Chapter 33 #5
Anger fizzed low in my chest, hot and insistent, but first things first—I needed to talk to Guinn before I went picking fights with gods.
‘I need to talk to you about… things,’ I said, my voice tighter than I intended.
I flicked a glance at Theseus, and he cleared his throat, already reading the room. ‘Right, I’ll leave you to it,’ he said, and slipped out leaving us alone.
Guinn perked up, leaning across the counter like we were about to plot a heist. ‘Spill.’
I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly wishing for a stiff drink. ‘Si asked me to… take part in a blood oath. An exchange. Not to bind me to him, but so he can give me gifts—strength, healing, being able to breathe underwater.’ My voice dropped. ‘And he called me his consort.’
Her eyes widened, the grin sliding right off her face. ‘Whoa.’
‘Yeah. Whoa.’ My laugh came out strained. ‘I don’t even know if I’m ready for that, but… part of me wants it. Part of me wants him. And I don’t know if that makes me brave or just really, really stupid.’
Guinn tapped her nails on the counter, thoughtful in that infuriating way only teenagers could be. Then she shrugged. ‘I can’t tell you what to do. You wouldn’t listen anyway.’
‘Fair.’
‘He’s an arrogant god—a total douche, sometimes. But…’ Her lips tilted into a knowing smile. ‘I’m pretty sure he really loves you.’
The words punched straight into my chest, but before I could reply, Perseus appeared—leaning in the doorway, smug as a cat—and cut in smoothly. ‘On that point, she’s right.’
I shot him a glare, heat rising in my cheeks, but Guinn just smirked, milking the moment.
‘Okay, here’s the deal. You go ahead with your blood-oathy-consort thing, but only on one condition.
’ She jabbed a finger at me. ‘I get to spend as much time as I want with you in Genesion. And with Theseus. No locking me out of the shiny sea kingdom just because you’re busy playing goddess-lite. ’
Her bravado was all teenage swagger, but her eyes—so much like mine—were steady, protective in a way that twisted my heart.
‘Deal,’ I said softly, pulling her into a quick hug.
Perseus cleared his throat in the doorway, arms folded, smirk stuck to his face. ‘I’ll say this much, Cordelia—you’ve caused more trouble for our king than anyone in centuries. And he looks… thrilled about it.’
‘Glad I could brighten his millennium,’ I shot back. ‘Now be useful instead of smug. You’re taking me to Si.’
His brows climbed. ‘You want me to drag you to the auction where Ixion plan to bid for the Dragon’s teeth? Absolutely not. Poseidon will drown me.’
Before I could answer, the air shimmered and in strode Bronte, Sephy hot on her heels—both of them looking like they’d just crashed Olympus’s best-kept secret.
‘Well, well,’ Bronte sang, dropping into a chair with a theatrical sigh. ‘Guess who just eavesdropped on the brothers’ little strategy huddle? They and your tempestuous boyfriend are off to an auction in approximately, oh…’ She checked her watch. ‘Five minutes.’
Sephy’s shadowed gaze hardened. ‘The dragon’s teeth.’
Bronte grinned. ‘Bingo. Ixion’s going to be there, all hooded and smug, probably practising their villain cackle. And our illustrious brothers? Off to save the world without telling us. Typical.’
Heat fizzed under my ribs. ‘I know. I’ve just found out. And, yes, they’re leaving us out of it.’
‘Of course,’ Bronte said cheerfully. ‘Men with delusions of grandeur always do.’
Sephy’s voice went cold, precise. ‘Ixion with the Spartoi could raise an army no pantheon could contain. Olympus and the Underworld could both burn. I’m not sitting this one out.’
‘I’m not letting Si go without me, either,’ I snapped, fists clenching. ‘This is personal; armies like this wouldn’t just fight gods, they’d flatten the mortal world. If he thinks he can sideline me, he’s forgotten who I am.’
Perseus groaned, dragging a hand down his face. ‘Gods help me. Do you three have any idea what you’re asking?’
‘We’re not asking,’ Bronte said sweetly.
Sephy’s shadows tightened like a coiled rope. ‘Either you take us, or I shadow-walk us there myself. Once Guinn tells me the venue. Don’t test me.’ Guinn’s face paled, and she visibly gulped.
I stepped forward, cutting my grin into a blade. ‘Three against one, Perseus. And you know damn well we’re going whether you help or not. So the smart choice is to drag your ass along and pretend you meant to.’
He stared at us—at Bronte’s ruthless grin, at Sephy’s steady menace, at my stubborn set jaw—then muttered, half in surrender, half curse. ‘I was supposed to stay here and keep you safe…’ He sighed. ‘Fine. But if Poseidon feeds me to a kraken for this, I’ll come back and haunt the lot of you.’
Bronte’s eyes shone with wicked delight ‘Deal. But you’d better make it a fun haunting. I like my ghosts entertaining.’
Perseus scowled, then did that reluctant, dramatic sigh he always did before doing something exciting. ‘Alright. Get ready.’
And with Perseus muttering and Bronte grinning like a villain in an Agatha Christie novel, he flashed us to the auction.