then I plunge through the arches and onto the bridge. I have a standing invitation to the lower city, so the boundary is barely noticeable as I stride down the bridge.
She’s beat me to the middle of the bridge, and she huddles against the stone railing, her arms wrapped around herself. She’s a pretty, plus-sized woman with medium-brown skin, sweet dark eyes, and wavy black hair. She may take after her father, Minos, but only in coloring. He’s handsome in a way that looks like he was hacked out of a mountain. She’s much softer.
Ariadne looks up as I approach. She’s easily six inches shorter than me, just a few inches over five feet. “I don’t have as much time as I thought. I’m sorry.”
“But you came all this way.” It’s almost as if her father knows she’s not fully on his side. He’s come up with reason after reason to keep her close since the house party where Theseus killed the last Hephaestus.
“Only because I have a warning for you. It’s important, Eurydice.” She shrugs, her expression pinched. “You heard about Triton?”
I nod. “He was killed in a fight when they tried to get to Poseidon.”
Ariadne shakes her head. “No, he wasn’t. His attacker was after him.”
She looks out over the river, except it isn’t visible through the fog. I can still hear the rush of water over rocks far below, but it echoes strangely. I press my lips together and debate whether to press her on this. Ultimately, that’s why I’m here. “How can you be sure?”
“Because. That’s why I couldn’t get out last night.” She turns those big dark eyes on me. “My father held a meeting with some person I’ve never seen before, and then they left. Less than an hour later, Triton was announced dead and they were photographed fleeing the scene. He wasn’t killed by an Olympus citizen who doesn’t understand the rules. He was assassinated by someone who answers to my father.” She hiccups, a little sound that’s almost a sob.