Radiant Sin(91)

“Fuck,” I breathe.

“It’s bad.”

It took everything the last Apollo had to keep the information about what Cassandra’s parents attempted to do locked down, but the timing of this news breaking is highly suspect. “Minos is behind this information leak.”

“Without a doubt.” She pushes to her feet and picks up her discarded dress. “Do we have time to stop by my house so I can change?”

I almost tell her yes, but then my mind catches up. “I can drop you off there if you’d like, but with this information public, the tribunal is all but unnecessary. There’s no reason for you to go through the whole process if you don’t have to. If Theseus disappears, Minos will ensure the public turns against Zeus. We have to instate him as Hephaestus. We no longer have a choice.”

“Why not kill Theseus and the rest of his family? Name them traitors. Act like the assassination clause doesn’t exist.” She says it so hesitantly, I cross to hug her.

“Even if we’re willing to do that—and I’m not—it’s too late, love. The law exists, no matter how deep we tried to bury it. If people know to look for it, they’ll find it. The information is out there and there’s no taking it back.”

“I figured as much. It was worth asking, at least.” Her shoulders slump. “I’m not happy that this situation is so fucked. I’m not happy that you’re in danger now because of what they’ve done.” She lifts her head and meets my gaze. “But I don’t think Ariadne had much to do with the whole scheme. And she tried to help us.”

She did, but we could have avoided this whole nightmare if she’d just spoken frankly. She said nothing, which makes her guilty by association.

Or at least it will in the Thirteen’s point of view.

I smooth back Cassandra’s hair. “After the meeting, I’ll ensure Zeus holds up his end of the bargain. The money will be in your account tomorrow. The passage out of the city will be ready whenever you are.” It hurts to say it. Each word feels like I’m ripping out pieces of myself with my bare hands. “You’ll get everything you wanted, Cassandra. I’ll make sure of it.”

She opens her mouth like she might argue, but my phone starts ringing again. I press a kiss to her forehead and release her. “Get dressed. We need to move.” I scoop up my phone as I head for my closet. “What?”

“Artemis just reached Dodona Tower. She’s calling for Theseus’s head, and I’m inclined to give him to her.”

I drag on my pants, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder. “It’s too late. Minos leaked the information to MuseWatch. The whole city is watching us now.”

“Fuck.” For the first time since this whole thing began, Zeus raises his voice. “Fuck. This is going to change everything.”

“Yes.” The only titles immune to this particular clause are Hades, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera by virtue of being Zeus’s spouse. But even that isn’t a guarantee that they won’t be targeted. “I’ll be there shortly. I have to drop Cassandra at her apartment first.”

A pause. “I’ll hold to that bargain, but she’s at the bottom of my list right now, so she needs to cool her heels while we deal with this.”

I wrestle into a shirt and start buttoning it up. “You will transfer the money to her now, Zeus. It’s not her fault this went poorly, and I won’t have her punished for it.”

“Fine.” He curses. “It’ll be in her account by the time you get here. Now, get moving.”

By the time I finish dressing, my phone is lighting up. I scroll through the texts but stop when I see one from Hector.

Hector: Saw the news. Sorry I didn’t find the info in time. Are you and Cass okay?

Me: Yes. Don’t be sorry. It wouldn’t have mattered. Things were already in motion.

Me: Any progress on the emails?

Hector: Some. I forwarded what I have so far to your email.

Me: Thanks. Now get some sleep. Need to meet in the morning and bring everyone up to speed.

A quick check finds a trail between Minos and Hermes, confirming what Cassandra heard. They were in contact months before he came to Olympus. There’s nothing in their communication that’s actually new information, though. He reached out first, but she didn’t turn him away.

No matter what Hector thinks, there wasn’t enough here to make the leap to Minos’s actual plans.

Cassandra has her clothing back in place. It’s so tempting to try to coax her into staying here, but the longer she’s with me, the harder it will be to release her. And I will release her. It’s what she wants, and it’s what I promised at the beginning of this. I won’t go back on my word, no matter that the thought of a future without her is agony. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

The drive to her apartment takes entirely too little time. She’s lost in thought, only jarring back to the present when I stop next to the curb. I eye the empty sidewalk. “Do you want me to come up?”

“No, that’s okay.” She reaches over and takes my hand. “Be careful. Please.”

Cassandra, of all people, understands the implications of what’s coming. It’s impossible to guess the scale of the public reaction. I don’t expect it to happen overnight, but ambition is a river that runs deep in Olympus, and there will be those who look to this new information as a way to skip climbing the ladder entirely in their goal to end up at the top.