Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83786 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“So you’re calling to tell me to…get Apollo out of Olympus?”
The tone of the question means she’s still not taking this seriously. “Yes. Right now, Circe will be focusing on Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, but it’s only a matter of time before she decides to work her way through the rest.”
“Including you.”
I stop short. I might be Hermes, might play the part of the member of the Thirteen who delivers messages and secrets and knowledge, but I’ve always been aware that I’m different from the rest of them—and not only because I want to see the whole structure of their power shatter. The vast majority of the Thirteen—both now and stretching back through Olympus’s history—come from the legacy families. Whether families become legacy because they’ve had members tapped to become one of the Thirteen or the Thirteen only pull from certain families that already entertain an absurd amount of money and privilege is up for debate. Chicken, egg, and all that.
“I’m not like the others,” I say finally. I can’t quite inject my usual irreverent cheer into the words. Sometimes truth cuts deep. “I never have been.”
Cassandra is quiet for a long time. Finally, she says, “I hear you and I acknowledge your warning. You know I’m no fan of the Thirteen and the legacy families. I always wanted to get out of this city. But, Hermes, Apollo’s roots run deep. Orpheus is still here, and so are their parents.”
I refuse to acknowledge the little twinge of guilt from the fact I just shot Apollo’s little brother. He’s fine. Mostly. “None of them will be safe if Circe realizes her goals.”
“Yeah, I got that.” She sighs. “Look, I’ll talk to him. I can’t make any promises beyond that.”
It’s more than I expected. I don’t tell her to leave him in the dust and take off. We both know she won’t. She loves him as much as he loves her, and I’d be significantly happier for them if I wasn’t worried Circe planned to rip out his heart and break Cassandra’s in the process. “There’s not much time. Talk fast.” I hang up before she can completely diminish my hope of a future where she’ll be okay.
When I became Hermes and took the first step toward toppling the power structure that took the person I loved most in the world, I never thought I’d be in a position to care about the very people whose downfall I’m orchestrating.
I stare at my phone as sirens scream past the building I’m in. Six minutes. They really are stretched thin, aren’t they?
I scroll through my contacts and pause over Dionysus’s name. We haven’t spoken since Minos’s party. He carries a lot of guilt over Pan getting hurt, and he blames me as much as he blames himself. Maybe that’s fair, maybe it’s not. Ultimately it means he won’t take my call even if I try.
I don’t try.
Instead, I pull up my neat little app, courtesy of Atalanta, and cycle through the video feeds in the city. There aren’t any in the encampment out in the country, which sets me on edge. If I were up to no good, that’s where I’d be.
I’m still not sure if it’s a stroke of genius or completely foolish that I sold that property to Demeter. She’s not aware she bought it from me, of course. I don’t telegraph my origin story; besides, owning that piece of land was horribly nostalgic. It’s where I used to live, after all, so many years ago. It’s the only piece of land I’ve ever owned and selling it to Demeter to set up a camp for the refugees from the city feels like a strange sort of cosmic balance. I won’t be needing it in the future, after all. The Thirteen will fall, and that includes me.
There’s a life waiting for me outside of Olympus. I don’t know where yet, and I’m just superstitious enough to not think about with who too closely…though Atalanta’s face hovers in my mind’s eye.
I almost call her just to hear her voice, but I manage to resist. She’s been my steadfast friend through this entire process. If I tell her I warned Cassandra again, she’s going to rip me a new one. She’s probably got a point, but it’s nice to be reminded I have a heart under all the hurt. Cassandra and I fell apart because we were never going to be the love of each other’s lives. Atalanta didn’t like her much, and if I know the reason why, there’s no space to address it until we’ve accomplished our goals. The possibility of after is too nebulous to contemplate.
Unfortunately, I can’t gallivant off to the country to chase down my concerns because there are too many cats still left to herd in the city itself. “Time to get to work.”