Radiant Sin(34)

“Not at the expense of your safety.”

A bitter laugh erupts from me. “Right. As if I’ve ever been safe in Olympus.”

He focuses in on me, narrowing his dark eyes. “This isn’t harsh words and gossip, Cassandra. This is dangerous.”

Oh good gods, he’s like a dog with a bone. I throw up my hands. “You don’t think I know that? The Thirteen murdered my parents and then covered it up to look like an accident.” I’d been young and naive and too shell-shocked to think clearly in the aftermath. It’s the only excuse I have for going to the police. Not that it helped. They all but laughed me out of the station.

Apollo narrows his eyes. “Then you have no excuse for wandering off with the Minotaur. He could have killed you and shoved your body somewhere on the grounds, and I wouldn’t have known any differently.”

Like Hermes’s plus-one?

I shut that thought down fast. We don’t even have confirmation that there was a plus-one to begin with, let alone that they’re missing. Dionysus might have misunderstood or not been informed when the plan changed.

Either way, it has nothing to do with this conversation. “I knew the risks when I agreed to come here. So did you.” I’m done with this conversation. As grateful as I am that he hunted me down to ensure I was okay, I don’t need to be lectured on the dangers of Olympus by a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth. A man almost universally beloved by both the public and those who hold power.

“Don’t walk away from me, Cassandra.” He doesn’t move from his position, but his firm voice stops me cold. “If you want to be done with this conversation, then say so. But don’t storm out in the middle of it.”

The rebuke stings. I spin to face him. If he wants a report, I’ll give it to him. Honestly, this should be a relief. For a little while there, I almost forgot that Apollo is nothing but my boss. I should thank him for reminding me.

I straighten my spine and stare at a point just off his right ear. “I don’t need you to protect me, Apollo. I’m here to do a job. Dionysus shared no useful information during the maze, aside from the fact that Hermes may or may not have invited a guest and they haven’t shown. I’m still considering information about why everyone is here, but based on the party guests and the prize, I would wager Minos plans to set up at least one of his children with single members of the Thirteen. I did not gain any information from the Minotaur, which seems to indicate that whole performance was for your benefit and you walked right into it.” My voice trembles, and I concentrate on firming it up. “That’s all I have to report. I’m going to wash my face and change.” When he doesn’t speak, I snap, “That means I am, in fact, done with this conversation.”

He doesn’t call after me again.

I close the bathroom door and slump against it. My adrenaline is already draining out of me, leaving a stark kind of clarity. Apollo was worried about me. He thought the same thing I had—that the Minotaur meant me ill.

I push off the door and, after the barest hesitation, start the shower. I need to wash the maze and the fear off me. As it heats up, I consider my theory. Minos strikes me as a smart man. No one is leaving this party engaged, and if he wanted to play matchmaker, why allow plus-ones in the first place? Something isn’t adding up. Drowning me in the duck pond might remove me, but he has to know Apollo is too smart to consider it an accident. It would eliminate any chance of pairing Apollo with one of his children.

But that logic only holds if the matchmaker theory holds. If something else is going on, I can’t assume I’m safe.

I sigh and strip out of my clothing. I’m going to have to apologize. Storming out in the middle of an argument was childish. I’m better than that. Especially since I know he’s not just snarling to be a dick. He’s genuinely worried about me. There’s a good chance he is right to be, too.

It doesn’t take long to shower and go through my nightly ritual. It’s only when I’m done that I realize I didn’t bring my suitcase into the bathroom. Which means the pajamas I bought solely for this trip are out in the bedroom.

I eye the dress I was wearing before, but it’s silly to put it back on. The towels are all oversize and ridiculously fluffy. One of them will cover me well enough for the thirty seconds it will take to grab the pajamas.

It feels like a much bigger deal than it is. Before I can talk myself out of it, I open the door and step into the bedroom. Apollo sits on the edge of the bed, his elbows propped on his knees, his head hanging. “I just talked with Hector. He was able to hack the system and shut down both the cameras and the microphones planted throughout the house. When they figure out what happened, they’ll likely try to lock him out, but he’s got a good handle on the system for now. He’ll keep us updated.”

“Oh.” I should have asked about that before I stormed off.

“I already searched the room again for bugs. It’s clean. The rest of the household should be settled down soon and then we can see about mapping out the second floor. Once we finish that, we can either see about the third floor or finish up the main level.”

The reason we’re here. Right. “Okay,” I say meekly.

“Cassandra, I—” He lifts his head and, though his mouth keeps working, his words dry up.

I’ve been able to convince myself that Apollo wasn’t looking at me like that up to this point, but there’s no denying it now. Not when we’re the only two people in this room. There’s no reason to pretend, no one to perform for. He stares at the point where I’ve tucked the towel in over my breasts like he can will it to untuck through sheer force of concentration. As if he wants to see me without anything at all.