“Water boy?”
“Please,” Erebus groaned, pinching his nose in frustration as he sat down. “Can we get back to the point?”
Both gods nodded, coughing and clearing their throats. It was Hades who spoke up. He looked Erebus dead in the eye and gave him a grin that was positivelydeadly.
“Poseidon and I have been planning on killing Zeus.”
Erebus’s eyes got wide as he nearly fell back over the bench until Poseidon scoffed.
“Don’t be so dramatic.” His expression was bored as Hades started laughing to himself.
“You aren’t planning on killing Zeus?” Erebus leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. They might have been safely inside Hades’s only territory on Mt. Olympus, but it wasn’t a chance he was willing to take.
“No.” Poseidon shoved Hades. “We are planning onoverthrowingZeus, however.” Erebus’s expression didn’t change as he went back and forth, studying the two brothers.
“You can’t be serious. I mean… I can’t say that I’d object but… you can’t be serious?”
“We most certainly are.” Hades shrugged in response.
“What about the other gods? Hell, the only reason I haven’t done it is because of the chaos that it would cause.” Erebus felt his heart beginning to race as he thought of the possibility. Poseidon was solemn as he stared into the unlit fire pit. There was something in his eyes that let Erebus know the god was serious.
“We’ve spoken to enough of the gods that they won’t challenge us. They won’t support us, either, but that’s going to have to be enough.” Erebus nodded as he mulled over the words.
“It’s true. The two of you are the most powerful next to Zeus.”
“Would you join us?” Hades asked directly. Poseidon cut off Erebus before he could respond.
“There would be an entire domino effect if a primordial got involved. No. You and I both know the best way to make this work is to write it off as a conflict among the gods. Amongbrothers.”
The three immortals fell silent as they sized one another up. There was a certain amount of trust between them now, everyone in possession of one another’s secrets. Yet, there was a hesitation there, too. Maybe it was the air on Mt. Olympus, but it made everyone question everything.
“What were you planning on doing?” Erebus asked after a beat of silence.
“Casualties happen during wars.” Hades’s voice was slick, the famously charming God of the Underworld making his appearance. He had a grin that slid over his face that was positively lethal; he’d known that this was coming, and he had been planning for it. Erebus said nothing as his gaze flickered over to Poseidon, who was supporting himself with his arms on the bench as he leaned back.
“It’s true. Who knows what will happen? Who knows how many witnesses there will be. Everyone will be so…”
“Occupied.” Hades finished for him, sounding positively gleeful now. A comfortable silence fell between the trio as they stared off into the night sky and pondered over the roles that they had to play.
Outside, Hermes disappeared from the window.
28
After the Fates had left, Hecate helped Nyx get off her floor and took her to one of the guest rooms. She knew that Nyx would be more comfortable in Tartarus, but she didn’t have the strength to get herself there. Even Hecate couldn’t breach the boundaries of the sanctuary if Nyx didn’t will it. It only took a little bit of prodding from the Goddess of witchcraft and Nyx stood, rolling her shoulders and wiping at her eyes as if nothing had happened. Hecate watched with sadness as Nyx packed up her emotions and filed them away; the missing clarity from the Fates had been the last straw. She was no longer occupied with getting an answer or trying to decode any additional meanings in her broken heart—enough was enough. Nyx prided herself on the ability to know when to walk away, and it seemed like that time was now.
Hecate opened the door to the guest room as she stared after Nyx with a keen eye, the transformation on her face both impressive and baffling. Nyx’s eyes had dulled. The sadness had fallen away from her face, leaving only a stoicism that could only be found in someone who knew who she was. Any traces of her heartache were gone.
“Nyx…” Hecate’s soft voice broke the silence between them. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I will be.” Nyx straightened her back and tossed her hair over her shoulder, letting some starlight fall. Her power was glistening underneath her skin, giving the appearance that she was glowing in the dark.
“Are you sure?” Hecate pressed again, taking another step towards her. Nyx simply sat down on the bed and gently dabbed at her eyes as if she was removing any final traces of her own tears. “If I recall correctly, you did just ask the Fates to haul your heart into oblivion.” Nyx’s gaze snapped to Hecate, a flicker of rage going over her smooth features before she settled.
Ah.Hecate bit her lip.It’s almost impressive how quickly she can bottle it up.
“I did,” Nyx admitted with a sigh as though she was committing a crime. “It was not the first time in recent memory that I may have overreacted.”
It was Hecate’s turn to feel her blood heat. “Overreacted? You can’t be judging yourself that harshly. You and Erebus, you’re…you’re the same. You’ve never been separated like this. You’re doing the work for the both of you—”
