Page 41 of Dark Gods
Dionysus walked over and draped a throw blanket around my shoulders before sitting next to me. "You're gonna have to tell her what you know at some point," he said gently.
"I know, but not now," I said, shaking my head. Dionysus was the only person I trusted with the truth, and even then, it had taken a lot just to get it out. The deciding factor in coming clean was the fact that my worst enemy already knew part of my secret. "And I thought it was bad that Hades thinks Poseidon is my father."
Dionysus sighed. "No offense, but your mom's like a female Zeus."
"Oh, you mean the first guy she lied about being my father?" I asked flatly, standing to pace the length of my bed to burn off some of my nervous energy. Anxiety and rage seemed to be my default state now. "Fucking Ares! Is she serious?"
"To be fair, if it hadn't been him, you wouldn't exist."
"Not helping, Dionysus."
"Sorry," he said, holding up his hands. "Just trying to help you see the silver lining."
"Right now, my existence isn't what I'd call a silver lining," I muttered.
"Come on, don't talk like that. So what if Ares is your father? You're still you. We're not our parents."
"Tell that to Olympus," I muttered. "And apparently, someone already has, because it explains why we've been shunned by the gods my whole life."
"Shunned might be a strong word..."
"You must have known," I said, folding my arms. "What do they say about us?"
"Trust me, the fact that Ares is your father isn't something people just go around talking about if even Hades doesn't know," he assured me. "I thought it was Zeus just like everyone else. He and his frat brothers really get around."
"The perfect lie. I never thought I'd wish it actually was Poseidon."
"You know, there is a bright side if it ever gets out."
"Which is?"
"Ares is crazy powerful. Even Cronus is scared shitless of him," he snorted. "The Triad would be too afraid to screw with you then."
"I guess there's that."
"Come on," Dionysus said, standing to pull me into a hug. He smelled like silk and fresh grape leaves, a comforting combination that made me feel slightly better when nothing should have. "It's gonna be okay."
I laid my head on his chest and sighed. I needed to hear those words, even though I knew they weren't true. We stayed like that for a while before I finally muttered, "I can't believe Phrixus is gone."
"Yeah," Dionysus said, stroking my hair absently. "I've heard of having a lethal pussy, but this is kind of extreme."
I gave him a half-hearted shove and he laughed. "Just trying to lighten the mood."
"You're as bad as Loki, I swear," I muttered. "Speaking of which, guess who found the body?"
"No surprise there," Dionysus said casually, reaching into his pocket for something. He popped a small capsule of herbs into his mouth and laid back on my mattress. "He's always skulking around."
"What is that?" I asked.
He pulled out another small blue capsule and handed it to me. "Some new fun thing I got from a friend. Hades sells them. Want one?"
"If it came from Hades, I wouldn't put it anywhere near my mouth, and neither should you," I said, giving it back.
He shrugged and put it back in his pocket. "Gotta pass the time here some way."
"Sorry, is all the murder and mayhem boring you?"
He gave me a lazy smile and whatever was in that pill, I could tell it was already taking effect from his glazed eyes. "Phrixus and Helle used to run them for Hades. Guess he'll have to find new mules now."
