Page 36 of Ungodly Rich

A few minutes later he saw Hermes striding toward the pool, wearing some ridiculous terry cloth shirt and matching shorts. Hades coughed meaningfully. Hermes hesitated an instant, then jerked his head in the direction of the pool house.

Hades stood, stretching his arms overhead, and followed.

Hermes waited by a row of teak outdoor showers, tossing a fluffy white towel from hand to hand like a football. Hades noted with amusement that the buttons on his terry cloth shirt were made from real seashells.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he observed dryly.

Hermes stilled. “I thought my debts to you were cleared.”

“They are,” Hades agreed, “but if you have anything else you’d like to tell me, I’ll make it worth your while.” Hermes would probably share all his news with Hera first, but still, it was worth a try.

“All I know is that Ares and Julia left sometime in the early hours of the morning,” Hermes said evasively.

“Julia ran off, and Ares chased her,” Hades inferred. Why else wouldthey have left so abruptly? When Hermes nodded, Hades took another guess. “What made her leave? Aphrodite?”

“Maybe.”

Interesting. Hades hadn’t ever paid much notice to Aphrodite, but her impetuousness might have worked in his favor. In chasing after Julia, Ares had shown his hand. He really cared about this mortal.

Such behavior was unprecedented for Ares, and the other gods never did well in unprecedented situations. They liked stability, predictability, all of them set in their roles.

Except Hades. He spent enough time around mortals not to be fazed by erratic behavior.

If anything, he loved chaos for the opportunities it created. And this mortal woman was already causing more disruption than Hades could have hoped for.

He looked back at Hermes. “What do you think of Julia?”

Hermes seemed startled by the question. Perhaps no one ever asked for his opinion, just pressed him for gossip and secondhand news. The realization made Hades feel almost sorry for him.

“I saw you chatting with her last night,” Hades went on in a gentler tone. “What’s your read on her?”

Hermes paused. “Julia strikes me as smart and thoughtful. I feel a little bad, honestly, that she got dragged into all this mess because she ran into Ares at a bar. She’s been shell-shocked enough, learning that he’s from a wealthy background. If she finds out the real truth…well, she’s setting herself up for more pain.”

“Hermes. Who knew you had a heart?” Hades quipped, though he was surprised by the earnest reply.

Hermes flushed but held Hades’s gaze. “I just don’t think she deserves what’s coming.”

“Maybe Julia can hold her own.”

“Maybe,” Hermes said dubiously. “There does seem to be more to her than meets the eye.”

Indeed,Hades thought. Julia was a far greater complication than any of the Olympians would have guessed.

A commotion sounded near the pool, voices raised in suddenexcitement. Hades sauntered over, lifting his sunglasses to better watch the scene unfolding before him.

Julia and Ares were back. They stood by the pool, Ares’s arm wrapped protectively around Julia’s waist.

Hades glanced to Hera, whose smile was too broad to be convincing; then to Aphrodite, who was climbing out of the pool with deliberate slowness, exposing her body one perfect inch at a time, as if directly challenging Julia. Then he looked at Zeus.

The king of the gods was clearly oblivious to the danger Julia posed. He congratulated her and Ares, shouted at the staff to bring out champagne.

Well done, Julia,Hades thought smugly. Less than a week on Olympus and already the mortal woman had pissed off Aphrodite, unnerved Hera, and sent Ares running after her. She was driving a small but powerful wedge among the Olympians. And the more the Olympians fought among themselves, the weaker Zeus’s position became—which meant Hades might have a chance, at last, of unseating him.

Hades pulled his sunglasses back down over his face and headed toward the bar. It was still morning, but he was ready for something celebratory. Maybe a frozen rum drink.

After all, the fun was just getting started.

Chapter Fifteen