If she is… That might be two plus-ones. Or it’s two if Hermes’s actually showed up. We’ve never had confirmation of that, so we need to try to get it today.
If Minos is targeting the Thirteen’s companions…Why?
It doesn’t make any sense.
I slide my hand into the crook of Apollo’s arm and walk with him down the hall to the stairs. We take a circular route to the dining room, exploring a part of the downstairs we didn’t get to yesterday.
The house is utterly charming. Even with the changes Minos had made, it still feels veryHermes. Recognizing that is bittersweet in the extreme. She never brought me here. She never even offered. I don’t blame her for it. We had very clear parameters on our relationship when we started dating. It was never going to be forever; it was never even going to be public. Very few people in Olympus even know it happened, which is how we both prefer it. Hermes might be one of the most ostentatious of the Thirteen, but she’s fiercely private. Most people just never notice that because they’re so busy being thrown off-center by her showing up where they least expect her.
We clock a massive library, three more sitting rooms that may or may not have been kinky playrooms previously, and a truly lovely sunroom that seems to beg people to spend lazy afternoons there.
Hermes is playing court in the living area just off the dining room when we finally make our way there. She lounges in a chair, one leg thrown over the arm and her lean body slouched. Today she’s restrained herself a bit, wearing jeans and a graphic T-shirt that’s large enough I suspect it belongs to Dionysus, and she has her curly hair styled in two buns on top of her head. Compared to everyone else in the room in their garden-party best, she stands out.
But then, Hermes always stands out.
She leaps out of the chair when she sees us, nearly toppling Dionysus off the artsy stool he’s sitting on. He looks a little green, obviously nursing a hangover, and blinks blearily at her. “You’re awfully spry right now.”
“I have to use the little girls’ room.” She sweeps through the room, somehow managing to insert herself between me and Apollo on her way to the door. Even expecting it, I’m still mildly surprised to find myself holdingherarm instead ofhis. She beams at Apollo. “I hope you don’t mind if I steal your girl. House rules. Can’t pee alone.”
I don’t even know what Apollo intends to say—he looks like he’s about to argue—because she doesn’t stop moving, towing me out of the room with her. “Hermes—”
“Hush.” She doesn’t quite drop her cheery public persona, but a thread I’m deeply familiar with creeps into her voice. She practically drags me past the bathroom and through a door into yet another sitting room. This one is understated, with a very neutral color scheme and dainty furniture that looks like it might break under a normal human’s weight.
I look around. “Was this always a sitting room or is this another converted kinky one?”
“A lady never tells.” She shakes her head. When she turns to look at me, she’s uncharacteristically serious. “At least Apollo did something right and took care of the cameras so we can talk frankly.” She grips my shoulders. “You have to leave, Cass.”
“What?”
She holds my gaze. “You need to leave.”
“I heard you the first time. I wasn’t asking you to repeat yourself; I wanted clarification.” I let her take my arm and guide me deeper into the room. I can’t afford to be honest right now, not even with her. “My boyfriend isn’t going to like you dragging me off like this.”
“Your boyfriend. Right.” Hermes rolls her eyes. “We both know you would never publicly consort with one of the Thirteen, even if Apollo is a sweet baby angel by comparison with the rest of us.”
I should have suspected this would happen. The rest of Olympus might be willing to believe the worst of me, but Hermes knows me too well. I lift my chin. “I like him very much.”
“Oh,thatI don’t doubt.” She smiles a little, eyes going soft. “I see how you look at him. It’s the same way you used to look at me.”
Being called out like this makes me want to walk out of the room, keep walking, and never come back. I should leave this alone. I know all too well how circular conversations can get with Hermes, especially if she’s got her mind set on something. I’m nearly as stubborn as she is, though. “If you see how I look at him, why is it so hard to believe we’re dating? Jealousy doesn’t look good on you.”
“See last point: I know you.” She waves that away. “And I’m not jealous, even though you’re a catch and a half. You were never meant for me. That’s not what this is about. You need to leave, Cass. It’s not safe here.”
“It’s not safe anywhere in Olympus.” That’s why Ihaveto be here. I need to get Alexandra out. I don’t tell Hermes that. She already knows my goal to put this damned city in my rearview. She also likely has some idea of Zeus and Apollo’s plan to suss out what Minos is up to.
In fact, this whole interaction is off. The Hermes I know never would have pulled me aside like this. I narrow my eyes. “What’s going on? You’ve never warned me off anything before.”
“You wouldn’t listen to me if I’d tried to before, and you know it.” She tries to maintain her cheery persona but abandons it halfway through. Hermes glances away and then back to me. The friendship that developed in the wake of our ill-fated relationship can be spiky at times and occasionally uncomfortable, but it doesn’t feel like that’s the problem right now. This isn’t Hermes randomly acquiring a jealous streak. She’s actually worried.
“Hermes—”
“If you trusted me at all before, I need you to trust me now. Get out of here.”
I frown harder. “If it’s so dangerous, why areyoustaying? Why is Dionysus? In fact, where is your plus-one?” Hermes can be cruel and ruthless, but she would never put the few people she actually cares about at risk.
Hence this conversation.
“Oh, Tyche went home sick barely after arriving. Food poisoning, you know.” She says it like she doesn’t care if I believe it or not. “And Dionysus can take care of himself.”