My heart dropped in that moment. I … didn’t know that. Is that why she had to use my mom’s body to conceive? How sad…
“You two were close?” I asked, chewing my lip.
She nodded, seemingly forgetting Cronus. “Like sisters. I would do anything for my dear Selene.”
Relief rushed through me. “Oh good. Because we need your help.”
She looked at Cronus, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “We?” She stepped back a pace.
I cleared my throat. “I … I need your help. Selene’s daughter.”
She looked like she was mulling things over. “Come, child. We’ll have tea.” She beckoned for me to follow her through an open set of double doors.
Cronus and I stepped forward and she waved her hand. “Cronus, you can wait outside.”
She still had her back to us, and while Cronus growled he did nudge me forward. “She’s harmless. Mostly,” he murmured.
I nodded, remembering he’d said the same about Rhea before she tried to kill me.
The double doors opened into a room full of sculptures and pictures of her. There was an entire wall of mirrors that she was currently brushing her hair in. “Tell me everything, love,” she said and snapped her fingers. A shirtless man appeared from the back of the room, where another partly hidden door was, carrying a tea tray with snacks.
Holy shit. Dude was … yum. I mean Cronus was my thing, but not gonna lie, this dude was eye candy: muscles everywhere, hair as light as a sunbeam, skin as bronze as a professional surfer.
Once he set the tray down, she blew him a kiss and he shot her a slow sexy smile, before walking away. I found myself wondering if she somehow … entranced people. Like, could she get them to do her bidding? Because I was feeling pretty infatuated with her.
Shaking my head, I launched into the story. I told her of the sins and the necklace and how it almost killed me. “The sins now reside with Cronus, but he can’t house them forever. We need a box that will be strong enough to hold them for an eternity so this doesn’t happen again.” “Ahh,” she sipped her tea. “You need my husband to forge this strong box? Cronus already asked him and he said no.”
I nodded. “But, I mean … maybe he wasn’t understanding that without this box, the whole world ends and all the humans that are infatuated with you won’t be around anymore,” I rushed to add.
She looked at one of her sculptures. “Yes that would be awful. Hmm … I’m not sure though. Heppy can be so temperamental when it comes to Cronus.”
“And…” I wanted to lay it on thick, “it would save me, Selene’s daughter, because I am the living box and we don’t know how Death will—”
She cut me off, her laughter ringing out. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m just fucking with you. I’ll talk to him, but you need to talk to Cronus about apologizing. Hep will want that.”
Oh great. An apology? Was Cronus capable of such a thing?
I swallowed hard, resolving myself to agree to anything to ensure this happened. “Consider it done.”
#BlowJobForApology #HadToWork
“Do you think you can convince your husband to help us?”
Aphrodite gave me a wry grin. “Oh, honey, I can convince a man to do anything.”
My mouth went dry. This woman was … dangerous. I also wanted to be her when I grew up. “Come back later tonight and Hep will start on the box.”
My eyes widened. “Tonight? The world is ending now.”
She shrugged. “He’s on his annual hunting trip off-world. Won’t be back until later.”
Off-world. She’d fucking said off-world, right?
With no other option, I stood and thanked her, before going out to meet Cronus.
“Well?” He watched my expression with concern.
I grabbed his arm and waved to Aphrodite, smiling as we walked to the front door.
“She’ll help us but we need to hold things off until tonight when Hep gets back.”
“Tonight!” Cronus growled and I pulled the door back to reveal Rhea, covered in dirt and pacing in the snow.
“There you are!” she shouted at Cronus.
We stepped outside before I could tell Cronus he’d have to apologize. #OhWell #SaveThatForLater
“How did it go with Zeus?” I asked her, hoping this current mood was for another reason.
Rhea shook her head, rubbing her temples. “He’s fucking gone! Hound was beaten and tied up to a tree.”
The air crackled with electricity. “What?” Cronus said in a deadly voice.
Rhea grasped his forearm. “I have delivered Hound safely to Panacea, where he will remain while he heals. He’s going to be fine.”
#GetYourHandOffMyMan
I didn’t have to say that out loud; Cronus yanked his hand back. All of the other gods and Titans started to pop in: Ares, Apollo, Okeanos, Hype, and many others I didn’t recognize. I swallowed hard. Cronus stepped forward and the skies darkened slowly until they were nearly black.
“Zeus escaped,” he growled. “Hep won’t be able to help us until later tonight, and the sins are massing now.”
Each god and Titan before us wore grim expressions. Cronus stepped forward and everyone fell back a pace. “It’s clear what I have to do. I’m going to stop time.”
There was a collective gasp, myself included.
#SayWhatNow
“Hyperion, Maisey and I, will still move, but you all will be frozen.”
Thanatos’ voice came from nowhere: “Stopping time can have disastrous consequences.” I spun around but didn’t see him. Where was he?
Cronus’ jaw ticked. “I know that. I’m the Titan of time, remember? I can handle it.”
Rhea covered her arms. “What are you going to do? Find Zeus?”
Cronus shook his head. “Fuck Zeus. That useless bastard can wait. I’m waking the other Titans—it will take all twelve of us to finish this.”
Twelve Titans. Good luck with me remembering their names.
Maybe I’d just give them numbers.
Save us all the headache.
Chapter 13
At that moment, there was a snapping sound and everyone froze.
