Page 55 of Queen of Shadows and Roses
‘Zeus,’ I gritted through clenched teeth before downing a goblet of nectar.
‘We have much to discuss.’ A flicker of concern crossed his face, and a sense of unease wrapped its smoky tendrils around me. Zeus never worried.
Poseidon emerged amidst a burst of seafoam and mist, looking as surly as ever. Many gods dressed in modern human attire, although Athena and Hephaestus still favoured the traditional chiton and himation.Poseidon donned his signature surfer shorts and loud shirt—likely to piss off our brother.
‘Hades.’ He nodded my way. Poseidon and I were allies to some degree; we had always had each other’s backs. People perceived me as the fractious god, but Poseidon was in another league. Hermes suspected he needed ‘a good screwing’—typical of Hermes logic. Poseidon hadn’t shown interest in the fairersex since Amphitrite’s death centuries ago. Unlike our brother, Zeus, he wasn’t the stud of the many legends.
‘Welcome to the emergency meeting,’ Zeus declared as we took our allotted places. Dionysus winked at me, looking as relaxed as ever, while a few gods offered me respectful nods. ‘We have a problem…’ At Zeus’s words, many gods groaned, but Poseidon and I leaned forward, our elbows resting on the table.
‘What sort of problem, Brother?’ Poseidon’s husky, baritone voice carried an authority that commanded respect.
‘Ixionisback,causing problems.’
‘Shit,’Dionysus muttered.
The resistance was a radical group of mortals who disrespected and were enemies of the gods. Their name was Ixion, after theking of the Lapiths tribe in Thessaly—a king with an infamous reputation as mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Zeus had shown compassion for Ixion and recused said asshole, absolving him of the guilt of many crimes. However, behind Zeus’s back, Ixion started flirting and pursuing Zeus’s wife, Hera. Zeus could not believe how ungrateful and brazen Ixion had been, just as he couldn’t conceive the resistance's insolence for disrespecting the gods. When the group of resistors had chosen the name Ixion, the king of the gods had been royally pissed off.
‘They are targeting demigods,’ Zeus said with a tut. ‘A senator fell victim to an attack this morning.He is wounded, but not fatally. At the same time, there was an attempt on the prime minister in Downing Street. We must all remain vigilant.’
Ixion wielded weapons of the gods and posed a significant threat, particularly to the decendants of demigods, who effectively managed mortal politics in our stead.
‘Witches are most likely behind it,’ Zeus asserted.
‘I’m not so sure, Brother.’ At my words, his gaze fixed on mine, and he raised a brow. ‘Someone teleported Persephone toTartarus.’ A few people gasped, and Hermes cursed under his breath. ‘I don’t think magic poses a threat to us any longer.’
‘You don’t?’ Zeus squinted at me.
‘No. We know that every being with witchcraft has gone underground worldwide, and I believe if we approach the Council of Magic, they may become our unlikely allies.’
‘They pose a threat to us!’ Zeus snapped.
‘Do they?’ I pondered as his brows dropped. ‘One old crone was the enemy, not the entire race.’ Zeus’s mouth turned down as he regarded me. ‘I believe someone far more dangerous is orchestrating Ixion. The Empousa mentioned a “she” to Persephone. I suspect that this individual is a powerful god with minor gods, demigods,andhumans working for them.'
‘That is ridiculous,’ Ares growled.
‘Is it?’ I held his gaze until he dropped his eyes.
‘You mean one of us is a traitor?’ Athena frowned.
I raised my arms in a ‘who knows’ gesture. ‘Perhaps. Or maybe some lesser gods are in dissension. Many are displeased with the freedom mortals enjoy under our reign.’
‘Whoever it is, we must keep this quiet and remain heedful of the situation.I have assigned additional security details to each demigod in power.’ Zeus motioned to a server for more nectar as he stood, bringing the meeting to an end. ‘Oh,’ he said as he turned back to the table, his eyes snagging mine. ‘I look forward to seeing you all at Aphrodite’s welcoming party tomorrow, where we will finally meet the delectable Persephone.’
My face betrayed no emotion, but inside, I was a tempest of irritation.
‘There will be a strict rule,’ he added. ‘No god participating in the competition is allowed to use compulsion. Anyone caught doing so will face consequences.’
I stood as Hermes and Dionysus approached me. ‘I’ve managed to discover there are four contenders besides you inthis absurd competition,’ Dionysus uttered. ‘Apollo, Ares, Zeus, and Adonis.’ At the mention of the last name, my teeth clenched so hard that I’m surprised I didn’t break my jaw. Apollo sauntered up to us, grinning like a cat that had eaten a roomful of canaries.
‘Hades.’ He bowed his head. ‘Zeus said Persephone is her own woman and can give any man her attention if she wishes. I wanted to confirm that it was true. I don’t fancy ending up in Tartarus,’ he added quietly.
‘Persephone is a goddess capable of making her own choices,’ I gritted out, struggling not to give the fucker a slap.
‘Great!’ He grinned again. ‘This is going to be entertaining.’ Then he disappeared before I could throttle him.
‘It’ll be alright, Hades,’ Hermes murmured, and Dionysus nodded in agreement. ‘One word of advice, though…’
‘Do tell, oh wise one.’ I rolled my eyes.
