A Touch of Ruin (Hades x Persephone #2)(25)

“But...you’ll be fired!” she whispered fiercely.

Persephone sighed. “Helen, I really need to get to work and I think you do, too.”

Helen paled. “Of course. I’m so—”

“Stop apologizing, Helen,” Persephone said, and then added as gently as she could. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

The blonde smiled. “I hope things get better, Persephone. I really do.”

After Helen returned to her desk, Persephone started research on Apollo and his many lovers. She realized she’d promised Hades she wouldn’t write about the God of Music, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t start a file on him and there was no lack of information, especially from antiquity.

Almost all the stories about Apollo and his relationships ended tragically for the other person involved. Of all his lovers, there were a few who stood out and illustrated his heinous behavior, in particular the stories of Daphne and Cassandra.

Daphne was a nymph and swore to remain pure her whole life. Despite this, Apollo pursued her relentlessly, declaring his love for her as if that might sway her to change her mind. Left with no other options, and fearing Apollo, she asked her father, the river god Peneus, to free her from Apollo’s relentless pursuit. Her father granted her request and turned her into a laurel tree.

Laurel was one of Apollo’s symbols and now Persephone realized why.

Gross.

Cassandra, a Princess of Troy, was given the power to see the future by Apollo, who hoped the gift would persuade her to fall in love with him, but Cassandra wasn’t interested. Enraged, Apollo cursed her, allowing her to retain the power to see the future, but making it so that no one would believe her predictions. Later, Cassandra would foresee the fall of her people, but no one would listen.

There were other ancient lovers—Coronis, Okyrrhoe, Sinope, Amphissa, Koronis, and Sibylla, and newer, modern lovers—Acacia, Chara, Io, Lamia, Tessa, and Zita. The research wasn’t easy. From what Persephone understood, many of these women had tried to speak out against Apollo via social media, blogs, even going so far as to tell their story to journalists. The problem was no one was listening.

She was so consumed by her research, a knock on her desk made her jump. Persephone found Demetri standing in front of her.

“How’s the article coming?” he asked.

She glared and answered in a crisp tone, “Coming.”

Her boss frowned. “You know if I had a choice—”

“You have a choice,” she said, cutting him off. “You just tell him no.”

“Your job isn’t the only one on the line.”

“Then maybe that’s a sign you should quit.”

Demetri shook his head. “You don’t quit New Athens News without consequences, Persephone.”

“I didn’t know you were such a coward.”

“Not everyone has a god to defend them.”

Persephone flinched, but recovered quickly. She was really starting to hate that people assumed she would ask Hades to fight for her.

“I fight my own battles, Demetri. Trust me, this will not end well. People like Kal, they have secrets and I’ll dismantle him from the inside out.”

A glimmer of admiration sparked within Demetri’s eyes, but the words he spoke next were a threat to her foundation.

“I admire your determination, but there are some powers journalism cannot fight and one of those is money.”





CHAPTER VI - LOVER’S QUARREL


On Friday, Persephone and Lexa found themselves standing outside an upscale Penthouse in the Crysos District of New Athens. They’d rented a giant moving truck that Lexa had managed to park crookedly on the sidewalk and street.

“This isn’t what I had in mind when I said I wanted to party, Persephone,” Hermes pouted beside them. The god dazzled in gold, looking very much out of place beside Lexa and Persephone who wore yoga pants and sweatshirts.

Persephone had penciled him in for Friday after he’d helped her get into the Acropolis, but that was before Apollo had fired Sybil and took away her powers.

“No one said you had to come,” Persephone countered.

The God of Trickery had shown up at her apartment just as they were heading out to get the moving truck. He tried to argue that they had an agreement—a contract—and she couldn’t back out, but Persephone shut that down.

“One of my best friends was in an abusive relationship. She’s getting out and I’m going to be there for her. Now, you can either come with us or you can leave. Your choice.”

Hermes had chosen to come.

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your brother,” Lexa said. “Blame him.”

“I’m not responsible for Apollo’s choices,” Hermes argued. “And don’t pretend like this wouldn’t be more fun with alcohol.”

“Your right,” Lexa said. “Good thing I brought this.”

She withdrew a bottle of wine from inside a backpack she’d brought.

“Give me that,” Hermes snatched the bottle from her hands.

Persephone’s eyes widened. “Excuse me, aren’t you driving tonight?”

“Well yeah, but that’s for after.”

Except that somehow, Hermes had already managed to open the bottle.