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“We’ll take her.” She holds up a hand, even though no one is jumping in to offer a different option. “You don’t mean to, but you scare people, Hades.”
“Who says he doesn’t mean to?” Thanatos mutters.
“She’ll be safe enough with me and Medusa. We’ll give her a couple days to find her feet, and then bring her to you.” She raises a brow. “And then you can truthfully say you don’t have her when the rest of the peacocks come rattling your door.”
Hades considers that for several long moments. He finally nods slowly. “What you’re saying makes sense.”
“Gee, thanks.”
His lips quirk, but the smile dies before it can fully appear. He nods at Thanatos. “Escort them home, and wait until Medusa gets there. Have someone watch the street through the night.”
Calypso glares. “That’s not necessary.”
“I say it is.” He crosses to me and lowers his voice. “Did you know about this?”
I hate admitting the truth; it burns my throat. “No. She was supposed to go to lunch with Persephone and then come back to the lower city.”
“I see.” He glances at the door again. “Do you want to handle that, or should I?”
I have to clench my jaw to avoid telling him that there’s no fucking way I’ll let himhandleEurydice. It’s not a normal reaction, and I know Hades well enough that such a statement shouldn’t have me fighting not to punch him in the face. What the fuck is wrong with me? I clear my throat. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I expect a report in the morning.” It’s a testament to Hades’s insight that he’s giving me the night. Since I desperately want to put Eurydice over my knee—not that I’d admit as much tohim—it’s a good call. He swivels enough to look at Orpheus, and what little warmth there was in his dark eyes disappears. “I did not invite you to the lower city. I highly doubt my wife did either.”
Orpheus meets his gaze steadily. A flicker of admiration ignites inside me; it’s not easy to hold Hades’s eyes when he’s gotthatexpression on his face. Orpheus says, “No, you didn’t invite me.”
“And yet here you are.” Hades shifts a little closer, the move threatening. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t toss you into the River Styx for the harm you’ve done.”
I expect Orpheus to fold. He did the moment Eurydice snarled at him, and while he hasn’t shown me his throat, he also hasn’t challenged me directly. But he doesn’t. He just squares his shoulders a little. “With respect, Hades, that’s between me and Eurydice.” His gaze flicks to me. “And Charon.”
It’s nothing more than he said when we were alone, but havinghim publicly acknowledge me and the possibility of a relationship rocks me back on my heels. I keep underestimating Orpheus. I can’t guarantee that he’s not the selfish prick that I always believed him to be, but he’s also more than that.
For the first time, I look at him and feel desire that has nothing to do with Eurydice.
18
ORPHEUS
Eurydice isn’t happy about the arrangements Charon made. Her anger is written across the lines of her gorgeous face and the tension in her shoulders. “She should come with us.”
To his credit, Charon doesn’t flinch in response to her sharp words. “Whoever hosts her will automatically be in danger. Medusa and Calypso are far better qualified to handle anything that will arise as a result of her procedure today—and eliminate any external threat.”
I don’t know much about Medusa, aside from her reputation and the fact that today she watched me like she was a wolf about to rip into a particularly tasty bunny. People never really spoke openly about the fact that she was Athena’s knife in the dark for many years, or about how she disappeared unexpectedly a while back and was never seen again. Calypso, on the other hand, used to move in circles that I’m familiar with. She is a few years older than me, but it was well known that she was Odysseus’s mistress. At least until she, too, disappeared. I hadn’t realized that they’d run off together.Good for them.
“He’s right,” I find myself saying. I almost regret speaking up when she turns that anger on me, but Charon had a point earlier. I might be willing to let her walk me like a dog, but that doesn’t mean I have to be submissive in every aspect of our interactions. There’s a serious risk that if I piss her off, she’ll send me away, but better to know that will be the end result now. Otherwise I’ll fall even deeper into the trap of hope, only to have it ripped away later on. “You did your part and got her here. She’ll be taken care of, and you can go see her tomorrow if you’d like.”
“If I wanted your opinion, I’d fucking ask.” She drags her hands across her face. “I really don’t like that you’re both ganging up on me.”
I don’t move toward her, because I’m still not entirely sure what the parameters of our relationship are, but I soften my tone. “We’re just trying to take care of you, Eurydice.” That, at least, is the truth both Charon and I can agree on.
She glances to where Calypso is ushering Ariadne into a black sedan that is identical to the one Charon drives. Medusa arrived a few minutes ago, and she doesn’t look any happier than anyone else about this turn of events. She glares at Eurydice, her muscular arms crossed over her chest.
Eurydice shivers. “I know when I’ve been outplayed. Fine. You win this time. Let’s go home.”
Home. I know she doesn’t intend the word to have any deeper meaning, but that damned hope flutters in my chest all the harder. I want it to mean something. I’m not foolish enough to believe that I’ve done anywhere near enough penance to make things right, but I have a direction and a goal now. That’s more than I’ve had for the last year.
It certainly feels like home on the silent drive to Charon’s townhouse and through the tense meal where no one quite looks at each other. Not exactly what I was hoping for when she said those three magic words, but it’s familiar enough in its own way. My parents have been together for something like thirty-five years, though they never bothered to get around to the marriage part. While they definitely care about each other, there have been whole years where I was certain they didn’t like each other even a little bit. This dinner feels a little too close to that for my peace of mind.
At least it does until Charon sets down his silverware and leans back in his chair. Eurydice tenses, obviously expecting him to start in on her about ditching her security detail today. But he turns those hard blue eyes in my direction. “Why don’t you paint anymore?”
