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“I’m fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me.” But Persephone does reach out a hand so Minthe and Eurydice can gently pull her to her feet. She turns to me. “Is that Charon on the phone?”
“Yes.”
She motions for me to hand her the phone, and I don’t hesitate to do so. The scratch on her cheek is deeper than I thought, and atrail of blood oozes down her jawline. The sight leaves me cold. Everyone knows how much Hades values his wife. He’s going to go on a rampage for this.
I can’t blame him.
When she speaks on the phone, she’s all business. “They went down Maple. There are cameras and half a dozen businesses there. Find them, Charon. I want them on their knees before us by end of day. Don’t bother sending a team here. We’re on our way home.” She hangs up and hands my phone back to me.
Behind us, the door flies open and Medusa charges out onto the sidewalk, a gun in each hand. She takes in the scene with a single sweeping glance. “What the fuck?”
Persephone wipes her face, smearing the blood. “Get Calypso and Ariadne. We’re leaving.”
To her credit, Medusa doesn’t question the order. She just leans back into the doorway and starts yelling. I cross to Eurydice and take her shoulders gently. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. Just some bumps and bruises.” Her smile is a little fragile. “That was fast thinking on your part. I barely processed what was happening, and you already had me on the ground.”
It was panic, pure and simple. The realization, in between heartbeats, that I might lose her. All it would take is a single bullet, and the fragile future we’ve barely begun to promise to each other would be gone forever. I didn’t have time to think. My body took over for me. “I’ve never tackled anyone before,” I say again.
“You did a great job.” She wraps her hands around my wrists and gives me a gentle squeeze, even as she guides my hands from her shoulders. “We need to get back to the house. It’s fortified, soit’s the safest place in the lower city. If we’re there, Charon and Hades aren’t going to be worried about us. They need to focus on the hunt.”
“Words after my own heart.” Persephone looks at us, and there’s something different in her hazel eyes this time. Something almost like respect. She gives me the tiniest nod. “You did well, Orpheus.”
Things happen quickly after that. It only takes a few minutes for Medusa and the others to arrive at the car and shuffle us all into it. Fitting seven people into a five-seat car is ridiculous, but I take one look at Persephone’s face and bite down the suggestion of taking two vehicles.
Riding together is the only way to ensure we don’t get separated, even if the drive itself isn’t comfortable. I hold Eurydice in my lap and try to let her presence comfort me. If feels like the firm ground beneath my feet has turned to quicksand. I don’t know what happens next.
All I can think is that I’ve gone from Eurydice being in danger to Charon being in danger. The people who attacked us are the same people who have been giving him such grief. They’re obviously professionals, which means there’s a chance he won’t come home.
Less than ten minutes later, we sweep through the front doors of the house behind Persephone. I’ve never seen her like she’s acted today, and it’s frankly terrifying. This is not a woman I would want to cross.
“Hades?”
It’s not her husband who answers her. A handsome man with medium-brown skin hurries down the hall toward us. “Persephone, I have a doctor here. Please come with me.”
I take a step toward him, but Persephone plants her feet. “Where is my husband, Thanatos?”
He flinches. “Hades, Charon, and a small team went off in pursuit of the shooters. He gave clear command that you were to stay in the house until he returns. The moment you arrived, we went on lockdown.” He says the words carefully, as if feeling his way.
Persephone gets a terrible look on her face. Eurydice opens her mouth, no doubt to try to comfort her sister, but I press my hand to her back and shake my head. Persephone is a bomb waiting to go off, and I don’t want Eurydice to take the brunt of the reaction I can feel simmering beneath the surface.
When Persephone speaks, it’s in carefully clipped tones. “Have the doctor see to Minthe first. I will be in the study.” She walks off without another word, her spine straight and her step steady.
The moment she turns the corner in the hallway, we all wilt a little bit. Thanatos shakes his head and runs his fingers through his thick black hair. “For the longest time, I didn’t understand what they saw in each other, but I get it now. She’s just as scary as he is when she’s riled.” He turns to Eurydice, and his smile takes on a new level of warmth. “Hey, there.”
“Hey, Thanatos.” She smiles too. “Wild day.”
“You can say that again.” He turns to Minthe, and then he’s all business. “How bad is it, really?”
“I keep telling them,” she says through gritted teeth, “it’s barely more than a scratch. I might need a stitch or two, but that’s the worst of it.”
Thanatos shakes his head. “Yeah, well, we’ll see when the doctor checks you out. Come with me.”
Calypso turns to Medusa and Ariadne. “Let’s head to the kitchen while we wait. I bet Georgie is cooking up a storm right now. If she won’t let us help her out, then maybe she’ll let us taste test.” It’s very clearly an effort to remove the lost expression from Ariadne’s face. It’s an effective one. They head off in the opposite direction, leaving me and Eurydice alone.
Her smile falls away in an instant. “Those people were clearly professionals. They’ve managed to avoid Charon for weeks, which is no small feat. He’s in danger.”
I don’t know what to say to comfort her, because I’m not comforted right now at all. “Charon is one of the most capable and dangerous people we know. He’ll come home to us.”
