After how easy this has been, I half expect to walk through the doors and find the room full of security, ready to shoot me full of bullets. Surely Zeus wouldn’t leave himself this open?
I slip through the door and pause to get my bearings. The office is about what I expect—heavy in glass and steel and dark wood, with gold accents everywhere. It’s undoubtedly expensive, but it feels just as soulless as the rest of the building.
A grunt comes from the partially open door in the back corner, and I draw the gun Hermes gave me. It takes a few seconds for me to recognize the source of the sound when paired with the rhythmic slapping of flesh against flesh.
My heart stops in my chest. He’s fucking someone in that bathroom. I can’t tell if the sounds are sex sounds or pained sounds, and the thought that it might be Persephone in there…
Thoughts cease. All strategy goes out the window. A numb fury steals over me as I move to the door and edge it open. I’m so busy preparing to save the woman I love that it takes several long moments to understand that it’s not Persephone bent over the sink. I don’t recognize the woman, but she at least seems to be enjoying herself. Neither of them notice me as I step back into shadows.
I can’t quite get my racing heart under control as I take up a position in the corner near the door, tucked back into the shadows where neither will see me when they exit the bathroom.
It wasn’t Persephone.
But if I play this wrong, next time it might be.
If she chose him, it would stick in my throat like broken glass, but I’d respect her choice. But she won’t choose him. Not willingly. He’ll take pleasure in breaking her, and that I cannot allow.
It takes them only a few minutes to finish. I don’t know why I’m shocked when they barely exchange a word before leaving the bathroom. The woman comes out first and scurries across the office to the door. Zeus takes longer. I’m bristling with impatience by the time he walks out and drops into the chair behind his desk.
That’s when I step out of my hiding spot and level the gun at him. “Good morning, Zeus.”
Chapter 30
Hades
Zeus turns slowly to face me. I’ve seen his picture plastered all over the newspaper and gossip sites more times than I can count, but in person, he seems faded. There is no carefully placed light to maximize his masculine features. His suit is rumpled and he missed a button when he redid his shirt. He’s…human. Fit and attractive enough, but not a god or a king or even a monster. Just an old man.
He stares at me, shock sliding over his features. “You look even more like your father in person.”
That snaps me out of my shock. “You don’t get to speak about my father.” I move away from the corner, gun held carefully in front of me. “Get up.”
“I can’t believe you’d be so damned stupid to show up here.” He rises slowly, stretching to his full height. He’s got a few inches on me, but it won’t matter. I never intended for this to be a fair fight.
He doesn’t look particularly concerned about this confrontation. “I have to admit, your plan was clever. I never would have thought the little bitch would run to you and be willing to play those kinds of games.”
I tighten my grip on the gun. “You don’t get to speak about her, either.”
Pull the trigger. Just fucking pull the trigger and end this.
Zeus smirks at me. “Strike a nerve? Or is it the fact that she scurried back to me fast enough when she realized where true power lies?”
“You’re awfully confident for someone being threatened by a man with a gun.”
“If you were going to shoot me, you would have done it the second I sat down.” He shakes his head. “Turns out you’re like your old man in more than looks. He always hesitated to pull the trigger, too.”
Again, I tell myself to do it, to shoot him now and be done with it. Zeus has committed acts of untold evil. If ever there was a man who deserved to be executed, it’s him. As long as he’s alive, Persephone won’t be safe. My people won’t be safe. Fuck, as long as he’s around, Olympus won’t be safe. I’d be doing every single person in this goddamn city a favor by putting this monster out of his misery.
Demeter and a full half of the Thirteen are only too happy for me to be their weapon. There isn’t a single fucking person that will hold it against me if I kill him…
Except Persephone.
Except me.
“If I pull this trigger, I’m no better than you.” I shake my head slowly. “I’m no better than every other member of the Thirteen who is willing to commit unforgiveable acts to get more power.” I don’t want more power, but no one looking in from the outside would believe it.
Zeus smirks. “You aren’t better than us, boy. You might play king down in the lower city, but when push comes to shove, you’re beating a man nearly to death and showing up here to threaten me with a gun. It’s exactly what I would have done in your position.”
“I’m nothing like you.” I practically spit the words.
He laughs. “Aren’t you? Because you don’t look like the good guy from where I’m standing.”
I hate that he’s right.
I can’t kill him.
Not like this.
Slowly, I lower the gun. “I’m nothing like you,” I repeat.
He snorts. “That’s twice in as many days that you’ve violated our treaty. Even if I was willing to look the other way on the first, the Thirteen won’t ignore this attack. They’ll howl for your blood.”
“Will they?” I allow myself a
