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And there it was.
But Lukas wasn't done yet. He turned to me and looked me dead in the eyes. "You're not getting away from me. This arrangement is Fated, in case you forgot."
Oh, I didn't think I ever could. And it wasn't just because my power wouldn't let me.
I also didn't miss the way he said it. Saying our arrangement was Fated, rather thanwewere was intentionally impersonal.
“I can help,” I said, somewhat abruptly. A voice in the back of my head, the one that was hyper-attuned to social graces, chastised me for just blurting it. But my desire to change the subject away from me and Lukas overpowered any care for social niceties.
Rose perked up and Dominic and Lukas turned their attention to me.
“What do you know?” Lukas asked, a little too carefully.
“Was it really that shocking that people would be upset at the loss of another line? And a major one at that?” Rose and Dominic lived most of their lives underground, ruling over a court full of humans who chose to be that close to their power. And Lukas’s court was self contained. Living with humans taught you a thing or two about their feelings about the gods.
For the most part, we were accepted as someone who was on their team. We were more spiritual figureheads than actual leaders. They had their own governments and politics. But there were people who hated that we had power and they didn’t.
“No. I guess it isn’t,” Rose said, her tone hinting at problems she was hiding.
“All they need is one.” I kept my hands tucked under my thighs so I wouldn’t gesture with them too much. “One reason to launch what is now mild disgruntlement into an all-out rebellion against the gods.”
“That would be singing their death sentences,” Lukas noted, before taking a long sip of his water.
I shook my head slightly. Trying to find the words to explain. “Humans don’t fully understand it. When you don’t go around smiting people with lightning bolts, people forget the extent of our power. How integral our lives are to their world.”
Dominic stared at the table, like there was an answer plated next to the roast chicken. “Then explain it to them.”
“I agree they need a reminder,” I said, breathing in through my nose to keep the pace of my speaking from picking up. “But anything too intense and it will read as condescension. And there is nothing people hate more than being reminded of how small they are in the grand scheme of things.”
That was the fine line with the humans. The gods viewed it as an honor to sustain their livelihood. I felt like I was fulfilling my purpose walking through universities built by my powerline or watching fishermen feed their families.
Lukas chuckled under the rim of his glass. I could see the long dimples in his cheeks deepening even under his thick beard. Damn him. “How philosophical.”
I grinned before I could help myself. It was a little taste of his humor. More sarcastic, drier than normal, sure, but it was a window into the Lukas I knew.
I shut the fluttering in my stomach down. “It’s true. Take any powerful family. The Romuluses. They couldn’t have power, so they built an empire so large they practically breathe gold.”
“I heard they spent over a million on Riccardo’s wedding,” Dominic said with a sardonic look on his face.
Lukas barked a low laugh. “That’s a healthy estimate. It looked like a florist threw up on the aisle.”
“The Romuluses are fine though.” Rose was idly twisting her wedding ring around her finger. “JunoandHera were at the wedding.”
“Keeping up appearances. That’s all that is.” I’d heard that little addition to the guest list didn’t go over well with a few people.
“What?” Lukas snapped. “What do you know?”
My skin prickled painfully. His anger burned like the ashes of a cigarette.
“Nothing.” My voice came out harsh, defensive. “That’s why I’m here isn’t it? For you to tell me what you’ve learned and see if I can fill in the blanks?”
And just because I could see the waves churning in Lukas’s eyes, I added, “Oh, and to make sure no one yells at you when their nets come out of the water half empty.”
There was that nostril flare again. “The person they’ll yell at isyou. Easy to figure out where to place the blame when you left a Daphne-shaped hole in the fucking door.”
Leveraging the disdain ofcertainpeople in his House’s inner circle against me was a low blow. One that reminded me how well he knew me. Enough to cut into my deepest fears.
My last name came with a host of resentment. For all of the other members of the Athena line that had railed against House Poseidon. I’d thought that Lukas and I were different. Thought that history only came out in our tendency to get to bicker like our lives depended on it.
