Page 70 of Flame and Fury

“I’m making you a sandwich,” Atlas snaps back at me.

“Oh.” He keeps surprising me, and I don’t know what to do about it.

I clear my throat, and in the next second, a glass of water is slammed on the coffee table in front of me. That shouldn’t make my stupid heart flutter. Atlas is pissed, but it’s like he can’t help but take care of me at the same time. It should annoy me, not make me want to swoon. Gratefully, I pick up the glass and suck down half the water in one drink.

I understand Atlas’s irritation. I withheld a really huge piece of information. Until very recently, I’m not sure I would have trusted Atlas with the knowledge. Taking another sip of my drink, I leave Atlas to his angry sandwich-making and return to the living room.

“There’s something else we need to talk about.”

There’s an annoyed grunt from the kitchen, but I focus on the other three in front of me. “There’s something off about Nathaniel.”

Estella snorts, and Lark gives me a no-kidding look.

“I don’t think he’s human.”

Nico has his long arms stretched over the back of the couch. His red hair is wet from his shower and sticking straight up. He drags a hand through the mop like he’s trying to smooth it down, but it doesn’t do anything. “Why do you say that?”

Atlas comes back into the living room and sets a plate full of sandwiches on the table. They’re all some variation of peanut butter: peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and butter, plain old peanut butter.

I grab one and take a massive bite, needing to wash it down with another drink before I can talk. “When he grabbed me back by the fence, I saw something in his eyes.”

“Evil? Is that what you saw?” Estella shudders, grabbing her own sandwich off the plate. I wonder what her history is with the man. He was using her to spy on me, but it wasn’t like she had a choice. People like my neighbors back in Old Town, like Estella, don’t have the power to say no when someone like Nathaniel Rogers commands you to do something. There’s no telling what he would have done if she’d said no. Nathaniel could have hauled her out in front of the Shrine, accused her of being a Fury, and beat her to death. He’s done it before.

“Yes, evil, but more than that. His eyes glimmered or something.” My description sounds lame and questionable, and I was there. I saw it.

“Are you sure it wasn’t a trick of the light? It was dark out and raining pretty hard.” Nico has two sandwiches in hand. He eats the first in two massive bites.

“Pretty damn sure.”

Atlas doesn’t sit back down or eat anything. He’s behind the chair he was in earlier, a dark look on his face. His arms are crossed, making his biceps bulge, testing the strength of the t-shirt he’s wearing.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Why wouldn’t it matter?”

“Because we’re going to take care of him, just like the other bastards.”

“Speaking of…” I shove the last bite of bread into my mouth and then pick up another sandwich. I’m stalling because I’m dreading the response I’m going to get from this next statement. “I need to speak with Hades.”

Atlas’s jaw twitches. “Why would you need to speak with Hades?”

I angle my head and blink over at him. “Because I think he might be able to help.”

Atlas looks exasperated. Either he’s purposely letting me see his emotions, or he’s forgetting to hide them as much. “He’s a god. Why would he help you?”

I recoil at the way he saysyou,as if I’m not worth the time. I recover fast enough that no one notices my response except Atlas’s brows furrow. Maybe he did see how much his words stung.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Atlas sighs like I’m being hopelessly frustrating.

“I didn’t say anything.” I shrug.

“All I meant is Hades is a god. That makes this tricky.”

“I think he’s different.” In my head, I replace the word think with hope.

Atlas throws up his hands. “Any other deities you want to loop in on our plan to find the mother of all Furies?”

“Gee, Atlas, I don’t know. Should we call your dad and see what he thinks of the plan?”

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