Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
ARES
P andora was the hottest spot in Aeolopolis City, and I took pride in that. Zeus had already started talking about using it to launder money for the gang, but I had to remind him—Pandora and OS business don't mix. This was my nightclub, and I’d sworn that no gang dealings would ever happen under my roof.
Earlier this year, we pulled off a job smuggling a truckload of guns and drugs. It ended in a crossfire with another gang, and that was my breaking point. I knew I couldn’t keep risking my life like that. So, I took my cut from the job and poured it into Pandora. In hindsight, it felt like the dumbest thing I could have done—because now Zeus wants to sink his claws into it.
Zeus has a way of wanting a piece of anything that promises even a flicker of revenue. I remember talking to some of the other club members about it, and they gave me hell for even thinking about a side project. Everyone except my uncle Hades. He’s always been good at reminding me that death is part and parcel of our world. He was the first to support me in opening the nightclub, but he also recognized how Zeus took advantage of me. He knew I wanted out, to break free from the family’s grip, and he understood that I needed to make decisions that would give me that chance.
I shook hands with the guards as I walked into the club. Music blasted through the speakers as strobe lights scattered through the dark space like lightning. My mind kept drifting back to Aphrodite, the woman who stood beneath the moonlight, her beautiful body stirring a deep longing within me. No one had ever made me feel this way—I desired her so intensely that I could hardly control myself.
I didn’t even know her, yet I craved her.
I nodded to a group of ladies and saw Eos standing by the bar in a fitted black dress, but all I could think about was the woman who interrupted my conversation with Titan. She was the girl I’d been seeing, no big deal. She was an attractive woman who had the power to weaken men with just her words, but I knew her desires. She wanted me. I didn’t feel the same way. She was a siren, and I knew how it would end—she’d either break me or leave me. I wasn’t going to let her sink her claws into my heart.
I’d seen enough to know where this was heading. Girls like her always leave a trail of wreckage, and I wasn’t about to be the next victim. I couldn’t shake the feeling that sooner or later, she’d either tear me apart or disappear, leaving nothing but chaos in her wake.
“Well, if it isn’t Ares Olympios.” Eos pouted as she leaned against the bar, baring her cleavage at me as she flashed me with a seductive glance.
Her strawberry-blonde hair fell in loose waves, contrasting with her fair, almost ethereal skin. She was a siren; her gaze held a magnetic pull, silently promising secrets and desires.
“Not right now, Eos.” I rubbed my chin, then waved at the bartender for a drink.
“Why so uptight? How about I help you relax?” Eos wrapped her fingers around my shoulders and placed her lips on my neck. I grabbed her wrist and pushed her away.
“Don’t,” I snapped.
Eos brought her lips closer to mine. “You know you want this.” She pressed her body against my chest. She caressed my neck, and I felt her lips glide down my jugular. I licked my bottom lip, I couldn’t fight the urge for long. “Come on, Ares. Don’t you want to have fun in the office again?”
“Stop.” I fought back, but I recognized the familiar urge I was craving. “This needs to stop.” Releasing her hands was the biggest mistake I could have made, because she reached down and grabbed my shaft. Before she could attempt to make something of it, I pushed her hand away. “That’s enough!”
“What the fuck, Ares? You weren’t like this last night,” She narrowed her glance. “Stop messing with me. What are we doing?”
“You are just a chick that I fuck. Nothing more. Get that into your pretty head.” I lashed out at her, knowing she wouldn’t like it. “Go fuck Hephaestus instead.”
Eos would do anything to join this family, including fucking my brother. I grabbed my drink and headed toward where I could see my uncle sitting. He was in the spot that was designated to Olympus Syndicate members. Eos was bitching to her friends as I walked away, but I couldn’t hear her over the sounds of music and people.
At the table sat Hades, Apollo, and our prospect, Prometheus. He seemed to get along with everyone except Athena.
Hades smirked, his voice teasing as he asked, “How’s the siren?” He had that same presence that always drew attention, with thick blond hair that fell in easy waves and a matching beard that made him look rugged yet confident. His deep blue eyes, sharp and intense, were a total contrast to my dark brown eyes and hair, standing out against his tanned skin. He was built like someone who’d seen his share of fights—broad shoulders, solid muscles, and a face that looked like it was carved from stone. He had that undeniable air about him, probably because he was Zeus’s brother and my uncle, carrying that family charisma effortlessly. Standing next to him, I couldn’t help but notice how different we were—my dark features and olive skin clearly showed I took after my mom, while Hades looked every bit the part of his side of the family .
“Don’t fucking start.” I shook my head. “Happy Halloween,” I teased as I slipped into my seat. Apollo couldn’t take his eyes off his phone. “What’s wrong?” I asked, curious about his expression.
“Fuck.” Apollo mouthed before widening his gaze at me.
“Speak.” Hades rested his arms on the table, cradling his drink as he turned to face Apollo.
“Zeus messaged me. Someone attacked the Aetos Family.”
“What do you mean ‘attacked’?” Hades furrowed his brow.
My mind raced back to the library. Had there been something I was missing? Apollo lifted his eyes to us, with a stern glance, “They were attacked at the Argos library. He wants us to get to the compound now.” Apollo looked up from his phone as his eyes scanned all of us.
“Let’s leave,” Hades barked, slamming his hands on the table. We dove out of the booth and ran outside.
As we started our engines, Apollo received one last message. “Titan is dead.”
Rushing through the streets, sirens were all around us, and I knew something was not right. I couldn’t believe it. I needed proof. If Titan was dead, it would change everything for us.