Page 58 of Flame and Fury

He turns back to the TV. “Not yet. I’m watching my show.”

I can’t hold back an exasperated grunt. Ares sighs and gestures around the room. “Just find something to do. There’s a track phone on the kitchen counter in case you need to make any calls.”

I stare at the god. What does he know? He can’t know about the Underground. It would be foolish to use his phone to check in with Kat. Except she has secure lines on her end as well. I haven’t had a chance to speak with her since the Underground set off a fucking war in the cities. It would be nice to find out why the hell she did that.

Without another thought, I stride into the kitchen and snap up the phone. I don’t stop there, but walk into the attached garage. Ares never moves from his chair.

I flip on the light and dial the number from memory, resuming my pacing. There’s no car parked in here, but there is a work bench full of woodworking tools. The phone doesn’t even get through a full ring before Kat picks up.

“Hello?” Her voice is all business, but I also hear a hint of hope in that one small word.

“Kat,” I exhale, already feeling like I’m doing something by making this call.

“Atlas. I’ve been so worried. We all saw what happened at the last challenge. Where are you?”

“Long story. I’m…safe.” I hesitate, but honestly, I think that’s the truth. I stare at the closed door, wondering again what Ares’s game is here.

“Can you come in?” Kat ask. There’s chatter in the background and the shuffling of papers. She’s always working.

“Not yet.” I scrub a hand over my face. “I need to get Wren.”

There’s silence for a full ten seconds. “Where’s Wren?”

I don’t know for certain that Wren’s been sold off like I was, but I’ll get Ares to tell me even if I have to beat it out of him. I might still punch him if he does tell me right away. I’m in need of a good fight.

“I don’t know. But I’ll find out.”

“Get her and bring her in. It’s time, Atlas. We have to strike.” The authority that makes Kat such a natural leader slips into her voice.

“About that. What the hell, Kat? You basically told the entire world that you have a Fury ready to put the gods to sleep. The clerics are going nuts, rampaging through cities.” I pick up a carving knife that’s on the bench and stab it into the wood.

“We needed to make a move. The Boar has been in touch with his contacts and they’re ready. We’re all ready. Even before this latest push, the clerics have been increasing their raids at an alarming rate. People need something to put their hope in. They can’t keep living like this. So we decided to make it known that we are coming for the gods. It’s time to put the gods to sleep.”

I clear my throat. “Wren doesn’t actually know how to put the gods asleep.” I pick up a small carved figure of an archer. Does Ares have a hobby?

“What do you mean?” Kat’s voice is deadly calm.

“I mean, she has no clue how the Furies put the gods to sleep last time,” I hiss into the phone, my eyes snapping over to the door where Ares is sitting on the other side. Before Kat can ask me a dozen questions, I go on. “We’ll figure it out.”

Kat’s exhale is loud over the phone. “We’ll research on our end as well.”

The door to the garage opens and Ares sticks his head inside. “Hello. We’re waiting on you.”

“What?” I frown at him.

“Who’s that?” Kat whispers on her end.

Ares smiles like he still heard her. “I have a dinner party to attend. You and the other failed champion have a rescue to plan.”

Ares shuts the door as if any of that made sense. “Kat. I need to go. Have Carlos on standby. I have a feeling we’re going to need a getaway car.”

CHAPTER33

WREN

“This is cozy.”

My head jerks over to the door. Ares slowly saunters into the room, his hands in his pockets. He’s wearing a navy suit but no tie. The dark energy that always surrounds the god is thicker tonight, like a churning storm about to unleash. His chestnut brown hair is perfectly disheveled. The temperature in the room cranks up a few degrees. The tension is so thick I could take a bite out of the air and have a better meal than what’s been served for dinner.

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