Chapter 33
CORDELIA
We arrived back at Genesion, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
Si’s reaction had undone me. The raw happiness in his eyes, the reverence in his touch—I’d never seen him like that. For once, he wasn’t the terrifying god of storms and wrath, or even the brooding king of Genesion. He was just… Si. My Si, and for the first time, I didn’t flinch at the thought.
The way his whole being lit up at my words burned away the last of my doubt.
We were still wrapped in that fragile bubble of quiet when Perseus appeared in the doorway, his expression grim.
‘We’ve got word from Theseus,’ he said. ‘The auction date has dropped. You need to inform Hades and Zeus, today. No delays.’
Si’s jaw tightened, and I felt the shift in him—the tenderness shuttering behind duty.
‘We’ll need to return to the Underworld,’ he said at last, his voice low, resigned.
Frustration burned in me. We’d planned the blood oath—something solemn and binding, something that mattered—and now it had to wait because gods and their politics demanded centre stage.
‘After,’ he promised quickly, his hand closing around mine with a weight that steadied me. ‘As soon as this problem is dealt with, kardia mou. Nothing will keep me from this.’
I nodded, though unease prickled through me. Auctions. Zeus. Hades. It sounded less like a strategy and more like a tsunami gathering on the horizon.
‘It’s fine. Honestly. I want to wait until it’s… the right moment.’
He nodded, but I felt the edge of his disappointment slip between us, cool and heavy. That didn’t stop a silly, ridiculous warmth blooming in my chest—way too bright and embarrassingly tender. I shoved the feeling down with a too-bright smile, pretending I hadn’t just turned into some soppy fool.
Gods, look at me. Since when did I care about vows, or perfect timing, or whether a man stuck around? I wasn’t a heart-and-flowers type of girl. Never had been. So why the hell was I suddenly acting like one? Ugh—I needed to slap some sense into myself before I started writing his name in hearts.
We packed quickly, and Si teleported us in a burst of seafoam and mist, back to my suite in the Underworld. My boots hadn’t even touched the marble floor before I froze—because Sephy was already there, waiting as if she’d been perched on the edge of my bed the whole damn time.
Si’s eyes went flat and cold, his voice clipped. ‘Persephone.’
She arched one perfect brow, unbothered. ‘Poseidon.’ The way she said it was silk over steel, a quiet dare for him to try and out-freeze her.
The tension crackled, chilly and divine. I half-expected shadows and salt spray to start dripping from the ceiling.
‘I’ll find Hades,’ Si muttered, and vanished in another swirl of mist before I could blink.
Sephy sighed, rolling her eyes. ‘Honestly. Brooding sea gods. You’d think someone drowned his puppy.
’ Then she brightened, clapping her hands together.
‘Anyway. Once the men finish playing strategy, we’re going to Aphrodite’s.
A little get-to-know-you evening. She and a few others are dying to meet the woman who’s apparently managed to tame the volatile sea god. ’
‘Tamed?’ I snorted, flopping onto the bed. ‘Yeah, because that’s definitely what this is. He’s a fluffy golden retriever now. Completely obedient.’ I narrowed my eyes at her.
Sephy burst into laughter. ‘Newsflash: you’re the new divine entertainment,’ she said, grinning like a cat. ‘Some of them adore you, the rest are just here for the chaos.’
‘Where’s Guinn?’ I asked, death-glaring her, desperate to shift the spotlight off me.
‘With Theseus,’ Sephy said, rolling her eyes. ‘They’re knee-deep in auction logistics, and she looked like she’d been handed Christmas, Halloween, and a death match all in one. Strategy and scheming; it’s her sweet spot.’
Which left me relieved… but also the centre of attention again. Great. I let out a long-suffering sigh, dragging myself to the bathroom. ‘Fine. Aphrodite’s. Gods help me, if she starts measuring me for wedding dresses, I’m out.’
‘Please,’ Sephy said, smirking. ‘Aphrodite’s been waiting centuries for this.’
‘Kill me now,’ I muttered, dragging a hand down my face as Sephy nearly choked on her laughter.
‘I don’t want you as my sister-in-law,’ I yelled over my shoulder before slamming the bathroom door, which only made her laugh harder.
‘Too late!’ she hollered back, giddy with triumph.
* * *
A couple of hours later, I was ready—or as ready as I was going to get—and nerves were breakdancing on razor blades in my belly. Sephy had bullied me into sitting still long enough for her to work her magic.
My red hair was swept into loose waves that tumbled over my shoulders, catching the light like copper fire.
She’d coaxed smoky definition around my eyes and left my lips a deep wine-red, which, paired with the silk dress she’d chosen, made me look as though I actually belonged at a goddess’s soiree.
The gown itself was a deep purple. hugging my waist, skimming my hips before flaring just enough to let me breathe.
Off-the-shoulder sleeves slid down my arms, and a slit climbed shamelessly up one leg.
Definitely not assassin attire. I felt like a fraud in silk and heels, without my leather and knives.
‘I’m nervous,’ I muttered, adjusting the slit for the fifteenth time.
Sephy arched a brow, sliding on a bracelet that probably cost more than my house back in London. ‘We are the definition of charm, Cordie. Aphrodite will love you.’ She hesitated, lips twitching. ‘Okay, correction, I’m the definition of charm. You… Maybe just sit this one out?’
I shot her a look. ‘Fine, you’re charm. I’ll settle for menace in heels.’ Sephy muffled a laugh into her wine glass and then clinked it against mine.
The doors opened then, and in swept the men like they’d stepped off the cover of Gods in GQ.
Hades in tailored black, cold and sharp as a blade, and Poseidon in deep navy that set off the storm in his eyes, all raw power barely contained.
My pulse did a dumb little skip as his gaze landed on me, heated and possessive, as if I’d been dressed up just for him.
‘How did the meeting with Zeus go?’ I asked, forcing my voice to sound casual, even though curiosity coiled tight in my chest.
Hades’s dark gaze flicked to Poseidon, then back to me. His mouth curved in something that wasn’t quite a smile. ‘We’ll discuss it later.’
Which, of course, meant not good.
With a burst of shadows and sea foam, we arrived at Aphrodite’s Court of Pafos. We stepped onto a raised marble terrace with a view designed to impress—gardens below, open land rolling away toward the horizon.
Behind us loomed a mansion, no, a palace, carved from white marble veined with silver-grey, its towers capped with elegant points that seemed plucked from the pages of some too-perfect fairy tale. Figures. Of course the goddess of love lived in a palace Disney would kill for.
The sky was bleeding out the last of the sunset—streaks of rose, orange, and gold spilling across the horizon, slivers of silver cloud catching the light, molten and radiant. It was the kind of view that made mortals fall in love… or at least write terrible poetry.
And that was when I saw them.
Beyond the edge of the torchlight where the land dipped into rolling silver grass, something moved. At first I thought they were statues—too perfect, too luminous in the fading light. Then one tossed its head. Horses.
A small herd grazed in the distance, coats gleaming pale as moonlight.
Their manes caught the glow of the torches, silk over muscle.
And then one shifted, spreading something vast and feathered from its sides…
Wings. Massive, ivory wings unfurled with a soft rustle that carried even from this distance.
Another stamped the ground, feathers shimmering faintly gold at the tips.
My breath left me slowly. ‘Those are not normal horses.’
Si followed my gaze, and something almost fond softened the hard lines of his face. ‘Pegasi,’ he said. ‘Aphrodite’s pride and joy.’
‘She has… flying horses,’ I whispered, unable to drag my eyes away as one lifted a few feet off the ground, hovering effortlessly before settling again.
‘I gifted her a breeding pair centuries ago. King of the sea, yes, but also king of horses. They were mine long before poets started arguing over parentage,’ he replied, tone casual, as if he hadn’t just admitted to creating airborne perfection.
I glanced at him sharply. ‘You’re telling me those are yours?’
‘They were,’ he corrected mildly. ‘Now this herd belongs to her. She adores them. Spoils them rotten. They roam her lands freely.’
As if sensing the attention, one of the winged creatures lifted its head, dark eyes intelligent and piercing. The wind shifted, carrying the scent of clean air and wild grass.
They were breathtaking. Not delicate, not fragile, but powerful in that effortless, divine way that made your chest tighten. For once, I had nothing sarcastic to say.
‘They’re…’ My voice trailed off.
‘Magnificent?’ Si supplied quietly.
I nodded, still staring. He watched me instead of them, and I had the uncomfortable feeling he wasn’t admiring the horses at all.
For a heartbeat, I forgot where I was. Forgot the gods, the politics, the sharp edges of this glittering court. It was just the open sky, wingbeats in the distance, and the quiet, impossible beauty of creatures that shouldn’t exist.
‘Cordie.’
Sephy’s fingers curled around my wrist, tugging gently.
I blinked, dragging my gaze from ivory wings to torchlight and silk gowns. The spell shattered. The music swelled back in, laughter weaving through the warm night air.
Right. Party. Gods. I exhaled slowly and forced myself to focus.