Page 83 of Flame and Fury

ATLAS

Wren and I can't stay at Nyx's apartment. She's supposed to be a bat-shit crazy ninety-year-old who doesn't have any living relatives. Besides the fact that Wren is known in this neighborhood, the two of us are also both recognizable as champions. We're still in Chicago, which is where Nathaniel, or hell, Dolos has his seat of power, but we don’t have the means to go after him yet.

Gods. Nathaniel is the god of trickery. That’s a revelation I wasn't anticipating. I've always known a dark ugliness lived within the man, but it pisses me off that I didn't realize what he is. Damn all the enchanted jewelry.

“We’ll stay with the Underground until Hades can find out if the maze will be part of one of the challenges.”

Nyx and Hades both raise their brows at my statement. I drag a hand over the stubble on my jaw. I must be more tired than I realize to blurt that shit out. We haven't exactly mentioned that we're working with the Underground to these two. It's likely Nyx won't care, but I'm not sure how Hades will respond to the news.

“Maybe you're not as much of an uptight ass as I thought.” Hades inclines his head.

I stare at him blankly, stuffing down the annoyance. “High praise.”

Nyx has her chin dipped; her eyes locked on Wren. "You're involved with the Underground?"

Wren gives me a wry look. I wonder if she'll ever forgive me for bringing her to Kat. She has every right to hold it against me for the rest of her life, but I won’t stop trying to make it up to her.

Wren has no idea how incredible she is. I don't give a damn if we're sitting in Nyx's run-down apartment. Nyx, one of the first Furies in existence. She doesn't hold a candle to Wren. This woman who, as a child, had to navigate keeping her Fury a secret. All while under the nose of the gods and the fucking clerics and fighting for her community in the dark of night.

She may have wanted to keep her true nature a secret. I understand. It's not just dangerous to be a Fury, it's deadly. But Wren has the ability to help so many more people than her neighbors in Old Town. I may have pushed her before she was ready to fly, but it was only a matter of time before others figured out what she is. As it is, Greer knows, along with the random woman Wren saved from that sick cleric in the alley behind Mad Adams. I see how my father and Nathaniel watch her. Wren may not have noticed, but she has their attention. They suspect she’s hiding something. I just don’t know if they realize how monumental her secret is.

“Stay hidden. Stay out of trouble until we can figure out what's coming with the challenges. Do you have a way we can get in touch?” Nyx turns to me.

“I'll get you a number. You can call to get a message to us.”

Nyx doesn't look overly pleased with the suggestion, but there's not much we can do right now. Neither Wren nor I have working phones. I ditched mine when we left the safe house to meet with Ares.

“Fine.” She gets up, roots around in a drawer in the small end table and tosses a pad of paper and pen at me. I catch them and write out the number I've had memorized for years. I gently hand it back to her. Nyx takes the pen back and jabs it into my chest.

“It's a good thing I can weigh your soul. I would render you useless in a flash if I thought you were using my granddaughter.”

“Nyx.” Wren blows out a breath as she stands. She slides the pen out of Nyx's fingers and pats the Fury on the shoulder. “I'm good, but thank you for the sentiment.” She looks between me and Hades. “Can one of you get us a car to wherever the hell we're going now?”

Under her breath she mutters, "Hopefully somewhere with a stocked pantry and hot showers."

I use Nyx's phone to call Carlos. Before we leave Nyx's apartment, Wren hugs her like she’s never going to see her again. A pang of guilt hits when I think about the fact that Nyx is Wren's only surviving relative and she hasn't seen her in years. I still have Kat and a collection of half siblings, many who I've never met. There's also Zeus, but he may as well be dead for all he's a real parent. I understand that longing for connection with family.

“Be ready to go at any time,” Nyx says as she walks us to the door. She slides her ring back on her finger, transforming into the old woman before letting us leave. She hasn't stayed hidden this long without being cautious.

“We will be,” I answer. Nyx stares me down before giving me a subtle nod. I read the implication in her eyes. Don't fuck this up. I incline my head, letting her know I don't plan on it. I've already mishandled more than a few things with Wren and I'm not aiming to repeat my mistakes.

Hades doesn't leave with us. He disappears from Nyx's apartment like a wraith. Hades has the ability to travel anywhere with just a thought. Hermes can transport people and there are other demi-gods, like the one who took us to all our challenges in the Olympus Games, who have the same ability. Most of the other gods don't have that power. They can travel through portals that have been set up from Olympus to various locations throughout the world. Hades, however, can appear and disappear at will.

Wren looks over her shoulder as we travel down the steps. The carpet on the stairway is loose and I'm surprised no one has fallen down them at some point. Actually, I'm sure they have. I've spent my life living in training facilities that were, by all accounts, high end. We never wanted for food and there were always clean sheets and comfortable mattresses. That doesn't mean I was blind to the conditions most of the world was living in. My mother and Kat came from nothing. They weren't part of the elite society that turns a blind eye to how little everyone else has. Kat made sure I understood that even with the shitty things I'd encountered, there were others who had it worse.

Seeing the world through her eyes was part of the reason I wanted to get involved with the Underground. Kat despises the clerics. I have no love for them either, but for me, it was really about the gods. The way Zeus repeatedly bred children like it was his job and only claimed them to control them.

That was where it started, but it didn't end there. I saw the way Hera used humans to fulfill some dark need for pain and punishment. She may say she's protecting her name and image, fighting back against those who impugn her reputation by sleeping with her husband, but that's just an excuse. Most of the humans that Zeus seduces don't even realize who he is. And their willingness is always in question. Hera targets them, but her lessons to humans aren’t confined to just that group. Anyone who catches her eye could be subject to any manner of instruction to teach obedience and loyalty. Which is laughable. You can't beat loyalty into someone. Gods know Zeus has tried that and failed with me. Hera too.

These are dark thoughts that need to be banished. Right now, my focus is on getting Wren safely to the Underground. Now that we're back in the city, we'll head to the tunnels. Carlos pulls up the second we exit Nyx's building. A car this nice idling on the curb in Old Town will be noticed.

I grip Wren by the elbow. The steps are practically crumbling beneath our feet. I'm surprised she doesn't shrug her arm away.

“Are we going back to the garage?” Wren asks once we're in the car and heading away from her old neighborhood.

“It's the safest place for us right now.”

Carlos drops us off near the elevator that leads into the tunnels the Underground uses as their main headquarters. I lead Wren through a series of corridors, up and down stairways, all while she stays quiet.

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